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helioleti · 4 years ago

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I've been rewatching ATLA several times lately and this time I especially ended up wondering a lot about Iroh and Ozai's past and characters in general. I just can't help but think it weird that Ozai is the ultimate trashbag of a humanbeing while Iroh ended up preaching harmony and peace. It just doesn't make any sense. These guys are brothers. They were brought up by the same parents, in the same fascist imperialistic nation, they were taught the same values growing up. You're trying to tell me the difference is that Iroh was destined to be the person he eventually came to be, but Ozai was just born evil? No, I don't think so.

I have two hot takes that I'm gonna elaborate:

1. Iroh had a guidance Ozai lacked

2. Ozai was the less favored son

(Disclaimer: I haven't read the comics yet so I don't know how deep they've already gone into this subject at some point. I'm trying to interpret and analyze the stuff that I got from the animated series only. If anything I say contradicts what has already been confirmed in the comics, feel free to correct me.)

Hear me out. Iroh wasn't born a saint. Everyone is aware of this, especially Iroh himself. He laid siege to Ba Sing Se for 2 years, costing the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom thousands of lives. Everyone knew that if the Fire Nation took over the capital, it meant almost ultimate victory for the Fire Nation. He even went as far as making a offhand sadistic jokes about burning the city to the ground in that letter to Zuko and Azula.

Iroh acknowledges it himself; He was a different man.

So what changed?

Yes, his son died. It broke and shattered him from the inside, making him drop all efforts to continue fighting in the war. To continue what had been his lifelong ambition, what he believed to be his destiny. He had a literal vision about taking over Ba Sing Se when he was a child, and that had been what he'd been pursuing ever since. But the death of his son managed to crumble all of that into nothingness. How is that possible?

Don't get me wrong. I think it's completely valid. I just don't understand how Lu Ten and Iroh could've had such a loving and caring relationship in the first place, when that's clearly something unusual among the royal family. Ozai burned and banished Zuko without a second thought, not to mention all the other shit he did to him growing up. Ozai didn't give two shits about Azula either, he only ever intended to use her as his weapon. Doesn't seem too surprising, if you ask me. Azulon didn't hesitate to demand that Ozai kill his own son if he wanted the throne. That's the man that raised Ozai, so it's just logical that Ozai learned that behavior and those values from his own father.

Even 9 year old Azula thinks it laughable that Iroh would fall apart at the death of his son. She is a child and this is how she thinks. The reason Zuko doesn't think like this is because he's had the guidance of his mother, unlike Azula. This is the kind of mentality these kids grow up with. They grew up with war and so did Iroh and Ozai.

So why was Iroh's relationship with Lu Ten so different? Where did Iroh experience the kind of compassion and love he passed on to his own son, that Ozai definitely didn't? People act on how they've come to learn, so where did Iroh learn to care about his son to a point that it made him give up on his lifelong ambition?

Let's review a very crucial information we have on Iroh and Ozai as siblings: They have a huge age gap.

Frankly, I'm guessing about 10-20 years. Looks more like 20 to me, but that could also be Iroh's greater amount of endured pain and war making him look older than he actually is. But no one can deny that an age gap is definitely there. Which can also indicate they had different upbringings, despite having grown up in the same family as brothers.

What does this mean? Well, that's just me theorizing now, but I can definitely imagine that Iroh had someone, a family member maybe, there for him who wasn't around or didn't care to be when Ozai grew up. There must've been someone there who gave Iroh emotional security and guidance throughout his upbringing. Who? That's up to imagination. A friend of the family? A friendly uncle? His own mother ((or father))? (The last two things worked out for Zuko in the end, didn't they?) Otherwise I can't really explain myself why Iroh had enough values to love the way he loved Lu Ten, while Ozai clearly didn't give two fucks about his children at any point in his life.

Iroh was the firstborn son, the one who had a vision very early in his life that his destiny was to take over Ba Sing Se. Probably the one who got to have a family member care about him enough to show him how to love.

(I like to point this out a lot because I find it very interesting, and very significant. Please A:TLA give us more info on Iroh's past!!)

Which brings me to my second take: Ozai was the less favored son.

Iroh was clearly a son to be proud of. He was a master firebender, the "Dragon of the West", if you will. He apparently had a vision as a boy that he'd conquer the most "impenetrable city" in the world. He probably lived up to his parent's expectations for his whole life, especially having no sibling to be compared to for a significant part of his life. He broke through the outter wall of Ba Sing Se during his siege. Yada yada yada, you get my point. He's the best son they could've wished for.

And Ozai? As far as I know, he barely even has any military achievements. Taking over Ba Sing Se was Azula's doing. While Iroh laid siege to the capital, he was at home chilling in the palace. He's the younger brother to an established hero and was never meant to be firelord. Now, I haven't read the comics for more info on Ozai's biography, but this man barely had a chance to live up to his parent's standards with Iroh as an older brother. If my theory is correct, Ozai also didn't have any person to provide him emotional guidance throughout his life. (*cough* like Azula)

The logical outcome is: infinite jealousy.

And when Ozai suggests to Azulon that he revoke Iroh's birthright to become firelord, this is Azulon's answer:

Azulon doesn't even hesitate to call Ozai out on his bullshit. He doesn't hesitate to take offense at the suggestion of betraying Iroh, and he even seems to care about Iroh's suffering. Not to mention that Azulon is overall annoyed with Ozai's request for an audience and sends the rest of Ozai's family away as soon as he can, to get whatever it is Ozai wants over with.

I could also mention the fact that Ozai tried to impress Azulon with his daughter's skills (Azula, even named after him) and the overall strained relationship these two seem to exhibit. It's obviously very different from Azulon's relationship with Iroh, if the way he talks about said man is anything to show for.

What if Azulon treated Ozai the same way Ozai treated Zuko? (Probably without the physical abuse, but you get my point.) What if this is where Ozai learned to treat a "useless" kid like shit, maybe also in a way to cope with how he was treated himself?

Getting deeper into the fact that Ozai is rather a loser compared to Iroh, without any big military achievements and without value for anything beyond that, this also explains a lot about Ozai's constant need to establish his dominance.

First; Becoming Firelord through radical manners (you know, killing his own son or killing his own father)

Second; Publicly burning and banishing his own son whom he considers a weakling, who dared to speak up in his war room. Doing this to have everyone know that he doesn't associate himself with weakness and that he will not ever tolerate any form of disrespect.

Third; The whole Phoenix King act. No one can tell me this isn't a madman's doing. This is literally to show off that he is the most powerful person in the world.

Ozai is so obsessed with proving himself and his superiority to everyone, including himself and probably Iroh too. This makes most sense if we consider that he probably lived in his brother's shadow for his whole life, ignored by probably every guiding figure he's ever had in his life, maybe even considered a laughingstock by his own father.

Perhaps this is also the reason Ozai didn't have any problem with Iroh accompanying Zuko in banishment. His brother, the hero in whose shadow he grew up, and his son, the failure he'd wanted out of the way for a long time already. It would erase Iroh's image that made him superior to him, once and for all. For himself and the world. I believe that branding him a traitor was the biggest satisfaction Ozai had ever experienced in his life.

I absolutely despise Ozai with every fibre of my heart, but it amazes me how ATLA continues to leave so much room for interpretation and explanation for a character as despicable as him. Writing this, even had me feel sympathy for him at some point. Feel free to disagree with me or add anything, I'm eager to hear everyone's thoughts about Ozai and Iroh's backstories because I'm geniuinely very curious.

#atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla thoughts #atla theory #atla things #ozai #uncle iroh #iroh #fire nation #phoenix king ozai #avatar ozai #avatar iroh #zuko #azula #azulon #atla textpost #avatar textpost

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samshogwarts · 4 years ago

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The Reunion

Ok guys ... I do. I publish a fan fiction of myself. And it's even a shipping story between Samantha and Charlie.

To be honest, I thought for a long, really long time whether I should do that. On the one hand because I think that I am not particularly talented when it comes to writing and on the other hand because I want to be careful with the subject itself.

I know Charlie's sexuality is sometimes a sensitive issue and there are also a lot of people who ship their MC with Charlie. Therefore, I would like to make it clear again that I do not see my shipping as the ultimate and, for example, like to read stories from other shippers myself. This is also how I understand when people say that Charlie is Asexual or Aromantic. Everyone can decide for themselves.

Well, since it's my first fanfiction, I'm really looking forward to your opinion and I hope you like it! So here we go.

(oh and before I forget: thank you @annabelle-tanaka-official and @mollydarling-hphm to encourage me to post it!!! 💙❤️💚💛 You are great)

The reunion light

Almost 7 years have passed since the Khana Circle graduated and went their own way. It's been that long since Charlie Weasley and Samantha O’Connell split up. At this time they promised to remain best friends. But the reality was different. The two never spoke a word to each other again. Since then, Samantha has never visited the Weasley family again too. It reminded her too much of the man she actually loves. And now the wizarding world was about to throw itself into another wizarding war. Two Years ago the Ministry finally realized that the Dark Lord Voldemort had returned. Harry Potter, his friends and members of the Order of the Phoenix fought against him. And last year Death Eaters broke into Hogwarts and killed Albus Dumbledore. And despite the difficult time, or rather because of it, Samantha was all the more surprised when she got the invitation from Bill Weasley. Bill is getting married! Samantha heard that Bill found someone and that made her very happy for him. He deserves it.

Arthur Weasley spoke to Samantha at the Ministry and Samantha promised to show up a few days in advance at the Burrow to help with the preparations. And so it was. Samantha arrived at the Burrow and met Ron Weasley's friends. Samantha had known the entire Weasley family for years and Ron was like a little brother to her. He proudly introduced his friends Hermione Granger and the legendary Harry Potter. Samantha liked them both, and it wasn't even a day before she noticed that Hermione was making certain preparations that had nothing to do with the wedding. Samantha only knew fragments of what was going on, as Tonks had told her a lot. Maybe it would have been her job to prevent the three of them from doing whatever they were up to, but Samantha felt she had to do the opposite. So she gave Hermione hints during the days that she would help her. Indeed, Hermione took advantage of her help.

Now it was only one day before the wedding. Meanwhile, Samantha got along well with Fleur Delacour, Bill's fiancé. She and Tonks even talked Samantha into going out and buying a beautiful dress with the wedding. Samantha was standing in the kitchen with Molly helping her prepare food for the wedding. Bill stood in the doorway and watched the two of them: "Does it just seem like that to me, or have you learned to cook better?" "Haha very funny. But yeah you are right. Dad found some old cookbooks from Mum. " “Samantha, darling. Bill is right. You really learned something. " Samantha smiled wryly. "There is nothing that she cannot learn." Samantha stopped instantly in position. It wasn't the voice of Bill or Molly or anyone from the Burrow. While Samantha turned around, she heard Molly: “CHARLIE! Sweetheart, you're finally here! " Molly hugged her second oldest son and he returned the greeting with a hug. There he was - Charlie Weasley. Samantha had completely forgotten that he was going to be Bill's best man. The last time she had seen him 7 years ago. His skin was tanned from the sun in Romania. Working with the dragons made his arms and body more muscular, his long hair was tied in a ponytail and he wore a three-day beard. Samantha swallowed imperceptibly. God he looked good!

Charlie and Samantha's eyes met briefly and immediately both looked in a different direction. Bill greeted his younger brother right after Molly and then patted him on the shoulder: “I'll bring your things to the room. After all, you've had a long journey behind you! " With one look at Samantha, Bill walked out of the kitchen: "Damn Bill." Samantha thought to herself and turned back to deal with the cake batter. “Charlie, darling. If you want you can rest in the living room. " “Thank you, but actually I would really like to move. I had to sit the whole trip. Where are the others? Maybe I can help build it up? " “Oh, they left some time ago and will probably be finished soon. Wash your hands and help me and Samantha help with meal preparation. " Damn Molly! Samantha began to knead the dough faster than she heard footsteps beside her.

Charlie stood next to Samantha without saying anything. What an absurd situation! But Samantha tried to concentrate on the dough: "Will you give me the spoon, please?" After 7 years of silence and so their first conversation began. "Yes of course." The eyes of the two met and this time they don't look away immediately. Samantha looked into Charlie's eyes and she immediately felt like she was sinking. Charlie looked at her too. What was going on in his head at that moment? Samantha had no idea. And so they set about preparing the meal. Molly asked Charlie about his work in Romania and Samantha listened in silence. Occasionally she couldn't help but also asked questions: "And you really tried to solder horn from the Romanian longhorn on?" "But the wing of the Norwegian spiked hump has healed again, right?" That was something Samantha had so much in common with Charlie. Their mutual love for dragons. After a while the two were even able to talk to each other normally and so the day passed.

The next day the time had come. The day of the wedding had come and if nothing has always been chaotic in the Burrow, that was definitely the case today! The whole family and all friends and guests whirled around and Samantha couldn't escape it either. Ultimately, however, she fell into the clutches of Tonks and Elaiza. The two had set it in their heads to fix Samantha's look for the Day. Charlie seemed to feel the same way with his mother. He's always wanted his hair to grow as long as Bill's, but Molly decided to cut it radically short. In the late afternoon the time had come and the celebrations began in the Weasley's garden. Everything was festively decorated and music could be heard through the whole tent. Everyone laughed and danced and it was almost as if the horror in the world did not exist for a while.

Samantha sat at a table and watched the people while she sipped a glass of wine. She had just danced with Fred and George. She was lucky that the two jokers finally gave her a break. Charlie sat down next to her: "Do you have a Glass for me too?" With a smile, Samantha pushed her glass over to Charlie's. Imperceptibly, she bit her lip lightly. God, that man in the suit looked so good! Samantha quickly tried to think of something else: “Nice party, right? It seems almost surreal when you consider what is currently happening. " Charlie leaned forward and leaned against the table: "You're right. Bill said that's why they should be celebrated. By the way ... do you want ... to dance? " Charlie looked back and forth between Samantha and the dance floor: “You? And dance? Voluntary?" Samantha crossed her arms and smiled wryly. Charlie was really what you would call a dance grouch: ”Well. I don't know when the last time my head was so light. Maybe I just want to take advantage of that. " Charlie turned his head back and forth to show his head of hair: “And with you I at least know that you can do it. So you will have to take the lead. But don't expect me to do this turn-around thing! " Samantha had to laugh: “Haha. OK. You got me. Fine Let us dance." Charlie and Samantha smiled at each other, got up and went to the dance floor. What they didn't know was that their friends were watching them.

Arriving on the dance floor, the two stood there and looked shyly at each other. There was one thing the two of them hadn't considered. Samantha put her hand on his shoulder and Charlie put his hand on her waist. Samantha held her breath and her heart was beating so wildly that she thought Charlie must hear it. But then the two began to move and dance to the music. It was a strange feeling. Suddenly everything around them seemed to disappear and Samantha looked Charlie in the eye and he looked into hers. He too seemed to be holding his breath too: "It was 7 years ago, wasn't it?" "Yes ..." "Time goes by really fast." "Yes…." Charlie didn't know what he was talking about at this point: “Listen, Sam ... If you don't want to talk, that's okay. I mean .. ” “I know what you want to say. But that's not it. It's complicated and, to be honest, I don't know what to think myself. " Charlie lifted his head briefly and looked into the distance with a crooked smile: "Yeah, it's definitely not easy to dance with the guy you dumped years ago." Samantha paused. What is that bitter undertone in his voice? And even if he did, what did he say? “I dumped you? Charlie, you were the one who went to Romania without asking. You didn't hesitate for a second." Now Charlie stopped and looked at Samantha confused: “Sam. I got an offer for my dream job. I thought if someone understands then you… ”

Samantha shook her head:“ Of course I understood. Do you really think that's what this was about? Never, really never could I stand between you and your dream. But do you think I would have followed you and sat at home all day? Do you think I would let you carry the burden alone? I wanted to do an apprenticeship here in England and then I would have followed you to the end of the world!" Now Charlie seemed to lose all color in his face and Samantha could hear his heart beating. Hers too seemed to be pounding wildly on her chest. What was it that made her bring up all of this now? Even if so, Charlie must have been over their relationship for years. But why did it seem to excite him? He took a deep breath and put his hand on Samantha's shoulder: "Does that mean ...that you never wanted to break up?" The words struck Samantha like a knife in her heart. He thought she wanted to end the relationship then? But instead of an answer, Samantha managed just a slow shake of her head. All these years she thought he didn't want a relationship with her anymore. Charlie seemed to shake inwardly and his hand on Samantha's shoulder was trembling: "And what about ..." But before Charlie could finish the sentence, a white and blue ball of light shot through the tent roof and turned into a lux. It was the Patronus of Kingsley Shacklebolt. The whole tent fell silent and Kingsley's voice rang out:" The minister is dead. The ministry has fallen ... they're coming!" And with a soft hiss the Patronus disappeared. Instantly panic broke out among the guests. The first disappeared or ran wild. But there wasn't much time. Samantha and Charlie looked at each other briefly and in the next moment black clouds of smoke appeared in the tent and red flares flew through the area. The Death Eaters were there!

