#ivan the terrible part two

[wendydoodles]

Your tears can save him...//...will you be the death of me?

[malachitezmeyka]

Ah yes, Magnificent Century, or as I like to call it – “Why the fuck are the most likely Ukrainian girl and the Crimean Tatar woman speaking Russian to each other, what were the writers smoking???”

[sakuraluck]

this moment will never fail to make me feral bc he gave up!!! till, the boy who rebels even when all it does is get him hurt, the one who burns as brightly as the stars in the sky, the flame that lasted for almost two decades finally gave up!!! he snuffed out!! he closed him eyes and stopped fighting!! do you understand how devastating that is??

especially to ivan who idolizes and adores him for it?? who has only ever known till for his never-ending love and will that never falters? to see the man he loves broken down like this—a hurt that extends far beyond that of the physical body but to his soul— must’ve been terrible

and you can see it

ivan’s crumpling too. his mental state is on the verge of snapping too. his shoulders are dropped and his eyes are bloodshot.

till’s given up and ivan can see it and as his hands tighten around the other’s neck, a voice whispers what if you don’t let go?

because that’s what till wants right? he isn’t going to win against luka like this. he wants to die and no matter what ivan does, it’s not going to change that. so why not kill him?

that way they can die together.

wouldn’t that be wonderful?

ivan has always had a great potential for darkness and he holds it back most of the time, rarely ever letting it come to the surface. it wouldn’t be far off to assume this was one of those moments, where emotions are high and last minute regrets and wishes are surging forth—it isn’t far off to think there was a small part of him that was seriously contemplating throwing away his decision to sacrifice himself alone.

but then he gets shot in the chest, through the lungs, and the pain snaps him out of it. because this is it. this is the end. and he remembers why he’s doing this.

he remembers his desire to save till despite how foolish as it may be, how hypocritical it may be. the light reappears in his eyes and it’s ivan in love again. it’s ivan swelling with pure love, looking at till for last time.

it’s ivan doing the one thing he’s never been able to do:

it’s ivan letting go

[nofatclips-home]

The Ultimate Film Studies Watchlist:

Pre-1920s 4:52 The Films of the Edison Labs 6:05 The Films of Louis and Auguste Lumiére 6:57 The Big Swallow (1901) 7:56 Le Voyage Dans La Lune (1902) 9:04 The Great Train Robbery (1903) 10:07 Fantasmagorie (1908) 10:56 Suspense (1913) 11:41 The Birth of a Nation (1915) 13:48 Intolerance (1916) 14:56 J'accuse (1919)

The 1920s 15:52 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) 16:46 The Phantom Carriage (1921) 17:29 Haxan (1922) 18:07 Sherlock Jr. (1924) 18:51 Greed (1924) 19:33 The Last Laugh (1924) 20:25 Battleship Potemkin (1925) 22:25 A Page of Madness (1926) 23:10 Metropolis (1927) 23:51 Napoleon (1927) 25:02 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) 25:43 The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) 26:57 Un Chien Andalou (1929) 27:22 Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The 1930s 28:50 M (1931) 29:35 Freaks (1932) 30:24 The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) 30:54 Duck Soup (1933) 32:04 L'Atalante (1934) 33:01 Modern Times (1936) 33:36 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) 35:45 Stagecoach (1939) 36:26 The Rules of the Game (1939) 37:48 Gone with the Wind (1939)

The 1940s 39:18 The Great Dictator (1940) 39:59 Fantasia (1941) 41:20 Citizen Kane (1941) 43:15 To Be or Not To Be (1942) 44:56 Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) 45:49 Casablanca (1943) 46:56 Double Indemnity (1944) 48:18 Ivan the Terrible (1944) 48:51 Beauty and the Beast (1946) 49:50 Paisan (1946) 50:39 Brief Encounter (1946) 51:25 The Bicycle Thieves (1948) 52:43 Children of the Beehive (1948) 53:15 The Red Shoes (1948) 54:17 The Third Man (1949)

The 1950s 55:35 Sunset Blvd. (1950) 56:28 Los Olvidados (1950) 57:26 Rashomon (1951) 58:42 Singin' in the Rain (1952) 59:34 Tokyo Story (1953) 1:00:59 Ugetsu (1954) 1:01:35 Rear Window (1954) 1:02:42 The Night of the Hunter (1955) 1:03:42 Ordet (1955) 1:04:17 Pather Panchali (1955) 1:04:57 Seven Samurai (1956) 1:06:25 The Searchers (1956) 1:07:25 A Man Escaped (1957) 1:08:27 The Cranes are Flying (1957) 1:09:08 Touch of Evil (1957) 1:09:51 Vertigo (1958) 1:11:22 The 400 Blows (1959)

The 1960s 1:12:53 Psycho (1960) 1:13:42 L'Avventura (1961) 1:14:39 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 1:15:35 La Jetee (1962) 1:16:10 Vivre Sa Vie (1963) 1:17:17 8 1/2 (1963) 1:18:04 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) 1:18:50 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) 1:19:26 Woman in the Dunes (1965) 1:20:01 Persona (1966) 1:21:08 The Battle of Algiers (1966) 1:21:52 Andrei Rublev (1966) 1:22:42 Playtime (1967) 1:23:18 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 1:24:28 Kes (1969) 1:25:23 Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) 1:26:25 The Color of Pomegranates (1969) 1:27:07 Army of Shadows (1969)

The 1970s 1:28:25 The Conformist (1970) 1:28:53 A Touch of Zen (1971) 1:29:37 The Godfather Part I & II (1972-1974) 1:30:37 Pink Flamingos (1972) 1:31:45 The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) 1:32:39 The Exorcist (1973) 1:33:08 La Maman et la Putain (1973) 1:34:22 Badlands (1973) 1:34:53 The Conversation (1974) 1:35:32 A Woman Under the Influence (1975) 1:36:45 Jeanne Dielman 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelle (1975) 1:37:52 Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) 1:39:05 Nashville (1975) 1:39:40 Jaws (1975) 1:40:47 Barry Lyndon (1975) 1:41:17 Taxi Driver (1976) 1:42:28 Eraserhead (1977) 1:43:37 Stars Wars (1977) 1:44:41 House (1977) 1:45:09 Alien (1979) 1:46:22 Apocalypse Now (1979) 1:47:32 Stalker (1979)

The 1980s 1:48:43 Raging Bull (1980) 1:49:33 The Shining (1980) 1:50:27 Pixote (1980) 1:51:10 Koyaanisqatsi (1982) 1:52:08 Videodrome (1983) 1:52:32 Ran (1985) 1:53:27 Come and See (1985) 1:54:23 Tenshi no Tamago (1985) 1:55:23 A Short Film About Killing (1988) 1:56:20 A City of Sadness (1989) 1:57:24 The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989) 1:58:31 Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) 1:59:42 Do the Right Thing (1989)

The 1990s 2:00:54 Goodfellas (1990) 2:01:48 Close-Up (1990) 2:02:49 A Brighter Summer Day (1991) 2:03:51 Man Bites Dog (1992) 2:04:42 Hardboiled (1992) 2:05:43 Satantango (1994) 2:07:12 Pulp Fiction (1994) 2:08:28 Clerks (1994) 2:09:34 The Lion King (1994) 2:10:21 La Haine (1995) 2:11:25 Cure (1997) 2:12:00 Festen (1998) 2:12:54 Beau Travail (1998) 2:13:27 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) 2:14:22 The Matrix (1999) 2:15:10 American Movie (1999)

[blacksorrow-untiltheend]

oh.

Ok.

Hi guys.

My friend and I were on call, and we were rewatching Alien Stage together.

Normal stuff, right?

But then she points out something. Something that I did NOT notice before. Like, at all.

Tw for mentions of SA and abuse

ok. There’s one scene— the scene in Cure, where Till finds out Mizi is missing. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss it.

In this part, Till’s already being treated horribly— which, isn’t it normal in a fucked up world where Aliens only see humans as pets, and make them compete for their lives in a singing competition?

In the part after this, His head literally gets shoved down— that’s already a lot of abuse. And, like I mentioned earlier, the aliens only see humans as pets, so isn’t this “normal”?

There’s a frame for maybe two seconds, but you could easily miss it if you blink.

It disgusts me— yeah, the reason this is happening is because he fought back, but the way they’re manhandling him? It’s horrible. And something tells me this isn’t even the first time, depending on how his whole trait is being rebellious? Yeah, he’s definitely gone through this before. and that’s horrible.

This part kinda makes me cry. The alien— for one, has partially no clothes on, besides its jacket. Till looks famished, he looks so tired, it’s so upsetting. Using these two things, we can assume they’ve done something to Till. And based on the hallucination of Mizi, it’s not impossible that he might’ve been drugged. (Less likely, but still.)

This part is me speaking from experience—

The way the Alien pets Till’s hair, as if to “comfort” him, is something a lot of Sexual assaulters do to their victims.

Here’s a reminder; a sexual assaulter can be ANYONE. Friend, family, “trusted” adult, anyone. And they will make the victim feel like it’s their fault. After they’ve done those terrible things to their victims, they won’t always leave them alone. They might treat the victim like a partner would after sexual intercourse— kindly, comfortingly, doing actions that would soothe their partner. They’ll make the victim think that it’s okay, and it wasn’t a big deal.

This is what’s happening to Till. There’s a possibility that he thinks it’s fine, despite being so tired and hurt, because it’s higher ups, it’s his master, or something else. This isn’t quite confirmed but, in my own experience, SA victims can become hostile, and will run or fight if someone tries to touch them. And till? Well, he’s hostile, and he runs away a lot. Right?

And god knows if the others have gone through this too. My goodness.

When Ivan goes to free Till, he’s passed out. They left him there.

That’s what happens with sa victims sometimes.

The assaulter treats the victim so nicely, and then leaves. Because they always leave, eventually. They leave the victim alone, feeling disgusted by themself

I love the way vivinos handled this. Not straight out saying, “oh Till got SA’d”, or something. They showed it, but in a way that not only is it not being sexualized, but it’s also painting a picture of the fact that sexual assault is anything, and it can happen to anyone. It’s a common shit idea misconception for a group of people that “females are the only ones who can get assaulted!” When that’s obviously not the case. Is Till a female? No. Did he go through that? Yes.

Tl;dr — Vivinos is awesome when it comes to handling topics that are big and relevant. And Till deserves a better life

Also, I didn’t give a good explanation, so please go and read other ones that are better.

And if you’re an SA victim, just know; you are not alone.

[ashen-char]

I'm obsessed with the idea of ani joining in the conversations about partners and bringing reader up like "they never let me cook! which is sweet but i want to cook too!" or "they drool a lot when they sleep!" in a innocent way not thinking much about the fact the other girls are talking about their partners and she just started yapping about reader like they're together.

I just know the fact she always brings reader up in partner conversations makes them even more confused when ani drops the information she's married and it's NOT with reader, like they're happy for her but 'what does she mean she's not with reader??' Yes, they tease her and joke about it but they fr think there's something going on with those two.

reader likes to sit close to anora when she's playing, they're reading a book or doing something job/studies related, stuff like that. They just like being around her either they have her attention or not, they just feel this comfortable aura coming from anora whenever she's close, she's home. You'll giggle about her getting mad at villagers and then ani looks at you annoyed because 'you're suppose to be on my side!' and you're like 'sorry, got to a funny part on the book...' and you're reading the saddest and most tragic book ever.

I think later on reader introduces ani to one or two more violent games where she can kick people's asses! probably Mortal Kombat, she'll definitely play this type of games when a client/her boss pissed her off badly on that particular day and she needs to punch someone to calm down, even if it's on a video game it helps her a lot! But she likes more the cozy games like animal crossing, stardew valley, even the sims (her favourite is the sims 2 because of all the attention to detail the game has).

You once tried to make her play an horror game (resident evil, until dawn, silent hill, amnesia) and she tried it, she really did but after some time she was like 'nop! I'm done! put my animal crossing NOW!'

About ivan, like I said his parents are to blame for a big part of who he is today but he's 21 already and that's old enough to at least KNOW not to leave your wife alone when she's fighting for a future with you against 3 MEN DOUBLE HER SIZE! like if you care about her and her safety you either runaway with her or you stay there with her! That scene is what makes me think that anora cares about him but he doesn't care about her or at least not as much, you know?

YES! There's nothing wrong with wanting to have fun and be free, you don't have to be serious all the time like life's too short for that shit, but the fact he doesn't take anything serious, never thinks before doing a joke or just the way he treats people bellow him (maybe besides anora) lacks sense, maybe even empathy, like why yell as a joke at this staff member who's apologising already for not having the room ready because 1. THEY DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE COMING! and 2.BECAUSE IT WAS BEING USED!! it's a terrible joke, it can make that poor person lose their job if their superior happens to walk by, it lacks touch with reality too!

