#like I know we all want our dogs to enjoy the work their ancestors did

[darkwood-sleddog]

Idk man but “lip licking and yawns” do not = working hard to me.

[changingplumbob]

Nishidake Household: Chapter 5, Part 1

In this part the Nishidake household hit a few roadbumps with the inclusion of the health mods.

Back to Mt Komorebi where the Nishidake household sleeps. Last rotation they got the news that Kaori’s grandparents had left a large inheritance for her and her wife. The Nishidake family are the guardians of the mountain, a mantle which requires loyalty to the region. Specifically you can go somewhere on holiday, but if you take steps to move away you will die. At least according to a bunch of dead ancestors who tried, including Kaori’s parents.

Charlie: We better get up

Kaori: Clover’s belly is not the boss of us

Clover: *barks hungrily*

Kaori: Who am I kidding? Her belly is totally the boss of us

Charlie: *laughs* I can go feed her if you want first shower

Kaori: Please. I had a not great fall yesterday and my muscles are still aching

Charlie: You should have said, I could have given you a massage

Kaori: I’ve maxed my snowboarding skill, I’m not meant to have falls

Charlie: Everyone has falls *to Clover* Come on my honey pie, who wants biscuits?

Charlie: Did you get back in your pyjamas? *kisses cheek*

Kaori: Yeah, they’re comfy

Charlie: Remember we need to go to the doctors first thing

Kaori: Why? Since when

Charlie: Mum text about a new mod. Apparently we need vaccines and to go see a gynaecologist

Kaori: Char only one of us got a bio degree

Charlie: Oh, they just look at our pixel parts and tell us if we’re healthy

Kaori: What? I don’t want some stranger looking at my pixel parts

Charlie: We don’t have a choice

Kaori: Sure we do! We just don’t go. It’s not like we’re going to get pregnant or one of us is sleeping with someone who has a pixel parts infection

Charlie: We don’t need to be trying to get pregnant for our reproductive organs to stuff up and explode

Kaori: *suspiciously* You’re just being gloomy right? Our organs won’t actually explode…

Charlie: Guess the only way for you to find out is to come with me

Kaori: *rolls eyes* Fine. How much will it set us back

Charlie: Don’t worry. All players on the team get health insurance, we’ll be fine, it won’t cost as much

Kaori: Brilliant! We could use the savings on a new couch

Charlie: Umm, I don’t think that’s how savings work. And we hardly ever sit on the couches anyway

Kaori: Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have nice ones. And I’m not suggesting we use the inheritance on ourselves, but you and I do get income we can spend. You knew you were marrying a shop-a-holic Char, I like nice things

Charlie: Am I included in these nice things

Kaori: Only if you take a shower

Charlie: Oh, she burns!

Kaori: Shut up, you know I still have a fear of fire. I’ll get the dishes, you shower so we can get these medical visits over with

Clover: *barks* Hope I don’t have any medical visits

Kaori: We survived!

Charlie: Heck yeah. Now, about what the doctor said…

Kaori: Char she said I’m neurodivergent, it’s not like we need to be worried or sad or whatever

Charlie: I’m gloomy, I can’t help it. Do you want me to go to the psychiatrist with you

Kaori: Nah, I’ll be sweet. Can you get started on the chores for me though?

Charlie: Does gardening count

Kaori: So long as you don’t let Clover track the dirt through the house

Charlie: I won’t. But I know you enjoy vacuuming so… I’ll leave that for you?

Kaori: *laughs* Guilty! Okay, I’ll vacuum when I’m back

Charlie gets started on her indoor garden. She learned how to garden during her biology degree with Rahul, not that she’d tell her dad that she’d ignored his many attempts to teach her about soil types and fertiliser strengths. She’s calling out to Clover every so often when she realises Clover is barking differently than normal.

Charlie: You better not be inviting around the hound dogs

Clover: *barks to the hound dogs*

Charlie: We’re getting you spayed so don’t even think about it

Kaori: What’s all the noise in here

Charlie: You back? How’d it go

Kaori: Did you say we’re getting this precious angel spayed

Charlie: I did indeed yell that

Clover: *barks in love*

Kaori: But... Charlie... puppies could be so cute!

Charlie: No

Kaori: Why not? You got her and Allie as puppies

Charlie: Over population K. There’s enough strays out there without adding to the surplus

Kaori and Clover go to the garden room where Charlie is fighting a temporary bug invasion.

Kaori: But what if... we kept the puppies

Charlie: *sighs* K, pregnancy is hard and labour is rough. Yes you may end up with cute puppies but think about what Clover would have to go through. It’s not right for us to put her through that when we can get her fixed

Kaori: *pouts* Suppose

Charlie: I don’t want to be pregnant. You don’t want to be pregnant. Why would we make her do something we’re not willing to go through ourselves huh?

Kaori: You’re right, I know you’re right. She just really seems to want to make puppies

Clover: *barks in love*

Charlie: It’s hormones. Should calm down when she’s fixed. Now what did the psychiatrist say

Kaori: That I have… wait he did write it down somewhere for me…

Clover: *barks in love*

Charlie: Honey pie mummies are talking right now

Kaori: Oh, I kept it on my phone. I have this thing called… Dysgraphia? I think that’s how it’s pronounced

Charlie: I haven’t heard of it before

Kaori: Yeah me neither

Charlie: Do they think we need to be worried at all

Kaori: No. It’s just why I have trouble writing neatly and getting stuff from my head onto paper

Charlie: Did they want you to start anything like meds or tutoring or something

Kaori: Depends on how much I’m bothered. Like I have the film and literature hobby but I enjoy experiencing stories more than creating them you know. I’ll see how I go

With the garden tidied Charlie gets into her uniform and heads off to work.

Kaori: Good luck playing Char! We'll be listening and watching

Charlie: Thanks. Hey Clover, I’ll see you when you have less organs

Clover: *whines*

Kaori: Here we are, standard vets. I’ll go sign you in for a spay, come on Clover

Clover: *whines in love*

Kaori: Let’s see… do we have an account here? We should do, we took Allie here after all

Bartholemew A. Bittlebun, Snr.: *meows* Lady you’re in my puddle

Kaori: Spay… spay… spay! Here we go, all signed up

 Bartholemew A. Bittlebun, Snr.: *meows* The service here is terrible

Kaori: I’m lucky this screen lights up. Why is it so dark in here?

Clover: *barks* Puddle! I must jump in as tribute to Peanut

Bartholemew A. Bittlebun, Snr.: *meows* Make your own puddle to play in

Clover: *barks* But this one is right here and I need to roll

Bartholemew A. Bittlebun, Snr.: *runs from the scene of the crime*

Justin: Hey lady, your dog is making a mess! All over the floor

Kaori: Maybe you should wait for the vet outside Clover

Bartholemew A. Bittlebun, Snr.: *smirks in victorious cat*

Cora: Clover? Clover?

Clover: *barks* That’s my name, don’t wear it out

Cora: You’re a nice doggy, right

Clover: *barks* Why do you look scared

Sick Non Fox: *barks* Get out of my way!

Clover: *growls* You get out of my way fire feet

Sick Non Fox: Why hasn’t the vet taken you in yet? Do you have rabies

Clover: *growls* I do not have rabies

Kaori: So do you have a cat or-

Brant: Three dogs, the youngest one seems to have something wrong with his feet. Luckily we live nearby

Kaori: Oh man I live all the way in Mt Komorebi, but this is pretty much the only vet clinic in the world

Brant: Tell me about it

…

Cora: Nice doggy? Want to play

Clover: *barks* at least that rhymes with spay

Sick Non Fox: You’re getting your organs taken out? Loser. I can breed free

Clover: *growls* I pity any offspring of your ridiculous looking self

Cora: Here we are. If you could just get her to sit on the treadmill

Kaori: Clover, sit. What was the delay?

Cora: Oh, you know, just wanted to check some things

Clover disappears into the machine…

Kaori: What do you mean? What things

Cora: Not to worry. This is my first time doing a spay but I did learn how to tell the difference between the uterus and the bladder

Clover: *whines*

Kaori: Is she okay in there

Cora: She’ll be fine. Now the procedure does fit her with a cone. We recommend *thinks hard* that it stay on for the rest of the day

Kaori takes Clover home feeling less than confident in the nurses abilities but Clover seems fine apart from the cone. Charlie will be working until 9 but the fridge is almost empty so Kaori starts on dinner.

Kaori: I’m sorry we won’t have puppies Clover, they would have been cute. Maybe in a few years mummy will let us get another puppy huh?

Clover: *barks dejectedly*

Kaori: Of course, we could always just go adopt a puppy as a surprise

Clover: *barks questioningly*

Kaori: I know babykins, you’re right. Rescue pets do not make good surprise gifts

Kaori turns on the radio while she eats so she can tune in to Charlie’s game. She’ll watch it properly when she’s eaten but she likes to catch the start. It’s a rough game for Charlie’s team, they don’t win, and Charlie gets subbed out ten minutes before then end. She returns home gloomier than usual.

Kaori: Do you want a massage

Charlie: You watched the game huh

Kaori: I did

Charlie: I hate when coach subs me out at the end. I’m the best on the team for the penalty shootouts

Kaori: I suppose you can’t win them all

Charlie: This stupid reporter-

Kaori: Hey, have some food while we talk. You look pretty wiped out

Charlie: You left me the last of the Pho?

Kaori: I had to cook so I figured I’d let you have it

Charlie: Aww thanks K. You’re sweet

Kaori: Now you mentioned reporter

Charlie: *sighs* So it’s post match press and this guy calls the loss one of the worst ever to happen in soccer. Which I get, it was a rough end. But he was asking me who was responsible? Did the dude not see I wasn’t even on the pitch for the end?

Kaori: Did you tell him off

Charlie: I thought about it, but I didn’t want to throw coach under the bus. Then she’d have even more reason to bench me. So I spouted some nonsense about teamwork. I swear they target me with the tricky questions because they know I’m gloomy and they’re searching for a soundbite

Kaori: Come here, I love you and your gloominess. It keeps me and my cheerfulness grounded

Charlie: *sighs* I suppose so. I guess I should do the dishes

Kaori: No, I got them. I think somebody wants their cone off

Charlie: Oh Clover, Honey pie? Who wants to be free again?

Clover: *barks* Have mercy on me

Charlie: Does my brave girl need a hug, huh? Do you need a hug?

The tired trio head to the bedroom together and fall asleep.

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[theunfortunateplace]

Homecoming (Namor X Black OC) Chapter 3

Read On AO3 Previous Chapter Next Chapter

description: After being away from home for so many years due to school keeping Adella busy she's finally able to go home after her hard work pays off but what she didn't expect was such an eventful homecoming.

Four days that’s how long I’ve been here four days. It’s not that I hated it here it’s quite peaceful. I’m sure someone is worried about me there but non other bit the king himself lets me know he has everything under control. 

At least I’m not kept in this room by force. Everyone I met so far has been nice except the girl named Namora. I don’t know what her deal is but she’s constantly side-eyeing me as if I called her dog an ugly rat or stepping on her white shoes. 

Attuma, on the other hand, has been very friendly well that’s whenever he does come around. 

“The shaman is here to speak with us.” I jump from the sudden boom in volume. I clutch my chest and turn around.

“ I’m gonna need to put a bell on you or something because you can’t keep doing that.” He smiled and crossed his hands behind him. 

“ I did make myself known you simply were deep in thought.” He gestured to the door and we exited the room

“Did you enjoy your breakfast?” He asked trying to make small talk as we ventured down the hallway.

“Mhm it was nice but lonely….. the only person I talk to is Attuma but he isn’t always around and you.” 

He hummed “ what about-“

“She does not like me K'uk'ulkan.” 

“You don’t know that.” I stopped mid-stride and stared at him.

“ I know when someone likes me and when they don’t and she does not either you have seen the looks she has given me or you choose to be oblivious to the fact that she believes I don’t belong here.” 

He took a deep breath but didn’t say anything only clenched his jaw as if I had disrespected him. 

“We should go before we are late.” He cleared his throat and waited for me to start walking again. 

He held the door open for me and I walked in greeted by a couple of people. 

K'uk'ulkan and the others conversed back and forth then the man led me to sit down. 

“Since you don’t know the language yet I’ll translate.” 

I nodded my head and sat there. Hopefully there’s some clarity from this because things are still not making sense. 

“There was no escaping this even if we wanted to essentially everything was planned out by our god.” 

“So your god had my life planned out how does that make any sense when I don’t worship him?” 

“You might have not but your ancestors did well your other ones.” I assume he’s talking about my nonblack ancestors the ones that come from my dad's side 

“ I’m not sure that’s true just like the other indigenous people. My ancestors were colonized by the Spanish, and all the families that I know of are Catholic.” 

He hummed and looked back at the man who just stared at me. He shook his head and started talking to K'uk'ulkan

“He said our tribe wasn’t the only one who believed in the same god…the name of them is unknown seeing as how they got forced by the Spanish but they never consumed the plant but they farmed with the same soil it came from.”

I nodded my head all of this was just crazy to me. What is that supposed to mean? 

“ so….”

“ meaning that your ancestors only got part of the gift from our shared god.”

Gift? What could that-

“So that’s why my family were good swimmers and always loved by the ocean.” I gasped and bit my thumb nervously. 

“ which explains why you were dangerously deep in the ocean.” He said watching me nervously nibble at my finger. 

“ I happen to be a great swimmer with excellent lung capacity that depth was nothing compared to what I could really do without needing an oxygen tank and before the pressure gets too much.” 

“You still shouldn’t have been that far down not for a surface dweller.” Is he scolding me? Sure it’s my fault but I was trying to help. 

“Well, excuse me for putting my marine biology degree to use. I don’t just go frolicking around hoping to get killed but saved in the last minute by a handsome man that I saved hours  before.”  He raised an eyebrow 

“The gods definitely picked a good one out for me.” He scoffed. 

“You know you’re the last person that should be talking because look how many times I saved you that night?”  I rolled my eyes and huffed some nerve of that man. 

The man cleared his throat and we both looked at him. He gave both of us a serious face but only  K'uk'ulkan had a face that expressed terror.

“What? What did he say?” 

“The more we reject our fate of being destined for one another, spending time apart due to quarrels and fail to consummate our marriage bad things will continue to happen which will eventually end in both of our deaths.” 

I gulped and ferociously started to move onto biting on my nail so being able to leave is out of the picture. Going back to my regular life is long gone I’m stuck here. 

I lower my head and cover my face with my hands overwhelmed by feeling tears begin to fall from my eyes.

I’m never gonna get to see my only family left, they are probably worried sick I should’ve minded my own damn business. 

I soon felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me only making me cry harder mourning the life I once had. All because of a god I don’t even worship had my life planned out. 

I felt his plump lips briefly press against my forehead shocking me but the tears still flowed. Was this his way of trying to comfort me? 

“We will figure it out okay.” He rubbed my back and hummed. I blocked out the rest of the conversation they were having. I no longer was interested and truthfully I was over it. Shortly after he lifted me up placing his hands under my butt I instinctively wrapped my legs around him not wanting to fall. Once again his lips met my forehead, “if there were another way I wouldn't put you through this.”

-

He dropped me back off to my room and talked for a bit before he had to leave once again, but Attuma kept me company when he stopped by to talk 

As I conversed with Attuma joking around and enjoying downtime with him I felt a pair of eyes burning holes into the side of my face. 

I look over and see K'uk'ulkan glaring at me while clutching his jaw. I raised my brow confused if something was bothering him. He needed to say something I don’t read minds. 

“Once you're able to come out  and meet everyone I’ll take you to where the whales stay.” My eyes went wide and clapped my hands 

“No, you're pulling my leg you guys have whales.” 

He nodded, “yes, when we have long trips we take them out as transportation.”

“So how does dating work here fill me in? I’m sure it’s much different than what I’m used to.”  Attuma went to open his mouth but got interrupted by a scoff coming from the corner of the room. 

“Um,” he cleared his throat, “yes though I don’t know too much about how surface dwellers date we do courting it’s a process.” 

“Ah I see, I’m sure that’s a wonderful experience.” 

“  Yaan deberes ku, kin tsoolik u xeej a beetej le je'elo'”    (You have duties to attend to I advise you to go do that) 

I jump from the sudden base in K'uk'ulkan voice. I shoot a glare at him and Attuma swiftly stood up. I go to reach out for his hand 

But once again I’m startled by his shouting. Attuma nodded his head and didn’t look back.

“Why did you do that why did you make him leave?” I stood the only person that  wants to talk to me forced to leave because someone wants to have a hissy fit 

“You learned nothing today did you?” He cursed under his breath and walked closer to me. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

He scoffed, “you act like you don’t know what I’m talking about how can someone so smart be so-“

“Don't you dare finish that sentence!”  I said sternly 

“You bat your eyes at my best worrier and reach out for his hand, YOU ARE MY WIFE ADELLA!” 

I chuckled and rubbed my temples, “you mistake my kindness for flirting” 

“ I didn't mistake anything I know what I saw!”

“Well, get your fucking eyes checked out because you saw wrong. And it’s clear you need that hearing if yours checked as well because if YOU recall I told you he’s the only one that talks to me!”

“Bullshit Adella BULL FUCKING SHIT if you just tried to be nice to nam-“

I scoffed and threw my hands up in the air. “ I’m done with this conversation.” 

I walked away only for him to grip my wrist trying to pull me back. I look at my wrist and up at him and snatch it away from him.

“How can you call me your wife when  you don’t care to spend time with me, stick up for your cousin when she’s the one being rude to me respectfully, fuck you K'uk'ulkan.” I scoff. “It's funny that I thought when you were comforting me this morning that I could accept my fate, but no, I think I would rather die.” 

I didn’t care to listen to his response I needed to get away from here. 

_

I sit at the edge of the cave with my toes dipped into the water that delves deeper into the ocean. I couldn’t help but admire the glow worms they mimicked the night sky. Who would have thought I would have missed something as small as that something that’s a given and often taken for granted? 

Will I ever be able to go back home? What’s the point of staying here especially when it feels like I’m not wanted?

My breath hitched as I heard footsteps moving closer to me. I turned around to see  

K'uk'ulkan was not dressed in his usual royal attire his eyes were soft as if they were calling out to me.

“ Adella.” His voice echoed bouncing off the cave walls.  He gestured to the spot near me and I hesitantly nodded my head. He owns the cave after all who am I to deny him? 

“ I want to apologize to you.” He cleared his throat and looked over at me, “I'm disgusted and disappointed by the behavior I exhibited hours ago. It wasn't right for me to curse at you much less raise my voice. I let jealousy blind me.��

“I-I'm just new to all of this. These emotions six days ago I was just a king looking after my people and keeping them safe then out of nowhere I get hit with this intense feeling towards you….that’s why I was trying to leave so quickly when you saved me… I didn’t like the feeling because it was unnatural to me unknown but how I acted back there is not how I was raised and I feel ashamed that the side even got out.” 

He looked away but quickly pinned his eyes back on me. 

“ And you were right about Namora. You are my partner now my wife In reina I should have believed you when you expressed how you felt. As for my cousin, she simply doesn’t do well towards people outside our tribe, and I’m not taking her side when I say this nor does it excuse her behavior but she just doesn’t know how to properly express herself.”

All of this could have been avoided if he had just talked to me and listened.

“And with that, I'm sorry In reina” I looked at him he didn’t have that stern look on his face he was extremely apologetic. Not that his words hadn’t expressed that.

“ I’m sorry too I also shouldn’t have cursed at you or said I would rather die that was a little bit extreme. I accept your apology as well…after having some time to cool down I realized I was just hurt by your actions and acted on emotions.” 

He nodded his head and maintained eye contact. I looked down at my feet feeling intimidated by his gaze. “I just felt attacked. Attuma is the only person that talks to me. The women who come and bring me food and clothes just smile and don’t say a word. You're never around only when it’s important matters or to see how I was doing. When trying to talk to the girl I thought looked like a fun person to be friends with constantly looked down at me like I was chum it hurt.” 

“ I wasn’t trying to come off as flirting in that conversation I had with him I simply wanted to know more about the people I would be spending my life with. And knowing that you guys haven’t been taken over by the Spanish made me wonder what are the differences and dating was the first thing that popped up.”

“My mother would be very disappointed in my actions and I’m deeply sorry for that not just because I know my mother would disapprove but because I misunderstood you.” 

I looked up from my feet and our eyes met. I had him a soft smile. I laid back on the surprisingly warm rock and started up at the glow worms.

“Emotions are crazy,” I said. He chuckled softly and joined me in laying on the rock. 

“Out of the  five hundred years I’ve been alive not once have I met a woman that drives me crazy as much as you do.” 

“If I were given the chance I wouldn’t have turned you right away. I would have courted you taught you my language showered you with your favorite fruit and jewels.” 

“It's not too late for all those things. We might be married but we know nothing about each other.” He hummed agreeing with me well at least I think that’s what he was doing 

“ You're right.” He got up and held his hand out for me to grab. I take it, “come on let me take you somewhere.” 

He smiled at me and before I knew it we were in the water. You know that feeling you get when you get a strong gust of cool air that’s what I felt like being in the water again.

He smiled at me and gestured for me to follow him. I didn’t stall to see what was in store. This was the first time I actually had left the cave. I was excited to be anywhere but there.

“follow the current, don’t fight it.” He said shortly after I felt a rush of water push past me he grabbed my hand and nodded his head to reassure me that everything was okay.

I wasn’t used to this speed back on land. If you get caught in something like this it meant death but here it meant faster transport to wherever we were going. The feeling almost replicated what it was like going head first down a slide in those play areas they have at fast food restaurants. 

But soon enough I was there. 

