#love that goblin king range

[multongsisig]

some sketches during breaks

[theadusa]

Confused Rant

So I am just going to put this out there, I am on the older side of fans (mid-20s), so this might be a bit of a boomer complaint. I have been watching kdramas since I was in middle school and engaging in some way. However, there is a recent complaint (in western viewers, I don't understand Korean) that I have never seen before, and I find incredibly unusual.

I have been recently see people complaining about kdramas being sad. Mostly on Twitter, here, and Tiktok (idk whats happening on insta). This complaint mainly talking about dramas like Queen of Tears, Lovely Runner, and most recently Love Next Door. Which, yeah they're very emotional kdramas. Queen of Tears is a straight up melodrama, but even in romcoms kdramas tend to mix in emotional sad points.

Isn't that why you watch them? I remember, a college professor in 2018 teaching a lesson on catharsis. And he talked about kdramas, he stated, that the K in kdrama stands for catharsis. 'Cause you can find the entire range of human emotion in a single drama.

So I find this a bit strange. People always put 2016-2017 as the peak of kdramas, but they were also sad then too. Uncontrollably Fond, came out in 2016. Descendants of the Sun, Goblin, Legend of the Blue sea also came out. These were sad, emotional, they made people cry and laugh. Even the more light hearted dramas like Weightlifting Fairy (2016) or Strong Woman Bong Soon (2017), had a lot of emotional and sad moments. It was never unusual to cry during a drama. They were know for their melodramas, and strong emotions.

I am just kind of confused why people are begging for old kdramas, while complaining about the new ones being too sad. Like any old kdrama is going to be sad, even in nonsensical ways. Like I have you seen Autumn in Your Heart (2004) or even Princess Hours (2006) has emotional moments.

Why are complaining about long standing Korean drama tropes and forms while watching them. There is other tv in this world. I'm just confused.

Also on the note of Queen of Tears: I don't understand why people are complaining that a Melodrama is sad and not a romcom. Like it has Kim Soohyun, he is like the king of melo. Why would this be a romcom?

I have so many more thoughts, but I would like to hear what other people think. I know I am being like a boomer, I am just confused.

[imagines--galore]

||Love Happens||

Summary: As the youngest daughter of the House of Rivendell, Annúneth has lived a sheltered life. Though that does not stop her from meeting the Prince of Greenwood. And though they start off on the wrong foot, there is one thing that neither of them can deny. 

And that is sometimes, Love simply Happens.

Pairing: Legeloas x AnnúnethOC (Hobbit, LOTR)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. None

A/N: This is for @siriuslydestiny​ and @lovelyxkazuha​ Hope you enjoy your request! And this is for @entishramblings​ who hasn’t been feeling the best lately! Also this story takes place AGES before the events of the Hobbit. So Mirkwood is still called Greenwood! And Thranduil isn’t as uptight : P

It was not often that Lord Elrond lead a Hunting Party. But both his sons were away traveling, and he wanted to be sure that no lingering Orcs or Goblins would happen upon Rivendell by accident.

What he had not expected, on the journey home, was for his Hunting Party to instead become a Welcoming Party to the King of Greenwood himself.

“Thranduil, we did not expect you for another week.” Elrond called out as a way of greeting his old friend as he dismounted his horse. Thranduil offered a slight smile in return. “The weather was favorable, and the enemy few. I also wanted to put to rest the rumors of your hospitality as soon as possible. See for myself whether what I heard was truth or not.” The two Elven leaders gave a respectful tilt of the head before grasping each other’s forearms in a greeting one soldier gave another.

Elrond simply smiled in response. “You shall be the judge of that, melon nin. But for now, let us return to Rivendell together. I am sure both our arrivals are anticipated by our comrades.”

Quickly mounting their horses once more, the two Elven Leaders urged their mounts forward, their respective parties following after them.

“How fare your children Elrond? Is your youngest Arwen residing with you, or is she with her grand-sire in Lothlorien?”

Elrond gave a secret smile at the mention of Arwen being the youngest, but made no move to say anything. “She is indeed in Lothlorien, finishing the last of her studies with Galadriel. The twins are leading an expedition to the North. I have yet to hear from them, but last I received a letter, they were in high spirits.” Elrond turned his head towards Thranduil.

“And what of your son Legolas? I have not seen him yet. Did he not come with you?” A sigh fell from Thranduil’s lips, one that Elrond was all too familiar with. It was the sigh of a parent who was at their wit’s end with their child.

“He is here, but he insisted on taking the longer route. Some nonsense about seeing new sights and such.” Thranduil shook his head, not understanding the need his son had when it came to exploring. “He shall be joining us on a later day. Perhaps tomorrow.”

During their conversation, the Parties had reached Rivendell, blowing horns to announce their arrival as they did. It was truly a sight to behold, a marvel of elven architecture and design. Every aspect was flawless, the House built around nature, spacious windows and multiple rooms open to the elements.

As they crossed the bridge Thranduil could not help but comment. “Though I much prefer the Woods of my home, I must say Elrond, you have indeed taken care of your home all these years. It is just as when I first laid eyes upon it when I was an elfling.”

Elrond smiled in a polite manner. He knew Thranduil, knew that the King hardly gave compliments outright. This was to the best of his efforts. He did feel a sense of pride, as their horses cantered across the bridge and towards the main platform where several elves were already waiting to greet them. “I thank you for your kind words Thranduil.” He said as he dismounted. “But for now, let us change and reconvene for dinner. I am sure yo-”

“Ada!"

The cry rang loud and clear from the top of the stairs, cutting off whatever else Elrond had to say. The assembled Elves spun towards the source of the sound. A figure revealed itself. The skirt of their dress lifted to their knees, pale legs and feet bared to those standing below, bright golden hair flowing behind her, unbraided and free. And even from afar one could see a simple silver circlet resting on her forehead.

Lord Elrond's entire demeanor changed from a reserved elf and leader to that of an overjoyed parent, as he held his arms open in greeting, a smile on his lips.

"Annúneth!"

The elleth launched herself into her father's arms, holding him close, her face buried in his chest. Elrond returned the embrace just as lovingly as it was given. The Elves of Rivendell smiled fondly at the display of familial love. King Thranduil and the rest of his party looked on in slight surprise at the golden haired elleth who was now gazing up at her father, relief yet slight concern evident on her delicate features.

"You were not harmed, were you Ada?" She asked, her voice soft and light. The elves started to move, taking the horses to the stables while the guests stood where they were. Elrond shook his head, resting a hand atop the soft head of gold locks, so like her mother's.