On the coke scene: if he had taken too much coke, mixed with the alchool and probably other drugs that shit could lead to his death or a coma! toros and garnick aren't stupid, they very likely know that ivan is using drugs and shit like that but if they don't know how much he has done/where he is how are they suppose to help him if it goes wrong? they are there to keep him alive, to keep him in line too, but mostly to keep his ass alive! You don't have to be serious 100% of your time but you also can't be 100% of your time acting like this petulant kid. ivan strikes me as someone who doesn't want to be treated like a kid and wants to be free but he hasn't shown any sense of responsibility to be able to take care of himself alone, like he can still have a kid spirit and be responsible AND sensible towards other people.

Oh i don't think he would even bother to ask anora about her past because like you pointed out he only calls her ani, she only started existing when ani did too. if ani did try to talk to him about it, open up about her past and stuff he wouldn't pay much attention, too distracted playing video games or on his phone. He would be like one of her friends boyfriends she heard so many complains about, you know?

it's a cute assumption but now I'm a little disgusted with it because of what I know... so embarrassing to me! i think with ivan she tried to keep it as much fairytale-ish as she could so she also tried to be a fairytale character, maybe because she felt the need she showed him her true self he would leave, while with igor she didn't want to/felt the need to put up a character, because he wouldn't leave since he understands her struggles.

I do agree that I prefer igor and ani over ivan and ani, like there's somehting more realistic about them, more personal and more 'honest-ish' for lack of a better word to express what I mean. I think ani needs someone a little more serious and responsible than ivan but also someone who can be carefree and I think if we had more time we could see igor being carefree around ani.

Anora only deserves the best and whatever or whoever that is I hope she's happy and at peace!

HELLO I DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE THIS ASK FOR SO LONG it kept cutting off when i tried to answer on mobile (which i was restricted to at the hospital) and eventually i decided to leave it until after i actually watched anora and had more formed thoughts!

ani's got a good rapport with the girls at HQ (barring diamond obviously). with how they flocked to see the fight, i bet they're pretty nosy too, listening intently to pick up on clues of if reader and ani are together. they'd have bets on it. lulu (who's basically the captain of the reader x ani ship) would scoff if anyone said reader's just ani's best friend, offended because obviously she is ani's best friend thank you very much.

sometimes when lulu invites ani out after work, ani says that you two have plans, excitedly yapping about how she's planning to decorate your shared sims' house or the ccs she downloaded. and lulu has this knowing look, cause that's so domestic? sweet? calm? not something ani would find fun if you weren't the one showing it too her. like, lulu finds ani in their backstage/changing room area on her switch, doing her daily fruit foraging in her ACNH island, probably cussing out tom nook for upping the house fee when she JUST paid the last one off. lulu knows all of ani's smiles and the ones about you/something you showed her are different to her performance smiles, to her flirty customer service. they're even different from when she's bragging about what a catch ivan is, about his mansion or how much he likes her.

how much he likes her. never the other way around. any other girl would be half in love with how vanya splashes out his time, attention, and cash. even if ani hasn't realised it herself, it's because her heart's already occupied with reader. imagine ani being away for that first week, apologising over and over to reader cause they already made plans while you just tell her it's ok. and then the next two weeks of their marriage, ani was happy and swept up in the excitement but also... restless? missing you? she busied herself with polishing up her russian, in the lavish new wardrobe and new life. in the dark of night wondering when it'll make her as happy as a simple day with you.

ivan's actually pretty interesting now that all the clips have context. he didn't run to not be caught, but more so to take in all the fun he could before he was whisked back - hitting up all the clubs, getting so drunk he wouldn't worry anymore. he didn't even plan to leave ani, fully wanted her to run with him. it was more... "consequences? what are those? boringgg". didn't wanna talk about his family, didn't wanna hear a word of reprimand from his parents, considers anything that isn't having fun as unnecessary. and especially him thanking ani for making his last trip fun as if he didn't ask her to MARRY him, when she was sceptical in the first place and told him not to tease her! she made sure he was sincere multiple times and he strung her along, pure and simple, knowing his parents wouldn't let that happen. knowing that he wouldn't actually fight his parents for it/for them.

gonna write some thoughts on ivan on another post this is getting too long and tbh i was more focused on anora :P (basically he's all about freedom and even argues back when they make a comment about him possibly marrying a man). the marriage was a fantasy to him, as is america, it's a freedom he won't actually pursue at the end of the day. not when being under his parents' thumb is easier. him being treated like a child is actually a privilege. ani's only two years older and knows so much more of responsibilities, of what it takes to earn and own things, of consequences. all vanya has to do is simper and follow his mom, childishly asking if her clothes are from the new collection rather than listening to her beratement.

i feel like if the marriage didn't collapse because of his parents, it'd be whenever ani decides she's had enough of the partying or the smoking and watching him play games. he asks about her parents, and she even offers to let them meet or go meet her sister. she wants to go to disneyworld for their honeymoon. but vanya would be the same vanya. show up drunk and blazed, embarrassing her in front of her mom and stepdad (while she covers his ass and lies "oh i swear he's not always like this, he's just tired"). ruining her childhood dream by letting his friends crash their honeymoon and trash the cinderella suite. she'd realise that this isn't perfect, that it isn't sustainable. it's fun, yes, ivan was right that they'd probably still have fun together if he wasn't rich. but imagine them going through the paperwork of getting that green card, of her trying to make him take it seriously so he can stay. applying, appointments, providing papers and proof... vanya would groan and act like ani's dragging him to do this. and he'd offer ani hits from his bong like he did to klara, never thinking about if something's the right time.

to contrast a relationship where ani would have to be the mature one, ani is notably different with igor (obviously). even if not romantically, having someone there that she can freely bitch at, let out her tension on, that accepts her moods must feel freeing. all these masks she puts on, be that at the club, or the perfect wife for vanya/his family. she's got her barbs, she's allowed to be prickly and abrasive and say whatever comes to her head. igor will laugh it off. she softened near the end (not the end end, i'm sure there's a lot of thoughts on that) when she brought him that blanket. wordlessly sharing blunts or taking the cig from his mouth, smiling when he laughs at a joke she slung to hurt his feelings. he doesn't just take it either. he asks why she says these things about him, asserts that he isn't (a gopnik, a f-slur ass bitch, a drug dealer, a rapist etc), but doesn't get mad at her for it. when toros or galina says "no, that didn't happen", it's to shut ani up, to not listen, to prove that she doesn't have a say/doesn't have power in the situation. when igor says it, it's on equal grounds-that he had to because he was genuinely scared about ani and that he didn't want her to hurt herself. AND after apologising multiple times, rather than jumping to "i didn't hurt you". it was "you were never in danger of being harmed".

[kasagia]

❄️️Warm my heart pt. 8 (end)❄️️

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/ The Darkling x fem! heartrender! reader Summary: Winter Fiesta at Christmas? Great idea. After all, there is no better opportunity to end the drama that has been going on between you and the general than at a huge ball thrown by Lantsov. Word Count: 3,6k Taglist:@aoi-targaryen @budugu @flostvs1508 @chelseyyouraverageluigi ~•♤♤♤•~ Aleksander Morozova’s Masterlist ~•♤♤♤•~ ~•♤♤♤•~ Part 7 ~•♤♤♤•~

You liked Christmas, but the winter fete that preceded it was a terrible event.

Especially since this year you weren't leaving to visit your brother right away, and in the next few hours you were going to find out whether the man you gave your heart to was really an immortal, power-hungry monster who would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

In hindsight, you would probably prefer to endure the snark and rudeness of your grandparents and your siblings.

You took a shaky breath as you walked out of the Little Palace. At the exit, you met Fedyor and Ivan, who reconciled after Ivan promised to meet his family. The bastard knew it would be impossible this year, so he agreed, but as long as Fedyor is happy about it, then you are too.

Fedor's worse half separates from you as they reach the great hall of the king's palace.

You and Fedyor blend in with the crowd of other Grisha. You manage to grab a glass of champagne and sip it while watching the people around you. You unconsciously look at Alina, which Fedyor immediately notices.

"Are you waiting for the big show?" he asks, referring to the little show of power Alina and Aleksander were about to do.

Luckily, you missed out on being a circus monkey at the party this year (you suspect Aleksander didn't want to anger you more), so all you had to do was try to get through the last few hours as pain-free as possible.

"I can't wait." you say sarcastically, grabbing something sweet from the snack table. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice your friend smirking. "What is it? What did you do?"

"I? Nothing at all," he lies, leaning on the table and grabbing something to eat.

"I know you too well for you to lie to me. I've seen this conspiratorial smile more than once. What's going on?" you ask, looking at him carefully and expectantly.

Before you can push him further to speak, Genya joins you, saving the man from your further investigation. She shows you some Inferni tricks. When you look away, they both exchange knowing glances, and Fedyor silently thanks her for saving him.

"You look pretty." Genya comments, turning to you as the three of you eat the sweets. Take advantage of the opportunity while you can. In the Little Palace, you rarely ate anything other than those nasty herrings. "I like your earrings. Moonstone, right?"

"David made them for me. Initially, they were supposed to be… something else, but he had enough material to make me earrings as well."

"Yes, he is very talented. And what was most of it he spent on making?" she asks curiously as you three walk to a more distant part of the room where there are much fewer people.

"A ring."

"A ring? I don't see any on your finger."

"It wasn't supposed to be for me. Christmas gift." you explain vaguely.

The ring was supposed to be for Aleksander... no proposal or anything else. He recently lost his ring, so you asked David to make him a new one, practically the same as his old one but with a piece of moonstone inside.

"Oh, I see. You know, David told me that the moonstone has… a very special meaning," she says teasingly.

"Really? And how often do the two of you talk like that?" you ask just as teasingly, and she blushes too.

You both laugh, and only now do you notice that Fedyor has also disappeared somewhere, leaving you and Genya alone.

"May I ask who that special gift is?"

"I... I haven't decided yet." you tell her what is actually true.

This evening was to decide everything. That evening, Aleksander was to put his plan into action. If he really decided to use Alina in his plans... you had a backup plan ready. Which you hoped you wouldn't have to use.

You notice Aleksander as soon as he enters the room.

And you are speechless at the sight of him.

At the sight of his black kefta embroidered with red threads.

He gives you a short, meaningful look and goes to greet the royal family. You turn immediately towards Genya with a questioning look, and she simply shrugs.

"He wanted a matching kefta." she explains, but she frowns at your growing excitement. "But I want you to be careful. He's… a powerful man. Even if you tamed him a little."

You are going to deny her words, defend him, and say that he is not as bad as everyone makes him out to be, but you are speechless for the second time when soon after Alina enters the room in a black kefta with gold embroidery.

You shake your head, laughing bitterly.

"Apparently not." you say, staring at Alin with envy. The bitter bile of jealousy and hurt wells up inside you as you try to focus on your anger rather than the tears welling up in your eyes.

Genya stares at her as surprised as you, searching for someone in the crowd.

"I don't understand… after all…"

"Don't worry, I understand." you say firmly and coldly, making the redhead shiver. You ignore her, staring at Alina as she approaches Aleksander from behind, surprising him when she smiles sweetly at him. "And I'm not going to be part of this fucking threesome."

You leave Genya alone before she can say anything. You don't stay for the Alina and General show. You just walk out, pushing your way through the crowd and finding the back exit where the fewest guards are patrolling. All you wanted was to disappear into the shadows.

Aleksander looked for you frantically after Alina approached him. But he doesn't see you anywhere. You left Genya alone, and he wasn't able to spot you in the crowd.

He did his little show with the Sun Summoner and left her with her friends. He moved quickly towards the exit, catching Genya's gaze. The woman immediately followed him. They both left the room and went into the corridor, where Fedyor was already waiting for them.

"What happened there?" he asks them furiously. "Who gave her that damn kefta? That wasn't the plan."

"Um… David saw Baghra leaving the Grand Palace."

Aleksander frowns in anger at Fedyor's words. He clenches his fists and takes a few breaths to calm himself down. His mother always had to destroy everything that was good. He should've predicted it.

"And where is she now?" he asks through gritted teeth.

"Baghra?" Fedyor asks hesitantly as Genya gently moves towards him.

"Y/N!!" they both tremble when they hear him shouting. Shadows circle him, giving him an even more ominous look. He sighs when he sees the fear in their eyes, and with a wave of his hand, everything returns to normal. “I meant Y/N.” he says more calmly, slightly embarrassed by his sudden outburst.

"We do not know. David followed her, but she vanished from his sight."

"Vanished?" Fedyor nods. Aleksander immediately thinks of his mother. Only she and he knew the exact location of the hidden corridors in the Grand and Little Palace. She had to take you. Convince you finally that he is a monster. "I want our men at every exit gate around the castle, at every exit and entrance, and at the sewers that lead from here. As soon as you see her, you are to capture her and alert the rest."