“ welcome to Talokan.” 

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[jessicas-southkoreanlitblog]

Reflections on a Year of Reading Korean Literature

Titles Read

Brother One Cell- Cullen Thomas

XOXO- Axie OH

The Silence of Bones- June Hur

No One Writes Back- Jang Eun-Jin

Originally I wanted to go to countries like Italy or Ireland. Those two countries were my first two picks for this project because that’s where my family is from. On my dads side of the family most of my ancestors come from Ireland. On my moms side of the family we have a rich heritage in Italy. With my great grandparents coming to the United States from Italy, which was a cool story to hear from my grandpa. I really wanted to know more about these countries and their culture. Figuring these two countries would end up being popular picks I went for my third choice of South Korea. I didn't know much about South Korea but I really wanted to know more about it. There are a lot of recurring themes for their Young Adult romance novels, which have the theme of K-pop being heavily involved. After reading 20 weeks of Korean Literature I feel like I have learned a lot about its culture and its rich history and culture. Learning about a new country basically from scratch is really nice. You have no predetermined thoughts or ideas on the country and instead get to experience the literature straight from the source.

From Brother One Cell, by Cullen Thomas, I learned the difference in prison systems and the inside story from someone who was in multiple South Korean prisons. Thomas’ book is an autobiography of Thomas’ life in South Korea. Why he came to South Korea and what ended him up in prison. From this book I got to understand and learn about what someone's life in a South Korean prison would look like. I learned how having a support system like a family can be really beneficial. To have people always have your back and help you through really tough times.

XOXO by Axie Oh explores the idea of love and how it can persevere through unexpected circumstances and secrets. It also explores the dynamic between a mother and daughter who don't see eye to eye on certain things, but can learn to talk it out and ultimately find a way back to each other.

From The Silence of Bones by June Hur, I learned that you can always strive for more no matter your circumstances. Our main character Seol has really been dealt bad hand after bad hand in life but she never lets that stop her from doing what she wants out of her life. She finds her brother, solves a murder case, and learns how to read and write even though her status as Damo held her back.

From No One Writes Back by Jang Eun-jin, I learned that finding yourself can take awhile and can help with some unexpected people. Our main character Jihun had become a traveler with his dog Wajo. Jihun likes to write letters to people he meets throughout his days, only getting their stories and not their names. One day he meets a woman. This woman unknowingly and seamlessly helped Jihun find himself in a way no had had expected. Teaching him he can rely on people even though he hadn’t gotten a letter back and he hadn’t seen his family.

Through the 20 weeks of Independent Reading, I have learned that I actually enjoyed all of the books that I had read. Though at first I was kind of reluctant because they weren’t the kind of books I would normally read, I did enjoy every last one of them. It was hard though to try to keep up with the 10 pages a day, especially with school, work, homework, and my home life, I think I was able to manage. I enjoy being told when to read and how much I should read, especially since I'm busy with other and more important things in life. That’s why I had kind of a hard time with this project. I feel like reading should be done when someone has some downtime and FEELS like reading, when that person has to sit down and open a book. Be able to really say the book on their own terms. I feel people, including myself, find books more enjoyable that way. With all that being said I did enjoy the books and had a hard time at some points to stop reading. I'm really glad I got to experience these books because without this project I worry I would never be able to get that experience. That would be a tragedy to me as I really enjoyed No One Writes Back by Jang Eun-jin. I would even go as far as to recommend that book to anyone who may be interested in a new book to read.

[somewhereupabovethestarsforus]

I like being a woman. Here, I said it. I like feeling beautiful and I like being a part of history. A history of pain, trauma, and abuse. What good is my pain if I can't call it what it is? I have pain because I am a woman. It's because I've been called what I am, I've been out in my place and shaped by the ones who named me. I cannot make-believe that I walk this earth with what I am inside. It will never be enough, nothing will ever mend the burden of having this flesh on me. The gaze that cut through my skin as a kid. The hands that brushed my hair with what seemed to be parental love. No one other than my own blood is my family. And sometimes, not even them. I need to hold on to women who will never get me, who will never love me, who will never want me. I need to hold on to women who think I am a banishment. Because I share my pain with them. I can see them being girls, I can see all the little things that they enjoy with a bruised eye and an arm. Because I share my home with them, a stale bread, an onion, and the dirty cover on the carpet. We eat there licking our thumbs, we mix the toughened bread with yogurt, we eat it with love, we eat it with gratitude. We sit in front of the pulsing fire, I bathe my sister in front of it, in a blue bucket just like how my mother bathed me and how her mother did the same.

My grandmother would not have understood me. We did not speak the same language, we only exchanged smiles, giggles and kisses until the day she died. But I knew she loved me, and I knew it was real. I am a woman because I am hers and she is mine. The burden she carried all her life is the strength I seek and hold on to walking this disgusting world. I am her daughter. I am her daughter's daughter. They are the women who fought, who refused to die at the hands of a man. Took the abuse but never yielded. Worked like a dog to eat that onion in the evening.

My mother doesn't get me. I know she is the first woman who crushed my heart to pieces, turned me into shards of glass, put voices in my head, bricks around my heart. She cut my hair and hit my face until I obeyed. I am not mad at her anymore. I know it was hard. I am her daughter. I don't wanna be her child, but being the girl that does not look or walk like her is enough. I think it's enough for me now.

My tits are not what makes me a woman, nor does my womb, I know. But I inherited the power of giving birth to at least ten children, that is my legacy. For years I spiked against it and hated my eggs. I do not hate them anymore, but I don't think I'll ever use them either. I just want to keep them here though, to remind me that I am a woman and have always been. Suffered since I was twelve and bled for days on end with aches on my legs. Crawled from my bed like a beast at night, trying not to make a sound so my pain wouldn't bother anyone.

I could have lived my grandmother's life if my father was a villain. My father was not a villain, but he is still a man. I needed to be on the side of my mother even though she had a good man. No man is ever good enough. We do not have anyone but each other. That is why I am a woman. That is why I cannot deny it.

Continents may change a lot of things for a lot of people. It certainly has for me. But continents don't change what you carry on your body. They don't change your blood and they don't change your memory. They told me I have thick eyelashes because my ancestors lived in the desert. My eyes are beautiful like camels because their bodies adapted. I love my thick eyelashes. I love my orange body. I love my ancestors and like this I carry their bodies on me. That's why I am a woman. That's why I've grown to like it.

I am not a woman. I keep saying this. I don't want them to call me that, but honestly, I know there's no other option. I am not ashamed of it anymore. I learned how to be successful at being a beautiful woman. I worked my ass off for years to become a pretty girl, and then I took it and threw it all away. It killed something inside me, having to let go of that accomplishment. So I lost the reward, but I still carry the punishment. Now I walk my feet bleeding with my grandmother in mind. I love her so much. That is why I am a woman.

[pick-em-pool]

WEEK 15

HO HO HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 🎅🎄❄🤶 It's the most wonderful time of the year! Trees are up, gifts are wrapped, and the holiday cheer is being spread! ☺☺☺ And we all know that football goes with Christmas just like fruitcake and eggnog 🍰 Let's take a quick look at the holiday traditions that make the holiday so special ⛄☃

KRAMPUS - 12 POINTS

Everyone knows about jolly Saint Nick. Yet in Austria, he has a rather sinister companion, KRAMPUS 😈 a half goat monster that beats bad little German children with tree branches 🎋 (I think I speak for all of us when I say WTF Austria) Just like JANIE beat all you bad little weiner schnitzels this week with TWELVE POINTS 🔥🔥🔥 I for one, am going to go do the dishes while I'm staying in Arizona before Janie decides to take me off the "Nice" list 😇 Even JJ won't want to be "Naughty" with Janie if it means getting beat with a tree branch 🤕

KENTUCKY FRIED CHRISTMAS - 10 POINTS

Japan is NOT known for being a Christian nation 🎌 But you know what they ARE known for? Pearl Harbor Kentucky Fried Chicken 🍗 That's right people. Every year Japanese families reserve a holiday turkey from KFC and enjoy their version of a very tasty festival. The KFC logo is even based on J.J. AKA colonel Sanders 🧔 Sadly, this is the last time I can beat the dead horse that is J.J.'s beard jokes, because his face is now a smooth as a DELICIOUS KFC Southern Fried Butter Biscuit™ 😭😭😭 (KFC absolutely did NOT pay me to say that, I came up with the idea to talk about their Savory Spicy Kentucky Super Gravy™ available as most KFC locations)

CHRISTMAS PICKLE - 10 POINTS

The German tradition beloved around the world! 🌎 where parents hide a pickle in the tree and little tikes race to be the first to find that pickle! 🥒🥒 As usual, this tradition has a lovely origin, where two little Scandinavian boys were trapped in a pickle barrel 😆 they died 😊 Warms the heart! Our Christmas Pickle this year is of course PEYTON! Though we can't wait to see him, he needs to remember that Arizona is a FAMILY place, so he better keep HIS 'Christmas Pickle' to himself!

HOLIDAY SAUNA - 10 POINTS

In the frozen tundra of Finland, locals find solace in a national tradition of stripping naked and relaxing in a hot sauna with friends and family 🧖‍♀️🧖‍♂️ I'm moving to FINLAND ✈ So catch Gabby soaking up the souls of her ancestors 👴👵, just like they believe in Finland, in a lovely Sauna! I will be peering at her through the window with a periscope 🔭

YULE CAT - 10 POINTS

Iceland has many fun, kid friendly Christmas tales 📗📘📙 Just like the Yule Cat MEOW 🐱 little Icelandic boys and girls better do a good job tending to their turnip farms, because the Yule Cat that follows Santa around will friggin' EAT you if you're lazy 🍴 Raise your hand if you would be eaten by the Yule Cat ✋ (Abby you better be raising both hands) The only one not raising their hands should be RUSTY, whose work ethic is surpassed only by his weakness for small, hog dog shaped animals 🐕‍🦺

FRUITCAKE - 9 POINTS

Who could hate FRUITCAKE around the holiday season?! Oh, that's right, everyone 🤢 Thought nowadays fruitcakes are (relatively) innocuous dished brought over by Mee Maw that you politely pretend to eat while feeding it to your dog, fruitcakes used to be THE MEAL. In fact, fruitcakes were so important that the POPE 💒 himself had to have a debate in the Vatican to decide if it could be legal to use butter! I think we all know what VAL would have said to the pope 😬 because at our meal last night I'm pretty sure she used a 10:1 butter-to-bread ratio 🧈🧈🧈 I kid of course 😂 Val is a wonderful soul who only uses an appropriate amount of butter (I have to suck up to her after costing us 2 pickleball games yesterday...)

BAD POTATOES - 8 POINTS

In Iceland there is a lovely Christmas tradition of leaving your shoes out by the tree for each of the 12 days of Christmas 😊 Good little boys and girls will receive loads of candy 🍬🍭🍫 in their... used... smelly... shoes 😐 And bad little boys and girls get old potatoes 🥔 Of course who could this be reminiscent of but ABBY! Each day, until about 3:30 PM, she resembles a potato: Not moving very much, wrinkly, bland 🛌🛏 Abby has never in her life uttered the phrase "The early bird gets the worm" 🦅

EL GORDO - 12 POINTS

In Spain they go crazy for the Christmas LOTTERY 🎫🎟🎫🎟 I think all us can get behind a chance at some MOOLAH. Interestingly enough, the big prize is called "El Gordo", or "The Fat One". That is the same name Logan's family gave to him after trying to provide meals for him growing up 😋🍔🍕🍖🍗 And the name he deserves after scoring TWELVE points this week, the king of the hill!

BUMP ON A LOG - 9 POINTS

You gotta love PORTUGAL! Instead of Christmas trees, they grab a log of firewood, put googly eyes on it and give them to each other as little "Christmas People"... 🤨 I tell you who WOULDN"T approve of these Christmas people, our friend JULIETTE! these flat bottomed Christmas dorks wouldn't fly with her, she wants something with a little more SUBSTANCE. Just like she sang last night at Karaoke: "WHERE MY FAT A** B****** IN THE MOTHERF****** CLUB F*** THE SKINNY B******" 😢 it's like Shakespeare was with us 📃

All these traditions are nice and all, but the best tradition of all is the PICK EM POOL! Where you can win yourself some money and get into the holiday spirit! So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! 🛷🛷🛷🛷

[nationalharryleague]

Dog Days Are Over

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: Strangers to Lovers AU

Word count: 4.8K

A/N: Hi all! This is something I’ve been working on for a little while now and I’m really proud of it! As usual, a massive thank you to Miss Lu (@meetmymouth​) for being the best and beta reading. You can read more of my work in my masterlist and please please please send feedback to my ask! Thank you so so much for reading and I hope you enjoy it!! 

***

Jagger was a good boy. He was a massive Great Dane with a shiny black coat and goofy wide eyes that softened his overall intimidating appearance. Great Danes had been bread as guarding and hunting dogs, but the gentle giant was nothing like his ancestors. He trapesed around the park every morning with his clumsy oversized paws and a tail that never seemed to stop wagging. A sunshiny yellow collar sat around his neck with a leash connecting him to his owner, a curly headed man with kind eyes.

She had built a rapport with Jagger over time, always willing to spare a few of the treats she kept in her pocket for her own dogs, Annie and Hallie. The pair of speckled Dalmations always looked up to give her a disappointed look that seemed to ask “Why are you giving our cookies away, Mom?” when she offered the chicken flavored morsels to the charming brute. She would lean down (not very far due to his massive size),  give him two cookies, a scratch behind the ear, and a kiss to his forehead every morning, murmuring a “Good morning buddy.”

While she greeted Jagger, the man would always give her spotted ladies the attention they loved and a couple treats of his own, earning a few thankful and loving licks from the dogs. After the affectionate moment with the dog of a perfect stranger (she didn't even know his name), the pair would always give each other a smile and move on with their days.

This was their routine for months, meeting briefly every morning through falling leaves of a New York autumn that eventually gave out to the first snowy mornings and the charm of winter in Central Park. They never spoke more than a friendly morning greeting, occasionally commenting on the weather, but always taking a few moments to say hello to the endearing animals that accompanied them.

Her favorite coffee shop was especially busy one morning when they accidentally brought her two hot coffees with cream and sugar, instead of just one. When she had tried to return it, her favorite barista, a girl with golden skin and eyes to match, told her to take it anyway because it would just be thrown out. After the barista herself declined to keep the drink with a light chuckle, Y/N was sent on her way, each hand holding a coffee and both her wrists each looped through a leash.

Y/N, Annie, and Hallie made their way into Central Park, a surprisingly difficult task on his specific morning.  She struggled to maintain control over the hot liquid and the two strong dogs with strong opinions of where they wanted to walk. Inevitably and like clock work, they ran into Jagger and the man with the kind eyes, Y/N slowing to a stop to greet her giant furry friend. It wasn’t long before her K-9 balancing act gave her an idea.

“Do you drink coffee?” she quickly questioned, the words leaving her mouth without permission and directly addressing the man with the kind eyes about something other than the weather or their dogs for the first time since they had known each other. Jagger bumped his oafish head gently into her hip, seeming to ask for her attention back, just as surprised as she was with her uncharacteristic interaction with his dad.

“Uh, yeah,” the man answered, eyes locking with hers and seeming to be just as shocked that she spoke to him as she was. His deep and velvety voice was a sharp contrast to the sweet and fairly high pitched tone he usually used with Annie and Hallie.

“Well, the cafe gave me two instead of just one by accident. Do you want it?” She offered the cup to him with a hopeful shrug and a smile spread across her face when he took it.

They continued on with their routine of saying hello to each other’s animals without another word, the man with the kind eyes taking a sip of the coffee to test it out. She was pressing the usual kiss to Jagger’s massive head when she watched a ring clad hand offering itself towards her in the peripheral of her vision. “My name is Harry, by the way,” he said with a friendly close lipped smile playing across his lips. “We never really did introduce ourselves, did we?”

“I don’t think we ever did,” she said with a chuckle, reaching her hand out and connecting it with his. His hands were soft, but felt strong like he worked with his hands and his palms felt hot despite the freezing temperatures from where he had been clutching the coffee. “Y/N.”

“It's nice to formally meet you, Y/N. I usually just think of you as Annie and Hallie’s Mom.” His lips saying her name made it sound like it was sung by a million angels and she just couldn’t get over the idea of him thinking about her outside of the park. Of course she thought of him, a British beautiful man with kind eyes who loves her dogs was like finding a unicorn, but it had never crossed her mind that the thoughts could be mutual.

Before she had a chance to respond, Jagger began to walk forward, ready to take on the rest of his walk. “I guess it’s time for you to go,” she joked looking down as the giant animal who began to pull Harry forward.

“I guess so,” he agreed, jerking forward as he tried to slow Jagger down. “Thank you again for the coffee.”

“No problem!”

“Next time,” he said over his shoulder, a teasing smirk on his face, after Jagger had led him a considerable distance from her. “I take my coffee black!”

***

She thought about him all day after the park. She couldn’t believe that the tiny conversation had with him was all it took for him to occupy her every thought. She wondered if he enjoyed the rest of the coffee, if she would ever run into him at the cafe that had its logo drawn across the side of the drink she had gifted him, or if his girlfriend was suspicious when he came home holding a coffee order that definitely wasn’t his. What if he thought what she had done was weird? Would he change Jagger’s walking schedule? Or maybe change his route completely to avoid her?

Y/N ignored every one of those thoughts the next morning when she attended her usual coffee shop; and especially when she ordered one hot coffee with cream and sugar, and one without. She even asked her favorite barista with the golden eyes to write a little ‘H’ on the black coffee so she wouldn’t get them mixed up.

“To make up for all the treats you’ve given to Annie and Hallie over these last few months,” she lied when she handed the coffee over to him, relishing slightly in how his fingertips brushed hers when he took the drink from her hands. She knew that she didn’t get him the coffee for the treats; she got it because she had a crush.

“Oh, thank you so much!  You didn’t have to do this,” he insisted as he took a sip. “You even had a little ‘H’ put on it for me?” His eyes lit up at the possibility and from that second forward Y/N pledged to herself that she would do anything she could to see his eyes sparkle like that again.

“I just wanted to make sure they didn’t get mixed up.”

“H is what all of my friends call me.” She watched his plump pink lips move as he spoke, his warm breath creating a small steamy cloud in the frosty air.

“That’s really sweet,” she said smiling like a fool, endeared by the nickname.

“You can call me H, ya know?” he spoke and her heart just about stopped. “I think if our dogs are friends,” he said, gesturing to their dogs as their dogs played amongst themselves, “we can be friends too.”

She knew she would be unable to contain herself as soon as she got out of his line of sight in a few moments. She might bust out into a happy dance, or maybe even let out a small squeal;  but for the moment she just nodded her head. “I think I would really like that, H.”

“So,” he began with the smirk she had already begun to fall in love with, “friends don’t let friends buy them coffee two days in a row without returning the favor. Tomorrow is on me.”

“Sounds good, H,” she said as the pair of dalmations began to pull her forward. “I take my coffee with cream and sugar!” she shouted over her shoulder, shooting him a wink as she went on with her walk.

“I know.”

She was unable to contain herself and did, in fact, do a little wiggle when she was out of his sight.

***

Of all places she thought she could end up this Saturday morning, she didn’t think it would be in Harry’s apartment.

She had casually mentioned that morning when they met up in the park, more to make conversation than anything else, that the heat in her apartment was out but she had never expected him to invite her and the girls back to his place to warm up.

They had fallen into a delightful rhythm of bringing each other coffee over the past few weeks, taking turns and spending a few fleeting moments speaking to each other before one of their pets decided it was time to move on with their walk. She had learned that he was a physical therapist and that he had rescued Jagger from a puppy mill when he was a baby, but to be completely honest, she didn’t know much about him beyond that. They could only learn so much about each other  in 5 minute bursts before the dogs got bored and pulled them apart once again.

What she did know about him for sure was that his eyes didn’t lie when they said he was kind. He never missed a day getting her coffee and he always profusely thanked her when she brought him his. He always asked about how her day was going, and seemed to be genuinely interested in when she spoke about her work, hobbies, or whatever else ended up being the topic of their short conversations.

While she wouldn’t go as far as saying he cared about her, she knew that she cared about him.

“It’s not much,” Harry said, opening the door for Y/N and her dogs to pass into his home, “but it’s mine.”

As most New York City apartments were, it was a tiny shoe box of a living space; but it felt cozy, and most of all, warm. It was a small studio, with all the essentials packed in tight. His sofa sat up against the right wall of exposed brick, mirrored by a small kitchen on the left. She had to admit it was well styled; dark woods and stainless steel decorated the apartment and various posters and framed pictures on the walls made it his own.

The most breathtaking feature was a massive bay window that sat above his bed on the far back wall. The window directly overlooked Central Park and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sentimentality because that’s where they had met. His bed was perfectly made with dark charcoal grey sheets all she could imagine was being wrapped up in them with Harry.

Walking through the door, she was intoxicated by the most delicious smell that she could only assume was Harry’s cologne, but she was brought back to reality when he asked for her coat. Their hands met as she handed it over to him and a flash of concern immediately flashed through his face, bushy eyebrows furrowing. “You’re absolutely freezing, love.”

Once again, her heart began to burst with joy. Just that little word, the little pet name and term of endearment. It made her feel like a kid on Christmas, like she was ready to burst.

“Oh, I’m okay,” she managed to get out, still overwhelmed by his words.

“We’re gonna get you and the ladies all warmed up, okay?” She watched from her spot by the front door as he began to run around the apartment with one goal: to warm his friend up. He moved gracefully from the thermostat to a chest of drawers, making a small triumphant noise when he pulled out two dog sweaters that were Jagger’s. “They’re a little big, but I think they will work,” he said with a helpful smile.

