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thetruearson · 2 months ago

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World of Wolves

Here I am, following my mother into war. The power-crazy wolves on the other side wanted bloodshed, and they will get it. Hi, I’m Lunar. You have to know the story behind this before I go any further. Don't worry, it won't be boring.

“I'm a werewolf,” I said in front of the mirror, trying to find the best way to say it without sounding crazy. “It's nothing much, I can turn into a wolf sometimes. I'm not even that strong!”

“Oh yes, you are! You are the Alpha's firstborn child! You are going to lead this pack one day!” Said my brother, Zack, as he strolled into my room as if he owned it. We werewolves live in a forest, so there is plenty of room for each section of the pack to have their cave. The sections are the different classes of wolves, such as warriors, healers, pups, mothers, and elders, and each Royal wolf gets their cave.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my room!?” I said, “I don't go striding into your room as if it's mine!”

“You are my sister, I can be in your room all I want!” He declared.

“What is going on here? Lunar! You're supposed to be at the bus stop in 7 minutes!” my mother exclaimed. She was wearing a camo T-shirt, and a pair of matching shorts. She had a moonstone necklaces on, all royal wolves get them when they turn 18. Sadly, I was only 16.

“I'm going!” I said back in a small smirky voice. “Sheesh, I don't even want to go to a mortal academy, why do I have to?”

“Because if you ever want to fit in with mortals, you must act like them.” She responded with one of her “Queenly” voices, “It is for your protection.”

“I don't want to be like mortals! They are frail and are the most selfish, heartless, careless, cruel creatures on the planet!” I pleaded, but mymother just gave me one of those “don't make me come over there” looks. I groaned as I quickly grabbed my bag, said my goodbyes, and headed for the bus stop. I was the first there, so I just hung out and enjoyed it. This was one of the few times I have been in human territory. As I waited, more people walked up to the bus stop. The bus soon arrived, and I sat at the back of the bus. After I sat down, a strange boy asked to sit beside me. I agreed, thinking there was no problem with sitting with a human, but to my surprise, he asked me this: “During the night, what is your favorite source of light?”

For a second, I froze. This was the little riddle to see if you're a werewolf.

“The moon,” I said. Every wolf pack had their code to see which pack you were in. “how about you?”

“In the darkest of times, we must make our own light.” He said.

Oh god, that's not good. He’s in the Shadow Wolf Pack, and they're everyone’s enemy.

“My name is Felix, what's yours?”

“My name is Lunar.” I said as I extended a hand slowly to shake his, trying to be polite. He could probably tell that I didn't trust him when he looked at the ground nervously. A few minutes later, the bus was on its way to Maple Bridge High School.

You are probably wondering a lot of things right now, so let me explain before I get to school. There are a few wolves that live in the mortal world, and they usually make alot money. That way, if one of the pack members needs to do something in the human world, there is no need to worry about money, or other stupid human rules. People don't know about us, because if humans were to ever come near one of our bases, we would turn into a wolf, and scare them off. There are four packs, Moon Wolf Pack, Thorn Wolf Pack, Sky Wolf Pack, and Shadow Wolf Pack.

The Moon Wolf Pack represents the moon and stars. We believe that werewolves created the moon, to give us something to remember who we are. We can also breathe with less oxygen, or hold our breaths for longer than others. There are even some Moon wolves that can read the stars, and can predict the future. The Thorn Wolf pack is a pack brought together by loyalty and family. They would die for each other and not trust others easily. They are really big with arranged mates, which is one of the oldest traditions in werewolf packs. They also have tough skin, and are larger than the other wolves, making them more durable and better for fights. The Sky Wolves live in trees, not caves. They are fantastic climbers, and are a bit smaller than other wolves with bigger paws and sharper claws, making it easier for them to maneuver and climb. They have white fur, making them blend in with the clouds if anyone looked up at them in the trees. The Shadow wolves on the other hand think that one wolf should rule them all. They fear their Alpha, but stay because he can protect them from anything. Shadow Wolves have pitch-black fur, making it nearly impossible to see them in the dark, or darker places. Rumor has it that the Shadow wolves sacrifice one of their own every month to become more powerful.

The bus pulled up to the school. When I say there were a lot of humans, I mean, there were like hundreds of humans. I walked out of the bus with my bag, already hating the fact I was close to these disgusting downgrades. No matter how hard I tried, Felix, the Shadow Wolf wouldn't stop following me. I mean, I guess I would do the same if I knew another werewolf was here with me. It did seem a bit strange that he was in almost every class, even on my PE soccer team. The hallways smelled like teenagers dreams… being destroyed. The boring tan walls were lined with blue metal lockers. The first few classes were simple, History, English, and Science. Humans have gotten so much wrong about nature, and it became more apparent when we started doing Biology. Lunch was a typical part of human school rituals. I was hoping to sit alone, but even after I got my lunch, went outside, and to a place that i'm pretty sure was off school bounds, Felix followed me. I guess he really wanted to hang out…? After I sat down, he sat a few feet away from me. We were just quietly eating our lunches before he spoke up.

“Does every wolf in the Moon Wolf Pack think all shadow wolves are evil?” He seemed so innocent when he asked, I felt a little bad.

“I mean, not everyone. I don’t think all shadow wolves are evil.” I answer, trying to make him feel a little better. It's the stereotype that shadow wolves just want war. “Thanks, it's nice to know we're not hated everywhere.”

Soon after our little chat, the bell rang. For the rest of the day, everything seemed normal. At least as normal as things can go for a first day of school.

The forest is such a relaxing place to walk. Just listening to the crickets, the birds, the leaves in the trees as the wind lightly flows through. The fallen leaves crunching underneath my feet, hearing distant chatter among animals of the forest, and the slight bustle of the town far from our own. I walked into my home, feeling on top of the world, like nothing could go wrong as long as I'm with the forest. My peace was soon destroyed by the fact my brother wastangoing very… passionately with the nurse's daughter, Clover, in my room. I know I'm the only one with a radio, but still, not cool.

“Hey Zack, I thought I told you to stay out of my room,” I say as I lean against the wall next to the radio, clicking it off.

“I know,” He whined “but you have a radio, and I want to take Clover to the dance at my school”

“You're not even in high school. You don't have dances.” I tell him, not believing a word he's saying. Even though I didn't have to go to grade school, my parents thought it would be best to prepare Zack.

“Okay fine. It's a human party, but I really want to go! All the other humans are going, and I heard parties are fun!” He said quickly, trying to convince me not to tell Mom and Dad that he was lying. “Welcome home by the way”

“Thank you, now out of my room,” I said, pointing to the exit.

“But-” He tried to protest.

“Out!” I said, pointing towards the exit. He sulked out of my room, trying to make me feel guilty, sniffling fakely as he walked out.

After I got home, I immediately left to go walk through the forest as my wolf self. There's a river not too far away from our den, and it's quite a destination for humans. Some of which go floating down to the park just outside the forest. Without fail, people always went down the river whenever it was over a hundred degrees. Weekday or weekend. Non. Stop. Most of them are loud and obnoxious. I usually howl or run around the river when those people pass by, it's really fun to freak them out. There are a few people that go on these black rubber tubes and dont have music blaring out of some speakers. Anyways, I went down to the river and watched some fish swim by. It's really peaceful and it's nice to go there to reconnect to the forest.

The next morning, I walked to the bus stop. Obviously, I was first there as usual. Only about ten minutes later, Filex walked out of the forest. He gave me one of those awkward half smiles that you give to people you don't really know but you had like, one conversation with. As we stood there, we both tried to make small talk, but failed miserably. I'm pretty sure babies were born and the same babies grew up, got a job, lived their life, then died before the other kids got to the bus stop. Once the bus arrived, we all piled on it like a barrel of monkeys. As the teens in the bus got off at the school, they all parted to go meet up with their friends. Me on the other hand? Straight to class. I sure didn't want to get stuck in another situation with Felix again. At lunch, I went to the same spot I did yesterday.

The next few days continued the same. Go to school, avoid all human contact, have some strange interactions with Felix, and go home. At least until Friday. It started normal, but then another girl from around the corner. She had a white t-shirt with black vinyl claw marks, black ripped jeans, jade teardrop earrings, and black sneakers with white pinstripes. Her hair was brown and curly with blond highlights. She. Was. GORGEOUS. I was so flabbergasted at her outfit that I barely heard her say hello! She waved her hand in front of my eyes.

“Sorry! Hi.” I say as I shake my head violently, snapping back into reality.

“All good. The name Sage, how about you?” She said with one of the coolest “cool girl” smiles I have ever seen.

“ I’m Lunar. It's nice to meet you, Sage!” I said with one of the coolest smiles I could wear.

“So uh… do you like stars?” She asked, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

“Yeah, but I prefer the moon,” I said, it was every bit as true as the ground we were standing on.

“Ah, Moon Wolf then?” She asked as if it was not at all dangerous to ask that to a complete stranger.

“You know, you're not really just supposed to ask that to someone you don't know.” I reminded her, turing to face her and looking her straight in the eyes

“But I’m right, am I not?” Her voice was dripping with confidence. I would be lying if I said I wasn't even a little bit jealous of how she could just talk to complete strangers with such swag.

“I mean, you're not wrong. But still! What if I was a human?” I protested, still thinking she should be just a tad bit more careful.

“I guess we will never know, because you're not.” She said, still confident. A few seconds later, Felix came out of the forest. He had a few twigs in his hair. I held my hands over my mouth and looked away for a second, to try not to laugh.

“Hey Lunar! And who may you be?” Felix asked, trying to be polite.

“This is Sage. Sage, this is Felix.” I said as I introduced them to each other.

“Shadow wolf, right?” Sage asked

“Y-yea, how did you know?” Felix asked, astounded by the fact she knew.

“Pitch black hair, a little scroungy, semi-formal clothes, all that jazz.” Without skipping a beat, she added “Thorn wolves are supposed to be able to identify their opponents, so it helps to identify possible friends too.”

Inside, there were rainbow bunnies dancing around in my stomach. Someone was thinking of being friends with me! More kids arrived soon, so we just went into a corner and talked amongst ourselves. The main topics of our conversations were cool places we like in the forest, places we want to go, and pack traditions. The bus soon arrived, picking up all the kids. When we got to school, things were a bit different. Me, Sage, and Felix were hanging out in our own little group. The day continued, just a little bit stranger than I thought. At lunch, we found a new place to eat together. It was a tall bush that was bent over a little bit, giving us all enough shade to sit in. It was close to the school air conditioning unit, so not many people sat there. Before we knew it, the school day was over. Just before we were about to walk back into the forest, Sage asked us something.

“Do you guys want to hang out or something this weekend…? I mean, if you want. If you're not busy or anything.”

“I'm down for it! Not like anyone will care if I'm gone for a few hours or something.” Felix said, getting really excited about the idea of hanging out with us.

“Sure! I'll have to check with my parents first, but I'm sure they will say yes. Where do you want to meet up?” I say, feeling good that I won't just sit around all weekend and wait for time to pass.

“How about… The Paw Mark?” Sage suggested. The Paw Mark is the place where the first four packs became who they are now. It's also a big area shaped like a wolf paw. It's said that it's the paw mark of a god wolf, leaving it there to mark the beginning of werewolf kind.

“Works for me! I have to get back home, but I'll see you there tomorrow!” I said just before running back home. As I returned home, my mother walked up to me.

“You're late. Ten minutes late.” She said, clearly crossed.

“I was hanging out with some friends, sorry.” I said as I kept walking straight to my room. “We were planning on hanging out this weekend. Is that okay with you?”

“Who are these people you are calling friends? Are they humans?” I could tell she was not in the mood to hear one of my many smart-alec responses, so I just told her the truth. Well, most of it anyway.

“They're werewolves from other packs. We're going to The Paw Mark tomorrow to hang out”

“What packs are they from? How well do you know them? Have they shown any form of aggression towards you? Do they know you're a royal?” She asked, clearly assessing every possible threat.

“Mom, chill. They're good wolves, and they don't know I'm a royal yet.” I said, trying to calm her down.

“Good, and they never will know. I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?”She said as she laid a gentle kiss on my forehead before she walked out. She stopped just short of the exit. “I just need to know… are any of them Shadow wolves?”

“No, they are not Shadow Wolves,” I said, not wanting to set her off. Once she finally left, I sat on the floor and started doing my homework. I know that if I said that I was friends with a Shadow wolf, my mom would never let me go have fun on the weekends. As much as I love my mom, I want to live my life as normally as possible.

The next morning, I woke up early. I was extremely excited about going to hang out with Sage and Felix. I started looking for an outfit, then just decided to go with a classic black T-shirt and shorts. I didn't make much of a deal to tell my dad I was leaving. I ate some boiled eggs and some fruits and I was on my way to The Paw Mark. As usual, I was the first one there, so I found a nice rock to sit on and hung out for a bit. As I waited, I thought about how nice it would be to have some friends to go hang out with every weekend. Maybe go to the rainbow falls? That would be so cool, and not just a “going to see the falls” cool, like a “I'm going to the falls with others who are not family” kind of cool. I was brought back to earth after I heard a rustle in the bushes. I looked over to see another girl with orange hair and bright blue eyes. She walked up to me, seeming strangely calm to see some stranger in the forest. She spoke with an Australian accent.

“Hey! You must be Lunar! Nice to meet you, mate!” She said as she sat next to me and gave me a side hug like we were old buddies. She had this ora of kindness, yet… something seemed off.

“Not to be rude, but who are you?” I asked, trying to be nice about it. She seemed nice enough, but my father always made a point to never trust strangers in the forest. He always told me “Strangers like to kidnap little kids and eat them”. I was little when he told me that, and he was joking… I think.

“My mistake. I’m Crimson, I’m a close friend of Felix.” Just as she said this, Felix and Sage walked up behind Crimson. She could probably tell by the look on my face that said nothing but confusion because of what she said next “Bet you didn't expect the Shadow Wolf’s Alpha’s son to hang out with a werefox, now didja?”

“Alpha’s son!? Werefox!?” I repeated, making sure I heard right. So that’s what's wrong with her… she's a werefox! They can't be trusted, even to keep a rock safe.

“Did he not-? Was I not supposed to say that..?” She asked with a little worry in her tone. Felix walked up behind her.

“No, you were not supposed to say that, Crim.” He said with a serious look in his eyes that I couldn't quite decipher.

“Oh well, gotta jet!” She said as she turned her heel and started walking the other way.

“Look, I was going to tell you, both of you… I just didn't want you guys to think I was like a bad guy or something. You said you didn't think all shadow wolves are bad, but I was afraid of what you might think of a royal.” He said to me, his voice was truthful.

“I guess it's okay, I don’t think all Shadow wolves are evil, either.” Sage said, not really minding the fact he's a Shadow wolf Royal. Me on the other hand? It was killing me. He seemed like a nice guy, but I couldn't trust him. He's a Shadow Wolf Royal! But to be fair, I didn't tell him I was a Moon Wolf Royal either. But that was different. He was on the bad guy's side. I couldn't trust him, what if he told his dad? Or anyone for that matter? Could I really trust him? Would he just be friends with me from that point on to get to my pack…? Oh god, I'm starting to sound like my mom.

“I guess I don't mind. Besides, we're friends with you, not your dad.” I said, still slightly worried, but still feeling better than he told us.

“Also, sorry about Crim. She's been my best friend from the forest ever since my dad let me leave the den. Shes the leader of the Stray pack.” He exclaimed as he sits down on a large rock. The stray pack was known for being a mix of different animals that wanted a family of their own.

“That's all right, she seems cool.” Sage comments. I didn't say anything, I just smiled and nodded. As we hung out, I began to feel a little bit safer, being reminded of why I started really hanging out with him. He's cool, kind, funny, and really polite. I guess you can never judge a book by its color, or its name, or back story, or the other books in the series.

As Sage, Felix, and I were hanging out at The Paw Mark, a few patrol wolves ran back to the Moon Wolf den, reporting humans in the area, looking for a deer. My father gathered a few other wolves, thinking it would be like a regular scare-off mission. He was never one to stand by and let others take care of his business, so he always went with them. My father and a few others turned into wolves, walking closer to the humans. They started off with a few scare tactics, like howling and running around them. These humans were different from others though, they had guns and were not afraid of a fight. My father went in for the first close encounter to scare them off, running right next to them and nipping at them. He ran right past them, but one of the humans took a shot with their hunting rifles, Injuring my father! The other wolves took no time to attack the humans, injuring them back. The man who shot my father went down first, getting tackled and bit on the arm. The other man fired shots at the wolves and shot one. Soon, the men fled the forest, leaving my father and one of his comrades injured. The other wolves that were not injured helped them back. They were laid in the infirmary as quickly as possible. The nurses got to work quickly. Clover tended to the other wolf that was shot, while her mother was tending to my father. Only minutes later, the other wolf that fought alongside my father had lost too much blood… and didn't make it. My father was disheartened, knowing that his comrade didn't make it out of a simple scare mission. Soon, my mother howled into the forest, calling me. I parted with my friends and ran back to the den as fast as possible. Once I got there, I saw my father on the bed of grass. I ran over to him and sat next to him holding his hand. As he told me what happened, I didn't cry, trying to be strong for him. I stayed with him all day and night until he fell asleep. The Nurse said he was going to be fine, and gosh did I hope she was right.

The next morning my mother woke me up early. Due to my father being unable to leave the infirmary, I was going to go to the pack meeting with her. The packs hold a meeting every Sunday, to talk about important things. Kids usually never go, but today was an important day. As we greeted each other, I was glad Felix wasn't there. I sat next to my mother in my wolf form, as we were all in our wolf form. My mother brought up the fact that my father was shot by humans.

“My husband, the Alpha of the Moon Wolf Pack, was shot last night by a human. And so was one of his comrades. His comrade died. These humans are becoming braver, stronger, and stronger. We need to do something. I suggest we attack a few humans, sending a message to stay away from our forest. They don't want to come back for a while if humans get hurt or die here.” My mother said, trying to hide any fear or anger in her voice.