"As you can see I am quite alright my dear Yelde. You need not worry about me." The elleth shook her head in response.

"I shall always worry when you leave Ada. As will Arwen, Elladen and Elrohir." Her gaze finally shifted from her father's familiar features to the newcomers. Elrond followed her line of sight. Keeping one arm around her shoulders he smiled at Thranduil.

“Thranduil, may I introduce you to my youngest, Annúneth.” He gently pushed his daughter towards the King. “Annúneth, this is Thranduil. He resides as King over Greenwood and is a dear friend.” The King towered over the elleth, but that did not deter her from meeting his graze briefly, before lowering into an elegant curtsy, her eyes dropping to the floor for a brief moment as she did. 

“You honor us with your presence King Thranduil.” She said, her voice ever polite and ever gentle. The older elf tilted his head in return. “And you surprise us with yours, Lady Annúneth.” His gaze shifted towards his friend, who was trying his best to hide his mirth. “Considering we were not made aware of it.”

Annúneth glanced at her father. “I shall leave Ada to explain his reasoning for I am sure he has an extensive list.” She cleverly stated, stepping away from her father’s embrace. Her grey eyes shifted to the rest of the assembled elves of Greenwood Annúneth lifted her head, her shoulders back as she addressed them.

In the blink of an eye she had morphed from a loving daughter, to the Lady of the House. And with her Mother having sailed to Valinor, and sister presently absent, the task did fall to her.

“Brothers and Sisters.” A look of surprise passed each elven face when she spoke in the tongue of their forest, Silvan. “On behalf of my father, Lord Elrond, Protector of Rivendell, I, his daughter Annúneth, welcome you to our home. Please follow me so that I may guide you to your rooms where you can freshen up before we all sit down for dinner. Your horses will be taken care of.”

With that the golden haired elven maid turned. When before she had been racing down the stairs, this time she seemed to glide along, leading the eager elves to where they would be residing during their stay at Rivendell.

Leaving a proud father, and an elven King who was seldom surprised and impressed.

And for once, Thranduil wasn’t loathe to admit that he was both.

                                             ————————–

“Will you now reveal to me the secrecy behind your youngest daughter’s existence Elrond?”

The wine hadn’t even been poured, the doors barely shut when Thrandul had demanded answers. Despite years on Middle-Earth, it would seem patience was one virtue his friend had no desire to perfect.

Thank the Valar he had enough for the both of them.

Pouring the wine, Elrond held the delicately wrought cup towards his friend. “It is a rather long tale my friend.” He stated, gesturing towards a pair of high backed chairs where he would usually conduct lessons with Annúneth. Thranduil, having taken a sip, sat down, watching as Elrond sat next to him. There was a brief moment of silence, as Elrond drank his wine.

Then he spoke.

“Celebrían and I were blessed and content with our three children. We had thought surely Valar did not seek to bless us again. But then we were wrong.” Elrond smiled as thoughts of his youngest daughter filled his head and made his heart swell with fatherly affection and love. “We were blessed with Annúneth in late Autumn in the year 1805.”

Thranduil raised a brow. “That is quite a long time to conceal the birth of an elven child Elrond.” He said, to which his friend nodded. “I agree, but it was her grandmother who insisted that we keep knowledge of her existence a secret, and tell as few others as possible.”

A frown creased his forehead as he pursed his lips, hands clasped around the stem of his wine glass. “We were not aware of the reasoning behind Galadriel‘s decision, but we did not question it. The only people to know of her existence were our family, a few other elves and, of course, Gandalf. No one outside of Rivendell, save her grandparents and Gandalf even knew of her.”

Bringing the glass to his lips he took a sip, gathering strength for what was to come next. “Then Celebrían was captured by Orcs and held captive for days.” His heart hurt even after all these years. The horror his beloved had to endure, the torture those monsters and inflicted upon her. “It was Annúneth who found where she was. She too possesses the gift of Sight. Yet hers only works when she is asleep, and is more concerned with present events and what outcome they might have. Through her intervention, the twins were able to save their Mother from a truly gruesome death and return with her.”

Thranduil frowned. “But then why hide her away? Why not use her gift to change the future as we see fit?” He asked, leaning forward as he awaited Elrond’s answer. The Elf Lord raised his eyes to meet Thranduil’s and the latter was surprised to see the utter sorrow and despair that was clear within his grey eyes. “The dreams she sees, my friend, they cause her unbearable pain. The night she had the dream about her mother dying, Annúneth was near inconsolable. She could feel her mother’s pain. And not just the physical strain.”

His eyes widening in realization, Thranduil felt a strange feeling akin to protection rise within him as he thought of the young elleth experiencing something truly grotesque and unmentionable. “You hid her away.” He said, his voice low. “So she would not meet people, so that she wouldn’t dream about them.”

Elrond nodded. “That was my intention when she was younger. But now, under her grandmother’s guidance, Annúneth has truly gained control over her abilities and has come further then I could ever have hoped.” The pride was evident in his tone as he finished his wine and stood. He paused at the window, having spied a familiar golden head, so like her mother’s, drifting by. Sometimes, when he looked outside his window and saw her, he mistook her for her mother.

Out of all his children, Annúneth had inherited her mother’s beautiful golden hair. Perhaps the reason her grandparents doted upon her so was because she reminded them of their own daughter.

“And are you willing to share your daughter with the world?” Thranduil asked, as he came to stand beside his friend, looking down at the elleth as well. Elrond laughed softly. “If I had my way, I would keep her hidden away from the horrors of the world.” He said truthfully but then he shook his head.

“And yet, I cannot keep something beautiful from the rest of the world. That would be truly selfish of me.”

                                            ————————–

Perhaps preparing a basket for a picnic that would happen in the morning wasn’t the best of ideas. She could always do that tomorrow, yet Annúneth found herself too excited to sleep. Instead, she had made her way towards the kitchen and lined up several baskets along the shelf, to be filled with all manners of eatables to take for the picnic tomorrow.

Her father had permitted she show their guests the beauty of their home, and she had suggested the meadows nearby. It was Spring, and the flowers would be in bloom. And since she had never had the chance to share her home with anyone else, Annúneth was eager to show their guests everything. Already she knew them all by name and was on her way to making friends with most of them.

Humming a long forgotten lullaby under her breath, Annúneth sifted through the jars of honey, trying to get the biggest ones from the back, where she kept them hidden away from her brothers. They had a tendency to go through honey as if it would run out and they would be left barren. Shaking her head at her brother’s obvious gluttonous nature when it came to any sweet concoction, Annúneth continued her task.