She watched as he knelt down in front of Annie and Hallie, asking for their paws. Both of them quickly responded, clearly trusting the curly man in front of them as much as she did. He delicately slipped the knit over both of the dogs, and with anything he did, Y/N’s heart swooned.

To her, those dogs were her everything. She had moved to the city completely alone and had rescued the pair of sisters from a kill shelter only a week after arriving. She named them after the twins from The Parent Trap, her favorite movie growing up. She felt it was symbolic; like she and the dogs had been brought together by some twist of fate but had known each other in a past life. Those dogs were her everything and watching them interact with Harry ignited a fuzzy warmth within her; a sharp contrast to her still frozen nose.

“You next,” he teased, beckoning her over from her spot at the front door. She took careful steps over to him, trying her best to stay respectful of his space, already feeling intrusive for being there. She met him in the middle of the room, where he had grabbed a blanket off the couch, placing it over her shoulders and enveloping her in soft warm fabric and the smell of him. Shocks were sent up her arms as he rubbed them in an attempt to generate more heat. It was the first time he had ever really touched her other than light brushing of their fingertips, and she had never felt like anything was more right in the world than the way she felt in his arms.

She watched his face closely as he held the blanket tight around her frame. He had a light stubble peppering his strong jaw and his eyes were the most vibrant yet soft shade of green she had ever seen. His brows were still slightly knitted together in care for her, trying his best to accomplish his goal of warming the woman who had become his friend. Her eyes narrowed in on his plush pink lips and it took everything in her not to learn forward and press her lips to his; but she wouldn’t. They were casual friends; nothing more, nothing less, and her school girl crush didn’t change any of that.

His hands on her arms slowed and their eyes finally met, the deep green feeling like it had penetrated her soul. “I have soup in the fridge,” he said softly, eyes narrowing in on her still cold nose, “let me heat it up for you.” And as soon as the moment had happened, it was gone, him walking away from her in a flurry and starting his next task of making her soup.

“H, I promise I’m okay,” she said with a light chuckle. “I will warm up, eventually. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

“You have been in a frozen apartment for four days. You’re going to get sick,” he said, head still stuck in the fridge out of her line of sight.

“What do you care if I get sick?” she teased. “Won’t get your coffee?”

“No,” he said in an exasperated tone, popping back out from behind the fridge door to connect his eyes with hers, “because then I won’t get to see you.”

Despite the chill still present in her bones, she felt her cheeks heat with his words. “Oh, okay,” was all she could muster before he returned back to his search for the soup.

He did eventually find the soup and nearly force fed her the hot liquid, insisting that “you’re not getting pneumonia on my watch.” And while she kept up the act that she was totally fine and didn’t need him to fuss over her, it felt so good to be cared for like this. She had been on her own for so long now, lacking the care and affection that came with an overbearing mother-hen-esque friend, and she was honestly loving it.

It was later that day, while they were sat watching a movie on his couch, Y/N still wrapped up tight like a burrito in the flannel blanket that smelled like him, when he informed her that she wasn’t allowed to go back to her apartment until the heat was fixed. “H,” she had playfully groaned, “I am a big girl and will survive a little chill.”

“There’s a cold snap coming,” he justified his demands. “Saw it on the news this morning.”

“H, this is all too much. All of this has been so kind and the dogs and I appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts, but I can’t let you put your life on pause because I might get a little cold.”

“Please stay,” he began gently, almost pleading with her in a deeper and softer voice than he had ever used with her before, “for Annie and Hallie,” he finished. Her heart sank, reminding herself that the pair were just friends. He was just doing a favor for her out of the goodness of his heart; nothing more, nothing less.

“Maybe,” she murmured. “I’ll have to see if it gets fixed tonight.”

It didn’t get fixed. Apparently, New York City landlords, especially the one that owned her very tiny, and very shitty, apartment didn’t care much about their tenants turning to icicles. Around 10 PM, she finally gave up hope of anything getting fixed today, much to Harry’s delight.

She had accepted the sweats Harry had offered for her to sleep in, enveloped by soft worn fabric that spelled like him. A dark blue crew neck with ‘Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School’ written across the front swallowed her frame and Harry laughed at her when she had to roll up the legs of the sweatpants so she wouldn’t trip on them. “It’s not my fault you’re a giant,” she giggled, poking him in the chest and sticking her tongue out at him like a child.

“You’re lucky you look cute in those or I would be taking them back after a comment like that.” Her cheeks reddened for what felt like the millionth time since she had entered his space this morning. They had fallen into a charming banter, a rhythm of teasing jokes and kind words intertwined with each other that made her heart sing. While she still felt like she was intruding on his space, there was a growing part of her that was glad her heat wasn’t back yet. She didn’t want to leave his warmth and light just yet.

When a yawn left her lips later that night, Harry decided it was time for bed. “We’re in the middle of the episode,” she had argued through another yawn, “we haven’t even seen who wins the technical challenge yet.” They had watched almost an entire season of Bake Off over the course of the day, both of them curled up on the couch under a pile of blankets and dogs.

“We have to be up for our walk in the morning,” he smiled as he lifted Jagger’s massive head off his lap to get up. “I’ll even buy the coffee.”

“Okay, I guess so,” she agreed gently. “Can I just borrow a pillow?” she asked as she adjusted herself and the dogs on the couch under the blankets.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a confused face.

“Getting ready to go to sleep?” she responded with an equally questioning tone.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch. Come on, get into my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

“No.”

“Why not? You’re my guest.”

“Harry,” she spoke gently but was met with a lift of his eyebrow like using his full name was an insult. “H,” she began again, “I’m not going to come into your home, inconvenience your entire day, steal your clothes, eat your food, and then make you sleep on the couch.”

“Please, just let me sleep on the couch, Y/N,” he nearly begged.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” she repeated with a stern tone.

“Then neither are you.” Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes flashed to the dark charcoal sheets she had imagined being wrapped up in with him when she first entered the apartment. “It’s a big comfy bed and I want you to actually sleep well. I’m perfectly okay with it if you are.”

While her heart was beating out of her chest at the opportunity of being that close to him, all she said was “sounds good,” unable to come up with anything more than that in the moment.

She reverted back to her careful steps and bated breath as she left the couch and made her way over to the bed, suddenly so aware of the respectful boundaries she had created for herself when she first arrived. She lifted back his heavy comforter and slid herself inside, pulling the blanket to her chin as she watched, mesmerized, as the man walked around the apartment getting ready for bed.

He walked around the apartment on the pads of his bare feet almost silently, turning off lights and pouring them both a glass of water before refilling the dog bowls on the ground. He led Jagger to his giant dog bed and invited Annie and Hallie up onto his couch to sleep, gently coaxing them onto the cushions and laying the blanket Y/N had been wrapped in for most of the day over the speckled sisters.

There was only the light coming off the street lights streaming through the window above her head to illuminate the silent apartment and she watched as Harry made his way to the tall chest of drawers on his side of the bed. He lifted his sweater over his head to expose his muscular back and elaborately tattooed arms, and she prayed he didn’t hear the small gasp that left her lips. As quickly as his back and torso were revealed to her, they were hidden once again when he slipped a large tshirt back over his body. She had only ever known him in the colder months, always wrapped up in a sweater or a coat; she had never expected the beautiful illustrations that decorated his body or his broad muscular shoulders that stayed hidden under layers of clothing.

“Stop staring, ya perv,” his deep velvety voice joked with a laugh and she felt her cheeks burn worse than they had all day. “I’m only kidding, love,” he spoke softly when he turned around and connected their eyes.

“I was just looking at your tattoos,” she stammered while she watched him slip into the bed next to her, trying to wipe the adoring look from her face. “I like them a lot.”

“Thank you.” He settled into the bed, far enough to be respectful but still close enough for her to feel the warmth off his skin. He brought his arm out from underneath the covers, allowing her to get a closer look at the ink that illustrated his skin and she rolled herself on her side to face him. She carefully traced the veins of the anatomical heart on this bicep with her finger tips. “Your fingers finally warmed up,” he said barely loud enough for her to hear.

Her eyes flashed up to meet his eyes in the darkness, his irises still seeming to glow in the limited light. She felt his warm minty breath fall over her face and the sweet smell of him that had been enveloping her since she entered his space intensified with her proximity to him. He smelled of sandalwood and vanilla, mixed with the smell of clean linen coming from his bed sheets.

“I guess they did,” she said under her breath, like if she spoke too loudly the moment would be scared away. “We should get some sleep,” she said regretfully, remembering the respectful rules she had set for herself. She withdrew her hand away from his arm and rolled back to her previous position to stare at the ceiling until she fell asleep. If she hadn’t been so tired and if it wasn’t so dark, she would have thought she saw disappointment on his face before she dozed off.

When she began to wake the next morning, she was warm. Not a sweaty or sticky warm, a cozy warm that makes you want to curl up and spend an entire day in bed, seeking respite from the cold air that lives outside the cocoon of blankets you’ve created. She snuggled further into the warmth, and further into the arms that held her close. Her consciousness was blurred with sleep as she buried her face deeper into the warmth between someone’s shoulder and neck. She wouldn’t have woken up if she didn’t feel the body holding her release a light chuckle at her sleepy huffs.

Coming back to life, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to the strong jaw peppered with stubble that she had studied so intensely for months now. A gasp left her throat and she tried to pull herself away, wracked with guilt for passing a boundary she had set. But her movements were stopped when the pair of arms around her waist only pulled her closer, a deep gravelly voice next to her mumbling “don’t go.”

For the first time, she let herself occupy the thought that her fascination with Harry may be mutual. He had gone above and beyond for her and had always been kind and accommodating, always ready to take care of her any need or want. He had let her stay in his house for god sake, let her stay in his bed, and was now holding on to her like if he let go the little world they had created together would fall apart.

“Okay,” she whispered softly into his neck, melting back into his warmth once again. Her drowsiness must have clouded her judgement when she pressed a gentle and soft kiss over his pulse point.

It was Harry’s turn to pull back, a drowsy chuckle leaving his lips as he made eye contact with her still half closed eyes. “Did you just kiss me?” he asked incredulously.

“No, definitely not.” She buried her face in her hands, blushing uncontrollably and feeling her whole face heat up.

“You liar,” he grinned. “Come here.” He pressed his hands to either side of her face and pulled her mouth to meet his. It was a soft kiss, both of them unable to control their smiling lips. Her heart raced and so did his. Their lips moved together in a rhythm that was occasionally interrupted by excited giggles, and Harry pulled her closer to him than she ever had been before.

They stayed in that bliss for as long as they could; cheeks hurting from smiles, gentle laughter released often, and enjoying the warm cocoon they had created together. It was only a matter of time before they were interrupted, both of them letting out loud laughter when all three of their animals joined them on the bed. It was only then Y/N peaked out the window above them to discover Central Park covered in a bright white blanket of snow, flurries continuing to fall outside.

“I have been obsessed with you from the first day I saw you walking the girls,” he confessed as the dogs curled up around them both. “I thought you were so special and beautiful. I about lost it the day you offered me that coffee. I couldn’t believe you were actually talking to me and not my dog for once.”

“Let’s be honest, I fell in love with Jagger first,” she teased. “His hot dad was just a bonus,” she giggled against his lips as he pressed their faces together once again, bodies held apart by the dogs that had wiggled between them.

This moment felt like a fairytale. She wasn’t sure how long it would last or what would come from it but she knew that this was what pure joy felt like, and she would hold onto it for as long as she could.

They only had the dogs to thank.

Thank you so much for reading!! Reblogs/feedback mean to the world!!! 

[bookswitchcraftandcats]

Rainy Days (Part 3 of 4)

Link to AO3 -----  Part 1  Part 2   

It is later than I said I would post it, I’ve been busy, Sorry!

Summary: Emma and Julian are in charge of the London Institute for a week and find a box that once belonged to Cordelia Carstairs and contains poems written to her by James Herondale. The story switches between Emma and Julian and oneshots about things that happened in Jordelia's life to inspire the poems.

Sorry if the formatting for the poems is messed up, I tried.

TW: There is demon fighting and someone gets hurt.

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

“Well that one was…” Julian trails off as they both kind of laugh. They felt kind of weird reading something that was pretty personal to them. They put that poem back in the box and started to look for another when Emma’s phone buzzed. She grabbed it from the shelf she left it on. It was a text from Clary.

“Looks like we are going to New York next week,” Emma says. Jace and Clary were needed in Idris for a meeting and wanted them to run the institute while they were gone. It would only be for a few days and they loved New York anyways.

Jace and Clary had been to L.A. recently, though their vacations were far and few with the stress of running and institute. They spent the day by the ocean catching up and having fun. They also played an incredibly competitive game of volley ball and Julian and Clary worked on some painting.

“What are Jace and Clary doing?” Julian asks.

“I don’t know, something in Idris.” Jace and Clary had been going to Idris a lot lately helping to sort things out, after the cohort had been defeated there had been a lot of work to move stuff back to the shadowhunter's home country. 

Hopefully they could just have a relaxing weekend, maybe even find another old jewelry box filled with her ancestors' stuff, though that was highly unlikely. They had been trying to have a relaxing weekend for the past 6 years and were epically failing at something that seemed so easy. Cristina had even made fun of her for it because of how often she tried to take a couple days off and then got dragged back to work. She said Emma and Julian were a “magnet for trouble.”

“Maybe we can go see a show on Broadway next week,” Julian says thoughtfully, “We haven’t been on a fancy date in a while.” 

They really hadn’t been out much, Alec had them all around the world helping because they were so short on people and her and Julian had existence running an institute. They didn’t mind it really, if they did all they had to do was say the word and they would be home, but they loved to travel and explore different institutes. It gave them ideas for what they could do back in LA. 

“That sounds great,” she says. She picks up another poem titled Daisies.

Daisy

I want to take you to the green meadow, Where the sky is blue and wild flowers grow. And where there is everlasting spring and peace, So that we can escape the natures of city life.

I want to take you to were the songbirds sing, Where even the dragon finds fitful sleep. Hope flows through that warm calming breeze, Inviting us to enjoy the wonders the world has to show.

There is no one I'd rather explore it with than you, Nothing it can show me will be as extraordinary as you, And there you'll find a woven crown of white flowers, Because you are always and forever my queen, my Daisy.

Cordelia and James were out on patrol the night before their first anniversary. There had been an increase in demon activity in London with the recent stormy weather. Tonight was no exception to this weather pattern, it was raining cats and dogs while the couple wandered the streets.  

“I hate the rain,” Cordelia says, James responding with a quiet laugh. 

“Hopefully we can find this demon soon so we can go sit by a fire,” he says. 

They were tracking a demon that had been wreaking havoc in the train stations for the past week. They had almost had it yesterday but it just got away. They were now using a tracking rune and a bit of it’s blood that was spilled during the fight. It led them to an abandoned warehouse by the Thames River. 

They cautiously entered the warehouse and the door slammed shut behind them, closing off the light of the full moon and  leaving them in pitch black darkness. They could hear the rain against the metal roof, some of the water was dripping through it onto the floor. Cordelia pulled out the witchlight that Alastair had given her and it lit up the dusty building. 

“Well this is underwhelming,” James said, “for a demon layer it really lacks style.” Cordelia gave him a look and then went to explore further into the warehouse. She stepped in a puddle of black slime. 

“We need a vacation,” she says with a sigh while looking at her shoe. James nodded. 

Out of the corner of the room they could see two glowing eyes as a demon moved out from the shadows. Cordelia had a feeling it was not the only one. James pulled out a knife and hit the creature with deadly accuracy. They hear a flutter of wings and scales above. They are definitely not alone. 

Cordelia unsheathes Cortana, the bronze sword lighting up the dark room. She could see her reflection in the blade, her hair was pulled up in preparation for a battle but a few strands were coming loose and she was wearing gear. She looked at James, both of them had a determined look in their eyes. They started fighting as the demons swarmed down from above. It was all arcs of gold and light from seraph blades. Cordelia wielded her sword as though it was an extension of her own arm and James’s knives never missed their mark. 

James pulled out a seraph blade and named it Raphael. He yelled something at Cordelia but she was too focused to understand it before it was too late. The demon’s claw grabbed her shoulder as she spun and swung Cortana at it turning it to dust. 

They quickly took out the rest and were both exhausted from fighting. James noticed the cut on Cordelia’s shoulder and ran to help her as she practically collapsed into his arms.  The world went dark as she fell into James’s arms. 

When she woke up they were at the institute and she was laying on one of the beds in the infirmary. Her shoulder was bandaged and she could see multiple iratzes. She was feeling much better. She looked over and saw James reading a book next to her bed. He saw her and smiled. 

“What happened?” She asked, holding her still sore shoulder. 

“We found the demon hideout, thankfully you finished them all off,” James said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Cordelia glanced at the clock and smiled.

“It’s technically our anniversary you know.” She said, “It’s past midnight.”

“I know,” James said with a confident smirk, the door opened and his parabatai walked in. Both boys looked far too smug about whatever idea they had come up with. 

He gestured to Matthew standing by the door. 

Mathew walked back in holding a bouquet of daisies tied together with a bow. There was also a small envelope that he handed to James and then left. 

“Happy anniversary Daisy,” James said and kissed her. 

She opened the card and saw a poem written out on the left side. 

“Thank you James, happy anniversary.” Cordelia said happily and returned his kiss.

Tag list: @fortheloveofthecarstairs  @thehotfaeriethreesome  @shadowrunner2000  @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @surrounded-by-exquisite-clutter @gabtapia  @niathesanctuary-bolastair-kanej @all-thestoriesaretrue

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list :)

[guileheroine]

a sky full of song, chapter one

Korra, princess of the Water Kingdoms, receives a gift from her blacksmith friend on the auspicious winter festival / Korrasami royalty AU / ao3 / My piece for the @korrasami-valentine-exchange (assignment: Date A) (reposting with cover!)

“The wedding of the Earth Prince, yes, on the solstice. But it’s an opportune moment for a longer tour, we don’t want to waste the journey. I’m afraid your father can’t afford it, and before you ask, I’ve been conferring with your mother’s office. And frankly, I’m loath to request it of her after…

Councillor Panak trailed off as Korra hurried him along with a gesture of the hand. He pushed his eyeglass up his nose and took her eye seriously. “To the point, then—what do you say?”

Korra was tapping her foot under the meeting table. Prince Wu, if she recalled, was equally as intolerable as old Hou-Ting, the spirits bless his poor betrothed. But the prospect of a fortnight around the Earth Kingdom, with its delicious fare and diverse landscapes… that made her much more amenable to the whole idea.

“Around the solstice, huh? Alright. Why not.” It was a way off. She had time to arrange her retinue and her schedule as efficiently as possible for maximum enjoyment.

“…That means a tour to the Earth Empire in the spring—or summer, if Her Royal Highness prefers it?”

“Oh, spring,” Korra said in a rush. “Spring. I’m not sure I can do Earthen summers.”

Panak smiled quite kindly at that, and nodded at his scribe to jot it down. Korra returned his smile. They really were getting along better. It was nice. This meeting was also stretching much farther into the evening than she had understood it would.

The Lotus Guard at the doorway didn’t so much as blink as she pushed the heavy door open and went out. He was one of the older men, having been here long before the war, and quite accustomed to her ways.

Once Korra was out in the foyer, she raced. Her quarters, and her next appointment, were in the other wing of the palace, but she had promised to go see her mother first for a few minutes before the Queen went to bed. The winter sun was long gone; all the windows she skipped past were dark, torchlight gleaming on the icy sills. In the halls, on the other hand, the air was bright as frost, festive. She wove around decorators from all over Agna Qel’a hanging new crystalwork along the old bead tapestries and tying berry wreaths around the tall pillars. Down the stairs, in the main hall, the humongous fires that burnt uninterrupted over the winter lit the place generously. As she sped through, headed for the opposite staircase, Korra caught the eye of one of the housekeepers.

“Mina! Mina, are you busy?” She took the girl’s arm, whose eyes goggled, alarmed only at the princess’s sudden appearance but unperturbed by her familiar ways. “Could you go to the kitchen and send for some tea to my apartment? Milk and honey for me—and some of whatever black blend is left, what my blacksmith friend likes. They’ll know. Thank you!”

When she turned to continue, she was immediately waylaid by one of the ice sculptors.

“Your Highness! A moment.”

Just a moment to breathe was exactly what it took for Korra to finally notice the centerpiece of the hall: an elaborate sculpture-fountain of Yue. The moon and ocean spirits hovered above each of her hands, water pouring in gentle arcs out of their gaping mouths.

Korra’s father was pulling out all the stops for Yue’s Day. She knew, for her part, that it was a private gesture for the Queen, newly returned from a long diplomatic engagement with the northern Air court. Korra stood at attention for the sculptor, whose fingerless gloves allowed him to bend with especial precision.

“Should her hair run—” he said, bending Yue’s locks of ice into free-flowing rivulets, “or stand arrested?” Another curl of his palm froze them again.

“Freeze them. More volume!” Korra said, thinking of her mother, who always grumbled about her limp hair. Then she was on her way to the Queen’s chambers, and then her own.

“I got your tea. Hi, princess.”

Korra’s blacksmith friend took a pointed sip when she finally entered her drawing room. Asami’s smirk was hidden behind the glassy cup, and her hair was wet. One of Korra’s towels was slung over the back of her seat—one of the nice ones with the finely embroidered monogram.

“Asami. Sorry I’m late!” Korra slumped onto her divan, sending one of the cushions flying onto the carpet. “It’s good to see you.” She took a moment to catch her breath before picking the cushion up, sitting comfortably and grasping for the tray on the table.