"Baghra or Y/N?"

"Both!" he says angrily, walking towards the exit of the palace. "And you two are to guard the Sun Summoner. I don't want her to disappear too."

He doesn't go far before Ivan catches up with him with the news that there was an attack on Alina. He freezes in his steps. It cannot be split.

He can either look for you or protect the Sun Summoner.

And the choice is simple for him.

You kept your hand pressed tightly to your mouth to keep from making any sound as you walked down the hall of the Grand Palace. Tears flowed freely from your eyes, somehow making their way through your hand and into your mouth so you could taste the saltiness of your defeat.

He chose Alina. Actually, both of you, but what difference did it make? You made it clear to him that you wouldn't be just another pushover in his life, just another face among many others. You wanted everything or nothing. Nothing half-hearted, no half-truths, and no being THE OTHER WOMEN.

As you walk and cry, you don't notice something suddenly moving in the shadows, and listening to the heartbeat of someone who might be hiding in a secret passageway in the hall is the last thing on your mind right now.

That's how someone grabs you tightly by the arm in an aching hug and drags you along with them to the hidden exit of the castle. You struggle and freeze, both shocked and irritated, as you see who caught you.

"Baghra? What the hell do you want?" you ask irritably, not wanting her to see you like this. You pull your hand from her grip and wipe the remaining tears from your face.

"I'm helping you, child. Do you think Aleksander won't send people after you who will lead you back to him like some pet?"

"I don't need your help." you growl, backing away from her in anger.

"You think so? So c'mon. Go, run away by yourself. I am sure he will find you. Maybe he will even put a collar on you too. You, Alina and Aleksander will have so much fun together."

You stand still, listening to her words like poison. You shake your head and turn to face her, watching her smirk with spite.

"You know what? I'm not surprised that he... that he thinks what he's doing is right. If he told me even a little bit of the truth about himself, then I know how you treated him. How you shaped him. So don't be surprised that your son became what he became when all you showed him was how to take advantage of other people and how to not care about anyone but his own goals and needs. Maybe if you hadn't run away from all those who are supposedly not worthy of your attention and hadn't taught him the same things, he would have turned out completely differently. Maybe if you saw him as something more than a creator of the fold, a Black Heretic, everything would be different. And don't worry. I can handle everything perfectly on my own."

You leave her in the secret corridor and don't look back as you return to the main halls of the Grand Palace.

Aleksander was furious. No one saw you, no one could find you. He ran out of the Little Palace and headed straight for the stables. You had to sneak out somehow. He hoped that maybe he would ride his horse around the area and find you.

He doesn't wait for the horseboy. He approaches his horse and saddles it quickly and expertly. He has his foot in the stirrup when he hears movement near the entrance.

"Are you going somewhere?" you ask, leaning against the entrance with your arms crossed.

He freezes, blinking a few times, making sure you're not some sort of vision, ghost, or other creature tormenting him. When he realises you're standing there in your body, he jumps off his horse and runs towards you. He hugs you to his chest and buries his nose in your hair. He lets out a shaky breath, inhaling your scent.

"Saints, where have you been?" he asks, not letting you move away from him. He needs to feel you close.

"On the way. Far from here. I turned back when I heard that there was an attack on Alina. Did anything happen to anyone?" you ask worriedly, moving away from him. He doesn't let you go far, just enough to look at him.

"I… I don't know." he admits, embarrassed, and you frown, looking at him in disbelief.

"How don't you know?"

"I left. I left Ivan, Fedyor, and Zoya in charge. I… I had to find you."

His confession makes your heart melt, and you bite your lips, holding back the sudden urge to kiss him. Your brain gets back on track as you start to think again about how your friends and other Grisha handle another attack on Sun Summoner.

"We have to come back to them." you tell him as you somehow manage to get out of his grasp and turn towards the exit.

"Wait... please." he says this and quickly overtakes you, blocking your only escape route. You stare into his dark eyes for a moment before shifting your gaze to his horse, which is watching the two of you closely. He doesn't let you take your eyes off him for long. He gently grabs your chin and forces you to meet his pleading gaze. "Talk to me."

"About what? We have nothing to talk about." you say, glaring at him defiantly.

Common sense screams at you to run away from him. He wasn't just the red flag; he was the whole red carpet. But how can you leave him when those dark eyes look at you so pleadingly, when he clings to you like to the anchor, like to the only thing that holds him sane?

"If that were true, you'd be on your way, far away. I know you could get through all those people I put on guard, even me. If we didn't have anything to talk about, I… I wouldn't be looking for you like a mad man, leaving the Little Palace in such a situation without my supervision. You know that."

"Why are you wearing a kefta with red embroidery? Why did Alina replace her blue one with a black one? You can't have a cake and eat it at the same time, Aleksander. I want... I want to be the only one for you... as you are the only one for me, even though this shouldn't happen. Even though I know what you did, but... I can't help seeing you as... as someone more than my general or the Darkling. I... please, just don't prove me I am that naive to love you."

You lift your head to look at him just as he leans down to capture your lips with his.

You stand there in shock for a moment, but you respond to his kiss with equal parts fervour, passion, and need. He wraps one hand around your waist, and the other gently cups your cheek, tilting your head to a different side to give him better access to your mouth. You moan into the kiss, grabbing the lapels of his kefta and pulling him even closer to you.

The thought occurs to you that he looks good in red.

His cold fingertips tease the hot skin of your neck as he begins to undo the buttons on your kefta. A shiver runs through you as you break away from him, realising that you two still have a few more things to explain before you can finally let yourself lose yourself in him.

"Wait, wait." he listens to you and immediately pulls away from you, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. He licks his lips and is about to ask you a question when you interrupt him. "Nothing happened. You didn't do anything wrong; I just need to know. What about Alina? And the fold?"

"She means nothing to me. She is nothing compared to you. She is just a means to an end, and I… might have changed my plans a little bit."

"What do you mean?" you ask, crossing your arms. He sighs and looks at you for a long time before answering.

"I'm not known for making noble decisions. But know that everything I do—everything I wanted to do—I did for Grisha's sake. And I admit... these were not good for everyone. I wanted to seduce Alina. Make her trust me, make her rely only on me, and take advantage of her. But then I promoted you. I needed help with the papers—someone who wouldn't question my authority and for whom Grisha's well-being was as important as mine. And you ruined all my plans after the first day when you argued with me about sending our people through the fold. I... for the first time in hundreds of years, I had someone who wasn't afraid to say what she thought. Someone who respected my opinion even if she didn't agree with it. I felt that… that I didn't have to be this monster around you, that I didn't have to keep up my image. That I don't have to be a Darkling for you to respect me. And I know I'm far from being a good man, but with you... with you, I remember what I was like before all this happened, before this whole thing with the fold. What I was fighting for. What I believed in. I thought that that man died a long time ago, but with you, I am... I can be just my old self. The one I really missed. The only one of many of my... well, version of myself that I didn't play or create for survival purposes. I live with you. Not just keep fighting to survive for the better times. So please believe me that when I say I love you, I say it from the deepest truth, from the remnants of my heart that I still have after the centuries I have lived. The remnants that you picked up and brought back to life, my little almighty heartrender. You don't have to want me back. I don't suspect you will… just please don't leave. Don't leave me again alone in my darkness."

And what can you say? What can you do other than go up to him and kiss him like you've never kissed anyone else? You don't know who is more surprised—you, him, or that damned horse neighing in the background, ruining your perfect moment. But you don't care. You kiss your shadow summoner and try to convince him that, from now on, he will never be alone. At least as long as you breathe.

"I have something for you," you say later that night as you lie in his arms in his bed.

After your little make-out session, you returned to the Little Palace and took care of everything. Baghra was gone, Alina was safe (with Mal returning after Aleksander had abandoned his search for the deer), and everyone in the palace had somehow survived another attack.

"I don't need anything except for you to stop squirming so much," he murmurs into your neck, tightening his grip on you as you try to reach for your kefta, which is discarded on the floor next to the bed.

"Aleksander!” you squeal, laughing when he touches the sensitive spot on your waist, making you tickle. "Don't you dare." you say, seeing his malicious look. "I'm serious. Tickle me, and I'll fly out the door, not caring who sees me naked."

"I'll remember that." he huffs, offended, and buries his face in your neck. His beard tickles your skin, and even more tickles your sensitive skin, where he left a few hickeys on it.

You somehow manage to reach into your kefta and take out a canvas pouch. You place it on Alexander's chest, smiling excitedly as he pulls away from you gently and takes the item, examining it in his hands.

"What is it?"

"Your Christmas' gift. Open it."

He doesn't question your order. He pulls you towards him so that you're sitting between his legs and leaning against his chest. He hugs you, holding you close to him and resting his chin on your head as he opens his pouch and selects a ring. You feel him hold his breath, and his heart speeds up.

"Don't worry; I'm not proposing to you. I'm not crazy enough to do it so quickly. Besides, I'm quite a traditionalist when it comes to this. I'll wait for my ring. I just know you lost yours somewhere and… I thought it would be a nice gift."

"Is this a moonstone?" you nod at his question.

"Do you like it?"

He doesn't answer. He places a kiss on your head and hands you the ring. He sticks out his left hand, obviously wanting you to put it on his finger.

You do it with trembling hands. It looks good on his finger. And the possessive thought crosses your mind that he is truly yours now.

"I have nothing for you, milaya. You'll have to wait before I pick up your gift from David and Genya." you turn around in his arms with a smile.

"I already have my gift. You let me warm your heart. That's all I wanted." he gives you that charming smile and kisses you. You smile against his lips, feeling his arms around you again as he pins you to the mattress to shower you with kisses again, hickeys and all his attention, whispering against your skin with every kiss how much he loves you and needs you.

And in the morning, you find a beautiful black kefta with red embroidery and a ring that matches the one you gave him. And as you hear his heartbeat against yours, you decide it's the best Christmas you've ever had.

[pythagoras180]

Why "El Toro de Piedra" fails on all fronts

The Letter

The inciting incident of Marinette's side of this episode is that she finds a letter that Gabriel wrote some time before his death, where he confesses to Adrien that he's Monarch. This causes Marinette to question if lying to Adrien is right. In other words, finding this letter causes her to question the thing she's already questioned multiple times. And at the end of the episode, she decides to keep lying to Adrien. So Marinette's entire story this episode is her making the same decision she already made. They keep rehashing this plotline without changing or progressing everything. This is the definition of running in place.

Also, why did reading this letter make Marinette reconsider her decision? Was it because it made her reinterpret what Gabriel's last words meant? Probably not, since it's not like Gabriel wrote this letter immediately before he died, it was clearly written a while before. Honestly, it feels like the only reason the writers added this letter is because they thought Marinette (and the audience) needed to be reminded of the decision she made. Even though she's already talked about it in previous episodes. What a joke.

Villainous Fathers

This episode reveals that Ivan's father is a supervillain who wants Ivan to follow in his footsteps, and Ivan is keeping this a secret because he feels ashamed. This is clearly meant to draw a thematic parallel between Ivan and Adrien. Except, their situations aren't similar at all. Ivan knows what kind of man his father is. It's not like he's in denial about it or anything. Ivan was the one keeping it a secret from others, due to the fact he was ashamed. How is that related to Adrien? Adrien isn't the one keeping a secret, and he isn't ashamed of something. There's also the stuff about Ivan choosing not to be like his father, which is something that could have been relevant to Adrien, but it's not, because Adrien doesn't know who his father really was. So this theme doesn't work at all.

To add insult to injury, this episode once again has a terrible parent be immediately forgiven. Given how often this happens in this show, I'm convinced that if Gabriel hadn't died, the show would have let him get away with everything he did.

The Concert

The whole concert part of the episode felt so disconnected and tacked on to the episode. In fact, the only real connection it has is the fact that Juleka's song mentions her father, connecting to the attempt at a theme. Other than that, this subplot could have been part of any episode.

How come Juleka needed to perform alone? Ivan and Luka may have been absent, but Rose and Adrien were still there (until Adrien had to leave too). Both of them can play the keyboard, why didn't either of them back Juleka up?

Finally, in Juleka's song, she puts more importance in her deadbeat dad, rather than her loving single mother. You might argue, "Well, it's because she's a musician like her father." I'd like to remind anyone who claims this that Juleka's mother is also a musician. Ever since season 4, the show has put more importance on Jagged Stone as parent to Luka and Juleka, rather than their mother. But this is the first time that focusing on the deadbeat has been the character's decision. So, I feel like I can say that Juleka Couffaine has been character assassinated.

