#king volcano is clean

[words-of-wonderland]

this track produces the undeniable desire to join a vampyric cult and dedicate my life to the pursuit of aesthetic perfection

[starofthesea7]

König~Worship the King

Your eyes traced the huge mass of muscle in front of you. Fresh from the field, he looked exhausted, primal- his canvas pants still splattered with mud and god knows what else. Arms shiny with sweat and rain, leg bouncing absentmindedly, his head was still a void, swimming with pictures of death and devastation. His eyes were focused on a bowl of stew, dwarfed by his huge, muscled hands. Pale fingers against white ceramic.

‘You can take the mask off to eat your food, I have to clean up your face anyway. In fact I should look at that first.” Your voice was soft, hesitant. Afraid of startling him, even though little could do so.

Dark fabric folded as he shook his head gently. “After. I don’t want it to…” he searched for the word in English, “to scare you. Yet” His voice was rough and tired, laced thickly with an accent, german. Your heart twinged at his words.

“You couldn’t scare me.” You attempted a reassuring smile. König. King. A very fitting name for the enigma in front of you, and yet in some ways not fitting at all. True he was imposing. Large. Stately. Yet he was gentle, anxious, even, when he was in close proximity to others. Under scrutiny. He was anxious when it came to people, most of all you. He was good at hiding it though, to you it seemed an aloofness, perhaps even a polite disinterest, that he felt towards you. A simple nod in greeting as he passed you was the most you could hope to receive.

Now you stood in between his enormous thighs which he’d spread just far enough apart to avoid grazing yours, the air between them thick with tension. You rolled up his dark sleeve, doing your best to ignore the rippling muscle beneath. They way it flexed which each ascent of his spoon, before it disappeared underneath black cloth, then reappeared, empty. He barely flinched as you dabbed an alcohol pad across the gaping wound on his shoulder. Blood glistened carmine.

Oxymoron was a more fitting name, you thought. Perhaps it was too long for a nickname. He truly was a paradox, though. So colossal, yet reserved. So immense yet quiet, even gentle. He was a man of few words. A wave waiting to crash, or a volcano waiting to erupt.

Your voice broke the silence, surprising you both. It felt small. “Feel okay?” He was nervous, although you couldn’t see it, underneath the mask. He wasn’t really afraid of you, more afraid of hurting you, or scaring you. With his weight. His scars, his is strength.

His eyes raised to meet yours. Although he was sitting, they were level with your own. A cold, pale olive green. “Ja. Thank you. I am sorry for waking you for this little scratch.” When you’d gotten a call that he’d needed a small patch job, admittedly you’d jumped at the chance to see him. You’d been drawn to the Austrian giant since you’d arrived a month ago. You liked his presence, it was safe, a shield to all else. Nothing could touch you with him there. No amount of horny jeering men, or loaded guns.

“It’s not a just scratch, König, its a big gash. And I haven’t even gotten to your face yet. Plus, I couldn’t sleep anyway, I’m happy to do it.” You rambled, feeling the burn of his eyes on yours, studying your face as you concentrated, threading a sterile needle. You stepped forward, into him, bumping his leg. He smelled like earth, and motor oil. Faintly of cigarettes and metallic blood. The heady odour was thick, collocating with the rubbing alcohol of your sterile office.

“Deep breath.” You felt silly, instructing a man who’d murdered countless men in the past week to do a breathing excersise, but he obeyed, the soft, raspy sound making your knees weak, and your imagination run wild. You blinked and regained focus, before puncturing the skin. His eyes fixed on your face, unwavering. You counted the stitches. Eleven, black and neat, in a row. “Aaand…done.” You cut the thread. “And not even a flinch.” You smiled at him, and his eyes crinkled, barely.

You gently rubbed it with ointment and wiped your hands on a towel, blood staining it crimson. You noticed his thighs now resting against yours. They were warm, and dirt from them stained your kaki pants but your hardly cared. “Ok. Ready for the mask?” You felt nervous, more nervous than he looked. It felt monumental, an enigma becoming real, smoke condensing into man.

You’d thought about what he looked like, but only in patches, certain features imagined while the rest of the picture was more of a blurred haze. Pale skin and light eyes. Dark or light hair? A sharp jaw or weak and soft? You couldn’t really imagine him being ugly, and truly, you felt you’d be attracted to him regardless, like opposite poles of a magnet. North and south. Dark and light, soft and hard.

He cleared his throat, and set the empty bowl down beside him. His eyes held yours vehemently, and large hands raised black cloth, revealing a pale, broad column of neck, a white scar gracing one side. You wanted to graze it with your lips. His lips were split, bitten and red. And inviting. A glint of teeth and a jaw, sharp with a whisper of stubble. The cloth clung to a splatter of blood and small cuts now integrated with old scars, and a few pieces of shrapnel that traveled up to a deep, glistening slice. Caked blood ran down his temple. His nose was sharp and slightly crooked, veering to the right in an endearing way, as if it had been broken when he was a child.

Then, his eyes, deep set and soft, framed with long lashes and crowned with sharp brows, one interrupted by a large, aged scar. Finally, hair, light, light brown, almost blonde, with a tinge of red, tumbled out. It was tied back with an elastic, but not long, as if he was in need of a trim, shorter pieces falling across his forehead. His head tilted back as he looked at you, silently, daring you to react to his intimate sign of trust.

You breathed out. It wasn’t what you had expected. His face was, interesting. Attractive. Younger than you’d imagined. A sharp canine pressed into his lip. You let out a breath, and raised a hand to his jaw, feeling it clench beneath your fingers, tilting his face up towards artificial light. His lips parted, adams apple bobbing. “You should’ve let me do your face first.”

“Sorry.” His voice was soft, ragged.

You reached for a pair of pointed tweezers and began removing each piece of shrapnel from his face. The night was quiet, save for for soft breaths. His was hot against your cheek. “König.” Chunks of metal and stone clanged into a small aluminum bowl. He hummed in response.

“You could never scare me.”

He smiled softly at you, slightly crooked.

Without meaning to, your thumb stroked the soft skin of his jaw. His legs tightened against you, barely, but your heart quickened against your ribcage.

Again, you soaked the wounds in alcohol. You could tell it stung. His fingers began absentmindedly drumming against your hip, leaving hot tingles in their wake. You moved to the cut on his lip, he hissed quietly as you made contact with the cotton pad. Your eyes were focused, pupils blown wide as you stared at his lips. His hot tongue peeking out from behind pink bloodied skin.

Your voice was quiet, distant, “You have a pretty bad split lip, I’m gonna put a little stitch in it.”

He swallowed hoarsely, “Okay.”

You were close, so close to him, breaths mingling in the hot air. His scent enveloped you. He enveloped you. You weren’t particularly small, but to him you were. Fragile. The needle ruptured his lip and his hand gripped at your waist, heavy and large. You leaned into him, lower stomach barely grazing the split of his pants. He shifted in thick canvas.

Your hand shifted, cupping his jaw as you cut the thread. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, and something else. You looked at each other with neediness, both in awe of how the other contained all that they could ever want- him to satiate your emptiness, you to soothe his aching burn. A month of passing glances and unsaid words threatened to morph into action; spurred on by the arousal of seclusion and stagnation after the high of adrenaline, the heady scent of blood, metal, alcohol.

You leaned in and felt his hand tighten against you hip, You were inches from him, the air between you buzzed as opposites attracted, pulled you towards him. His mouth widened as he leaned into you. Your soft, plush lips grazed his, barely, and he pulled you into him, emitting a soft sound. Mouths opened wide with need. He was metal, cigarettes and gasoline, the taste and smell making you unsteady, faint. You gripped his shirt tightly, his mass keeping you from falling, or perhaps from floating away.

Deft, strong fingers found the back of your head. Scalp prickling as he pulled at your hair. You were slick.

He groaned slightly into your mouth, and your hands found his hair, fisting it free from the elastic band, copper locks brushing your forehead, stubble brash against your reddening cheeks.

His large warm hand traced from your hip down, raising your leg to straddle his thigh. Hot, hard muscle against your softness. You let out an involuntary airy moan as the seam of your jeans jabbed into your clit, cunt clenching around nothing, deprived and empty.

You lifted your other leg to straddle him fully, clothed cunt contracting at the friction against pelvis, you could feel him, large, hard, heavy and confined. It made you hot with need. You pulled back to stare at him, pupils blown, lips puffy. His hips bucked up into you, searching for friction and release, his brows furrowed. Colossal hands found your waist beneath your shirt, opposite fingers almost touching around your circumference. His fingers were calloused and rough. Feeling his hot skin against yours made you reel with thoughts of at the way he dwarfed you, dominated you with the simplest of actions. The fact that he could fill your emptiness, stretch you to the brink, overwhelm you, crush you- was inebriating.