Samantha and Charlie just managed to avoid a curse by jumping backwards. Well, then it might be time to stress out a bit. Samantha's face turned rock hard and her eyes red as fire. Over the years she had learned to use and control her vampire skills. Immediately she heard the heartbeat and the flowing blood of everyone in the tent. She counted 18, no 20 opponents. But all just ordinary magicians. One was standing right behind her, raising his wand. But before he could even begin to cast a curse, Samantha turned and gave her opponent a targeted kick in the head. The Death Eater fell to the ground, unconscious. Very few wizards expected the enemy to attack physically in combat. And that's what Samantha had gotten really good at over the years. Still, she wanted to get her wand. It was lying in her handbag on the table where she was drinking wine with Charlie a few moments ago. Arrived at the table, Samantha could barely avoid an explosion spell and returned the attack by hitting the opponent with a chair. Using the table as cover, Samantha tried to get an overview of the situation. For a brief moment she saw Ron standing with Hermione and Harry Potter in disguise. Hermione and Samantha's eyes met briefly and Samantha nodded to her. With a fixed look Hermione returned the look and in the next moment all 3 had disappeared. There was no time to breathe, because Samantha had to avoid the next curses and Samantha saw Charlie running towards her. She ran towards him out of instinct, even if she didn't know what he was up to: "HOLD ON!" he just called and Samantha understood: "Charlie no wait!" Too late, Charlie had already wrapped his arms around her and disappeared with her to another place. The many lights blurred and it got darker, colder ... and wetter.

The two appeared on a street. By now it was getting late and dark and where Charlie had brought them it was pouring rain. Samantha didn't have to look around. She recognized the counter immediately. They were 2 blocks from her home in Ireland. “What are you doing there Charlie? We have to go back and help the others!" Still with red vampire eyes she gave Charlie an angry look. But without saying a word, Charlie took Samantha's hand and pulled her down the streets, "Charlie!" But he just stopped in front of Samantha's front door, turned around and took her handbag to look for the key while he said: “Listen. I think you are now so strong that you could have taken on the enemies alone. But if what Kingsley said is true, then you-know-who will hear of that and will send more. And if they don't defeat you, they will look for ways to weaken you. " Samantha exhaled heavily: "And then they will start to attack my friends and everyone close to me." Samantha looked at the floor with sagging shoulders. Her eyes returned to the color of the emerald green. She felt stupid because she couldn't think of it immediately. But when it came to her loved ones, Samantha quickly lost her strategic thinking.

Charlie finally found the key and opened the door. Both entered and were already soaking wet from the rain. Charlie locked the door behind him and turned to Samantha: “Believe me ... I feel the same way. It ... it's my family after all. " Samantha looked into Charlie's eyes and could see his struggle inside. Then why did he stay here with her when he would rather be with his family? "Charlie ... if you'd rather go ... I mean, I'm safe here .." "No. I don't think either of us should be alone now. And I don't think they're hurting my family ... I mean, I think Ron and the others escaped. I ... at least I haven't seen her anymore and ... ” “Charlie. Ron and his friends escaped. I saw them disappear. And this Hermione ... I know she was prepared. She asked me to give her some books and potions." Samantha gently put her hand on Charlie's face: “And I gave it to her. And taught her a few protection spells. " Charlie's face seemed to relax a bit and he looked directly at Samantha: "Thank you." And so the two stopped. Charlie put his hand on Samantha's and began to stroke it lightly with his thumb. How good his skin felt on hers. Like an animal blinded by the light, Samantha could not escape it and seemed to forget everything around her. But a raindrop that ran down her neck brought her back and she also withdrew her hand: “I'll go get us towels. It’s enough that a war might break out soon. We don't have to catch a cold then. Charlie agreed with a smile and Samantha went to the guest bathroom.

No! She was not allowed to. She mustn't give in to her feelings. Secretly she was a ghost agent and she was forbidden to have feelings for a wizard! It was only putting Charlie in danger. Samantha came back with two towels in her arms. Charlie had now taken off his shoes and socks and Samantha threw the towel at him: “As soon as we're halfway dry, I'll get something else to wear. I should have some of Jack's clothes upstairs. " “Was your brother here? Your father allows him to enter the house? " Surprised and with a smile, Charlie looked at Samantha while he dried his head: "Gritting his teeth, yes. Jack was even allowed to stay a couple of times. We have been working on our relationship for the past few years. I think you can say that we made up again."

After the two of them dried themselves off and Samantha looked for new clothes for them, both changed (Samantha in her bedroom and Charlie in the bathroom). In the living room, Charlie made a fire in the fireplace and Samantha brought tea. They sat down next to each other on the sofa, but avoided eye contact. There they were now. Two grown people who acted like teenagers and didn't know what to say. Samantha sipped her tea nervously. Charlie was the first to find the courage to speak: “Listen, Sam. Because of the thing from before ... You mean you never wanted to end our relationship. And ... I didn't want that either. Then why did we do that?" With this question Charlie turned to Samantha and seemed to fix her with his gaze. "Honestly, I do not know. All these years I thought you didn't want me with you in Romania. That it would be too much for you." “And I thought all these years that it was getting too much for you. That you didn't want to be with me anymore But that wasn't true." Without realizing it, both turned to each other and looked directly at each other. Samantha's heart seemed to almost explode, almost aching in her chest. She hoped Charlie wouldn't complete his question from before, but it was as if he could read her mind:"How do you feel about me today?" Samantha took a deep breath and held it. That seemed like enough of an answer to Charlie. With his fingertips he first gently stroked her cheek, over her neck and finally he ran his fingers into her hair. God how good that felt. Their faces got closer and closer and when Charlie's fingers started to play with her hair, Samantha closed her eyes.

The next thing she felt Charlie's lips on her own. His warm and soft lips hugged hers tightly and Samantha kissed him back. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Charlie accepted this invitation immediately, put his free hand around her waist and pulled Samantha even closer. While Samantha ran her fingers through his hair and stroked his neck, Charlie briefly broke away from the kiss by a few millimeters. Samantha could feel his breath on her lips. Both opened their eyes briefly and all Samantha could see were Charlie's beautiful eyes. Eyes in which a fire burned as she had never seen it in any other person. Eyes so full of passion for life. Eyes that belonged to the man Samantha loved dearly. She could never stop loving him. Quietly, barely audible, Charlie breathed: "Sam ..." Then he kissed her again. More passionate, stronger and also wilder. However, as Charlie pronounced her name, it set off 1,000 fireworks in Samantha. Her whole body shook and tingled like she had never seen it before. Slowly her tongue penetrated his mouth and Charlie returned the game with his. With his left hand he held her head and buried his fingers more and more in her hair, which slowly opened further, with his right hand he ran along her back. She, however, continued to stroke his hair and with the other hand she stroked his chest. She could feel his muscles and his heartbeat under his shirt and she cursed every inch that was between them.

Through the movement Samantha's shirt had slipped a little and when Charlie ran his hand along her back, he ran it over her shirt and his hand now touched her bare skin. Now Samantha's mind is completely lost and this must also have triggered something for Charlie. They both paused for a moment and loosened their tongues. They both looked at each other again, but this time it was harder to breathe. Samantha lightly brushed Charlie's lips and cheek with one finger. The fireworks in her body just didn't stop. Charlie pulled his hand out of her hair. Her hairstyle was now completely messed up and her hair was hanging loose. Charlie took hers with his free hand and kissed first the fingers and then the inside. Samantha caught her breath. Then he ran his hand down the other side of her body until he was under her shirt with both hands. Again both paused briefly in their movement and looked at each other. There would be no step back now.

Shortly afterwards both of them gave themselves up completely and seemed to forget everything around them. For a brief moment there was no return of the Dark Lord, no wedding that was blown up, no 7 years of solitude. No matter what was happening in the world, it was only important for them that they still loved each other and that they had finally realized their mistake from back then. They would never repeat this mistake. From now on the two belonged together. And they prove it to themselves. In the end, both of them were still wrapped in a blanket on the sofa. Charlie was lying on top of Samantha and playing with her hair.

After a few seconds Samantha began to scratch Charlie's back until he finally lifted his head slightly to look at her. His cheeks were fiery red, and Samantha must have looked the same. It was even cute to see him with those cheeks, his eyes bright with joy. "I never stopped ..." Samantha finally said. "Never stopped what?" Charlie asked curiously with a slight smile. "Loving You. Charlie Weasley, I never stopped loving you. And I don't think I will either…” Charlie stiffened for a moment and seemed to be holding his breath. So many emotions flickered briefly in his eyes that Samantha couldn't see them all. Did Charlie suddenly have tears in his eyes? With watery eyes he kissed Samantha gently but intensely and then said: “And I never stopped loving you. And I never will stop. From now on, we will never part again." A single tear landed on Samantha's cheek and mingled with her own. All the years of their separation have been pointless. No one had ever ceased to love the other. Neither of them ever wanted to part. It was all because of a misunderstanding! If only they had said earlier what they felt! But what has been seen is seen and Samantha's chest overflowed with happiness because she was finally reunited with Charlie. She had never felt more happiness in her life until then. Charlie gently ran his finger over Samantha's face.

"Hey, are you hungry?" “Mmh .. food sounds good. Come on, I'll do something in the kitchen. " They both got up, dressed and went into the kitchen. It was as if the two were in another world where there was no evil. Samantha made a couple of sandwiches for the two of them in the kitchen and while they ate they told each other what they'd been up to for the past few years. Charlie mainly talked about his work and the dragons. And the Quidditch championship from 3 years ago of course. He wasn't surprised to hear that Samantha was there too. After all, Ireland played. But they did not run into each other. As Samantha started talking it got more serious. She didn't want any secrets from Charlie, so she decided to tell him about the ghost agents. For a moment, Samantha thought Charlie was going to break into the Ministry and blow up her superiors, but he managed to calm himself down. They decided it was a long day and they should go to bed. However, Charlie insisted on wrapping and holding Samantha in bed like a burrito. Which Samantha found very cute.

The next morning they both woke up arm in arm and it was one of the few times that Samantha wasn't in a bad mood in the morning. They were having breakfast together when Samantha started to get back to reality. They couldn't hide forever in their dream world: “When the ministry has been taken over by you-know-who, they will start enforcing their regime. That means all non-purebloods will be persecuted ... and those ... like me. " Charlie's eyes hardened. Even if Samantha's mother's family was pure blood, there w as still her vampiric family:“ Ok. And where do we hide best? Here and with my family they will look first." “Not us Charlie. I." Immediately Charlie understood what Samantha was saying and he got angry: “Oh no Sam. It is out of the question. After 7 years I finally have you back. I won't let you disappear in the underground the next day and who knows how long won't see you again!"

“Charlie, now think about it. If we both go it will only be suspicious! Then they will know that you have something to do with me after last night. And in the worst case, it falls back on Bill and the others. We can't risk that." Samantha was absolutely right about what she said. And Charlie knew that. Still, he clenched a fist on the table and looked anything but satisfied. But to his surprise Samantha smiled: “Do you think something I have no plan? Did you know that there are a lot of crows in Romania?" “What does that have to do with it now? Oooohhhh…” Suddenly a light came on Charlie and he understood:“ But Sam, you are a registered Animagus. They will know that you can turn into a crow."

Samantha looked over her toast and raised her eyebrows:“ And you really think the dark lord and his arms will hunt all crows and ravens all over Europe? Just because of a runaway half-vampire?" “Who could potentially defeat half of all Death Eaters after what you told me yesterday. But well, point for you. And how does it continue?" Samantha and Charlie both folded their arms and Samantha took a deep breath:" I'm going to have to make preparations with my colleagues. I assume they will have similar plans. But I still have connections with witches and wizards which could be dangerous for them. I have to make the Death Eaters think I have no connection with the wizarding world. That's why it's so important to be seen in public without me for you. You have to tell people that I ran away yesterday evening." Charlie nodded briefly:“ That makes sense to me. And then? I will have to go back to Romania as soon as I know that my family is fine." "Yeah! That makes sense. Well and when you are back in Romania ... "

Samantha leaned forward slightly and smiled playfully at her boyfriend: "Then keep one of your windows open. They say that when a crow flies through a window, it brings good luck." Charlie leaned forward with a smile too and kissed Samantha. When it came off he bit her lip lightly: "I can hardly wait."

THE END!

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iwillhaveamoonbase · 4 years ago

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The Long Game Ch 1

Instead of striking a few months later, the Moonshadow assassins guild decides to play the long game. Rayla will pose as a human and kill Harrow and Ezran when the time is right all while gaining valuable information. One problem: Rayla falls in love with Callum and doesn't think Ezran deserves to die for a crime he doesn't he even know was committed.

Now, Rayla has a choice: tell the truth and risk losing Callum but fixing the divide between Katolis and Xadia or staying quiet and having a chance at a happy life with Callum, Ezran and Harrow but losing the best chance they have at peace and probably never seeing her home or family again.

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

The assassins guild had been talking for days about whether or not to go in and kill King Harrow and Prince Ezran now or wait a few more months or even a year. Queen Zubeia was in distress and the call for revenge was ringing loud and clear throughout Xadia. First, eight years ago, the humans had attacked them unprovoked and murdered one of their citizens for their perverted dark magic. Now, they killed the Dragon King and the Dragon Prince's egg. Xadia could not let this go. The only question was: when?

Runaan looked at Rayla out of the corner of his eye. He knew she wanted to prove herself worthy. He personally found it difficult to believe that his friends, Tiadrin and Lain, his parents, had abandoned their post. In the back of his mind, it didn't make sense. They knew better. But, a Skywing elf who had also been part of the Dragon Guard had admitted they had all fled when the humans killed the Dragon King. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the Silvergrove Ghosting the pair now. But, Rayla could do the right thing in their stead and proclaimed herself ready to do whatever it took to right their wrongs.

"It's better to go now. Who knows how long the Dragon Queen has?" Runaan turned his attention back to the conversation his guild mates were having. A cacophony of sounds as they tried to plan the best course of action that would bring them all back home and, hopefully, stop these humans from killing anymore Xadians.

"The humans will know it's us right away."

"So what?! We want them to know what they did was wrong!"

"True, but, if we wait, maybe we can cause doubt. They'll destroy themselves trying to figure it out."

"We have never not admitted we've taken life before. Why should we do it now? We take life but we don't take it lightly."

"Yes, but this is our chance to not only get the humans fighting each other, but to also get the Moon Nexus back!" There was silence for a few moments. Every Moonshadow el,f even a thousand years after the humans were forced out of Xadia, still felt the string of losing contact with the Moon Nexus. It went deeper than pride; it was an irreplaceable piece of their heritage, culture, and magic that was forever lost to them because the humans refused to accept their lot in the universe as non-magic users. "All I'm saying is, kill two Moon Phoenixes with one arrow. Sow dissent AND fulfill the contract."

Runaan turned to Rayla. Her young face was stony as she took in what everyone was saying. Young... He looked her up and down. She was strong, but those who didn't know better would see her as a slip of a thing. Slowly, a plan formed in Runaan's mind. At any other time, he would have been horrified by the idea. Rayla was his daughter as far as he was concerned. His apprentice, his greatest joy besides Ethari. Ethari would never forgive him. But... Runaan stood up, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "I have an idea. It involves my protegee, Rayla, and getting honor back for her parents as well as stirring doubt in the Pentarchy."

"What do you propose, Runaan?" The guild master had a steeling expression as he stroked his beard.

Runaan smirked. "We play the long game."

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

"Absolutely not!" Ethari roared. "We already lost Tiadrin and Lain. We aren't losing Rayla!"

"She's going to be fine, Ethari." Runaan breathed through his nose. As he expected, Ethari was displeased.

"She's too kind, Runaan! Too loving. Her heart isn't made for a regular mission and you want her to do this?! Send Bandlr or someone else."

"She's the only one her age whose properly trained. She's faster than all of us and quick on her feet."

"Then send yourself or a group."

"They won't suspect a young girl travelling on her own. The longer she does nothing, the more likely they will be to think everything is fine."

"And if they catch her after she succeeds? They'll kill her! They'll kill our daughter and you're sending her to the slaughter."

"She'll die with honor and rise above what her parents have done." Even to Runan's ears he sounded so detached. He winced.

"You...you can't be serious. Runaan, she's our child. Not by blood, but we raised her. She's only 15. She'll be 16 when her training's over. You can't...you can't do this." Ethari's voice was shaking as he started to breath a little harsher. "She's just a child."

"Rayla's already agreed, Ethari. There's nothing either or us can do now."

"You didn't even ask me first!" Ethari breathed deeply for a few moments before his face became stone. "So, that's it, then? You're just going to say good-bye to our little girl?"