The Council

Finally, this episode also sets up the idea that Gabriel and Tomoe's alliance wasn't just the two of them, there are also a bunch of other mysterious figures that knew he was Monarch and are working behind the scenes. And one of these people is Nathalie's father. There's not much to talk about here, it's just something that briefly appears at the end. It's just to tease that something interesting might happen in the future. But considering this show's track record of following through on its setups, I have zero faith that anything good will come from this.

Conclusion

I don't think a single thing that this episode tried to do was well executed, and it showed that not even a minor character like Juleka is safe from being ruined. Still not as bad as "Werepapas" though!

[tumbleweedsthesecond]

CLONE HIGH CLOTHING SWAP!!(I'm gonna lore drop abt them but more importantly Anna )

Yayy lore time. So Anna is the clone of Anastasia Romanovna but she says she's the clone of Anastasia Romanov. This is because the other Anastasia Romanov is more well known and I like to include historical references in stuff. From what I know her body was never officially found, she was considered a mystery she was important because of that. Many people think she lived and escaped instead of being killed. Some people also pretended to be her or tried to for money from the aunt as is shown in the Disney movie. specifically Anna Anderson I think which is why I nicknamed her Anna. (If anyone needs to correct me on some of this stuff Ik its been a while since I've done research on the topic I've been researching other stuff.)

When Anna was cloned her foster father believed she was that Anastasia, so up until she was like 11 or so she believed she was Anastasia Romanov, she felt important. She watched the movie and loved the idea of being a princess, of being the one everyone was waiting for. Until one day scudworth told her she was wrong and got the names mixed up. So Anna saw Ivan and cried her eyes out. She didn't want to be the clone of some guys wife. She wants to be more important than that and not live in his shadow. She thinks she's important and seeing her dad disappointed about that really hurt her. So she decided that she was going to just cope. She'd forget everything scudworth said and live that lie. And it felt great for her, she brags about it alot. Though she's gone so far into coping she does almost believe it. because of that she's obsessed with popularity and living up to the real Anastasia Romanov. She wants to be famous, she studies hard and everything. She's even a cheerleader. Because of the coping thing it does make her view other people just as extensions of their clone parents. She thinks everyone thinks the way she does cause she's preppy. Also on why she expects people to be extensions of the clone parents is also due to some self loathing because of who she really is. That doesn't make her any less annoying though but I forgive her❤

Orginally Anna and Ivan were a ship because she couldn't fight her genes or whatever that's been erased actually I decided it'd be more interesting of she was a lesbian. ivan and her are still rivals. She doesn't know she's a lesbian yet tho cause comphet she's also Topher stepsister!! Basically they hate hate each other at first for obvious reasons and Topher even blackmails Anna. Then he does reveal who he's a clone of and she full on ignores him and calls him disgusting for like a week. But eventually they talk and they become a little closer? Anna starts understanding people aren't just their clone parents and she still like trying I guess? Topher also learns to not blackmail her so yay They have some solidarity, a little. They still don't like each other but its more in a sibling way.

Okay now Fyodor. Gonna guess no-one(but like one person) knows who Fyodor Basmanov is. I learned about him through some movies, basically Ivan the terrible had this alleged male lover. He was in the Oprichnina, like a secret police Ivan had made, and he rose in ranks fast. He was known as the favorite of the Tsar many people thought they were a thing(probably). There was rumors he'd wear skirts and dance for Ivan and stuff. Whether or not that's true in the Ivan the terrible movies he's in they actually do address it. In the 1940s two part one he sings this song abt killing people in a dress and a mask that is supposed to resemble Anastasia Romanovna in the beginning of the film. Which is actually why I made them do a clothing swap in the post. In the 1991 version he is sooo pretty and I can't understand everything in the film because no subtitles but I was able to get some context to what was happening. The story from what I know goes Fyodors the favorite and he uses that alot over other people, he sits next to the Tsar during meals and stuff, poisons people for him etc, then he tries to trick this other guy to get rid of him with witchcraft but word got back to Ivan and now they think Fyodor committed treason. So hes like no not me!!come on Ivan listen to me I'll tell everyone about us or something like that I don't know I could only understand some and he's dragged away. Real Fyodor apparently did get accused of treason by Ivan and he was ordered to kill his father. Some say then Fyodor was executed others say he was just sent away I don't know what really happened. Shrugs. Anyway

I made a clone of him just because I can ❤yay❤ he's Ivans ex friend they don't hang out anymore because Ivan thinks he's better than him. Fyodors just a chronically online guy that uses discord too much(gamer). He wears skirts too not for Ivan just cause I like gnc characters. Yay❤. Also Ivan and him weren't a thing though Fyodor probably does have a crush on him for a bit, the most Ivan does for him is buy him discord nitro. Which he doesnt do anymore. Fyodor does still sometimes try be friends with the bleacher creatures mainly cause sometimes he feels like he's nothing without Ivan so. Yeah. He's unsuccessful tho he's annoying af. He's cringe. He thinks it's funny tho

Anyway just realized I made three clones of Ivan the terrible lovers and I don't ship any of them with him(Maria's the third ill post about her another day. Her and Anna get together tho) this guy had like eight wives. I should really just clone all of them and make them a polycule(minus Ivan ofc) this is why I shouldn't study historical figures

[kissorkill16]

Friends: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: They can still be friends...right?

Maritza was the first one out the door as soon as the bell rang.

She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. That school was filled with too many people, people she hated.

She didn't know why, but she hated everyone so much right now.

Maybe it was because of Trinity...

Yeah...

Definitely because of Trinity.

It was because of her that she was in such a shitty mood. That girl had the nerve to call her a traitor, and she only did what she did to save her brother, but even he was against her.

Oh well. Whatever happened to him was Trinity's fault, not Maritza's.

Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Enzo. He gave her an awkward smile, but Maritza just turned back around.

"I thought you were busy with Trinity. You said I was old enough to walk myself home, remember?", she said. Enzo didn't look at her, he just looked at the ground as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"I just meant that I wasn't walking you home today.", said Enzo, "But I changed my mind. I'm scared you might get kidnapped again."

Maritza looked at her brother, almost surprised. "But what about Trinity?", she asked. "I thought you were in love with her."

Enzo shrugged, still not looking at her. "I thought so too, but after what happened to you, after she called you a traitor when you didn't have a choice, after she locked Nicky in the basement,...I don't think I like Trinity as much as I did before."

He reached a hand to her and held it in his.

"I don't care that you went against the group, you did it to protect me from the cult.", he said. "I love you, Maritza. I love how brave you were despite wanting nothing to do with any of this."

A moment of silence passed by, and Enzo just held his sister's hand. Then out of nowhere, Maritza wrapped her arms around Enzo.

"I love you too, you big doofus.", she said.

Enzo smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Maritza.

Just then, someone else came up behind them. They turned around to see Ivan, and he looked absolutely terrible. His eyes were red and puffy and his hair was a mess.

"Oh, hi.", he said. "I'll just go around you guys.", but before he could walk around them, Maritza called out to him.

"Nerd, wait!", she said. Ivan slowly turned around to look at her. "Hm?"

"Look, Ivan. Even if we're not the Inventor's Club anymore, we can still be friends.", she said. "Does that sound good to you?"

Ivan shrugged and looked at the ground, then he looked back at Maritza. "Can I still build stuff?", he asked. Maritza laughed and shrugged as she nodded. "Yes, you can still build stuff."

Then he charged to the two kids and wrapped his arms tightly around them.

"I love being friends!"

The kids continued to walk home together, and as they turned another corner, they ran into someone else.

Delroy.

"Sorry, man.", said Enzo.

"It's fine, dude.", said Delroy. "Can I talk to you guys about something?"

They all turned their attention to him.

"Look, I know I was never part of your club, but I enjoyed spending time with you guys. I may not be as smart as any of you, but I liked helping out in the lab. Sadly, there's not really an Inventor's Club anymore."

Ivan stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Delroy, while there isn't a club anymore, we're still friends. We don't need Trinity anymore, and we don't need to solve any more mysteries. We can just be friends and hang out."

Delroy looked at the group, then he smiled. "I guess you're right."

Ivan took Delroy's hand and gently pulled him, "Do you maybe want to hang out? We can go to Enzo and Maritza's house and watch a movie or something."

"Sure, I ain't got nothing better to do."

They continued to walk down the street, but as they did, Enzo couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

"Do you guys think we should invite Nicky?", asked Enzo. The group looked at him.

"Nicky?", asked Ivan, "But you know his state right now. I doubt he even wants to talk to us, let alone watch a movie with us."

"I know, but it's just...I miss him, okay?"

Enzo stopped walking as he was in front of Nicky's house. "He's been through so much, and none of us were there for him to help him out. I want to make it up to him, maybe he's...somewhat back to normal enough for him to form coherent sentences. Maybe he'll be stable enough to hang out."

The group looked at Enzo, then at each other. Maritza sighed and squeezed her brother's hand, "Just don't say anything he might take the wrong way, okay?", she said.

Enzo nodded.

They all walked to the front porch of the Roth house, Enzo rang the doorbell, and Mr. Roth opened the door.

And for some reason, the kids could hear Mrs. Roth crying from the other room. But they tried not to pay to much attention to it.

"Hey, kids.", said Mr. Roth.

"Hi, Mr. Roth.", said Enzo. "We were just wondering if Nicky is okay to come over to my house."

Mr. Roth looked down at the floor. It was silent for a moment.

"Sorry, kids. Nicky isn't here right now, and I'm afraid he won't be coming home for a while now.", he said. The kids looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?", asked Ivan, sounding worried.

Mr. Roth still looked at the ground, but he said it anyway.

"Nicky's in the hospital."

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Shopping trip (What is cosplay?)

Self-Aware! Nikolai Gogol x GN! Reader x Self-Aware! Doppo Kunikida

Description: Set after BSD gang got into your world.

Your new friends/roommates love exploring your world. You keep them company. One day, you and Kunikida decide to go to the mall. Gogol wants to accompany you two. The problem is... He doesn't want to disguise himself. He wants to go in his normal attire.

...

Maybe, everything will be alright, right?

Fluff (for the most part). Everyone thinks that Gogol is a cosplayer. He is ready to throw hands. But he is holding for your sake. People can't mind their own business, they have to discuss, how terrible anime fans are. Karen. Kunikida, as a former teacher, has something to say about looking after the kids.

Prequel to Surprise

Warning: OOC. Rude people. Annoying people. Karen. Rowdy unsupervised kids. One person try to touch Gogol's thighs. But not on your watch. Unintentional lockdown joke. English is my second language.

BSD cast love exploring your world. They love going for a walks. They love visiting cafés. They love going to the festivals. They love to be in places, where they can see other people.

You understand, why they doing it. If one day you woke up and find out, that streets are empty, and then lived in this environment for a few month (even, if you life with few other people), when streets became bisy again, you also would spend all your free time outside. With other people.

You accompany your new friends as much as you can. So many new good memories.

The mall became one of the most visited places. All this shops, cafés, people... For BSD cast, this place seems perfect.

Each time you and someone from BSD cast visit the mall, it became an interesting experience.

You visit the mall not only to have fun, but also to buy necessary things.

Today was 'necessary shopping trip day'.

________________________

Doppo was sitting on the sofa and rechecking the shopping list for a third time. He wanted to make sure, that everything is going to be according to plan. You lazily stretched out and sit near Doppo.

"Hey, Kunikida," greeted you. Man smiles at you and nodded.

"Good morning, [Y/N], Hope, you are ready. We will go to the mall in thirty minutes. The shopping list is complete and has been re-checked a few times."

You hum, showing, that you have heard him. You take a quick glance at the list.

"I see, Thank you, K..." You saw Kunikida's expression. He was waiting for something. You take a breath and spoke again. "Thank you, Doppo"

It was a little bit hard, calling BSD gang by their first names. It feels strange, to call Dazai 'Osamu', Goncharov 'Ivan', Poe 'Edgar' and so on. But, cast want you to call them by their first names. Slowly but surely you were getting used to it.

Doppo nodded, he seems pleased.

"Don't mention it. Be ready in half an hour. We three are going to..."

"Wait!" Interrupted you. "Three? Who is going with us?"

Kunikida's gaze became irritated.

"Nikolai Gogol."

Kolya, of course. He was one of the weirdest of your friends.

And by weird, you mean, your friendship with him start weird.

_______________________

It's been a week, since BSD gang got into your world. That day all of you held the meeting. You wanted to discuss, what they are going to do now, when they got into your world.

Meeting was normal, for the most part. But, Gogol decided to start talking about his freedom and that he will do anything to reach it.

"What I mean, Little Bird, if I want to break the law, I will break the law," Gogol leaned towards you. He looked smug. Like he was challenging you to say something.