“I-” he searched for the right words, “I want you. Ich brauche dich.” You smiled at his mother tongue appearing, as it often did in states of intoxication.

You pressed your mouth to his neck, with an open mouthed kiss, feeling the bump of his scar as he swallowed, and looked up at him through wet lashes. Grinding your hips against him, making him groan, cock twitching, hyper sensitive from months of neglect. You maundered, “Let me make you feel good, König.” Your voice was airy and laced with fervour. His eyes were glassy and lidded as he looked down at you, hair falling across his forehead, glistening with sweat. His head swam, the situation feeling far to good to be true, an intoxicated dream or adrenaline spurred hallucination. His blunt fingernails clutched at your waist harshly, leaving half moons in their wake.

Your eyes flickered to a stain of precum darkening the crotch of his thick pants as you rose to your feet, his hands gripped his thighs in restraint, watching you in anticipation. Then, you knelt to the ground to worship your king.

[aerscribbles]

I'm not getting to writing out the story for this WIP this year or probably the next (too much other stuff going on) so I want to put this out there somehow.

My mental nickname for it is 'TGCF Vertical Reversal AU'.

Instead of the more 'traditional roleswaps' (God/Calamity) it switches the places of Xianle and Wuyong on the timeline.

Jun Wu, thrice ascended as a martial god, god of disasters and misfortune, god of broken things. Generally way more hissy and spiteful than Xie Lian in canon. Also not very good at hiding the fact that he is constantly five seconds away from losing it.

Mei Nianqing the ~mysterious~ ghost king, infamous for his cartomancy, knowledge of the future and ability to manipulate dreams and fate.

The three unnamed vassals as gods who ascended after breaking up with Jun Wu.

Xie Lian as the Heavenly Emperor, as kind as he is strong, and oh so fucking tired. Constantly trying to parent all the other gods. also he gets to have pet tigers because I said so.

Hua Cheng as the gambling-addict State Preceptor of Wuyong. Responsible for Jun Wu's first encounter with the possibility of death. Currently trying to avert Xie Lian's rube goldberg suicide attempt.

Fengqing as powerful weather spirits in the territory of Mount Taicang. Mu Qing, a snow spirit known as Greed and Feng Xin, a wind spirit known as Ignorance (Hua Cheng is Anger). The names are referring to the three sources of mental suffering, as counter to the sources of physical suffering- Birth, Death, Sickness and Old Age (MNQ + the three mountain spirits). Hua Cheng is the old man shouting at clouds.

Mount Taicang and Mount Tonglu also switch narrative roles.

Mount Tonglu as a spiritually significant place for the kingdom of Wuyong, and also the place where the royal tomb is- 'in the fire we were born, to the fire we return'.

Mount Taicang as the ghost king trial location, though it isn't a volcano- think more Shinsenkyo from Hell's Paradise, a forested mountain overgrown with flowers, swarming with deadly insects and strange beasts- vaguely inspired by the wording of 'Body in Abyss, Heart in Paradise', a place of overwhelming beauty seemingly designed to harm you in every possible way.

The actual plot of this is less 'Xie Lian trying to force Jun Wu to become his successor by putting him through the Horrors and revealing Heaven's corruption' and more 'Xie Lian trying to ensure there is someone reliable in place to take over when he finally gets to kill himself, and cleaning house as a side benefit'.

But here's the thing. The deal with Mount Taicang is that it's the place where Xie Lian has imprisoned all of the Worst Things Ever, and the wards will fail if he dies. His power is the only thing keeping the Heavens afloat and a dozen other things functioning. The world is falling apart at the seams and is being held together with Xie Lian's lifeforce as duct tape.

Xie Lian is so, so tired.

And well, it isn't like anyone would really care if he died.

Care about the real him.

So, he plans to pass on the duties of maintaining the functional state of the world and finally find his rest.

Then his favorite child comes in and starts trying to beat some self-worth and appreciation for life into him.

Then everyone else shows up, including his old friends and the one who his heart betrayed him for.

And in the end, one person is enough.

I am 100% down to talk about this stuff if anyone shows any interest!

[xoangel-dust]

Random Aleheather headcanons(again!)

Heather feeling guilty helps Alejandro recover from the volcano accident (all stars didn’t happen as it shouldn’t)

Alejandro’s family sues the shit out of Chris and the network

Heather after finding an agent is able to get her own talk show into production

Alejandro after a year of physical therapy and applying creams for his burns makes a full recovery (although he does sometimes walk with a cane that has the head of a bull on it)

They both go university/college but Alejandro takes online classes due to his injuries

Heather moves in with Alejandro’s family after she cuts her own family off (they all except Jose who’s jealous, love her)

Jose being petty insults Heather’s looks and she gets revenge on him by putting a whole bottle liquid laxative in his Gatorade bottle (he’s the only one in the house who drinks a certain kind) she also adds hot pink hair dye to his shampoo.)

Alejandro often speaks Spanish to Heather just to make her flustered

Along side a ring Alejandro gives Heather the same bull necklace he wears when he proposes to her

They still call one another Mr. Heather and Mrs. Alejandro

Heather does the grocery shopping, Alejandro loves to cook (she’ll jump in sometimes and help him clean up)

Heather kisses Alejandro’s forehead every morning

House Husband Alejandro (he even wears an apron ♥️)

Alejandro wraps around Heather like a starfish when they sleep.

While Heather is pregnant Alejandro won’t let her lift a finger he even hires a maid to help keep up with their house

They love competing with one another over simple things (working out, racing each other they even play board games and cards)

They go on a double date with Duncan and Courtney

Their favorite thing to spend quality time with one another is watching Stephen King movies (specifically the shining!)

When they go on dates or family events Heather ALWAYS makes sure they color coordinate

Heather buys Alejandro an expensive watch for his birthday (X)

Alejandro gives Heather a necklace(X) bracelet(X)earrings(X) and a dress(X )for her birthday

[hyukassubi]

🍪 02 | Of Roses And Cookies

♡𓂃 Pairing -> (Former) Knight! Huening Kai x Seamstress! Reader

♡𓂃 Synopsis -> Growing up, you never believed in purpose, nor destiny. Simply following the path of life, becoming a royal seamstress didn't at all seem like a bad idea. Only thing is, it wasn't your idea.

Your best friend who just so happens to be the crowned prince knows what it's like to grow up having limited choices, and Prince Kang Taehyun doesn't want the same happening to you. The commander knight, in turn, has other plans for the future. After Huening Kai closes a profound chapter of his life, he seeks refuge from the chaos of his past, opting for a cozier lifestyle instead.

... And it just so seems that those plans wouldn't be fulfilled without you.

♡𓂃 Wc -> 628

Tabby hands, scrappy clothes, Mary Janes strapped to your feet where ever you go.

Unlike Taehyun, just like Hueningkai, you did not grow up with a royal background.

Two high school sweethearts that started off as a fling had an accident, that accident being you. Your parents didn’t give up in raising their happy little accident, though. Sure, marriage wasn’t a privilege they had until way later, but you had a great time staying over at your mother’s bakery and your father’s florist nonetheless.

You always did.

The kids at preschool kept talking about the way you smelled.

How, every day, you’d be smelling of sugar and frosting, chamomile and roses, cookies and flowers. Seatmates betting on whether or not that girl will come in smelling like chocolate today, or perhaps pistachio, but then they get it all wrong and the room starts fuming of a lavender haze.

The attention was nice until you begin to notice how talk was all talk and no one really talked with you.

Except for one person— Kang Taehyun.

Boba-eyed, impressively pearly white grin, the face of a baby pumpkin, three year old Kang Taehyun was too adorable to be real.

The baby prince who, to everyone’s surprise, landed in a montessori preschool for toddlers who can barely spell their names instead of a high class Royal Academy for Babies. A small boy like him hadn’t yet any responsibilities bared upon him, anyway. There was absolutely no need to learn basic etiquette nor book-balancing on the top of your head at four years of age. And so, lucky was Taehyun for eating mud in playgrounds and zooming past the teachers in scooters when he should be tucked in a pillowed-up rectangular cribs for naptime.

For now, he was surrounded by village toddlers his age with sacked diapers and snot all over their faces. So, yes, perhaps the girl in the corner of the room dressing up chewed up barbies was a refreshener.

Taehyun whiffs the air, nose pointing to the ceiling, nostrils flared like volcano craters. “You smell nice.”

She looked at him for a second, and then went back to putting paper eyelashes on dolls in skirts and clay blobs for shoes.

Taehyun tilted his squishy-cheeked pumpkin head to the side, eyebrows furrowed in adorable concern. “Do you talk?”

No response.