Runaan ran a hand through his white hair. "My love, it's not that simple. Queen Zubeia ordered the two hits. We have to do the job."

"Then take a squad like tradition says and do it! Do not send our Rayla into the human lands alone. What if the spell fails and she's found out? What if she slips up? We have no idea when the time is even right. We may never see her again! Do you want that? Because I don't! Rayla shouldn't be made to go because of her parents' actions."

"No one is making me do anything," Rayla piped up from the chair. Runaan had completely forgotten she was in the room and, judging by his slight jump, so had Ethari. "Yes, Runaan offered my name for the plan before asking me, but I agreed. I had a fair chance to give someone else the job and I said I would do it. I'm going, Ethari."

"Rayla, please, don't do this."

"Why do you lack faith in me?"

Ethari shook his head. "It's so much more than that. You're a child, Rayla. Don't throw away your chance for a future when tradition holds you shouldn't even be considering this."

"What future? If Xadia doesn't do anything, the humans will eventually believe they can do whatever they want. What if they start killing elves or more dragons for dark magic? We're already at war. We have to act!"

Ethari looked between the two of them. "You know what? Both of you, do whatever you want."

Runaan started reaching for his husband. "Ethari-"

"I'm going to my sister's, Runaan. I need time to process sending my child, OUR child, over the border to be alone and carrying out a mission ALONE for who knows how long." Ethari slammed the door behind him; silence reigning for a few minutes.

"Well," Rayla looked up at Runaan, "he took that better than we expected."

Runaan sighed. "He's right, Rayla. Think long and hard about this. You have been given 24 hours before you're officially assigned this task. We are asking you to give up an untold amount of time. You might never come back."

Rayla looked directly into his eyes. "I know, but I don't have a choice. Someone has to do this and it should be me. If my parents had just stayed, maybe, the Dragon Prince would still be alive. Besides, they'll probably believe me easier than someone like Bandlr whose already all muscle at 14. I'm young and fast, but I'm slight enough. No one will believe I'm a threat if I say I come from a farming village."

"You're right. I'm so proud of you, Rayla. I'm sure you'll be able to come back home one day."

It took Ethari two weeks to come around, a new blade for Rayla in hand and a flower for when she went on her mission. He still barely talked to Runaan and, if Runaan was being honest, he couldn't blame him. Rayla was going to be spending a few months with Lujanne at the Moon Nexus followed by a bit of time in the village by the Cursed Caldera before making her way to the capital. There was no room for error and she was going to have to learn how to act human fast.

The flower Ethari made was set into the fountain, the whole of Silvergrove watching. Runaan knew he and everyone else would be keeping an eye on it. Rayla had to succeed.

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

6 months later

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

Callum groaned as Soren sent him to the ground again. "C'mon, step-prince. Wasn't your mom the strongest general is Katolis? You shouldn't be this weak after this much training."

Callum glared a bit at his...friend?...tormentor? Callum wasn't sure who Soren was to him anymore besides the big brother of his crush. How Claudia and Soren came from the same parents was beyond Callum. Though, Viren did give Claudia more attention because of her magic. More love, probably. "My mom was a lance specialist. Why don't we try that?"

"Princes use swords; even step-princes."

Callum looked down at his feet. "The king can use a lance."

"ARGH! It's just not how it's done, OK? Sword first, than lance. Now, on your hands and knees and give me a hundred push-ups." Callum groaned and was about to follow through when Caludia raced through the courtyard to stand in front of Soren. She started miming a bit, a big smile on her face. "What is it, Clauds? Use your words."

She squealed. "There's a girl whose just come from the border. She asked to see the king and she looks about my age, maybe a year younger."

Soren and Callum's brows furrowed. "Why does she want to see the king?"

"Don't know, but she's pretty cute. She might be your type, Sor-bear."

"Uh-huh. You don't know my type, Claudia. You've proven that how many times now?"

Callum didn't bother staying for what was bound to be an argument between the two. Instead,he hurried to the throne room, running to Ezran and Bait with a handful of jelly tarts with them. "What do you think she wants?" Ezran asked.

"No idea. Whatever it is, I'm sure the king will hear her out."

"You know, you can call him 'Dad.' I really think he'd like that, Callum."

"He's the king, Ezran, and I'm just the step-prince."

"But, he raised you and I know he loves you."

Callum closed his eyes briefly. "It's complicated, Ez."

Ezran pouted a bit, but dropped it. When they finally made it to the throne room, they stood to Harrow's right while Opeli and Viren were standing to his left. Before them was a pale girl with hair a few shades lighter than Soren's and light blue eyes. She stood perhaps an inch taller than Callum and was dressed in plain robes that marked her as a member of the farming class.

"Your Majesty," her voice was clear and projected throughout the room. She took a sweeping curtsy, though almost lost her balance doing so. She raised her eyes when Harrow told her to rise, slowly coming back up to face the room. "I come from a town on the border. We were attacked not too long ago." She looked down, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I'm all that's left of my village. Please, I need help. I have no family."

"Who attacked your home?" Viren looked straight at her, eyebrow raised.

"I believe it was elves." Viren and Harrow shared a look before turning back to the girl. "They kept saying something about dragons when they came but everything happened so fast it's all a blur."

Viren cleared his throat. "And why did you come all the way here? Surely there were others who could look after you."

The girl looked distressed, twisting her hands together a bit. Callum couldn't help but notice just how pretty she was, with a Cupid's bow on her top lip, high cheekbones, and large eyes. But, there was something slightly off, something that in the back of his mind was saying it wasn't quite right. Maybe she was too pretty? "To be honest, I tried a few times but they either didn't want me because of the possibility of the elves coming after me. I just hoped that I could be safe here."

Harrow nodded. "Of course, dear child. You are welcome to stay as long as you like. And, I am so sorry for the trials you have faced before coming here today."

Viren sent a glared at Harrow. "Harrow-"

"Not now, Viren. We have to look after our citizens. Always." Harrow turned back to face her. "What's your name, child?"

She looked at the five in the room, a soft smile on her face. "Rayla. My name is Rayla."

#rayllum fanfic #rayllum #the dragon prince #tdp #the long game #whelp #the first chapter is here #despite me saying I was going to wait #I don't keep my word apparently #please enjoy

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strvngemagics · 4 years ago

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{ cisgender woman, she/her } ❝ I'm a juvenile product of the working class / whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass ❞ huh, who’s FIVEL STEWART? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually MOLLY WEASLEY II. she is a 24 year old HALFBLOOD witch who is a CHASER FOR PUDDLEMERE UNITED. she is known for being FLIGHTY, IMPULSIVE, DISORGANIZED, FORGETFUL, and REBELLIOUS but also TRUSTING, DEDICATED, VIBRANT, ADAPTABLE, and INDEPENDENT, so that must be why she always reminds me of the song GLAZIN’ - JACUZZI BOYS and ROLLER SKATING DOWN A STEEP INCLINE, FOREHEAD KISSES, AN OUT-OF-TUNE ACOUSTIC GUITAR, AN UNMADE BED WITH LOTS OF PILLOWS, CHERRY LIMEADE SLUSHIES, PUTTING ON YOUR FAVORITE SWEATSHIRT. i hear she is aligned with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX so be sure to keep an eye on her.

BIO

Molly Adelaide Weasley was born into a (relatively) peaceful world but adopted into an ever-growing and infinitely chaotic family - and her father, having had a near-catastrophic falling out with this family in favor of furthering his career, made it CLEAR to her that her status as a Weasley was to be cherished, not derided, never forgone for more ambitious aims. Percy, sometimes rigid, though always loving, threw this lesson in familial love along with his more practical teachings.

Her first real sentence was “Molly do it!”, which was put to excessive use as a toddler. Doing the laundry? “Molly do it!” Her father’s bent over a stack of paperwork with a next-day deadline? Molly’s rushing over to help with a fat, color-changing crayon in hand: “Molly do it!” When Audrey was ill with a stomach bug, Lucy happened upon her sister, barely even three, mashing a ginger root with the handle of Mama’s wand in an attempt to make ginger biscuits. In short, Molly has always been headstrong and maternal. She takes a lot of pride in the traits that she shares with her namesake, her wonderful Gran, but regrettably never learned to knit.

Molly arrived at Hogwarts with a gaggle of cousins who’d already set the tone for who the Weasleys were and how they behaved. She found it difficult to find a life and identity outside of them - and still worries that she’s just another face in the family, unimportant compared to their accomplishments and accolades. Her time in Hufflepuff house passed without any prefect badges, school awards, or major academic achievements — even her five-year stint on the house Quidditch team was marred by the fact that she was always playing against some cousin or close family friend.

Life after Hogwarts has treated Molly well — she’s played professional Quidditch since age 18, something that she still can’t quite believe has happened. She was a reserve Chaser for the Kenmore Kestrels until 2027, when she was offered a contract by Puddlemere United. She took it, because wow that’s a lot of galleons, but Puddlemere’s always had a reputation for producing a lot of (painfully) straight-laced and by-the-book players………..which Molly definitely is not. She’s not allowed to speak at press conferences anymore due to PU’s management dubbing her “a PR nightmare” and “too foul-mouthed for a Dementor to want to Kiss”.

(TW DEATH MENTION) Memories of Uncle Harry pop up nearly every day - his voice, his rough hands positioning her arms and shoulders in a proper dueling stance, the smudges on his glasses, the way he looked at Aunt Ginny like she hung the moon in the sky. She misses him, dearly, but feels selfish and silly for doing so - she wasn’t his kid, and there are so many people who looked to Harry Potter as a symbol for the hope that carried them through wartime. She often worries that she isn’t doing enough - not enough to support her cousins, not enough for the muggleborns she knows and those she does not. There are days in which her inadequacy threatens to swallow her whole, when her hands tremble and breath rattles in her chest - but she’s able to bite it back for the moment. There’s bigger things ahead. (END TW).

PERSONALITY

okay so i always describe molly as a “disaster lesbian” or “chaotic dumbass” and i mean that with a lot of affection. she’s just very much motivated by pleasure and by fun, and much less motivated by duty or responsibility. she wants to stand out in both good and bad ways and more often achieves that in bad ways. she is also, like i mentioned, very headstrong. i consider her one of my funniest characters and that’s mostly unintentional because she just. says whatever pops into her head. i regularly giggle at what i make molly say. i am not ashamed of this.

uhhhh. what else? she’s a big old jock, one of those heinous people who for the most part actually enjoys exercising! will definitely ask you to join her on a sunrise run because she’s Ridiculous

loves her family so so so much, even though there’s at least 3 group chats where she’s currently trashing a cousin or two. is very down to take part in harmless pranks and shenanigans. someone outside the family tries to trash the cousins tho?!?!?! lmao kill bill sirens immediately go off. she and lucy probably call themselves twins bc they’re not blood-related but they are almost always on the same wavelength and in my eyes (jane u can confirm this for me) just get each other on a very fundamental level.

huge fuckin’ aries energy. you can find some personality assessments below:

zodiac.

aries (sun)

“aries is an active, energetic sign. people with sun in aries are direct, straightforward, and uncomplicated. they expect the same from others, and are baffled when they don’t always get it.”

gemini (moon)

“nervousness and worry are common traits with this lunar position. An underlying restlessness is common, and many lunar geminis need more stimulation than others. they usually read a lot, talk a lot, and think a lot.”

mbti. esfj (the consul)

+ strong practical skills, strong sense of duty, sensitive and warm, connects well with others

- inflexible, vulnerable to criticism, reluctant to improvise, needy, worries about social status

STATS

GENERAL

name. molly adelaide weasley

nickname. molls

birthdate. 4 april 2005 (she’s supposed to be 24? idk math)

place of birth. st. mungo’s

family. percy weasley (father), audrey weasley (mother), lucy weasley (sister), extended family in the form of various weasley-potter aunts, uncles and cousins.

residence. (tbd), but roommates: rose granger-weasley, natalia bardon, lucy weasley

occupation. chaser for puddlemere united

gender identity. cis woman

romantic orientation. homoromantic

sexuality. lesbian

blood status. half-blood

relationship status. single

pets. a bright pink pygmy puff named romeo

MAGICAL

hogwarts house. hufflepuff

extracurriculars/leadership. hogwarts orchestra (clarinet), dueling club, charms club (president)

allegiance. order of the pheonix

n.e.w.t. grades. charms (o), transfiguration (a), herbology (e), d.a.d.a (a), potions (e), care of magical creatures (e), astronomy (e), history of magic (o), muggle studies (o).

wand. alder, ten inches, dragon heartstring core.

boggart. inferi

patronus. corporeal, brown bear

amortentia. vanilla bath fizz, lemon peels, sandalwood, mint

magical strengths. charms, nonverbal casting, transfiguration, flying

magical weaknesses. defensive magic, hexes and curses, potions.

#potterintro #//////oops #i'm silly let's try this again #* ' molly.

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just-jammin · 4 years ago

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Pridedraft’s Journal: Hallar’s Entry

Word Count: 1126

Summary: Mardiane Pridedraft, a Half-Elf Sorcerer & owner of the Bamboo Observatory & Inn, is also part of the somewhat known group of the Nice Cloaks.

The problem is, she doesn’t feel like she belongs to this party of chaotic misfits.

(Or: The author is projecting their problems to their Dungeons & Dragons persona, as a hope to vent in this piece of writing.)

22 Hallar

Alrighty then.

As usual, The Nice Ship’s been out to sea for months now. Training with the Crew has been going pretty well. Valakhad, however, got shoved off from his position of Captain, with Tyfl himself usurping to the position. I’m not sure what Val does now, unfortunately.

(note to self: please pay attention to Crew meetings more; take note of important things & tasks in journal.)

Since the last time I wrote in here (‘cause let’s face it: writing everyday for a few months ain’t practical), a few crewmates have been killed as a result of an encounter with... a few vampires, for some reason. Most notably Damien, our former... who even cares. Anyway, he got his organs sucked out by one of them, which, well, sucked. But even then, he was the laughing stock of the Crew, so at least the Gods gave him mercy from his peers, I think.

Another event that has happened is that Nisha, our Tiefling Illusionist, left the Nice Cloaks. You see, we’re heading towards the Desert from the city of Elveros, which happens to be her hometown. There was some conflict happening over there, with a new guy ruling with a bunch of cult members at his side, & buildings getting burnt down. That included the library that Nisha co-owned with some friends, much to her dismay.

And the guy who has the whole city in his hand? Apparently it was Errian Winmert (the Dickhead), someone who she didn’t like, at all. Basically, he was a not-so-little shithead who wanted to bend reality with this stick he got from the cult members.

Thankfully, with the help of a rebellion just outside of town, we defeated all of them & destroyed the stick. It was after that when Nisha Mooncrown decided to stay in the city, helping with the repairs first.

She was replaced (I think) with another Tiefling, Levantra Greybolt. She was hired to train the crewmates to fight with swords, right after the enforcement of an Anti-Rapier Policy.

So yeah, that happened.

Now we’re going where we’re going because there’s a known portal to the Fire Plane, where Val was originally from. Not sure why we’re going there though. Stupid memory...

Ok, part of the reason why I didn’t write in this journal for months is because no one wants to see me gushing out my feelings about... this. I get it. It’s my fucking journal. I know I can write about it here, but what’s the point? The Nice Cloaks has basically made it known that I’m the crazy person of the group. I kill children, I burn shit down, and I’m at the brink of insanity.

But here’s the thing: no one cares about why this is said.

Nobody wants the full details to set their minds to a certain behavior. I’m trying to defend myself with no one to back me up with, which is useless compared to how many people who agrees with them.

Look, I did accidentally drop Tyfl, a teenager, off a building in an attempt to get down from it. And he died. His death, for some reason, traumatized me enough that I went bonkers at the slightest mention of it, due to an overwhelming guilt that pooled inside of me. And what do you know, that was the reason why I burnt the shit out of another teenager. Who was associated with the place where Tyfl died.

What a fucking idiot I am.

And when Tyfl was resurrected, I, being the dumbass that I am, tried to attack him, making him unconscious in the process. Val knocked me out after that. All of that was because I wanted to take research on a bunch of feral gnomes in the Feywild.

Now hear me out, I like adventuring. I loved the idea of it, hoping that I would go out in the world someday to see whatever sights that I might confront. For the past few years, the closest thing to that was whatever happened at my stay in Tumblerun Tavern. The Chaos Party was very welcoming, teaching me the ropes of self-defense & others like that. I stuck with them for a while until Mme. Inkstain took me in.

But even then, both the Chaos Party & Mme. seemed kinda... boring. A bit too boring, in fact. Even though we had really memorable moments in time, we didn’t get around more. We all just stayed in one place, compared to who I’m with now.