However, a sudden noise had her stilling in her movements.

She had been rummaging through a shelf that was partially hidden from the rest of the kitchen, yet gave her a full view of the room. And since she did not light a candle, choosing to work under the light of the moon, Annúneth was completely hidden in the shadows.

The sight of a hooded figure moving about the kitchen had her drawing a silent gasp.

Not a guest, for why would they sneak about wearing a hood?

A thief perhaps?

The figure moved about, inspecting the basket before taking out one of the loaves of bread Annúneth had placed within a few moments ago. From a young age, her brothers had taught her to be wary, and though it did not deter her from being the open and friendly elleth that she was, it did help her in drawing on suspicion when the situation called for it.

And presently, it did.

Her eyes darted around, to see if she could use something as a weapon. Silver grey eyes landed on a heavy pan. As quietly as she was able to Annúneth took one off, gripping the heavy handle between delicate hands. She would’ve preferred her sword, but since she didn’t have it on her, using the pan as a weapon to defend herself, if need be, would have to do.

The figure’s back was turned to her, and she could make out the soft sound of chewing as they ate the bread.

Providing Annúneth with the perfect opportunity to step out of her hiding spot, the frying pan swinging through the air.

                                            ————————–

He had not expected to return early.

Or rather so late.

It would seem everyone had retired for the night, and since Legolas and his few companions had not entered from the main entrance, their arrival went unannounced. Something that he preferred really, since he had no desire to make pleasantries.

At least not until he had eaten something.

While his companions took care of the horses and moved off to search for the rest of their party, Legolas made his way towards the kitchen. He knew Rivendell well enough to navigate his way through the dark and towards the empty kitchen. He kept his hood up, not wanting to be recognized by his hair. A rather unusual color even amongst elves.

Catching sight of the several baskets that were lined up neatly on the counter, the young Prince paused, a little curious at the arrangement. His growling stomach, however, didn’t give him much time to contemplate on it. Moving forward, he peered into one of the baskets, and seeing a loaf of bread within, pulled it out. Tearing off a piece he began to chew, enjoying the milky taste that was infused within the bread. Strange, yet not at all bad. Or perhaps he was simply too hungry to complain.

The unsuspecting elf was simply enjoying his meager, yet delicious, meal when the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. His eyes widened, he dropped the half eaten bread he held. Pivoting on his feet, and seeing the descending pan aimed towards his head, the Prince threw his hand out, catching the hand that held the handle and stopping it midair.

And not a moment too soon, since the pan stopped just a few inches shy of his temple.

                                            ————————–

The two figures stood motionless, their gazes locked.

The sudden pivot of his head had the hood of Legolas’s cloak slipping from his head, allowing his assailant to meet his eyes without the shadow of it obscuring their vision.

Annúneth had to tilt her head back to meet the stranger’s gaze. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest as she allowed her eyes to take in the rest of the stranger’s features. Then again, she was not the only one occupied in such a manner. Perhaps it would not have been wise to think of the stranger as handsome, despite the dirt that marred his face, and yet, she found herself thinking along the words regardless. Though that did not mean her resolve to hit him, should he be a threat, lessened.

To say he was surprised at the ferocity his assailant seemed to exude would be an understatement. Legolas was taken aback by the strength he had to use, just to keep the elleth’s choice of weapon knocking him unconscious. She was strong, of that he had no doubt. And yet, the fierceness did not take away from the beauty that was her face. Not to mention her hair. A halo of pure light that seemed to cascade down her back in rivers of gold.

A twitch of her arm had him returning to this current predicament.

“Why do you attack me?” The stranger asked in her mother tongue, his grip on her wrist not loosening. A good thing, Annúneth supposed, since she would’ve hit him. A scowl creased her forehead as she responded. “Do I not have the right to defend my own home from a vagrant vagabond such as yourself?”

Blue eyes blinked. “Vagabond?” He repeated, and Annúneth could see that despite the wariness in his expression there was amusement there at her choice of word.

The both of them were still locked in position, with Annúneth’s arms raised above her head, fingers grasping the handle of the pan. However, both of her wrists were being kept in a firm grip by Legolas. Remembering what her brothers had taught her, Annúneth pivoted on her feet, throwing her shoulder out to try and knock the elf off his feet, or at least surprise him to let go of her wrists.

Which he did, allowing Annúneth to raise the pan in front of her as a makeshift weapon. “Make yourself known, lest you wish to be thrown out.” She stated, her voice firm and sure. Even as her grey eyes flickered to his hair. A color that looked vaguely familiar, yet somehow, she could not seem to place where she had seen it before.

Despite the weariness that wore down on him, and the fact that he should end the confrontation by simply telling her who he was, Legolas paused. Her referral to him as a Vagrant Vagabond had been amusing, and he wanted to hear what else she would say about him. “And if I wish to keep my identity a secret?” He asked, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he picked up the bread he had dropped and placed it behind him on the counter. “Will you truly throw me out in the cold? Come now, I had heard tales of the hospitality of the elves of Rivendell, was it all simply a myth?”

As he spoke, Legolas began to walk, prompting Annúneth to take a step as well, and without the either of them realizing, they began to trace a circle with each step they took. “We offer hospitality to those who use the front door like civilized beings, not steal in, in the dead of the night.” She responded, her words sharp and clear, grey eyes never wavering from the figure. It disconcerted her, how ill at ease he appeared to be. Perhaps he had been here before? But then she would’ve met him.

Legolas paused briefly to pick up a bushel of grapes from a fruit platter and began to eat it. “I am not civilized, is that what you mean?” He asked, speaking around a mouthful of grapes, and not bothering to wipe some of the juice that traced from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. A happy accident that only seemed to strengthen Annúneth’s opinion of him. “You look as if you took a tumble down a hill, straight into a river of mud, before purposefully step into every piece of dirt you could find.” She responded, prompting the stranger to glance down at himself.

“I do not look that bad.” He responded, looking a little put off, to which Annúneth smirked. “You have leaves in your hair.” She deadpanned.

Legolas ran a hand through his hair, and sure enough, a few wayward leaves fluttered to the floor. He grimaced. Perhaps her wording of him had been correct. “Since that is the case,” He muttered to himself, before pausing in his steps. Turning so he could look at the elleth, the young Prince tilted his head in a slight bow, a hand over his heart, his gaze trained to the ground. “Pray will you not show this Vagabond the kindness he does not deserve My Lady, and allow him a place to clean and rest.” His posture stayed the same, but his gaze lifted to meet her own from across the room.