“Don’t be shy, I think you should talk more. To me.”

You sat quietly for a moment, and… snuck a cookie out of the pockets of your denim overalls.

You split the huge chocolate covered goodness into two uneven excuses of semi-circles.

You gave the bigger piece to the baby prince.

You had always liked keeping the bigger piece to yourself.

The baby prince looked at the cookie, and then you, and then his relatively clean toddler hands, and then back at the cookie.

He grabbed it.

He never left your side since.

You thought you had to get on your knees and bow too after dismounting the carriage to meet the King and Queen at the corridor of the Grand Palace like your parents did.

And then Taehyun said, “It’s okay, a ‘Hello’ is enough for us. And no need to call me ‘Little Crowned Prince Kang’. ‘Taehyun’ is what I go by.” ‘Taehyun’ is enough.”

“What he said.” The King patted his son on the shoulder.

He must’ve been proud.

Your parents did not move.

You had no idea who you were, or what you want or could’ve been besides being the daughter of a florist and baker and the walking aroma therapy in your kindergarten, but you knew the prince had a warm heart and his actions might’ve left you feeling touched.

“Okay.” You replied. “Hello, Taehyun.”

The little prince smiled, and happiness never left him since.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

♡𓂃A/n: My personal favourite line: baby Taehyun sniffing the air and his nostrils puffing up like volcano craters.

What the little toddler reader saw that day:

FJKHKAUJJEHFOAI I cannot wait for you guys to devour the following baby reader chapters because they're sooooo cute

♡𓂃Tags: @sweetheartsaku @imcringebutimfree @i-like-to-read-at-4am @pengningie @marloree @stormy1408 @blossommi

Reblog & review if you like my work !!

[nyarnamaitar]

I suck at art lol sorry but I felt inspired so here's a quick drawing of cassowary Melkor XD

this is FANTASTIC, omg!!! (you don't suck at art at all, what???)

i love the small volcano on his head, lmfaooo

manwë thinks his brother's bird fána is very cute and pretty (everyone else keeps a safe distance)

after walking him for a while and preening his feathers (melkor would NEVER admit to anyone --and least of all himself-- how much he enjoys this), manwë brings him back to mandos, all aired out and clean

(námo isn't sure that melkor deserves these little walks, but he'll take every chance he can get to rid his halls of his king's demon brother, be it only for an afternoon, thank you very much)

[itsseohannbin]

• Like A Volcano | Part Two | •

Han Jisung Mini Series

© itshannjisung, 2024

♡ itsseohannbins masterlist ♡

Series Masterlist

Chapter Genre: Fluff 💕Angst⚡️Crack💥

-Bestfriends to Lovers Trope-

Summary: being best friends with the kings of kpop always has its ups and downs, and when you're offered a spot on the next European-American book tour to promote the publishing of your new book, there's one kpop king in particular who just doesn't want you to go.

Pairing: Idol!Han Jisung x Female Reader x Bestfriend Skz

** Includes two of my own original female characters, both whom are romantically involved with two of the members. Chan x Jo / Minho x Ash **

Warnings: angst. hurt. swearing. mentions of alcohol. mentions of marijuana use. implied intoxicated han jisung. harsh/vulgar language. yn's friends (jokingly) plot Han's death (i.e. homicide, staged accidental death, death by carbon monoxide, death by chloroform, premeditated murder). the boys do not use honorifics. best friend skz.

I think that's it. If I missed any, lmk!!

Word Count: 5.4k

**this chapter is unchanged**

Enjoy!

Walking out of Jisungs room that night was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. Not only were you turning your back on your one shot with the man you’ve been in love with for years, silently breaking his and your heart in the process, but you also now had to face the reality of what the hell had just happened as you returned to the living room where your friends were.

It seemed the rest of the party stragglers had all gone home and it was just your friends left, all of them now helping clean. Changbin and Jeongin were collecting empty cans and bottles and storing them back into the original boxes for easier discarding, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Ash were sweeping and mopping the floors clean of dumped food and spilled drinks, and Chan and Jo were tackling the mass amounts of red cups that littered the room. Minho was most likely cleaning his kitchen domain, as he got pretty upset any time the kitchen turned into a mess.

Felix’s spider-senses must’ve been going off because he was at the bottom of the stairs as soon as you had appeared, staring up at you in concern. You had done your best to wipe the mascara off your face as you rushed from Jisung's room, but based on the look Felix had, you knew you hadn’t done the greatest job of hiding your sadness.

“Bunny, what’s wrong?” he asked not so quietly, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn to look your way. You felt heat rush to your cheeks and you tried to swallow back the lump that still sat idly in your throat. 

How the hell were you supposed to explain what had just happened when you were still processing the events that had taken place in the last thirty minutes or so?

“Nothing Felix. I’m just really tired. I think I’m going to call it a night.” You settled with a tiny white lie.

Felix looked at you unconvincingly, but you paid him no mind as your eyes went searching for Jo. As soon as your eyes found hers, you sent her a look she knew all too well from the years of friendship you two had shared; one that practically screamed ‘get me the hell out of here’.

Instantly, she dropped her bag of garbage and discarded a stack of red cups onto the coffee table.

“I’ll drive you home!” She said, feigning cheerfulness. She knew something was wrong but none of the guys needed to know that. They didn’t need to know anything until the wheels of your plane left the ground the following day.

Ash, being the ever-observant friend she was, set her broom and dustpan aside and skipped over to you almost as cheerfully.

“Ou, She-Racha car ride? Count me in!”

Together, Jo and Ash gathered their things and slipped on their shoes when Minho suddenly appeared through the kitchen doorway with a half-eaten pudding cup in his hands. He glanced at his fiancée and Jo, confused as to what was going on.

“Are we going somewhere?” His gaze then landed on you and his face softened once he got a good look at you. “Y/n what’s going on? Where’s Jisung?”

Before you could open your mouth and feed Minho the same lie you told Felix, Jisung's voice echoed off the walls as he whipped his bedroom door open and shouted loudly down the hallway.

“Y/n wait!”

Upon hearing the desperation and anger in Jisung's voice, everyone’s eyes went from you to the top of the stairs where they expected Jisung to appear. You immediately hurried to the door where Jo and Ash were waiting, turning back to address Minho as you grabbed your things.

“Minho, please, do not let him come after me.”

Minho gave you a worried and confused look, but nodded nonetheless, knowing exactly what it was you needed from him. You only ever called him by his full name if it was urgent, and he picked up on that quirk of yours quickly. Ever since he and Ash had gotten together he’d become a lot more in tune with female emotions, and even though Jisung was one of his best friends, he obeyed you without hesitation.

Jisung appeared at the top of the stairs then, his hair messy as if he’d been pulling at it, his eyes angry but still drenched in tears. He saw you and immediately began descending the staircase two at a time, desperate for one last attempt to get you to stay, but Minho was quick to block his path. Without needing an explanation, Chan and Changbin instinctively jumped in and went to help as Minho struggled against Jisung's flailing figure.

Together, the three men managed to stop Jisung from reaching the bottom of the stairs while the remaining four stayed rooted in place, looking as freaked out and bewildered as anyone else in their position would’ve been.

You barely spared anyone a second glance before following Jo and Ash out of the house, slamming the door behind you.

And that was the last time you saw Jisung.

Even now, with all seven of the boys alongside Jo and Ash gathered around you at the airport to bid you one last farewell, Jisung didn’t show. You had laid awake practically all night, replaying the entire fight over and over again in your brain. A small part of you hoped against hope that he would show up despite it all and say goodbye, but he didn’t. 

You knew he wouldn’t. Not after you walked out on him the way you had.

Chan was furious at Jisung’s absence. He was currently standing a little ways away from the group, his phone pressed to his ear as he angrily left yet another voice message on Jisung's answering machine. 

According to the boys, after you and the girls left abruptly last night, and after the three older men fought Jisung's advances off, Jisung returned to his room as if he were a bull seeing red. He had quickly packed a bag of essentials and, before anyone could stop him, he left the house, swearing and cursing his members into hell for helping you escape. 

No one had seen him since, and based on the several messages each member had left on Jisung's phone, urging him to get to the airport before you had to board your plane, they hadn’t heard from him either. Felix and Hyunjin were worried about his lack of response, but the others were just pissed off at his behavior. 

“I swear to God Ji, if you don’t get to the airport in the next thirty minutes, I will personally disown you as my first child and then I’ll kick your ass. Call me back when you get this.” you heard Chan growl into his cell.

Jo was standing with you, her arms wrapped around your waist while yours slung around her shoulder in a half hug, your head resting on hers. She was smiling and laughing with Ash and the boys, but you could tell by the tension in her body that she was also listening in on Chan. No one had ever seen him this upset before, and it was unsettling for all of you.