The Nice Cloaks, however, are quite the opposite, in a way that I didn’t even expect that was possible. I mean, Tyfl became a powerful god-like being while being an old fucking woman named Barbara. How can anything else top that?!?

What I mean is that we went to a bunch of places (including the Feywild), but I couldn’t seem to... fit in.

Val’s a very cool caster from the Fire Plane of all places.

Nisha was a great asset to our group, being brave enough to balance our chaos with her sensibility.

Heck, Tyfl’s the guy who’s carrying the group, taking the most kills & making up plans that are crazy enough to just work.

And Lev, she’s pretty badass, to be honest. Casting with instruments is a very interesting concept, and I just like being intrigued with it.

Then there’s me.

Mardiane fucking Pridedraft.

I know I’m not the only normal person in this group, but I’m certainly feeling like I am. And at the same time, I feel like I am the worst person possible to be in this group. I don’t use my knowledge that I have gathered throughout the years. I’m never sure when to jump in, either with my spells or in melee. And I don’t even focus on important things whenever I need to.

Is it because I’m, y’know, stupid? Am I going to blame it on some shit that happened to me?

I mean, I did get really scared at one point of my stay in the Tavern. I remember that I didn’t go out for days, and when I did, I always avoided any contact with people. Well, I... wanted to stay with my closest friends (which they agreed to, yeah).

Ah, fuck. I’m too dependent on my own friends, am I?

Gee, no wonder why I feel so alone.

...

I’m useless.

No, I feel useless.

Even though I know I have power, of a Phoenix nonetheless, but I don’t seem to do anything outside of combat.

I just... want to go back to the Chaos that I’m used to. Go back home. But at the same time, I still want to roam around & explore the world.

Oh Gods, how do I do this?

- mardi

#mardi is a mess of a sorcerer #she doesn’t take any chances in case of failure #(i think; i am not sure about how i would do :p)#just writing some bullshit #that was stupid #idk anymore #friend support and boredom #fsnb

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hoseokslefteyebrow · 5 years ago

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House Of Cards || K.SJ || 1

THE PEGASUS TRIBE

Pairing : Kim Seokjin X Reader

Genre : nothing specifically yet

Summary : When a war threatens the world of Mythica, the four greatest tribes are forced to work together in order to defeat the darkness. You and Jin are fr two different tribes, two different backgrounds, and are expected to stand together in order to save everyone you love. Will you two put aside your diffrences in order to save the world or will you fail?

Wordcount: 1.1k

Info Chapter | House Of Cards Masterlist | Next

"Hyung, hurry up, the eldest called every one." Taehyung said as he popped his head trough the door before dissapearing again.

" What will they have to say?" Jin asked his Pegasus as he cleaned up the brushes he was using.

Maybe it's about the war. Sapphire shared her toughs with him.

" I hope that it's over then." Jin replied.

The war has barely started Jin, and we better prepare to run. She shared her toughs again before she went back to eating.

" Well, whatever it is, I'm about to hear it. See you later Sapphire!" Jin yelled to his light bleu pegasus before running off to the main building where everyone was currently in.

" Tae, what's all this about- Isn't that Jairzinho? The leader of the Dragon tribe?" Jin asked as Taehyung nodded.

" Yes, and I'm not sure about what it is either," Taehyung said as their tribe leader started talking.

" Silence please! " Their leader yelled as everyone calmed down.

"Pegasus tribe members, as your soulmates all feel, war is approaching. And as natural prey, we do not stand a chance in natural survival." Hiu spoke, making everyone wishper in worry.

Jin and Taehyung exchanged worried looks.

" That is why we will be staying in the Dragon Lands, under the protection of the Dragon tribe!" Their leader yelled, trying to be above the volume of the now excited chit chatting.

Jin and Taehyung looked at each other with wide excited eyes. The Dragon lands were the most beautiful lands in the whole world, as far the maps of Bangtan would go.

" Silence!" The booming voice of the Dragon tribe leader got them to quiet down in seconds.

" Remember that you will stay in the Dragon lands because it's dangerous here. This will mean that there'll be no partying, and no funny business. Also if one of you decide to be funny or for the youth if you try to act cool, you will directly be kicked out." Jairzinho said, everyone nodding.

"The Unicorn tribe will be traveling with us. They will arrive in five days. Pack up, because we will be leaving in one week. Don't take stuff with you what you won't need. We don't know for how long we'll stay there, so please overpack. We'll go by horse, so don't make it too heavy please. That was all." Hiu said.

Taehyung looked at Jin before both of them walked back to the stables.

" War is really approaching, huh." Taehyung sighed, breaking the silence.

" I geuss. Seems like Sapphire and Phoenix were correct."Jin said as Taehyung sighed deeply.

" Oh no, he'll press on it forever." Taehyung huffed, his shoulders sagging.

He kept mumbling as he stopped by his pegasus' stall. The pegasus nudged Taehyung with his nose and neighed just like Taegyung had expected. Jin walked over to his pegasus and started to put everything in the sadle bags.

I assume we were correct. Sapphire tough as Jin nodded.

"Yes, we're leaving in one week." He sighed.

Where are we going? She asked.

"The Dragon lands, I'm not sure which part." Jin said, Sapphire neighing in response and batted her wings as if she was ready to bolt.

Dragons?! Are you humans crazy? They will eat us! Sapphire tough, pacing around in her stable.

" They can't, we're protected by the Dragon tribe." Jin told her, which made her calm down a bit.

We better be. She neighed stubbornly.

Jin smiled as he started packing up her brushes.

"What?!"

"No!"

"You have to be kidding me!"

All sorts of negative responses came from the Dragon tribes members. They were supposed to share their home with the Pegasus' and Unicorn tribe members? That was so unfair.

" Silence! As dragon riders we are to take responsibility of giving protection to those who need and deserve! What is wrong with all of you?!" Jairzinho screamed over them, which got them to calm down.

" And we are not the only people who will take humans and animals in. The Phoenix tribe will too. That was all, you're dismissed." He said as he stepped off the podium and walked away.

" Yoongi won't like this." Namjoon told you as soon as everyone was dismissed.

" What makes you think that?" You ask him.

" He hates babysitting. You're the only kid here who he has got a soft spot for." He said.

" Hey! I'm not a kid, I'm 24 years old." You told him offended.

" You're a kid in my eyes." A voice of your right told you.

You both turned to see Yoongi and Jungkook walk your way. Yoongi with a grim expression while Jungkook looks rather excited.

" I take that you both heard the news." You told them as they nodded.

" I can't wait till they arrive! It'll be so fun to finally meet other people." Jungkook smiled, jumping up and down in excitement.

" Why am I the kid when he's jumping up and down?" You huffed.

" What will you do when they're girls?" Namjoon smirked at the boy.

Jungkook seemed to be deep in tough before shrugging.

" Yeet off to the Phoenix nests'." He smiled.

You shook your head.

" You're crazy. Anyway, I'm gonna go inform Beansprout of our visitors." You told them before walking off.

Beansprout was your poisonous/venomous dragon. He was black all over with green belly plates and green accents on his wings allong with two spikes which he usually used to hang upside down. He had spikes running over his spine and was unlike his appearance, a real softie. You had first met each other when you were ten and had chosen the silly name as a joke, not knowing that that would be his name until the end. You smiled as you spotted rabbits and squirrels greeting you or simply hopping by, a sign that you were close to his hoard.

" Hey Beansprout! How was your day?" You smiled as you walked into the dark cavern.

A deep grumble was your response, signaling that you just woke him up from his beauty sleep.

" You're such a lazy butt- sorry!" You sqeuked as you almost accidentally stepped on a rabbit.

Not your fault, your dragon's cave is so deep under the ground that it's always dark there, the only light coming from the clear bleu water which had small fish in it. And yes, rabbits are a part of Beansprout's hoard. Allong with other small herbivore animals, you weren't sure why, but from what you know, he had a soft spot for small animals.

My day was fun. I slept trough it, did you do anything important? He asked as he came down from the ceiling, for some reason he always upside down, if you didn't know better you would of tough that this cave was dragon free.

" Well, you already knew that war is nearing, and you were for some reason, right. So there's a chance that we're gonna be baby sitters." You told him.

He grumbled.

" I know isn't it the greatest thing ever." You said sarcastically.

Almost as great as being stuck with you. He sassed.

" Thanks, I love you too." You smiled at him.

#bts #bts x reader #idkeitherman #kim seokjin #kim taehyung #min yoongi #bts fantasy au #bts ff #jin x reader #pegasus #dragon #bts mythology au

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philosopherking1887 · 5 years ago

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Something Past and Whole (an A:TLA ficlet)

1587 words; also on AO3.

What should win our gratitude.— It was artists, and especially those of the theater, who first gave people eyes and ears to see and hear with pleasure what each one himself is, experiences, and wants; they first taught us to esteem the hero that is concealed in everyday characters; they first taught us the art of viewing ourselves as heroes—from a distance and, as it were, simplified and transfigured—the art of staging and watching ourselves. Only in this way can we come to terms with some base details in ourselves. Without this art we would be nothing but foreground and live entirely in the spell of that perspective which makes what is closest at hand and most vulgar appear as if it were vast, and reality itself.

Perhaps one should concede a similar merit to the religion that made man see the sinfulness of every single individual through a magnifying glass, turning the sinner into a great, immortal criminal. By surrounding him with eternal perspectives, it taught man to see himself from a distance and as something past and whole.

—Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science section 78 (trans. W. Kaufmann)

Zuko was accumulating epithets, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

His friends, naturally, all found it hilarious. They already delighted in poking fun at the titles of his office, calling him ‘Your Fieriness’ or ‘Your Fire Lordship’ or even, when Aang was feeling particularly obnoxious, ‘Flamey-o, (Sifu) Hotlord!’ The new epithets were just more titles for them to play around with and give him grief about.

Zuko did not find them amusing. Not, as his friends all claimed (with varying degrees of tact), because he took himself too seriously and didn’t know how to laugh at himself! Well, maybe there was some truth to that charge… but the problem with the epithets was that he found them morbid—as if the world was trying to write his epitaph before he’d even died. Trying to pin him down, to flatten him into a single static image, like a dried flower or a butterfly to be pressed into a book, catalogued alongside history’s other specimens of world rulers: Warlord Toz the Terrible, Earth King Wei the Fat, Earth Queen Jian the Just, General Chin the Conqueror, Fire Lord Sozin the Bloody, Princess Yue the Brave. Rival historians were already fighting over his father’s legacy: detractors (hoping to ingratiate themselves to the new Fire Lord) called him ‘The Phoenix King of Ashes’ or ‘The Phoenix Who Did Not Rise’; loyalists (who did not fear retaliation from a Fire Lord they thought too weak) called him ‘The Last Dragon’ and prayed for the return of the deposed Fire Lord Azula as ‘The Blue Phoenix.’

Of course, Zuko had already acquired a couple of epithets before his ascension to the throne: ‘The Banished Prince,’ or ‘The Disgraced Prince.’ Accurate enough, but too simple, too straightforward for the full truth of the matter. So too were the epithets he had gained since becoming Fire Lord, starting with the ones that Fire Sage Shyu had given him on the day of his coronation: ‘Zuko the Peacemaker’ and ‘Zuko the Restorer’—not only of his own honor, but of the honor of the whole Fire Nation, of its place in the community of nations, of balance among the nations.

Those were the official, government-approved descriptors; but Zuko heard himself being written into history in different ways, too, in reports from the network of spies that now answered to Ty Lee, or while stealing around the Capital in the guise of the Blue Spirit to listen at the windows of bars and gambling dens, lurking in the alleys near the late-night food stalls where carousers gathered and (importantly) talked. Some of these epithets were pedestrian and perfectly predictable: ‘Zuko the Burned’ or ‘The Burned Fire Lord’ were among the most common, and Zuko resigned himself to being remembered, like poor Wei the Fat, for his most noticeable physical characteristic.

Others, however, were more significant and telling of how his people viewed him. Some called him ‘The Avatar’s Fire Lord,’ ‘The Avatar’s Puppet,’ ‘The Avatar’s Pet.’ For surrendering the Fire Nation’s cause in the war without a fight, they called him ‘The Toothless Dragon’ or (in mocking reference to the temporary loss of his firebending) ‘The Dragon Without Fire.’ They jeered him as ‘Earth Lord,’ ‘Water Lord,’ or ‘Air Lord Zuko,’ depending on which nation he had just made some shameful concession to: evacuating the newer Earth Kingdom colonies; paying reparations to the Water Tribes; taking formal responsibility on behalf of his ancestor and his nation for the Air Nomad Genocide, denouncing as shameful slander the propaganda used to justify the slaughter, publicly abasing himself—on his knees with his forehead to the earth (as he had not lowered himself since he had apologized to his father for his disrespect and begged for his mercy)—and apologizing to Avatar Aang as the last survivor of his people. At their most blunt, Zuko’s own people called him ‘Zuko the Traitor’ and ‘Betrayer of his Nation.’

But not all of the epithets Zuko heard by spying on his subjects were so damning. Some sincerely used the titles Shyu had given him, Peacemaker and Restorer—spoke them with respect, gratitude, even reverence. There was a name he had first heard among Fire Nation migrants to Republic City, which had made its way back to the Fire Nation Capital to be spoken softly among his younger subjects (who barely remembered the years of the war, and had grown up with his account of things rather than Ozai’s or Azulon’s): not just ‘the Restorer,’ but ‘the Redeemer.’ Zuko hated that one even more than ‘Traitor’ or ‘Avatar’s Pet.’ He didn’t deserve it and could never live up to it; he knew he could only disappoint those who expected it of him. Better that they should call him ‘the Redeemed,’ but he could scarcely say he deserved that, either.

In the years since Zuko had raised Druk, he began hearing a few epithets he didn’t mind. ‘Zuko Dragon-tamer’ he considered inaccurate and insulting to his companion—did they think a dragon was a platypus-bear that one trained to do tricks?—but ‘Dragonrider’ was truthful enough and, he thought, had a nice ring to it. He preferred ‘Dragon-friend,’ in recognition of the honor and favor bestowed upon him by the Masters Ran and Shaw; but that one, unfortunately, had failed to catch on. His very favorite—the one he dared to hope might be the way history remembered him—he heard only three times over the space of a year, some thirty years after the war’s end… the year that Uncle Iroh died suddenly of no ailment anyone could identify. He could not tell just from hearing it whether it was ‘The Dragons’ Son’ or ‘The Dragon’s Son,’ but he liked to think it was somehow both.

Aang was teasing him about ‘Dragon-tamer’—“You should run off to join the circus like Ty Lee; I bet you’d look smashing in a ringmaster’s uniform!”—when Zuko finally managed to put words to what troubled him, instead of inarticulately spluttering his indignation. “I hate that they all want to make me into only one thing, wholly and completely, and ignore—or maybe deny—all the times I haven’t been that thing, and all the other things I am, and have been, and might still be.”

Aang considered this. “Maybe you should think of them as like roles in a play—like theater masks that you can put on and take off.”

“Yes, because when we’ve been made into dramatis personae in the past, it’s always been so flattering,” Zuko said, his voice dry and sharp as desert wind.

Aang laughed. “I’ve learned that sometimes it’s easier to just play ‘Savior of the World’ or ‘Wise Ancient World Spirit’ than to try to explain all you really are. And sometimes it’s fun to pretend that’s all you are, that everything is simpler than it is. Of course you have to take off the mask eventually… but you know how fun it can be to wear it for a little while, and for a little while just be the Dragon Emperor or the Dark Water Spirit. Or is it the Blue Spirit?” he asked slyly.

“Easy enough for you to say, when you’re always cast as the hero. What if it’s the villain’s mask they want you to wear?” Half-consciously Zuko put his fingers over his scar where it covered most of his cheek, then ran them up to the corner of the eye that was permanently narrowed, mask-like, into a threatening glare.

“I haven’t always been the hero,” Aang said quietly. “And I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s easier to accept your role as the villain than to tie yourself in knots, and most likely break your back, trying to convince everyone to love you.”

“You’re one to talk,” Zuko retorted. “You can’t even stand to let Katara stay mad at you for an hour.”

Aang chucked ruefully at that. “Becoming a parent has changed my perspective somewhat.”

“And what is ruling a nation other than parenting an enormous family of unruly children…?”

“I didn’t say that, Your Fatherliness. I mean…”

“Very funny.”

“Aw, c’mon, Peacemaker. You know you can’t stay mad at me.”

“How could I, when I’m your faithful pet?”

“Who’s a good dragon…? Ouch, those were definitely teeth!”

“Don’t believe everything you hear about me… or read in history books.”