“We need to fight back. If they even step into our territory, they must know they are not safe.” Said the leader of the Sky Wolf Pack. He was always showing no fear.

“Why can't we find peace with humans? Maybe if they knew, we could stop hiding! We don't have to live in fear.” Said the Alpha of the Thorn Wolf Pack. They never liked war, so it was no surprise they didn't want to fight.

“Why don't we just bring the fight to them? They will never have peace with us, we need to attack while we're ahead. They will never expect it.” Said the Alpha of the Shadow Wolf Pack. It was no surprise he wanted to fight, I mean the Shadow Wolf pack is the classic evil pack.

“We will never win that fight, and you know it. We have to find some way we can keep our pack safe.” My mother responded. This cycle of argument went on for about an hour. My mom wants a guard patrol to attack humans that enter, but never kill them. The Sky Wolf Alpha wanting to kill any human who enters, the Thorn Wolf Alpha wanting peace, and the Shadow Wolf Alpha wanting to start the war. Soon, the meeting let out, freeing me from what felt like a time loop. The Shadow Wolf Alpha walked up to us and started talking to us about what my mother said. No matter how hard my mother tried to get out of the conversation, he kept talking. Great, another time loop I got stuck in. Soon, my mother snaked her way out of the conversation, and we started walking home. Once we got home, we immediately went to check on my dad. As we walked into the infirmary, we saw a shadowy figure in the corner of the room, holding what looked like a knife! Me and my mom ran in to protect my dad. We called for help, but by the time anyone else got there, the shadowy figure got away, sneaking back into the forest, never to be seen again. No matter how hard anyone looked, we couldn't find them. The only thing me or my mother could think that was going on was that someone was trying to kill our Alpha! And this wasn't just any wolf, it was a Shadow Wolf.

“We need to increase our defenses now. Our pack is in danger, so we must protect it.” My mother said to the other wolves in the den. This was more than just a coincidence, the Shadow Wolf Pack wanted war. They are trying to become the most powerful pack, by taking the other packs down. This was one of the many things the Shadow Wolves wanted to do for a long time. “Alright, what can we do? We can ask the other packs for support, or maybe just some medical supplies. I know the Thorn wolf pack has a large variety of healing herbs.” My mother paced around the room, thinking of what to do. “Your father was always better at planning for battle than I ever have been.”

“You're doing great, mom.” Me and Zack comforted our mother as she struggled to find a solution. I felt bad that I couldn't help anymore then I already was.

“Lunar, please come with me. We can go to the other packs together.” She told me.

“W-what? Why do I have to come? Why can't Zack go with you?” I protested. I really didn't want to go, because I didn't want Sage seeing me as a royal. If I saw her, I would have to tell her I am the Alphas daughter, and that wasn't going to be fun.

“Because you are the next in line. You have to come with me. Please? I don't think I can do this on my own.” She pleaded. I can't be selfish about this, my mom needs my help. I will be by her side whenever she needs me.

“Okay, fine. I'll come.” I say as I step next to her. We walked over to the Thorn Wolf Pack first, thinking they would be the most understanding. Once we got over to their den, we told them our situation. No matter how much pleading we did, the Thorn Wolf Pack Alpha didn't budge. He wanted no part of this war, in any way, which is understandable. I looked around nervously as I searched the den for Sage, but couldn't see her anywhere. I was glad I didn't have to explain everything, but I kind of wanted to see her, to tell her what was going on. My mom was really disappointed that the Thorn Pack didn't want to help. After we said our goodbyes, we walked over to the Sky Wolf Pack. My mom was worried the Sky Wolves wouldn't help either. We walked over, hearing rustling in the trees above. The Sky Wolf Alpha jumped down from a tree, greeting us. We told them the same thing we told the Thorn Wolves, and they too asked to not be a part of this war. We were on our own. We walked back to the Moon Wolf den in defeat.

The Shadow Wolf Alpha walked over to our den only seconds after we got back. He asked to speak to my mother alone. After what felt like ten trillion years, she walked back over to me as the Shadow Wolves left.

“Prepare the troops. We are now at war.” She said with a dark tone. She walked past me, going into her den. As the wolf troops prepared for battle, I was panicking in my room. Was war really necessary? Yes, we have to settle this, even if it comes to bloodshed. About an hour later, my mother walked out of her den. She led me and my brother in front of the hundreds of wolves behind us. As we stepped onto the battlefield, I could feel cold air in my hair. As the Shadow Wolves stepped onto the battlefield, my worries grew. There were so many more of them then there are of us.

Now, this is about the place where we began a while ago, so I hope you're all caught up. As I walked a few steps forward alongside my Mother and brother, I took a final deep breath. We all went full wolf form as did the Shadow Wolves. My mother howled, starting the battle. We ran into war, preparing for the worst. One by one, we fought every wolf. The battle continued for what felt like forever. With the Shadow wolves sheer numbers, they were beginning to over power us. I was separated from my mother and brother in the heat of the fight, soon being knocked down by a Shadow Wolf. I tried to get back on my feet, but he pinned me to the ground. My life flashed before my eyes, as I feared this was the last breath I was going to take. Before the wolf could bite my neck, finishing me off, a strange orange figure jumped on the Shadow wolf, knocking them unconscious. When I looked up, I saw a… fox? And just like that, it clicked. Just like I said before, you can never judge a book by its cover.

“You weren't expecting a werefox to help out, now where ya?” A familiar Australian voice said the fox walked closer to me. It was Crimson! And she wasn't alone. Sage, Felix, and a bunch of other animals like a bear, racoon, mountain lion, and other foxes behind her. Crimson walked over to me, helping me stand.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I stood up, gaining my balance once more. “You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous!”

“I can't stand by and let you or your back suffer because my father is an incompetent buttmunch.” Felix says as he walks next to me, preparing to fight alongside me. “None of us can”

“You're not very good at hiding that you're a royal, you know.” Sage commented, standing on my other side. “We got your back, Lunar.”

“Thank you guys, you might have just given us the advantage to win this fight!” I said, feeling a new wave of confidence as we charged into battle. With a new team of brute strength and loyalty, no one could stop us. Soon, I found The Shadow Wolf Alpha. The second I had a chance, I went for him. I pounced on his back, knocking him to the ground.

“You did this! You put your own wolves in a battle to die, just so you can feel better about yourself. You made wolves die, because you felt like you were the rightful king on all werewolves. What, did you pick up a thing or two about Manifest Destiny from the humans?” I yell as I walk towards him, wanting to do nothing more than kill him right then and there. But, Felix ran next to me.

“Don't. This is my fight, not yours. Go help your family, I'll deal with him.” Felix said, glaring at his father.

“Okay, but be careful.” I say as I run back into the battle, looking for my mother and brother. By what I was told after the fact, Felix challenged his father to a duel. Whoever won, would have soul control over the Shadow Wolf Pack, and would from then on be the Alpha. The battle was quick, with Felix's father getting the first hit. After a few hits were exchanged, and many scratches were made, Felix pinned his father to the ground, making him surender. As his father surrendered, he called off his troops, ending the war. I finally found my family, but seeing my brother on the ground, not moving. I ran over as quickly as I could, making sure he was at least breathing. His chest raised and fell, telling me he is okay. Some nurse wolves came over, helping Zack. Now, I have to make sure Felix is okay. I found my way back to him.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask him, seeing many cuts and injuries.

“I'm fine. I defeated my father, now I am the Alpha of the Shadow Wolf Pack.” He says, with a little bit of a huff. “It's kind of a lot to take in…”

“Yeah, I would think so.” I said with a little bit of a chuckleA few days later, his father was sentenced to death. He was held in a cell, prepared to be executed in front of all four pack Alphas. As the guards went to retrieve him for his execution, he was gone. He had broken out of the holding cell, and escaped. The guards looked everywhere, but could find any sign of him. A few weeks later, me, Felix, and Sage all went to the Rainbow falls. If the sun hits the waterfall just right, the water will become a rainbow. As we sat, watching the waterfall, I was satisfied. Every pack was safe. I had friends, my father and brother were making a steady recovery, and nothing was wrong anymore. Or… should I be worried about the evil Shadow wolf on the loose? Nah, that's for another story. See you next time, and if you ever see anything in the forest like a wolf in a tree, or a wolf with fur as black as night, or maybe even a group of stray animals being led by a fox. Just know, you're not alone anymore.

#story #short story #werewolves #werewolf #werewolf story #aspiring writer

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blossomingbellflower · 1 year ago

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Naturally the topic of children was one to take seriously, be it demon or human. Bringing life into this difficult world was wrought with various problems and also, a series of responsibility. Many humans do not think beyond the present moment resulting in offspring that inevitably suffer due to their shortsightedness and inability to provide the proper care. Others simply take what they have for granted and don't appreciate what they were given.

Kikyou comprehended very well, the need to ruminate over it. There were many reasons for the demon to give pause, from his own experiences and reservations to the difficulties of carrying hanyou children. Hence she gave him the time to deliberate for as long as he needed. And in truth, it had slipped her mind as she had more present moments and stressors to focus on. It was never a dull moment and the woman was just happy to enjoy every second of the 'now'.

The woman recollected being the one to bring up the topic of offspring when they were beneath the tree. Now, with her memories fully returned, there was a part of her that was anxious. While elated and excited to hear those words..there was also a quiet pain that could not be voiced.

In this moment, Kikyou refused to acknowledge it. Now was not the time for it and resolutely, she pushed it down.

"Those words do make me happy to hear. I have no doubt that you will be an attentive, loving and considerate father." Even centuries ago, glimpses could have been seen when he was with Rin. And today, how he engaged with the demon children..well..it was endearing.

The mention of his mother certainly had her eyes twinkling with mirth from the sheer thought. How could her curiosity and interest be piqued by that offer? "Rest assured beloved, I am very open to meeting the one who gave birth to you.", she mused. "Even more so if she chooses to share such tales and depictions of you. You know me quite well.~". Yes. Those would greatly amuse her. The contradictory image of a young, energetic and mischievous pup with that of his adult self, certainly was one that would be thoroughly enjoyed to its fullest.

To be able to witness a piece of his past..his childhood..it made her beyond happy just thinking about it.

Mocha orbs softened even more as she listened to his response, touched and warmed by his words. It was hard to believe on some days..that this was not a dream but reality. That she was so fortunate in this life to be reunited with him and become enamored all over again. To experience things with him..something her past self unfortunately could not.

Kikyou would not go so far as state the event was one she was passionate about. The cause yes. The event itself..was a means to an end and if it was not mandatory for her appearance, she would not be there. Yet, as one of the more prominent physicians, she had a duty to attend.

Still..Sesshomaru's words had the woman rising to her feet once they both had finished their meals. Going towards his side, she lowered herself next to him. She could not help but smile, as a blush painted those snow kissed cheeks. A hand moved to rest over his, fingers brazenly slipping in between the spaces of his and curling.

Kikyou loved him. Every moment they shared together, only deepened the affection she held for him.

"Thank you my dearest..Your support and presence would mean the world to me..as it always does." Long lashed eyes closed, as she brought their hands up to her lips and pressed a kiss to the back of his palm. A soft smile widening tenderly. "And you are correct. Should you have need of me in any event or meeting, I would gladly accompany you. It would be my pleasure to be at the side of my future intended. Just ask and I will follow."

There were times, as well, when she was afraid this happiness would be stolen. With her memories fully restored, that fear only intensified. In this moment, however, such thoughts were the furthest from her mind. Her body leaning affectionately into the side of her demonic fiance, fingers intertwined with his.

"What makes me the happiest..is simply being with you. I truly need nothing else."

Sesshomaru had brought it up in part to inform her indirectly that he hadn’t forgotten about the conversation they had under the tree. He hadn’t simply tabled the subject to be reminded about it later. He had carefully ruminated over the topic and decided to bring the subject matter of children as a way to state his stance on the matter: He would take on the role of a father if Kikyo would find herself with child in the future.

❝Much careful consideration was required on my end, but I have through things through. If you still wish to carry my children, I would do my parent to aid in raising the children with care.❞

For an individual like Kikyo, who had the memories of her past life, rife with much tribulations and ache, it may be necessary to process some of the pain through forging new positive associations and the allowance to air them out for them to spread out into the atmosphere and not become a rotting stagnant muk that will cause further harm. Facing the pain, though painful, was necessary for healing.

He wouldn’t judge her for any pain she would need to process, nor would he grudge her if she ever were to lash out or cry because of her past. He would accept her as is and try to understand what could be done to help ease the process of her healing journey.

❝I look forward to sharing a moment with you reflecting on your past. One day, if you would be open to it, I would like to introduce you to my esteemed-mother.❞

The elder Demoness was still alive and kicking, and surely would be more than amused to meet Sesshomaru’s future intended.

❝Stories of my infancy is sure to be amusing for you. She may also be in possession of painted scrolls depicting my visage.❞

As Kikyo was willing to share a glimpse of her past, a Kikyo he didn’t know about, with him, he would return the favor in turn. In due time, it will be done when they were ready to do so.

He listens to her speak about the upcoming event that she’d invited him to. Sesshomaru didn’t involve himself much with humans, but it wasn’t that he completely sworn himself away from them. There were some aspects in their lives that he dabbled in, and that was evident in the way that the children were aware of Disney, and some Demons were proficient with technology.

Yes, he found comfort in traditional values but he wasn’t so ignorant as to shun the new in favor of the old and possibly outdated. There were members of the Gumi who operated on the surface level, gathering information and experience among the humans to learn about them. There were lucrative ways for Demons to integrate themselves into society and make an impact. Perhaps this time, he could make an impact by attending the event with Kikyo.

❝It is right for me to join you in endeavors which mean much to you, as you would surely do the same for myself. To have the opportunity to glean into what you’re passionate about is far more important than any annoyance other humans may have on me.❞

It was the role of a husband to support his wife and to protect her from any dangers, and untoward intentions counted as ‘dangers’. It was a role that he would take to quite easily, not finding it a bother.

❝Any task that is for you is not taxing if it brings you happiness.❞

In other words, if it would bring a smile to her face, no petty annoyances would serve as a worthy deterrent. Whatever would bring her joy, he would be willing to sit through, so if she wished to stick around for the event longer, he wouldn’t tell her to do otherwise.

❝Time is something I’ve ample of, but the event is finite. Stay for as long as you wish, our time together can always be prioritized on a later date.❞

He wouldn’t begrudge her for wishing to stay longer. Either way, he would be in attendance for as long as she was. In that sense, they were still spending time together.

❝If you wish to leave early to have time to ourselves, I would not deny you that want.❞

#||fangsofdestruction||#||ic||#||modern /reincarnation canon verse||#[kik out here overwhelmed by feels and now he must suffer her affection BD]

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yandere-sins · 2 years ago

Note

I'm sure you're probably tired of talking about it, but how /would/ Atreo respond to a darling who wasn't getting pregnant? Like if they were unable to or too sickly to maintain it? I feel like he's the type of dick to blame them for everything and try to convince them to do better as though that's actually something they had control over lmao

(I’m sorry, you waited like the longest time for a response ;;)

I’m not tired of you guys being interested in Atreo, so no worries and I’ll happily oblige! I actually had to look up if sharks have a habit of forcing partners regardless of their ability to conceive (you know age and the like, I think dolphins are more dangerous in that aspect tho) but I didn’t get a 100% answers to my questions, so this is my vague headcanon not based on reality.

At first he'd probably keep trying and trying no matter how much its explained to him that it's impossible. He'd get more desperate and aggressive over the topic and it'll create a real sore spot for him for sure. In that aspect he'd probably demand they work harder to catch all of his release and open up for him, but no matter what he does, he can't escape reality.

Atreo will definitely go through a depression of sorts, his dreams crushed (like his darling) and he might neglect and avoid them in that time until they come to him, begging for care and apologizing. Seeing them distraught (about having to suffer more) probably will cause him to realize he's not the only one in pain about their non-existing family (it's denial) so he'll promise them he'll take 'care of it'.

By stealing someone elses pup.

The parents might survive... if they are cooperative.

See that's almost as if they have a family. Even if the child now suffers too and the darling now has a strange, aggressive, sharp-toothed baby in their arms and their stomach is still empty. In fact, darling has two strange, aggressive, sharp-toothed babies now and if they are not careful, Atreo will add one each year... like an anniversary gift. Once again, the great Atreo solved the problems occuring in his nest and can now go back to devote his time to his darling and now child. Hurray!

Honestly, he wasn’t that big of a deal. He could potentially be of the same pack as the three orcas of the orca tribe (orcas have fucking large packs I didn’t know that before, like 40), but I haven’t planned shit on that story yet and I don’t plan to very soon. And unless I plan a fight scene in the future (which I don’t know yet if I want), it’ll be unlikely he’ll be mentioned again. Ever. Please don’t get hung up on the details, I am happy to discuss headcanons/Atreo/stuff like that and add to them, but please don’t be pushy about new content.

#Admin #Atreo #yandere mermaid #yandere mermen

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dumdumsun · 3 years ago

Text

And Dusk

A/N: It's family dinner time, babes!!

Warnings: none that I'm aware of

Word Count: 3629

—————————————

Chapter 12: Team Zero

Striding into the steam-clouded sauna where the two remaining Swedish assassins now silently relaxed, The Handler began an unprompted conversation in their language. “All the new age remedies out there, but nothing beats a good schvitz when it comes to stress,” As she sat on the bench, the two men carefully watched her. “My job can be stressful, sure. But I can’t imagine what it must be like for you boys.” She batted her eyelashes.

“Do we know you?” The Swede, who appeared to be the leader, questioned. The Handler kept her head turned forward as she stared down.

“No. But I know all about you,” Standing from the bench, she quietly chuckled and walked to the center of the sauna, the steam crawling its way up to her neck. “However, seems you’ve run into some problems on this job.”

“Just a snag.” He tilted his head.

“You lost your brother. I’d call that more than a snag.”

Snapping, the second Swede pushed off the wall and marched up to The Handler. Before he could get too close, he grunted when she grabbed hold of his manhood, freezing his steps. She watched as his mouth fell open in pain. “What if I can give you the location of the knife-hurling dolt responsible for blowing up your beloved brother?”