A moment later, Chan hung up his phone again and returned to the rest of the group, scratching the back of his head in annoyance as he shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Based on the look on your face, I’m assuming he’s not coming?” Jo asked as Chan pushed his way through the circle to resume his spot behind her. He shook his head angrily, opening his mouth to begin the irate rant you all knew was coming, but Seungmin beat him to the punch, trying his best to brighten the mood with his usual level of sarcasm.

“Incredible!” he shouted as he began clapping obnoxiously, bringing everyone's attention to him. “Detective Jo has once again solved the case! The evidence was beyond us and yet, she somehow figured it out! I’m in awe.” 

You watched in amusement as Jo's eyes squinted as she glared at Seungmin with a smile on her face.

“I will fuck you up, Puppy.” Jo threatened as she detached herself from your side and stepped into Chan's embrace once more. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head, the anger in his features dissipating quickly.

Seungmin crossed his arms over his chest and flashed Jo a menacing grin. He loved being the only one brave enough to challenge Chan’s rules. Jo was off limits, but it didn’t seem to stop Seungmin from his relentless flirting. It’s like he was fueled by mischief.

“Good luck reaching me from down there, Little Miss Four-Foot Nothing.” He bantered. Jo’s eyes closed impossibly more as she tried to fight off a smirk that sat at her mouth.

“I’m 5’4, asshole.”

“Yikes. That’s still higher than your IQ, Seung.” Minho piped in, joining in on the fun. He had his arm protectively wrapped around Ash’s shoulders, but when Seungmin moved to kick him in the shin, Minho slid behind her in an attempt to hide, laughing maniacally.  

“I can’t fucking stand either of you.” Seungmin hid his laugh behind an annoyed exhale.

“Then kneel, dumbass.”

“Then kneel, dumbass.”

Both Jo and Minho spoke at the same time, resulting in everyone breaking out into laughter as the two of them high-fived each other in approval.

The stress that seemed to hang in the air at Jisung's clear absence was slowly being washed away with each chuckle, and you found yourself feeling so incredibly grateful for your friends.

“Why are you guys so mean to me?” Seungmin then fake pouted. Jo reached her hand up and ruffled his fluffy hair, pushing it out of his eyes.

“Cause I’m that much closer to hell than you are, Seung.” She responded sweetly. Everyone let out another laugh at her comment while Seungmin ducked out of her reach and playfully elbowed her in the ribs.

Ever since everyone arrived at the airport merely an hour ago, minus Jisung, you felt like your heart was just minutes away from stopping. Anxiety clawed through your insides like a feral cat trapped in a cage. Whether it was because of the obvious missing presence or simply just pre-tour jitters, you weren’t sure, but you expected the uneasiness to sink its teeth into you any second now, forcing an anxiety attack from your body. 

Thankfully, being surrounded by your friends, laughing and joking as if all was well helped ease some of the tightness in your chest, though only little by little.

That was until Minho’s phone began to ring noisily from his pocket, causing the tension to return to you in full force.

“Fucking finally,” Minho whispered once he caught a glance at the screen.

Everyone fell silent, the stress once again clouding the air like smoke.

“Is that him?” Felix questioned, a hopeful look in his eyes. Minho ignored him and swiped his thumb across the screen before shoving his phone to his ear.

“Jisung, where the fuck are you?”

Jisung could practically taste the fury that rolled off of Minho's tongue and into his ear. It made his chest tighten slightly, but he took a deep breath and willed himself to relax.

“I’m sorry Min. I’m not coming.”

“What do you mean you’re not coming?”

“I mean I’m not coming.”

An irritated breath left Minho’s mouth.

“Fuck off Jisung. I don’t know what the hell happened between you and y/n last night, and at this point, I don’t really care, but you need to get your ass here, now. Y/n’s plane leaves in no less than two hours. Put in your fucking tampon and come say goodbye.” Minho growled.

Jisung let out a sigh as he glanced around the hotel room he was staying in. His laptop sat open on the bed beside him, his anime currently paused. He made a point not to acknowledge the empty soju bottles that decorated the tabletop, or the bag of marijuana that sat half-opened on the nightstand beside him.

Why did his friends, his family, have to make this so difficult for him? 

All he wanted to do was forget.

Forget you. Forget your name. Forget your face. 

He wanted to forget the way your lips felt against his, even for that brief but magical moment you two shared; the way you whimpered and melted into his touch seconds before you ripped his heart out and stomped it into the carpet of his bedroom. 

He wanted to forget all of it. The kiss you shared, the fight that ensued, the look you gave him before you slammed the front door and left.

He wanted to forget, but more than anything else, he hoped to God that when he’d wake up from his intoxicated sleep, he’d remember.

He wanted to remember the way you smiled in awe as you listened to the song he made for you, eyes full of tears as they fluttered closed as if you could feel the emotion and love he poured into each lyric. He wanted to remember the way your body automatically responded to him when he leaned in to kiss you, as if kissing him was as natural to you as breathing. He wanted to remember how absolutely beautiful you looked as you yelled at him with mascara-stained tears.

He wanted to remember it all and he wanted to forget it all.

Jisung took a second to chug back the soju from his shot glass, setting the empty soju bottle next to the others before he responded to Minho, trying to ignore the sting of his friend's words.

“I’m sorry Min.” was all he could say. 

There was a second of silence before Ash’s calm and collected voice suddenly came through the phone. 

“Jisung, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice soft. Jisung nearly started to cry just from how warm and concerned she sounded. She always had been like an older sister to him, and her serene and tender attitude hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water. He loved the boys so much, but listening to the dozens of harsh messages they’d left him when he didn’t show up at the airport hurt him more than he cared to admit.

“I’m sorry Ash. I can’t.” Jisung didn’t think he had any tears left in him, but his eyes began to water as if he hadn’t cried in years. “I love her too much. I can’t let her go.”

Ash let out a sigh as she stepped away from the group of eyes staring expectantly at her, trying to get some privacy when she realized Jisung was crying.

“Ji, I know what happened last night.” She reassured him with a whisper. “Y/n told me everything. And I know it’s hard saying goodbye, but I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I can’t just let her run off with another man.” he scoffed.

“Ji, you know nobody wants you two together more than we do. Chan stopped trying to set her up with other guys years ago because he knows now that you two were absolutely made for each other. We all know that. Just because she’s going on tour with Seojun doesn’t mean she isn’t going to come home to you in a year and a half. You’re the one she loves, not him. You just have to let her figure it out for herself. And she will. She’ll always come home to you.”

“I don’t think so, Ash. Not this time. I fucked up.”

Ash let out a sigh at his words, running a hand through her hair.

“Come and say goodbye and you’ll see that you haven’t.” she tried.

The other end of the line was silent for a moment and she swore she got through to him. Jisung carefully absorbed her words, and for a second, he hoped she was right. But that thought was washed away just as quickly when the image of you walking out the door without a single regret flashed through his brain, causing him to let out an unexpected sob.

“I’m sorry,” Jisung whispered, his voice defeated and tired. “I can’t. Please, please don’t be mad at me.”

Another sigh left Ash's mouth and Jisung braced himself for the words he knew would come next.

“I’m not mad at you Ji. I’m disappointed. Despite everything that happened, we’re still a family, and this isn’t how we treat our family.” 

Even though he expected her answer almost word for word, it still hurt to hear her say. Being mad at him was one thing, but being disappointed in him and his actions made his heart ache impossibly more. 

He spent so much time trying to make everyone around him proud of everything he did and hearing Ash say those words did nothing but knock him down a few dozen pegs on his scale of confidence.

He pushed away another round of tears and took a deep breath before responding to her. 

“I’m sorry. I’m not coming.” 

And that was final.

Ash sensed the certainty in his tone and let out yet another heavy sigh, the disappointment more evident now than before. As much as they respected each other and understood each other, she knew better than to try and sway his decisions. He was a stubborn man, and when his heart was set on something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind.

Oh, the irony.

“Okay, I’ll let the gang know,” she whispered.

“Thank you.” Jisung breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she gave in so easily. He hated fighting against her.

“Don’t thank me,” Ash spoke up again, her voice now firm and authoritative, just like a scolding mother. “You’re not out of the woods yet Jisung. Just because I’m saying ‘okay’ doesn’t mean I’m happy about this. You still have to face Jo whenever you decide to come home.”

He wasn’t planning on coming home any time soon, but he didn’t say it, lest he let her down even more than he already seemed to have.

“I’m sorry.” he choked out one last time.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

She was right, and he knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to contact you. He wanted so badly to call you and say goodbye, to hear your voice one last time, but he knew it would only cause him more heartbreak if he did. Even though he swore to himself the day he met you that he would do absolutely anything for you, he couldn’t bring himself to do this.