#seeing if it works any better to put the text on tumblr #my fanfiction #atla fanfiction #atla fic #atla ficlet #zuko fanfiction #zuko fic #zuko-centric fic #zuko-centric #zuko and aang #zuko angst #zuko feels #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender fanfiction

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toku-explained · 4 years ago

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The Swordsmen's Bonds

Z: It has been three days since the formal dissolution of STORAGE. The good news is it looks like not everyone was fired, as Haruki is training in a GAFJ dojo, as Yoko calls we're informed that the team has been out on leave until further notice. The restructuring is under way at the 1st SAA Group HQ, which as we see with Hebikura, has formally replaced STORAGE. Nice seen with Haruki and Yoko, before Hebikura sneaks into SAA as a Pizza delivery man, so good to GAFJ security is as bad as ever, and he sees the robot Yuki Mai is working on developing, with the intent to replicate Ultraman's beams to contain the damage from D4. It is a reasonable plan in all honesty, because there may be situations where the use of D4 is seriously the only option. Yuka is working with the GAFJ public relations team, with Sevengar in site, various goods are being sold, Bako-san is also there in a similar role, but is also doing maintenance on Sevengar, so at least they're letting him do something he's suited for. A 3rd Barossa Seijin appears, but is actually older than the 2nd, Bako shows some skills. Juggler surprisingly stops Z winning at ground level, allowing Barossa to grow giant. Z grows giant to fight it, and Bako lends Sevengar to Yoko. Z and Sevengar are doing fine until SAA sends King Joe in. The guy they have piloting does an awful job, missing with about half the Pedanium Missiles when Yoko has never missed to my memory. Juggler decides to join as Tri-King, knocking Sevengar down and distracting Z, this battle is really showing how important the pilot's skill is to this, as Barossa is constantly showing up King Joe while Sevengar does significantly better despite being a literal museum piece. When Z prepares the Zestium Ray against Tri-King Juggler grabs King Joe and pushes it in the way of the beam, allowing Yuki Mai to get the data she wants, which will allow completion of Ultroid Zero, the pilot ejects. Juggler upgrades to Five King, forcing Z to use Delta Rise Claw. Beliarok refuses to play as soon as he hears they already beat it, but they still do pretty good, while Yoko, still fighting Barossa, as Sevengar starts to take damage, spots Beliarok and manages to goad him into helping her. With Sevengar's legs damaged Yoko puts herself on the Leg Carrier and has Yuka use Core Ship to control it, allowing her to make the finisher. Z uses Gamma Future to overload Gan-Q's energy absorption, then uses Ginga, X and Orb to activate the Galaxy Burst finisher. In the aftermath a certain someone retrieves at least the Tri-King medals. Some of the old maintenance team, due to personal circumstances, have decided to stay on with 1st SAAG, but Bako-san and others aren't, he doesn't hold it against them, telling them to take care of his robots. Hebikura arrives and we here Haruki has been assigned to security and Yuka to Kaiju Research, while Yoko has been shortlisted to pilot Ultroid Zero by Yuki Mai. Hebikura gives some parting advice to Haruki, claims his bonsai and leaves.

The Absolute Conspiracy: Great and Powered begin Ribut's training, Nd explain the Gudis cells will continue to grow if even one survives, and if the growing Maga-Orochi consumes those it will swiftly grow into Magata-no-Orochi and devour Planet Mikarito. Elsewhere Leucocyte is brought down on Planet Feed by 80, accompanied by Neos and Seven 21 (both have new VAs), Neos is part of the Elite Task Force and Seven 21 is part of the Galactic Security Agency, this fight showcases those 2 until Absolute Tartarus arrives accompanied by the last Reiyonix, Reibatos. This is again before Reibatos one previous appearance, based on the state of Planet Kanon, Reibatos summons Gymaira for Tartarus, which challenges 80. Hikari and Sora continue their work as Max's body starts to mutate. Ribut taps into his inner power and overcomes Great and Powered, who then grant him the power of the Ribut Blocker and the Spreader Rod. While Neos and Seven 21 struggle with Leucocyte, Gymaira is defeating 80 until 2 warriors from another universe arrive, Cosmos (original actor) in Space Corona Mode and Justice (new VA, though implicitly still Julie?) in Standard Mode. As 80 references Saga this is evidently later than I thought, but for Cosmos it is still before his last appearance in The Origin Saga. Justice mentions the Universal Justice Delacion, who he served in The Final Battle in attempting to destroy mankind, before turning on them, but apparently Delacion respected the Ultras decision and Justice is still affiliated with them. The pair make a quick attack on Leucocyte before switching to Cosmos Future Mode and Justice Crusher Mode, all of these forms haven't been seen since the Final Battle, as they fight 80 defeats Gymaira. Sora present Ribut with the Gudis antibodies. As the 5 Ultras battle Leucocyte they see Zoffy's Ultra Sign stating Ribut's team is preparing to save Max. Ribut, Great and Powered arrive at Mikarito, to find Max losing control, but Ribut swears to save him.

Saber: I was wrong about Tassel's guest, looks like the mysterious figure from Avalon. Everyone at Northern Base is tense after all that happened, especially with Sophia missing. So why are the Megiddo saying they only need gates opened by the six swordsmen we know, when we know there other swordsmen at Southern Base...I wonder. Caliber is likely to have already done his if they needed it. Kento is still clearly off, but I would argue it's regret now. Ogami trusts Ren to watch over him. This time, while Daishinji and Ogami enter easily, Zooous and Storious get in Saber's way. Ren discovers just before entering that Kento isn't there, he's apologising at Rintaro's bedside, apparently he, Touma and Luna made some promise in the past. He intends to deal with Kamijo, but he does seem more focused on doing it out of duty, but he doesn't look confident. Okay, so given this whole ritual already happened 15 years ago to connect the two worlds, why are Daishinji and Ogami oblivious to what's going on. Why is Kento the only one to know? He becomes Golden Alangina to face Jaou Dragon. Slash and Buster face Goblins, and another runs from Kenzan because they don't need him again. Rintaro has run off to help Kento. Of rather to take over for Touma so he can help Kento. The mention of Luna finally lows Touma to remember. Zooous and Storious leave so Rintaro is forced to open the gate. Buster, Slash and Kenzan all defeat their opponents, opening 2 gates, the book where Kenzan is just fades. Blades defeats his Megiddo. Apparently the 3 of them promised to always be together, as Touma rushes to help Kento. It's a great fight. Kamijo if you didn't expect Touma to inherit Rekka why did you leave Brave Dragon with him??? Unless you didn't mean to. And...did that just happen? Tassel is entering the story for real, with his friend.

Kiramager: The initial plan is to have Kiramazin, Gigant Driller and King Express Zabyun face and Jamenju each, and hopefully call on Grateful Phoenix as well, unfortunately Oradin reveals the situation with Garza and so he cannot come. Juru and Tametomo will try to rescue Sayo while the others fight. Great opening shot of the battle, Garza starts getting the edge in over Oradin, Juru and Tametomo make it to the seed but find Yodonna has captured Sayo. It's tense as things seem bad as Juru gives up his shot....as a beacon for Grateful Phoenix. The actual sequence is amazing, so they've taken out the plant, and now it's four mecha against the Jamenju trio and Jouki. Even with the Jamenju gone it seems nothing will stop the seed sprouting until Juru has an idea. It's always cool to see a mecha cannon finisher, they happen so rarely. This reminds me of the one from Dekaranger, I wonder if that was properly to scale with the DX toys?

#toku explained #kamen rider saber #mashin sentai kirameiger #ultraman z #ultra galaxy fight

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algaesway · 5 years ago

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第3章

Chapter 3. Spite: Part II.

Wei Wuxian wanted to wash his face to get a good look at this person who had kindly sacrificed themselves for him. However, there was no water in the room for either washing or drinking.

The only basin-shaped thing in the room was a chamber pot, which was hardly appropriate for cleansing one’s face.

He pushed at the door only to discover that it had been bolted shut from the outside. He supposed they didn’t want him to get out and start running around.

It seemed like the whole world was conspiring to deny him any joy of reincarnation!

Since there was nothing better to do, he sat down and crossed his legs to meditate and get used to this new body. Time passed quickly in meditation. When he opened his eyes, rays of sunlight were leaking in through the gaps around the door and the windows. Although Wei Wuxian had regained enough strength to get up and walk around, he still felt dazed and disoriented. Bewildered, he thought to himself: ‘Mo Xuanyu’s spiritual powers are low enough to be completely negligible, so steering his body shouldn’t be this hard. Why can’t I get it under control?’

Only when he heard a strange noise from his stomach did he realise that this had nothing to do with spiritual powers. This body was simply not used to abstaining from food, so it was incapacitated by hunger. Unless he’d manage to get out and forage for some food, he might just become the first demonic spirit in history to be reborn into a sacrificial vessel only to immediately die of starvation.

Wei Wuxian was just about to try thrusting through the door when he suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Someone kicked the door and barked: ‘Here’s your food!’

Despite shouting this, the person made no move to actually open the door. Wei Wuxian looked down to see a smaller door-within-a-door opening up. A set of small bowls had been set down on the other side.

The house-servant shouted: ‘Get a move on! Stop dawdling, eat up so I can take the bowls back!’

The inner door was a bit smaller than a dog flap - there was no way it would fit a person, but it could be used to deliver meals. He’d been given rice with two side dishes, all of which looked unpalatable.

Wei Wuxian stirred the chopsticks that had been stuck into the rice, allowing a wave of sentimentality to wash over him.

The Yiling Laozu had returned to the human realm only to be trampled on and chewed out. For his welcome banquet, he was served some cold and indelible leftovers. Yet he was supposed to bring on some reign of blood and terror, to ruthlessly massacre the whole clan without sparing a single hen? What a joke. He was like a tiger bullied by dogs after leaving his mountain, like a dragon deceived by a shrimp in shallow water, like a phoenix robbed of his feathers and turned into an ordinary rooster.

Outside the door, the house servant spoke again. This time, he sounded like an entirely different person, his voice softened by a smile: ‘A-Ding! Come here.’

From the distance, a girl’s bright and delicate voice asked: ‘A-Tong, are you on meal delivery duty again?’

‘Why else would I be hanging around this cursed place’, A-Tong scoffed.

A-Ding approached the door as she spoke: ‘All you have to do is to bring him one meal a day. You have plenty of opportunities to slack off without getting scolded for it. How can you complain it’s “cursed” while enjoying such a leisurely life! All the while I’m here slaving away all day long. I never have the time to go out to play.’

‘It’s not like delivering meals is my only job! And nobody is going out to play these days, with so many walking corpses around. Everyone is keeping their doors tightly locked and hiding inside’, A-Tong grumbled.

Wei Wuxian was crouching against the door, listening in while trying to eat with the mismatched chopsticks he’d been given.

It seemed that things had been getting pretty turbulent around the Mo manor recently. Walking corpses, as their name suggested, were dead people who had been re-animated. As far as transmuted corpses went, they were relatively weak and commonplace. They hardly posed a threat to the living, moving sluggishly and staring with lifeless eyes. Yet their mere presence was enough to terrify common people, not least because they emanated a nauseating stench of putrefaction.

Wei Wuxian, however, considered them his most loyal servants and obeisant puppets. The mere mention of them made him feel warm inside.

‘If you want to go out and play, all you have to do is to take me with you, and I’ll protect you’, A-Tong teased.

‘Really? You’ll protect me? Stop bragging. Am I supposed to believe that you could really beat back all those things outside?’ A-Ding said.

‘If I can’t beat them back, nobody can!’ A-Tong retorted angrily.

‘How can you be so sure that nobody can do it? Let me tell you something. I heard that the cultivators who arrived today are from an extremely illustrious clan! Madam is welcoming them in the reception hall now, and everyone from town is dying to get a look at them. Listen - can you hear how noisy it is out there? I don’t have time to bicker with you, I might be called in to help any moment now’.

Wei Wuxian listened with rapt attention. Sure enough, he could hear a din of loud voices drifting in from the east side of the house. After considering his options for a while, he got up and kicked the door hard. The latch snapped open with a satisfying clank.

The two servants, who had been busy making eyes and giggling at each other, screamed as the door suddenly flew open on them. Wei Wuxian threw out the bowl and the chopsticks he’d been holding and walked away without looking back. The sunlight was surprisingly bright, piercing his eyes and stabbing at his skin. He raised a hand over his face, shutting his eyes for a moment.

A-Tong, who had just shrieked in a voice even shriller than A-Ding’s, pulled himself together only to realise he’d let himself be frightened by the lunatic everyone felt entitled to bully. Emboldened, he decided this was an opportunity to regain the face he’d just lost. Leaping in front of Wei Wuxian, he shouted while waving wildly with his hands - as if scolding a dog - ‘Get back in! Get back in! Back where you came from! What do you think you’re doing, showing your face outside!’

This was worse than the treatment one would expect for a beggar or a fly. It seemed that this was how the servants of the Mo family normally treated Mo Xuanyu. He probably wouldn’t have put up any resistance, effectively allowing himself to be bullied without restraint. Wei Wuxian knocked A-Tong to the ground with a light kick and said with a smile: ‘Who do you think you are trying to humiliate here?’

With that, he walked off, following the din of lively voices. There was quite a crowd of people gathered in and around the eastern courtyard and the East Hall. As Wei Wuxian stepped into the courtyard, he could hear a woman’s voice ringing louder than the others: ‘There is a junior disciple in our family, too, with deep ties to the cultivation world….’

That must have been Madam Mo, trying to pull all the strings she possibly could to build bridges back to the cultivation clan. Wei Wuxian didn’t wait for her to finish speaking. Squeezing through the crowd of people to get inside the hall, he waved enthusiastically and said: ‘Coming, coming, here I am!’

A middle-aged lady was sitting in the hall, wearing extravagant clothes and giving off an air of carefully maintained gracefulness; there was no doubt that this was Madam Mo. She was seated next to her husband, and opposite her sat a group of boys who wore white robes and carried double-edged swords on their backs. A sudden spell of silence descended on the crowd at the appearance of an eccentric stranger with a messily painted face. Wei Wuxian pretended not to realise he was stealing the scene. ‘Who called me? I heard someone talking about a person with deep ties to the cultivation world. Surely that can only refer to myself!’ he said brazenly.

There was too much powder on Wei Wuxian’s face, and whenever he cracked a smile, some of it sprinkled off. One of the white-robed boys was clearly amused, and a small exhale of almost-laughter escaped his lips. The boy seated next to him, seemingly the leader of the group, didn’t find it funny. He gave the laughing boy a judgemental look, making him flinch and go quiet at once.

Following the noise, Wei Wuxian’s eyes scanned over the group, and he was startled by what he saw. He had assumed that the servant girl from before had just been exaggerating, but it turned out that these guests truly were from an ‘extremely illustrious’ sect.

The boys were wearing flowing, light-coloured robes with graceful sleeves and sashes. They were beautiful and possessed a cold aura of spiritual power. Just one glance at their uniforms was enough to know that they were disciples of the Gusu Lan sect. Not only that, they must have been connected to the Lan clan by blood, because they all wore white forehead ribbons embellished with cirrus cloud patterns.

The Lan clan’s motto was ‘righteousness and rectification’, and the implicit meaning of these forehead ribbons was ‘self-regulation’. The cirrus cloud was the Lan family crest, and wearing it was forbidden from those outside the clan. Visiting scholars and disciples from other families would wear a forehead ribbon without the crest. Seeing the Lan uniform gave Wei Wuxian a toothache. In his past life, he had often mocked this uniform for its resemblance to mourning clothes. There was no way he would mistake it.

Madam Mo hadn’t seen her nephew for quite a while, and it took her a long time to recover from her shock. After finally realising who this garish person coated in greasepaint was, she felt a flash of anger. Beside herself with fury, she whispered to her husband in a low voice: ‘Who let him out? Put him back immediately!’

Madam Mo’s husband forced himself to flash her an apologetic smile, but as he stood up, his face immediately darkened in anger. He was just about to grab the intruder and drag him out, when Wei Wuxian suddenly threw himself to the floor, making his limbs heavy on the ground. He became completely still, and even though servants were called in to push and pull at him, nobody could make him move. If only there hadn’t been guests around, they would probably have trampled him to death. Madam Mo’s husband glanced at her face, which was becoming increasingly twisted with anger, and started sweating profusely. He shouted: ‘You damned madman! If you don’t get out of here at once, I’ll teach you a lesson!’

Even though everyone at the Mo manor was well aware that there was a lunatic in the family, Mo Xuanyu had secluded himself in his gloomy room for years, too afraid to see anyone. Seeing him suddenly emerge from the shadows, looking like a wicked ghost in his heavy make-up, raised furious whispers all around him; people were expecting some kind of a spectacle.

Wei Wuxian said: ‘Fine, I can go.’ Pointing his finger at Mo Ziyuan, he continued: ‘Just tell him to return the things he stole from me before’.

Mo Ziyuan was stunned by the nerve of this lunatic. He’d been taught a lesson only yesterday, yet he had the gall to barge in here today. His face grew pale and then red. ‘You’re talking rubbish! When exactly have I stolen your things? What use would I even have for your things?’