“Don’t worry about it,” Asami said, moving the cup from her mouth, the smirk finally melting off. She pushed the tray into Korra’s reach. “I’m done for the day. A couple of the apprentices are closing up shop for the very first time.” Her brows waggled.

“Impressive! But still, thanks for coming. I know you’re working hard.”

“We had an appointment, right? And—” Asami grinned and stretched, pulling her warm wools tighter around her “nothing like the thought of a royal shower at the end of the day to get you through it, you know?”

Korra rolled her eyes. The staff knew to let Asami into Korra’s apartments, and even if she could tell they were a little reticent about her using the princess’s bath and vanity, they of course said nothing. The dogs more or less dragged Asami in through the gates every time she came by the palace, and by order of the princess, they were the ones that decided things in her absence.

Asami scrutinised the tray from the kitchen carefully before picking out a little moon pastry. “How was your meeting?” She took a bite, attentive both to the pastry and Korra.

“Looks like I’m going on tour to the Earth Kingdom in the spring,” Korra told her. She wasn’t surprised to see Asami’s brow spring up, and her taste-testing pause.

“What, all over?”

It was a town in the Earth Kingdom that Asami originally hailed from, before she travelled to the Fire Empire with her father, an innovator in the art of war. After the war’s end and the subsequent reunification of the Water Kingdoms, the newly humbled Sun Emperor had gifted King Tonraq an ancient forge for the royal armoury as a token of good faith and cultural exchange. Korra remembered how it had taken several pulleys, and days, for it to be transported into place in one of the main avenues in the city. They had set up a house around it for a new smith to eventually train locals in the foreign art. Asami—skilled as a metalworker, but bereft of a livelihood and a family after her father’s foundries were shut down—had decided to venture north to start afresh. She vied for the position and won it handily.

Korra glanced at her long. “You could come with me, you know. Take a vacation, if you manage to get this new shop set up in time. I’m sure you’ve trained all your underlings well.”

“We’re getting there,” Asami said vaguely. “But I’ll keep it in mind.”

Korra was musing, recumbent with her feet up now. “I must warn you, t’s for the wedding of the Queen’s nephew. They’re a lot stuffier in the Earth kingdom. All the pomp and pageantry,” she clarified. “I’m not looking forward to that part.”

“I’ll bet.” Asami gave her a sympathetic smile.

Sitting pretty in formal assemblies, she did not enjoy. Peace was harder than war, in a lot of ways. At least it was for Korra, who had been right at home as a strategist commanding the bending battalions in the few Fire Empire skirmishes that had reached the north. Or as a captain fending off the marauding warlords and shaman-kings in the southern fiefs who took advantage of the chaos to arouse the spirits and stage deadly rebellions. Her leadership, covert though it was, had played no small part in subduing the northern theater and paving the way for all the ancient Water tribes to be reunified under Agna Qel’a and her father’s leadership. The lasting peace of the years since had proven they were stronger together. Just as it had proven that the Princess’s patience for peacetime bureaucracy needed a good deal of practice.

“You should come. We’ll do you up as my retainer so you get a salary. I might need you to keep me straight.”

Asami was good at that, blowing off steam after long, boring days. The mellowness of the warmth, nothing like that of her forge, evened Korra’s mood like little else.

“Oh, so you want me to drop everything and trail you around as a handmaiden?”

Korra scoffed, embarrassed. “Well, don’t put it like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Asami sat up. “An Earth royal wedding, huh? Think they’ll let me in?” She picked at the cushion in her lap.

“They will if I have anything to say about it.” Korra yawned. “It’ll be my turn soon enough.”

“How’s your mother?” Asami said, following her train of thought seamlessly—it was always the queen that pestered Korra about finding a match, good-natured but more earnest than she ever realised she was appearing.

“Sleeping. She had a long journey back from the Northern Air Temple. Dad’s happy, though. Just casually planning her a ball this weekend for Yue’s Day.”

“Hey, is that what that business down in the hall is?” Some forgotten curiosity clearly jolted Asami. “There were all these new kayaks moored around the drawbridges when I came through, too.”

Korra nodded, while tentative recognition continued to filter into Asami’s expression. It was easy to forget Asami had been here nary a year. But she had, and it had been a busy year too, with little time for exploration, per her own frequent complaints. “You know about it, right?” When Asami shrugged evasively, Korra explained, “It falls on the day of the first full moon after the winter solstice. Yue was a princess of legend—our ancestor, apparently—who became the moon spirit.”

Asami sat forward. She loved tales like this, and listened to them like she was being entrusted a secret.

“We’ve celebrated it as long as anyone remembers, but the festival is supposed to usher good fortune and fertility. I think that’s why it became a couples thing.” Korra didn’t think much of that. “But, well, the idea is to spend the evening under the full moon, which is why all the kayaks are out. Really, everyone just needs an excuse to liven up the winter!”

“That I understand,” Asami said wryly, ill accustomed to the polar night. “Yeah, I went to the market in town to pick up some new gloves and they had stalls and stalls of new fare. Jewelry, wind chimes, furs.”

Korra sat up, conspiratorial. “I bet at least one of your new proteges will sneak you a little gift. I get messages every year. Mostly upstarts, but some cute ones, too.”

When Asami had first been appointed as the blacksmith, Korra was uncertain what a girl her age was doing heading up an official royal undertaking like that, with all its bells and whistles. When she arrived at a welcome dinner with her family, Korra found her altogether too precious, and definitely not deserving of the private summons and the White Lotus escort. Especially not when the whole rigmarole was keeping Korra from her planned retreat to the kennels for the evening, where, in the end, the strapping night guards were giggling and blushing about the new blacksmith.

At her father’s behest, Korra had put on her most functional anorak and taken Asami some cakes, conserves and newly dried jerky from the palace a couple weeks after their meeting. He insisted it was a part of the Princess’s duty to look after someone in their employ so new to the land—a girl her own age no less. Down in the city, the townsfolk were pleased to see Korra as she made her way to the workshop, but no one made a fuss (unless they were young and excitable already), unlike what she had heard of the other Kingdoms, larger and loftier as they were. She wondered if Asami the Blacksmith liked that about here, or found it lacked decorum, as Korra knew some folk abroad definitely did.

Asami had a study above the forge, from which she dealt with its administration, and living quarters on the next storey. These were yet lonely and sparse, but not completely devoid of homely touches, as though she would have spruced them up if she only had the opportunity. Korra noticed well-kept shrubs and a vivid landscape on the wall; then Asami came and curtseyed deep and pulled off her apron.

She was willowy and beautiful under the gear and the soot (over it, too, to be honest), which endeared and repelled Korra in fairly equal measure, ultimately leaving her as indifferent as ever.

“My parents and Lord Arnook want to know how you’re getting on.” Lord Arnook was the esteemed keeper of the royal armoury, and he liked Asami just as much as everyone else did.

A flicker of sadness—shame?—crossed her face, then she put her hand on the table. “Won’t you sit? Your Highness. Let me bring you something hot first.”

Asami lit the fire in the blink of an eye and stoked it without watching, like it was the back of her hand. She had some bread in the pantry, over which she spread the aqpik jam Korra had delivered her. Korra watched her as she boiled the water. Her skirt was heavy, probably to insulate from the heat and cold alike, but it fell flatteringly from her height; and her long hair, which had flown in waves in a foreign style at dinner, was pinned into a practical bun. She made a sharp, fragrant tea she had brought from the continent. Her eyes lit up unexpectedly when Korra bent her own cup to cool it.

“Ah, I love seeing that,” she cooed. “I suppose I’m still not used to it. The other elements don’t bend like that. And I hear you have great skill.”

Korra’s own smile came too quick for her to suppress. “Who told you that, the King?” Then she regarded her keenly. So, how are you… Do you need anything? Do the men from the quarry treat you okay?”

“Oh, everyone here is… They’re very warm. Makes up for the chill,” Asami laughed.

It was a line so hackneyed that gritting through it was itself a country-wide inside joke. But this calm and rosy girl injected fresh, charmless charm into it. Maybe everything was charming if someone this winsome did it. After that, Korra softened considerably.

“They are,” she replied, with no small amount of pride. A sudden shame crept up her chest, that she probably couldn’t count herself among those nice people that had made Asami feel welcome.

Then Asami swallowed and the colour of her voice changed. “I miss my home, though. I know this job is more kindness than I deserve, after what we did but… It is a little lonely here.” She confirmed what Korra had already deduced, mostly because she knew the feeling all too well. “I guess I just don’t have a lot of time to go and make friends after work.”

Korra didn’t doubt that; it was hard, physical work. The one or two times she’d witnessed it, the clang rang in her ears for hours afterwards. She wouldn’t have pegged a girl like this for it. Asami reminded her more of some of the young ladies she knew from her old classes, when all the children around the court would be dumped into the royal healing hut together for some hands-on learning.

“Have you been beyond the city yet? The land out there… that’s our land. This is just a fortress.”

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to,” Asami said, wistful. “Pretty sure I can’t go on foot though.”

“Well, if… if you don’t know anyone else, I could take you. I have the best dogs in the Four Kingdoms.”

Before the month was up, Korra had sent a commission to the Queen’s personal seamstress for some sealskin gloves and winter-grade furs. She gifted them to Asami on her birthday. “You need these anyway, I think, but you’ll definitely need them where we’re going.” And that night, Korra took her to see the aurora.

There was a hamlet a few miles north of Agna Qel’a where Korra knew the elderly chief and had asked her for passage to an outcrop in their territory, after divining the well kept secret that it was one of the prime spots for watching the sky dance. Asami, enchanted, never took her eyes off it—so unflinching that Korra almost began to feel envious of the lights.

It became a routine. Korra knew every inch of her realm. If a diplomatic mission sent her to one tribe or settlement, she would be sure to take a day or two exploring the local country before she returned to the capitol. It had been a great boon when the southern tribes first came under their stewardship. The Princess spent time in every village, took interest in their land and in their lore; met challenges of the wilds and the weather with hunger, and any unknowns thereof with abiding curiosity. She knew what to wear, which sled or boat to take. When to find the rarest whale pods before they went south; where the starriest cliffs were, and the sunniest lakes.

All of which impressed Asami a great deal, and that made Korra happier than most things. And no worse were the days they spent in her apartments going over the sordid palace gossip, or in her apartments tracing old scars by lamplight, healing them word by gentle word.

On Yue’s Day, Korra stopped by to see various palace aides located around the city with customary gifts. In a castle town, there were plenty with such connections, and she relished the ruddy smiles, quick drinks, and flustered curtsies she received in turn. She saved Asami for last, because Asami had asked for some time together. Korra entered the smithy by the front, her senses clogging with immediate heat. Two of the apprentices were there: one of them gaped while the other barely blinked.

“Asami? I come bearing punch… and those moon pastries you like!”

She commenced the usual ritual of announcing her presence over the steam and noise while peeling off all but a couple of her layers, when Asami emerged out of the back. She was squeezing her hands together in excitement.

“No, no, no, don’t,” she urged, a gleam in her eyes like the blades that hung behind her, “we’re going somewhere.”

A few minutes later, they were walking along the main canal under the sparkling lights, milling through the townspeople. A fresh drift crunched beneath their boots. In a few more, they were alighting one of the kayaks in the dock.

Asami faced her and paddled like a natural; and naturally, Korra gaped.

“Do not tell me you haven’t done this before!”

Asami’s tongue stuck out in concentration as she suppressed a giggle, but her limbs moved with finesse. “Just the once. So far. Don’t be distracting me.”

“I won’t let us capsize,” Korra assured her.

Eventually, Asami settled into her rhythm, and the canal carried them out of the city, past all the lights. The banks of glass-cut brick gave way to a more jagged channel littered with pack ice at its mouth, floating blue and still. Korra gripped the edge of the kayak, not for any physical comfort. A crackling anticipation, and an unnameable fondness both, were welling and welling in her with every mundane word they shared.

When they disembarked on the lake’s other edge, the ice was landfast: a ghostly field glowing under the full moon.

Korra knew this place, but she had scarcely been here in the middle of winter, when the ice field extended endlessly, as vast as the sky. As they tramped across the snow, she began to wonder what Asami’s surprise was. There wasn’t much for a mile in any direction.

“We should sit for this,” Asami said, pointedly ignoring Korra’s prying questions.

The wind had kicked the snow up into berms along the field. Korra froze one so it was sturdy enough to perch on. Then Asami took her pack, and pulled out some plain tubes of parchment; nothing Korra would have looked at twice, although she didn’t know what they were.

“What’s in there?” She said.

“Some of my metals, some of my salts,” Asami replied enigmatically, almost sing-song. “Wait here.”

She heaved herself off the berm, ran several yards towards the horizon and stooped. She planted the tubes, and did something else Korra couldn’t see, though she thought she recognised the bright filigree on the cover of the pocket matchbook Asami carried everywhere.

When Asami had trundled back and sat again, Korra crossed her arms and laughed, bemused, her humour ebbing. “Are you going to tell me what’s going—”

BOOM!

Korra gasped, startled out of her words. She would have fallen from the perch if Asami didn’t catch her around the waist, giggling blithely all the while—

A wheel of light bloomed in the sky like a flower, dazzling and surreal. All the colours of the aurora—except they were peals of crystal fire, pouring out like diamonds before disappearing into the smoky air. Another wheeled up after it with a strange whirr, before it exploded into a glittering shower, and more in succession.

They reminded Korra of the spirit hales in the heart of the wilds, and even deeper in a buried memory, of the Fire explosives some of the raiders had once set off on the Southern Sea. Except these were brighter—and safer, because Asami had made them.

Korra looked to her when they had died, beaming under the mitten that covered her mouth in shock. “Are there more?”

To her eternal delight, there were more. New flowers sprouting on the celestial vault, they would be burned in her memory forever.

“They’re no aurora,” Asami said, while Korra scoffed and slung her arms around her, huddling for the cold and the buzz. Under her embrace, and half her weight, Asami looked chuffed. “But I thought they might liven up your night.”

Korra cupped her earmuff, then her cheek. “Thank you. This is the best day I’ve had all winter.”

Asami’s pyrotechnical skills didn’t even surprise her, but that could hardly diminish the sheer majesty, and novelty, of the display. Even minutes later, Korra could hardly believe what she had seen.

“Well, I couldn’t let you be the only show-off around here.” Asami smiled. Then the smile dropped from her eyes and she hesitated, like she couldn’t let that sit for an explanation. “Korra. I wanted to do something special. You’ve made me feel at home here in a way I never imagined. And I’m just a smith, from the Fire Empire!”

Korra felt her eyes water and blinked the tears back quickly, because they would ice and sting in the bitter air. She bit the smile off her lips. “You’re not just anything. You’re a terrific handmaiden.”

She snorted as Asami shoved her off and reached for her pack again.

“One more thing. I thought it might be too smokey for this after all those incendiaries, but it’s worth a shot anyway.”

This time Korra recognised the device she emerged with. It was made of two cylinders, and the mechanism that held them together spun smoothly like the spokes of a wheel. She handed it to Korra, who held the spyglass up.

A field of stars materialised. Korra held her breath.

The stars were luminous at the poles, but she had never seen them like this, and for the first time they felt close enough to touch, invoking a bracing, irrepressible wonder. In silence, she gazed.

“The moon spirit leads all the stars out tonight, right?”

Asami had done her research. Korra turned back to her. “So they say.” She hooked her arm through Asami’s, and held her hand. With the spyglass still to her eye, she let her head fall against Asami’s bundled shoulder.

“Tired, princess?”

Korra rustled her breath, long-suffering. “Why do you call me that!”

The way Asami said it—like it was something of her own decree, and not that of ten thousand years of tradition and some profoundly sacred doctrines. There was a sweet and strange tug in Korra’s belly whenever it happened, and this time, tonight, it lingered longer than ever.

“‘Cause you’re a piece of work,” Asami said, trying to interlace their thick, mittened fingers, which required some effort.

Tentatively, Korra turned the spyglass to the moon herself. She winced— it glared straight back, too bright. Maybe another night, when it wasn’t Yue’s Day.

Yue’s Day. She now held the thought delicately in her chest, as if she wanted to guard it from the wind and chill. If Asami loved her—were to love her—there were several reasons not to say it. They both knew them, whether they had turned them over consciously or not.

But the risk of showing was low. And the reward, as her own euphoric mood tonight proved, was magnificent.

[wokeastroke]

Weak

Tirian Felo’dorah sat at his desk, a quill scritching away at paper beneath. He hated quills, and found the feathers to be distracting in the midst of writing. He hated writing as well but some things needed to be said, and getting ahold of this letter’s recipient was difficult. He mused as he finished the swirling letters of her name, imagining breaking down her front door with a hundred men, burning the place to the ground if only for a conversation. Mad as she was, she would likely enjoy the entire thing.

My Lady Valtieri,

He squinted. The lines of Thalassian were meant to be flowing, had to be perfect. One misplaced curve, or miniscule drop of ink could change the entire format of a work. He silently cursed his ancestors for not inventing a simpler alphabet.

I write you today from a place of power unlike any I have felt before. the armies of Stormwind can me moved, coerced, by my hand. It’s ministers answer to me, and it’s gold is dictated by word. And it is from the cliff I speak up to you. My loyalty remains the strongest, my willingness to raise the house second only to yours. And so it does not pain me to tell you that we live in a time of weak men. You will only receive the truth from me, and I fear that we have allowed our house to sink too deeply into the political realm. What do we care of the murder of a politician? What do we have to do with a loud commoner who cannot keep his mouth shut? What do we gain from having any position of power that is not fitting for killers?

The lord paused, stretching out his hand. He knew his thoughts were not shared by the entire house. The weaker links cared about all of these things, but the higher circle remained strong. Three voices who ruled the house, who guided it. But the pack had begun to veer, to weaken itself with the trivialities of the city. His mind drifted to Cerusani, her dogged determination to back a man who would kill her- kill anyone- if they had a bit of land and attended the wrong meetings. How had she forgotten his tearing apart of the group that had sought the very same thing he had? And the ‘attacks’ against him? Tirian shook his head, leaned back in his chair. Likely they were paid men, paid to make him appear in the right. Men that could shout and ‘attack’, then serve a small sentence before escaping. For a moment he thought of Annitia, a lost sheep. Never really a beast, in his eyes, but a part of the house. Married to a man who loves a man, who loves only the feeling of titles. Herke and Clogerny had been interesting fellows, the former truly fun to be about, the latter a spectacle. However, their scheming was always that. Scheming. A shame that Annitia was caught up in it, but still better than her being close to Tirian. Safer for her. Besides, if he ever felt the need, maybe he’d pay her a small visit. He gave an amused chuckle at that, his will to ruin things came without beckoning. Another way he had been turned by the Thing in his head. He merely wanted to take and destroy things. Create his own heaven. If only his heaven were a little more friendly to others.

Somehow a drink made it into his hand. Cerusani was lovely, but her choices when it came to men were always wrong. He paused, the thoughts that ran through his head were oily, then caught flame. He quenched them with a sip of his drink, some fruity mixture Primrose had invented. It hurt to tell the truth, and ever so more to tell himself the truth. Was it fair to speak to anyone knowing you offer only the worst?

He set quill to paper. Fucking quills.

So I offer you only this as a warning, a call to arms, a golden trumpet of war. The armistice means nothing. Peace is not attained, and I do not wish it. Horde settlements have gone untouched since the finding of the Shadowlands, and it is time we take what we can. If not to refill our coffers, to send a message. I advise you and Vynlorin to raise your armies and keep them raised. When we ride, the gods themselves will quiver. With excitement, and then with fear. Bones and teeth, Lord Tirian Felo’dorah.

The High Marshal put the quill down, happy to be rid of the fluttering thing. Carefully he blew on the paper, drying the black ink slowly, though his mind whirled. Vynlorin would have his back, he must. But he knew himself. Tirian needed tempering, in everything but drink and whores. Vynlorin was smart, cunning, almost shrewd. Tirian laughed as he thought of ruling the world, a thousand women at his feet, and Vynlorin as his only council, his reward being a dungeon miles deep. Tirian’s chuckles nearly smudged the ink on his letter. But, slowly it was folded in three, a dollop of black ink slobbed onto the center. Then he looked to his ring, the face of a bull. 

After a moments indecision, he infused it with a bit of It. Of whatever lurked behind his eyes. Slowly, the jewels set in the eyes of the bull glowed hot. Only then did he pressed it into the wax, creating his seal.

Tirian frowned as he peered at the seal, however. Though the wax had hardened, the eyes continued to smoke and smolder. He didn’t know if he liked that. But he shrugged. Allow the Beast his one touch upon the world.

The letter was gone in moments, arriving in hours, delivered by the prettiest messenger of Ghostlynn Grove.  ( @aredhelvaltieri @shandaumath @cerusaniduskbinder @annitiafairchild )

(mentioned in this post)

[thechembow]

To the woman who assaulted me at Ace Hardware today,

Jan. 15, 2021

I am your neighbor in Frazier Park. I love this mountain and feel so blessed to live here. You must enjoy its beauty as much as I do, because it is unsurpassed. The woods and wildlife give me solace. I have also always had good experiences among the humans of the mountain, shopping locally, where we all know each other and everyone is friendly. I like supporting our community and keeping everyone working and happy. I’ve never had a bad time shopping in Frazier Park, so it was somewhat of a shock to meet you this way today.