The first Swede tilted his head. “Who are you?”

“Somebody you’re going to want to know.” Her eyes never left the man she was assaulting. The second Swede finally found the breath within him to speak.

“Unharm my weiner.” He wheezed in English, The Handler kindly doing as he asked, a smile on her face. He sighed and stepped away as his brother held up the hand that had been twirling a knife the entire time.

“Go on.”

At his words, she turned to him. “I’ll give you the exact location of the one you’re looking for. Diego. The rest… I’ll leave up to your imaginations.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“Let’s just say that his little game of ‘Hide the Sausage’ with my daughter needs a swift end. I just have one request,” The Handler approached the first Swede, the two in close proximity now. He watched her every move. “Don’t hurt the little one with the cute socks… and the other with the face scars.”

Lifting his chin, he furrowed his brows. “We’ve already killed her.” He mumbled. She only chuckled in amusement, the two men stiffening at the realization that their target may not have been executed like they thought.

-------------------------------------------------

The clicking of Reginald and (Y/N)’s shoes against the marble floor echoed throughout the hallway they walked down. The young girl was desperately trying to keep up with her father’s long strides, her puppy in her arms and her heart beating out of her chest. If they had actually complied, she was going to reveal her true whereabouts for the past two years to her family. They were going to know that the entire time they had been looking for Reginald, she was living under the same roof as him. No matter how many times she swallowed the lump in her throat, it always swelled right back up. “D-Dad, who are these people we’re having dinner with?”

“These people have been nothing but a nuisance to me.”

Her mind flashed back to the night of the gala. Diego had been there with Five. They were there for Reginald, to find out his intentions with the president. To find out what he was doing in Dallas in the first place. Reginald was a secretive man, he didn’t even let Grace or (Y/N) into his office unless he was present as well. Her stomach twisted in knots of anxiety the closer they approached the door to the tiki lounge. When Reginald stopped just before the doors, he turned to his daughter and lowered his voice. “When we enter, you are to sit and remain silent. Do not speak to them, do not interact with them. Sit and shut your mouth unless I tell you otherwise. And your pet remains on the floor or in your lap. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” She whispered and held Mr Pennycrumb close to her chest, the pup quietly panting and licking her cheek. That seemed to be enough for Reginald, for he nodded and turned forward, slamming the door open and marching into the lounge.

The Hargreeves stood dumbfounded at their father as he headed straight to the table they surrounded, not a word leaving his mouth. None of them had expected to see him ever again, especially not after the funeral they had attended back in 2019. But what they really didn’t expect to see was (Y/N) right behind him, her eyes avoiding them as she absentmindedly pat Mr Pennycrumb under his chin. She especially avoided looking at Five, whose jaw was dropped upon her appearance. The real kick was when Reginald pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. Without even a peep, she sat down and allowed him to scoot her closer to the table before taking his own seat. The five blinked once before taking their own seats at the table.

“Not only have you burglarized my lab, set my chimp loose, conned your way into the Mexican consulate, repeatedly stalked and attacked not only me, but my daughter as well, but you have, on numerous occasions, called me-”

Klaus joined the table with a grunt, a martini in his hand. “Hey, Pop. How’s it hangin’?”

“-‘Dad’,” Reginald gave everyone a once over as (Y/N) shifted uncomfortably under the stares of her family. “My reconnaissance tells me you’re not CIA, not KGB, certainly not MI5, so… who are you?”

(Y/N) watched as they all glanced at each other, opening their mouths to answer, but quickly closing them instead. This went on for a few seconds before Five decided to do it, “We’re your children. We’re from the future. In 1989, you adopted us all and trained us to fight against the end of the world. Called us the Umbrella Academy.”

Reginald turned his head from left to right, frowning at each individual. “Why on earth would I adopt six-”

“Eight. One of us isn’t here.” Allison clasped her hands together on the table.

“Dead,” Diego muttered, his head bowed down. “One of us is dead.”

“And the eighth?” Reginald questioned. (Y/N) cleared her throat and began to speak, but stopped when he sent a cold glare her way. “What did we talk about?”

She quickly shook her head. “No, I… I’m the eighth. I’m also your child from the future. You just… got me very early this time-”

“(Y/N), it is not the time for your games-”

“It’s not a game! W-Why do you think I’ve been leaving my dates with Preston to be with them?” At the words ‘dates’ and ‘Preston’, Five leaned forward, eyes narrowed at his love. She glanced at him apologetically and shook her head. Reginald was just about to scold her yet again, but she rolled the sleeve of her shirt up to reveal the umbrella tattoo on her left arm. “Did you forget about this?”

“Yeah, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. Enough of that now.” Klaus hissed and turned behind him. Everyone froze and stared at him in confusion. Turning forward again, he simply motioned for Reginald to continue. Uneasy, he did just that.

“Regardless,” His gaze turned back to Five. “What would possess me to adopt… seven ill-mannered malcontents?”

“We all have special abilities.” The boy answered.

“Special? In what sense?”

(Y/N) set her pet on the ground and sat up in her seat. “In the superpowered sense.” She raised her brows. Reginald sighed and clenched his jaw.

“My child, if you do not stay out of this as we agreed, I am going to have to send you to the car with your mother-”

“Dad! I am being so serious when I tell you I am one of them!”

“Well, call me old-fashioned, but I’m a stickler for a pesky little thing called evidence,” He turned back to the table. “Show me. All of you.”

Allison scoffed and adjusted the straw in her drink. “Everybody wants to see powers all of a sudden…”

“We’re not circus animals, okay?” Luther spoke. “We’re not gonna bounce balls on our noses and clap our hands like seals for your amusement-”

As if on cue, Diego launched a knife across the table, zipping around Reginald’s head and pinning itself into the pillar behind him. The seven leaned in and watched as the man clicked his pen and began writing in his journal. “What are you writing?” Diego asked. Reginald glanced up at him.

“You are zero for two, young man.” He quipped, Allison sputtering her drink before Diego jumped up from his seat in anger. To prevent anything disastrous from occurring, Five stood and blinked in front of his brother, halting his movement and whispering a ‘stop!’ to him. “Now, that is interesting.” Reginald muttered.

Five sighed and headed back towards his seat. “Alright, uh, quick rundown. Luther: super strength. Klaus can commune with the dead. Allison can rumor anyone to do anything.”

“Except she never uses it.” Diego muttered. Allison removed her lips from her straw and sent a tight-lipped smile towards her brother.

“I heard a rumor… you punched yourself in the face.”

Against his will, Diego rammed his fist into his face, crying out and groaning in pain immediately after. Klaus reached over and tried to comfort him as (Y/N) and Vanya ducked their heads down to hide their smiles. Reginald glanced over at the latter. “And you?”

Luther placed a hand on his sister’s arm with a smile. “Uh, maybe we don’t take Vanya for a test run.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s probably not a good idea.” Klaus sat back in his chair.

“It’s fine,” Vanya shrugged, reaching for a fork. “I can handle it.” And despite her siblings’ protests, she tapped the fork against her glass. A high-pitched tone rang and shook the table. (Y/N) held her breath as she waited for the worst. A beat later, the bowl of fruit in the center of the table exploded, chunks of fruit splattering against everyone’s clothes and faces. (Y/N) tried to dodge as Mr Pennycrumb jumped into her lap, happily licking the food from her scarred cheeks and chin.

Reginald sighed along with his future children as he handed his only actual daughter a napkin to clean herself. Adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves, he side-eyed her. “Alright, my child, show me.”

Not even hesitating, (Y/N) stood and placed her pup in her father’s lap, despite his clear distaste, and straightened her clothes. “Alright. So, I can clone myself. To both summon and dismiss these clones, I have to sing two distinct three-note tunes.” To prove her point, she ‘ooh’ed her first tune, her clone appearing from her shadow, standing with a blank stare. Reginald raised his brows and began writing in his journal. “These clones not only share a conscience with me, but function as muscle and spies.”

“Spies?” Reginald frowned.

“They’re able to record their memories for me to look over in my own mind. Over the past year, I’ve come to learn that I can view these memories in real time. They also function to fulfill any task I command them.” Turning to her clone, she placed her hands on her hips. “Pick up Pennycrumb’s leash,” She commanded, the clone immediately doing as it was told. “I’ve also recently learned that I can give them the ability to talk. But if I wanted to… oh, I don’t know… attend a date with a certain boy without actually being there, I can project my consciousness into its body.”

After taking a seat, (Y/N) immediately slumped in her chair, unconscious. The clone beside her perked up and blinked twice before turning to Reginald. The man leaned forward to inspect it, but jumped back when it spoke. “But if something prevents my clones from fulfilling their task, they will start to self-destruct after twelve hours if said task isn’t completed. This is done by tearing into its own flesh and ripping itself apart.”

At this, everyone shivered.

“Right. It’s terrifying,” The clone returned to its blank and empty shell before (Y/N) raised her head. “And to dismiss, I hum the tune from earlier in its descending order.” She demonstrated said tune, the clone disappearing into her shadow. Mr Pennycrumb excitedly jumped from Reginald to her lap, nuzzling into her arm. “Any questions, Dad?”

Reginald was hastily scribbling into his journal. “Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary… And even more so that you’ve managed to keep this power from me for over a year.” He whispered. Turning her head, she caught Five’s proud smile. She winked at him as Diego stood from his seat.

“Look, we know that you’re involved in a plot to assassinate the president.”

“You were recently hospitalized, isn’t that correct? You still appear to be suffering from delusions of grandeur and acute paranoia.”

“Am I?” Diego reached into his back pocket and slid a picture over to his father. “Explain this. That’s you. That’s two days from now on the grassy knoll at the exact spot the president’s gonna get shot.”

Reginald picked up the photo and scanned it before his eyes moved to his daughter, the girl slightly shrinking under his gaze. Receiving his answer to the question he was to ask her, he turned back to Diego and set the photo down. “Well… I suppose you’ve solved it. You’ve single-handedly unearth my nefarious plot,” The smile Diego wore slowly faded. “Is that what you want to hear? You fancy yourself a do-gooder? The last good man who will save us from our descent into corruption and conspiracy? This is a fantastic delusion.” The more Reginald tore into him, the lower Diego sat himself into his chair until his lips were quivering and a tear slid down his cheek. “The sad reality is that you’re a desperate man, tragically unaware of his own insignificance, desperately clinging to his own ineffectual reasoning. More succinctly, a man in over his head.”

“Y-Y-You’re wr… wrong.” Diego stuttered. (Y/N) shakily inhaled and slammed her hand onto the table, alerting the rest of her siblings.

“Don’t you ever talk to him like that!”

“And you!” Reginald whirled to his daughter, the girl flinching a bit. “You have done nothing but deceive me! I half expect you to tell me that the man you chose over Preston sits among us!”

(Y/N)’s gaze instantly found Five’s. His green orbs were pleading, begging her to say it.

Tell him. Tell him you love me. Shout it from the rooftops, promise that you’ll always believe in us. Tell him.

But she couldn’t. Not when her doubts sealed her lips shut and casted her eyes away from him. The siblings stared between the two, heartbroken for their situation. Seeing that she chose to be ashamed, Five nodded and cleared his throat to speak. “Look, forget about the president. We have a catastrophic war coming in five days. We need to figure out how to stop it.”

“War?” Reginald looked away from his daughter and to the boy across from him. “Men will always be at war with each other.”

“No, this isn’t just some war. I’m talking about a doomsday. The end of the world.”

“Well,” Reginald muttered after a beat of silence. “You’re the special ones, aren’t you? Why don’t you band together and do something about it?”

Expecting much, much more than that, all seven of them frowned. This was what Reginald wanted from the start, for them to come together as the Umbrella Academy and prevent the end of the world. But it had been almost two weeks and two apocalypses managed to form due to their actions. That was why they couldn’t.

Grunting, Klaus suddenly raised both his arms in the air and shook uncontrollably, choking out gasps and jerking his body. (Y/N) gasped and slowly reached out to him.

“Is he having a seizure?”

“Overdosing, probably…”

“Should we do something?”

Whipping her head to Luther, (Y/N) widened her eyes. “Yes!” She shouted before turning back to Klaus as he shuddered. “Shit, what if he is overdosing?!”

“Klaus,” Five leaned over and whispered. “Now is not the time. What are you doing?”

Gurgling, Klaus turned his body to Reginald, face contorted in discomfort. “I’m… Ben!” He gasped out before falling to the ground, panting and groaning. (Y/N) rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead.

“Klaus? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” She whispered as he reached up and weakly wrapped a hand around her wrist. Reginald looked from Klaus, to (Y/N), then to his journal before he gathered his things.

“Well… thank you for coming,” He stood from his chair and began to walk away, stepping over Klaus’s body. “I’ve seen about enough. Come along, (Y/N), your mother is waiting for us.”

A loud slam sounded, causing everyone in the room to turn to Luther, who stood and ripped his buttoned shirt open. (Y/N) covered her mouth when he revealed his discolored bare chest and abdomen. “Look at what you did to me! Look at it!”

As the siblings groaned and gawked, Reginald simply turned his attention to Five. “You in the culottes. A word, in private? (Y/N), to the car. This instant.”

“Yes, sir.” She whispered before giving Klaus a kiss on the forehead and standing to her feet. Five walked by her side in silence until they had to split ways. Reginald turned to the both of them, and just when (Y/N) was going to turn out of the lounge, Five grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed a kiss to her lips. Gasping, the girl brushed her fingertips over her lips as her face burned. She watched Reginald for a reaction, but he only motioned for her to leave. “Bye, Five.” She grinned behind her hand and hurried away.

“This way, boy.” Reginald brought Five’s attention back to him, leading the two of them to the bar. After they took their seats and he ordered their drinks, Reginald turned to his future son. “You seem to be the sensible one of the bunch.”

“That’s because I’m the oldest,” Five nodded, Reginald tilting his head. “You know, technically, I’m older than you right now.”

Reginald turned forward when the bartender set down a bottle in front of him. “Cognac?”

“Just a smidge.” Five slightly smiled. As he poured their drinks, Reginald started their subject of conversation.

“The other night, you quoted Homer at me. Why?”

Five shifted in his seat and straightened his blaser. “You forced us all to learn it as kids. In the original Greek, no less.” He raised his brows before a glass was passed to him. He and his father did a silent cheer before he took a gulp of it. The entire situation was so jarring to the boy, but as he said before, he didn’t choose this life. He’s just living it. For the next few days, anyway. “This world ends in five days if we don’t get out of the timeline.”

“Worlds end. Paleozoic, Jurassic, and so on.”

“We can do something about this one.”

“Man’s greatest flaw: the illusion of control.”

The boy frowned. “I need your help. Alright? You’re my last sane option. Otherwise, I gotta make a deal that I really don’t wanna make. What do you know about time travel?”

“In theory?”

“In practice.”

Reginald hummed. “I know it’s akin to descending blindly into the depths of freezing waters and reappearing-”

“-as an acorn. Yeah.” Five finished with a sigh.

“What transpired when you tried traveling before?”

The boy blinked and shook his head as he looked away. “I botched it…”

“How?”

“I jumped too far forward, got stuck in the future for forty-five years in an apocalypse. Then I jumped too far backwards… except this time, I brought my entire family with me.”

Reginald tapped his fingers against the bar as he clicked his tongue. “Including (Y/N)?” He questioned, receiving a nod in answer. “Well, maybe your appetite is disproportionate to the size of your abilities. Start small. Seconds, not decades.”

“Seconds?” Five widened his eyes. “Look, no offense, but I need a bit more time for what I’m trying to accomplish here.”

“So much can change in a matter of seconds. One can overthrow an empire,” His eyes moved from Five to the doorway (Y/N) had been standing in seconds ago unbeknownst to Five. “One could fall in love. An acorn doesn’t become an oak overnight.”

Five swallowed, his expression that of defeat. “I was really hoping you had more than that.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help…”

Five shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry, too. I gave you such a hard time as a kid… I didn’t know any better.”

Humming, Reginald glanced down before raising his glass. “No skin off my teeth, old man.” He smiled before drinking. Five sighed and downed the rest of his drink before standing from his seat. “One more thing.”

“What is it?” Five turned back to his father, freezing at the cold look he had been giving him.

“It would be best… if you refrained from courting (Y/N).”

A pang going through his chest, Five rapidly blinked and stepped back. “W-What…?”

“Your relationship is not healthy,” Reginald stood from his stool and began walking past the boy. “And besides…”

Five clenched his fists as his father walked towards the exit of the tiki lounge.

“I have plans for her.”

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#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #umbrella academy x reader #tua #tua fanfic #tua five #tua x reader #five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #number five #number five x reader #five x reader #of starlight #and dusk

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alovesongshewrote · 4 years ago

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Oops, I Did It Again | Connor DBH

Plot: Sometimes you get bored. Sometimes you get crepes. Sometimes you get tackled by a St. Bernard [Connor DBH x Gender Neutral!Reader]

Word Count: 1,508

Warnings: dog

A/n: this is a direct sequel to this, and like most other sequels, it’s worse, lol. though, you do get to hang out with sumo in this one, so

Tags: @deviatedwinter

masterlist

There are certain situations in which charges get dropped. I can’t be bothered to list them, but trust me when I say an android revolution is one of them.

So, after like, a week on the run, you were free to go. No breaking and entering charge, no theft charge, no nothing. Just the memories of adrenaline in your veins, soft lips on yours and the joys of screwing over your employers.

After you’d obtained your freedom, you stayed in Detroit. It wasn’t like you had anywhere else to be or anything else to do. In truth, you were kind of bored. Believe it or not, there was not much to do in a rebuilding city except for supporting small businesses. So you did. Every Saturday was crepe day, that’s just how it was. Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to be.

One particular Saturday, you were halfway to the creperie. Your headphones were plugged in, your music was blasting, and you completely neglected to notice the very large St. Bernard headed your way. You had no choice but to take note, however, when the dog jumped on you, knocking you right to the ground. Another person may have been upset by this, but not you. You like dogs because you are a normal and good human being overall, so getting knocked over by a lovely pup such as this one kind of made your day.