Instead, he let Ash's words hang in the air for a few moments longer before another sob escaped his throat, causing him to say goodbye and hang up.

Ash shook her head and willed herself to breathe as the dial tone rang in her eardrums. 

“So?” Hyunjin prodded as she returned to the group. Everyone looked at her expectantly while she slid Minho’s phone back into the pocket of his jeans, but you already knew based on the way her shoulders slumped that her attempts to convince Jisung to come were helpless. “Is he on his way?”

Ash shook her head at Hyunjin and gave you a sad, guilty look.

“I’m sorry, Babe,” she whispered. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat and plastered a smile on your face, trying to mask the hurt you felt. If anyone would’ve been able to convince him, it was her. You were thankful that she at least gave it a try. “S’okay. I didn’t really expect him to come after everything that happened. Thank you though for trying.”

“I’m gonna’ fucking kill him.” Jo then growled from beside you, her sudden outburst causing you to jump. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger as she shook her head in disgust. 

“Not if I kill him first.” Changbin piped in then, his jaw clenched in disbelief at his friend's behavior. He had his phone out in front of him and he was tapping relentlessly against the screen, no doubt sending yet another message to Jisung.

“I’m gonna’ help.” I.N decided, his tongue prodding his cheeks as he tried to hold back his frustration. “Binnie and I have watched enough true crime shows to know how to get away with homicide.”

“Don't you mean homie-side” Chan laughed, earning a glare from everybody else while he chuckled at his own joke. The pause was quick before everyone began plotting again, ignoring him and his old-man puns.

“Guys,” you rubbed the bridge of your nose as Jo and the boys began organizing what you hoped was nothing more than a hypothetical crime. With Jo, there was always the possibility of it being not-so. “Can we please just forget about it? We’re supposed to be saying goodbye, not plotting a murder.”

Your friends ignored you completely.

“You’re right." Jo then continued with a nod, her eyes burning holes into the floor as you saw the wheels practically spinning wildly in her mind. "We have to make it look like an accident.”

You sent Chan a look of desperation, to which he shrugged his shoulders and gave you a helpless look in return.

“Why are you looking at me? You know I have no control over them.” He tried to hide his smile behind a pathetic cough, no doubt reveling in the fact that for once in his life, he was not at the butt end of all the jokes.

You rolled your eyes and clenched your jaw in irritation as you glared at him before attempting to calm your friends down again.

“Guys, I think we’re overreacting a bit, yeah?” you tried.

“I’m thinking Carbon Monoxide in his sleep,” Seungmin stated, nodding his head in approval. The lack of emotion on his face had the hairs on your arms standing upright.

“I’m thinking we just chloroform the little bastard,” Minho suggested, his hands up, pretending like he was holding onto someone's head while he shoved an imaginary cloth into their non-existent face.

With that, you let out another sigh, louder this time, and rubbed at your temple. You gave Chan another look and winced when you saw his amused smile growing wider.

Traitor.

Thankfully, Ash caught on to your distress and spoke up quickly on your behalf.

“Guys!”

Immediately, like little ducklings, everyone stopped talking and turned to look at her. She always stepped into the parental role when Chan couldn’t be bothered to, it was part of the platonic partnership they came up with when they were deemed as Mom and Dad of the group. The boys may not have always respected Chan, but they never failed to listen to and respect Ash.

“Can we please wait and discuss our premeditated murders until after y/n’s gone? I don’t think she wants to spend the last of her time with us being reminded of he who shall not be named.”

The boys and Jo muttered their apologies before they dove into other conversations with one another. You mouthed a ‘thank you’ Ash’s way before being roped into the conversation with them.

*****

It didn’t take long for the time to fly by. One minute you were thanking Ash for stepping in and calming the kids down, and the next, the time had come. The boys were currently held up in a heated debate about Jo and her nickname for Innie when you reluctantly glanced up at the clock.

A sigh left your mouth. 

It was time to go through security and find your gate.

“Only Jo gets to call me Daddy Toast, you know that!” 

“I know it, but I’ll never understand it.”

“What does that even mean anyway?”

“See Hyune. This is why you’re the leader of Paboracha.”

“It means she thinks I’m hot!”

“I do not, Innie!”

“Okay, I do not approve of this conversation anymore.”

You let out a giggle as Chan let out his signature disappointed dad sigh, a hand running down his face as the kids began arguing again. He turned to look at you, his face now pleading.

“Please don’t leave me with these idiots.”

“You’ll be fine,” you reassured him with a smirk. The smirk quickly turned into a sad smile as you let out a breath. “I have to go now.”

Chan nodded before he clapped his hands to grab everyone's attention. He received a little more resistance than Ash had, but everyone was quick to shut up and listen. “Alright you heathens, it’s time to say goodbye to Bunny.” 

One by one, each of your friends stepped forward to give you one last hug goodbye. Hyunjin and Felix squished you into a HyunLix sandwich while planting friendly kisses all across your face, causing you to giggle and squeeze them against you. Changbin then impatiently pulled you from their arms and literally swept you off your feet, spinning you around easily as he crushed you with his biceps.

I.N and Minho both settled for ruffling your hair and patting your head before wrapping you in a half hug and squeezing you gently to show their affection. You were surprised to find Chan tear-free as he stepped from Jo’s side, a complete one-eighty from his drunken speech the night before. He wrapped his arms around you and rested his chin on your head, smiling proudly.

“Go kick some worldwide ass,” he whispered as he rubbed his hands up your back soothingly, no doubt trying to help ease the tension he probably felt in your shoulders. The tears that were threatening to pool in your eyes suddenly appeared at the sound of his words, and you purposely wiped your tears on the fabric of his shirt. The sigh that left Chan’s mouth at your actions was funny enough to make you laugh but not enough to stop the sudden flow of water pouring from your eyes like a faucet.

“I’m going to miss you guys so much,” you whispered back as he planted a kiss on the top of your head and then let you go.

Seungmin was last, a giant pout on his lips as he stepped into your open arms.

“Please don’t forget about us, okay?” he asked dramatically, as if you weren't set to return to his side eighteen months from now. He sulked into your embrace, willing himself not to cry. You smiled through your own tears. 

“I could never forget about you, Pup.”

At that, a single tear fell down Seungmin's cheek. He quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of his oversized hoodie before flashing you a playful grin.

“I know that you’re with Seojun now and the old man gave me strict instructions not to kiss you anymore but-”

Before you could even protest, Seungmin dipped his head and kissed your cheek mischievously before folding you in his arms.

“- I don’t care what grandpa says. You know I live to break the rules, and if Seojun fucks up, I’ll break him.”

You nuzzled your face into his shoulder. Unlike Chan, Seungmin didn’t seem to mind the tears (and snot) that were staining his sweater. He just ran his hand through your messy hair and shushed you as you hiccupped.

“You’re a menace to society,” you whispered lovingly at him.

“I love you too Bunny,” Seungmin laughed before pulling away from you and holding you at arm's length. “No more crying okay? We don’t want the resident trash panda making a return before she’s due overseas.” His hands cupped your face, thumbs wiping at your cheeks softly as he bent and gave you his best smile. 

You snorted at his joke and smacked him lightly, trying to pull your face from his grasp while he laughed at your reaction. 

“I’m kidding Bunny. You are going to kill it out there. Seriously. You have all of us behind you. If you need us, call. Any time.”

You nodded and gave him one last tight bear hug in return before you took a deep breath and turned to face the two you were dreading saying goodbye to the most.

When you turned to the girls, the waterworks went into overdrive. Together, Ash and Jo came forward to hug you, their chins resting on each of your shoulders as your arms wrapped around them tightly.

“I’m so proud of you,” Jo whispered, hiccuping through her words.

“We’re so proud of you.” Ash corrected her, her hand running up and down your back. You gave both of them a gentle squeeze and willed yourself to stay like that for several moments as reality sunk in.

This was it. 

You were really doing this.

Never in a million years did you think you’d be saying goodbye to your friends and heading out on your own tour without them, yet here you were. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t nervous as hell, thinking about every possible thing that could go wrong and then some. 

Who were you going to go to when you needed someone to proofread your next chapter if you couldn’t sneak into Ash’s or Seungmin's room and bother them? Who were you going to bribe into late-night ice cream dates when your mind turned to mush after staring at the screen all day if you couldn’t ask Changbin and Jisung? Who was going to sprawl out on the couch with you on your off days and watch K-dramas if it wasn’t Felix, I.N, or Minho? Who was going to talk trash about reality television with you if it wasn’t Hyunjin, Jo, and Chan? 

Your heart felt heavy.

Jo must’ve sensed it cause her hand came up to hold the back of your head as she pulled away and looked at you, tears washing down her face.