My husband and I were picking up some bird seed at Ace Hardware. If you live in Frazier Park and not in Pine Mountain Club, it’s still legal to feed the birds! We love our feathered friends. They have also been giving me nice brass shavings from their key machine which I use to make orgonite, an energy device which promotes rainfall, clears air pollution, and makes living with EMF safer. My husband, Gabe, and I have been making and gifting orgonite for almost seven years now, and we have covered all of California and much of the US west to end the drought. You might be interested to know that we have put orgonite all over this mountain too. It sure has been snowing more and more every year since we got here and the forests are alive with new baby trees, far outnumbering the trees that die of old age. There were awesome wildflower blooms out in the Antelope Valley and Gorman these past few years. It might also comfort you to know that there are Earth pipes along San Andreas Fault here and at the top of Mt. Pinos, healing the damage that was done here by your ancestors, who stole the land from the Chumash Indians and clear-cut the forests. This will help prevent earthquakes. We have gifted somewhere around 200 orgonite pieces to these mountains, from the Grapevine to the Central Coast. I wrote a book about it too. Our life and most of our resources have gone into planetary healing.

Now that you know a little more about me, I would like to know more about you. I wasn’t covering my face today like you were because I am not a member of your religion. We should be tolerant of other peoples’ beliefs. I am tolerant of your choice to hide your face from your Creator, although I don’t agree with it. I would never hit you and insult you for wearing a mask or for any other reason. What told you that I was to be deplored because of my exposed nose and mouth? When you called me a “f-ing b-tch” and punched me in the ribs, it didn’t hurt physically because you’re old and weak. But I was wondering if it was your mom or dad who taught you to do that? Did you learn it in school or in church? I’ve never been cursed at and hit by an old woman before.

I put on the mask in order not to offend you, although I didn’t have to. You continued to yell, and you were very close to me when you yelled that I would infect you. If I’m so disgusting and disease-ridden, it would be a good idea to stand a few feet away from me when you insult me. I think about 6 feet should do it. It’s also not a good idea to punch a sick person because you could get my germs on your hand. How come you disappeared out the back door when I called out, “She assaulted me!” If you’re right, you should stick around.

Incidentally, soon after we met, I tried to run into the grocery store to grab some garlic. Like at the hardware store, the employees there never get on my case for my need to breathe and show the face God gave me. I got verbally assaulted there by a customer again, which wasn’t as bad as being hit and verbally assaulted at the same time. But the woman there was much younger than you, so you may want to give her some pointers on how to really hurt your neighbor. She said, “You’re killing my family.” She also blamed me for her sick dog. It was more likely a combination of pinworms, Ascaris, a variety of liver and intestinal flukes, some tapeworms, solvents and heavy metals that killed them, along with the ventilators they pop peoples’ lungs with if they come into the hospital with a cold. I’m reading a fascinating book right now called The Cure for All Diseases by Dr. Hulda Clark. It explains all of these diseases you think are infectious and how to cure them. You need to zap your parasites and stop sharing your worms! Stop putting filth in your mouth and reinfecting yourself, says Dr. Clark. Germs are not jumping around in the air. You can learn to heal anything that’s wrong with you with this book.

In your case, you’re definitely watching too much news. I would venture to guess you’re also taking an assortment of pharmaceutical drugs which are masking symptoms of your own worms and the bacteria and viruses they carry. You probably use a smart phone. Lots of old people who don’t even understand the technology do. I wish you would be more like my grandma, who never hit a lady in the store nor uttered an obscenity. She never would have used a smart phone either. She was beautiful, strong, dignified, spoke several languages, loved fine art, cooked great meals and enjoyed life. It’s sad what a shriveled lump of fear you’re become. My grandma survived the very oppression you are doling out today by a miracle of God. Goodness knows, her life was in danger every moment for being Jewish and from Germany at the wrong time. Now I also feel like I’m in danger. If you’ll physically assault a stranger for having a different belief, then what if someone stronger or armed would do it? This is not something I want to find out. Fortunately I have a relationship with God who protects me and am saved by Messiah Yeshua. He reconciled me back to God who forgave my sin of falling into pagan culture like you have. Your world is a fantasy land, but it’s really more like a nightmare, and it is dying like you have died.

There were a few people in the store after you fled the scene who showed me sympathy. But I now know how bad things have gotten. You showed me that today. You made me feel physically sick, not just emotionally distressed, with a little help from your insane ally at the grocery store. Just last week I could go into most places in Frazier Park with my face showing. It seems your time is running out and your world is spiraling out of control. For now, I would rather not argue with you. I will cover my face in your presence and you won’t know I don’t worship your god. It gives me more inspiration to become more self-reliant and less dependent on the businesses of your world. I hate the mask with a passion. I hate what it represents and how you look in it. I think it’s very sad that you love your pathetic false god and believe this absolutely ridiculous narrative to the point that you would assault another woman. C0VID is a mental illness!

Well that’s all for now. I hope to hear from you soon. Maybe you will realize it was wrong to hit me and curse at me and I’ll forgive you. Then we can be friends and have a kosher barbeque when the weather warms up. I’m not holding my breath, no pun intended.

Your neighbor,

Sharon Daphna

[trensu]

Episode 46: The One with All the Yunmeng Bros Angst

gross, ouyang and yao are talking. let’s ignore them!

blah blah plot plot blah

ooh thank god, wwx is now the one talking

being all detective-y and asking relevant questions

I LOVE MY SUNSHINE BOY WHEN HE'S BEING CLEVER

wwx makes some Plot Relevant Point and yao is like I DISAGREE bc ofc he fucking does

LOL WWX'S FACE WHEN YAO INTERRUPTS LIKE THAT

IT'S LIKE HE'S BITING DOWN ON HIS TONGUE TO NOT SNAP SOMETHING BACK

kudos to him on his self-control tbh but it's wasted on yao. 

wwx is all asking things like why are you ladies fessing up now, oh and btw that's a real neat bracelet you got there...

and then nhs is like, gee i wonder what kind of person would've sent these ladies here today

LOLOLOL NHS IS SUCH A TROLL OMG

and yao is like DETAILS DON'T MATTER, WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING ANYWAY LET'S GO MURDER FOR JUSTICE AGAIN

and everyone else is like, HEY, THIS LOUD GUY HAS A POINT LET'S GO MURDER

okay, they don't actually say anything about murder but they're harping about "justice" 

The last time they did that, it resulted in murder so i'm gonna go ahead and assume this time isn't any different

lwj: many skeptical points remain

THANK YOU, LWJ, FOR BEING SENSIBLE

oh, and i would like to point out that the crowd had been getting rowdy 

but the minute lwj interjected there they all fell silent

My guy didn't even raise his voice and was able to shut up a whole room full of people.

I LOVE YOU HANGUANG JUN

lqr: what are they?

wwx: SO MANY. 

wwx makes some Points and is like so we got some witnesses now but where's the HARD EVIDENCE GUYS??

and yao is like, whatever, we'll find it sooner or later now that we know THE TRUTH

and wwx's reaction lolol

it's like oh my god how stupid is this guy, that's not how it works, that's not how ANY of this works

I FEEL YOUR PAIN, WWX, I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL

ppl are blabbering Plot Stuff

i'm just gonna enjoy the occasional shots of wwx and lwj's beautiful faces

blah blah blah plot plot plot blah

gosh, my boys are so pretty

LOOK AT THEM BEING PRETTY, I LOVE THEM

(i say as the crowd devolves into vicious mob mentality)

wwx's had enough of this and turns to leave bc angry mobs are old news at this point

And we all know how he ended up last time there was an angry mob

but yao and some rando interrupt his exit as if they have ANY RIGHT to speak to my sunshine boy at all

Eventually we DO escape sword hall and the mob of stupid people and our boys are alone together wandering lotus pier!!!

they're reviewing Plot Info and bouncing ideas off each other and IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THEY'RE SO SMART AND IN LOVE

They determine that they don't have enough clues to say who the mysterious 3rd party is

but they def have enough evidence showing jgy murdered nmj and is generally an evil conniving bastard.

lwj mentions that he's going to send word to his brother to be careful since jgy is EVIL FOR SURE NOW.

oooh, our boys just came upon the jiang clan's ancestral shrine

wwx freezes, eyes red-rimmed and shiny, MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY

lwj: what's wrong?

ALL OF HIS ATTENTION IS GLUED TO WWX'S EVERY MOVE ALL THE TIME, ISN'T IT??

SEE HOW INTENTLY HE LOOKS AT WWX??

me too, lan zhan, me too

wwx: nothing. it's the ancestral hall of the jiang clan

he says this softly, like it hurts to acknowledge it or smth

lwj: do you want to enter?

wwx: no

WHICH IS A BLATANT LIE

EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS SCREAMING HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO GO IN THERE

they make to turn away and pause for a moment, during which wwx looks back at the shrine longingly

cut to the next scene where we see wwx burning some incense sticks in the shrine

AND OUR BOYS BOW TOGETHER  3x TO M-YU, JFM, AND JYL

wwx greets his deceased loved ones solemnly

wwx: it's me. i'm here to disturb you again.

idk about m-yu and jfm, BUT JYL WOULD NEVER THINK WWX'S PRESENCE WAS A DISTURBANCE

now wwx is telling lwj about how he used to spend a ton of time in that shrine bc m-yu would punish him by sending him there to, idk, reflect on his sins before the ancestors or smth

and lwj is like, yeah, i heard about that

then wwx comments on how he's never met a woman as irritable as m-yu, and how she punished him for trifles all the time

then he laughs bashfully and says "my fault, my fault" and bows another 3x bc omg wwx you can't speak ill of the dead, especially not at their shrine

this is a nice moment between them so far, actually. 

it's nice to hear wwx reminisce in a way that's not 100% painful

and the fact that he's sharing these little bits of inconsequential info with lwj, his soulmate, is just very sweet to me

lwj: won't you tell jc?

wwx: idk. at least not yet

lwj: after all, you two are sworn brothers

it's nice of lwj to acknowledge that, without any sort of rancor in his tone, considering how much he does not care for jc (to put it mildly)

wwx: since the misunderstanding between us is so deep, it's not that easy to solve

HE SOUNDS SO RESIGNED, AND THE LITTLE SMILE THAT FLASHED BRIEFLY THERE WAS JUST SO SAD

and then he's like, besides, I created Plot Device 2, regardless of whether or not jgy ended up using it to make Plot Device 3

UH OH, HERE COMES JC

jc: wei wuxian

OH GOD, CAN HE PACK ANY MORE BITTERNESS AND VENOM INTO THAT NAME??

wwx stands immediately when he hears jc call, he doesn't look at him tho

lwj stands a beat after as jc enters the shrine

jc: you still take yourself as one of the jiang clan? come and go at any time you like, then bring people here when you wish. Do you remember whose house this is? who's the owner?

YIKES

THAT ONE HURT.

and wwx just takes it

wwx: i didnt take hanguang jun to any confidential places in Lotus Pier. i just brought him here to offer some incense to clan leader jiang and madam yu.

he's so submissive here and not even in a fun way

it’s in his posture and tone of voice, even in how he still doesn't look directly at jc...it makes me sad

wwx: we're leaving

He tries to retreat bc he def doesn't want this this confrontation to happen 

jc: you really should kneel down to them, for coming to their presence to destroy the view and ruin their quiet.

DOUBLE YIKES. 

that one hurt EVEN MORE

and lwj, who had been following wwx's lead and staying quiet, intervenes

lwj: clan leader jiang, pay attention to your words

oh boy if looks could kill, jc would be dead as a doornail

he's like HURT MY SOULMATE AGAIN, I DARE YOU. JUST GIVE ME A REASON AND I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN

which is pretty gutsy since jc is higher ranked than him, technically, as clan leader. 

AND they're both in jc's domain rn!

jc: what did you say? i think someone else needs to watch his behavior

he's glaring at wwx's back and he's got a mean twist to his mouth that would be a smile if it weren't so cruel

jc: you have already been kicked out of our family. how dare you enter and face my parents and my sister?

STOP HURTING MY SUNSHINE BOY

wwx is just accepting this. he's just accepting all these cruel things with his eyes downcast and submissive

BC IT HURTS AND HE BELIEVES HE DESERVES IT

lwj: jiang wanyin

HOLY SHIT

lwj fucking HISSED that name

and he took a VERY MENACING step towards jc

MY GUY

MY GUY, YOU CAN'T ATTACK A CLAN LEADER

ESPECIALLY NOT IN HIS OWN HOME

LIKE, I TOTALLY GET WHY YOU'D WANT TO RN, AND, Y'KNOW, I'M NOT THE MOST POLITICALLY SAVVY PERSON AROUND

BUT THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA ALL AROUND

thank god wwx is there

wwx stops him, pressing the palm of his hand into lwj's torso (!!!!!)

wwx: lan zhan. lan zhan, let's go

he practically whispers this, head bent down, AGAIN SUPER SUBSERVIENT

but jc is looking for a fight and he's not letting go until he gets one, apparently

jc: go as far as you can. i don't want to see you AWFUL PEOPLE again before my dead family

wwx just halts in his steps.

he had been all prepared to go after taking that tongue lashing that he thinks he's earned, but at that he takes a deep, fortifying breath bc jc crossed a line

he purses his lips a moment before turning to finally face jc head on

wwx: jc, scold me as you like but not the others (aka LWJ)

oooh, but that was the wrong thing to say to jc right now bc jc goes off on a VERY PAINFUL rant

he's like, oh, i should be nice to lwj? don't you remember that MY PARENTS WERE KILLED AND LOTUS PIER FELL bc you just HAD to play hero and save lwj?? and it wasn't enough! you HAD to play hero and SAVE THE WENS too, which killed my sister!!

oh he's getting really mean here

he's like, how generous you are wwx! letting wn wander the entrance of lotus pier and letting lwj offer incense!!

the minute jc started his rant, wwx cast his eyes to the side, again just enduring everything jc is throwing at him

oh but now jc starts in on lwj again

he's like, lwj, the great second jade, ignoring his reputation to side with wwx, your brother and uncle must be so proud

wwx: JIANG WANYIN!

wwx shouts at him

he's shaky and almost panting here.

wwx: apologize this instant.

jc: apologize? why should i? bc i insulted your great friendship?

THIS WHOLE ENCOUNTER IS A SHIT SHOW AND IT HURTS.

wwx just loses it here and grabs jc by the collar of his robes and gives him a shake

wwx: ARE YOU DONE?

and jc is still the little brother, you know, so obvs he does not back down here, he's not intimidated at all

jc: LET'S FIGHT THEN. should i be afraid of you two?

wwx's breath is all shaky and he's trembling and he would've given into jc's demands for a fight anyway but then he sees jyl's nameplate

and he must remember how upset jyl would get every time they fought

ME TOO, JYL, ME TOO. I HATE THIS, I HATE THIS, MAKE IT STOP

so he lets go of jc and stumbles back. he's looking very weak right now AND I’M VERY CONCERNED

lwj, obvs, catches him by the arm when he stumbles

lwj: wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, let's go

lwj agrees and the two of them turn and leave the shrine, lwj still gripping wwx's arm and providing support bc wwx is NOT looking good what’s happening to my sunshine boy, somebody fix this RIGHT NOW

BUT JC IS LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE BC HE JUST STORMS AFTER THEM, HE WANTS HIS FIGHT

he freaking leaps across the little lotus pond and lands before them, blocking off their exit

he starts antagonizing wwx, and he grabs wwx by the collar now, and again, wwx just takes it BUT LWJ DOESN'T

lwj slams his hand around jc's wrist (the one that's grabbing wwx), WRAPPING HIS FINGERS AROUND JC'S ZIDIAN, EVEN

lwj: let him go

holy crap. Stone Cold. LWJ'S STARE IS STONE COLD, AND HE TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON JC'S WRIST

god damn, if lwj ever looked at me like that, i'd drop to the ground and beg for forgiveness. i'd be scared witless

when jc makes no move to let go of wwx, lwj releases his wrist and hooks his arm under jc's forearm and shoves upward to FINALLY break jc's hold on wwx

wwx stumbles at the force of it and his nose starts to bleed

MY POOR PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY LOOKS SO WEAK AND OUT OF IT!!

lwj looks at him, eyes wide with worry

lwj: wei ying!

even jc looks concerned (i would even say scared, tbh)

wwx reaches up and wipes his nose; he's not steady on his feet AT ALL

wwx: lan zhan, let's go.

lwj: okay

and he immediately starts to leave, practically dragging wwx with him bc wwx is barely able to stand at this point

lol, lwj shoulder checks jc as they walk past him

but jc is a stubborn bastard and brings out zidian and whips at their retreating backs

brief moment here to admire how FREAKING COOL THE ZIDIAN IS OMG,  

*GRABBY HANDS* I WANT ONE OF MY OWN SO SO BAD. 

IT'S A SNAKE BRACELET!! 

THAT TURNS INTO A WHIP!! 

A PURPLE WHIP!!! OF LIGHTNING!!!!!! 

LITERALLY NO ASPECT OF THIS WEAPON IS UN-BADASS

so jc whips purple lightning at them but the hit never lands bc lwj swings his still-sheathed bichen and bats that attack away like nothing

but as he does that, wwx starts to fall

lwj spins around and AUDIBLY GASPS, eyes wide with worry again, as he watches wwx lose consciousness. 

he dives forward and catches his soulmate in his arms and cradles him gently

jc doesn't see this happen and swings right back with another lash but wn swoops in out of nowhere to take the hit instead. 

AND HERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE BIG REVEAL OH GOD I'M NOT READY

jc is all who let you in, how dare you?? and whips wn again

BUT WN WILL NOT STAY DOWN, NO SIR

HE'S GOT STUFF TO SAY AND BY GOD, HE'S GONNA SAY IT

he offers up suibian to jc but jc whips him and sends him flying again

Wn gets right back up goes back to offering the sword to jc, DEMANDING HE UNSHEATHE IT

AND IN A FIT OF FURY JC PULLS AT THE HANDLE AND SUIBIAN COMES FREE

SHOCK, UTTER SHOCK ON HIS AND LWJ'S FACES

(also YIKES jc nearly sliced out wn's eyes with the force of his unsheathing of siubian. he obvs didn't expect anything to come of him pulling at the handle)

GOLDEN CORE TRANSFER REVEAL!!

FLASHBACK to wn's part of the story

we see wn holding an unconscious jc and wq is telling wwx to come out from where he was hiding behind a convenient boulder

and we see wwx give the go ahead to start the golden core transfer

back to the present, jc looks like his whole world is a lie 

bc it kinda is

I'm still kinda mad that wwx never told him anything.

like, i get why he didn't and i sympathize but informed consent in medicine and surgery is kind of a big deal!

and then omg, we got a close up shot of lwj's face

his eyes are wide and shiny and his jaw is dropped open just a bit. HE IS SHAKEN TO THE CORE 

HAHAHA GET IT? THAT THING WWX DOESN’T HAVE ANYMORE?? Oh god i’m sorry that was AWFUL

he turns his gaze back to wwx, who is still resting gently in crook of his arm

i love the camera angle here btw

the scene is at a slant, with the white of bichen's handle, and the white of the flowering tree behind them filling all of the right side of the screen

it makes the dark bundle of wwx and the dark flow of lwj's hair more stark

the slant of it really emphasizes how the whole of lwj's attention is on the man in his arms

And how his whole world is off its axis at this revelation

god lwj is really just letting his whole heart pour out of his eyes as he watches wwx

jc and wn are arguing loudly in the background but lwj makes NO INDICATION of hearing ANY of it

now we get to watch the emotional confrontation between jc and wn

lwj finally looks back at them when wn starts reciting details that no one outside of jc would have known unless they were there themselves

another flashback as wn describes everything in excruciating detail

oh this line gets me every time

wn: the reason you thought it was repaired was because of my sister, the best doctor in the wen clan of qishan, Wen Qing

WN LOVES HIS SISTER SO MUCH. HE WAS SO PROUD OF HER 

AND HE LOST HER. HE DOESN'T HAVE HER ANYMORE

GOD DAMN IT, SHOW, LET THESE BOYS KEEP THEIR SISTERS

and now we go back to lwj, gazing soulfully at wwx and a single tear rolls down his cheek as it really hits him what exactly wwx did, what wwx gave up

wn is going off on jc, like, didn't he ever wonder why wwx never picked up the sword again?

wn looks hardcore here tbh. 

we cut back to lwj, who is now holding bichen tightly, and boy, he's got his jaw clenched so hard.

at least until he looks back down at wwx, and his mouth softens as more tears drip down his face

flashback to when jc first found wwx after the burial mounds, and a series of flashbacks of every time jc brought up wwx's lack of suibian and wwx brushing off his questions

THEY SHOULD'VE JUST TALKED IT OUT, MY GOD, THEY COULD’VE SPARED ME ALL THIS PAIN IF THEY JUST TALKED 

another flashback to that time that jc pushed wwx and wwx fell hard to the ground and jc thought he was just drunk

I AM DONE WITH THESE FLASHBACKS, THX. CAN WE NOT, ANYMORE? IT'S HURTING TOO MUCH

and we also keep getting shots of lwj's face, STREAKED WITH TEARS

HE'S GOT A TEARDROP ON THE TIP OF HIS NOSE

ALL OF THIS IS PAINFUL

PLEASE STOP

oooh, lwj's mouth twists into a firm scowl and he slams bichen on the ground with a loud CLANG

this is too much for him too! he's furious, he's had enough of hearing how wwx suffered for jc

so he scoops up wwx, carrying almost all of his weight, as he walks the both of them outta there

wn leaves suibian with jc and tells him to have anyone else try to unsheathe it if he doesn't believe him

jc doesn't want it. he doesn't want it at all.

he desperately wants it to be untrue

AND I CRY A RIVER FOR MY YUNMENG BROS

WE'RE ON A BOAT NOW

UNCONSCIOUS WWX SPREAD BACK, HELD LOVINGLY IN LWJ'S ARMS

Now we get some lwj & wn bonding time where they discuss a-yuan! (after lwj promises not to tattle on wn to wwx)

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! WE'RE GETTING A FLASHBACK FROM LWJ

LWJ IS ENTERING WWX'S LAB CAVE THING, ALONE, FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR WWX

lwj: on that day, when the wen clan were captured and killed, i went to the burial mounds to seek wei ying but discovered a-yuan instead

we see him find a-yuan, who is unconscious and clammy. 

lwj immediately drops to his knees beside him and checks his wrist, then presses the back of his hand to a-yuan's forehead

oh, lwj's hand is all roughened with dirt. That’s very striking, for some reason.

he purses his lips making a split-second decision, and scoops a-yuan up 

lwj: he was hiding there for so long that he had a fever and was severely ill

wn figures out that the fever is probs why lsz doesn't remember anything, and hasn’t mentioned wn at all. lwj looks surprised

lwj: didn't you tell him?

wn: about his birth origin? he's happy now. knowing too much about the past and remembering something heavy, would make him less happy than now

HE'S SUCH A GOOD PERSON

WHY DO THE BEST OF THEM HAVE TO SUFFER SO?

lwj: sooner or later, he will know

and wn doesn't deny it. he's like, yeah, sooner or later. just like master wei and jc with the golden core transfer.

at this lwj looks back down at wwx

lwj: is it painful?

the way lwj's throat bobs before he asks tho.

like he's forcing himself to ask, bc he needs to know even if he already suspects the answer. 