“Hey there buddy! How are you? I am well,” you said, allowing the large beast to sniff you. Once the dog decided that you were worthy™, it rolled onto its back, allowing you to do the honour of petting it. You rolled with it, deciding to pet the heck out of this random dog.

“Awww, you’re such a good dog!! You are baby :),” you cooed, as the dog stuck his tongue out, very clearly enjoying himself.

Connor, the android sent by Hank, was not feeling the same way. Post-revolution, the deviant detective had moved in with his partner in solving crimes, and so had been sent to walk the lovely jewel of the household, Sumo. Usually, an activity such as this brought Connor joy, but somehow, the St. Bernard had escaped from his leash and run off through the streets of Detroit.

Connor was, obviously, not okay with this. He was in, as the kids call it, deep shit. Maybe, with a human dog-walker, losing a dog of Sumo’s size might be a little more understandable. A dog like that could easily send a toddler, or some other unsuspecting person flying through the air. Big dogs tend to be pretty strong, and Sumo was, in fact, a big strong dog. Connor was not some other unsuspecting person though. He wasn’t a toddler either. He was an android, a deviant android made of literal fucking metal. So, how did Sumo escape his grasp?

Plot contrivances.

But that wasn’t exactly an answer Hank would accept, so when Sumo fled Connor gave chase. You would think he’d be good at that considering his background as a detective. He’d chased several people and androids through the streets of Detroit, his thirium pump beating out of his chest, racing, surging forward as a familiar thrill raced through him. He’d run through this city, forward and back, too many times to count, feet hitting the ground in time with each simulated breath.

So, chasing a dog should be nothing, right? Ha, no. Out of all the things Connor had ever chased in his life, a slip of paper lost in the wind, an umbrella during a storm, deviants, criminals and the like, Sumo proved to be the most difficult creature Conner ever had the pleasure of chasing down. When he found the dog, though, Connor found the other most difficult creature he’d ever dealt with in his android life.

“Awww, you’re such a good dog!! You are baby :)”

“How did you say that out loud?”

You stopped petting the St. Bernard, purely out of shock. Now, there was a voice you’d never expected to hear again. You’d hoped for it, of course. Maybe you’d heard it in some of your stranger dreams, and maybe it had come in across your T.V, like, once, but you never actually believed you’d hear it again. At least not in person. However, when you turned, there he was. That fucking cop.

“Well, hey there Connor sent by- huh. Probably not Cyberlife anymore, huh?”

“I-”

“Oh, you weren’t sent by the police, were you? I swear anything you find in my apartment isn’t mine, I stole everything-”

“I-I’m… what?”

You stopped, standing up to face Connor directly. Sumo whined, though, so you stopped what you were planning on doing and resumed petting the dog, “Damn, I made you speechless. I am proud of myself just so you know.”

Connor looked at you, and then at Sumo. It seemed that the great beast liked you. With a sigh, the android took a seat on the other side of the dog and watched as you rubbed circles into the pup’s fur.

“So,” you smirked, “It’s nice to see you again! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of a police department before, so this is cool. I like your shirt.”

Connor had no clue what the fuck you were on about, which was becoming a regular thing at this point. You were referring to a plain white shirt. He had no idea what there was to like about it. When you grinned at him, though, he didn’t care. He just wanted to say something to you.

“Thank you.”

“No problem! So, is this big guy yours?”

“Uh, well, yes, I suppose. His name is Sumo.”

If possible, your smile widened. You rubbed the fluff around Sumo’s face and cooed again, as if you were slowly becoming a pigeon, “Sumo!! Sumo, Sumo, Sumo. It’s perfect!”

For a moment, Connor found himself staring. He wasn’t sure what the word was for how he felt watching you fuss over his dog, but he knew it was… nice. Seeing you smile felt like seeing the sun come out after weeks of rain. It felt like a fresh pot of coffee in the station, or the joys of a case well done. It was nice. Really nice. It was just as confusing as everything else you did, though.

“Well, he is just the cutest thing!!” you squeaked. It actually took Connor a minute to realize you were talking to him.

“I’ve heard Hank call him a ‘good boy.’”

“He is!” you exclaimed before realizing you had no idea who Hank was. That, you decided, would not be a problem for you today. Maybe it would be for a future you, but you weren’t going to deal with it now. Now, you were going to cause other problems.

“So, how've ya been, Connor?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you, the last time I saw you we didn’t exactly talk, and a lot has happened since then, so… how are you?”

“I’m… I’m doing well. What about you, have you been alright since you…”

“Since I kissed you and fled the police station in the wee hours of the morning?”

“Yes, I believe that covers it.”

You giggled, the smile on your face growing soft as you remembered that night, “Yeah, that was fun. The charges were dropped so I’m generally free to go. I just have to avoid committing any other crimes and I should be in the clear.”

There was a moment of silence that almost broke you. Fortunately, Connor broke the silence first, “Did you not say everything in your apartment is stolen?”

You could not help the loud and obnoxious laugh that escaped you, “You got me there officer! Perhaps you’d like to visit sometime? Y’know, to investigate,” on the last word you made sure to wiggle your eyebrows intensely. You weren’t sure if Connor got the joke, but he did smile, so that was a win.

“So, (Y/N), where were you headed before Sumo interfered?”

“Damn, Con! It’s always straight to the point, huh?”

“Straight t-?”

“I was actually on my way to grab crepes. I enjoy supporting local businesses.”

The android raised an eyebrow and gave you a very fun smirk, “Are you sure you aren’t stealing from them?”

“Positive. You could join me if you wanted to check? They allow dogs, so...”

Once again, there was a moment of nerve-wracking silence. Thank god for Connor, honestly, “I think I would like that.”

His answer was semi-unexpected but entirely welcome. You jumped to your feet, instantly ready to go, “Come on then! Let’s go! Rock and roll, buckaroo!”

Once again confused and charmed by your antics, Connor followed your lead, standing and calling Sumo to his side.

Yeah, you were still odd. And you made him feel weird, but it was the best kind of weird. You were a lovely type of strange, the exact type that made him smile. And you got along with his dog. That, my homeskillet, is a good thing.

#connor x reader #connor dbh x reader #connor x you #connor dbh x you #connor x y/n #dbh #dbh x reader #detroit become human #connor detroit become human #rk800 #sumo dbh #dbh sumo #lovesong's writing

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redpandaramblings · 3 years ago

Note

No no sorry! I used the nickname that was stuck in my head from another fic for the reader but I meant your story..

Its awkward for me to write "y/n" or "the reader" so I try nicknames.

Its obvious to me that now that Bakugou has accepted the reader as his alpha that some hot scenes can happen in the future or at the summer date.

Shouldn't they be aware after all this time together that they love each other? Especially since Bakugou wouldn't sit around with just anyone for years even if he doesn't show any emotion?

Am I assuming too much? :0

Sorry again I really do like your writing!! ;C

Ah, okay! No problem, no problem.

As I said before, not planning on adding any explicit scenes. Maybe a few fade to blacks. I’m open to adding side stories or an explicit epilogue later if there’s interest.

As far as them knowing they love each, they do; of course. Mostly it’s issues with a breakdown in communication over time and assumptions made on both sides.

Now some backstory. I’ve hinted at a lot of this, but didn’t really have a chance to tell this plainly.

Reader and Bakugou were a lot more openly affectionate at the start of their relationship. They weren’t falling into bed, but they cuddled, kissed, went on dates and most importantly actually talked. But then they both graduated. Reader didn’t have too much trouble entering the teaching field. However, Bakugou was becoming a hero. Now yeah, things in this universe are fairly progressive. But Bakugou was a loud aggressive omega with a loud aggressive quirk. The tabloids tried to eat him alive. Every outburst he had was blamed of his omegas hormones. When he was calm and well dressed for an event? They said he was fishing for an alpha, or that a alpha had finally gotten him in line. He was asked questions about his fashion instead of his rescues. Every interview had at least one question about when he planned to give all this up and raise some pups. Some extremely bold paparazzi even began harassing reader.

So, Bakugou decided to take some drastic action. To be fair to him, he did halfway explain to reader at the time. He stopped all outside dates. He wouldn’t go to readers place. No physical affection where it could be photographed and exploited by the media. He didn’t allow himself to buy or eat sweets in public or to indulge in any typical omegas behaviors. And, after a while, it did work. He climbed the ranks rapidly, and after a couple years he was praised for challenging stereotypes instead of being ridiculed. At the time of the story, he absolutely could start doing more omegan things with minimal criticism, but he’s out of the habit and subconsciously a little afraid to open up again. He thinks it’s fine though because reader is also non traditional and always has understood him so well. Bakugou’s major sin in the relationship is that he thinks reader is always on the same page he is, because 80% of the time, that was true.

Now reader, reader absolutely did understand at first. They saw how much the negative media attention was tearing Katsuki apart. If toning down their relationship would help, reader absolutely would agree. Their alpha nature is to protect and to try and minimize stress for Bakugou; even at their own expense. So they’re on the self sacrificing side. Even reader’s current choices are half selfish and half self sacrifice. They need to get away for their own sake, but they currently firmly believe Katsuki would be happier with someone else. Somewhere along the way reader forgot how to talk to Bakugou’s about her own wants and needs. So now she’s out of sync with what he’s actually wanting and needing.

Long story short, they both love each other dearly, but they’ve forgotten how to be a good and effective couple together. Bakugou was too comfortable with how things were because of outside stress. Reader was too concerned with Bakugou’s needs over her own and bottled her emotions until she reached her breaking point.

So right at this moment Bakugou thinks reader is fine in the relationship, maybe a little sad that they aren’t mated, but he’s planning to fix that real soon. He is absolutely certain reader loves him deeply. Reader has started to doubt their loves are the same. She knows Bakunin loves her, but maybe it’s more of a pack or found family love and not romantic. She knows he’s fiercely loyal and she’s got herself half convinced that that’s the only reason he’s stayed in the relationship so far.

Sorry this reply took so long. Tumblr decided to delete the whole freaking thing when I was almost done writing it out.

#pan speaks #answering asks #like caramel for chocolate #like Caramel for chocolate details

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senterya · 3 years ago

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It's been an absolute joy reading people's takes on the OC interview that has been floating around recently.

The idea of a Pale Rose interview (read: Fyarh and Nym dragging ex-courtier Reln into this) sounded so oddly entertaining that I wrote it for myself for fun but it turned out... surprisingly okay? So I'm gonna leave it here.

OC Interview: Pale Rose edition

(Draw (or use an old drawing, don’t worry!) or take a screen of your character in an interview setting and make them answer the following questions!)

1. Can you introduce yourself?

Fyarh: Sure. I’m Fyarh, founder and – formally – leader of Pale Rose. I’m also the head of the Dreamers’ division in our guild. (turns to the other two) And they are Nymeleia and Reln, head of the Soundless and Courtiers, respectively.

Nymeleia: (with a wide smile) Glad to be here!

Reln: (remains silent – just nods a little)

2. What is your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?

Fyarh: (after a few seconds of thinking) I’m male, maybe prefer others who identify as that too? Didn’t think too much about it before.

Nymeleia: I’m looking both ways. I’m female and taken, you could say.

Reln: Why is this even– (exhales) ...I’m male, I don’t care what my partner identifies as. And my relationships are not for the public to chew on.

3. Where and when were you born?

Nymeleia: Back in the Grove, all of us. I awoke at Dawn and the boys are both Night blooms.

4. What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

Fyarh: I’m best at stealth and surprise – daggers work just fine with that. If it’s an open confrontation, I prefer a light sword that doesn’t hinder my agility. But I’m trained and still training in hand-to-hand combat too.

Nymeleia: I was trained at the Vigil to be the shield, not the spearhead of the attack. I stay behind and make sure nothing hits that shouldn’t. I utilize shades and magic so technically I don’t need a weapon – a staff or scepter can help, though. I also carry a dagger on me, just in case.

Reln: I’m best with a bow. Two-handed sword if it comes to that. But whatever does the job, really.

5. Lastly, are you happy?

Fyarh: (smiles and glances at the others) I am. I’m on the path my Wyld Hunt laid out to me and I got great allies and friends that are with me every step I take. I’m truly grateful for that.

Nymeleia: (with a soft smile) I feel like I found my calling here. I’m working on a cause and with people that are amazing. I’m pretty happy with that, yes.

(both look over to Reln)

Reln: (after a few seconds of silence, with a cynical smile) Are we just supposed to say yes or no to that? Like happiness is that easy to define. (he glances to the side for a second.) But it’s been better here. Take that as a yes.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

1. What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

Fyarh: The guild is the closest I have to a family in a sense you ask. I think? I’m on good terms with everyone – luckily, I mean... (he laughs a little nervously) ...it’s as it should be.

Nymeleia: I’m with Fyarh on this one. The sylvari in Rose are the closest people to me.

Reln: It really is pointless to ask sylvari about “family” – we’re all technically related, but are strangers at the same time.

Nymeleia: (with a smile she barely tries to hide) You are dodging the question.

Reln: I’m not dodging anything, I’m being reasonable. I have close friends, and allies – call that a family, if you want to.

2. Have you ever run away from home?

Nymeleia: We’re all sort of runaways, aren’t we? (she laughs) I’m Soundless, I left the Grove quite early, then joined the Vigil. Does that count?

Fyarh: It counts. But just so that you don’t feel left out. (Nymeleia gasps and mimics trying to kick him in the shin, they both laugh. Takes them a few more seconds to get back on track.)

Fyarh: I used to sneak away a lot when I was supposed to be in lectures. I loved discovering Caledon, I knew every corner of it so well when I was a sapling. Maybe I’d still remember if I walked around.

Reln (after everyone looks at him): ...I’m from the Court. I think that’s self-explanatory.

Fyarh: But didn’t you also wander away a lot?

Reln: You could say. I preferred being alone. Hunting was a good excuse.

3. Would you consider marriage or having children?

Fyarh: In the far future, maybe? I’m still very young though, and my hands are full with my guild and my Hunt. It’s definitely not something I think about a lot.

Nymeleia: Marriage sounds cute – I like the idea of honoring commitment with a little ceremony.

Reln: Neither of those seems to be for me.

Nymeleia: (quietly) Ah, my heart.

(Reln glances at her, but doesn’t respond.)

4. Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

Fyarh and Nymeleia: No...?

Reln: (slightly annoyed) Is it even a friend if you hate them? Next question.

5. Which friend knows everything about you?

Fyarh: Maybe Daleien? We've known each other for the longest, and he was with me through thick and thin. Nowadays I share a lot with Nym and Reln too. I used to be very secretive about myself but I’m working on it.

Nymeleia: We chat and gossip a lot with Dia – she’s another Soundless from the guild. She’s lovely and so supportive, I’m really glad I have her.

Reln: I’m not the one to share everything about myself. But my second-in-command knows the most.

Nymeleia: Oh don’t listen to him. He and Lavan technically read each other’s minds – no words, just half a gesture, and they know all they need to know.

ASKED BY FANS

1. Are you literate? Have you been to school?

Fyarh: I’m literate, and I’ve been mentored as much – well, maybe a little less – than any other sylvari.

Nymeleia: I actually struggled with reading and writing for a while – I could, just not well, as I never really had to. Paperwork has been a nightmare for the first months in Rose, but by now I got the hang of it. I’ve been reading a lot of novels recently, too.

Reln: I’m literate, and was mentored like all other saplings. The latter didn’t reach its purpose, though.

2. The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

(They all look at each other, but neither of them seems to have an answer or anything they’d be willing to share.)

3. What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

Fyarh: Oh. I somehow never really talked about my Wyld Hunt in.... sufficient detail to my mentors? Not before the Wardens arrested me for hiding thorn pups in a forsaken outpost. It was a real journey talking my way out from there. One of the most embarrassingly funny things that happened to me, in retrospect.

Nymeleia: I was always too caught upon not handling the concept of pain, and death, very well. I don’t regret working on it and toughening up, I just wish I had realized sooner that I should hone my strengths instead of desperately trying to “correct” what I perceive as a weakness.

Reln: ...I guess I haven’t realized soon enough what real understanding means. (he seems mildly uncomfortable by the question, and does not elaborate)

4. Do you have mental health or physical issues?

Fyarh: Fighting takes a toll on everyone, I’d say. But nothing other than that.

Nymeleia: (nodding along – her eyes wander off to the distance)

Reln: A few scars here and there. Had a lot to deal with after coming back from the heart of the jungle, but I have worked through most of those by now.

5. What is your current main goal?

Fyarh: I’m dedicating all my time to the guild. It’s been coming along so much better than what I prepared myself for, and I’m not about to waste the opportunity.

Nymeleia: I’m not satisfied with my level of skills on the field yet – I’m spending as much time on training as I can, next to Rose. There are some other necromancers in the guild with who we share our knowledge, and I have gotten some general good advice and lectures from Firstborn Trahearne himself. It’s crazy how far Fyarh’s connections go.

Reln: I’m busy training and supervising my own division. Most of us are reliable and trusting, but there are and will always be a few loose cannons I need to keep an eye out for.

CHOICES

1. Drink or food?

Fyarh: A drink, maybe? I tend to forget to eat. It’s getting on Nym’s nerves at times.

Nymeleia: Ah don’t even mention it. I’m picking food – nothing tops a good, warm meal after a long day.

Reln: Food, if I have to pick.

2. Cats or dogs?

Fyarh: I love cats. I wouldn't mind adopting one, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to take good care of them.

Nymeleia: Can we pick both, maybe?

Reln: (glancing at the thorn wolf lying next to him) I’m more of a dog person. But cats are good too.

3. Early bird or night owl?

Fyarh: I’m a night owl. Waking up with the rest of the guild at early hours is a nightmare for me. I tend to oversleep so much, it’s almost comical.

Nymeleia: That’s not a problem for me though. I’m up before everyone else. And so is Reln.

Reln: (nodding)

4. Optimist or pessimist?

Fyarh: Optimist.

Nymeleia: Same, some will even say naive for sure.

Reln: Middle ground. I’m more of a realist than any of the two.