“We’ll facetime every chance we get, okay?”

You let out an unattractive snort.

“You don’t even use Apple, Jo.”

She rolled her eyes at you.

“Binnie and I stand by what we said about Samsung being superior.”

“Superior, my ass!” Felix called out from somewhere behind her. Jo twisted her head around and gave him a glare.

“Oi. You’re lucky I love you Lixie or I’d kick you off of The Freckled Friends Baking Show and have Binnie replace your apple-loving ass.”

Felix’s lip jutted out at Jo’s threat. 

“Binnie doesn’t even have freckles! You wouldn’t dare!”

Jo flipped him off with a smirk. “Watch me, bitch.”

Another round of arguing ensued then, this one about which cell phone brand was better, and you resisted the urge to join them. As much as you loved your friends and their chaotic antics, you needed to leave, no matter how badly you didn’t want to at that moment.

“I’ll keep you updated on Ji,” Ash whispered as she pulled away from you. You thanked her and finally stepped away from the group. With your carry-on in one hand and your purse in the other, you gave your friends one last nod, one last smile, one last awkward wave before you turned your back on them and headed towards the security line.

You couldn’t help but turn your head back every couple of minutes as you waited in line patiently. Every time you glanced back at your group, they were smiling and waving and cheering you on. You were surprised the lot of you hadn’t been kicked out of the airport already for causing such a commotion. 

You waved again when you reached the front of the line, the security guard taking your ticket and I.D. and instructing you to unload your belongings into the bins to go through the machine, which you did.

It took you no less than a couple minutes to get through security unscathed and gather your belongings on the other side. 

When you retrieved your phone from the basket you saw you had a couple unread messages from Felix. You smiled widely when you opened the messages to find Felix had sent you a handful of photos. A couple were of you heading towards the security line, while the rest of them were pictures of the group waving and blowing kisses goodbye.

You grinned and ran your hand through your hair as you stopped and glanced back up through the security gate. You had your hand raised and were bidding one final farewell to your group when a familiar figure caught your eye.

Lo and behold, standing a few feet in front of your group of friends, staring at you through the line of people was the man you were waiting for. Dressed in dark sweatpants, a darker hoodie, and a white backward cap, Han Jisung frowned at you as he waved goodbye.

Part Two is here!!!!

God, I forgot how much I adored this mini-series! Re-reading now is making me so emotional and nostalgic.

Thank you all for returning for Part Two!!!

Prepare yourselves for Part Three, cause it's a sad one!!

See you all soon!

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

Taglist: @sungshineworld @collisvng @ihrtlix

If you want to be added to the taglist, lmk!!!

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[novemberthecatadmirer]

My dumb ooc headcanon about Ainur is at some moment when Arda was still unmarred and they just started constructing the world and Melkor hadn’t left them there must be some HUGE debates

The topics of the debates:

Should Arda be symmetrical (I think Mairon was actually in the symmetrical group. Do you think maybe his “eye” symbol was actually inspired by the map of Arda Unmarred?)

Should there be multiple continents instead of one and how about we make the land move from time to time (Suggested by an overenthusiastic Aule, who ironically got his wish granted when Arda was marred)

Should we get multiple seas and maybe a thousand more islands and some exciting whirlpools and beautiful square waves? (Petitioned by multiple Ulmo’s Maiar. Again, wish granted in Arda Marred.)

How many volcanos are too many volcanos and how often are they allowed to explode. (Those Maiar that later turned Balrogs were very active in the debate and were disappointed with the result)

Highest speed limit for winds and should we have tornados and how to plan their regular path.

Ice! We need some place for some nice ice!!

Extreme weather is actually nice and adds diversity to the plate

“Maybe we can have this portion of time very hot and another portion of time very cold and a portion of time in the middle. Create a rotation schedule to make everyone happy.” (Multiple groups were NOT happy about the suggestion for different reasons)

Anaerobic or Aerobic? (Some of Yavanna’s Maiar created photosynthesizing bacterium as an experiment, and accidentally caused the Oxygen Catastrophe, the first and only mass extinction not caused by Melkor.)

Lifespan of animals and plants and how fast and how many they reproduce. (Huge never-ending debate among Yavanna’s Maiar.)

Should we live together with the Children when they come? Do we share everything with them?

How much distance do we keep with the Children?

Do we deserve a place for our own? We are building all this world for them surely we deserve a piece of land for ourselves?

Should we keep a piece of land Children-free to conserve all the plants and beasts (Yavanna and her Maiar zealously supported the idea)

What does “Ruling the World” actually mean (Manwe and Melkor had drastically different interpretation of the concept and there were Valar and Ainur picking sides. Nienna & Namo: We are going to clean up your mess and somehow we suspect it won’t be easy.)

My headcanon is a lot of Maiar left with Melkor due to being unsatisfied with one or more results of these debates.

When they broke the world they genuinely believed they were doing the Right thing Eru always intended. It was the other ones that loved the work created by their hands too much and refused to change.

Melkor revealed his full interpretation of “king of the world” much later, and for many Maiar rebelled and fled with him it was a horrible moment. They got to learn what the sheer power differential between Valar and Maiar really meant. 

(My headcanon was most of the Maiar that used to serve Melkor and repented later refused to be directly associated with any Vala ever again.)

[partywithoutsmiling]

How was the relationship between thrash and Thorn did they get along?

Pft in the vaguest sense of 'getting along', sure XD

Honestly, it is a norm among the Rock trolls to let themselves to be a bit wild, and the Royal family embodies this even more so. Both Thrash and Thorn were firecrackers in their youth; curiously, not that unsimilar to Barb's fiery temper.

Both of them were raised with the knowledge that Thorn is the future King, and that Thrash is the spare- and there has definitelly been done some teasing on both sides (neither were actually openly jealous of another- in fact, I would go as far as say that Thrash was very comfortable in the idea of not being the King, as being the Spare allowed him more freedoms)

But they were brothers, raised in 'you better toughen up' enviroment, so honestly their relationship, while affectionate and even loving, was more of a constant teasing and prodding and causing the other mischief.

Growing older, they definitelly tussled a lot more, physically fighting each other (to the point of drawing blood and leaving scars) but it was never in a mean spirited way, more like a sport sparring.

It was only when Thorn started to shirk his duties, after meeting Mulberry, that their relationship soured a little, because the bad reputation Thorn started to gather from being so flightly started reflecting onto Thrash, and that definitelly lead to nastier arguments and fights (especially as Thorn kept his reasons for not staying put close to himself for a very long time)

It was only after Clay was hatched that Thorn came clean to Thrash as to why- and honestly, Thrash- who has always been very family oriented- understood.

They agreed that Thorn will teach Thrash everything he needs to know to be a king- essentially skipping the succession- especially as Thorn assured Thrash that he will move his family to Volcano city as soon as he can convince his mate to do so, and that his oldest will be named Thrash's heir for the throne.

That had been the goal- where Thorn was experiencing some semi-success in convincing Mulberry to agree to it- but naturally, Thorn's father's decision to have him under house arrest for a while, and then his unexpected demise at the hands of the Bergens put a stop to that.

However, Thrash never found out that his brother is dead. He helped Thorn escape, was crowned a King, and waited for several years for his brother to return. Even when Barb hatched, he never expected her to take up the mantle of the Queen, so he neglected teaching her her duties for several years more, untill she was almost halfway through teenhood really.

It was only then when he started to question the fate of his brother- especially when any attemps at contacting were failures. He always hold out to the hope Thorn will eventually come home and his oldest will take up the throne, but as we know, his mind and body failed him long before he could see it.

[tofautisawa]

I'm REALLY curious on what you mean by TLG giving ass backwards treatment to Jasiri and her pack

I like Jasiri, don't get me wrong. It's nice to have a hyena character in The Lion King franchise that isn't just a stupid cackling villain. She has a cute design, and I always enjoyed the episodes she appeared it. Don't Judge A Hyena By It's Spots being one of my top favorite episodes of season 1.

However, she is only "good" by the narrative because she and her clan live by the Pride Land's specific "Circle Of Life" ideology. A ideology that in my opinion, doesn't benefit her, her clan, or her species AT ALL. She and spotted hyenas in general are still subjected to living in a barren wasteland with little to no resources. (The Lion Guard even one ups this by saying even TERMITES don't live in the Outlands just to get the Aardwolves to come back. Continuity be damned.) They only got one water source to call their own. They live near an active volcano with open lava pits that one can easily fall into ( and one that she and the cubs nearly died in). There is absolutely no bitterness from any innocent hyenas, and they basically just accepted that this is how they must live. Jasiri can sing Kwetu Ni Kwetu all she wants, the melody will go real great with the sound of her homies sizzling at the bottom of a lava pit next to Ushari.