You didn't look amused. You noticed Fyodor's expression during Gogol's speech. Dostoevsky looked annoyed by Gogol... Actually, everyone looked annoyed at Gogol. Well, you won't let him win.

Your idea was... weird. But, to be fair, the whole situation with characters from your favorite anime/manga been self-aware and in your home already was bizarre.

"So, you really value freedom, right?"

Asked you, looking Gogol right in the eyes. He grinned and nodded.

"Well, in that case," you booped his nose. "I also value my freedom. And right now, for me, freedom means booping your nose."

Gogol blinked. He opens his mouth. You booped him again. Gogol tried to say something again. You booped him again. This time, you left your finger pressed against Gogol's nose. He squinted his eyes. "[Y/N], what are you doing?"

You tried your best to mimic Gogol's voice.

"What I mean, Big Bird, if I want to boop you, I will boop you"

The room was silent. Everyone was looking at you and Gogol. Suddenly, you saw a golden glow near your stomach. Before you can react, Gogol used "The Overcoat" and trapped you in his embrace. Gogol was laughing. Gogol jumped towards Fyodor, still holding you in his arms.

"Fedya, Fedya, their reaction was priceless!"

Fyodor took a breath.

"I still don't understand, why did you decide to test them. You never planned to cause trouble here."

Gogol only grins. He looked at you. He looked much friendlier, than before.

"You are my new friend now, we will eat something tasty later"

For the rest of the meeting, you were in Gogol's embrace. It took combine efforts of Fyodor, Sigma and Fukichi to pry him off you.

____________________

You smile at the memory.

"Well, with his help we could buy more things. Don't you agree?"

Kunikida grumbles something, but nodded at agreement.

"I guess so. Anyway, we should start preparations."

______________________

In thirty minutes, both of you were ready to go to the mall and were standing near the front door, waiting for Nikolai.

You changed into suitable clothes for today's hot weather.

Instead of his normal clothes, Kunikida was wearing a green t-shirt, dark-brown shorts and flip-flops. He decides to keep his hair as it normally was.

Kunikida started to become impatient. Gogol was late.

"This clown... He himself wanted to go, and now he is late" grumble Kunikida. You put your hand on his shoulder and squeeze it.

"Easy, Doppo, it's not that bad. Maybe, he is trying to disguise himself better. His looks are quite recognizable.

It was one of the first things you taught to BSD gang. They were recognizable. That's why they should wear different clothes, when they are going somewhere. If they don't want to deal with people staring at them.

Kunikida grimaced. He doesn't like unplanned events. And Gogol was an embodiment of chaos. Kunikida turn towards you.

"I know, but still, he should be ready"

You pet Kunikida's shoulder.

You heard the sound of steps coming towards two of you. Gogol, with a few empty shopping bags in his hands, walked towards you two.

You were glad, that Kunikida didn't see Gogol right now.

Nikolai Gogol was standing there, in his normal attire and hairstyle.

You are a patient person. But, right now, you wanted to attack Kolya.

To lose some steam, you decide to indirectly quote O. Henry.

"Doppo, there isn't any heart disease in your family, is there?"(1)

Doppo looked at you, puzzled.

"I don't think so... Why?"

You looked at him. Your gaze was a mix of pity and anger.

"Then you might turn around, and have a look behind you."(1)

Kunikida looked around and saw Gogol.

Kunikida closes and opens his mouth. He looked like he was ready to combust.

To help him, you asked Gogol.

"Gogol, why aren't you ready? It's time to go."

Gogol smirked.

"Birdy, I am already ready. You know why? Right, I want the rest of the free world to accept free me! My clothes also part of my freedom."

Kunikida hissed.

"Do you forget, what Our Guiding Light told us? We are recognizable in our normal clothes! Everyone will stare at you!"

You nodded

"Doppo is right, we would attract unwanted attention."

Gogol waves his hand.

"Oh, don't worry, it can't be that bad. Everything will be fine."

You signed and try again.

"Gogol, please, you need to listen to me. Please, wear a disguise."

Gogol grimaced.

"[Y/N], please, stop it. I tell you I want to go in my normal clothes."

You facepalmed. Before Kunikida can start shouting at Gogol, you raised your hand.

"Fine. You can go in that. But don't blame me, for what's going to happen."

Kunikida wanted to protect, but, after noticing your gaze, changed his mind. Gogol looked triumphant.

You open the door.

"Be ready to be called cosplayer, Gogol."

You heard Gogol's quiet "What is 'cosplay'?", but you ignored him.

Hopefully, people at the streets won't be that annoying.

__________________

You jinxed it.

You haven't reached the mall yet, but twenty people has already annoyed Gogol into taking pictures with him.

The five-minute walk from home to the mall became a fifteen-minute walk.

You had a feeling, that everyone wants to have a photo with"cool cosplayer".

At first, Gogol was fine with having his photos taken.

But then you run into a group of rowdy fans.

They crowded around Gogol, pushing you and Doppo from their way.

"You looked like a real one!"

"Cool costume, dude!"

"The scar looks so real!"

"How much have you paid for the costume?"

"Do you want to read my smut fanfic about Fyolai?"

"Can I grab your things?"

Doppo's eyebrow twitched.

"[Y/N]... Is this normal behavior of 'BSD fans'?" Spited Doppo. You shake your head.

"No, of course not. This people are just jerks."

Gogol looked annoyed. He agreed to take some pictures, so the group will leave him alone.

Unfortunately, the group wasn't satisfied with simple pictures.

They started to demand him to make poses. Dubious poses... They clearly made Gogol uncomfortable. You noticed, that Gogol was holding himself back from attacking the annoying people. You decide, that it's time to intervene.

"Okay, everyone, move away from our friend, stop making him uncomfortable! No poses, no pictures."

You and Doppo squeezed through the crowd and stood near Gogol, like two bodyguards. The crowd try to protect, but one heavy look from Kunikida make them shut up.

You and Kunikida tried to take Gogol from the crowd. With the conner of your eye, you noticed, that the same person, who asked if they can grab Gogol's thighs, were trying to touch Gogol's thighs. Immideatly, you turn towards the jerk and hit him in the face with all of your might.

"Hands off, parasite!" Growl you.

The Creep fell down, sobbing. His friends tried to attack you in return. But, before any of them they can take a step towards you, Doppo dealed with them.

Never underestimate Fukuzawa's trainee.

All group members were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

You three left the Creep and their friends behind.

___________________

When you finally reached the mall, you signed.

"Okay... It was something. Is everyone alright?"

Kunikida adjusted his glasses.

"I am fine"

Nikolai stay quiet. The look in his eyes was dangerous. You feel chills running down your spine. He was angry. Then he spoke.

"I am not. I want to hurt them. But," Gogol looked at you. His gaze soften. "But, for your sake, I won't do it. I don't want you to get into trouble."

You squeeze his shoulder.

"We can find a quiet place for you to stay, while Doppo and I are going shopping."

Gogol shake his head.

"No, don't worry, I will be fine."

Kunikida huffs and take the shopping list from his pocket.

"We have lost quite some time. We need to split up, so we can buy everything faster. I will go find cleaning supplies. [Y/N], can you and Gogol buy meat, fish and fruits?"

You nodded.

______________________

Good news, you haven't run into anime fans anymore.

Bad news, you run into people who hate anime.

You and Gogol were choosing fresh fish, when you heard their conversation.

"Look at this weirdo. Does the Freak thinks he can wear this clown costume in public like this?"

"Yea. He must be a screw loose."

"All the anime fans are perverts. I have heard, all of them likes little girls. Really likes"

"Bro, you will make me puke!"

Gogol's eye twitched. You quickly grabbed his hand. You whisper.

"Nikolai, please, stay calm."

Gogol squeezed your hand.

You have noticed a golden glow in one of the fish tanks. In this tank there were alive crabs. Five of them.

You blinked. All crabs disappeared.

The sound of something falling. Shocked cries of "Where did crabs come from?" The pained whines of the company that was talking about Gogol.

Crabs didn't like their new company.

____________________

After you finally buy everything you need, all of you decide to have some coffee, before you go home. The day was hard, all of you need some rest.

All of you were sitting at the same table, drinking coffee.

But, it seems, that today trouble didn't want to let you go.

At first, you heard a loud scream.

Then something ran near your table.

Two six-year-old kids. Boy and girl.

They were running around the café, screaming and grabbing everything they can see.

Their mother wasn't paying attention to them. She was talking to someone on her phone.

You three tried to ignore all this noise. Kunikida finished his coffee and put the empty cup back on the saucer with a loud clatter.

"This kids... Why parents didn't do their job? At first, parents forget about parenting, then this 'parents' have the audacity to blame teachers for their kid's terrible behavior."

You looked at Doppo with a soft look.

"Have you remembered your teaching days?"

Doppo nodded.

Gogol let out a loud yelp. Then the kids noticed Nikolai's braid and start pulling it. He turned around and growl at kids.

"Back off, you brats!"

And mother finally decided to do the parenting. By starting yelling at Gogol.

"You creep, don't you dare yell at my children!"

To be fair, Gogol tried to stay civil.

"Mam, your kids were pulling my hair! I shouted at them to make them stop."

Women glares at Gogol.

"You could let them do it! They are just kids! They are allowed to do anything they want! Wait... You... What are you wearing... Is that... one of this anime characters?"

Without letting Gogol answer, she hit him with her shopping bad.

"SATANIST! You are a satanist who is watching Chinese porn cartoons. Useless member of society!"

You had enough for today.

"Miss, watch your..." You didn't finish your phrase, when mom hit you with a shopping bag.

"Shut up! Don't interfere!"

Kunikida snapped.

"If you watched your kids..."

And Kunikida was also hit with a shopping bag.

And security finally escorted the woman and her kids from the café.

You feel, that the day was ruined.

_______________

You finally were home. After putting your bags in the kitchen, three of you sit on the couch in the living room. You're in the middle, Doppo on the right and Kolya on the left.

All three of you were silent. Gogol was the first who spoke.

"It's all my fault. You warned me. I didn't listen. I am sorry."

You stay silent. Then you whisper.

"I am also sorry. I should have tried harder to make you change your mind."

Gogol chuckled.

"[Y/N], don't blame yourself. I am also an adult, I should understand the consequences of my actions."

You take a look around the room. There must be something that can make them feel better.

You had a plan.... Maybe, it will work.

You called.

"Hey, Kolya, Doppo"

Gogol's eyes light up. It was the first time you called him by the short version of his name. He looked at you.

Doppo turn his head towards you.

"Want to have a movie night? Choose anything you want to watch, I will make snacks. How does is sounds?"

Both guys agree.

____________________

Three of you were covered in blankets. Doppo was carefully petting your head, while Nikolai was tracing lines along your hand. The movie was on. The snacks were on the table. You were snuggled between Doppo Kunikida and Nikolai Gogol.

At least this time, everything was right. Everything was better.

__________

A/N: (1) Changed quote from "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry.

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET TEN - ROUND TWO - MATCH FOUR

"I am Happy Because Everyone Loves Me" (1928 - Louis Wain) / “Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581” (c. 1883-1885 - Ilya Repin)

I AM HAPPY BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES ME: It makes me want to live! I AM happy! Everyone loves me! I'm tired of living life where I don't care if I live or die- I don't want to do that! I don't just "not want to die-" no, I want to live! Life is beautiful and I'm a part of it! (anonymous)

IVAN THE TERRIBLE AND HIS SON IVAN ON 16 NOVEMBER 1581: bc i have seriously never seen more evocative and haunting eyes ever like ever. bc his son's dying thoughts are of forgiveness. bc the weapon is in frame bc the lighting is that of an entirely normal day outside. (@that-one-queer-poc)

(”i am happy because everyone loves me” is a ink and chalk piece on paper by Louis Wain, and is held at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind along with most of Louis Wain's other works. It measures 14×10.8 cm (5.5 x 4.2 in)

“Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581” is an oil on canvas painting by Ilya Yefimovich Repin. It measures 199.5 cm × 254 cm (78.5 in × 100 in) and is on display at the Tretyakov Gallery.)

[kurithedweeb]

Katelyn the Fire Fist used to be Katelyn Anchorage III, the only daughter of a working class family with five sons, named for her mother Katelyn II (hereon referred to as Mama Katelyn).

Her father died before the birth of her youngest brother, and ever since then she had wanted to be a guard to help protect and provide for her family. Her mother and older brothers always encouraged her and worked hard to help pay for the gear she'd need for the academy. They were all very close-knit until Katelyn was selected for the Jury.