5. Sassy or sarcastic?

Fyarh: Maybe... sassy? With close friends. I don’t feel like either most of the time, honestly.

Nymeleia: Would you say I’m more sassy or sarcastic?

Reln: (to her) Is that really a question?

Nymeleia: Oh entertain me.

Reln: (gestures towards her; she laughs)

HAVE YOU EVER

1. Been caught sneaking out?

Fyarh: Once, when I was sneaking out of a Court camp with two stolen thorn pups. Barely got away. Didn’t dare to show myself around there for a while.

Nymeleia: Several times. Did a lot of bathroom cleaning in the Vigil for it too.

Reln: If I was, I doubt I would be here today.

2. Broken a bone?

Fyarh: Miraculously, no. I don’t even know myself how’s that possible.

Nymeleia: My left arm. Open wound, too – wasn’t a good experience.

Reln: Nothing that a field medic couldn’t fix.

3. Received flowers?

Fyarh: If you mean it like, in a romantic way? No, not yet.

Nymeleia: I received a few, but in my experience Vigil soldiers are more of the blunt than the romantic type.

Reln: No.

Nymeleia: How dare you. I gave you potted herbs a while ago!

Fyarh: (leaning forward) Potted herbs?

Nymeleia: It’s because he takes his food back to his room all the time. And then he complains about the seasoning. Go figure!

4. Ghosted someone?

Fyarh: I did... use to run away from confrontations a lot. But people say I’ve gotten better with that too.

Nymeleia: I prefer to just tell people if I’m not interested in talking to them. As kindly as possible, of course. But I think it’s ruder to leave them hanging.

Reln: I did leave from places – the Grove, the Court – suddenly, but then again, I didn’t have many connections to either in the first place.

5. Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

Fyarh: That happens. Easier than trying to go back to it and figure it out, takes away the flow of the conversation.

Nymeleia: Everyone does that from time to time, no?

Reln: I don’t. If someone’s not funny enough, that’s not my problem.

#oc interview #pale rose recon #fyarh #nymeleia #reln #gw2

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lilyharvord · 4 years ago

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The Chain (Part 9)

Thank you to everyone for being so patient with my update for this fic. I’m officially done with my first semester of graduate school and since I’m on break, I want to try and post as many chapters as possible to get as close to finishing this as possible. We’re time jumping after this by the way everyone. It’s about time we kicked it up a few notches and got to the meat and bones of this fic.

Tag list: @delilahlbard, @king-maven-calore, @thatoddgirl777, @elliekratzzz, @evangelineartemiasamos, @evangeline-of-montfort, @scxrletguardsdawn, @freaky-freiday, @petergrantkavinsky, @kuwei, @whatsup-gorls, @katiemoore, @redqueenetwork, @tranquil-dusk (I’m trying to add you but for some reason it wont @... the same problem happens with @thatoddgirl777 and I have no idea how to fix it)

Find the rest of the fic here: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8

Enjoy everyone (:

(/Mare/)

When I run from my lesson with Julian, it feels fake and I wonder if he even buys into it. I have far too much control over my ability now, and it is hard to fake going out of control. Still, the rain feels good on my face when I finally find a balcony. I couldn’t care less about the paint that is most likely being washed away. I tilt my head back and inhale, letting the rain drench my hair. Today is just a bad day, and it is only set to get worse.

The rain is warm as if washes over my face. I wish it were cold. I’ve felt too much lately. I want to be numb for a few minutes.

Thunder rumbles in the distance. A moment later, the air changes as another bolt of lightning prepares to races across the sky. The storm is right overhead. I miss the electricons more than anything as the pressure escalates around me.

We’d go storm chasing on a day like today to hunt down the elusive bolts of lightning so that we could harness them ourselves. Harnessing natural storms is like wrestling with my brothers when I was little. It’s pulling against an impossible force, but the power that roars through my veins when I manage to get what I want out of it is exhilarating.

Gripping the banister, I inhale the smell of ozone and open my eyes to watch the flash of white as it shoots across the sky. Change, lightning is change. Storms come and wash away the old to bring new, brighter things behind it. Tyton had taught me that. Ella taught me it could be elegant. Rafe taught me it was beauty. I taught them it could bend but never break.

A hand closes around my arm and I almost yelp at the freezing touch. Two Sentinels stand over me. They must have followed me out here and given me a careful berth until they were certain I wouldn’t electrocute them.

“My lady,” One of them growls, his grey eyes like dirty snow. Probably a Gillican judging by his touch. He’s twice my size, but nowhere near as powerful. I still hate the sight of them.

“Let go.” I insist as I tug my arm. But he grips me tighter and steel panic laces through my bones. They had found me before, but who knows why they have come looking for me now. Has Elara decided to make a move? Has she found something out?

Tugging against him, I bring my other hand up to grab his wrist and shock him into letting me go. I never get the chance though.

“You heard my bride.” Maven. My blood runs cold as he steps onto the balcony, looking over the two guards like they are common dirt. “Let her go.”

The relief I should feel is replaced by cold fear. I’ll take the Sentinels over him any day. I’m not in the mood to play games with him.

“Apologies your Highness, but we must keep Lady Titanos to her schedule.” The one holding me speaks in a baritone that makes Maven’s lips pull down in a frown. His grip is already loosening though. I can’t believe I never realized how in pocket Maven and Elara had the Sentinels. These soldiers stopped serving the king a long time ago. “It’s orders, sir.”

“Then you have new orders,” Maven’s voice is colder than ice. It reminds me of the freezing nights in Paradise Valley when the wolves would howl at the moon and the wind would answer back. “I will accompany Mareena back to her lessons.”

I’d sooner let him walk me off a cliff. But the Sentinels drop my arm none the less and leave us on the balcony. The buffer they put between me and Maven leaves with them, and then I am alone with the man who destroyed me.

“We have working showers inside, you know.”

I push my wet hair out of my face before turning away from him. Jokes aside, I don’t want to see him. My nightmares have returned in all their supernatural fury. Every night I dream of chasing him down a hallway, the burn of the knife as it cuts my side, and feeling of dying in a Silent Stone room. I wake gasping and on the verge of screaming, but no sound comes out. I’m grateful for that at least. Still, I miss Cal’s warmth, and being able to curl against him to tether myself to reality when the dreams refuse to leave.

“I want to be alone.” I murmur, setting my head in my hand. My patience is holding, but not for long.

“I understand that.”

Oh, I know you do. I keep my lips from curling into a sneer by sheer will alone. Lightning flares across the sky again. The storm is creeping beyond us, but I could still pull a bolt down and hit him if I wanted. My aim is perfect. I could cook him to a crisp like I did Elara.

I grip the banister again to settle my thoughts. I can almost feel the char of her hair between my fingers and the weight of her head if I close my eyes. I can hear the hum of the cameras as I hold up the head of a she-wolf and promise to come for the pup.

“I understand how difficult it is.” He continues as he steps up next to me, bolder than he ever was. My eyes snap to him, but I’m more curious now than wary. What has made him so certain? Before, he had still been wary around me. It wasn’t until we joined the Guard together that he truly pretended to open up to me.

His eyes are cold as he stares out over the palace grounds. “These people. They make it impossible. I can’t say what I want, do what I want—with my mother around I can barely even think what I want. And my brother—!”

“What about him?” My blood runs cold. What has Cal done now? He promised he would stop prying—

The words stick in his mouth, and he pales with a blush. He’s not the perfect statesman that locked me in a cage yet. He’s not the boy listening to a ghost in his head yet. There is still a part of him that is Maven, and not the thing his mother created. “He’s strong, he’s talented, he’s powerful—and I’m his shadow. The shadow of the flame.”

The part of me that always understood that part of him, and even loved it quakes. I step out of Gisa’s shadow because of him, but he never does leave Cal’s. He never gives himself the chance. He keeps chasing the edge of Cal’s shadow like there is one. Maven casts his own shadows though. They haunts me and they haunts Cal in the future. If only he knew that.

When the words come to me, they are true and that is what makes me feel sick. “Then maybe you should try to be more than that.”

His eyes widen at my words, and I find myself unable to stop. “You could be more. I think you could. Stop chasing the edges of shadows, you’ll never find them. Find a way to be alone with your own heart, and be happy with it.”

His entire face folds in on itself, pinching in places I never saw before. I’ve never seen this emotion from him, and I have no idea what to call it. For a moment I wonder if I’ve said the wrong things, and done exactly what I told Cal not to do. But a part of me still wants to save the boy that I thought was trying to save me. Even if its hopeless, and he is too far gone to save. Monsters aren’t born, they’re made. Julian told me that once. Well if monsters can be made, they can be unmade too.

“That’s something you should know about us Silvers. We’re always alone. In here, and here.” He gives me a tired smile as he touches his head and then his heart. The line sends a shiver down my spine though. He’d said the same thing last time too. It only reminds me that perhaps we’re on a track, and there is no getting off. There are no other exits, only the ones that I know are coming.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You better learn to hide that heart of yours, Lady Titanos. It won’t lead you anywhere you want to go.”

My heart aches more than he could ever know. This is the boy, this is the truth. There is nothing to save. I am trying to fix a shattered mirror and cutting my hands on the pieces to spill my blood for nothing. I turn my eyes back to the sky, closing them as lightning strikes again, and thunder roars above us. Battle lines were drawn before; I have to redraw them now.

“I think I can help with your problem.”

I turn my eyes back down to him, and instantly he is the Maven I dreamed about. The mask is so perfect. I forget there are cracks that the darkness slips through.

“What problem?”

“You’re homesick.” Holding out his hand to me, he nods down to it when I don’t take it. His skin is like ice when I slide my palm into his. I thought I remember him being warm by this point. Instead, he’s a corpse before I make him one. “I can fix that.” (/////)

The wind cuts through my hair, ripping it from its braid as Cal and I race toward the Stilts. I’ve ridden a cycle with him numerous times since this night. Nothing takes away the rush or competes with the feeling of flying that this generates though. Usually we tear down mountains roads and I close my eyes, trusting him to keep me safe as he cuts around turns. He’s taken Gisa once too. I had to peel her off of him when they returned because she was gripping his body so tightly.

Right now, his body is warm in my arms, warm and real. It reminds me that I’m safe with him. Even if I’m terrified of the situation we’re in.

When we finally reach the branch in the road that will bring us into the Stilts he brings the cycle to a stop, and cuts the engine. I’m the first off, and I peel away from him like a second skin. He pushes it into the trees, his eyes dancing to me every so often as he does so. I know that look he is throwing over his shoulder. I’ve seen the worry that creases his brows and the concern that flares like a light show in his eyes many times when he’s uncertain what’s going through my mind.

“Do you want to talk?” He eventually asks after throwing a few leafy branches over the cycle to hide it. I tuck my hands into the pocket of my coat to hide the shake in them.

“There really was nothing to save.” It’s a thought that’s been going through my mind since Maven confronted me on the balcony.

His expression melts into true concern faster than I can swallow my words. But he swaps that for a different mask of emotion. There’s no jealousy in his eyes, but I can see the beginning flares of his panic. His one true fear before we started this was that I would choose Maven this time around; that maybe he really was the consolation prize all along and I only chose to try again because I lost my chance to be with Maven.

“He’s still a ghost.” I whisper to him before reaching out for his hand. He lets my fingers interlace with his. I squeeze them tightly, trying to get him to understand. “That doesn’t mean I won’t mourn a chance lost.”

He nods tightly, his jaw squeezing until a muscle in it feathers. I cup the spot with my other hand, caressing it to soothe him. “I love you, you know that. Even if you drive me up a wall sometimes.”

With a light laugh, his worry melts away, and I’m glad for it. We can’t be questioning each other right now. There’s too much at stake. There can be no edges. We filed them down after the war so we could fit together after all. That is where the real truth lies though.

Maven carved himself to fit with me. But Cal and I smoothed down together, cutting off the edges that mattered so we could fit. I didn’t need to change for Maven because he melted what he needed to make the perfect mask. It had been a lie from the beginning. A beautiful, wonderful lie. Cal had been real though, had never bothered to hide what he was, even when those parts hurt. He made me better, and I made him better. Nothing about Maven had made me better. He made me strong sure, but a brittle kind of strong that hurt anyone that got too close.

Reaching out, he pushes my hair away from my face, his smile falling fast. “I wish you didn’t have to go through this.”

He could be talking about anything. Shade. Maven. All the New Bloods. Losing myself. Losing people I love. Even losing him for a bit.

“I don’t.” I insist, even though the words cut up my insides like glass as I speak them. The truth cuts sometimes. I’m used to the sting. (////////)

The meeting with my family still stabs like a knife. Kilorn’s rage burns like a brand. Gisa’s wish rings in my ears. I feel like I’m drowning, being swallowed up by the old emotions. It’s like reading a book where I know the ending and hesitate to turn every page. I hate every second. Even as I make my way straight of Will’s wagon.

Cal trails me, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows so Kilorn doesn’t see him, and so Will’s spies don’t notice him ether. Kilorn knows who Cal is, I know he does. He had known from the moment he first saw him. I couldn’t be more grateful for my friend keeping his fat mouth shut around my family though. I think my dad would have found a way to stand and kill Cal where he stood if he knew he was the Crown Prince.

I hold my hand out, telling him to stay back silently, while I take the final ten meters to the wagon on my own. He melts into the shadows, playing the part of a shadow so expertly I have to do a double take. But even his eyes are gone. Maybe he turned and went back to the cycle. I hope he did. When I step into the wagon, it’s to see Will smiling, already waiting for what I have to say. I tell him everything. And just like he did last time, he admits to knowing everything.

Tristan waits behind the curtain, ready to pounce. I can see the toes of his boots before he announces his presence. He’s more arrogant than I remember. I still see the pole Ptolemus shoots through him though, and the mental image makes me shudder.

“The royal monkeys have chosen a queen this past week.” Tristan’s smile is cold as he looks me over. “You’ve been all over the screens Lady Titanos.”

I hate that name, and all the implications of it. ��They aren’t all monkeys.” I insist, and the fire that lights in his eyes makes me wish I hadn’t said anything.

“Are you talking about the prince you’re engaged to or the one waiting outside in the shadows?” Will asks as he leans back and rests his hands on his stomach.

My heart does a jump and a skip, and I’m sure all the blood drains from my face. I thought we’d been careful and I had been incredibly impressed with how Cal disappeared. Still, I should have known, Will is a spy in the Guard for a reason.

Tristan erupts though, and takes two quick steps for the door, his hand flying to his pistol. I leap and grab his wrist though, twisting it expertly and spinning to put myself between him and the door. And ultimately between him and Cal.

“You brought a Silver here?” he hisses down at me, even though my hands are already lighting with sparks. “The Crown Prince? Do you know what we could do if we took him in? What we could bargain for?”

Relax, I want sneer, you get him eventually. And he will do far more this time than he did last time. My words when I do speak are low, like thunder in the distance as I glare him down. “You leave him alone.”

Tristan’s lip curls in disgust. “A few weeks in the lap of luxury and your blood is as silver as theirs,” he spits, looking like he wants to curl his fingers around my throat and throttle me. “Do they take turns?”

“What?” I gasp in surprise. That’s not in the script.

“Do they take turns rolling in the sheets with you?” His lips curl at the surprise on my face. “Or do you pick one over the other? I’m going to guess the one hiding out there gets the most time.”

Fury like nothing before sears through me. I bring a hand up that sparks as I sneer. “You idiot. I’m protecting you from him. He’s a trained soldier that would turn you inside out like a shirt if he wanted. And he’d burn this place down if you so much as tried to go after him.”

You’re only alive because I haven’t burned the oxygen from this room. A real threat, one I believed when Cal said it the first time, and one I believe now. I have to keep Tristan away from Cal. I can’t have a stray bullet finding its way into his chest or his head.

Tristan deflates, his anger melting away as I slowly lower my hand and disburse the sparks. Will lays a hand on Tristan’s shoulder, calming him further. “That’s enough,” he whispers. “What did you come here for, Mare? Kilron is safe and so are you siblings.”

This is what I came here for. To put the pieces in motion finally. To start the game for my side. “Shade was a member of the Guard, and they killed him for it.” The only fact I can trace. “I have to pretend it doesn’t bother me.”

“You’re dead if you don’t.” Will reasons.

“I know. I’ll say what they want. But I’m in the palace, the center of the royal family. I’m quick, and quiet. And I will help the cause.”

Tristan sucks in a ragged breath. His eyes light with a new fire, this one vastly different from his anger. He rises to his full height, beaming at my words. “You want to join up.”

“I do.” My words are final, and I don’t bother to look at Will, only Tristan.

“I hope you know what you’re committing to. This isn’t just my war, or Farley’s or the Scarlet Guards—it’s yours. Until the very end. And not to avenge your brother but to avenge us all. To fight for the ones before and the ones to come.”

The ones to come. My chest squeezes as I picture Clare’s toothless grin at the same time that her laugh rings through my ears. My own hand curls into a fist on my stomach. There are plenty to come. I swore myself to the Guard to protect them before I even knew about them, and now more than ever my heart pounds for that future. I will fight tooth and nail for it. I will spill my blood and others so that someday, someday I can sit on my porch and watch a little dark haired boy run rampant in the backyard. So my brother’s name can live on in his daughter. So that someday my family never has to be hungry. So that someday, I never have to be afraid.

I slip my hand into Will’s gnarled one. Cal warned me of war once, of what it brings. We both know the cost now, but I know what waits for us on the other side. There is a light, there is hope, there is good. I will do whatever it takes to get back there. Even if it means mucking my way through blood and mud once again.

“I am with you.”

“We will rise,” Will breathes in unison with Tristan. The words are like hope burning in my chest, lighting up the room around us as I speak them too. “Red as the dawn.”

(////////)

Cal is quiet as we walk through the halls of the palace. And I am too. My silence is contemplative though, his is patient while he waits for what I have to say. He’s always waiting, waiting for me to cross the bridge. He waited for me to say yes too. He asked seven times before I said yes to him in the dead of night wrapped up in cool sheets and half delirious with sleep. I’d pressed a kiss to the space between his brows and said yes without him asking. He waited almost two years for me to say that word after he asked the first time. Now he waits without asking. He knows I will talk eventually.