She may be a wary young elf maiden, but she was not without compassion. His words, nay the honesty in his eyes, had her lowering her arms, the pan now hanging at her side. “And how can I be sure, that you are not here to hurt my family or my home?” She asked, unsure how he would reassure her of that.

Legolas straightened, hand hand still over his heart, and something deep within him compelled him to say the next few words. “You have my word, My Lady. While I walk these halls, no harm shall come to your home, your loved ones.”

His gaze held hers.

“Or you.”

                                            ————————–

Call her a naive fool, but she took his word to heart.

And had found herself leading him towards one of the empty rooms where the rest of the guests were staying. She was acutely aware of his presence beside her, as she navigated through the darkened hallway with ease. While Legolas had to force his eyes to stay straight ahead, since they seemed to have developed a habit of straying in Annúneth‘s direction every now and then.

Sooner then he would’ve liked, they came to a stop in front of a door, which she gestured for him to enter, with a delicate sweep of her hand. Legolas, stepped forward, his resting hand on the handle. But then he paused. 

Annúneth, who had turned around without a word, intent on walking back to her own room, had paused as well.

Even now, as she walked to the private dining hall where breakfast was being served, Annúneth felt a strange tremble run through her body, as the memory of last night played in her mind.

They had both looked over their shoulders at one another, their gazes meeting and despite the late hour, Annúneth had never felt more awake then she did in that moment, standing there in the presence of the stranger. While Legolas found himself wanting to stay in her presence, despite the fact he did not even know her name.

And before he could even ask, she had walked away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

“I see you have seen to grace us with your presence Sister.” Elladan called as Annúneth entered the room, closing the door behind her as she did. She smiled as she approached the table and took a seat beside her father. “Not all of us have the luxury to come straight down to breakfast as soon as they are awake Brother.” The younger elleth responded, quickly leaning forward and kissing her father in greeting.

Tilting her head in greeting in Thranduil’s direction, Annúneth turned to break her fast. As the siblings squabbled, teased and argued throughout the meal, Elrond barely batted an eye as he ate, his plate being filled at least twice by his daughter without his knowing, since he was busy speaking with Thranduil. The elf-king, however, noticed everything, his sharp eye and keen ears picking up on everything.

Noticing, in particular, the extra seat that had been placed beside him, that remained empty.

Clearly Legolas had slept in, tired from his late arrival.

Shame, he had wanted his son to make himself known to their hosts during his presence.

                                            ————————–

The picnic Annúneth had planned, set out once breakfast was over. It was only an hour’s ride to the flower meadows that was teeming with woodland creatures of all manner. The grass was tall, as were the flowers, the animals quite tame, used to the elves who would come to visit from time to time.

The place was something of a sanctuary for Annúneth, and she was more then happy to share it with her guests. They dismounted from their horses, set them loose to wander about and soon everyone began to do the same.

Fingers skimmed over flowers. Trees were climbed and branches used as perches. Deer were petted and stroked. Butterflies were chased and admired. Flutes were played, and harps were strung. Food was shared and eaten. A few voices rose in song, gentle and soothing.

And in the middle of it all, Annúneth sat alone amongst the tall stalks, with only the top of her golden head visible, with a pretty flower crown adorning her forehead, her hair unbound, her face aglow.

Her delicate fingers worked on making another flower crown. While her own was made using flowers of varying shades of yellow, the one she made presently comprised of flowers that nature had shaded with a certain blue hue.

A blue that reminded her of a certain stranger.

As was the norm, she was humming under her breath, sometimes singing along with the rest of her companions, content in her task.

That is until someone decided to join her.

“We meet again.” His voice came, familiar and yet unknown at the same time. Without looking up from her fingers as she twined the flower stalks, Annúneth responded. “You are within the vicinity of my home. It would’ve been strange if we did not meet again.”

He laughed. The sound strangely melodic, or at least to her ears. An odd comparison, yet it made sense. She still did not look at him. “Are you still going to treat me as the vagabond you believe I am?” He asked, to which she responded with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “If the shoe fits.” Humming in thought, as if contemplating on how to make her see that she was wrong, Legolas reached out to pick one of the blue flowers she would be using for her crown and twirled it between his fingers.

“I have done my best to appear presentable. Will you not look to see if it is so?” There was simply something about her, that prompted him to get a rise out of her somehow. Be it in a positive or negative light. It was rather unlike him, to be vying for the attention of an elleth in such a way. And yet, he found he could not help himself.

Setting the finished crown in her lap, Annúneth pursed her lips. Valar, he was being more persistent then her brothers. And that was saying something.

Still, she turned her head, a few wisps of her hair waving gently in the breeze, partially covering her lips and nose, though she made no attempt to push them back.

The previous night, when she had seen him, Annúneth had seen past the dirt and grime, and had seen the handsome face beneath. Somehow, his face appeared different then it was. The night before, he had appeared mysterious and alluring. Perhaps an effect of the moon? That must be it, for in the sunlight, he appeared calm, at ease and............free.

And just as handsome as he had the night before.

Perhaps he should have braced himself before he had asked her to look at him. Because while she was taken aback by him, he certainly felt his very heart stutter in his chest as those piercing grey eyes lifted to meet his gaze. While the moon had made her hair appear almost silvery last night, the morning sun showed its true golden beauty.

As the breeze blew, gentle and slow, the two elves found themselves simply sitting there, looking at one another. Caught in some spell that neither of them had cast. Or at least not consciously.

“Have I....passed your judgement?” He asked, his voice low, to which she responded with a slight tilt of her head, the action just barely noticeable. “It will take more then your charming attributes to earn my trust.”

Slowly, as if afraid that she were a dream that would fade should he startle either himself or her, his hand lifted, fingers curling along the soft strands of her hair. The tips of his fingers skimmed along the warm skin of her cheek, slowly tracing a path towards her ear, where he tucked the wayward wisps of hair.

All so he could see her face fully.

“Then perhaps I should strive harder to win it.” He said, and if anyone were to hear the conviction in his tone, they would have no doubt of his intention to do just that.

Annúneth felt her very breath stall, and had to force herself to keep her eyes from fluttering shut, just to savor the sensation of his touch against her skin. This was so strange. How could a complete stranger, one she deemed rude and a vagabond, have such an intense effect on her?

His blue eyes seemed to be speaking to the very depth of her being, and it did not make her feel vulnerable. On the contrary, she had never felt more.........safe. Which was a rather rare occurrence given her gifts.