It's actually really bad that Makucha ( a reoccurring villain) is subjected to live in a much better environment filled with prey, water, and plenty of vegetation where even the zebras are happier.

And I say subjected because I never got the vibe that these animals live where they do out of their own volition, more like they are assigned. Aside from the hyenas not being allowed in the Pride Lands, I never got that vibe from the movies. It really makes me wish Fuli's quote from the pilot about "Always the Lions lording over the Pride Lands" was expanded on and explored. Anyways.... The show also never really addresses what she even eats, because I doubt much prey ventures into the out lands. BUT DON'T WORRY- Jasiri states that hyenas are clean up crews and eat what lions leave behind. Further reinforcing that outdated belief that spotted hyenas are primarily scavengers (which Ono even states in a later episode because he has to be the "educational mouthpiece" even when he's blatantly wrong). I can appreciate the show trying to show the benefits of scavengers- but it really should have been saved for animals like the vultures. So the show couldn't even make her and her clan respectable hunters that only hunt specifically what they need ( Probably because there is nothing TO hunt and whenever Janja is shown hunting on his own damn lands, he is stopped but I digress). I can't even help but wonder how she even CAN scavenge if all the lions live in the Pride Lands, and the alarm is sounded whenever a hyena sets a toe within Pride Land territory- unless the lions are just dumping corpses into the Outlands. This is probably why they had the show outright lie to you and pretend that Aardwolves are no way related to Spotted Hyenas because they can't have the children asking why they are allowed in the pride lands and not a friend of our protagonists, Jasiri.

Also, The hyenas specifically are only treated as "good" the very second they don't hunt for food and instead scavenge, and ONLY scavenge. (Not by their own choice) Compare this to Fuli who has been shown hunting, and it's treated as a bad thing that her hunts got interrupted and she doesn't get to eat. BUT WHATEVER, YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT IT MUCH! LOOK AT THE FUNNY HONEY BADGER!!!

I honestly wouldn't even be complaining about any of this if it turned out Jasiri secretly lived in a oasis within or in the outskirts of the Outlands, or even the Backlands where she had access to prey or even later got a better land for her own in the end.

Keep in mind, this is all just my opinion. And you are free to disagree with me. And it's been a hot minute since I watched The Lion Guard so my details might be off here and there. Just don't try to pull the whole "It's a preschool show" argument, because that really doesn't matter to me.

[brimstone-and-cinnabar]

[ Closed/plotted Text RP with @the-broken-tooth-rp ]

The Citadel, a massive, terrifying castle-like structure poised upon a trifecta of floating islands that traveled slowly through the Nether's ever expanding reaches. It was here that the throne sat, and it was here that the God-King, the Ruler of the Gilded Twilight Empire sat.

A terrifying, monstrous beast from another dimension, another realm that was bathed in twilight itself. Abraxis, he was known as. A tyrant who had systematically been conquering every village, ruined fortress and bastion the Nether had to offer. Picking up the crumbling scraps of civilization that had long since been left in ruin...

However, where many bent a knee and offered servitude, there were some who were brought before Abraxis.. kicking, screaming and hollering profanities. Mainly humans who had been unlucky enough to have been caught by one of the God-King's many patrols, the many squadrons who had received the Ur-Ghasts' blessing.

Overwhelmed, unprepared for the mobs in which they faced. They were captured, and when they refused to bend.. they were killed. In a myriad of ways, naturally. So much so it had become a rousing spectacle for the upper echelons of Abraxis' Court.

Into the massive, long and wide spread halls of the Citadel. Where chains clacked, gears turned, and lava flowed freely in tubes, fountains and fixtures. A player had been caught, his pet wolves slaughtered right before he was cut down. Their soul sent back to the Overworld.

The Piglin Brute Commander, Khar had done the deed, a clean sweep with his gilded netherite axe and resounding strength. Another sent back to the other side, into the waiting arms of the brewing Storm that the Twins had concocted.

"Pathetic, really.." Abraxis' low, rumbling voice would cause most to tremble. Like a rolling earthquake spawned from a volcano. A fitting tone to the behemoth of a mob.

"All bark, but no bite when against something they can't exploit." He motioned with one claw toward the body. He was almost.. bored. Seeing so many fall before him, and so few put up even a shred of resistance. Mere humans were nothing compared to his typical prey.

Their souls, hardly worth eating.

"Have it taken to the incinerator with the rest. I rather not feed the Hoglin's such filth." Even he had his standards.

[dixbolik-lovers]

For some fun age hcs, I was thinking:

- Kou sings SO LOUD and SO POORLY while regressed. He just sings his favorite trashy songs at the top of his lungs. Because Ruki is a secret kpop stan, he sings along to some of them too, but he actually tries his best <3.

- You thought Shuu was cuddly before? He transcends cuddliness now. Not even God can comprehend how cuddly he is, he's just THAT Cuddly. And that's not even when he's tired.

- Reiji is a mad scientist. Way too messy for his own good. Think exclusively elephant toothpaste and giant volcanoes. And he "forgets" all the time to take his experiments outside.

- Outside of fun kids sports like Four Square and Hopscotch, Ayato loves playing pretend! He'll dress up in a cape and crown and declare himself the ruler of all the lands! (Kanato and Ayato get into some pretty "serious" turf wars (pillow fights))

Awwwww, these are so cute!!! ;w;

Kou singing badly is a Significant Thing, definitely. His job as an idol wouldn't allow him to be bad at something like that, so being able to relax enough not to care how he sounds is a sign that he's really starting to relax and let go.

When Shuu is still sort of stuck between his usual behavior and the regressed kind, and the perpetual sleepiness hasn't faded yet, he's extra cuddly. It feels better to rest with you right next to him, and he's always more rested that way... it gives him more energy, somehow! And can also be a regression trigger.

It would take a lot for Reiji to be at ease enough to actually make a mess, and even then, he's going to clean it up as best he can. Despite the mad scientist behavior, it's hard for him to do anything that could make him look bad or cause trouble.

Just wait until the princess Ayato incident returns. He's not quite as huffy about it this time, though— it's not that different than being king of everything, right? So it's fine!

[miredinmiddleearth]

Rings of Power, Ep. 7 Review - RIP

I’ve made it this far...Buckle up, mellon. Time for my thoughts on episode seven:

1. Dang. Everyone survived. Whelp, except that guy whose name I neither remember nor care to remember.

2. Wait, they SURVIVED?! Heat alone would do the trick, but pretending they survive the heat, that’s not snow they’re walking through! The ash would finish off anyone left! Look, LotR doesn’t have the best history with believability when it comes to volcanoes, but Rings of Power keeps professing it is meant to feel grittier and more realistic. So much for that, I guess.

3. The scene where Durin begs his father to help Elrond is actually poignant...and it makes me angry. Here’s why -

Lore/book reason the dwarves awake a Balrog: they were too greedy and dug too deep.

RoP reason the dwarves awake a Balrog: Durin is desperate to help his friend.

Writers, do you not see how thematically misaligned and stupid you are being?!

4. So now we know how the mithril cures the darkness. Apparently you just sit beside it. Wait, that begs the question, why do you even need to mine for mithril? Couldn’t the elves just book a mithril session and hang out int he caves for a bit? Totally cured.

5. Miss Pro-Genocide Galadriel gives a lecture on goodness and letting go of revenge. HA. That’s rich! Have we seen literally any evidence of a mind-change or reason she grew between the last episode and this one? Psh, no. Why would we need such a thing? 

6. I actually found the scene where Miriel realizes she’s been blinded quite decent, as well! Amazing! In an ACTUAL display of strength (not whatever fake nonsense we’ve seen the women display prior), Miriel must maintain composure and pretend she can see so she can be strong for her people. They actually did something good? 

Don’t make me laugh. The next time we see her, she’s wearing a blindfold, not hiding her blindness in ANY way. Apparently she only needed to fake being strong for a short horse ride.

7. When the heck did they have time to set up camp? At least the show is consistent. They’ll always fail to include what’s actually relevant. 

8. Apparently we need to waste time worrying that Isildur, the incredibly vital character from later tales, is dead. Great use of time. Proof upon proof upon proof of the ineptitude of the writers.

9. Galadriel finally said her brother’s name! Her primary motivation, and it only took 7 episodes for his name to get dropped.

10. Celeborn DEAD?! They had me going for a second. But no. Clearly gotta come back (Galadriel says he went away to war and never returned). Still, super stupid. Brother motivates her but apparently couldn’t care less about her hubby. Also, she met Celeborn because he came upon her dancing? Seriously? You couldn’t give them their own meet cure? You had to steal Luthien and Beren’s?