“I have to tell you something.” I eventually whisper, and grab his wrist. The cameras whisper around us, and I turn my eyes in their direction before saying, “Your rooms are safe.”

When Maven brought me there, I made sure to do a sweep. There are no cameras in Cal’s room. I wonder why, but I don’t bother to question it too much. It’s a silent blessing, the perfect meeting place. I don’t have to wait until the guards change to speak with him.

He nods and takes me a back way. For a moment, I fear we’re lost, until we turn a corner and he brings us to his door. He glances over his shoulder at the same time that I swipe my hand to surge electricity through the camera’s wires, shorting it long enough for me to slide in the room and him to follow me without us being seen.

In the dark of his rooms, I feel like a ghost. He goes to turn the lights on but I catch his hand. And for the first time in a long time, almost shock him. The hairs on his arms rise as my sparks threaten to explode out from under my skin. I haven’t been this nervous in so long. It makes him jumpy.

“What happened?” He asks quickly, spinning to face me and grabbing my shoulders. His shadow looks different in the dark, smaller and less imposing. Strange how that is what made him most human to me the first time as well.

I slip out of his grip only to dive into his chest, wrapping my arms around his middle and burying my nose in his shirt. He smells just a hint like the river as spending a couple of hours in the Stilts, but underneath it, that scent of burning wood clings to him. It relaxes every muscle in my body as I inhale.

He wraps is arms around my shoulders in response. For a moment, I think he’ll repeat his question. Instead he just reaches up to threads his fingers through my hair that I pulled out of the braid long ago, tangling them in the slightly wavy locks. I can’t hold the secret in any longer, not now that I’ve signed up for this, and he will someday too. I should have told him the moment I found out, but I wanted it be a surprise, a little secret that I could tell him with a laugh. Instead, I feel like I’m telling him before we walk to the gallows. It taints the joy, the happiness of what is to come.

“I wasn’t completely honest with you before all this.”

His shoulders stiffen as I bring my hands up to close them in fists on his back. I’m never good at starting conversations like this and I immediately regret the words I spoke. He’s already on edge, and I made I worse. Squeezing the fabric of his shirt softly, I murmur, “before we got here.”

He relaxes again, and disengages from our embrace to lift my chin. He needs to know, deserves to know.

“I didn’t want to go after Giselle that night. I told you I was tired, but there was another reason.” It has never been so hard to put something into words. I wish I had just told him in the first place, maybe this whole mess could have been avoided if I had.

His brows furrow and his face twists as he tries to think back to that strange night and morning. I grab his hands and squeeze tight, willing him to pay attention to my words, more than the memory of what I said.

“I was going to tell you we had to call off the wedding—”

His eyes widen in surprise, and he opens his mouth to speak. I press my finger to his lips to keep him from doing just that. “For just a little while. Something came up.”

He sits with baited breath, his expression confused and fearful. A mix that’s dangerous for a soldier, especially one like Cal that is used to knowing everything. My lips curl into a weak smile as I say, “We have to get back because something’s waiting for us. Or it may have come with us. I’m not sure. If it did, I have to be more careful than I thought.”

His eyes dart around the room like someone might be listening, and he slowly takes my hand to pull me into his closet where our voices will be furthered muffled. Has he grasped what I’m about tell him? Cal’s observant, even with all his bullheaded tendencies, and he’s not stupid. He knows me well enough to notice when my habits change. And they had been changing, little by little. I’m a subtle creature, but he’s very good at reading me now.

In the safety of his closet, I can smile bright. I can let the warmth of my news pulse out of me like sunlight. It had terrified me the moment I knew what was happening, but slowly that panic had been replaced by a strange joy, a strange curiosity. And now, it was longing.

“You can talk freely now.” He whispers.

The words die. They won’t come. Like stones, they sit in my throat and choke me. Maybe I shouldn’t tell him. Is it cruel to get his hopes up about something we may never be able to return to? And yet, this is not just my burden to bear. This is our future. I am in this to get back to my family. He is in this to get back to what we had in Montfort. He may need something else, something to fight for that isn’t just me. Even if it’s not as tangible as it is for me.

I’ll just have to say it, push the words out one by one. “I was pregnant.”

They come easier than I thought, and honestly come out more like a garbled rush than the wonderful phrase they should be. As soon as I speak those words into existence though, the joy leaves, only to be replaced by trepidation and the air around us is leeched of its warmth.

“What?” Cal’s question is a wheeze, a word not quite formed.

“Three or four months, I wasn’t sure.” I grab his hand and squeeze as his eyes widen in the dark to the side of moons. “I told you we had so much waiting for us. That’s what is waiting for us. We have to follow everything to the line because of that future.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He whispers, his eyes darting as he thinks back over everything, every action I committed before that night, every word I spoke.

“I was going to tell you that night, but then we got called to deal with Giselle.” I shake my head, laughing quietly. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am not the only one privy to this secret knowledge.

His eyes darken though. Storm clouds gather in his irises as he leans down to whisper. “You said you didn’t know if it came with us.”

“All my knowledge and memories came with me… and I’m in the same body theoretically just--just five or six years younger. It might have come with me.” It’s a long shot, but if I’m right, we have far bigger problems than we originally thought.

“You don’t look like—”

“I didn’t look like it in Montfort either.” I reason dryly. He would have noticed if I did. His lips twist and he nods.

“What do you want to do?”

“I’m going to wait and see if anything happens.”

He pales at the prospect, but I grip his fingers tightly again, forcing his gaze back down to me. “This is what we are fighting to get back to. Why we have to be so careful.”

“I wish you’d told me sooner.” He murmurs before reaching down to circle one of his arms around my waist. In the dark I’m not quite sure if he’s smiling or grimacing. Not until he cups my jaw and presses his lips to mine. He pours every ounce of the joy that is about to explode out of him into that kiss. It mixes with mine until I’m certain we are glowing like a small sun.

And in that closet, nestled in a nest of snakes and wolves, I finally let myself breathe.

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sylver-drawer · 3 years ago

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A prompt in class had made me realize something deep within me—my hate for physical books.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate books because they’re physical. I’d actually love it, but rather what I despise…

Is what is contained within those books.

Where I live, physical books you can only get when visiting libraries or book stores unless specially ordered online. Yet I am never satisfied with what is offered to me, simply because, I’m tired of it.

I am so absolutely tired of seeing the same exact things over and over again.

To give an example, my tastes aren’t that condensed nor diverse. I love thriller, I love Mystery, but what I find the most interest in, is Fantasy Romance.

And saying that should already tell you exactly what I’m talking about.

I am so tired of seeing the exact same tropes over and over again. This is a problem in all stories, physical or online, in general—however, it appears to me that published and physical books are almost always having these qualities. When searching online, I can always somehow find at least a handful of stories that is different from the others and gives at least a fraction of what I need. But in libraries? Book stores? I can’t do that, because they all follow the same pattern one way or another because those tropes are what people only ever seem to want, which is why a lot of authors who stray from those tropes aren’t as well known.

Frankly, I’m tired of everything being reused or rebranded.

I wouldn’t mind the wizards and demons, the werewolves and vampires, if ONLY they weren’t just there to be there.

Let me explain. Witches and Wizards tend to follow the same pattern. People who use magic, which is simple enough. But the problem is, is that it ends with just that. In most stories I come across, wizards are included in a very weak magic system in which they can use magic to do basically anything they want. Something fell and broke? Use magic to fix it. There’s a fire? Summon water to put it out.

It’s simple. But that repeated simplicity is what makes me tired.

There is never any depth. There is no expansion or lore that explains the nitty gritty details, nor makes it important. Magic in fantasy stories, is most commonly, cause and effect. Problem, and fix. Something bad, changed to good. Hurt, then to heal.

In fantasy, magic is simply one layer—magic people can use magic to do anything. There’s no limit, there’s no depth, there’s nothing that makes it unique. Magic in fantasy, all falls under the broad topic of just ‘magic’. Shooting fireballs, summoning a river, causing a storm to drive away your enemies, lightning bolts to fend them off—all can fall under just magic. Using this, it might be controversial to say, but Harry Potter is an extremely soft magic system. Wizards can cast magic through words, yes, but it’s exactly that. They can cast ‘magic’, and that magic is an umbrella term that essentially means, “With enough training, they can look up the words in a magic dictionary and use whatever magic they want to do anything they want”.

There is no depth. There is no extra layer, it’s simply ‘magic’.

And I’m not even done rambling. I haven’t even touched magical races in fantasy, which I’ll actually transition right into.

I am tired of race conflict in fantasy. Not because its bad, but because they’re more often than not, poorly written. Let’s take Twilight as an example.

Werewolves hate vampires. Vampires hate werewolves. Why? Because werewolves bad, and vampires bad. That’s literally it. No deeper meaning, no actual societal issues, just “ew, icky vampire/werewolf”. In fact, in twilight it doesn’t even appear they hate eachother. If Bella didn’t even exist, what would Edward and Jacob fight about? If you notice, they only use eachother’s race to appeal to Bella and put down the other rival. “Bella, you can’t love him because he’s a dirty vampire”, or, “Bella, you can’t love him because he’s a mangy wolf pup”. Setting aside the obvious racist undertones that’s never important nor addressed critically within the story, the only time dislike about the others’ race is talked about, is only ever addressed not because they hate that specific race, but as a petty remark to bad talk their love rival.

So, in theory, the two races aren’t even… against eachother. Thinking back, all the times it was vampire vs werewolf in twilight, it was all because of Bella wasn’t it. And not because of general dislike of the others’ race, but over a human girl…

I’ve trailed off from my original point, but basically, race vs race within fantasy plots aren’t actually because of the race. I think the only fantasy series I’ve seen that remotely does racial societal conflict well is Lord of the Rings. Elves hate dwarves because they’re greedy, crude, and brutish. Dwarves hate elves because they view them as selfish and always seemingly on their high horse. They stereotype one another, and when they look beyond those stereotypes is when they start bonding and actually forming friendships. They then realize that those stereotypes didn’t matter and were harmful.

That’s an example I would love to see more in fantasy in general. Make the magical races dislike and judge eachother because of their race, and then overcome it while addressing it. Don’t add in races that hate eachother when they’re all literally just the exact same. And also, make the races different! Even humans practice different cultures, and that’s what makes us diverse. In the LOTR franchise, racial bias and hate isn’t simply because, “they’re x race”. It’s because they stereotype people within that race, a stereotype that’s just an exaggerated version of qualities they all just happened to have. In Twilight, I’d argue that there isn’t anything that sets the werewolves and vampires apart other than their superhuman abilities. In LOTR, taking their races away the qualities the characters had were still eminent. Legolas was a bit proud and calm demeanor ed under pressure because he was naturally like that, as well as how he was raised as an elven prince. Gimley fights violently with an axe, and puts his whole body into his fighting style. His words also come off as rough and unfiltered, while Legolas’ voice is smoother and speech well spoken due to his background. The traits they found in eachother due to racial stereotypes still linger and remain. While yes, werewolves were heavily based off of indigenous people, there wasn’t any clear examples of them practicing it that was essential to the conflict and characters other than reminding the audience every once and a while. If Jacob were the only werewolf shown, the Jacob-Bella-Edward conflict could easily just be seen as two roleplaying white boys fighting over a girl. That’s how important their racial identities of vampire and werewolf mattered.

(And please!!! Remember lore. Generations and generations of racism impacts people who grew up with it. Some people change and break away from that stigma of unadultered hate, some can only partly break away even while educated with unconscious internal bias, and some continue to nurture themselves in it and even spread it. Not every person under one umbrella ends up the same, and that applies to characters too. Taking inspiration from real life, look at the time we live in now. Hundreds of years gone by, and while things are certainly better, the dark stains haven’t even gone away and most likely won’t even in the distant future. The past two years are proof of that.)

There’s no point in writing racial conflict in your story if there’s nothing that sets them apart from one another (I’m not saying people need a reason for real life racism because there are so many people who hate certain races just because they’re that race, but story wise, it’s easier to show what’s commonly hate due to stereotypes and stigma that people make for that race). It’s like the spider man pointing meme. How are you supposed to be antagonistic with someone who’s literally the same as you? “I guess you’re not like other spider men” coming from a spider man???

Prefacing, I’m not saying racism is good. I’m saying including race conflict for the sake of race conflict is very empty and purposeless, which is what I often find in fantasy or romance-fantasy. Racial conflict apparently doesn’t matter until the main character is directly involved, in which only then does it affect them that it’s brought up and only because it affects them. A similar example is including LGBTQ+ characters just for the sake of sexual diversity, in which—

That actually leads into my next topic.

Romance.

How many. How many published books must there be of romance that completely overrides the plot as well as the characters’ other relationships? How many stories must be made in which the fantasy aspect is completely pushed aside and no longer included in the plot because the story wants to entirely focus on the romance drama between the main character, love interest, and best friend? Or not even best friend, miscommunication in general!

How hard, is it to write a story where the couple is healthy, and love and don’t doubt eachother, who trust eachother entirely? Like really.

And! And!

The moment when romance is introduced, everything else doesn’t. seem. to. matter! At that point, it’s not even fantasy even more. It’s just a rom com, because watching the couple fight over nothing is hilarious because they’re in the middle of a war. And the other characters don’t seem to matter anymore either. I am so tired of plots being thrown away to focus on the drama between the two leads, and for once just want a fantasy boom of stories depicting healthy relationships with actually unique magic systems and logical well written conflicts.

And diversity! In Relationships! I am so tired of only ever seeing poorly written drama filled heterosexual relationships in romances. In fantasy romances. Give me my wlw wizards who explore their war torn world and have to defend the people they love with intricate, costly, magic systems.

Can we just have. A literary revolution, in which a rise of stories where characters can have relationships—non romantic relationships—with other characters. Can male and female characters finally love eachother to the ends of the world without romance. It’s so easy to write. Love is so easy to write between any gender or sex. So why does it seem to be there can only be one kind predominantly in media? In published media?

Occasionally I can find diverse stories like this on the internet, but never can I find these in libraries.

Like it’s. It’s so, so easy to write love and companionship between characters of diverse identities and cultures. Even in heterosexual fantasy romance stories, I want to be able to see relationships outside the romance being as strong as the main romance. Between the girls, between the boys, and those in between. Men can be in love with men, women in love with women, and men in love with women without needing to force their loves against eachother. A man and woman can be written to love eachother dearly without any romance ever between them, because that’s how it’s like in real life as well. So often do main characters in fantasy stories have some sort of dark past that rid them of any familial love, which in turn ruins them for the capacity of platonic love, which makes people believe the only way for them to find love is romantically. Even in children’s books, there’s always the princess abandoned or overly protected by her parents who eventually finds solace in the pressence of a dry, brooding knight or charming prince. They fall in love, and that’s the only thing that’s ever positively shown. The love between the main character and the love interest. Because to society, romance is seen as the strongest form of affection.

But, it isn’t.

People are different, and to a lot of people who do and don’t have romance in their lives, it doesn’t mean they can’t love anyone else. In society, the only love that seems to exist is romance. It’s the only thing people tend to promote, and yet, people forget what love is. It’s care, it’s worry. Love is painful and happy. It’s sometimes angry and frustrating, but sometimes its something you need. Love is stubborn, yet so easily broken. Love was never just romance, and it feels like the world forgets that.

It’s frustrating, because it feels like anything published at your local library follows the opposite pattern. Because it’s what people believe the public wants, and what the public will only ever accept. Sometimes, it’s all people only know how to write. Sometimes, its all editors and publishers will ever approve of. And sometimes, its all people ever look for. Because either they’re afraid, stigmatize and despise it, or just don’t care for it.

At some point, this had turned from a ramble about how physical books lack diversity, to how media in general lacks diversity.

I do believe that one day in the future, media will change. Literary media will change. But as of now? The majority of published and physical books haven’t diverted from that pattern, and most likely won’t for a long time. I know so many stories are beginning to change online now that the new generation has informed themselves and become interested in new ideas and topics, but as far as physical publication goes? The world won’t accept these changes, not for a long time.

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agreateryesterday · 4 years ago

Text

Stucky - ABO

Bottom!Steve

Inside the Lines

Settling in the Lines

Little Bumps in the Lines

A Little Outside the Lines

Way Outside Those Lines

Picking a New Color

Back Inside the Lines

Bold, Wiggly Lines

Scribbles and Broken Crayons

Somersaults and IV Lines

Broken Noses and Coloring Lines

Family Ties and Signature Lines

The Lines are Closer Than Ever

Past Lines and Future Loves

Little Wonders by Avengers_Whore

“You’d look amazing with a pup on yer hip,” he murmured, startling Steve. The blond sat up slightly and looked at him, brow furrowed. “Buck, you know I can’t-” “Yeah, yeah, Stevie, I know, but we can adopt! Just like Sam and Rhodey did with Wanda,” the alpha told him, smiling wide as he looked up at his mate. He was feeling giddy just at the thought of having a pup in their home. “Plenty of kids out there who would love to be part of our family.”

“Waffles, p’ease,” Tony murmured, laying his head on the omega’s shoulder. Steve smiled and nodded his head, carrying the little omega into the kitchen. He settled the pup onto the table and poked his nose gently, enticing a soft giggle from the boy. “Steeb, can we have choc’late chips?”“Of course honey,” the blond man said, gently tickling the boy’s side.

“Poor kid just fell down and seized right there in the exam room, totally scared the shit out of me.” Steve bolted upright, his eyes wide with panic. Tony whimpered at the sudden movement and curled into Bucky more, his little face scrunched up. The alpha tightened his hold on him and gave his omega a look.

“I wish you could be my brother, then you could stay forever,” the young pup murmured, moving around the table to hug onto Harley. The blond teen looked down at the boy with wide eyes before wrapping his arms around him and holding on tight.

“Stay away from my pup,” Bucky snarled softly, placing himself protectively between Howard and the small group of three still clinging to each other. “So you’re the one who took on my greatest failure,” the other alpha commented with a sneer. Bucky’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he got even closer into the older man’s face. “Walk away before you say something that gets you seriously hurt,” the brunet growled.