‘Right, right, right! You didn’t steal them, you pilfered them!’ said Wei Wuxian.

Madam Mo had a moment of realisation. Mo Xuanyu had clearly come prepared for a fight, his mind completely lucid. He was trying to humiliate them on purpose. Suddenly overwhelmed by anger, she shouted: ‘You came here on purpose just to make a scene, didn’t you?’

‘He’s stolen and pilfered my things, I just came to get them back. Can that really be called making a scene?’

Madam Mo didn’t have a response at the ready, but Mo Ziyuan was quicker, lifting his leg to stomp on Mo Xuanyu. At that moment, one of the white-robed boys with a sword on his back made a tiny gesture with his finger. Mo Ziyuan lost his balance, his leg suddenly stumbling at nothing, and he fell down on himself. Regardless, Wei Wuxian rolled over on the ground, pretending as if he’d really been trampled on. He pulled the front of his robe open, showing everyone the footprint on his chest that had really been inflicted by Mo Ziyuan the previous day.

The onlookers were enthusiastically following the drama. There was simply no way Mo Xuanyu could have kicked himself on the chest. Yet he was one of their own blood! How could this family be so ruthless? It was clear that his insanity hadn’t been this severe when he’d first returned. The more his family mistreated him, the more deranged he had become. In any case, it was a good show. In fact, it was even more entertaining than the visiting cultivators!

With so many pairs of eyes fixed on them, Madam Mo could neither hit Mo Xuanyu or shove him out. She could only swallow her indignation and attempt to force a bland compromise: ‘You talk of stealing and pilfering? Such vulgar words. When it’s between family members, couldn’t you just look at it as borrowing? A-Yuan is your little brother, can’t you let him take a few of your things? As an older brother, how can you be so petty? You’re making a fool of yourself, throwing a childish tantrum over a trifle like this. It’s not as if he wouldn’t return your things to you later.’

The white-robed boys looked at each other at a loss. One of them, who had just been drinking tea, almost choked on it. Growing up in the Gusu Lan sect, these boys had grown used to austere elegance. They had probably never witnessed a farce like this before, nor heard such insightful argumentation. This was probably an important life experience for them. Laughing hysterically in his mind, Wei Wuxian reached out his hand and said: ‘Give them back, then.’

Of course there was nothing for Mo Ziyuan to return, because he’d either discarded or destroyed everything. Not that it made a difference, because he would have been too prideful to return them in any case. With an ashen face, he shrieked: ‘Mother!’ and glared daggers at her, as if to accuse: ‘Are you really just letting him humiliate me like this?’

Madam Mo glowered at her son in return, trying to prevent him from making the scene worse than it already was. Not giving up so easily, Wei Wuxian spoke again: ‘That reminds me.. He shouldn’t have stolen my things at all, but he especially shouldn’t have stolen them in the middle of the night. Considering the fact that everyone here knows I like men - he has no shame, forcing me into a suspicious situation like that.’

Madam Mo gasped and shouted: ‘How dare you say that in front of everyone! You’re the one who has no shame. A-Yuan is your cousin!’

Wei Wuxian was an expert at behaving badly. In the past, he’d had to restrain himself to protect the honour of his family, but now that he was already a verified lunatic, he didn’t have any face to worry about. Head held high, he spoke with the force of absolute conviction: ‘He’s perfectly aware that I’m his cousin, yet does nothing to avert suspicion. In the end, who is the more shameless one? Maybe it’s not a big deal to you, but please don’t ruin my innocence! I still want to find a good man!’

Mo Ziyuan screamed and started swinging a chair at him. Seeing him finally explode in rage, Wei Wuxian got up in one smooth movement and dodged out of the way. The chair hit the ground and was smashed to bits. The large crowd that had gathered in and around the East Hall had been delighting in the Mo family’s humiliation, but now that things had taken a more violent turn, they all fled before they could get into harm’s way. Wei Wuxian ducked towards the Lan Sect boys, who seemed dumbfounded. He yelled: ‘Did you all see that? Did you see? He’s a thief and a violent brute! An utterly heartless person to boot!’

Mo Ziyuan was just about to pounce on him when the leader of the Lan disciples stopped him, coaxing: ‘Young master.. If you have something to say to him, then say it.’

Madam Mo realised this boy was trying to protect the lunatic, and it frightened her. With a forced smile, she said: ‘This is my younger sister’s son. He’s a bit.. troubled. Everyone at the Mo manor knows that he’s insane and that his ridiculous stories should not be taken seriously. Cultivator, if I may suggest..’

Before she could finish her sentence, Wei Wuxian, who had been hiding behind the back of the head disciple, peeked out and said: ‘Who says the things I say shouldn’t be taken seriously? The next time someone tries to steal something from me, I will cut their hand off!’

Mo Ziyuan had been restrained by his father, but hearing these words made him furious again, and he struggled to break free. Wei Wuxian slithered out of reach like a fish swimming downstream, running out of the hall. The head disciple rushed to block the door, preventing anyone else from going after him. He then tried to switch everyone’s attention back to the actual reason they were here, speaking in a serious tone: ‘Um.. Well, we will be borrowing your West Garden this evening, Madam. You must take heed of the instructions I gave earlier. After nightfall, you must keep your doors tightly closed and remain inside. You must not approach the courtyard.’

Madam Mo was trembling with anger, but no matter how much she wanted to force that door open, she couldn’t go against her benefactors’ wishes. She could only say: ‘Yes, yes, thank you for your trouble..’

Mo Ziyuan couldn’t believe his ears. ‘Mother! That lunatic slandered me in front of so many people, and we’re just going to let him go? You said before, you said he’s just a..’

Madam Mo snapped: ‘Shut up. If you have something to say, say it after we have returned to our rooms!’

Mo Ziyuan had never lost his footing this way before, had never felt this humiliated and rejected even by his own mother. Seething with resentment, he snarled: ‘That madman will die tonight!’

After Wei Wuxian had finished his show of insanity and walked out of the hall, he took his time wandering the grounds of Mo manor, brazenly putting himself in the spotlight. He delighted in the way passers-by were shocked by his face. He was starting to gain a tangible understanding of the joy of being considered a madman. Begrudgingly, he realised that the thought of washing off the hanged-ghost makeup no longer felt so appealing either. He reasoned with himself: ‘In any case, there is no water, so how am I supposed to clean my face?’. He smoothed down his hair and glanced at his wrists. The cuts had not faded in the slightest. As expected, such a trivial degradation was far from satisfying Mo Xuanyu’s thirst for revenge.

Would he really need to annihilate the Mo clan completely?

….Honestly speaking, that might not be so difficult, after all.

Deep in thought, Wei Wuxian wandered back to the main buildings of the Mo manor, walking in small, springy steps. As he was passing the West Courtyard, he saw the Lan disciples standing on the roofs and eaves of the surrounding buildings, solemnly discussing something. Intrigued, Wei Wuxian retraced his steps, entering the courtyard and stretching his neck to look up at them.

Although the Gusu Lan Sect had been one of the key participants in the siege and annihilation campaign at Luanzang Mound, these disciples were too young to have even been born at that time. They had nothing to do with it. Wei Wuxian stood still and watched them, trying to figure out what they were doing. As he watched, he was suddenly gripped by a feeling of unease.

The fluttering black flags that the disciples had put up on the roofs and eaves looked awfully familiar.

These flags were called ‘Yin-summoning flags’. When carried by living humans, they would attract recently departed souls, vengeful ghosts, fierce corpses and evil spirits within a certain range. Whatever was summoned, it would only attack those carrying the flags. Because the flag-carrier was essentially turned into live bait, they were also called ‘target flags’. They could be hoisted on houses, on the condition that there were living people inside. In that case, the range of the target would be fixed to include everyone in that house. They had one more nickname, ‘black wind flags’, because dark yin energy would collect in their vicinity, spiraling like ink-black gusts of wind. Since the Lan disciples had arranged all the flags in the Western Courtyard and forbidden everyone from approaching it, they were clearly planning to attract the moving corpses there and capture them in one sweep.

As for their familiarity.. How could they not seem familiar? After all, the inventor of the Yin-summoning flags was Wei Wuxian himself!

All the cultivation clans might have been itching to kill him, but apparently they had no qualms about using his techniques for their own ends.

One of the disciples stationed on the roof noticed him watching them. ‘Please go back. You shouldn’t be here now.’

Although he was being shooed away, it sounded like the disciple really didn’t want him to be harmed. The tone could not have been more different to the one the Mo servants used on him. Wei Wuxian caught him off guard, leaping up and grabbing one of the flags.

Alarmed, the disciple jumped down to chase after him: ‘Stop meddling with it! This isn’t something you should be touching!’

Wei Wuxian was the perfect picture of a madman with his disheveled hair and his limbs flailing as if in some deranged dance, running away while shouting: ‘I won’t give it back! I won’t give it back! I want this! Want this!’

The disciple overtook him in a couple of strides, grabbing his arm and saying: ‘Will you give it back or not? If not, I will strike you!’

Wei Wuxian was holding on to the flag as if his life depended on it. The head disciple, who had been arranging the flag formation, noticed the commotion and jumped down from the eaves, light as a feather. He said: ‘Jingyi, leave it. Let’s just get it back nicely. There’s no need to get into a quarrel with him.’

Lan Jingyi said: ‘Sizhui, it’s not like I actually hit him! Just look at what he did - he destroyed the whole flag formation!’

During the two disciples’ heated conversation, Wei Wuxian was able to inspect the Yin-summoning flag in his hands. The motifs had been drawn correctly, and the incantations were complete. There were no signs of carelessness or negligence; the flag was completely fit for use. It had been drawn by an inexperienced hand, and would only attract spirits and moving corpses within a five-li radius. Nevertheless, it was good enough.

Lan Sizhui smiled at him and said: ‘Young master Mo, it will be dark soon. We will be capturing moving corpses, so it will be dangerous at night. You should head back to your room now.’

Wei Wuxian eyed the boy up and down. He looked gentle and elegant in a pristine way. There were traces of laughter in the corners of his mouth. This boy had the potential to become a widely praised cultivator, Wei Wuxian thought. He had also arranged the flag formation in perfect order, revealing an impeccable education. Who could have raised a boy like this in the dreadfully old-fashioned Gusu Lan clan?

Lan Sizhuan spoke again: ‘So, this flag…’

Before he had finished speaking, Wei Wuxian had already thrown the Yin-summoning flag to the ground, huffing: ‘It’s just a lousy flag, what’s the big deal! I could draw one much better than this!’ With that, he broke into a run and dashed away. His bragging made the boys listening from the roof laugh so hard they almost fell off. Even Lan Jingyi chuckled as he picked up the Yin-summoning flag and dusted it off. ‘This guy is completely crazy!’ he said.

‘Don’t say that. Let’s rush back to help the others’, Lan Sizhui said.

Wei Wuxian continued to loiter around the grounds until nightfall. He then returned to Mo Xuanyu’s small house tucked away in a courtyard. He ignored the broken latch and the complete mess that had been made of the room, picking a relatively clean spot on the floor to sit down and meditate.

This time, his meditation didn’t last until daybreak. His attention was pulled back to worldly things by a loud racket outside.

He could hear frantic footsteps and alarmed shouts approaching his room. Wei Wuxian listened to the same phrases being echoed over and over again: ‘Charge in and drag him out!’ ‘Report him to the authorities!’ ‘There’s no need to report anything, just beat him to death!’

As Wei Wuxian opened his eyes, several house-servants had already rushed into his room. He saw that the courtyard was brightly lit with flames. Someone was shouting: ‘Drag this insane murderer to the hall, so we can let him pay with his life!’

(translation notes)

#mdzs translation

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ltleflrt · 6 years ago

Note

Hnnngh *bites lip* so hard to choose. Dragon/Wedding planner AU for your prompts game? I‘ve loved all of the ficlets that came out of this so far!

I fracking love this prompt, thank you :D

“This isn’t even my wedding, how did I get roped into this?”

Sam casts Dean an unimpressed look as he opens the door to the meeting room and gestures for Dean to precede him inside. “There’s more to being the best man than planning the bachelor party, Dean.”

“Since when?” he demands, just to be stubborn. He doesn’t really have a problem helping out with anything Sam and Eileen need, it’s just weird to him that they’d hire someone to do all the hard work for them, and still need Dean’s input on stuff.

Sam’s answer is lost to him when Dean’s eyes fall on the room’s stupidly sexy occupant. His feet glue themselves to the floor, and it takes a nudge from Sam to get moving again.

“Hello, Castiel,” Sam says brightly as he crosses the meeting room. “Thank you for coming here to meet us today.”

“It is my pleasure, of course.” The man–he’s certainly male, if not human–smiles graciously as he accepts Sam’s hand to shake.

Dean’s eyebrows feel like they’re trying to launch themselves into his hair.

Touching a Phoenix is an invitation for third degree burns, but Castiel doesn’t even flinch as his hand is engulfed in Sam’s much larger grip.

“Castiel, this is my brother Dean,” Sam says, gesturing for Dean to come closer. He casts Dean a look that says get over here idiot, which works because Dean’s on auto pilot. “He’s going to be helping out when Eileen and I are unavailable.”

It’s been trained into him since birth not to touch anyone. His nature as a Phoenix puts most creatures in danger of burns from standing too close, much less initiating skin to skin contact. So it’s a surreal experience to feel a hand that doesn’t belong to someone of his own species slide against his own. His fingers brush the edge of a cool scale and it sends a shiver up his arm.

Flame-blue eyes stare up at him, and Dean’s brain experiences a mild short circuit when Castiel smiles at him. “Hello, Dean.”

“You’re a dragon,” Dean blurts.

When Castiel laughs, his whole body gets in on the motion. The wings draped over his shoulders flutter, and his tail whips left to right. The sunlight pouring in through the wall of windows lining one side of the meeting room glints off the iridescent scales along his neck and hairline. “I believe I am, yes.”

Dean blinks and shakes his head. Castiel’s voice is like thick smoke, and it’s going straight to his pleasure centers. He needs to get a grip on himself before he does something really embarrassing. He pastes on a charming smile. “Sorry. I’ve never met a dragon before.”

“And I’ve met very few Phoenixes,” Castiel counters with a teasing smile. “My people do prefer the view from their mountain tops, but I find that sometimes the rest of the world holds much more pleasurable views.” His eyes trail down Dean’s body, lingering on their clasped hands, before coming back up to lock their gazes together again.

Is that a flirtation?

Dean hopes it’s a flirtation.

Sam ruins the moment by clearing his throat. “Eileen’s sorry she couldn’t be here today. She’s needed in Oberon’s court.”

“I understand.” Castiel turns his attention to Sam, a professional facade coming down over his expression as he releases Dean’s hand. “She’s a very busy woman, and I’m here to take as much stress and work off her shoulders as possible.”

Dean misses Castiel’s touch as soon as it slips away. But he’s suddenly looking forward to all his extra Best Man duties.

***

As ambassador to the land of the Fae, Sam is a pretty busy guy, and his engagement to Eileen, a high ranking member of Oberon’s court, means even more rounds of social events. So Dean ends up doing a lot more of the work on getting the wedding set up than he expected. And that means spending a lot more time with Castiel than the bride and groom do.

Which, to be completely fucking honest, is awesome.

Castiel insists on meeting in person often, sometimes multiple times a week. And it isn’t always to visit bakeries and flower shops. They spend an equal number of meetings in coffee shops, or cozy restaurants, with Castiel’s binders open on the table between them to keep up the appearance that what they’re doing isn’t dating.

Because it hasn’t been said out loud yet, but Dean’s pretty sure that’s what this is. Why else would their discussions veer from business to personal so often? Why else would Castiel touch him whenever he can, like he can’t help himself?

Dean could be way off base. Maybe dragons are touchy-feely by nature. It’s completely possible that Castiel is always staring at Dean’s lips because he’s hard of hearing. Eileen stares at Dean’s mouth all the time, and it certainly isn’t because she wants to jump his bones. And the intense eye contact when Dean’s not speaking? Well that could just be Dean projecting. Eye contact is normal, right? It’s not all eye fucking.

It certainly feels like eye-fucking though.

He could ask. Hey, Cas. Is this thing between us all in my head? Maybe write him a note, and ask him to check yes or no if he likes Dean the way Dean likes him.

Or he can continue to be chicken shit about it, and just bask in Castiel’s presence. Treasure every look, every gentle slide of Castiel’s fingers against his hand or his arm. Soak in the cooling relief of his presence, because Castiel probably doesn’t understand the concept of Personal Space, and isn’t standing shoulder to shoulder with Dean in the print shop because he craves that contact as well.

Over the months they gravitate closer and closer.

Dean never asks why.

***

Never in his life has Dean seen a wedding so beautiful.