Her lips set in a gentle smile that was just barely there. “I look forward to seeing you put in the effort Vagabond.” The elleth lifted the flower crown she had finished, and carefully set it around his head, admiring how the blue petals matched his eyes perfectly.

Her fingers accidentally grazed his temple as she pulled back. Legolas stilled, his eyes widening a fraction as a warmth raced through his body. One that engulfed his entire heart and simmered just there under his skin, a pleasant sensation that he would be reliving for the rest of the day.

Annúneth felt the shift in the air between them, prompting her to return her hands to her lap, lest she find herself unconsciously tracing his features, an urge she felt rise within her the more they sat there, looking at one another. Truly whatever spell had been cast was quite a powerful one, for the only way it was broken, was a voice calling out to Annúneth.

Breaking away from his gaze, Annúneth called back to whoever had said her name.

“Annúneth.” She heard him say, startling her into realizing that it was the first time her name was uttered in his presence. “Is that your name?” He asked, to which she raised an eyebrow. “Considering I responded to it, it would not take a particularly sharp mind to realize that it was.”

Unlike before, there was no sharpness behind her words. Just a simple, playful teasing lilt of her voice that had him smiling at her. “And now that you know my name.” She continued, oblivious to the way he was smiling at her. “It is only right that I should know yours.”

She glanced over her shoulder, waving at whoever had called her, informing them that she would be with them momentarily. “Legolas.” He said, once she had returned her gaze to his.

Unbidden, his name rose to her lips. “Legolas.” Rising to her feet, Annúneth tilted her head at him playfully, the flower crown still adorning her head. “I hope your stay at Rivendell will be a pleasant one.”

With that she turned and walked away, leaving him, and missing the words he whispered. Words that were lost to the wind. “I believe it already is.”

                                             ————————–

“Elrond, I have been patient enough and I believe it is time I tell you my true reason for coming here.”

Having been expecting such a conversation to come up soon, Elrond responded with a nod and a gesture for Thranduil to take a seat beside him. He was in his study, going over a manuscript Gandalf had brought him while passing through Rivendell. “I believe I am aware of what you speak of.” He said, shutting the leather bound book and setting it aside. Thranduil raised an eyebrow.

“So you have seen it I presume.”

It was more of a statement then an inquiry, but Elrond still nodded.

Since he possessed the gift of foresight, it was not surprising one of his children should inherit a semblance of it in some way. Though while Annúneth shared all that she would see in her dreams with her father, Elrond did not share much. At least not when his visions pertained to his children.

And he had had one such vision. Of Annúneth. His beloved sunshine.

“As a father I have been dreading this day.” He spoke, looking towards the wall where several portraits hung. One of each of his children. His gaze was focused on the elleth with golden hair and expressive grey eyes. “But I know as well as anyone, that no matter what, we cannot change what is predestined.”

Thranduil too followed Elrond’s line of sight. For a moment a stab of pain echoed through his very soul, as he was reminded of the Queen he had lost so long ago. His beloved.

“No, we cannot.” He muttered, thinking of all the ways he had tried to save her from her gruesome fate but had failed. “But I give you my word Elrond.” The two elven patriarchs turned their heads, knowing a solemn vow was to take place.

“I shall take care of her, as if she were my own.” Thranduil vowed.

If Elrond was willing to agree to it, then surely his own son would have no qualms about the arrangement. After all, Elrond would not send his beloved daughter to a place where she would not be loved.

“It would seem the joining of our two houses has been inevitable.” Elrond said with a sad smile. “I wish I could say that I was happy about it, but in truth, my heart is torn, for one day Annúneth will leave Rivendell. Leave me.”

The Elven King shook his head. “I have no desire to take her away from you anytime soon Elrond. What the both of us have spoken of, I have no intention of speaking to my son about it for a while.” Though he had a reputation of being cold and heartless, Thranduil did have a soft spot for his only child.

And now, it would seem, Annúneth was beginning to make room in his heart as well.

“I was gifted the chance to find love, as were you.” Glancing in the direction of Annúneth‘s portrait, Thranduil continued. “I want to give our children that same gift.”

Smiling, Elrond nodded sagely. “I will have to write Galadriel and Celeborn of your intention, but I agree. Let us see what fate has in store for our children. I believe there was a rather interesting interaction between them only a few nights ago.”

Thranduil raised an eyebrow, curious to know what had occurred. Elrond smiled.

“They are not aware of who the other is, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as I am able.”

It was rare for the Elven King to laugh out of amusement, for he rarely found reasons to be happy. And yet in that moment, the sheer absurdity of what had occurred as Elrond recounted it, had him throwing his head back and laughing.

                                             ————————–

Annúneth had never been one to shy away from people.

Even when she was younger, and barely had any grasp on her abilities, she would still wish to sit amongst others and converse, or sometimes just sit and listen.

The occasions where she wished to be by herself were rare.

But then sometimes, there were nights of dreams and nightmares that would weigh heavy on her mind. So many fates of so many people morphing together and overwhelming her, body and soul.

And this was one of those nights.

She sat awake on her bed, arms resting atop her knees where she had pulled her legs to her chest, her gaze listless as she stared at the open windows in front of her, the soft gossamer curtains fluttering gently. No matter how hard she tried, the visions would not leave her alone. For years she had trained with her grandmother as well as her father, to try and contain her abilities.

Not suppress them. They could never be suppressed. The visions she had of all those she met was just as involuntary to her as breathing. Sometimes, she would get visions that would show her the joy that particular being was feeling in that moment. But then there were times when all she experienced was heartache, pain and fear.

And this was one of those nights.

It would seem a few elves she had met a decade or so ago were to be slaughtered by a band of Orcs. Yes, she could send out a raven to warn them, but what if it was already happening. What if she were too late?

Hence the reason for her being awake so late at night, with her heart heavy and her mind made up to avoid company for a day or so.

For reasons unknown to her, her mind conjured the image of a certain vagabond. And that image only solidified in her mind’s eye, chasing away the remaining clouds of despair of the visions she had just seen. She frowned, biting her lower lip as she slid out of bed. Quickly changing into a simple dress and, as was the norm for her, choosing to be barefoot, the elf-maiden stepped out of her room, into the empty hallway, and made her way towards her sanctuary.

The thought of Legolas keeping her company.

                                             ————————–

He could not find her anywhere.

Legolas had walked the entirety of Rivendell and had been unable to locate Annúneth. Worry was beginning to gnaw at his chest. He knew she was not out riding for her beloved horse was in the stables. And there was no hunting party or picnic planned that she could have gone to.