“Edward.” A shake of the head. “Benjamin.” Another shake. “Joseph.” “You’re not even trying,” Tony accused, crossing his arms over his chest. “Benjamin’s nice though. That can be his middle name.” “Oh well since you’ve already decided."

“Why do we even try to keep up with you people?” Sam grouched as he helped Steve put away everything in the kitchen. The beta was putting the glasses away in a cupboard, careful as he unpacked them from the box one by one. “Three kids and a house, I’ll never catch up.” “I don’t think it’s a competition, Sam,” Steve told him with a smile.

“You act like you’re not going to be supervised by an adult,” Harley said, cuffing the younger’s ear and smirking when the omega yelped. Since Tony was incredibly young to be in college, they’d put him in Harley’s apartment. The alpha would be able to watch out for him and since they were actually siblings, he wouldn’t be bothered by Tony going into heat. “Why do you have to crush my dreams like that?”

“Boyfriend?” Bucky asked, a growl lacing his words. “Oh stop. His name is Ty and he’s a very nice, charming alpha. Just wanted you to know before you got a whiff of him and got all rutty,” the omega told him. “Do not embarrass Tony.”

“Boyfriend?” Bucky asked, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. The brunet alpha was immediately up in Loki’s personal space, trying to intimidate and size him up all at once.

“Boyfriend, hm? A good one this time hopefully?” Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “The best. Harley-approved and all,” Tony told him, biting his bottom lip as he watched Loki and his father.

He looked up and came face-to-face with icy-blue eyes. The alpha had a white coat on, meaning he was a doctor.

“I-I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Tony stuttered, his face turning red the longer he looked at this alpha. The man smiled slightly and handed over some of the books before helping the omega up. “Not a problem, I was too busy looking at my phone,” the doctor told him. “Dr. Stephen Strange.”

“You have my blessing.” “Stevie!” Bucky protested. “Oh hush. You always get like this, Wade’s not even allowed in our house because you think he’s going to molest Peter,” the blond scolded his mate, swatting at the alpha. “What?” Peter asked, his voice cracking from the shock.

“You’re pregnant?” Steve exclaimed, immediately off of the couch and running over to hug the three of them excitedly. “I’m gonna be a grandma!” “Well, yes and no,” Loki said with a chuckle. “Anthony isn’t pregnant.” “Then what do you mean?” Peter asked, his brow furrowing. “Riri, you can come out now, darling,” Stephen called. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the little alpha girl came out of the kitchen, running over and hiding behind Tony’s legs.

“Honey! Babe, I’m home,” Steve called as he entered the apartment, tossing his keys onto the table by the door. He closed his door with his foot and carried the grocery bags into the kitchen. “Brock?” “Yeah, Steve, I’m comin’. I was in the bathroom,” Brock answered as he came around the corner. The omega giggled as he started pulling everything out of the bags to start putting away. He purred when arms wrapped around him from behind.

“You- You hit me!” Peter exclaimed. “You never hit me!” “I didn’t mean to! You wouldn’t get off’a me!” “‘Cause you won’t talk to me! Wade, I’m your best friend, why won’t you talk to me?” Wade growled in frustration and pulled his hood further down over his face when he caught Peter trying to look at him. He smelled of angry, anxious alpha over his unique taco and iron smell.

I'm not making any promises. by Ohlookitsabi, Stucky_Barnes

(Last updated Sep 7, 2018) 3 chapters

steve and Bucky are together, They are happily inlove... but what happens when SOMEONE tries to get in their way? (this is my first fic so I'm sorry in advance)

Popping by himawri45 (kotaka_kun)

*Finished* 2 chapters

Steve and Bucky are expecting (again, or it could be their first), and Steve hasn’t taken the changes to his body so well and with each new change, he grows more self-conscious and embarrassed of his new appearance. The latest change, he noticed one morning, is that his belly button has popped. This makes him super embarrassed not only because of how apparent it looks, but it also is very sensitive and to make matters worse, he gets razzed about it by Bucky, their kids and/or his friends.

Splintered Beginnings by angel_with_a_nuclear_bomb

*Finished* 3 chapters

HYDRA gave up on human experimentation after their 500th subject failed. They theorized that if they changed the original form to something more substantial, the project could survive. Their first subject was immensely successful, vicious yet obedient. Their second subject.... That's a little bit of a different story. But what happens when the Avengers intercept their first subject, and HYDRA's house of cards slowly begins to to fall? *STARRING* Bucky as a chunky wolf Steeb as a tiny wolf and Bucky as a traumatized human Steeb as an even more traumatized human

It's been a long day without you, my friend by AyeeItsJaee

(Last updated Nov 24, 2019) 1 chapter

Packs are the most important thing to Steve. Ever since he was a child he believed he would form a pack with Bucky. And then the war and the serum happened. the two hardly got to even speak. Bucky fell off of the train and Steve crashed in the ice, he thought he was dead. He sometimes wished they never found him. He didn't have his Alpha. Everything changed when hydra attacked Nick Fury and Steve found him again. Bucky was alive. He was alive and taking care of a fourteen year old while is aunt was in the hospital.

Date Night by himawri45 (kotaka_kun)

*Finished* One Shot

“You feeling okay?” “I’m fine,” Steve assured him, “Just Braxton Hicks.” Bucky looked surprised at that. “I’ve been having them off and on all day, it’s no big deal.” “Is it bad?” he pressed. “We can go home if you’re not comfortable, y’know.” “I’m fine, Buck.” Steve squeezed Bucky’s hand. “Really, it’s okay. Just means my body’s getting ready and all. It’s nothing to be worried about.” Bucky looked unsure but dropped it once Steve began looking over the menu. Steve was glad for it - he didn’t want Bucky to have to spend their night together worrying himself over Steve. Steve could take care of himself.

The Same Star by Annaelle, dolarhyding, Juulna

*Finished* 6 chapters

The year is 2117—nearly 100 years after the Third World War and 50 years after the discovery of the Alpha-Omega gene mutation—and the United Research Space Agency has landed its first manned mission on the recently discovered tenth planet, named Gaia. On this planet, there are now seven souls—that they know of—led by URSA’s finest, most driven Captain; an Omega named Steve Rogers and his loyal Alpha, Bucky Barnes. The mission—a dream mission, a mission the entire population of Earth follows with bated breath—will soon become a nightmare for all involved. The mission is hastily aborted when a freak storm of unimaginable proportions hits suddenly, forcing the team to leave the surface of the planet—all but one. Bucky Barnes is left behind, assumed dead by all, even his grief-stricken Omega. The vast distance between them increases every minute, and it might be more than he—and his mate—are capable of handling. With such distance, it is only a matter of time before Separation Sickness takes them and makes them lose control—the one thing Steve, leader of the Gaia Exploration Crew, cannot afford to lose.

Remember Dreams by Stuckylover4ever

(Last updated July 22, 2020) 11 chapters

In a world where Beta rules the world, Alpha's and Omega's are trying to survive. Going to a college would be hard enough for Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Peter Parker if they weren't dealing with being Omegas in a world where Omega's aren't allowed much. Each one of them is dealing with a pregnancy on top of Steve's health issues. As much as Tony Stark loved his daughter, he didn't want to be a stay at home dad. While he didn't mind it, Tony wanted to have a good education as well. Beta's are known to be given everything while being allowed to do what they want. Alpha's, on the other hand, are required to go to college, get a good job, then settle down. Omegas are only allowed to have families. Going to college isn't allowed for them, and if they do go, then they are looked down upon. Follow them as they learn to love, dream, and change the world. Each one of them has a story to tell, and they want to tell it. Life is hard, but when you are told what you are supposed to do, then life get's harder.

honestly thought i’d be dead by now, but what you can trust is that i need your touch by moonythejedi394, raynaki

*Finished* 17 chapters

Bucky is 37 years old; he’s unmarried, hasn’t had a Sub of his own, is definitely not ripped, comfortable at his job as an Advanced Practice RN at Brooklyn General ER, and just got his Five Years coin from AA. Steve is 26 years old; he’s unmarried, his last and only Dom has Alzheimer's, he's worryingly muscular, uncomfortable in his job as the government’s poster Alpha for masculinity and strength, and worries more than he should about his BMI. Unfortunately, Steve and Bucky meet initially in a not-cute moment. Bucky’s tired as shit thanks to the sudden alien invasion that shook New York and Steve is tired as shit because he hasn’t slept more than 20 minutes at a time in – well, since 1936, probably. Bucky’s Alpha instincts get irritated at the sudden presence of another "Alpha" into his territory and Steve’s suppressed submissive tendencies latch onto this grumpy bachelor Alpha and he only suppresses it further. Bucky’s grumpiness and Steve’s duckling impressionism aside, both of them are a mess. But since both of them are a mess? Their messes seem to fit pretty well together.

Fairy Tales Are Lies We're Told So That We Keep Dreaming by Fallen_Ash

(Last updated June 20, 2019) 5 chapters

This is a story about a group of friends, who came together in the most unlikely of situations, to battle for what they believe is right.

So the Story Says by monsterradio

*Finished* One Shot

A prophecy once said that a warrior with scales for skin and fire for breath would tie with a prince of a kingdom so vast it spanned half the land. Alpha King of Dragons, James, thought it was just a story whispered around a fire until a crow came from the kingdom of Shield, hailing the coming of age of their Omega heir.

What the Doctor Ordered

Conflict of Interest

In Equal Measure

Be Your Alpha if You Wanted

Coming to Terms at the Turn (of the decade) by sarahyellow

*Finished* One Shot(s), 4 chapters

Steve is a sickly adult omega who lives under the custody of the state in the 1940's. He's always insisted on riding out his heats alone but after the disaster that was his last cycle he is forced to choose: pair with one of OmegaHouse's support alphas, or undergo a therapeutic procedure to fulfill his heat.

Much to Steve Roger's chagrin, a handsome new alpha is assigned to his hall at the Brooklyn Heights OmegaHouse.

Things in the House haven't changed too much in the past year and a half. Well... some things have. Steve's turned eighteen now, he's started courses at the community college. Alexander Pierce has been elected the 33rd president of the United States. Oh, and James/Bucky? He's Steve's hall alpha and he's kind of growing on him. Until he isn't.

Another look into the lives of Steve Rogers and James (Bucky) Barnes at the Brooklyn Heights OmegaHouse. Steve and Bucky are still diametrically opposed.

Things've been confusing between them ever since his heat. Bucky had given Steve what he’d needed, and Steve’s been feeling indebted to him ever since. He’s got newfound respect for Bucky. And… maybe something else. He hasn’t put a name to it yet, has been too afraid to. But it’s been plaguing his thoughts. According to House rules it’s probably inappropriate, but neither one of them knows what to do about it.

Post: Part 4

#stucky #steve rogers #james bucky barnes #alpha!bucky #omega!steve #omega!steve rogers #alpha!bucky barnes #abo #alpha/beta/omega #marvel #bottom!steve #bottom!steve rogers #top!bucky barnes #top!bucky

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jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets · 4 years ago

Text

Of Gods and Men

Masterlist:

Title: Of Gods and Men

Fandom: Supernatural / Vikings

Pairing: Destiel and Sabriel

Rating: Lemon

Tags: canon typical violence and gore, smut, angst, still some fluff

Summary: A Vikings inspired Destiel fic.

Dean, Barbarian King of the lands, must make a crucial decision in the survival of his people. Leave the one and only land and life they have ever known, leave their home, or make the possibly dangerous journey across the seas to a potentially better life. Who knows what will await him across the waters, hope, future, maybe even destiny.

AO3 Link

Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter one

The sun was beginning to rise over the fields of Nazareth. The sky painted orange and pink over the sea, casting deep shadows over their boats that were docked there, making them look like haunted silhouettes in the early dawn light. Sam lifted his head to peer out over the sea, then turned to gaze upon their fields. He sighed and leaned on his shovel as he was faced with mostly emptiness.

Beside him Dean continued to work in the early morning. Sam watched as over and over again Dean pounded his hoe into the ground with every inch of desperation he had. Sweat was dripping off his face, trailing down his chin and nose, soaking into the useless soil beneath them. He paused a moment and took a deep, heaving breath, before leaning down to sift a hand through the dirt. Nothing. Not even a dead root to prove seed had even been planted there.

"It is of no use, Brother," Sam shifted off his hoe and stepped beside Dean with a frown, "the fields are dead, and those fields we have left that are hanging on still, are not far behind. The soil just cannot produce for us any longer."

"I know this, Sam, but what more can we do but continue to try," he stood straight and waved a hand over the barren fields, "maybe more fertilizer, or perhaps another sacrifice-"

"Dean," Sam sighed and shook his head, "we have made sacrifice after sacrifice, and nothing has changed. I do not think the Gods are our problem here."

"Then what? What else?"

"This could be a sign," he looked up and took another step towards Dean, "a sign that it is time to move on, seek out other options.".

"You speak of leaving home! Leaving Nazareth!" He exclaimed, eyes wide and unbelieving, "Sam, we know nothing else."

"What other choice do we have here, Brother?" He shook his head, "The fields produce not but the most withered of crops, if any, all half rotten before they are birthed from the ground. Most of the fields do not even give us as much, they breathe no life, not even a worm to turn the soil. We've killed most of our animals for food where the fields have not supplied, and what little livestock we do have left will be gone by spring. We will be lucky to make it through the winter with what we have left, and come spring we will no longer be able to feed our people. Starvation will set in and disease shortly after. Many of the elders and young ones are already having troubled times, they will not survive if we run out of food. We need to find another way."

"And what exactly do you suggest I do?!" Dean shouted as he tossed his hoe across the field then turned back to Sam, "The lands around us are all spoken for, ruled by Earls and Lords, so we cannot take them in hopes of better land for crops. And even if we wanted to try and take those lands for ourselves, it is as you say, our people are weak from our already depleted stocks. We couldn't fight a war even if we had to, fighting for land and territory is completely out of the question. So tell me, dear brother, what else?"

Sam nodded, he knew his brother was right. There was no extra land around them to be used, no men strong enough to fight for them, but then a thought came and he nearly shouted it at Dean, "The seas!"

"Sam-" He began with a sigh.

"Listen first," he moved to stand directly in front of Dean, placing his hands on his shoulders with a light shake, "I have seen it in a dream, Brother. Across the seas, a four days float towards the rising sun, there will come a land far more plentiful than any we have ever seen. The soils there are ripe with crops for years to come, pregnable where ours are not, our people will flourish in these lands long after we are dead and gone. Once we are settled there will be no starvation, no disease, no hurt, no heartache, Dean. And you!"

"Me?" He questions, "What about me?"

"You, my brother, Barbarian King of the lands, married and blessed with child. No," he stops and turns away from Dean for a moment, eyes closed as if willing his mind back to the dream, "not child, children! And you running carefree through our crops, a smile on your face and your babes in your arms and on your legs, all of you laughing and happy. For once in your life I watch you living without the burdens of all our people on your shoulders."

"Sam, it is not the question of my happiness that will make this decision," he sighed and walked forwards to join his brother, looking out over the endless sea together, the sun now fully above the horizon, "in the end I must do what is best for our people, even if that means I should be forever the vision of misery. But perhaps I should visit the Gods and seek their counsel, ask them for guidance on the matter."

Sam turned to his brother cupping his cheeks with both hands, “Yes! Yes, Brother! Speak to the Gods, for they dote upon you. They will tell you the best path to take for the good of our people.”

“I will then, tomorrow at dawn I shall ride to their house.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean stood at the entrance to Nazareth, dawn was chasing him from behind, creeping over the sea as he readied his horse for the ride to the house of the Gods. He ran a gentle hand down Elskans broad neck and the beautiful black stallion pushed back against him. He nuzzled into Dean as he continued to pet him, whispering softly to him, “You will get me safely to the house of the Gods, yes Elskan?” The horse seemed to almost nod in answer and Dean smiled, “I knew I could trust you to take care of me.”

“I've known no better companion than your Elskan, it is true.” Dean turned from his horse to the newcomers now approaching him with more saddle bags. Sam also gave the horse a gentle pat before turning to his brother. “For how long do you ride?”

Dean turned back to look at the sun still rising, but quickly approaching them as they stood, “If I leave now I should arrive around midday, as long as Elskan rides true.”

“You better get going then, Brother, no need to leave this wait any longer,” he then lifted the bags in his hands and began turning towards the horse as he spoke over his shoulder, “we brought you more food for the journey, the Gods are tricky sometimes. You may be there a while before they decide to grant you answers to your questions, though I do hope they give you an answer quickly. I shall put these on your saddle so you may be on your way.”

He nodded in thanks to his brother, then turned and took the few steps to the other man who had come to see him off. He held up a smaller wrapped package to Dean placing it in his hands with a smile. “Some treats for the journey.”

Dean smiled back as he took the package, “Thank you, Gabriel, though you should have kept these for yourself. Food is scarce these days and I have plenty for the way.”

He waved him off with a playful scoff, “I need them not. And besides, if I continue eating all the treats I make, and get any chubbier than I already am, your brother will never come around to me.”

Dean looked back to where Sam was strapping the last of the saddle bags to Elskan, then back to say softly to Gabriel so his brother would not hear, “You will look after my brother while I am gone, won't you?”

“Of course.”

“I will be back as soon as I can,” he placed a hand on Gabriels shoulder with a squeeze, “hopefully the Gods answer me quickly so I may return and we can decide on our next move.”

Gabriel reached over and grabbed Deans shoulder too, “May the Gods be with you, Dean, stay safe.”

“And may they be with you, Gabriel.”

Dean leaned forwards and touched his forehead to Gabriels before turning back to Sam who was now behind him. In the same gesture he pulled Sams forehead to his and whispered, “Don’t do anything stupid while I am gone.”

Sam laughed, “Worry not about me, Brother, for I know you have already solicited the aid of a spy.”

Sam eyed Gabriel over Dean's shoulder. “He is not a spy, Sam, but at least I know with him looking after you it's less likely that you will do anything stupid.” Sam continued to eye Gabriel, then Dean brought his face back to his with a hand on his cheek. “Why do you push him away? He dotes after you.”