Sam and Eileen stand together under an arch of orange and yellow irises. Bonfires flank the raised dais, and torches line the aisles. Light and shadow from all the flames dance across Eileen’s flowing white dress, making her appear to be bathed in her own fire. Both the bride and groom are displaying their wings proudly, Eileen’s sheer and rainbow shimmery, Sam’s fiery feathers arched over his shoulders. Only clever spell work keep them from sparking fire in his clothing and the nearby flowers. And Eileen’s fairy blood protects her from Sam’s burning touch.

The priestess bonds them together with a rope of pure gold wrapped loosely around their clasped hands. She repeats the sacred ritual in three languages, including sign. And when she announces them Bound, the torches and the bonfires roar higher, adding more noise to the cheering of the gathered crowd.

Petals from orange roses are tossed over the wedded couple’s heads as they turn to their guests, and raise their tied hands up high to display them to everyone present.

Dean’s vision blurs, maybe from tears, maybe from the heat haze of so much open flame.

After the ceremony it’s hours before Dean gets a moment to himself. He sneaks away as soon as he finishes his Best Man speech, to a quiet corner of the palace gardens. The marble bench he finds is cool, and the gentle breeze rustling the surrounding bushes is refreshing on his cheeks. Even as a creature of fire, it feels good to get away from the hot press of bodies packed into one place.

And out here, he doesn’t have to pull himself in tight to prevent brushing too close to someone who might suffer injury on contact with his skin. He lets his head fall back on his shoulders and looks up into the starry sky, smiling at the unfamiliar constellations of the Fae realm. With a sigh and a slight relaxation of his concentration, he lets his wings slip free.

He can’t spread them, for fear of setting the garden on fire, but having them out in the open is relief enough.

“Lovely.”

Dean’s wings flinch, but before he can slip them away, Castiel stops him with a touch to his shoulder.

“No, don’t,” Castiel murmurs. “Your flame poses no danger to me.”

Dean looks up at the dragon, and thinks the reflected gleam of his wings in Castiel’s eyes is far more beautiful than the stars. “Uh thanks. They were getting a little cramped.”

Castiel flares his own wings slightly. “I can imagine how uncomfortable that gets.”

Of course he does. As a dragon, Castiel is squeezing his whole body into a smaller form, not just hiding his wings.

“Yeah it’s not the greatest.” Dean slides over on the bench to give Castiel space. “Join me?”

His heart thumps almost painfully behind his ribs when Castiel accepts his invitation and settles on the stone seat. Even though Castiel is safe, Dean still pulls his wings away out of habit.

Castiel notices the gesture and smiles gently. He lifts a hand, but hesitates. “May I?”

Among his own kind, touching wings is an intimate gesture. Most people of other species would start to feel the burn before even getting close enough. Phoenixes aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, and Dean’s a little too rough around the edges to attract a mate from the Fae, so it’s been many years since he’s felt another’s touch in his feathers.

The urge to allow it is overwhelming. Only a lifetime of discipline keeps him from shoving his wing right into Castiel’s waiting hand. But his feathers ruffle up with anticipation anyway.

Unable to speak around his heart in his throat, Dean nods.

Castiel’s fingers sink into Dean’s flaming feathers, and they both let out a sigh. Dean in utter satisfaction, and Castiel in what looks like wonder.

The yellow flames turn the iridescent blue scales lining the back of Castiel’s hand a deep metallic green. He strokes through the feathers, threading them between his fingers, and Dean can’t help pressing his into the touch.

“Lovely,” Castiel says again, low and soft, smoke rising from embers.

Dean loses track of time as Castiel gently grooms the areas he can reach. His eyes nearly slip closed in pleasure, but he can’t look away from the awe gracing Castiel’s features, so he watches the dragon through drooping lids.

“You know,” Castiel says after a long silence broken only by the soft crackle of Dean’s flames. “Now that my work for your brother and new sister is completed, I’ll be visiting other realms for new contracts.”

Dean’s feathers dim with his disappointment. “So, I guess this is probably goodbye then?”

Castiel’s eyes flit from Dean’s wing, to lock on Dean’s gaze. “I was hoping that we could continue our relationship without the barrier of professionalism. If you don’t mind that I have to travel a lot for work.”

It takes everything Dean has not to burst into a pillar of flame. He manages to keep his excitement contained to a grin, and maybe a little extra heat under his skin. His clothes stay intact, even if he does catch a whiff of hot wool. Thank the gods for whoever invented spells for fireproofing. “I don’t mind at all, Cas.” He flutters his wings. “It’s not like I don’t have means of traveling to see you.”

Castiel’s smile is brighter than a flame. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

“Can I kiss you, Cas?” Dean blurts.

He receives his answer as a soft press of lips against his own. The kiss is gentle, almost chaste, but it’s more than Dean usually dares to hope for.

Dean doesn’t know what his face is doing when Castiel pulls back, but it’s probably something goofy and love-struck. “That was awesome.”

“Yes,” Castiel agrees.

And then they kiss again. And again. They kiss and touch and murmur endearments to each other under the rotating stars, until edge of the sky begins to fade from black to blue and the stars blink out of view.

#destiel #au mashup #oops i ficced #dragon!cas #phoenix!dean #alessariel

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dracoscastleofglass-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Diagon Alley

When: August 15th, 1993

Summary: Violet buys a new wand, and explores Diagon Alley

Warnings: Brief PTSD-esque flashback, blood mention no details.

Violet stood looking into a store window. Around her people bustled about their lives, wearing long robes of many colors. The scent of waffle cones, and roasting nuts drifted lazily along the alley. Violet stepped into the shop and approached the counter. She stood for a moment peering about the shop, noticing a broken vase on the floor, and several papers strewn about the shop. Violet remembered her first wand choosing, when she had shattered a window and nearly lost an eye in the chaos. Just then a wizard popped up from behind the counter. “Ah hello there. Welcome to Olivanders, purveyors of wands. I am Garrick Olivander. What can I do for you?”

“My wand was broken last year.” Violet removed the 2 pieces from her bag, and placed them on the counter.

“Broken, you say? What a shame, and before you’ve finished your schooling too. Now I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, and I would remember this. White river monster? Must be the work of Thiago Quintana.”

“Yes sir, I was hoping to have it mended, you’re the third shop I’ve brought it to. The core is hard to find in America too, I believe I had one of very few in the world.”

“Well, I don’t believe I can mend this. Not without a new core. If you would like to wait I can ask around, see if anyone can send some. But I doubt any of my contacts do, and if you’ve asked around already I’m sure there’s no point.”

“I had just about given up trying in America, but I figured I would try in Europe before giving up entirely, we just moved here you see. I’ll buy a new wand.”

“Very good, now lets see….” Olivander disappeared into the shelves of wands and Violet continued to look around “Here 10 inches, Dragon Heartstring, Ashwood, and inflexible.”

Violet lifted the wand “Lumos” the tip flickered then went out, Violet shook her head and placed it back into the box.” Olivander took it quickly and replaced it with another “Unicorn Hair, Applewood, Inflexible”

Violet lifted it again and directed it to the scattered pile of papers, “Auferte”. The papers should have sorted themselves into the nearby filing cabinet, but they merely fluttered in place. “I’m sorry, my last want was surprisingly supple, despite the core.” Violet set the wand back into its box and Olivander whisked it away with the other and returned to the back of the shop. “Phoenix Feather, 14 inches, Beech Wood, Supple.”

Violet lifted the wand and immediately felt a warmth spreading from the wand through her entire body. “Reparo” The broken vase became whole again. “Auferte” Both the vase and the papers and settled into place neatly.

“Quite rare, Beechwood rarely chooses a master so young. And Phoenix feather... quite picky as well. I generally would never have pulled out such a wand for one so young but it sang to me so just now. May I ask, what broke your last wand?”

Violet’s voice caught in her throat, “It-It was...” She took a deep breath and tried to organize her thoughts, the sight of crimson on white marble filled her mind.

“Ah hello and welcome to Ollivanders, Why it’s the Fosters, and this must be your youngest. Why I’ve found wands for your whole family, yes your mother and father, even your great aunt Lily.” The sudden change in the atmosphere startled Violet to her senses and she paid for her wand and left the shop quickly. Just up the street her father waved her over.

Violet suddenly felt quite out of place. She and her father both looked strange among the robe clad witches and wizards going about their shopping. Her father wore a muggle suit, No tie and slightly unbuttoned, and she wore a black crop top under a large grey flannel and loosely fit jeans, a large canvas bag slung over her shoulder.

“Over here I’ve got something for you!” Violet met her father outside the door to the Apothecary. “I asked around for where to get the potions supplies you needed and I was pointed to this shop, I went in and the nice lady got you all set up. I told her Potions is your best subject and that you were quite advanced, she even enchanted that chest we found last week.”

Violet smiled at her father, even if he had never expected a witch for a daughter, he had adjusted quickly and done his best to support her. “Thank you.” She entered the shop to find the scottish shop-keeper gently filling the chest with various colored and sized bottles of ingredients, as well as scales and weights.

“Here’s a list of everything I put in lass, your da says you're quite advanced so I loaded you up with a few extra ingredients as well as some things not on the list for 3rd years, but used in 4th.” The scottish shopkeeper pushed a list of ingredients towards her. “It’s always nice to see a young woman interested in Potions.”

“250 Galleons for the lot sir.” Violet’s father reached into the bag he’d gotten to exchange money at gringotts and paid.

“That’s a steal, there must be 500 Galleons worth here!” Violet looked over the list again noting a number of rare ingredients and for the most part large quantities.

“Call it a welcome gift lassie. Like I said, not enough girls interested in potions these days.” Violet and her father thanked the woman kindly and left the shop carrying the newly expanded apothecary chest out through Toms and out into their car waiting in the streets.

“Dad, if you don’t mind I’d like to stay and have a look around, there weren’t any wizarding communities like this near us in America. I can take the underground back.” Violet’s father shook his head and handed her a £50 note.

“Take a cab, be back before 7, Michelle is making dinner.”

Violet spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the many side streets off of Diagon Alley. She stopped to enjoy a cup of coffee and a scone on the patio of Madam Vanessa’s, a sweet little cafe, before a handsome blonde caught her eye. He seemed to look back at her for an instant before following his father down a street off of Diagon Alley. Violet finished her coffee and followed ventured down the street and into the shop she had seen him step into.

Before the door closed behind her a crazed and scarred up man with a fake eye spinning wildly screamed. “YOU WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT. DO YOU HEAR ME? GET OUT.” Violet turned to leave and returned to Diagon Alley, catching her breath. A handsome but sick looking gentleman approached her. “Are you alright, something give you a bit of a shock?”

“There was a man. He had a fake eye and he yelled at me. He didn’t want me in there.” Violet gestured to the shop she had fled.

“Ah, Alastor. Well he was right, if wrong in his approach. That shop is no place for a young lady. In fact I would stay clear of the whole street if you’re alone.” The gentlemen looked her over carefully “ Say, are you a Hogwarts student?” “I’ll be new this year, I went to Ilvermorny but we just moved here.”

“Well then I’ll be your defense against the dark arts teacher. Remus Lupin.”

“Oh, nice to meet you Professor, I’m Violet, Violet Vodrey. I know it’s early but is there anything I should have done before classes start?” Violet had hoped to be placed a year ahead in several classes including DADA but had only been sent the list for third years.

“Not at all, just stay clear of any more dark wizard hideouts and you’ll be set.” Violet looked down embarrassed and nodded. “Now run along, I unfortunately can’t avoid Knockturn Alley, they’re apothecary has a potion I need.”

Violet found a stall for Madam Primpellas shop and purchased a small vial of a pimple vanishing serum in a beautiful glass purple bottle before picking up her robes from Madam Malkins and catching a cab home.

#Harry Potter #Harry Potter OC #Harry Potter fan fic #Fan fiction #fanfic #Diagon Alley #Mad Eye Moody #Alastor Moody #Remus Lupin #Muggle #Muggleborn #Muggleborn OC #Ollivanders #Wand choosing #Knockturn Alley

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murasaki-murasame · 5 years ago

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After doing way too many summons on this gala without getting Gala Elly I’m just gonna quit while I’m ahead and start hoarding for the New Years banner, lol. And in the mean-time I’ll probably be skipping the Christmas banner so that kinda sucks but oh well.

Either way, I still got a whole bunch of new stuff in my gala summons, and also I have a lot of thoughts about the new This Month in DL post, so I’ll just put the rest of my thoughts under the cut.

I swear to god this gala was the most summons I’ve done on a banner without getting a focus unit, lmao. This must be punishment for me getting like three copies of Gala Euden last time. I think I did like 250 summons total, which included over 10 5-stars, but no Gala Elly. I may or may not end up caving to my temptations and grinding adventurer stories and hard mode campaign levels to try and summon more, but I should just quit while I’m ahead.

Either way, my haul of 5-stars, new and dupes, is:

-Gala Ranzal

-Wedding Elly

-Xanfried

-Lea

-Jeanne

-Chthonius

-Dupes of B-Zardin, Victor, Sylas, Cassandra, Gala Sarisse, Shinobi, Vayu, and Long Long [x2]. I also got another dupe Shinobi from the 5-star dragon voucher thing they just gave us.

Let’s just say that I don’t know how to feel about wanting Gala Elly and then getting Gala Ranzal + Wedding Elly, lmao. At least they’re both new units for me. Though it feels doubly bad that I got Gala Ranzal, 45MC’d him, and then almost immediately afterward I got Wedding Elly. Welp. I’m a Noelle main in eHMC anyway so it’s not a huge deal. But it’s nice to get my wind roster fleshed out more.

I’m honestly really happy about getting Xanfried, and it more or less makes up for not getting Gala Elly. He was one of those 5-stars who I was vaguely tempted to dream summon because it was bugging me that I still didn’t have him. Now I think the only launch 5-star I don’t have is Hildegarde.

I’m also happy about getting Lea, even if she isn’t a great unit and I have like six other flame swords. I really like her whole design aesthetic.

I don’t really care much about the new 5-star dragons I got, but they’re nice to have. The Long Long dupes are nice, though, since now I have a nearly MUB one for my Lin You.

Oh and I got regular Aeleen as well, and she was the last non-limited 4-star I needed to get, so that’s cool.

We’ve known about the next banner for a while because of datamines, but either way, I feel a little bit salty that the new 5-star is literally just Thaniel But Better [tm], lol. If it weren’t for the fact that Chocolatiers is a limited print, I’d say that she wouldn’t even be worth it when Thaniel’s a more accessible option who works just fine in HBH because the whole fight is literally tuned around his kit since until now he’s been the only real healer for it. I hope this doesn’t lead to people acting like Thaniel’s not good enough for eHBH anymore once Jiang Ziya comes out. I’ve invested way too much into him to switch. I did recently craft the HDT water spear, and I can use my H-Maritimus on Elly if I want to use her in eHBH, but I still want to stick to Thaniel.

And on that note my H-Maritimus is at 2UB, and between the sunlight stone we’ll get soon from the Megaman event, and the dragons I have at nearly max bond level, he’ll probably be MUB soon, which should push my Thaniel above 7k might, which will be great. He’s currently at about 6,850 might, between him having +200 augments, Chocolatiers at +190 augments, a MUB HDT1 water staff, etc etc. And we’re gonna be getting the Christmas event facility again soon so that’ll boost him up even further.

Also I’m really not interested in the new dragon since he’s just water Hastur and I don’t care about that at all, lol. Durant seems cool but I already have a 50MC Natalie, and he’s a 4-star so he’d be easy enough to get off-banner anyway.

I’m gonna probably skip the Christmas banner since I went all in on this gala and I want to save for the New Years banner. And since it looks like the Christmas banner will be in just a week or so, I won’t exactly have many resources saved up by that point anyway. I’m not really interested in any of the existing Christmas alts, though, so it’d probably be an easy skip anyway, unless the new ones really interest me.

I hope that them doing the Christmas rerun stuff earlier in the month than I expected means we might get a Christmas-themed raid event afterward, but I won’t get my hopes up. I think we’re due for a new raid event anyway, but that’ll probably be what the New Years event is anyway, I guess.

I’m curious to see how they handle the New Years stuff, since it’d feel weird to rerun the Ieyasu event/banner, with how that was themed around the current zodiac year. I think we’ll just get a new event with new units, and probably a new welfare unit along with the event itself. With how good Ieyasu was [and how salty I still am about not having him], I think it’ll be worth saving for that.

Though considering that the next story chapter is gonna apparently be Luca-focused, I’m guessing the January gala unit will be Gala Luca, who I’d be extremely interested in, so that’s another thing to worry about saving for, lol.

And on that note we’re getting Chapter 11 in about two weeks, and even though we got more or less the same teaser description for it as last time, we at least have a better look at the two new android characters. Even though they’re gonna be antagonists I still kinda hope we can get them as playable units some day.