11. Durin is going to mine all the mithril by himself? Great plan, dude.

12. So are we supposed to dislike the dwarf king? Because I don’t dislike him. Mining mithril is not safe. Period.

13. Cool burning of harfoot carts, but unclear how many perished. Unfortunately, I think they all survived. Alas.

14. SIgh. Bronwyn survived, too. Also, watching her fling her arms around her son’s neck reminds me that she was shot through the shoulder the day before. Healed up nice and dandy, apparently. Also, she’s awfully clean for someone that went through a volcanic blast.

15. I laughed the hardest I’ve ever laughed in this show when Nori’s dad gives his brethren a pep talk. He says the harfoots, better than anyone else, “stay true to each other.” I CACKLED. Harfoots stick together? The same harfoots who wanted to leave you behind. Who wanted to take off your wheels and leave you to die. Who didn’t offer a single ounce of assistance when you were injured. THOSE harfoots?! (The laughter continued when harfoot who proposed murder is declared “always right.”)

16. Halbrand survives to show his pretty face another day. HIs wound is infected and he must be gotten to the elves!

Oh wait, he’s fine. Walking around like the wound is nothing. No? He still needs immediate aid that will require a very long horseride? Okay...

17. I know they’re shooting for Disa sounding inspirational and supportive of her husband, but to me she just sounds straight up evil in that speech at the end? SHE sounds greedy and possessive and manipulative. Definitely don’t think that’s what they were going for...

18. Ah. She we’re not just changing greedy dwarvish motivations to helping a friend, we’re adding that a leaf woke the Balrog. What is this, Kung Fu Panda?

19. The introduction of Mordor’s name made me roll my eyes.

Just one episode left. Just one. The end is in sight. (Yes, I know they’ve started filming season 2).

[windvexer]

Hagging Out: November and the Cessation of Candles

I became aware of Hagging Out last year when I was a mere child of 29. Although I've qualified for some months I've always been too shy to join. I'm glad I finally did.

The theme of this month is veneration. I had very little time to plan and didn't have any good ideas. I was stuck on trying to develop a tradition I could use year after year. Then I realized that my best course of action is just to get around to a lot of small things that I've been intending to do to venerate the important spirits in my life.

The most important of these things is quitting candles.

So, while at the grocery store yesterday morning I picked up a nice steak and got down to business.

This past year my practice has been localized around these two beautiful boxes of metal:

When it regularly gets past 110F/43C for days at a time in the summer - and you can only imagine the heat inside of a metal box - candles get funky. Jar candles escape their containers by migrating upwards like sea cucumbers. Taper and chime candles melt into rat kings.

I've had candles vent wax like volcanoes, glass containers explode, ants eating paraffin wax (why?!), the works. I realized a couple weeks ago that candles just weren't working out for me. But, fire and flame remains and important part of my practice. A couple of weeks ago I went to the store and picked up a couple of oil lamps, one specifically for the purpose of being dedicated to my spiritual family.

At around three in the afternoon I put veneration on my mind and started cleaning and organizing my altars.

I added a few talismans to my devotional necklace which were long overdue - this necklace is an important part of taking my faith with me throughout my day:

During my tending I went to visit the Rosemary bushes. I consider Rosemary to be an important spirit in my path and recently our relationship moved to a deeper place. While tending to the bushes, each one of them broke off a branch.

I knew immediately and without question that they were to become Creatures, each one to its own purpose.

When the preparations were finished, I cooked a lovely ribeye steak dinner and took it out to the trailer.

I called the spirits that I love and adore and spoke to them plainly about how much they mean to me and how deeply I value them in my life. I spoke about the oil lamp, dedicated it to all of them, and lit it.

I invited my spirits to taste the food through me and take its nourishment from me, and ate with them. Then, as intuition advised, I spent quite some time transforming the Rosemary branches into Creatures. I ended up blooding them - it's been a long time since I've blooded anything.

I don't know if my work with Rosemary was particularly on-theme for veneration, but it's been something I know Rosemary has wanted me to do for a long time. I am regardless thankful for the time I got to spend with my spirits and the chance to dedicate the lamp to them.

I got done just about when night set in. All in all, it was a good hagging out. I'm glad I joined in.

[lodilowdown]

Update Number 5

What a time! Just spent the last few days with Sophie exploring Fort William. I picked Soph up at the train station on Friday (good thing too because she had no real plans on getting to our hostel 😂) and we quickly decided to do Ben Nevis the following day. According to some weather forecasting, it looked like there would be some intense winds on Sunday so we moved our plans around to do the hike earlier.

Come Saturday morning, we got up bright and early to hit the trail. We tried to get some oatmeal down but for some reason it was disgusting? Couldn’t make it happen. It was almost comical. From there, we packed our stuff up and moved out. Our hostel literally dumped us onto the trail which was fantastic. Not having to figure out transportation was so convenient.

Up the trail we went. And up it was indeed. This hike was no joke, literally straight up for 4 miles going from 67 ft to 4500 ft. Sophie was obviously very okay, but I was dying. I made it to about 4000 ft before I decided that the amount of ice/snow on the trail plus how exhausted I was feeling meant I probably ought to be done for the day. Soph ran up ahead to the very tippy top of the summit to get some neat pics. I’ll count my summit - I got close enough.

Coming back down was way faster but felt harder on the soul. But man, being able to walk straight into our hostel almost made us both cry. We collapsed into a table and munched some sandwiches then slowly got ourselves cleaned up. We feasted like kings for dinner and then slept forever.

Come Sunday, we discovered that the forecast was correct. It got real windy and the gondolas that go up the range were closed (sad). Luckily at the bottom of the mountain, it wasn’t too ugly until the evening.

Monday was another travel day to Glasgow. It was certainly…….exciting. Took the train, but there was flooding due to the aforementioned storm that had come in so we got dumped off the train about halfway to Glasgow in some tiny town (Crianlarich). Thankfully ScotRail hired a bus for all the passengers to get to Glasgow. It did take almost 6 hours but we did make it.

Sophie just hopped on the bus to the airport to continue her adventure into Iceland (where there may be an active volcano eruption? We’ll see lol). Not sure what I’ll do in Glasgow yet but I’m sure there are adventures in store.

[casterlygldcs]

who: @arronlannister where and when: some days following prince arron lannister's incident with the river king, the lion king takes him aside during one of the feasting events.

the levels of opulence and extravagance fund within something as simple as food, a key for human survival, was entirely unnecessary. both the sons of casterly had understood what it was to put their bodies through hardship, to ensure they did not become gluttonous. addicted to foods which would render them unable to be the hunters they truly were at heart; and yet, to say there was a noticeable source of tension in the air would be an understatement. none of the lannisters seemed to be talking with one another, even if they were within a public setting such as the mighty feasting hall: and as course after course appeared upon the tables, delighting the courtiers more than the lion king himself, that hardened emerald gaze fell upon the sight of his brother.

there had never been a time where the man looked upon him, and felt such a wretched sense of disappointment: the silence between them in the days that followed was abnormal. it felt as though the entire court awaited to see the outcome. such feelings and such an atmosphere toward arron felt entirely unnatural, entirely wrong; and yet he would sit and be in it. he would not go out of his way to try and comfort the man; now more than ever before. his reasons came from more than being a king, but also came from the exhaustion of being the one to have to do such a thing. for years. he had lost his head in a moment where tyland was unable to hold him back, and it had resulted in more of a mess he would need to clean up.

the court was surprised to find there had been no fiery reaction, no obvious consequence on a formal level, and in truth, tyland knew that would only hurt his brother more. for the silence that came over the lion king was far more effective than any form of chiding. he did not wish to hurt his brother, he did not actively take pleasure in inflicting hurt upon the man; and yet he grew utterly exhausted with his emotive responses, something that had not changed for years. to say the man was only rage was said by someone who did not know the prince of fair isle at all; for it were not only rage he felt in extreme, but he felt everything in extreme.

and it were tyland that always had to talk him down from whatever point of extremity he had found himself at; somewhere along the years, being a big brother had blended with being a king.

there was no way to separate the two; there was no way of ever going back to what they once were. he hated the fact that arron seemed to be the only one of his siblings that struggled to accept and understand such a thing, who continued to grieve for who they had once been years ago. the court of the west had always been their battlefield, and yet now history had settled it's cruel eyes on them. just as his eyes fixed upon his brother's for a moment, seeing him look entirely wretched. moody. clearly not wanting to be there. it was enough to cause the king to set his fork down on his plate, and send a messenger to relay a message to the prince of fair isle.

"his grace the king wishes to speak with you outside, your highness." were the words of the servant; his voice almost shaking as he addressed the prince of fair isle when he was already in such a mood. would he be on the end of a volcano erupting?