“You mean follows me around like a pup that's lost its mother.”

Dean gave his brother a look, “Sammy, I would give anything to have someone want for my attention as much as he does for yours. Give him a chance.”

He looked once more over at Gabriel who gave him a fond smile, then back at Dean, “We shall see. Once the Gods help you make your decision, I shall make mine.” Sam then lifted his head to look at the sun now clear over the edge of the sea. “You should go, Brother, else you will be riding till nightfall.”

Dean nodded and tapped his head once more against Sams, “Gods be with you, Sammy.”

“Gods be with you, Brother.”

He walked with Dean over to his horse, watched as he mounted, then gave him one last nod as he watched him ride into the forest out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

His ride for the most part was quiet, and he was thankful for that as he pulled Elskan to a stop at the bottom of a steep hill in the forest. Midday was now upon them, the ride had taken just as long as he had expected, and now the final part of his journey was upon him.

He dismounted Elskan and moved to run a hand down his nose. "You wait here for me, Elskan, I know not how long I will be so do not leave without me."

The horse shook its head in response and Dean smiled. He gave Elskan one last pat then turned and began his trek up the steep hill.

It was late afternoon before he finally reached the top, stopping only for a moment to awe in the splendor of the house of the Gods. A grand temple stood before him, said to have been built by Odin and his sons, come down to earth to gift them with this breathtaking magnificence.

Slowly he made his way to the gold steps of the temple, and up to the majestically carved wooden doors that stood nearly as tall as the trees they were made from. Every time Dean came to visit the Gods he was overtaken by the sheer beauty of this place, of the craftsmanship of the Gods, it could never compare to that of the human hand. He gently ran his hands down the intricate carvings on the doors, the stories of the Gods themselves laid out before him, and after a moment he pushed with both hands and entered the temple.

He was instantly washed over with a calm in the house of the Gods, something he had not felt in years. The woes of his people had taken a great toll on Dean, and he could only hope and pray that the Gods would give him the help he so desperately craved. This was his last chance, his people's last chance for survival. If the Gods had nothing to give him then all of Nazareth would surely die.

At the thought he took a deep breath, soaking in the calm of the temple, and made his way to the center of the room. There stood a tree, taller even then the temple itself and older then even the Gods. The tree stretched it's limbs out towards the sky, reaching for the Gods above, nearly tall enough to touch them. This is why Odin had chosen this tree and built their temple around it, the one connection between man and Gods. And on either side of the tree stood great statues of the Gods, of Odin and Thor and Loki, kneeling and reaching for the tree.

Dean stopped before the tree, eyes never leaving it as he too knelt before it, much in the same manner as the Gods though never as close. At his knees, a river flowed through the temple from side to side, winding through the roots of the tree of the Gods. The river sparkled crystal clear before Dean even in the dim light of the temple. The Gods never ceased to amaze him in all that they were capable of.

He sat for a few minutes, breathing and taking it all in, before he slowly raised his arms out to his side's and tilted his head back. "My Gods, Odin, Thor, Loki, I beg of you to answer my call," he whispered to the skies, eyes closed tight in desperation, "I ask you to show me the way. My people are dying, starving in our dying lands, with no hope of a future if we stay. Please, show me how to lead my people away from death and toward a brighter future, please show me."

He slowly bent over moving his arms towards the river. He touched his hands to the flowing stream, the cool water running steady between his fingers, before cupping his hands and gathering the water.

With the water settled in the nest of his hands he sat back on his heels again, tilted his head, and held the water above his face. He whispered once more, hoping as hard as he could that the Gods would hear him, "Show me the way," and let the water trickle out between his hands and land on his face.

Dean was only able to place his hands by his sides before his prayers were answered and the Gods took him over. His eyes shot open, rolled backwards, and he sucked in a deep breath as the last thing he felt was his body falling to the side but never hitting the floor as darkness took his vision.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He woke in a land he knew not of. Rolling hills covered the horizon beyond beautiful, full fields, the crops as tall as a young child. The rising sun came this time from beyond the hills, the sea behind him, he had crossed the sea with his people. The Gods had listened, had heard his prayers, and were showing him the life they would have if he took the path Sam had seen in his dream.

He turned away from the sea to look back over their new lands. Paddocks filled with healthy, strong livestock, his people happy, children playing, laughing. For the first time since he took the rule of Nazareth from his father he found himself smiling, actually feeling joyous and happy, relieved. It was a blessing from the Gods themselves.

He tilted his head back to take in the warmth of the sun on his skin, to listen to the sounds of his thriving people around him, and then a child. The young boy ran towards him, arms out for Dean. He lifted the boy above his head and twirled him once before holding the boy close to his chest, blowing a playful kiss on his cheek as the boy's laughter filled Dean's heart. He continued giggling as Dean tickled his side's, squirming in his arms as he wrapped his little arms around Dean's neck, "Daddy!"

"Daddy…" Dean thought as he watched another child, and another child, and another, all running towards him, same as the first young boy. Jumping at him as they all laughed. He threw each of them in the air one by one, kissing each of them as he did, listening to their laughter mingle with his own. A sound he felt he hadn't heard in a very long time.

Then the first young boy turned from Dean and ran towards someone else. He looked up and followed the boy as he ran, holding his arms out to someone, and laughing as he was once again lifted into the air and held against another's chest. He was given another kiss on the cheek, then he wrapped his arms around the kisser's neck in as tight an embrace as his little body could give and said, "Papa!"

“Papa?” Dean furrowed his brows and brought his eyes to finally rest on the face of the one holding the young boy. A man. A very beautiful man. Dark hair framed a sharp face, holding a smile so bright the Gods themselves would worship it.

The beautiful man looked down at his son in his arms… at their son. Then he lifted his gaze to look at Dean with piercing blue eyes, as captivating as the seas that Dean knew so well, seas that called to him as much as those blue eyes were, and the man smiled with all the brightness of the sun as his eyes landed on him.

"Dean," the man spoke in a voice as smooth as the winds around them. It pulled Dean in even further, his body reacting to this man in ways he never thought possible. The husk in his voice sent lightning through his veins, the lust and desire in his eyes as he looked at Dean had him frozen in place.

"Dean," he spoke again, one hand now reaching out towards him, "wake up, come to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean woke with a shattering start on the temple floor. His body was covered in a cold sweat, his breathing ragged as he pushed himself up on his elbows. He sucked in shattered breaths and rolled to lean to one side as he tried to catch his breath and thought of what he had seen. What a vision the Gods had shown him, it was definitely a brighter future for his people, but was he really willing to uproot everyone? To take everyone away from everything they've ever known in Nazareth and plant them in a new and uncertain land? But if the Gods had shown him, then how could it go wrong?

After a while of sitting on the floor and having finally caught his breath, he pushed himself up to his feet, but as he did a strange feeling on his left arm caught his attention. It wasn't pain, but rather a warmth wrapped around his upper arm, a feeling that had not been there before he arrived.

Curious, he slowly rolled his sleeve back and his breath hitched when he saw what now lay there. A scar, but not just any scar, it was a perfectly shaped hand print. There had been no injury, nor anyone else with him in the temple, not to mention it was completely healed. The only explanation Dean could think of was that it was a gift from the Gods, though why they had given it to him he did not know.

He remained in his place on the floor of the temple for a while longer, contemplating not only his new scar but all that the Gods had been so gracious as to show him. Maybe his brother was right, maybe their new lives did await them across the seas. Fertile fields filled with plentiful crops, thriving livestock, happiness, and that man. Never had he seen a more beautiful creature, never had he been so drawn in by anything more then the sea, but now blue eyes called his name even louder then the crashing waves ever had.

He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. The Gods had given him much to think about, and he could not make his decision based purely on the happiness that the Gods think this man could give him, and so his decision could not yet be made. He knew that he had one more thing to do, he must make the half days ride back to Nazareth and seek out the Seer. Once he had conversed with them and gained their own wisdom on the matter, only then would he make his final choice.”

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this! Let me know what you think, I adore reading your comments <3Also, fun fact. I actually did some research and Elskan, the name of Dean's horse is the Viking way of saying 'my love' or my darling' which was the closest to baby I could get. Since the horse is supposed to be the impala XD

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If any of you want to be tagged for future posts, let me know <3

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Enquirer, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s nights with Prince Andrew and teen Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 2: Brad Pitt kicked married galpal Nicole Poturalski to the curb after getting flak from his ex Angelina Jolie -- Brad’s relationship with Nicole hit the skids after Brad decided he needed to shore up his image during his ongoing custody battle with Angie and his focus right now is to get his dad image back on track and give Angie no more ammo to fling back at him

Page 3: Tiger Woods’ romance with Erica Herman has gone off course over legal troubles and wedding pressure and bickering over where to live and Tiger is so fed up he’s considering ditching his nagging girlfriend in Florida and moving back to his native California -- Erica’s been pressuring him to put a ring on it ever since she moved into his Jupiter Island mansion and that’s something he just won’t do and she’s already taken over his household buying new furniture and remodeling the master bath and building a new closet and hiring a gourmet chef -- California is looking better and better to Tiger who only moved to Florida to play on its tough Bermuda grass which helped improve his swing but now Tiger’s ex Elin lives in Florida with their two kids

Page 4: Miranda Lambert is scoffing at ex Blake Shelton’s newly announced engagement to Gwen Stefani and she’s convinced Blake’s third walk down the aisle has failure written all over it because she thinks Blake’s bad to the bone and this marriage will wind up being a total disaster and after the hell Blake put her through Miranda can’t imagine his life with Gwen would be any different, lifelong bachelor Simon Cowell has had a change of heart since his horrific August accident and he’s finally ready to tie the knot with baby mama Lauren Silverman -- after spinal surgery to repair his broken back the entertainment mogul feels lucky to be alive and walking and the one constant in his difficult rehab after surgery has been Lauren and he wants to pay her back with a ring

Page 5: Train-wreck Wendy Williams’ wacky behavior has TV producers scrambling behind the scenes to find her replacement after her unhinged performance on a recent episode of her talk show where she slurred her words and rambled incoherently -- there had been a hope a chatfest helmed by Nick Cannon could be a safety net should the daytime diva who spent a stint in a sober living house last year not be able to continue hosting but plans for that were pushed back after the comic made anti-Semitic rants in a podcast -- they also tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year but he tanked with viewers -- Wendy’s a mess and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug

Page 6: Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hinted that she may be making her final rounds -- Ellen who has starred on the show since 2005 and makes $20 million a year admitted she’s considering slipping out of her scrubs after the current season 17 but her departure could spell the end of the beloved series and show creator Shonda Rhimes has said it’s unlikely the show could continue without her but Ellen has also expressed her desire to spend more time with her husband and their three children

Page 7: Mariah Carey’s brother Morgan blasted her memoir as filled with lies and distortions and he’s considering legal action -- the book called Morgan and sister Alison her ex-brother and ex-sister and Mariah wrote Morgan had a long history of violence and when she was six he slammed their mother into a wall -- Mariah also wrote her siblings and mother were heartless in terms of dealing with her as a human being and once she got famous they started treating her like an ATM with a wig on but Morgan is fighting back and looking to hire a lawyer

Page 8: Reese Witherspoon’s marriage to Jim Toth is in the muck after the stunning collapse of his new business venture and tensions are mounting in the Hollywood power couple’s already troubled union now that the streaming service Quibi crumbled after less than six months leaving content acquisition president Jim out of work while Reese’s star continues to rise and there’s a real balance of power that’s been building up and that’s put a serious strain on the relationship -- living in quarantine added to the stress between them as Reese has been holed up with her two kids with ex Ryan Phillippe Ava and Deacon and her son Tennessee with Jim at the family’s ranch in Malibu

Page 9: Dementia patient Kenny Rogers cut his three adult children out of his $250 million will and now sources fear the late country legend could have been tricked into signing the document -- Kenny left everything to his 16-year-old twins sons with fifth wife Wanda and the will also stated it was his intent to specifically exclude his daughter Carole with his first wife and son Kenny Jr. with third wife and son Christopher with fourth wife and their issue as beneficiaries of his estate -- Kenny Sr. would never disown his own children according to the source especially since the singer’s son Kenny Jr. is incorrectly referred to Kenny Rogers III throughout the will -- the wording is not like Kenny Sr. and something is not right and his older kids are thinking about contesting the will

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kate McKinnon shot a Saturday Night live skit in NYC, Sophia Bush hit the road in L.A. with her co-pilot pup Maggie, pregnant Jinger Duggar Vuolo in Venice with daughter Felicity, Heidi Klum walking the streets in her native Germany, Snoop Dogg saluted young rappers as he accepted BET’s I Am Hip Hop award

Page 11: Unwitting Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler once dabbled in the secret sex cult NXIVM -- the organization masqueraded as a self-help group but in 2017 it was exposed as a pyramid scheme for founder Keith Raniere who forced high-ranking female recruits to become his sex slaves -- in 2010 Jen and Gerry who were dating at the time wound up at one of the introductory seminars but they were turned off by the level of commitment expected and never returned -- they thought it was just a networking opportunity and had no idea what they were getting themselves into, cash-crunched Gwyneth Paltrow is facing hard times like everyone else and is looking to change her free-spending ways -- the belt-tightening caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even hit her lifestyle empire Goop causing her to shut down the London branch and make hard choices for the future -- Gwyneth may be worth $100 million but she and husband Brad Falchuk spend money like it’s going out of style on private jets they use on a whim and they own a fleet of fancy cars and pay steep salaries for staff who are at their beck and call 24/7 and it’s all draining their bank accounts -- they’re looking at making cuts across the board from personal trainers and chefs and drivers to the masseurs and beauticians who come to their house several times a week -- plus the couple believe it’s a bad look for them to be living so high on the hog when the rest of the world is suffering during the pandemic

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Angelina Jolie spent years developing her own version of the Hollywood classic Cleopatra and now she’s livid that Gal Gadot has stolen the Egyptian queen -- Angie’s dream was to play Cleopatra the role that made Elizabeth Taylor an icon and it was to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress and now that’s over thanks to Gal who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead, after ABC scrapped plans to honor Regis Philbin with a prime-time tribute Jimmy Kimmel insisted on honoring Regis on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow is fleeing New York for her Massachusetts farm after hanging a $2.3 million price tag on her NYC pad but Rachel didn’t want potential buyers looking through all the personal stuff at her apartment so all the personal pictures and books and clothing and everything else was shipped out and replaced with staged furniture, Ariel Winter and her dog (picture)

Page 13: Ailing Joni Mitchell opened up about how she’s still struggling to get back to her old self five years after a debilitating brain bleed -- after Joni was found unresponsive in her Bel-Air home in 2015 she said she was forced to relearn everyday tasks because the aneurysm took away her speech and her ability to walk and although she’s showing slow improvement she hasn’t been writing or playing the guitar or the piano, Randy Travis is defying all the odds as he plans the greatest comeback in country music history as he is making amazing progress after suffering a massive 2013 stroke that most believed would end his career forever and he was given just 1% chance of survival and even after he pulled through doctors believed he would be bedridden and unable to speak -- instead his grueling rehab efforts have miraculously put him on the road to realizing his dream of returning to the spotlight -- some of his motivation is financial; last year he sold his Nashville home and released his memoir which was fueled by his need to pay medical expenses after years of not being able to perform

Page 14: Hollywood Hookups -- Channing Tatum and Jessie J have split again, Cole Sprouse and Reina Silva dating, Kate Beckinsale and Goody Grace split

Page 15: Ariana Grande is raising eyebrows with her raunchy new record Positions -- the former squeaky-clean Nickelodeon star who has been dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez spouted off X-rated odes to an unnamed lover on the LP, six months after sidelining her marriage to former quarterback Jay Cutler Kristin Cavallari admitted there are good days and bad days but insisted it’s been nice to be able to focus on herself and figure out who she is now and what she ultimately wants out of life, hotel heiress Kathy Hilton is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the main cast which includes her half-sister Kyle Richards

Page 16: Crime

Page 17: On Drew Barrymore’s talk show a psychic guest channeled the spirit of one of the host’s former in-laws but the man in question is very much alive -- medium Anna Raimondi told Drew she sensed the aura of a judge causing Drew to burst into tears and named David a relative of her ex-husband Will Kopelman claiming he’d passed but Judge David Kopelman is alive and still going strong -- Will slammed Anna was a submental hack and said he was surprised that Drew chose to give oxygen to someone like that

Page 18: American Life

Page 20: Cover Story -- Prince Andrew is desperate to quash explosive testimony by his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell but the socialite’s second secret deposition is torpedoing his return from royal exile -- after Ghislaine danced around details of her relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in testimony released a few weeks ago Andrew is sweating bullets about her second grilling under oath which contains details of their intimate friendship and nights with Epstein’s teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 22: Don McLean viciously slammed ex-wife Patrisha Shnier as the worst person her ever knew but in their ongoing war of words she maintains he was abusive to her -- Don is still bitter over a 2016 domestic incident at their home in Maine that landed him behind bars and led to divorce after 30 years of marriage

Page 26: Matthew McConaughey confessed he nearly turned his back on Tinseltown to be a wildlife guide like late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin -- he made a splash in a string of blockbuster rom-coms in the ‘90s and ‘00s but he was eager to move on to meatier movies and even passed on a $14.5 million paycheck in 2010 to seek more substantial roles and the struggle left him considering other careers such as a wildlife guide, Jamie Foxx has been crushed by the death of his beloved sister DeOndra Dixon who was born with Down syndrome

Page 28: Good Catch -- Bachelor stars who are still up for grabs -- Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey

Page 29: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Perry, some stars seem to say I do at the drop of the hat -- Larry King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton

Page 32: Olivia Munn was caught on camera flashing what looked like engagement bling on her left ring finger as she exited a gym following a morning workout in Los Angeles but she reportedly broke up with boyfriend Tucker Roberts last year leaving fans wondering who bought the stunning sparkler

Page 36: Health Watch

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Michelle Pfeiffer

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Allison Janney on Mom

Page 47: Odd List

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