He needs to know even tho knowing will hurt. he's steeling himself against the pain already.

wn: what?

lwj: taking out the core, is it painful?

wn: you won't believe me if i say it's not, right?

lwj: i thought wq might have some method

he sounds desperate, hoping against all odds that it didn't hurt wwx as much as he suspects it did

and here wn explains that wq wanted to ease the process, make it less painful, but due to the nature of the procedure, she couldn't use any anesthetics

wn: the one who donates the core has to be awake the whole time

THE WHOLE DAMN TIME

HE HAS TO BE CONSCIOUS TO WATCH IT GET CUT OUT OF HIM AND EXPERIENCE THAT CONNECTION SLOWLY BE SEVERED OTHERWISE IT DOESN'T WORK

HOW MESSED UP IS THAT OMG, HOW MUCH TRAUMA MUST THEY PUT MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY THROUGH

lwj: awake?

HE SOUNDS HOARSE AS HE SAYS THAT

wn: two nights and one day. he has to be awake

MY SUNSHINE BOY, MY BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE BOY SUFFERED SO MUCH

lwj's lips purse briefly. he's staring at his wei ying

lwj: at the time, what were the chances

wn: fifty percent

lwj looks at wn here with horrified disbelief

lwj: fifty percent?

wn proceeds to explain how wq didn't want to do it but wwx kept insisting that the odds were worth 

AND OH MY GOD LWJ FLASHES BACK TO THEIR FIRST CONFRONTATION AFTER THE BURIAL MOUNDS, WHEN THEY FINALLY FOUND WWX AFTER 3 MONTHS OF SEARCHING

IT HURTS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FIRST TIME AROUND

Wwx must have some sort of sixth sense for knowing when Emotional Discussions are Done, bc he regains consciousness only AFTER wn & lwj finish bonding lol

he sits up, head aching, and pulls himself from lwj's embrace

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, BC LWJ OBVS DIDN'T MIND HAVING HIM THAT CLOSE

IN FACT even as he helps wwx sit up, you can see his hand trail up wwx's arm, grip loosening and tightening sporadically

He's def trying to prolong contact here, very reluctant to let go of his wei ying

wwx: lan zhan, how did we get out?

lwj: we had a fight

AND ~THEIR SONG~ STARTS PLAYING

wwx: i knew that jiang cheng wouldn't let me go that easily. so unreasonable.

and then he looks at lwj and hurries to assure him that jc didn't mean all those cutting remarks. that that's just how he gets when he's upset.

lwj looks off to the side, pressing his lips closed bc he couldn't care less about jc or jc's words. THEY MEAN NOTHING TO HIM

wwx covers lwj's hand with his own and very earnestly says: so don't take it seriously

BC HE HASN'T YET REALIZED THAT LWJ DOESN'T ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT JC'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE

lwj doesn't look him in the eye as he's told this, and his lips are still pressed together in a firm line. 

he probably doesn't actually want wwx to realize just how little jc means to him.

wwx notices they're on a boat on a lake now lol

wwx: i often played here with jyl when we were children

AND HERE HE HALLUCINATES HIS PRECIOUS BEAUTIFUL KIND AMAZING SISTER JYL

Jyl: a-xian come have some lotus seeds

WWX'S EYES REDDEN WITH TEARS AND HE CALLS OUT FOR HIS SISTER

AND I'M FIGHTING BACK SOBS

WHILE JYL'S SWEET GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS AND JYL SMILES WARMLY AT HER LITTLE BROTHER

wn snaps wwx out of it

ONLY FOR WWX TO FLASHBACK TO JYL CRYING AND SAYING THAT THEY'RE THE CLOSEST THREE IN THE WORLD

WWX LEANS HIS HEAD ON HER KNEE AND SULKS ADORABLY ABOUT HOW HE'S HUNGRY 

AND I WANNA DIE FROM ALL THE FEELINGS I'M HAVING

back on the boat, wwx eyes are still filled with tears and it's awful

wn is all, wwx what's wrong? and wwx shakes it off and just says he's hungry

so he yanks out some lotus pods from the lake and gives one to lwj and one to wn and one for himself

HE'S SMILING NOW, THANK GOD

wwx: it's perfect timing to be here now!

and he's happily tearing into the pod

I LOVE SEEING HIM HAPPY AND SMILING

SUCH LITTLE JOYS AND HE REVELS IN IT

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE HAPPY AND SMILING. 

NOTHING SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO MAKE HIM SAD. NOTHING

lwj: wei ying

wwx: what

lwj: does this lake belong to someone?

LOL, HE GAVE THE POD A SUSPICIOUS LOOK BEFORE ASKING THAT AND HAS NOT TRIED GETTING ANY SEEDS OUT YET

wwx: of course not

HE SAYS IN A COMPLETELY NOT BELIEVABLE WAY

YOU CAN TELL BY HOW HE DOESN'T LOOK LWJ IN THE EYE AS HE RESPONDED AND KEEPS MUNCHING AWAY ON THE SEEDS AS A DISTRACTION

Lwj is watching like, yeah, i’m not buying it.

lwj: i heard that lakes here all have owners.

lolol wwx pauses in his chewing for a second and looks around guiltily for a bit before letting out a nervous laugh

wwx: hanguang jun, you really hear much, don't you? i didn't even know that.

he's looking at him all innocently and LWJ LOOKS BACK STILL NOT BUYING IT LOLOLOL

wwx looks away and then looks back, relenting

wwx: fine. 

HE'S ALL POUTY, IT'S ADORABLE, I LOVE HIM

he sulkily tells wn to get them moving

and sulkily tosses his lotus pod at the bottom of the boat

HE'S JUST HAVING A SULK-FEST RN AND IT'S SUPER CUTE, I'M ENJOYING IT A LOT

wn starts to get the paddles to get the boat going, when lwj suddenly leans over the side of the boat and snaps up a lotus pod

he very seriously offers it to his wei ying, who is watching him wide-eyed and surprised

lwj: only for today  

bc i just found out about your traumatic golden core transfer for your awful ungrateful little brother and i feel horrible that you suffered alone, he doesn’t say

bc i wish i could have done something to help but i couldn't so now i'm gonna steal you a lotus pod bc that's literally all i can do right now, he also doesn’t say

LOL

THE WAY THE CAMERA CUTS TO WN HERE CRACKS ME UP

WN IS JUST PASSIVELY MUNCHING ON A SEED AND WATCHING THAT EXCHANGE HAPPEN WITH HIS BIG BROWN EYES TAKING IT IN, WITH A VAGUE, "HUH, THAT'S INTERESTING" MANNER

wwx looks at the pod and then back at lwj before taking the pod with a nervous laugh

I am convinced that he had WAR-FLASHBACKS to that time drunk!lwj gave him roosters

He’s probably frantically trying to remember if lwj drank ANY alcohol earlier

TRYING TO CALCULATE THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE SLIPPING SOME ALCOHOL TO LWJ BETWEEN THEIR FIGHT WITH JC TO THIS BOAT ESCAPE LOLOLOLOL

he clutches that pod with both hands and gives lwj a pained smile 

The exact pained smile he had when he accepted the roosters that time

LMAO WWX TURNS TO LOOK AT WN, HIS BROWS ALL FURROWED IN CONFUSION LIKE, WN WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

but wn just smiles cheerfully at him

cut to the next moment where we see the boat's floor is now littered with a bunch of lotus pods and wwx is happily munching on seeds, all smiley

BUT OF COURSE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY HAPPY PEACEFUL MOMENTS EVER

SO A GLOWY GLITTERY MESSENGER BUTTERFLY APPEARS AND LANDS ON LWJ'S OUTSTRETCHED PALM

I mean, wwx giggled happily there for a moment there!!!!! WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME BASK IN THAT FOR ONE MINUTE, GOD.

anyway, the butterfly

wwx: the paper butterfly messenger from the jin clan?

(side note to say that the butterfly messenger is actually very pretty. i like it a lot)

wwx pats lwj on the knee after the butterfly flies away

wwx: what happened? what did it say?

Lwj’s like, jgy is in yunmeng now and my brother hasn’t responded to my message...

wwx: you worry jgy would harm him when desperate?

bc wwx can tell right away when lwj is worried. BC THEY'RE SOULMATES AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL

And then bc my sunshine boy is a GENIUS, he remembers the deed jgy had hidden away in the secret chamber, for Yunping City in Yunmeng

he excitedly tells lwj that this is where jgy will be

lol he was so excited he tipped himself over a bit and jostled the boat so lwj had to reach out to steady him

we cut to the next scene we see people dying fabrics and our boys wander through 

Wwx confirms with some random worker lady that they’re in the right place and tells lwj they should explore the city as a date for Plot Investigation Reasons

lwj nods in agreement and then wwx turns back to look at the lady and gives her THE SWEETEST SMILE, THE ONE THAT SQUINCHES HIS EYES CLOSED AND MAKES ME SWOON

BUT LOL LWJ SEES HIM SMILE AT THE LADY LIKE THAT AND IT NOT AMUSED BY IT AT ALL

oh god, just the way his eyes flick from wwx to the lady and how his lips firm up before he stalks off in a snit cracks me up

GREEN IS NOT YOUR COLOR, LAN ZHAN, I'M JUST SAYING

LET THE GUY SMILE AT ME, I MEAN AT PEOPLE. IT'S NOT A CRIME

wwx is confused by the reaction but hurries off after him

oh wwx, you dense idiot. you're lucky i love you so

now we see come random guys bully wn for no reason 😞

wwx tells them to back off but they don't listen and lwj very nonchalantly pulls out a talisman from his sleeve and offers it to wwx

wwx looks at the talisman and then back at lwj with SUCH A PLEASED SMILE

OMG I WOULD DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR HIM TO SMILE AT ME LIKE THAT

wwx: lan zhan, you even kept it until now?

AHHHHHH SO CUTE, I LOVE HIM

lwj doesn't respond but it doesn’t matter bc wwx does that squinchy-eyed smile AGAIN AND I DIE, I DIE

wwx activates the talisman which releases a whole bunch of glittery butterflies that distract the guys and allow wn to escape. 

omg guys, this is the same trick lwj used to distract wen chao and wen zhuliu to escape ages and ages ago WHICH MEANS LWJ HAS BEEN CARRYING A PIECE OF WWX WITH HIM ALL THESE YEARS AHHHHHHHHH

And after that wonderful, touching revelation, the episode ends.

SO, we had lots of depressing Yunmeng Bros Feelings that made me wanna die 

BUT we also at the end here get rewarded with MULTIPLE squinchy-eyed smiles from my most precious darling sunshine boy that made me wanna die but, like, in a good way

I WOULD ENDURE SO MUCH MORE FOR THOSE SMILE, NGL

Return to Masterpost

[carewyncromwell]

POTC AU go time! Pictured above are fresh-faced pirate Charlie Weasley, the mystical witch of Tortuga Chiara Dalma, and so-called “Pirate Dragon” Samantha O’Connell @samshogwarts! Looks like these three are a bit over their heads...let’s see if they can get out of it!

For those of you who appreciate my mini-history lectures surrounding real Caribbean pirates of the 17th and 18th century (please let me know if you do, I will happily geek TF out if it’s something you all like XD) -- Tortuga is an island in modern-day Haiti. It was originally a Spanish colony, settled in the 15th century not long after Mr. Despicable himself Christopher Columbus “discovered” the New World. Despite this, and despite the, er...tempestuous relationship between Spain and its neighboring countries, Tortuga ended up also hosting both English and French settlements, largely made up of buccaneers, in the 17th century. Buccaneers were an ancestor of the more classic “pirates” we think of today -- the biggest differences were that they were privateers, meaning they worked on behalf of a country and only attacked ships from other countries (i.e. a British privateer like Sir Francis Drake would only attack Spanish or French ships), and that buccaneers specifically congregated in that area of the Caribbean (namely, Tortuga and the island of Hispaniola) alone. Historically, however, Tortuga stopped being a great place for buccaneers to gather before the end of the 17th century -- specifically when treaties were passed officially banning those old privateers from attacking foreign vessels during times of peace, circa 1680. This also effectively killed off the buccaneer as a profession, until the War of Spanish Succession turned a lot more privateers who had fought during the War into the more classic 18th century pirates we think of today. During the most famous period of the Golden Age of Piracy -- namely, the third and final wave after the War of Spanish Succession ended in 1714, which hosted all of the best known pirates like Blackbeard and which both the Pirates films and this AU is set in -- it would’ve been far more common to find actual historical pirates in places like St. Mary’s Island off the coast of Madagascar or (I’m not kidding) Port Royal, Jamaica, which was quite frankly NOT the beautiful, upstanding city we see in the films. In truth, it actually prospered under piracy, until Port Royal’s leadership finally decided to crack down hard on pirates circa 1720. In this project, though, for the sake of iconography, I will treat Tortuga very much the way Port Royal would’ve really been historically -- a pirate island which, in this time period, was suddenly barraged by the pirates’ enemies and was immediately no longer a safe place for pirates to hide in. (Of course, historical pirates were much less likable or sympathetic than the pirate characters in this AU are, regardless of how objectively hard their existence was and how frankly horrid the world was in general for anyone who wasn’t upper-class, white, and male back then.)

The so-called “seven seas” have gone through a lot of “shuffling around” over the centuries, as our understanding of the world has grown. The phrase was first used by the Ancient Greeks, but back then of course, they didn’t know about the existence of bodies of water like the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In the Pirates films, there are nine Pirate lords for the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the South China, Caspian, Adriatic, Black, Mediterranean, and Caribbean Seas. I’ve slimmed down the number to just seven for the sake of referencing the so-called “seven seas,” and also because with the Pirate King, that would then give us eight pieces of eight, which seems like a much more logical number than nine pieces of eight. (Plus, to me, the Caspian and Black Seas are kind of weird choices to have Lords for as the Caspian is land-locked and the Black Sea can only be sailed into through a narrow channel in the Mediterranean...and from what I can tell, there wasn’t much 17th-18th century piracy specifically centered around those two seas either.)

Previous part of the AU is here -- whole tag is here -- and of course Jules Farrier-Weasley belongs to @cursebreakerfarrier and Finn McGarry / Davy Jones belongs to @theguythatdraws. <3

x~x~x~x

In the nearly three weeks since Jules, Bill, and Charlie said goodbye to Carewyn, the three had practically been thrown head-first into what piracy truly meant. Sailing aboard the Artemis hadn’t been as glamorous as the stories Jules grew up with, but trying to steer the Revolution with only three people aboard without enough food or drink to go around, all the while knowing that just about no ships they might come across and very few islands they might land on would be friendly to them, was something that didn’t sink in until one was left sitting up all night thinking it over. Everything the three owned now -- everything they were -- was either on their person or on this ship...and if anything happened to the ship, they wouldn’t just lose the belongings they had on board, but also the only way they could transport themselves out of danger and the only “home” they still had. No one would likely even know anything had happened to them until days, weeks, or even months afterwards. It was like nothing tethered them to the Earth at all -- like they had no gravity and could just fly up into the air at any time, disappearing forever without a trace.

There was a freedom to it, of course, knowing that you didn’t have to be defined by how you were born or what arbitrary value society placed on you...and yet, the freedom came at a cost.

The three Weasleys arrived on the island of Tortuga within four days. Truthfully it wasn’t really a place a lot of people would enjoy visiting -- it was loud, filthy, seedy, and treacherous, and yet, it was a safe place for them to fill their bellies and get their ship repaired and outfitted with new crew members.

There were a few pirates who initially balked at the idea of joining the crew of a ship captained by a woman, but before long, Jules made a name for herself in Tortuga after she was able to out-maneuver two drunken men twice her size in a fight, the first by ducking under his arm and then smashing a bottle of rum over his head to knock him out and the second by stealing his own pistol out of his belt and pointing it right between his eyes until he backed off. 

Charlie couldn’t help but grin as the pirate rather cowardly slunk off like a dog with his tail between his legs.

“Bloody hell, Jules!” he laughed. “Reckon you scared him so bad he’ll be running off crying to Mummy...”

Jules crossed her arms, the man’s pistol still in her hand. “Well, he had it coming. Not wanting to be on our crew I can accept, but I am not a thing he can pay for.”

“You can’t be bought, period,” agreed Bill lowly, shooting a rather dirty look at the man’s back as he secured an arm around his wife’s waist. “Least of all by a disgusting cur like him.”

Charlie gave a low whistle.

“Blimey, Bill, a man of the Church, swearing like that?” he teased. “Whatever happened to turning the other cheek?”

“Ecclesiastes 3:8 -- ‘there is a time to love and a time to hate,’” said Bill coolly. “This is not a time to love.”

Jules smiled wryly up at Bill.

“I might have to disagree,” she said amusedly, as she tilted his head down enough to ensnare his lips with her own.

Not long after they arrived, Orion and the crew of Artemis met the Weasleys in Tortuga, as planned. It was good to see some familiar and friendly faces, in a sea of insincere smiles and shady looks. Orion immediately introduced the crew of the Revolution to a few of his “friends” on the island -- Andre Egwu, a rather fashionable pirate who had once been both a tailor and a French privateer; Erika Rath, the rough-and-tough owner of the Faithful Bride tavern, who had been a pirate herself before settling in Tortuga to offer a safe place to those who were too ill, young, old, or otherwise unable to sail anymore; Ethan Parkin, Skye’s father and a retired pirate himself, who, despite being a rather egotistical sort that disdained Orion quite a bit, still was always willing to do the crew of the Artemis and their associates a favor, for the sake of his daughter; and a pirate solely called “Face Paint” who was known on the island for being a master of disguise that could not only look like anyone they wanted, but also make other people look like just about anyone else too.

Andre and Face Paint were able to help out all three Weasleys with their wardrobes, so that they “fit” a bit more with the pirates of the island. Bill picked out a new belt that could better fit a scabbard for his sword, and Jules finally got a hat worthy of a captain -- a forest green tricorn hat trimmed with silver embroidery. Charlie was even able to snatch up a pair of boots made of a black scaly material that reminded him of the pictures of dragons he’d see in books as a kid. Charlie had expected Andre to encourage him to shave too, since both he and Bill were already getting a bit stubbly since they hadn’t shaved since they left Port Royal, but Andre actually discouraged this.

“If people know you better without a beard, then you should grow one,” he advised. “The more different you can look from how you did before, the better the chances you’ll have of not immediately being recognized, if you collide with the wrong person. In general, my advice is to change your look up every four to six months, just to throw off the authorities.”

Bill, Jules, and Charlie also accompanied Orion on his visit to the far corner of Tortuga, over a small lake to an eerie-looking worn-down shack on stilts in the middle of the water, which was the home to the resident “witch” of Tortuga.

“Have you ever met a witch before?” Jules asked Bill and Charlie.

Both Weasley brothers shook their heads, looking a little disconcerted.

“She’s truly not as terrifying as everyone makes her out to be,” said McNully reassuringly. “I’d say there’s only a 63% chance she’ll curse you if you make a wrong move.”

Charlie shot him a flabbergasted look. “Oh, that’s encouraging.”

Skye gave a light “hmph!”

“My best piece of advice? Try not to make eye contact and let Orion do the talking,” she said under her breath. “The witch can do favors for you, if you somehow get on her good side and give her proper payment...but she doesn’t trust easily.”

“And likes anyone even more rarely,” added McNully, though he sounded more thoughtful than Skye. “Orion’s one of the few people I’d say she does favor a bit...though I reckon that’s because they go back a ways, and Orion’s not really like most pirates...”

“It’s pirates especially she doesn’t like,” said Skye. 

Charlie frowned. “If she doesn’t like pirates, then why is she here, on an island owned by pirates?”

“I reckon witches probably don’t have a lot of safe places they can live as it is, Charlie,” Bill pointed out somberly. “Even the Bible says you should not suffer a witch to live. She probably lives here because she doesn’t have much choice.”

When they reached the dock under the shack, they tied up their boat, McNully staying behind to watch it while Orion, Skye, Jules, Bill, and Charlie climbed the ladder up into the shack itself. It was a bizarre place with various bottles, model planets, and other such trinkets dangling from the ceiling, and toward the back of the single large room was a table covered in a dirty grayish white tablecloth covered in spots and stains.