We also got more info on the new endgame boss mode, and even though I still want more specific details about it, my current guess is that it’s basically going to be High IO. It’ll probably be themed around there being new android military squads to fight against, with the new bosses being their leaders or whatever. It’d be fun to get some genuinely difficult wave-based content, but it’d also be great if it means we can get facility upgrade materials a lot faster.

The reveal of the new mode being called The Agito Uprising also more or less confirms that rumour that’s been going around for a while, which also talked about how the Christmas banner would include a new Christmas Phoenix alt, that the new endgame bosses would drop 6-star weapons, that we’ll get a Monster Hunter collab in February, and that Mikoto, Ezelith, Naveed, and Xanfried will be at least some of the first units to get their sixth mana circle upgrades.

I’m honestly kinda happy to hear about Christmas Phoenix since that makes it more likely that the Christmas banner will be an easy skip for me, lmao. But anyway, I really wouldn’t be surprised to see the Agito Uprising bosses dropping weapons that are roughly between 5t3s and HDT weapons in power. we really need something like that to ease the transition into the eHDT cycle. I’ve basically given up on getting into eHJP/eHZD until something along those lines happens to make them more accessible, lol.

I still have a lot of questions about how the whole sixth mana circle upgrade thing will work, and sadly this didn’t really tell us anything new, but they at least said that they’re aware of how limited the pool of units used in endgame content is, and that they’ll try and make changes to make more units viable for that, so that’ll probably be the main point of the sixth mana circles. I have a feeling that only 5-star units will end up getting them, which would kinda suck. There’s a lot of 5-stars who need an upgrade, but there’s also a lot of other units who need an upgrade too.

They did mention that they’ll be doing something with 3-star units in general, though, so I’m really curious about that. I really really want them to rebalance 3-star units so that they all have 100% on-element status resistances. I could take or leave anything else, but they really need that sort of buff. There’s no real point to holding back a unit by giving them incomplete or off-element status resistances. Which also applies to welfare 4-stars. For example, my Xania would be way more viable in eHMS if she can get to 100% stun res without needing a print, and it’d just be great in general if Vixel could get an actually relevant status resistance for his element. I have a feeling they won’t change anything else about their kits, but even just that’d be nice.

My realistic prediction for what the sixth mana circle upgrades will actually include is that it’ll more or less just be more of what we already have with the current ones. It’ll probably just be a few flat stat upgrades, maybe some more coability node upgrades, and one or two upgrades to the skills/abilities of each unit. At the very least I think that units will get a third upgrade to their S2, since those only go up to two upgrade tiers whereas every unit gets three tiers to their S1. And there’s a lot they could do to improve units by buffing and adding stuff to their S2s. For example, Thaniel would really benefit from getting a regen heal added to his S2, but Jiang Ziya existing makes me think they’re just forgetting about Thaniel for good. I can’t really think of what they could do with any of the 5-stars, though. It’s possible but less likely that some units might also get upgrades to one of their abilities, but that’s a bit more uncertain than them getting skill upgrades, if only because there’s a lot of ability types that you just can’t upgrade at all, like 100% status resistance or skill prep abilities.

It’d be really nice if they changed the second ability of 3-stars to 100% status resistance and gave them something entirely new for their third ability, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they just buff the 25% status resistance abilities of those units to 50% status resistance.

Also, we got more details about how we’re getting higher-level void battles added, and higher difficulties added to the void dragons, which I think is a necessary addition in order to help bridge the gap toward endgame content. As it is now, void battles aren’t really worth doing outside of endeavors. But it’s also nice that they’ve added augments to the void dragons and stuff.

In general they’d been making a lot of steps toward easing the progression toward endgame content, especially with the other changes they made to Avenue to Fortune, and them also adding augments to HDT drops. It’s nice that they’re aware of the issue of how steep the progression curve is right now, but it also really makes it clear that it’s a genuine problem that they’re currently being stuck trying to fix. I don’t really blame them for it, though. These things happen with games like this. I’m just glad that they’re actually addressing it instead of leaving it unchanged.

It’ll sadly take a while for them to add all of the new void bosses on the same tier as the Volcanic Chimera, but it’ll be nice to eventually have more accessible options to get into other eHDTs and stuff.

Anyway a whole bunch has been going on lately and I think it’s on a good track. Honestly my biggest issue right now is that since they changed the UI I keep clicking the wrong buttons when I’m trying to go between menus, lmao.

Oh and yeah the Megaman event is a thing that’s happening. There’s really not a lot to say about it because it’s so barebones and gameplay-focused, but it’s fun, and I like how much they’re leaning into the aesthetic of it. Megaman himself is a really goddamn weird unit, though. I like how much he’s apparently designed to play like he’s in an actual Megaman game, but it’s a weird playstyle to get used to for this game. And I still prefer Xania as a flame wand, lol.

#dragalia lost #this week on 'rate up is a lie': I get punished for my hubris :)

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loki-laufeyson233 · 5 years ago

Text

The Gold At Dusk

Chapter One unedited

I was laying on the roof of Stark Tower. No one was bothering me as I watch the sunset.

"HOW COULD YOU LOOSE HER TONY?!" I smirk as I hear Steve yelling from the floor below me. I'm right here idiots. Thunder echoes from below me and I start to laugh. Tony's screwed.

"YOU LOST HER. YOU FIND HER!" I swear they treat me like a child too often, if only they knew what I could do. I stand with a loud sigh once the sun sinks fully below the horizon. The door to the stairs shuts and I turn around to see someone I wasn't expecting. His pale features stand out against the lights on the roof, my smile fades a little as he walks towards me and places a hand on my chin.

"They're looking for you." I nod. God. Stop looking so freaking hot all the time. How does he look hot? Being the Frost Giant he is. I smirk again at my own joke.

" I'm surprised they haven't realised I come up here every night at the same time. " Loki smirks softly, and whispers in my ear.

"I've noticed." I feel my cheeks heat up a little. Dang it. Stop doing things like this. He pulls back and walks to the edge of the building, sitting and swinging his legs over the edge.

" STARK. SHE CAN'T BE LEFT ALONE! " Thor's voice echoes into my ears and I look back at the door.

"I'm not alone." I mutter and turn back towards Loki.

"Wait?! WHERE'S MY BROTHER?!" I chuckle at Thor again. I walk to Loki and sit down a few feet away from him, looking to the ground.

"Please dont." I look up as Loki speaks and I shrug.

" then come with me. " I use a portion of my ability and create a flying reptile similar to the Banshees in Avatar. I smirk at it. God I love this movie so much. I look at Loki before climbing onto the blue-green creature. He smiles a little and stands up.

"Well, I can't let you be alone. Stark would kill me." I smirk again.

" you want your own? " Once the words leave, I regret them. Loki nods and I create another, this one having bits of yellow in it.

"It like a-" I get cut off as he mounts and flies off the tower with it, nose diving towards the ground. I follow quickly. We barely pull up from the ground, gaining height again. I giggle as the Tower fades behind us. We keep flying to the edge of New York, going out towards the sea. I let Loki direct us, his reptile not slowing as we pass Ellis Island. I urge mine faster to fly next to him.

"Where are we going?!" My face gets a smile as he looks over at me.

" you'll see. " We keep going. The moon lifting into the sky. Loki dives down towards the water, skimming it with his ride's wings. I follow shortly.

"You going to name her?" I call again.

" you're quite the talker. " Loki mumbles and pauses before speaking up again, "I was thinking of Skyfire." He smiles softly and pats her neck. I smile widely and stroke my reptile.

" how about you? You going to name yours? " My smile fades a little. I didn't think about it.

"Maybe... I didn't really think on i- oh! How about Phoenix?" I look over at her wings to see them fade to a red-orange at the tips, which is what gave me the idea. We smile at each other for a second, then Loki nods in approval. I shift a little and slowly look back to where we are going.

"Almost there." He says as I notice a large city approaching us. My eyes widen a little as I recognize the London Eye when we pass over it.

"London?! Loki, Tony's going to kill me!" Even as I say it I start to laugh and take in the sights as it passes below us. I whisper, " I've always wanted to go... " I look over at Loki when he chuckles and points down to one of the buildings. I nod and circle it before landing shortly after him. We both dismount and I look over at him, excitement lighting my gaze.

"You mentioned a few times that you wanted to come..." He smiles a little and looks towards the city. I chuckle softly. Yeah, but not to you. I look back out to the city and mount Phoenix again.

"Lets go explore since we're here!" I look at my watch to see it saying 11:30. It's 4:30 here...

"Everything should open within the next two hours or so..." I smile and look at Loki.

"As you wish." He smiles and mounts as well. I take off and fly around, towards the ground, and avoid buildings. My smile crawls onto my face again, and I hear the wing beats of Skyfire.

"Over here!" Loki calls and lands Skyfire, in the middle of the street nonetheless. I follow slowly and land next to him. We both dismount again and walk into a small bakery, that is open at this time. I walk in behind him, skeptical of the new experience. I hold his right shoulder for comfort. Loki must have understood as he didn't push me away.

"Welcome! Come in! come in! What will you be having today? " A short man with a bit of a gut calls cheerfully. I look up at Loki. He smiles and orders a muffin and two cups of tea. I release his shoulder and start to walk around the room, admiring the art and architecture. Just as I turn around to go back to him, I almost collide into Loki's chest. Idiot. I smile at him, my cheeks get a light dusting of color.

"Sorry..." He nods towards a table.

"Quite alright." I sit across from him and look out the window to Phoenix and Skyfire before looking back at him. Loki tears the blueberry muffin in half and hands me one. I reach to grab it, our hands connecting for a second. I look up at him once my hand touches his and I make eye contact. We break it once the baker clears his throat, holding the cups of tea. He puts them on the table and clasp his hands together.

"Ah, young love. One of the best kinds to ever walk the earth." I blush again and look away.

" No. We-we're not in love. We j-just came to London for a day... " Loki objects.

"Sure you're not. But explain to me why she is blushing." The man walks away before Loki could recoil again. He looks at me and I look at him, his cheeks colored a little. I sip my tea a little, smiling behind the glass as Loki takes a bite of the muffin. I set the cup down and eat the muffin.

"Mother would have loved you." Loki smiles at me, breaking the silence that had formed. I blush lightly.

" t-thank you. " I stutter and look down.

We finish and thank the baker, him calling, 'young love, ' as we leave. I mount Phoenix and look at Loki as he mounts Skyfire.

"Maybe we should get back. Otherwise they'll have all of New York looking for me." I chuckle softly.

"Yeah. Good idea." I take off into the air, flying over the tallest buildings, Loki following quickly. He takes the lead and we fly back to Stark Tower, staying silent the whole time.

Once we get back, Tony and Steve are both waiting for us in the roof. I groan at the sight of them from a distance. Loki curses under his breath. Both of us land and Steve starts his lecture.

"Where the hell have you been? We've looked all over for you and you be been gone for," he pauses to look at a watch, "Three hours! Get to bed young lady. I should put a tracker on you. And Loki, I swear to God. Don't even start with me." I walk swiftly to Steve and stand on my toes, pressing my nose against his. He can tell at me but not my friend for six months.

"WE DO WHAT WE WANT!" I shout in his face and slam my shoulder into his as I walk past.

"YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER." I open the door and storm to my room, quickly turning to my phone. Cierra, Cierra, Cierra. I watch as names scroll past the screen, finding her name after a bit.

Cierra

DUDE. I JUST WENT TO LONDON WITH LOKI.

DELIVERED

NO WAY. WTF? HOW YOU GET THERE AND BACK SO QUICKLY?!

I CREATED A FEW DRAGON THINGS AND

WE FLEW THERE. GOD. ID SO DO IT AGAIN. WE

EVEN WENT INTO A BAKERY AND THE GUY

ALMOST GAVE AWAY MY SECRET. LOKI STILL

DOESN'T KNOW I LIKE HIM A LOT

DELIVERED

LOL. You would.

I can't wait for tomorrow night.

*sigh* why he so freaking hot?

DELIVERED

LOL. you crazy.

LOL. hey we having a 'fam supper ' tom.

You game?

DELIVERED

Dude. Of course I am. Finally get

To meet these people. ;)

Lol. See you there. :)

DELIVERED

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tmorriscode · 6 years ago

Text

Hogwarts Mystery Imagines Masterpost

(Artwork by @fiona-catherine)

Since I base all my imagines on my own MC, Laurel Ravenwood, I thought It was time to collect the whole story arc into one masterpost.

I didn’t quite know what to call it, because I write all the imagines as “You” and “(Y/N)” rather than using “Laurel” for the character. I like to read imagines that way, because I can picture my character in them (even if the characteristics are different.) When I read about someone else’s named character, I can enjoy them, but I feel a bit more locked out.

I settled on something nice and generic like Hogwarts Mystery Imagines Masterpost, because “Actual human disaster, Hufflepuff, adventure archaeologist, Ace-Positive Demiromantic imagines” is a bit of a long title.

Anyway, here’s Wonderwall:

Official Weasley (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

Five times Molly Weasley is aware of MC’s presence.

(One of my most popular stories)

With Friends Like This (The Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

Five interactions between MC and their friends.

Little Miracles for Ordinary People (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

You don’t always know when you’re at the start of something amazing.

Or: Charlie knows that Bill looks at MC as a surrogate sister. Even if he doesn’t know her that well, he figures he should step in when she’s being bullied.

Companionate (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

A five times fic. How two clueless people accidentally fall in love and don’t realize it for about a decade.

Prefect (The Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

An Actual Human Disaster has been made Hufflepuff’s prefect. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Sportball (The Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

The wacky screwball sports comedy that absolutely no one asked for.

Family Therapy (Jacob, MC, The Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

You and Jacob have so many issues, you could start a library.

Speechless (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

When you are on the same wavelength, words aren’t always needed. A five times fic, starting at Hogwarts and following MC and Charlie through their lives.

Yours, Charlie (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

People grow apart. Except when they grow together.

Friends Help You Move, Real Friends Help You Move Bodies, Best Friends Help You Find Treasure (MC, Rowan Khana)

Part 1, Part 2

Post Hogwarts. Curse breaker MC helps Rowan track down some ancient wands.

I Get By (With A Little Help From My Friends) (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

How Charlie Weasley breaks several international statutes, adopts a dragon, drinks Ouzo, and basically lives his best life.

MC is just here to fix her career and help take care of the flying danger noodles.

Camp Honey Badger (the Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

Set during the prelude to the Quiddich World Cup. Lots of Fluff, MC being an actual human disaster. A glimpse of what the gang is doing post-Hogwarts, and hints of CharlieXMC.

More Than Enough (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

Set during Order of the Phoenix. Charlie and MC sort out the nature of their relationship.

Safe With Me (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

Set just after Dumbledore dies in Half Blood Prince. Charlie breaks the news to MC, and the two of them make plans for their immediate safety.

The Gift (Charlie Weasley, Random Dragon Tamers)

Charlie deserves All the Nice Things.

Exit Strategy (Charlie, Jacob)

The last thing Charlie wants to hear is Jacob pontificating on how the future is uncertain and you all might die at any minute. Bill’s near-miss with a werewolf is proof of that.

Time Of Your Life (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC, The Hogwarts Mystery Crew)

Everyone’s lives have pulled them in different directions. Now, with the war heating up, Bill’s bachelor party is a chance for all the old crew to get back together for what may be the last time.

Blackthorn (Jacob)

Some would call Jacob damaged. He would say that he causes damage.

(I headcanon that Jacob looks like a young Benedict Cumberbatch. I think I even adopted most of the quirky (borderline high-functioning sociopath, genius, lone-wolf, Byronic, mad bad and dangerous to know) personality that BC performed as Sherlock for Jacob.

On A Mission From God (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

Charlie and MC prepare to head to Hogwarts for the final battle.

(I always forget about this one. This was the first story I’d written, back before I started making elaborate headcanons about Laurel. Basically all I had in mind here was “she probably works in Romania to be close to Charlie, and he spends his days off sitting around her apartment with her watching bad TV and old movies.”

Flowers For Ashes (The Hogwarts Mystery Gang)

One of my most popular stories. The Battle of Hogwarts from MC’s point of view.

Tickling Dragons (And Other Occupational Hazards) (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

When some rare and endangered Romanian Longhorn eggs go missing from the dragon preserve where Charlie works, he calls the one person he thinks could get them back: you.

Part I, Part II, Part III

Landslide (Ace!Charlie X Demiromantic!MC)

Set 65 years post Battle of Hogwarts. With age comes change. One can’t expect to wrestle dragons forever.

#Charlie Weasley #Hogwarts Mystery #Hogwarts Mystery Imagines #Hogwarts Mystery MC #hogwarts mystery fanfic #hphm #hphmmc #hphm mc #jacob’s sibling #hphm jacob #rowan khanna #bill weasley #tulip kasaru #nymphadora tonks #barnaby lee

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