It was rather the norm, for him to run into her at some point during the day. Most of the time they only nodded at one another in passing, though he always turned to look at her as she would continue on her way. Since their shared time together in the meadow, fate had not given them the chance to be in one another’s presence for longer then a few minutes.

And Legolas quickly found that despite knowing nearly nothing of the elleth, he missed her company. And he wanted to remedy the fact that he barely knew anything about her by, well, getting to know her more.

Hence his current mission: to locate Annúneth.

Opening the door to the armory, he was surprised to see his father and Elrond standing together and having a rather animated discussion with a swordsmith. Normally he would’ve joined them, but right then he was starting to get a little anxious since he couldn’t find Annúneth.

He had hoped to turn away unnoticed, but his father always had a habit of knowing when he was near. “Legolas, what brings you here?” The Elven King asked as the swordsmith walked away to whatever task he had been appointed. “I am looking for someone.” He responded, to which both Lords glanced at one another, a look passing between them that had the Prince raising his brows in silent question. Elrond smiled as he turned his attention back to Legolas. “And who is it that you are looking for?” He asked. As Lord of Rivendell, he would know where Annúneth was, wouldn’t he?

Stepping forward eagerly he voiced. “I am looking for an elleth by the name of Annúneth. Perhaps you know her?” Mirth shone in the elder elf’s eyes. Even his father looked amused, and that hardly ever happened, which only served to confuse him even more.

“I do know her. And if you cannot find her anywhere, she has probably retreated to her garden. There is a tapestry, in the Western Wing, that depicts the first meeting of Beren and Lúthien. You will find a door behind it.” He had barely finished speaking before Legolas had quickly bowed and made his retreat.

“Beren and Lúthien?” Thranduil asked, appearing just as amused as before.

Elrond smiled. “Annúneth’s favorite tale.” He said as a way of explanation before they both turned their attention to the daggers that had been in the works.

                                             ————————–

Just as Elrond had told him, the door was behind the tapestry. And beyond it was a garden unlike any he had seen before. 

It was by no means a large garden, but was comfortably sized and circular in shape, with a tree in the center, its branches laden with white flowers. Beds of flowers dotted the landscape, and a small fountain fixed into one of the walls trickled merrily into a white marble basin. 

And while the garden demanded to be explored, it was the figure that lay upon the ground just under the tree that grabbed his attention. As he approached, Annúneth sat up, the surprise clear on her face as she blinked at him. There was grass in her hair, and white petals from where the wind was blowing them to the ground.

They both blinked at one another in surprise.

Annúneth at seeing him there, in her sanctuary that only a few people knew of, and Legolas at the realization that he had been distraught over not knowing where she was all day. But then, he suddenly realized, perhaps he hadn’t seen her because she didn’t want to be seen. Perhaps she had wanted to be left alone. Unsure whether Annúneth wanted him there or not, the Prince was quick to try and retreat.

“Forgive me, My Lady. I did not wish to intrude.” He bowed before walking back towards the door.

“Wait!”

Her gentle implore had him stopping in his tracks, his hand grazing the bronze of the handle, ready to push it down. “You are not intruding.” Her voice, gentle and kind was low. “Though I am curious as to how you found me here.” Turning, Legolas found her standing underneath the tree, her gaze fixed on him. “Lord Elrond.” He responded, his voice slightly hoarse. He paused, cleared his throat. “Lord Elrond told me where I’d be able to find you.” The Prince admitted, which had Annúneth shaking her head, a fond smile on her face.

Sighing, she raised her arms on either side as a gesture of welcome. “Well since you are already here, why not explore? It would be a shame for you to not be aware of the hidden beauty Rivendell has to offer.”

Gaining some of the confidence he seemed to have lost at the sight of her so carefree and unbound as she appeared to be in the beauty of the Garden, Legolas smiled. “That would be a false claim, My Lady, since I have seen all the beauty Rivendell has to offer.”

His intense gaze never once wavered from her face.

Her mouth opened, as if she were ready to dismiss what he said and prove him wrong, but then she stopped. Realization dawned across her features, which was immediately followed by her cheeks glowing with a hint of rosiness that was so unlike her. Not to mention the way in which her heart thumped in her chest, and pleasure swirled through her very being at the compliment he had given her.

This would not be the first occasion her beauty had been mentioned, though it was always secondary compared to her far lovelier older sister Arwen. Not that Annúneth held any contempt for her sister because it was the truth. Arwen was beautiful.

And yet, at that moment, having Legolas say those words to her, she couldn’t help but feel as if she truly were the most beautiful being on Middle-Earth. And with the way he was looking at her, any on-looker would truly believe it as well. 

Legolas was able to see the physical effects of his word, and though it may have pleased any other elf that his words had been the result of it, the young Prince found himself thinking of other way to make her smile as she was right then.

Or more specifically, smile at him that way.

Silence followed his words, though not an awkward one. On the contrary, it felt strange. Legolas felt as he did before he would face an opponent. Charged and slightly anxious, eager to see what the next few moments would bring, and anticipating the outcome of it as well.

Unable to withstand the silence, or rather his gaze, any longer, Annúneth turned her head to gaze around the circular room. “This was my Mother’s garden. She would come here to clear her mind whenever she would feel distressed over something.” The elleth said, smiling at the sight of a bird that was nesting in a bush nearby. Stepping away from the door, Legolas too looked around, unable to help but admire the natural beauty that surrounded them.

Though what she said, did give him pause. “Is that why you are here. Something distresses you?” He asked, his voice gentle as he came to stand in front of her, just a foot or so away. Annúneth sighed, but nodded. “Will you tell me what it is? If it will ease your mind?” The Prince continued, not wanting to see the glint of worry in her eyes as he was right then.

Her Father had told her never to speak of her Gift to anyone, unless she trusted them completely. She had only met him a few weeks ago, and yet..............

Annúneth knew that she could trust Legolas with her life if it ever came to that.

Sighing, the elleth closed her eyes briefly. “Then perhaps it is best that we sit for this conversation.” So saying, she glided to the ground, settling on the soft grass and looked up, waiting for him to do the same. Annúneth sit closer to the tree trunk so they would have a place to rest their backs against. Once sitting beside her, and mirroring her posture so that they were both leaning against the tree.

He turned his head towards her, waiting patiently as she inhaled deeply before exhaling. “I suppose it all started when my Mother was taken by the Orcs.”