The witch called Chia Dalma was almost ethereal in appearance, from her long, flowing white hair to her sea-blue eyes to her bloodless, porcelain skin. She wore a rather worn, clearly second-hand dark red dress and a full-moon-shaped locket around her neck. She also considered all of Orion’s party with considerable distrust in her eyes -- Charlie felt like he was being X-rayed. Orion, however, acted as though he didn’t even notice the scrutiny the others were getting and spoke to Chia very pleasantly after giving her some incense and a jar of candied pineapple.

“How are the stars sounding, to you?” he asked. “From what I’ve seen, Venus is particularly bright, right now -- I would think you’ve heard a lot about love, in your conversations with the night sky.”

Chia finally tore her critical eye off of Charlie to turn to Orion, her posture still noticeably guarded.

“Yes,” she said, “though I believe there’s a reason you noticed Venus’s brightness in particular, as opposed to the rest of the planets’ movements.”

Her voice was very soft and understated, enough to make you freeze where you stood and hold your breath in a subconscious attempt to hear her better. Despite this, her discerning look on Orion was considerably less suspicious: if anything, it looked almost curious.

A flicker of a smile teased at the corners of Orion’s mouth. 

“...I suppose I may have.”

Bill and Charlie both shot Orion looks out the side of their eye. They had a feeling they knew exactly why that was.

Bill and Jules had talked to Charlie about their suspicions about Orion and Carewyn, and although Jules had been very supportive of it and even Bill acknowledged that Orion did seem to feel genuine affection for Carewyn, Charlie himself still felt a bit uncomfortable about it. To him, Carewyn was his twin -- although in a lot of ways, she was more like Bill personality-wise and Bill and she were clearly the best of friends, Charlie and Carewyn had still been two peas in a pod for a lot of the War. Because they were seen as twin brothers by the Navy, they were often positioned together and ended up supporting each other whenever Bill -- the person they both loved and trusted more than anyone else -- wasn’t around. This whole experience was the first time he’d really been apart from Carewyn since he’d first joined the Navy...and with Bill now married to Jules and the whole world suddenly being against them...Charlie found himself missing his “twin” more than ever.

‘Orion’s not a bad bloke,’ Charlie thought to himself. ‘If Carey really likes him, I’d understand, but...I just don’t want things to change anymore than they already have...’

Becoming estranged from Percy had been hard enough. Knowing that Bill and he would drift apart as his older brother made a life of his own with Jules, and thinking of Carewyn making a life of her own with Orion, while he himself was left on the sidelines...it was a thought Charlie didn’t like wallowing in.

Chia regarded Orion with a more solemn look as she took a seat at her table.

“It would behoove you to take a more complete look at the planets,” she said lowly. “There’s friction growing between Saturn and Uranus.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed, though his expression remained typically serene. Charlie glanced from Orion to Chia.

“...What does that mean?” he asked.

Skye shot him a look as if to warn him to be quiet -- Chia turned her attention to Charlie, her blue eyes boring into him with such intensity that Charlie flinched back a bit despite himself.

“Saturn represents Law -- a rigid structure,” she answered lowly. “Uranus, his father, represents Disorder -- Unpredictability -- Rebellion and Reformation. It suggests that there is to be great upheaval, very soon -- a large shift, the likes of which none of you have seen in your lifetimes.”

Charlie’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Bigger than the War?”

Chia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“That was a War fought solely for the advancement of a few,” she said, her voice noticeably cool. “However big it felt to you, Charles Weasley, it merely reinforced what was already there, and so it will ultimately be forgotten. Only the ripples of that War -- the ones we feel, in this moment -- will leave any real impact.”

Charlie wanted to ask how Chia knew his name, but Orion spoke before he could.

“Can you tell which planet is rising, of the two?”

Chia glanced up at the model planets over her head pensively. “Right now, no. They’re on a collision course in the night sky, set to eclipse each other...but I can’t say which will fall first...and what will fall here on Earth, in response.”

Chia’s eyes drifted from Orion to Charlie to Jules, narrowing a bit more critically as she considered each of them in turn.

“One thing is for sure, though -- when two such powerful planets meet, it signals the end of an age. Whatever’s born from the ashes of that end may be up to whomever is fortunate enough to survive.”

The group left Chia Dalma’s feeling considerably less comfortable than when they arrived. Despite this, and despite how weirded out he was that she’d known who he was before he’d even told her his name, Charlie had to admit to himself that she didn’t seem as scary as Skye or McNully had made her out to be. She kind of reminded him of the ocean in a way -- mysterious and intimidating, sure, but ultimately something worthy of respect. Even just the way she spoke seemed to hint to her being much older than her face would suggest.

No one in the group had any idea what Chia Dalma could’ve meant when she discussed “an great upheaval” until over a week later. That was the day that the Flying Dutchman arrived on the shores of Tortuga and, without any warning, opened fire.

It was Hell the likes of which even Bill or Charlie had never seen. Cannonballs blasted through buildings, smashing windows and shattering walls. Before long, whole buildings were coming down and crushing people as they fled. Then the Flying Dutchman’s crew came ashore, undead and rotten and crusted over with barnacles and sea-life, as if they’d been swallowed up and spat back out of the sea itself -- and they killed and captured by the hundreds, with both swords and nets.

Then the Captain of the Dutchman himself, his octopus-like face visibly furious as his lobster-like claw clutched at the front of his chest where his heart should be, turned his ire on the settlement itself.

Cutler Beckett wanted him to send the pirates a message, did he? Well, then...he’d send them a message they’d see for miles.

With a click of his claw, Jones conjured up a large, flaming cinder, which he then chucked at the Faithful Bride. In an instant, it was set ablaze...and all of the pirates trying to hide inside the tavern were soon forced to flee and be captured, or burn to death. The fire spread from roof to roof, and soon all of Tortuga was in flames.

In the midst of the chaos, the crews of the Artemis and the Revolution hurried back to their ships, preparing to retreat. As Charlie ran behind Jules and Bill, however, he stopped abruptly when he caught sight of a white-haired figure being shoved around inside the crowd. It was Chia Dalma. She looked like she was trying to push through, but the horde was quickly devolving around her, trapping her in once spot.

Making up his mind very quickly, Charlie darted back the way he came.

“CHARLIE!” cried Bill.

“SET SAIL!” Charlie bellowed back. “I’LL CATCH UP!”

“CHARLIE!” Jules shouted too.

“Wait -- !” 

Was that Orion’s voice? Charlie had never heard him sound tense like that before. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop. He pressed on, unsheathing his sword as he pushed and shoved the other pirates aside.

“Move! Bugger off!”

Finally he was able to make his way over to Chia Dalma, just in time to block a block a blow from a shark-headed sailor’s sword.

“Oi!” he said angrily. “Leave the lady alone, you toothy maggot!”

The two immediately started to fight, until Charlie managed to get the upper hand by slashing at his flipper-like leg and then shoving him back off his feet through the window of a house.

He turned to Chia Dalma.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The witch’s gaze was just as piercing and guarded as it had been before as she analyzed Charlie’s face.

“Yes,” she said softly.

Charlie offered her a smile, even as more sailors charged at them.

“Stick close to me, all right?” he told her.

“You can’t win against the crew of the Flying Dutchman,” said Chia very gravely.

“Not with that attitude!” said Charlie almost cheekily. Seeing the severe look on her face, he said a little more seriously, “Look, I get that you don’t trust me -- I don’t know you at all either -- but I’m not just going to sit back and watch someone die if I can help it. And if this is the crew of Davy Jones, you’ll die if you stay here.”

The sentiment seemed to cause Chia visible pain. Her eyes abruptly hardened.

“Do not speak with such certainty about Davy Jones,” she said very sharply. “He may be a heartless being now, but that doesn’t make him devoid of conscience, or of feeling.”

Charlie frowned deeply and was prepared to ask Chia what she meant, but before he could, he soon found himself faced with another crew member from the Dutchman with a face covered in barnacles and starfish and had to immediately go on the attack again.

Charlie fought off three other fishy sailors, beating them back as best he could as she tried to steer himself and Chia back toward the docks. But as more time passed, the flames engulfing the nearby buildings only grew. Soot and ash rained from the air, making it harder to breathe by the second.

Charlie struggled to breathe normally as he fought the sailors away from Chia Dalma, but there were just too many of them, and just like with the cursed crew of the Revenge, they didn’t go down easily. Somehow, he managed to steer Chia to the dock, where the Revolution was still floating close by, their anchor already weighed and a ladder dangling off the edge.

“COME ON, CHARLIE!” cried Bill.

Coughing hard, Charlie brought an arm around Chia Dalma, pushing her slightly forward.

“Go on, climb up -- ”

BAM.

All of a sudden, Chia whirled on Charlie, grabbing hold of him and shoving him backward and to the ground just in time to avoid a giant explosion of flames that collided with the dock. The force of the explosion made the ocean water around the island crash, shoving the Revolution back with the force.

“CHARLIE!”

“CHARLIE!”

Charlie could hear both Bill and Jules’s voices as the ship was thrown backward away from the island by a massive, torrential wave. His heart gave a spasm of terror as he stared at the red-hulled ship being tossed like a bath toy in the chaos.

“BILL! JULES!”

Within moments, Charlie and Chia Dalma were surrounded by the Flying Dutchman’s crew. Charlie immediately stood in front of Chia protectively as they were encircled. The witch, for her part, looked disconcerted by the Dutchman’s crew’s appearance, but not in the way that she looked afraid -- if anything, she almost looked deeply troubled.

“There’s reluctance, in their eyes,” she murmured.

Charlie glanced back at her. “Huh?”

Chia’s lips came together seriously. “You know the purpose of the Flying Dutchman?”

“Yeah -- it’s supposed to ferry the dead.”

As Charlie considered this, he realized that this was strange. Why would a crew that was supposed to ferry those lost at sea into the next life be attacking Tortuga?

Chia nodded solemnly. “They’re not here of their own free will. Neither they nor Davy Jones...have come here because they wish to.”

Charlie felt his jaw clench as he stared down the circle of sailors holding up nets and pointing their swords at them as they prepared to capture them.

“Maybe they haven’t, but that doesn’t make them our mates,” he muttered.

Just as it seemed that Charlie was out-numbered, there was a loud rumbling down the street. A whole cart full of barrels were rolling right down the street, right at them.

Chia abruptly grabbed hold of the back of Charlie’s shirt and in an instant, the two had levitated about four feet off the ground, just in time to avoid the throng of barrels knocking over the Dutchman’s crew like nine pins.

As Chia and Charlie slowly returned to the ground, they were joined by another pirate -- a rather striking blonde with emerald-colored eyes. She held a pistol in one hand and her sword in the other as she rolled down the street on one of the barrels, jumping off of it to land on Chia’s other side.

“You both all right?” she asked, as she lifted her leg just enough that she could catch the barrel she’d arrived on with her foot.

“...Aye,” said Charlie after a moment, still a bit in awe about having just been floating in the air like a cloud. “Thanks, uh...?”

“Samantha O’Connell,” she introduced herself quickly.

Charlie blinked. “The Pirate Dragon?”

Both Samantha and he immediately had to duck to avoid a grenade being chucked over at them. It seemed some of the Dutchman’s sailors had recovered from the “barrel attack” and were coming back.

“Look, I’m all for introductions and ‘how-do-you-do’s,’” said Samantha with a wry smile, “but right now, we’d better move!”

Urging Chia in front of her, she then ran down the street away from the dock, Charlie at her heels.

It seemed that the infamous “Pirate Dragon” and Charlie also had a mutual friend in Orion Amari. Despite persuading both crews to “keep to the Pirate Code” (namely, that whoever falls behind is left behind), Samantha nonetheless had enough honor to -- upon seeing Charlie and Chia had been separated from the others -- backtrack enough to make sure they got away too, even if it couldn’t be on the Artemis or Revolution.

“I have my own ketch here at the eastern dock, which I’ll be taking back to my ship,” she explained as they ran. “There are a few others you can choose from, to steer yourself and Ms. Dalma here to Shipwreck Cove -- you’ll be safe there...”

“Shipwreck Cove?” repeated Charlie.

Chia Dalma’s eyes flashed at the name.

“The home of the Brethren Court,” she murmured very icily.

Samantha shot Chia a frown.

“Look, I get it if you don’t like going to another pirate haven, but it’s really the safest place, now. I doubt even Jones himself knows how to get there -- and once all the Pirate Lords assemble, we can come up with a plan to deal with this.”

Samantha immediately boarded the small blue-painted boat, preparing to cast off. Charlie was frowning more deeply than ever in confusion as he jumped aboard a neighboring red-painted ketch.

“There are Pirate Lords?” he asked.

“Of course -- the owners of the seven Pieces of Eight, representing each of the seven seas,” Samantha said logically, as if it were common knowledge. “Or at least six out of the seven -- the Piece of Eight representing the Pacific Ocean was lost after its Lord, Bartholomew Sharp, died...anyway, Orion’s one of the Lords too, so he’ll be able to show your sister-in-law the way and you can meet the rest of your crew there -- ”

Charlie could hear a lot of shouting and pillaging growing louder in the distance. Soon the Flying Dutchman’s crew would be on top of them again --

He quickly threw out a hand, offering it to Chia Dalma. “Come on -- we’d better hurry.”

Chia glanced back in the direction of the flaming city, her blue eyes narrowing. It almost seemed like she was conflicted.

“Listen, Ms. Dalma,” said Samantha sharply, “Jones is under the control of the East India Trading Company and the British Navy.”

Both Charlie and Chia Dalma straightened up abruptly, visibly shocked.

“I overheard Jones say that Beckett’s orders had been to ‘send a message to all pirates.’ That can only mean that Beckett has some leverage over Jones and has impressed him into service. We can’t hope to deal with Jones until we deal with Beckett’s leverage first, and to do that, we have to deal with Beckett.”

Chia once again looked at the flaming buildings, her eyes rippling with emotions Charlie couldn’t read. Then, at last, she closed her eyes, swallowed, and turned to Charlie, taking his hand and boarding the boat.

“See you in Shipwreck Cove!” said Samantha, shooting a bright smile over her shoulder at Charlie. “Good luck!”

Charlie watched her go, before weighing anchor and immediately setting sail with Chia Dalma himself.

The crew of the Flying Dutchman only arrived just in time to see the two ketches already floating off into the distance and out of sight. Chia herself stood at the railing of the boat long after Tortuga had disappeared over the horizon, holding the moon-shaped locket around her neck in her hand. Charlie pulled on the rigging to pull the sail toward the starboard side, glancing over at her with some sympathy.

“You knew Jones...didn’t you?”

Chia glanced back at Charlie, her eyes very unreadable. Then she returned her gaze to the horizon.

Charlie secured the rigging, knotting it tightly.

“...I understand how hard it is, to have to leave someone behind. There’s someone I’ve left behind too -- two people, in fact...who are also probably having to bow to the whims of Cutler Beckett, even if I’m sure they don’t want to...”

The memory of Percy’s pleading face and Carewyn’s stoicism in the face of her heartbreak both rippled over his mind.

“Charlie – don’t do this – think of Mum – think of us – ”

“I want you on a vessel so strong and so fast…that I can never catch up to you again.”

Charlie closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling heavily.

“...Sometimes, though...the only way you can really help them is by leaving them...however hard it is.”

There was a silence. Charlie opened his eyes and headed up to the helm, turning the wheel to help steer the boat through the waves.

While he was piloting the boat, however, he was interrupted by the soft clink. Chia Dalma had placed something on the edge of the deck within Charlie’s reach.

“This is for you, Charles Weasley,” she said.

Charlie blinked and picked it up. It was an old pewter button encrusted with gold and decorated with the icon of an anchor and an intricate cursive “S.”

“Oh, ah...thank you,” said Charlie awkwardly. He turned the button over in his hand. “...What’s the ‘S’ stand for?”

“Sharp,” Chia responded. “Bartholomew Sharp.”

Charlie straightened up. “The Pirate Lord Samantha mentioned?”

Chia inclined her head in a nod. “That is his Piece of Eight. Sharp abandoned his duties as Pirate Lord of the Pacific Ocean long before dying in prison in disgrace, and since then, it has been largely forgotten, by both pirates and honest explorers alike. It’s the last untamed sea, of the seven...”

Her blue eyes bore into Charlie’s face.

“...And now...it will be your responsibility...Pirate Lord Charles Weasley.”

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 129 Review

*

Attack on Titan is a very violent series. People get torn, crushed, cut, shot, and bludgeoned basically every other chapter. Loved ones are lost tragically. Mangled corpses feature regularly. The main character is one of the most ruthless people in the world.

What makes SNK so interesting is how it depicts violence. People have described the series’ depiction of violence as “unvarnished” and “real” and I’d say that’s true, but there so much more to it than that.

It’s not just that the series depicts violence viscerally. That’s been done before.

It’s not even that the series depicts violence as a fact of life.

What sets SNK apart is that it treats violence as endemic.

In Attack on Titan, violence is not only real and unfortunate, not just a fact of life we have to deal with, it’s ever present.

Yeah, this is a story about people who have to fight giants, and then the whole world, to survive. Violence would be an inevitable part of the plot no matter what.

But Attack on Titan goes above and beyond that.

It’s about the emphasis. Some stories would argue that violence should be avoided at all costs. The hero and villain are at odds with each other, but they manage to broker some kind of deal.

Or a story could acknowledge that violence is sometimes necessary. It could be an action movie that kicks off after the conflict has already spiraled into violence. In that case, the question of why people start shooting at each other isn’t necessarily important.

Or the story could show how the conflict came to violence, but emphasize the undesirability of resorting to war.

What makes Attack on Titan unique is that it focuses very much on the origins of violence, but doesn’t emphasize the undesirability of it.

Every conflict in this story is resolved using violence. If this were just a mindless action show, that’d be fine, but this is a series that invites the reader to dwell on whether violence was appropriate.

Unlike most stories Attack on Titan concludes, after all its philosophizing, that non-violent alternatives are a waste of time!

Paradis’ attempts to broker peace with the world are presented as flailing and unsuccessful. Every attempt by Armin to negotiate with the enemy fails.

King Fritz is depicted as a coward, a control freak, and a fool because of his ideology. His ideology of non-violence.

Attack on Titan seems to mock people who don’t want to have to kill. Because of that, the series almost seems to revel in its bloodshed, even as that bloodshed is depicted as gruesome and ugly.

SNK isn’t like Gundam.

Gundam has always had the theme that war is bad. SNK’s theme seems to be that war is unfortunate but necessary.

The difference between those two themes is huge but subtle.

Another important pillar of this series is freedom.

The Survey Corps rides out into the outside world constantly. Every one of them knows they’ll be trampled and torn apart at some point; they do it anyway because they believe in their cause.

That cause is to fight for freedom.

Freedom in Attack on Titan means being able to decide your own fate. If you want to explore the outside world, you can do that. If you want to found a family, you can do that. If you want to virtue signal by adopting the same dream as your friend, you can do that.

But people don’t have to literally be a slave to be unfree.

In Attack on Titan, you can be unfree just by being a slave to other people’s expectations.

People expected that Eren would be humanity’s savior. He was sold to the public as a trump card against the titans: a human who had their power. He was the advantage humanity needed to win. After 100 years, humanity catches a big break, and his name was Eren Jeager.

But it never panned out that way.

The expectation was always unrealistic. Eren was still one (not particularly bright) person, and he was never going to destroy all the titans himself.

Come the end of the Uprising arc, and Eren has not really contributed anything, and he starts to give himself grief.

When it’s revealed his existence seems to have impeded humanity’s survival, Eren begs for death. The weight of everyone’s expectations had crushed him.

Eren had been a slave to the Rogue Titan hype machine.

After Historia’s ahem “pep talk” and some post-cavern ruminations, Eren starts to let go of that way of thinking, and he’s better off for it.

He still works hard, but he doesn’t think he has to carry the world on his back, and thanks to Historia and the military overshadowing him in Uprising, people in general expect less of him, too.

Eren had been liberated from people’s expectations.

Freedom also means freedom from the past.

The Eldians are dogged by their history. Every major villain so far has thought Eldians deserved to die for the sins of their ancestors.

Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie were brainwashed to believe Eldians were devil children.

The Marleyans hammer at that point to this day.

Zeke is convinced Eldians are a curse partly because of the animosity caused by the Empire’s history.

We haven’t seen King Fritz yet, but he’s probably the craziest one of them all. He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo convinced that Eldians carry an irredeemable stain because of their ancestor’s actions that he’ll let their enemies slaughter them.

So it’s not just what people do in the present that can make you unfree. Attack on Titan is also about not being held back by the past.

There’s one more aspect of freedom in SNK to bring up, and I think it’s one of the more underappreciated ones: the importance of posterity.

Isayama loves children.

Soldiers in SNK are asked to devote their hearts for the sake of humanity. “Humanity” means not just people alive today, but their progeny.

People join the Survey Corps despite the high death rate because even if they die, they feel they’re contributing to a future their children can enjoy.

Erwin’s soldiers know they’ll die when they charge Zeke. Erwin sells them on it with talk of paving a way forward for future soldiers.

Parents who abandon their children are presented as bad or weak people. People like Grisha, Rod Reiss, Reiner’s mother.

Gabi is spared by Mr. Blouse because she’s just a child.

Zeke thinks being born is a curse and wants to sterilize a whole race.

Oh, and there was also that hilarious non-sequitur speech Onyankopon gave about children.

The heroes fight because they’re working to a free future for future generations. For their posterity.

Attack on Titan implores people to fight for our own freedom, but also for the freedom of our descendants.