Her older brothers Keiran and Killian are identical twins about eight years older than her, so identical that the only way to the only way to tell them apart for the longest time was a scar from when Keiran broke his collarbone at seven. Kacey, a shy boy who liked to sit with their mother while she worked, is two years younger than Katelyn. Pretty boy Kenneth is five years younger, and Kyler the baby of the family is about eight years younger. There's a whole sixteen years between the oldest and the youngest of the brothers, so Kyler ended up mostly being raised by the twins while Mama Katelyn recovered and went back to work. Katelyn once called the twins dad and they shut it down real quick. The majority of their stories about dad comes from them since Mama Katelyn doesn't talk about him all that much.

Mama Katelyn collects stories. Her work is fairly repetitive, so she and her fellows often tell stories and share gossip to fend off the boredom. She's so opposed to Katelyn joining the Jury because she's heard such terrible things about them, and sure some of them are bound to be rumors, but how can she not be wary after hearing about Janus terrorizing the Tu'lan countryside or Ivan cursing a village with winter year-round? But she doesn't want to discourage Katelyn into quitting because, well, isn't joining the Jury of Nine every guard's dream? Instead, she quietly confides her worries in Keiran.

Keiran, now terrified his baby sister is going to be made into a monster at the behest of the church and Lord, starts a massive argument to try to convince Katelyn she's making a mistake by not passing on the invitation. Katelyn blows up instead of listening to what he's trying to say and it gets really out of hand. She ends up completely cutting ties with her family and completely devoting herself to her duties as a Juror.

They parted on such bad terms that after she's left the Jury she fears she ruined her chances of speaking to them again for no good reason since she didn't even stay with the whole reason she left in the first place. She's incredibly hesitant to reconnect in case they hate her, or worse fear her, and never reaches out. She talks about her family so rarely that the only reason anyone even knows she has one is because one time she got a little too tipsy around the campfire and started going on about how proud she is of them.

Imagine her surprise when she runs into one of her brothers completely on accident someday post-Irene Dimension and learns that Kenneth is now all scarred up and missing a leg, little Kyler is running the O'khasian citizens' resistance under Tu'la rule, shy Kacey has gone off and become a mercenary, Mama Katelyn is running a shelter named after her daughter, Killian's running a pirate crew, and Keiran's been searching all of Ru'aun for her for years. She's been just missing three of them for years! Killian's even been weighing anchor in Phoenix Drop and Meteli for ages!

Does she ever really reconnect with her family? Does she recognize her brothers? Do the younger ones recognize her? Does she ever see her mother face to face again?

[nickyrothfan]

One word- difficult.(Continuation of "What kind of geometric figure is this?")

"Ah, ah... that's it, I'm calm now." - Delroy wiped a tear of happiness from his eye. Yes, his opponent really got hit...

"Finally..." - Nicky exhaled, hearing the laughter of that chubby guy was terrible.

"You really got yourself into a mess, buddy." - The dark-skinned guy approached and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"I'm going to jump on you again if you don't take that hand off."

"Oh come on, you turn out to be Don Juan, or whatever... anyway, man, I don't know whether you're a loser or a lucky guy." - Delroy stepped back from him. Surprisingly, he didn't envy him...

"You're about to get it." - Finch prepared a slingshot.

"Calm down! We're friends. And so what if you love him? Though okay, that does have a strong influence - OUCH!" - A nut hit him on the forehead.

"I warned you."

"Damned scout..." - Delroy grabbed his forehead; it hurt...

At that moment, Nicky felt the gazes of Trinity and Maritza on his back...

"We all need to talk..." - Ivan looked out the window, everything was very complicated.

"So shall we go watch the game, or stay here?" - Delroy asked.

"I'd prefer to walk through the tunnels already, considering only Enzo is missing." - Nicky swallowed; he needed to steer away from that topic.

"Unfortunately, we don't have the equipment." - Ivan glanced at the injured guy.

"Then we can have some fun discussing everything while watching the game!" - Delroy pointed to the doorway.

"Ugh... fine." - Nicky put his hands in his pockets and exited.

"Let's go..." - Ivan wasn't too happy; he would rather everyone return to their inventions...

Some time later:

"I thought you said we'd watch the game?" - Maritza cast a not-so-happy glance at the brunette; they were sitting back at the table again.

"Hey, you have to satisfy your appetite." - The guy was chewing on a burger, enjoying life.

"Just don't make a mess, pig." - Finch pulled her hand away when crumbs fell on the table.

"Don't like it? Not my problem, want some?" - He pointed at Ivan's fries.

"You know, I've lost my appetite." - The guy set them aside.

"Fine." - He took them and started gulping them down.

"How can you eat so much?" - Nicky swallowed some juice; it wasn't his fault he weighed so little; he just didn't want to look like those kinds of people.

"Nicky!"

"Ah!" - The guy fell onto the grass.

"Oh, sorry." - Trinity rubbed the back of her neck.

"Dammit... don't sneak up on me like that!" - Finch helped the guy sit up.

"Um... sorry, grape?"

"Are you serious? I just fell because of you, and you're immediately offering grapes? Of course, I will." - The guy blushed a little and took a few berries.

"Hm... tasty." - He continued chewing, enjoying the bliss.

"Here's a strategist..." - Maritza and Finch looked at Trinity. She wants to butter him up.

"Thanks, Trinity." - The boy finished chewing and smiled at the girl.

"You're welcome." - A smirk appeared in response.

"Pickup lessons by Trinity..." - Delroy chuckled and mumbled to Ivan, causing a vein to appear on the black girl's forehead, and Nicky blushed even more.

"Just because you bought grapes... I can give a better gift." - Maritza turned away.

"Excuse me? You forget who the scout is here; I'm a master at this, unlike the two of you." - Finch's words angered both rivals, and they quickly approached her.

"Don't you dare finish that." - Maritza stood over her quite menacingly.

"Oh, how scared I am~"

"Guys, enough..." - Nicky muttered; everyone was staring at them now.

All three looked around and saw that the rest were gawking at them.

"We'll finish this later..." - Maritza sat back down in her place.

"Hm..." - Finch and Trinity sat on either side of Nicky.

"Looks like we have a fight brewing here... Who are you betting on?" - Delroy mumbled the last part to Ivan and dodged a hand from Maritza that suddenly swung towards him.

"Ouch." - He turned back to the girl, who looked shocked.

"You can't joke like that with someone like him..." - Nicky said to the dark-skinned guy.

"Hey, it's not my fault everyone has gone wild because of you; they're even fighting for attention." - He quickly got hissed at, but he just laughed.

"Just the best melodrama... hey, newbie, I can give you a couple of tips if you want... haha!" - Trinity quivered after those words.

"I'm starting to wonder why he's with us..." - Maritza decided not to hit anyone this time, or else the engineer would get it again.

"Hm... hey Nicky, do you want some cookies?" - Finch pulled a box out of her bag.

"Oh, awesome!" - Delroy reached for it, but his hand was swatted away.

"Not for you." - Finch snapped.

"You're such a mean woman..."

"And you're a goofy idiot, but no one is complaining."

Delroy just glanced at Nicky, as if to say he was the one doing this.

"Don't pull me into this argument." - He shook his head.

"You're already dragged in, let me tell you... so, your girlfriend invited me to this amusement park—"

"She is not my girlfriend/I am not his girlfriend!" - they both shouted and immediately fell silent afterward, turning away from each other, while the others around them wondered what was going on.

"First stage: denial~. Then, the other girl convinced me to visit you at the insane asylum; apparently, your ex didn't work out—"

"You're going to get it from me..." - Nicky and Maritza muttered in unison, but realizing it, they both turned red.

"And then for the last 3-4 months, you've been hovering around the scout, even bought her a new camera, how nice of you. So what, the third one in line? Though okay, it seems you had very close relationships with Peterson's kids before." - A smirk appeared on Delroy's face at the end.

"Do you want to get hit on the head?" - Nicky and Finch spoke together, and once again, they both blushed.

"Oh, what a drama! Ahaha, alright, and if we're being serious, dude... you're either the biggest loser for getting into this mess, or you're a lucky guy, like... I don't know, let's say a 0 level, because they're just something else."

"I'd prefer if you threw insults at me without... did you really call me that?" - Trinity pointed at the guy.

"Oh come on, we're friends, it's all just a joke." - The boy shrugged, laughed, joked, and that's it.

"Hm... um, so what are we going to do?" - Ivan tried to change the subject quickly.

"Oh, I have an idea! Let's all go watch the basketball tryouts for our team." - Delroy jumped up.

"And what are we going to watch? The likelihood of a ball 'accidentally' hitting us in the face is pretty high." - Ivan started to squeeze and release two fingers at the word "accidentally."

"True... then, um, shall we go back to the club?" - Maritza looked at Trinity, waiting for a response.

"Sure. But at the same time, we could just go for a walk." - She suggested another idea.

To everyone's surprise, Nicky started looking around as if searching for something.

"What's wrong? Did you not like the cookies?" - Finch looked anxious.

"No... someone is watching us." - Nicky felt a gaze on him, and it wasn't from the school kids... a cult.

"Abanante?" - Trinity frowned. That woman almost sent her to boarding school; she had a hard time convincing her father not to do it, and afterward, he had a big fight with her mother, so she moved out...

"I don't know, but that's how it feels."

"As long as we're with the crowd, we're safe." - Delroy shrugged.

"Now I'm not so sure. Remember, they almost killed Trinity's parents... and if Peterson is their enemy... damn." - The brunette recalled the explosion in the principal's office.

"Run." - He whispered to all his friends, and they jumped up and ran out.

Delroy was last to run, followed by Finch, then Ivan, Trinity, Nicky, and Maritza led the way.

"And where are we headed?" - the youngest in the group glanced back.

"No idea, but home would be nice." - Nicky was already out of breath.

"And what makes you think it's not booby-trapped like mine?"

"Better than being out on the streets."

"Are you kidding? You could literally lead us to the house of death!" - Delroy shouted at his rival.

"If you're going to criticize, then make a suggestion."

"Um—"

"Don't you dare mention the tunnels; that's where they hang out."

"Guys, maybe we—" Ivan was interrupted by the school sirens.

"Damn! They're trying to clear everyone out! Everyone outside!" - Trinity ordered the group.

"And don't argue!" - Finch didn't slow down.

"Can anyone smell smoke?" - Maritza sniffed.

"I only smell danger, so..." - Nicky picked up the pace.

A few minutes later:

"Ah... ah..." - Delroy grasped his knees; that was quite a marathon.

"I told you we'd make it." - Ivan was doing the same.

"And we escaped..." - Trinity glanced around; there was no one in sight.

"Whew..." - Nicky leaned against a lamppost.

"Um... guys?" - Maritza sounded scared.

"What? Oh..." - Finch's eyes widened; it was Crowface... although he wasn't looking at them.

"Run!" - all the kids darted in one direction. He wouldn't chase them down a busy street, right?

"He isn't following us, is he?" - Finch was anxious.

"Shut up and run!" - Maritza was tired of talking.

"Everyone inside!" - Nicky knew they were almost there.

"Faster! Faster!" - he grabbed the key and unlocked the latch, then the door.

Once everyone was inside, he quickly shut everything and locked every lock.

"Check the back door, the windows, everything!" - he commanded.

In the end, everyone secured everything.

"So now what?" - Delroy swallowed.

"Hope for the best..." - Trinity trembled.

"Everyone stay alert!" - Finch was looking around and ran into the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh..." - Ivan was scared.

"Why did you run to the kitchen?" - Maritza glanced at Finch, who had come out.

"Just for this." - she pulled out a knife, and everyone stared at her in shock.

"What? We need to defend ourselves!"

"You're right." - Maritza pulled out a baseball bat.

"I still think this is excessive..." - Nicky was heading to the kitchen for a knife when suddenly...

The door began to open... not just open, someone was trying to break it down.

"Oh crap!" - Trinity ran to hold it.

"Can you help—" - suddenly, a knife pierced through the door, just inches from her hand.

"AAH!" - she jumped back.

"This is really bad! Out!" - Nicky understood that the house wasn't safe.

"Everyone, don't fall behind!" - he shouted, and they all rushed out.

The kids ran further, hoping to make it to a busy place.

"He's chasing us!" - Ivan was panicking; he felt that the monster was close.

"Speed up, we can't let him catch us—agh." - crows began to surround them, completely blocking their view.

"Kh... cough... where's Trinity?" - Finch was the first to recover and didn't see their leader.

A scream sounded closer to the forest.

"Trinity!" - Nicky ran towards the scream anxiously, grabbing Maritza's bat along the way. Why was everything going wrong right now?

A man in a crow costume had Trinity in his grasp.

"Let me go—" - her mouth was covered, strong hands with sharp claws were gripping her mouth and waist. She struggled, but it was no use.

"This is what happens when you interfere with us." - Crowface pulled a knife from under his robe. Trinity's eyes widened, and she quickly shut them.

At that moment, Nicky was thinking about what to do.

"What should I do?! What should I do?!" - he panicked, his friend could be losing her life at any moment.