                                             ————————–

“It must’ve been hard. Seeing your Mother like that.”

It was, but Ada was always by my side. As were my brothers and sister.”

“You are fortunate to have so many people who care for you.”

“I know.”

                                             ————————–

“So you thought it was a good idea to steal your Father’s sword?”

“I was only an elfling! I was I to know it would be too heavy to lift.”

“Did you wake up the Master of Arms because you dropped it?”

“Yes, and was branded a would-be-thief by the entire Greenwood.”

                                             ————————–

“I have taken up painting for that very reason.”

“I could help you if you’d like. Mother was an avid painter, and I would sit with her in front of my own canvas with an easel to try and paint. Of course I could hardly sit still for long then ten minutes.”

“You sound as if you were quite a handful.”

“There is no doubt that I was. Even now.

                                             ————————–

“I have tried my best, but I will never get used to how sour grapes taste for me.”

“But if you sprinkle them with some sugar, does it not improve them?”

“The juice inside makes my cheeks ache. And it causes me to tear up.”

“And that is bad?”

                                             ————————–

“Do you miss your Mother?”

“I do, but I know I shall see her when it is my time to sail. Though I am sorry about your Mother.”

“She died an honorable death, fighting for her people.”

“I’m sure her reason to fight was to make sure you lived in a safer world.”

“That is a nice thought. Thank you.”

                                             ————————–

“I believe that the Valar created our Fëa because we each have a purpose here on Middle-Earth. It may not be big, but perhaps it is significant.”

“I suppose one need not change the world to have an impact. One only needs to have impact on another being.”

“Yes.”

                                             ————————–

Time lost all meaning.

How long did they sit there?

How long did they speak?

How much did she tell him about her Gift?

How much did he tell her about his Burdens?

Did she truly manage to keep the names of her family a secret?

Did he truly manage to keep the names of his parents veiled?

By the time they ran out of words to say, their postures had shifted without their knowing.

Annúneth had her head resting on his shoulder, while Legolas had one of her hand gently gripped in between both of his own. His own head was leaning on top of her own. They found themselves drawing comfort from the other’s presence. 

The last time Legolas remembered taking comfort from another had been when his Mother had been alive. It felt strange to rely on someone for something as simple as comfort, and yet, he doubted he would feel at peace with anyone else as he did with Annúneth. Legolas had no idea what it was about her that had him feeling this way. But what he was aware of, was that since that night, when Annúneth had called him a Vagabond and had nearly knocked him out with a frying pan, his life had changed completely.

As the youngest in the family, Annúneth had never had any want for comfort. So then, why was it that with Legolas so near her, with his warmth, his voice and his presence surrounding her, had the elleth feeling as if she had never truly experienced comfort before as she did right then. Sure her Father’s embraces, and her sibling’s comforting words were no comparison. But with Legolas? She felt as if her very Fëa was at peace. Where moments ago her mind had been fluttering in the breeze, like a leaf caught in a disturbing wind, now she felt grounded. Almost as if, someone had taken her hand and pulled her back down before she floated too far out of reach.

If she were to touch the stars, she found herself thinking, she wanted to do so with him.

A bright smile on her lips, she stood, pulling Legolas up with her as she did. The Prince looked at her, slightly confused. Slipping her hand out of his, albeit reluctantly, and stepping towards the lowest branch, Annúneth jumped, catching the strong arm of the tree between her soft palms and hoisting herself up. Once she was sitting atop, she looked down at him, that smile still present on her lips.

Understanding her silent inquiry, Legolas gripped another branch and climbed up as well. Satisfied he would follow her, Annúneth began to climb higher.

Where they had been talking for hours only moments before, their ascent was in complete silence. Every now and then, they would pause, the leaves of the tree allowing them to view one another through the foliage. Their eyes would meet, playful smiles on their lips before they would continue.

Sometimes they would grab for the same branch, and their hands would touch. Giving them both pause as they would try to comprehend what that feeling was that shot through their very being and settled into the deepest recesses of their hearts.

Steady and sure, they both emerged at the top. The tree was high enough to surpass the circular walls of the Garden. Looking around, one could see the entirety of the valley Annúneth called home. It was a view she had seen before, and yet it never ceased to take her breath away. As someone who had never experienced the vision before him, Legolas could not help but stare, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

“Even after all the years I’ve lived, I am glad that there are still surprises waiting for me to discover them.” He admitted, finally tearing his eyes away from the view to glance at the elleth next to him. Yet she had her gaze trained towards the night sky.

When had the hour grown so late, neither of them knew.

The stars shone where they always had, since before the Awakening of the Elves, while the moon gleamed where she had been hung in the sky so long ago, with the last flower of Teleprion, the silver tree of Valinor, encased within.

“Have you heard of the tale of how the moon got her dark spots?” She asked, her grey eyes appearing silver under the shine of the full moon. “Yes.” Legolas responded, before adding. “Though I would like to hear it once more, if you were willing to refresh my memory with the tale.”

She rolled her eyes at his obvious teasing, but indulged in his request. “It is said that the moon was once unblemished and crystal clear as an orb, shining down upon Middle-Earth in all her glory. Tilion, the Maia who would guide the moon through the night sky was proud to hear praise of the moon’s beauty and reveled in the task he had been giving, which he did so diligently.” Her hand came to rest atop a branch that Legolas was gripping to keep her balance. Unbeknownst to them, their fingers began to inch closer.

Shifting slightly, which had him leaning closer towards Annúneth to keep his balance, Legolas spoke. “That is until he caught sight of Arien, the Maia who guided the sun across the sky, and fell in love with her.” Smiling softly, Annúneth nodded. “He was so taken by her beauty, they say, the way her golden hair seemed to shine just as bright as the sun. Her kind smile that held the very warmth of the sun. And the joy in her eyes, that seemed to never dim of the laughter that he would hear the moment she would take to the sky.”

Legolas’s gaze found the several dark spots that marred the once clear surface of the silvery orb. “His love for her had him wandering too close to the sun, and the moon was burned.” The Prince whispered, not realizing how the tips of his fingers were now intertwined with Annúneth���s.

The elleth nodded. “So now, he has to keep his distance and love and admire her from afar, though some stories say that he would love nothing more then to be in her presence, just once, even if it would burn him. Which is why, even now, sometimes the Sun and Moon appear in the sky at the same time. Because Tilion wishes nothing more then to catch a glimpse of Arien. Although,” Here her voice took on a slightly dismal tone, as if her very heart was burdened by what happened next. “He learned that he had to keep his distance after an error on his part.”