So Attack on Titan has two major components to its message: violence is necessary, and freedom for yourself and your offspring is worth bloodying your hands for.

But fighting for freedom has its limits.

…aaand because I need to tie this post in to the actual chapter I’m supposed to be reviewing, I’m going to use Floch and Gabi to illustrate this point.

In this chapter an ice cream swirl takes flight, ready to fulfil his dreams. They are mercilessly shot down by a kid with a gun. How did we get here?

Floch and Gabi were two wild fanatics starting out.

Gabi was born into a family that had a warrior in it, and it’s clear she aspired to follow in his footsteps. She and Reiner were close, and she wanted to carry his legacy.

Floch joined the Survey Corps because he heard a call and decided to answer. He idolizes Eren, and sees him as an example to follow. Eren is vicious when he fights, and Floch thinks that makes him a good leader.

Both of them wanted to free their respective peoples. Paradis is stuck on an island and feared by everyone around them. The mainland Eldians are stuck in a ghetto and feared by everyone around them.

Gabi believed the mainland Eldians would prove their worth by destroying Paradis, thus displaying their virtuousness to the world.

But Gabi was also a bit self-serving, too. She also wanted to prove that she herself was a good Eldian. She was showered with praise because of how good a fighter she was; she was driven to become that good to prove her own value.

Gabi was raised to believe her self-worth came from how well she fought for Marley. Sources of self-esteem are external for her. They come from the gratification of others.

Floch’s self-esteem is also external. He derives all of his self-worth from his identity as an Eldian. He pounds his chest about the glory of the Empire because if Eldia is glorious, then he, as an Eldian, will be glorious.

He wants to bask in the warm, glowing light of world domination. Of the knowledge that his race is the most powerful group of people in all the world.

I don’t know if Floch believes that Eldians are superior to other races, but that’s not the point. In his mind, the power of Eldia and his own power are inextricably tied together.

The big difference between the two is that Gabi isn’t an idiot.

Say what you will about her, but Gabi is actually talented. She’s smart, strong, a good shot, a good fighter, and a dutiful soldier.

Floch’s only talent is his absolute shamelessness.

He has no moral compass, so he’s willing to do things that his enemies won’t. He’s also stupidly audacious, so he’ll do crazy stuff most won’t consider.

This allowed him to get the upper hand at first. People didn’t expect him to leak information about Eren’s imprisonment to the public or that they’d work with Eren directly.

But now that our heroes are going against him in basically a fair fight, he’s losing badly. The only strategy Floch’s puny brain can muster is to keep spamming our heroes with redshirts.

Compare Floch’s shamelessness to Gabi.

Gabi…is a good person.

She wants to prove her self-worth like Floch does, but she’s not fucking pathetic about it. All she wants is for herself and her people to be recognized as equal to everyone else.

She does not, in the end, want to revenge kill Marleyans just to feel big and strong.

She only wanted to wipe out Paradis because she was indoctrinated to think that way. Once she realized that Eldians on Paradis weren’t devilish, and that the Marleyan system was crap…she stopped hating Paradis and didn’t hate the Marleyans for it.

Floch, on the other hand, nurses a massive victimhood complex that he uses to justify genocide.

This is where the series draws a line between justified violence and unjustified violence.

Floch does not give a shit about human life. He kills people wantonly, and the lives of his own troops doesn’t seem to be a factor in his strategy this chapter.

Floch, very expressly, fights to oppress others and take away their freedom. His big talking point is about Eldian freedom, but in reality his actions go beyond that into cruelty.

Gabi, even when she was a brainwashed fanatic, was never sadistic and hasn’t done anything egregious that I can remember.

In this chapter, Gabi shot a killed people with her rifle. The Yeagerists…didn’t actually kill anyone this chapter, but they tried.

But Gabi is with the good guys because she’s right on principle and isn’t motivated by sadism, or personal insecurity, or a desire for revenge.

The same is true for all of the Cringevengers.

They’re all fighting to oppose global genocide.

The Yeagerists, including Floch, are fighting because they think global genocide is justified if it saves their country.

That is inherently selfish.

Those are the themes of the series in a nutshell.

This is where things start to get questionable.

First off, I object to how pervasive war and violence are shown to be. War is an institution, meaning it is the product of human behavior. That means human behavior can be changed to make war less violent and less common.

And war has, in fact, become less violent and less common.

Attack on Titan has paid lip service to that fact, (see: Gabi, above) but it remains that we are 95% into the story and there is still zero hope for a peaceful resolution.

There is almost zero chance the Cringevengers stop Eren. Even if they do, the world will be whipped into a fury at the destruction he caused, and not only would Paradis be wiped out, the mainland ghettos would conceivably be overrun by angry mobs and Eldians would be killed in the streets.

By the way, I think this would happen even if Magath had lived. I do not understand why people thought just one person’s word would have mattered at all.

Obviously it’s not a peaceful resolution of Eren destroys the world.

Secondly, while the series makes a point that excessive violence is bad, remember that the series also makes the point that appropriate violence is often bloodier than we’d like.

The issue, as I just said, is that Attack on Titan overestimates how often situations calling for violence come up, so functionally the series seems to lean in favor of violence as a general rule.

The series flat out conflates pacifism with defeatism.

King Fritz is a defeatist. He chooses to let his subjects die rather than work towards undoing the caste system that he ruled over.

Instead of making Marleyans equal to Eldians, he let the Marleyans do as they pleased while hiding out on Paradis.

And if the Marleyans came knocking, he was going to let them kill everyone.

He hoped to create a utopian world in the time that he could. This world was built on brainwashing and dictatorship.

But King Fritz’s ideology isn’t identified as defeatist in the story.

He’s identified as a pacifist.

This is why I always thought it was ridiculous that people said Attack on Titan was anti-war. As if a series that implores people to fight could be anti-war.

This chapter was good on its own. I didn’t even mind the violence since it’s a battle and the never ending bloodshed was conveyed really well.

Then the wider context of this fight came to mind…

[basementsushi]

Nekyia

--^ from this prompt I wrote the short story below, entitled Nekyia. Enjoy!--

I did it! My EMT training is complete, I’m licensed and ready to go, and I officially start my new job on Monday, just over two weeks from now. I got this little notebook at the store today to write that down, to make it feel more real. I did it mom, I did it.

I feel like I should explain. I don’t know why, I can’t imagine anyone else will read this. Mom was an EMT too, a volunteer one in the rural town she grew up and lived in. That’s where she met dad too, after she saved his life after a gun accident. Dad always called her “Angel” after that, because at the hospital doctor’s were surprised he had survived, and he always credited mom’s care with his survival.

Mom passed away when I was really little. I don’t even remember her, aside from pictures and stories, I was only three at the time. From the time I was little I decided to become an EMT, just like her, to honor her memory I suppose, though over time I found myself just as passionate about it as she was (at least, according to my aunt). 

And now I’ve finally done it! I just wish mom and dad were still here with me to celebrate. Dad passed just a couple of years after mom, and I lived with my aunt Camille after that until I was 18. She took me out to dinner yesterday to celebrate, and gave me a necklace my mom apparently always wore, that my dad had wanted me to have one day. I don’t even know how to describe it, it’s a little metal charm almost, in an odd shape I’ve never seen before, strung on a dark, thin cord. I feel closer to her with it though, and have started keeping it in my wallet wherever I go.

Wow, that’s more than I’ve written in a journal than… well, I think ever. And chances are I won’t write here again. I’m going to try, but my track record with these things is pretty bad. I wanted to make sure I did at least something to remember finally reaching my goal.

-----

Well, I’m surprised to be picking this thing up again. It’s been over a month since I wrote in it last, and I’ve been at my job about three weeks so far. Nothing too weird has happened, though it has been a bit of an adjustment, until today, and I just had to write about it.

We were responding to a call today, for an older man who had collapsed in the middle of a grocery store, of a suspected heart attack. By the time we got there he was unresponsive, wasn’t breathing, and we couldn’t find a pulse. I really didn’t think he was going to make it, it took us too long to get there I thought.

I started CPR anyway, as well as rescue breathing, while the ambulance was prepared, hoping he would start breathing. I could hardly believe it when he did! We seemed to have him almost stabilized before we even had him on the ambulance. 

That wasn’t even the weirdest part for me. The weirdest part was the first thing he said when we were getting him onto the ambulance. I suspected he was hispanic before, but when I recognized he was speaking Spanish that confirmed it. I didn’t understand what he said to me at the time, but a coworker translated it for me later. He looked right at me and said “eres un ángel”, which means “you are an angel”. 

It’s so weird. The same thing dad called mom after she miraculously saved him. It almost feels like a message from mom, like she’s letting me know I did a good job. I pulled her necklace out of my wallet to look at some today. I still have no idea if it means anything, but it makes me feel better to have around.

-----

I guess I’m going to write in this little notebook a lot more than I thought. In the two weeks since I last wrote there was another case where the patient, from what we could tell, should have died, but after care (I administered some of it), miraculously survived. Especially after others heard about what the elderly hispanic gentleman said the nickname “Angel” has spread for me. 

I should feel glad, I’m helping people, just like mom. But instead I feel… uneasy. Especially this week, but starting around when I saved the hispanic man, I’ve been seeing this man around a lot. He’s the kind of person I don’t think I’d normally notice, a bit taller than average, brown eyes, dark hair. Nothing about him stands out. But the look in his eyes, the fact that I’ve seen him just looking at me, often when I’m arriving to help patients… I could swear he’s following me. And…

No, it’s too silly to write here. I think I just need more sleep, I’ve been so busy with my new job, studying on the side, and all the other things I’m doing. Maybe I need to drop a hobby or something so I can sleep more.

-----

I keep seeing it. Him. The man I wrote about. It’s only been a few days since I last wrote here, but I’ve seen him almost every day. Sometimes looking at me, sometimes just passing by. And I swear I’ve seen wings on him. I’d seen it before, but I thought it was just a lack of sleep. Stress. I don’t know what to think anymore. 

Even Nina (my dog, I realize I haven’t written about her before) is acting like something is off. She’s normally very calm, but every time I get home from work she gets super agitated, and takes ages to calm down and come near me again. Maybe she doesn’t like the smell of the disinfectant from work? I don’t feel like that’s it though, she didn’t start doing this until recently.

Work is still going well at least. I really feel like I’m making a difference. We’ve had less fatalities than usual, which is always good news. I just hope the rest of this weirdness goes away soon.

-----

I’m having Mark (my coworker) drive me home most days now, instead of taking the bus. He found it weird that I finally took him up on his offer, and I probably wouldn’t have, if not for yesterday.

The man, the strange one? I saw him on the bus yesterday on the way home. With nothing else to do on the trip I finally looked at him a bit more, especially all the random symbols on his jacket. I hadn’t looked directly at it before, I hadn’t realized…

On his right sleeve, on the arm, near the shoulder, is the symbol. The same one on mom’s necklace. I took it out of my wallet for the first time in a couple of weeks to hold, and I swear it felt cold. It freaked me out, I don’t want to run into him ever again, especially not alone.

-----

It’s been a week since the bus incident. I’m shaking right now, after what happened today, but I have to write it down, to make it feel more, real? To record it? I don’t even know.

It’s my day off. I’d normally sleep in later, but Nina woke me up around seven barking like mad at the front door. I groggily got up, went to the door, and through the peephole saw the man, the one who had been following me.

I think I was tired, or in shock, or just done with it all, but I opened the door, and he quietly stepped inside. Just a step, not even enough that I could close the door behind him. When he started to speak, he just sounded… odd. Something about his voice, I can’t figure out how to describe it. 

Everything he said, it made no sense. He talked about ceasing the ancient arts? He made it sound like I was messing something up, but I have no idea what he meant. He even mentioned mom, saying she had done this too, and I didn’t want to keep going down her path, that the “arts passed down in your family lead to delayed grief, they don’t eliminate it”. 

Then he just left. I don’t know what to do. I eventually found Nina hiding in my room, and am just sitting here on the floor with her now, writing down what happened. Do I call the police? What would I even tell them? 

-----

He’s giving me time to write, just before he takes me. I have to write quickly. He was able to show me memories - of my mother, of my family before her, our ancestors further back than I recognize. The necklace (rather, the talisman), it’s older than I thought, passed down for generations.

Angel. Ironic, isn’t it? My mom was no angel, neither was I. Just the latest in a long line of… I can’t even believe it. Necromancers. The miracles, the lives saved… they won’t even stay saved. We only delayed the inevitable, until this man could track them down again, to take them, just like he’s taking me now. 

Most have times they have to go. The hispanic man. My dad. It’s no wonder he died so shortly after mom, she wasn’t around to bring him back anymore. And because mom and I upset the balance of things, and didn’t stop when warned (I don’t think either of us understood the warning), we’re being taken too. And the people I saved, the miracles… soon they’ll be taken too.

He’s starting to nod at me, I know we’re going soon. He’s said he’ll make it quick, just like mom. He doesn’t want me to suffer, his job is just to guide us to where we go. He promises Nina’s time isn’t yet, apparently my aunt will find her very soon.

I almost can’t believe it. This all sounds so silly. I wouldn’t have even believed him, but… the wings I thought I saw. I see them clearly now. And I feel sleepy, I can’t write much longer. He said his brother’s blessing will make it not hurt, all I have to do is drift off to sleep. I tried mom, I hope I made you proud. It’s hard to hold my pen up, I think I’m coming to see you soo-

[lemonyellowlogic]

the harder the rain, the sweeter the sun: chapter ten

-o-

first

previous

-o-

chapter ten: the tree

“Oomph!”

Roman breathed out as he felt a large weight fall onto him from above. He slammed the back of his head into the tree he sat in front of when he saw Virgil looking at him from his lap.

“Hey. I was bored, what’re you doing?”

Roman took a moment to catch his breath before glaring at the dragon and shoving him off of him. Virgil casually rolled off of the human and laid down next to him.

“Well, Virgil, I was reading more on the history of Alimagian, if you actually cared.”

“Sounds boring,” Virgil lay on his back, breathing out a purple plump of magic as he listened.

Roman huffed, “You asked. Anyway, it’s different than my kingdom’s history, so I’m at least learning something.”

“Again, boring.”

Roman rolled his eyes, moving back to reading his book. He only got a paragraph into the chapter before Diego strolled up from the river, wringing out his hair with both hands before plopping down next to the two and laying his head down on Virgil’s lap and perched his legs on Roman. 

Roman stiffened, still not used to the casual intimacy all of Alimagians gave often, but he willed himself to relax.

It had been a few days since his confession with Remy, and Roman was startled just how much affection the mage gave him now. Emile was always huggy, but tried avoiding Roman to not bother the human, but now? 

Remy must’ve spoken to him about getting to know Roman or something because now Roman was given just as much affection as the two teenagers they’ve known for years, and Roman did not understand.

Virgil and Diego were strange, including him in their weird discussions and asking for his opinion like they actually cared for what he had to say, and it made Roman feel...something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

It scared him, just how much he wanted to protect these strange people he didn’t know just a month before, but he didn’t hate it.

“Ugh, your hair is still wet, Dee.”

Diego rolled his eyes, getting comfortable where he lay, “Oh, get over it, dragon-boy.”

Virgil narrowed his eyes and Roman spoke up, exasperated, “Okay, you two are not going to start a fight. And if you are, take it somewhere else, for I am trying to read for Thomas’ sake!”

Diego rolled his eyes again before replying , “Fine.”

“Thank you. And please get your dirty little feet off of my pants please, I tried looking nice today.”

“You wear the same thing every day, red tunic and black pants.”

“No, I do not! I have multiple pairs of clothing from Emile, thank you very much. This shirt is clearly maroon, not like the red one, and these pants are a more dark grey.”

Diego laughed, “Sure, human-scum,” But removed only one of his feet.

Roman huffed again, ignoring him and opening his book again before Virgil asked, “Who’s Thomas?”

Roman took a moment to calm himself down from being interrupted again before slowly asking “What?”

“Thomas. You mentioned that you wanted to read for ‘Thomas’ sake’,” Virgil emphasized with air quotes, “So, who’s Thomas?”

Roman pursed his lips in confusion, “You don’t know who Thomas Sanders is?”

Virgil shrugged from where he laid and Diego responded, “Isn’t Sanders the name of the human kingdom? But no, haven’t heard of him.”

Roman’s eyebrows raised and he dog-eared the page he was on and placed down his book next to him. Emile and Remy didn’t care how he marked the books, but bending the pages annoyed Diego, so Roman made sure to do it.

 Diego narrowed his eyes at Roman but ignored it, wanting to hear the human’s response.

“Well,” Roman adjusted where he sat, “You're right of the kingdom name, but the Sanders Kingdom was actually named after Thomas. He founded our kingdom and is m-the royal family’s direct ancestor, give or take a few hundred years or so.”

Virgil’s eyes widened, “Really?”

Roman nodded, “Every human has to learn about him growing up and we tell stories of his adventures and how he founded the kingdom as bedtime stories.”

Diego smirked, “Then tell us them.”

“What?”

“Tell us the magical escapades of this Tommy Sanders, knowing you, it’ll just bore us to sleep and I’m tired anyway.” He got comfortable in Virgil’s lap and looked at Roman, his golden eyes shining. 

Virgil grinned, “Yeah, tell us, teacher-man.”

The two Alimagians looked up toward Roman and he swallowed, clearing his throat, “Um, sure.”

“Thomas Sanders was just a normal human being back when Alimagians ruled the country. The Alimagian government taxed them heavily and treated them horribly, and so Thomas decided to rebel. He had some friends who eloped him, and he started a rebellion against the Alimagians who had imprisoned and hurt his people.

“He joined forces with five different Alimagians, and the six were very close. The five were called Thomas’ sides, and they all did something different for the kingdom. They rebelled against their own people to save Thomas’, helping Thomas fight. 

“With the armies Thomas and the sides had amassed, they were able to turn the war and win it, and then the Sanders kingdom was born. The five worked as advisors and knights for Thomas until they died, and they all lived happily ever after.”

Diego snorted, “That is such propaganda, ‘special human and friends defeat evil Alimagians?’ Give me a break.”

Roman huffed, “Well actually, the retelling is found to be very substantial and there is a lot of proof that all six were real people.”

Virgil asked, “What were their names then?”

“Well, we don’t know. Their names were lost because of what King Foley did. But we know that they went by Logic, Anxiety, Morality, Creativity, and Deceit.”

Virgil hummed, “Interesting names. Poor Deceit, though, that’s an unfortunate thing to be remembered by.”

Roman opened his mouth to respond but Diego cut him off, “Wait, who’s King Foley?”

Roman stilled, looking at the merperson with ashamed eyes before coughing, “Well, King Foley was the king before the last two, from around a hundred years ago. And from what I’ve found, he was the one who started all of the segregation between the humans and Alimagians.”

Roman sighed, laying back on the ground as Diego laid his feet back on him, “He’s the one, after hundreds of years of peace, who wanted to defeat the Alimagains once and for all. So, he started attacking their villages and forced them behind the forest line, because fighting was more difficult there. 

“He erased a lot of our history in the process, but is renowned as some sort of hero, and the next two kings followed in his footsteps, slaughtering Alimagians and spreading lies about them to spread fear and hate so the people agreed with him.”

Roman bit as his lip before he continued, “He’s seen as this heroic man, but now that I actually know Alimagains and know what he said about them were just lies, I’m ashamed to once believing his sayings.”

“Well, I don’t know if your entire personality is a facade,“ Roman stiffened and Diego continued, not noticing, “But I think that you know better now and your past doesn’t really define you if you’ve made efforts to apologize for your old behavior.”

“Yeah, Ro. I know you, you’re a huge dork with weird speaking patterns but you’re our friend, don’t get mad at yourself for things you had no way of not doing.”

Roman hummed nodding, “Well, thank you. I really appreciate your words, but I really want to do more to be better.”

He thought to himself, “Maybe if I found the temple…”

“Temple?”

Roman looked at Virgil who’s eyebrow was raised, “What’s this about a temple?”

Roman grinned, “Well, there's a temple in honor of Thomas Sanders somewhere inside this forest, I believe. No one has ever successfully found it, and since Foley banned travel to the forest, most people don’t try to look for it, but it’s legend has been around since Thomas’s time, I believe. It’s said to be infused with the magic of Thomas’ sides and so maybe if I can find it and harness the power, we can do something.!”

Diego raised his eyebrows, “Well, I’ve never heard of anything like that before, but I’ve passed a lot of ruins with Em and Rem while travelling, so maybe I’ve found it.”

Roman laughed, “Maybe, but it’s been hidden for so many years, probably not.”

 “Fair point,” Diego shrugged, “But maybe we can go looking for it in the future. We have nothing else to do, I mean we’re all here talking under a tree when we could be doing anything else.”

Virgil yawned, “Hey, I’m enjoying doing nothing by a tree, beats having Remy lecture me on safety while I try and fail doing a new spell.”

“Random question,” Roman asked sheepishly as he turned over to look at Virgil, “But how can you do magic if you’re a dragon? I’ve been wondering since I got here.”

Diego laughed but Virgil smiled, answering tiredly, “Well, dragons are kind of like off-shoots of shapeshifting mages, but we can only turn into two forms. I can do whatever magic Remy can, but I’m also...like...a dragon, if that makes sense?”

Virgil looked shy as he finished talking, his eyes hiding behind his hair so that all Roman could see were the two black marks trailing down his cheeks. Roman hummed, “Well, I was guessing it was weird dragon stuff I didn’t understand, so I’m glad to know that I was exactly right.”

Virgil snorted, relaxing tenfold into the grass at his back as Diego grinned, turning onto his side to get comfortable. Roman placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky, a satisfied smile still on his face for making Virgil laugh.

-o-

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