"A branch..." - hope filled his eyes.

Without thinking twice, he jumped; fortunately, the branches of the tree started quite low. His frequent sneaking into Theodore's house had significantly developed his speed and agility, and he quickly jumped from one branch to another.

The knife was almost at the girl's neck when Crowface received a baseball bat to the face.

The next thing the girl saw was the back of the boy, who was standing up, leaning on the bat.

"We need to go..." - his voice was tired; he was clearly out of breath.

"Y-yes..." - she turned and ran, while Nicky followed her, but the recovering Crowface grabbed him.

"You shouldn't have come back into this, boy." - Nicky twisted in the grip of the psycho, and suddenly he came into contact with the knife.

He felt a sharp stab in his left side...

"AAAAAH!" - his scream pierced the air.

"Nicky!" - Trinity turned around and saw that her friend was gone; she then noticed the others in the group.

"Did Nicky scream?" - Ivan asked anxiously; that scream didn't bode well.

"Yes... we have to go back; that creep must have grabbed him!" - the girl ran back, hoping he was okay.

"Oh my God, what am I—" - Nicky struggled to lift his legs and, with all his remaining strength, kicked the attacker in the stomach, enough to make him let go.

"Damn..." - he limped, his vision blurred.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, fear washing over him again, but then...

"Don't touch him!" - Finch shot a nut from her slingshot into Crowface's stomach; the speed she'd gained made the impact tremendous, and Crowface clutched his torso in pain.

"Nicky!" - Trinity rushed to the boy who was limping, even though he managed to keep a smile.

"I knew you'd... not leave me—" - he trembled before collapsing to the ground.

"Shit! Delroy, Maritza, Ivan! Keep Crowface busy!" - Finch tossed her slingshot to the engineer, bravely took her bat, while the backpacker grabbed a knife (not to actually cut, as he wasn't a killer, just for intimidation).

"I have a first-aid kit; we need to bandage it and stop the bleeding." - Finch rummaged through her backpack.

The man in the costume was getting back up, but he was met with another blow to the face from the bat. Then Ivan shot a nut, and Delroy threw stones with all his might.

"This is for hurting my friend!" - Maritza struck Crowface one last time on the head, and he collapsed unconscious.

"Ah... ah... phew, that was intense... Nicky!" - the girl quickly regained her senses and ran back to the boy.

"Kuh..." - the boy groaned, trying to say something.

"Okay, I'm done here; now we just need to lay him down." - Finch lifted the boy, resting him on her shoulder.

"What do we do with him?" - Delroy approached the unconscious cultist and removed his mask.

"No... it can't be!" - Trinity's eyes widened.

"... please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this." - Maritza trembled; why?

Jay Roth...

Nicky's father?

"Okay, we need to go!" - Trinity shook her head, taking Maritza by the hand and pulling her away.

"Do you guys know him?" - Delroy ran after them.

"I'll explain later..." - the leader tried to recover from the shock.

"Nicky..." - Maritza immediately ran to the boy and helped Finch carry him.

"Let's go..." - Ivan looked at the worried faces of all his friends...

A few minutes later:

"Ah... ah..." - Nicky could barely breathe as they laid him down on Trinity's bed.

"Okay... come on, Nicky, hang in there; you'll be fine." - Trinity placed her hand on the boy's cheek.

"Will he be okay?" - Maritza asked, clearly worried.

"Probably..." - Finch didn't take her eyes off him.

"I understand he's injured... but did you know the person behind the mask?" - Delroy asked.

"Y-yeah... well, no, but I saw him in a photo... he's Nicky's father." - Trinity blurted out.

"What?!" - Ivan exclaimed.

"I can confirm; I've seen his parents; it's definitely him." - Maritza nodded.

"... Are you serious?! You're saying his father is a cult member, and he almost stabbed his own son with a knife?" - Finch was furious and bewildered.

"I don't want to believe it... but it is what it is," - Trinity lowered her gaze.

"Ah... so he can't go home," - Ivan said anxiously.

"I... can ask my dad to let him stay with us tonight, or even for a few days." - Trinity looked at the group.

"I can ask my parents; they know him, so they probably won't mind." - Maritza said, her parents were generally neutral towards Nicky, although her father was friendlier towards him since he was a friend of Jay's.

"I... can convince mine to do the same," - Finch said.

"Then maybe he can... stay with us for a couple of days, a couple at my place, a couple at Esposito's, and then with you, Finch. Ivan? Delroy?"

"I can't, my aunt lives in a small house; there's only room for us."

"I could ask, but I'm not sure they'll allow it," - Ivan admitted, sweating slightly.

"Alright... he'll stay with me tonight, and then we'll see," - Trinity sighed.

"Are you guys leaving then?" - She looked at Delroy and Ivan, who were heading out.

"Yeah, we should head home," - Delroy replied.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad aren't too thrilled that I'm out on the weekends. See you tomorrow." - They left.

"Whew..." - tears filled the dark-haired girl's eyes; her friend... Love was in such a state, and... because of his own father. How would he react to the truth?

"Can we... tell him?" - Maritza looked anxiously at the others.

"I... don't know," - Finch shook her head.

"He... hopefully will react better than I expect."

"Hm... I'll be right back," - the scout said as she left the room.

"I... will call my dad," - Trinity pulled out her phone.

"Hello, Dad?" - after a few rings, the call was answered.

"Yes, sweetheart? What's wrong?"

"Um... Dad, do you remember Nicky?"

"Yes... is something the matter?"

"Well... he can stay at our house tonight; his parents haven't been around for a long time, and—"

"Sure, no problem, I'll be home in the evening."

"Oh, um, thank you," - she hung up the phone.

"Whew... Maritza?" - she noticed that the brave one was typing something on her phone.

"I'm staying at your place."

"Trinity! I'm going to stay with you tonight; you don't mind, do you?" - Finch entered the room.

"Oh, come on..."

"Ugh... ugh... damn..." - the boy in the bed was starting to come to; he tried to sit up but couldn't.

"Nicky! You can't get up; you're injured," - Trinity rushed to him and made him lie back down.

"My... side... hurts."

"You were stabbed... of course it hurts," - Maritza told the boy, to which the others in the room looked at her.

"What? It's true."

"Mar... come on, not now," - the boy barely managed to say.

"Don't worry, Nicky, everything will be okay; by evening you'll be on your feet, so for now, rest," - Finch placed her hand on the boy's chest.

"Ah... thank you, I..."

"Don't worry. Yes, your door is broken, but you can stay with me tonight," - the leader's eyes met his.

"Oh... okay," - a faint smile appeared on his face.

"You rest. We will always be with you; you are safe," - Maritza smiled at him.

"Well... love you all... everyone..." - the boy said, causing everyone in the room to blush.

"W-what?! Nicky... that's not—" - Finch stepped back. Was he really saying that?

"Not that I..." - Maritza couldn't finish.

"Well... I mean, I..." - Trinity stammered.

"Yeah, everyone... and Ivan, and Enzo... You guys are good friends..." - he began to doze off again.

"O... he meant that," - the others seemed to calm down.

[beyondmistland]

I read through all your posts about Alysanne Targaryen as Maegor's daughter and am now in a rabbit hole. Thank you. I've been thinking about Maegor's wives and which one of Henry VIII's wives they represent. Ceryse is Cathrine of Aragon and Alys is Anne Boleyn. The others are hard to pin for me since there isn't a lot. What do you think? Would Maegor's reign have been more interesting if his marriages had more similarities to those of Henry VIII?

I think this is where we run into a number of problems regarding the way GRRM wrote Fire & Blood specifically and the way he setup Westeros more generally.

For one, the fairly homogenized nature of southron culture as well as the oversimplification of religious institutions and history means you can't quite get the same dynamism as from real life European history, with its dizzying array of languages, cultures, cuisines, fashions, etc., to mention nothing of the then-ongoing Protestant Reformation. I suppose GRRM could have had Maegor convert to the Old Gods a la Julian (II) the Apostate or the Drowned God (you just know the Ironborn are the one race on the surface of Planetos that would say King Maegor the Good with a completely straight face) or even R'hllor, which would be the best choice in terms of worldbuilding opportunities in my opinion.

Moving on, we run into a handful of problems with Maegor specifically, one of them being the length of his reign. Look, while I can't deny Maegor ruling for 6 years and 66 days is incredibly cheeky, it also isn't anywhere close to Henry VIII's 36 years as king. With so little room timeline-wise, there isn't a lot of flexibility when it comes to telling new stories and fleshing out preexisting ones and all that is before you factor in Maegor himself.

I won't hold back. For all GRRM's talk of moral ambiguity, the human heart in conflict with itself, good men who were bad kings and bad men who were good kings, etc., his Targaryen monarchs are, for the most part, numbingly one-note. Aegon I is a literal enigma, Aenys is weak, Maegor cruel, Viserys I a party animal, Aegon II and Rhaenyra mirror-images of each other in their disqualifying vices, etc. As I've written before with my post reimagining Maegor as more of a Ivan (IV) the Terrible figure there was room to make him a genuinely controversial figure of historiography but instead GRRM doubled down on sensationalism and apathy-inducing slasher porn for lack of a better word. The fact Maegor is also the first and last of Visenya's line just adds more salt to the wound but that's part of GRRM's more general (and for me personally, vexing) habit of keeping family trees incredibly small.

(I do recall another alternative someone once brought up to the late Steven Attewell. Namely, turning Maegor into the Westerosi version of Macbeth by way of Der Untergang.)

This brings me to my semifinal point. GRRM didn't have to write Fire & Blood as Procopius' Secret History on steroids with a dash of Suetonius' Lives of Twelve Caesars and I, Claudius (the entire Saera episode is practically lifted wholesale from the scandal that envelops Augustus' daughter, Julia) but he did, which is doubly disappointing because not only does the final product suck quality-wise as a result but also because there were so many other avenues available to him.

He could have written Fire & Blood as a proper history (with less focus on the sex lives of teenage girls for one) or as a mirror for princes or as a dialogue between two characters or even as a character study. You can even see GRRM struggling with the constraints imposed by his use of Gyldayn in certain sections like the death of Maelor and the entire Hour of the Wolf episode, where you get reams of dialogue and characterization as well as more traditional narrative trappings like build-up, mood setting, etc.

Now, to answer your actual question (lol), I don't think any of Henry VIII's other wives map well onto Maegor's. Tyanna is, more or less, his female counterpart in terms of cruelty and zero redeeming features and entirely a fantasy construct. Elinor and Jeyne are both married to Maegor for only a year (with poor Jeyne dying in childbirth because Jeyne Westerlings, like the Brackens, Peakes, and Florents, cannot catch a break in Westeros) and before said marriage takes place neither appears on the page. As for Rhaena, well, credit where its due, she was a rare (and unexpected) highlight of Fire & Blood.

Thanks for the question, anon

[kasagia]

❄️️Warm my heart pt. 5❄️️

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/ The Darkling x fem! heartrender! reader Summary: You're getting closer, closer, closer and closer... and noticed. Word Count: 3,2k Taglist:@aoi-targaryen @budugu @flostvs1508 ~•♤♤♤•~ Aleksander Morozova’s Masterlist ~•♤♤♤•~ ~•♤♤♤•~ Part 4 ~•♤♤♤•~ Part 6 ~•♤♤♤•~

"Something funny?" his question pulls you out of the letter. You glance at him briefly, slowly fold the letter, and put it in your pocket, still smiling.

"Nothing special. Can we return to further discussion?" you ask as he sits down in front of you and places two glasses of kvass on the table.

You didn't talk about… that night. Or previous events. There was a consensual silence between you regarding those events. A silence that was anything but peaceful. It was more like before the storm. But you both chose to ignore it. You had more important things on your mind.

"There is no need. I've already told you. Tracker and some of our people are going to haunt the stag until we won't get the bones. End of discussion."

"But it's Christmas. Is this stag that important? You don't have to send after this poor animal almost 30 of our people." you try to convince him, but he only rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"Y/N. I appreciate your opinion, but no one and nothing will change my mind. Not you, not Alina, not Zoya, not any women, do you understand?"

"Why didn't you mention Ivan or Fedyor, or any men?" you ask, crossing your arms, now as irritated as he was just a few seconds ago.

"Because they know too well to try to oppose me."

"Oppose you?" you huff, glaring at him defiantly. "With all due respect, you don't know what it's like when someone REALLY tries to oppose you. At least not in the last month." you see him take a breath to say something, but one look from him at you makes him change his mind and shake his head. He takes the glass and drinks it before deciding to answer you.

"Can we... can we just go back to read those reports and finally write the orders to units? Please." he asks. You sigh and take your pen in hand, continuing to write down on the paper, in a more logical way, notes containing some of your plans.

"If you insist." you mumble over the paper.

"No whining?" he asks in shock and you bite your lip to avoid saying something rude.

"No." you say, shaking your head and reaching for a glass of kvass.

"And you're not offended?"

"Since when do you care?" you snap at him, annoyed. Not only did he stupidly stick to his opinion, but he also made you look like an offensive brat.

"Y/N." he says it calmly, and you raise your gaze to him. He didn't seem like he was doing it maliciously, more like he was making sure everything was okay. Which only added to your irritation. You close your eyes and sigh before answering him.

"No. I'm not."

"Your tone of voice is telling me something entirely different." you narrow your eyes at him and he just shrugs his arms.

"Should I smile at you sweetly to make you sure about that?" you ask teasingly, and he nods, leaving you surprised.

"Yes, please." he says, wanting to see you smiling at him at all costs. He missed this view. You both had a lot on your minds lately, and dark circles under your eyes were starting to appear under your eyes as well as under his own. And he despised them terribly. He smiles, though, feeling a strange warmth dissipate in his chest as you giggle in amusement and give him a mischievous smile. "That's better." he mumbles, shifting his gaze to the papers.

He can't feel like this. He shouldn't want... you. Not after what he went through last time.

And after that night, where he almost gave in to his desires, he promised himself that you wouldn't be his second Luda. You'll end up better than her. He won't let anything happen to you because of him.

"You know... I got something for you." you say, snapping him from his thoughts.

"For me? On what occasion?" he asks, surprised, shifting in his chair. He dropped the papers on the desk and focused his attention on you as you nervously stroked the edges of the report, straightening the corners.

"When I was a child, we used to draw lots a few weeks before Christmas to choose a family member to give a gift to. You know, a small present before the big one. And since I spent half of December fighting for my life with a fever and swimming in frozen rivers, I didn't have time to give it to you earlier."

"Why did you..."

"We drew lots for whom we would buy a gift." you interrupt him before he has a chance to ask you a question. "Me, Fedyor, Alina, Mal, Zoya, even Ivan, and the rest. I had Mal, but since you decided to send him to hell knows where, I figured I might as well give you something."

"Whatever bribe you want to give me, tracker and others don't come back without a stag." he says, crossing his arms. You giggle softly at that.

"I'm fully aware, donkey."

"You're treading on thin ice." he says menacingly, but he can't help but tilt his lips upward slightly in kind of a small smile.

"It's good that you're close; maybe you'll save me again. Come on. Just open it. I promise, I didn't ask David to put any explosives in there." he rolls his eyes but takes the box from you that you left under his desk. He turns the small box over in his hand and shakes it gently, assessing the size and heaviness of the gift. "Are you really expecting a terrorist attack? From me?"

"You stabbed me with a letter opener."

"That was ages ago!" you shout, offended and blushing. "Besides, how was I supposed to know you'd just walk into the war room and stand behind me?!"

"Who normally throws a letter opener behind them?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. He slowly begins to unwrap the box.

"It was from my grandparents. You know how we get along. Besides, I've apologised to you a thousand times."

"And apparently my mental health has been damaged, and now I can't trust you around with any weapon or mistery presents." he teases; you whine at this, and he starts laughing. You smile at the sound and shake your head.

Suddenly, he stops laughing. He holds on to his breath as he carefully examines your gift. It's not a big thing. A simple, black pendant. What is more important is its content, which he stares at in amazement.

"I... I know you don't believe in any saints or stuff like that, but... I noticed that every time we're in the chapel for some kind of celebration, you stare at the stained glass window of Sankta Ursula of the Waves. I found it in some flea markets while we were searching for a stag. I immediately thought of you."

"I…" he has no idea what to say. He didn't know you were watching him so carefully. That you actually care. But now… you didn't even know what it meant to him. Especially since the pendant you gave him and the portrait of Sankt were an exact representation of his sister. Not like that terrible stained glass window. "Thank you." he whispers shakily, because it's all he can do.

You took away his words. More than once. He should get used to this. I want to get used to it. But he can't. He won't risk losing you for a few moments... a few moments that are a young boy's dream.

"Anytime. May I?"

He nods. You stand behind him and take the necklace from him. You roll up the collar of his kefta so you can fasten it around his neck.

Your fingers brush against the skin of his neck, and he has to bite his lip (almost to the point of bleeding) to keep from letting out any embarrassment moan at the small touch.

He despised himself. His mother would mock him so much for weakness and vulnerability like this... but all he could do was sit quietly and appreciate your every little touch.

"Do you like it?" you whisper softly, still standing behind him. Your hands on his arms burn him, despite the thick layers of clothes he's wearing.

"I love it." he answers faster than he can think. He knows you can feel his heart beating wildly. He feels himself turning even redder.

"I'm glad you like it, Aleksander."

He feels blood on his mouth as he bites his bottom lip, hearing you whisper in his ear his real name. He was alternately regretful and glad that you knew it. In moments like this... he wasn't sure which feeling prevailed. Suddenly, he realises that he is gripping the arm of the chair so tightly that his knuckles are white.

Where was the fucking control he had spent years practicing when he needed it most? Where are the walls he painstakingly built around his stupid heart?

One heartrender was enough for all his composure to go to hell. And the worst thing was that, deep in his heart, he wanted to lose himself in you.

He stands up from his chair and turns towards you, looking down at you, trying to intimidate you as his shadows dance around you. But you just came closer. He holds his breath and tries to take a step back, but realises there's no escape as he slams his hips against the desk.

"Y/N."

"Aleksander."

You exchange whispers between the two of you, staring deeply into each other's eyes.

The sudden outburst makes you both shiver. Aleksander automatically grabs your arm and pulls you behind him, covering you as he listens.

"Stay here." he whispers as he takes a step towards the window.

You grab his elbow tightly and stop him. He turns to you, raising an eyebrow questioningly. You shake your head, staring at him defiantly. He rolls his eyes and grabs your waist, tightening his grip as you both walk carefully towards the balcony.

You see smoke rising from the Durasts' workshop.

"Damn it, 5th time in this year." Aleksander curses under his breath, and he releases his grip on your waist.

"They're working on transportation through the fold, be gentle with them."

He sighs and rubs his hand over his eyes. The tiredness becomes clearer on his face as he realises that he's going to have a long night ahead of him.

"I'll try my best. Go to bed, milaya. One of us should be rested." before he knows what he's actually doing, he walks up to you and kisses your forehead.

You stand frozen, feeling his lips on your skin, your heart racing at his gesture more than from adrenaline at the sudden outburst. And then he walks away quickly, leaving you alone.

You can't help but smirk as you watch him disappear into the shadows.

Aleksander is pissed. Nor. He is furious. Mad. Not because of the outburst that happened last night, but because he found out that you were getting more and more letters.

And he managed to intercept one. It was from Mal fucking Ortsev. The tracker you so desperately wanted back at the palace for stupid Christmas.

Everything made sense. Every kind gesture you made this month. And now he was storming through the halls of the Little Palace, straight to the kitchen where the guards had told him you would be, holding an unopened letter from your lover in your hand. A lover who, he will make sure, will never see the gates of Os Alta again.

He storms into the kitchen, and you almost manage to cool his anger when he sees you in an apron, baking some cake. You were singing something under your breath, probably one of those annoying songs that were played in every corner of Ravka.

And he almost melted, fascinated by the sight of you so... calm. A strange fantasy played in his head. You and him together, cooking something for the damn Christmas, decorating the house. He never had a real Christmas. Baghra wasn't sentimental enough to celebrate it, and she taught him the same, but with you... he would do all those stupid things.

Seeing you in this homey atmosphere almost took him off his warpath. Almost.

Until he remembered the letter he was holding and imagined the tracker doing all those things with you. He slammed the door loudly and waited for your reaction.

You screamed, spilling some of the flour you were holding onto the floor. You looked at him, and you were ready to yell at him for scaring you when you saw the look on his face.

"What happened?" you ask, brushing your hair off your forehead and getting flour all over it in the process.

In any other circumstances, he would have laughed; he would have been completely enchanted by your state. But now he was seeing red, imagining every single love letter that you could have written to that damn tracker.

"All these gifts, sweet words—all of it was for your tracker, right? You don't know this boy, you don't know what he is like, and yet you try to undermine my authority and change my decision just for some orphan from Keramzin! What does he have, huh?! What has blinded you, MY SECOND-IN-COMMAND, that you so desperately want this rash fool, who only gets into trouble because of his own stupidity?! Is he really worth risking my wrath?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"THIS!" he slams his hand with the letter on the table between you. He glares at you furiously as you look at him with an equally defiant attitude. You take the letter and look at it in disbelief and anger.

"Do you monitor my correspondence?!"

"I should have done this ages ago! At least you wouldn't make a fool of me! You can say goodbye to your lovely tacker; I'll make sure he never again sets his foot in Os Alta."

"SERIOUSLY?! Look at me carefully, because I'll only say this once: MAL AND I ARE NOT TOGETHER!"

"Of course." he laughs mockingly and is about to leave the kitchen. You run to him and grab his arm tightly, forcing the letter into his hands.

"Read it." you say it coldly and firmly as you control yourself enough not to scream at him in anger.

"What?" he asks dazedly at your command, looking between your furious eyes and the letter you're pushing into his hands with all your might.

"Do you want to blame me for something? Go right ahead. Read. Prove yourself right." he takes the letter from you.

Jealousy and rage were still present in him, as well as a hint of sadness and hurt. That's what it was. Proof that all of this, every kind gesture, smile, look, touch, kiss—well, not a real one—was intended to bring you closer to another man. A man whose insides he would feed to volcras.

"Here you go." he opens the letter and clears his throat dramatically as he begins to read. "Dear Y/N. Thank you for your help. Alina was overjoyed with her gift. I don't know how to thank you. I'd love to be there for her, but I'm glad that at least you can take care of my beloved while I look for some damn stag…" he falls silent while reading, looking for something more in the letter he has in his hands. He blushes with embarrassment, realising the mistake he has made.

"See?" you ask him and gently cup his cheek with your hand, forcing him to look at you.

"But... the other letters..." he whispers, confused.

"I exchanged them with my brother."

There is a long silence between you as he digests all the information and realises the mistake he has made. He turns even redder at the rashness of his actions. He, who boasted of his patience and the fact that he was never wrong. The slightest suspicion that your heart belonged to someone else was enough to make him want to spill some blood and commit murder. And not yours, but that damn tracker's.

"Oh... the youngest one I guess?" he asks, trying to camouflage his earlier behavior. Or at least forget about it for a moment and let his heart slow down to a normal rhythm. He already humiliated himself enough in front of you.

"Yes." you confirm, a stupid smile on your lips. He swallows, nervous.

"Umm... that's lovely."

"He asked me if I'm coming home for Christams." you tell him, and he holds his breath for a moment, looking at you in anticipation. You don't say anything further. So he clears his throat and prepares to ask the question.

"Are you?"

"No. I'm staying in the Little Palace this year." for some strange reason, these few words bring him more joy than anything else in his several hundred years of life.

"Taht's... that's good. That's good to hear." he nods, unable to look you in the eye. You lick your lips, shifting your gaze towards the kitchen for a moment.

"Do you want to join me?"

"I beg you pardon?" he asks, confused. You nodded towards the bowls and cake you were baking before he came in and… jumped to the wrong conclusions. "I haven't… I haven't cooked for a while." he admits shyly. And you smile fondly as you see him so… ordinary for the first time. Humanly.

"Well, it's the best time to do it again, don't you think?" you ask and are about to pull him towards the table and the ingredients you prepared to make a cake when you feel the urge to look up. And you see mistletoe.

He also looks up and freezes at what he sees. A shiver of excitement and anxiety runs through his body. It was late at night. No one in their right mind would come here. No one would interrupt you.

He unconsciously leans towards you. He slowly lifts his hand and brushes your hair away from your face, gently brushing the flour from your forehead with his thumb. You giggle softly.

You cup his cheeks with your hands, and Aleksander sees in slow motion how you pull him towards you. Your lips get closer... but instead of moving to his lips, you place a tender kiss on his cheek.

His beard tickles you a little, and he can't help but feel deprived and tricked when your warm lips are limited to just caressing his cheek. He almost growls, exasperated, when, as quickly as you cling to him, you pull away.

"Put an apron on. We don't want to have your black kefta covered in flour." you say and go back to the table. You smile evilly. He didn't deserve a kiss after his little act today, but next time...

You squeal as he grabs you from behind and dumps a bag of flour over your head.

"ALEKSANDER!" you shout, and he laughs loudly, not caring at all that anyone might have heard his name. He tries to get away from you when you throw eggs at him.

When you are laughing and throwing everything at each other, you don't notice that the kitchen door is slowly and silently closing. And someone's footsteps echo through the corridors of the Little Palace.