Her story had him frowning slightly. “Was there a reason behind the story My Lady?” He asked, to which she sighed and turned her gaze to look at him. “Or are you simply referring to the fact that I might burn, should I get too close to you?”

Her gaze snapped towards him, more then a little surprised at how quickly he had picked up on what she’d been trying to say. The wind blew softly, the leaves rustling around them breaking the temporary silence as they continued to look upon one another.

Blue on grey.

Grey on blue.

“A little too late for that.” He finally said, his voice barely above a whisper as his gaze turned tender and soft. Grasping her fingers completely, he raised the hand he’d been touching to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss atop her knuckles. “For I believe I was burned the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Silence followed his confession, and Legolas’s heart sang with joy for having spoken what it had been carrying within it for so long.

“Annúneth.” She said, prompting him to tilt his head at her curiously. “I have burned you.” The elleth explained. “The least I can do is ask you to call me by my name.” Laughing softly to himself, the elf nodded. “Only if you were to call me by mine.” He offered, to which she hummed. “Truth be told, I prefer Vagabond, over Legolas.”

The Prince smiled, turning his body so that he would face her fully. “I do not mind in the slightest.” A mischievous glint lit in his blue eyes, putting Annúneth a little on edge because she knew he loved to tease. “Although I am a little curious as to why you would assume that you are the sun and I, the moon?”

The golden haired elleth lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Well mostly because everyone say that I have a sunny disposition.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. “While your disposition has been whispered to be as mysterious as the moon.” Nodding in slight approval, with a look of satisfaction on his face, Legolas hummed under his breath. “And acceptable explanation.” He mused, before continuing. “Though I assume it had nothing to do with the fact that you have golden hair and mine is lighter?”

Pursing her lips to keep from giggling at his obvious vexation that the explanation was, in reality, much more simpler then what she had already offered, Annúneth spoke. “That would be a little too obvious. I was simply trying to help your image by comparing you to the moon. Was it not to your satisfaction?” She asked, unknowingly gravitating towards him, her body leaning closer with each whisper of word.

Letting out a sigh that sounded so wounded, Legolas nodded. “Well I suppose I shall accept it.” He said, barely able to get the words out given the smile on his lips. “Albeit reluctantly.” He added in jest. The hand that did not rest atop her own on the branch had lifted up to cup the side of her face, his thumb brushing across her rosy cheek in a gentle caress. Her heart leaped in her chest at the loving touch, while his heart stalled when she consciously tilted her head against his touch.

“The smile on your lips says otherwise.” Annúneth challenged, still leaning closer, barely aware that Legolas was mirroring her movement, the distance between them getting smaller and smaller.

“What smile?” The words were barely out of his mouth when her lips found his, and everything else, even their conversation, became inconsequential.

For truly nothing was of more consequence, then having Annúneth press her lips against his, shy and timid, and yet, sure, certain and unwavering at the same time. Legolas, on his part, returned the sweet gesture with a firm press of his own lips. He was a warrior, and the word gentle had never been one to be associated with him, and yet, in that moment, he was the very epitome of gentleness and tenderness.

The kiss lasted for only a few moments, a simple brush of lips, tentative and cautious.

Just as any new love would be.

And yet they both knew that for them, nothing would ever be the same.

                                             ————————–

There was quite the surprise waiting for them once they descended the tree. Annúneth jumped down from the last branch, right into Legolas’s waiting arms. A joyful laugh echoed in the otherwise silent Garden, which had one of the newcomers smiling to themselves as he watched the two elves simply revel in one another’s presence.

His friend who stood next to him, had finally run out of patience.

“I do not believe it is courteous of a guest to disappear for an entire day without warning.” Thranduil spoke, the amusement in his tone betraying him as to how he truly felt about the situation.

Both Legolas and Annúneth stopped dead in their tracks. Their surprise had more to do with the knowledge that they had been together for an entire day and had not noticed the time passing. “Forgive us, My Lords.” Legolas said, his tone apologetic as he bowed. “Annúneth and I lost track of time as we spoke.” He admitted, though the use of her name had Annúneth smiling softly at him.

A development which did not go unnoticed by the two older Elves.

She turned to her father and smiled apologetically. “I am sorry if I worried you Ada.” No sooner had the words left her mouth when Legolas turned to look at her, utter surprise on his face as he repeated the last word she had spoken. “Ada?” He turned so he could look at her fully. “Lord Elrond is your father?” He asked, which had Annúneth frowning in confusion. “Did you not know?” She asked, to which he quickly shook his head.

Thranduil sighed, knowing exactly how the rest of the conversation would play out. “It is rather unbecoming of a Prince to not know a Lady’s father Legolas. I thought I had taught you better.”

The word Prince seemed to have the effect on Annúneth the same way the Ada had had on Legolas. “Prince?” Her voice echoed against the Garden wall. Having recovered, only barely, from the new information he had been exposed to, Legolas couldn’t help but repeat the words she had spoken to him.

“Did you not know?” He asked, to which Annúneth hit him on the shoulder, though there was no malice behind her act. “Of course not! I would never have called you a Vagabond if I had known.” She paused. “Then again, perhaps I still would have. No I am sure I would have.” A nod of affirmation had her reaffirming her statement.

Elrond chuckled, delighted to see his daughter seemed to take the news in a stride. And yet he was not unaware of the change he could see in his daughter. There seemed to be a glow about her, one that he was sure, she herself was unaware of, for she shared it with Legolas. “It would be best if we were to continue this discussion in my study. Perhaps over some breakfast?” He suggested, already steering Thranduil through the door.

Wordlessly glancing at one another, the two elves, feeling as if they were young elflings once again, about to be chastised, followed after their respective fathers.

                                             ————————–

“I hear you are to leave tomorrow.”

The sound of her voice had him lifting his head from where he had been putting the last of his essentials in his bag. Annúneth stood there in his doorway, dressed in a blue gown. A blue that seemed rather familiar, yet he could not place it. He nodded, the very gesture reluctant as he picked up the belt that held held hid dagger. “As soon as the sun rises, we will be off.” He said, his voice sounding hard even to his own ears.

He felt her walk towards him, his eyes still glued to his best which he was fiddling with more out of the purpose of doing something. “I had hoped that you would stay a little longer, but it is not to be.”

She was standing in front of him now, and her presence was what urged him to lift his head and gaze upon her lovely face.

A sad smiled played across her lips as she held out a bag he didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Just something I thought would help you on your journey.” Opening the bag, he took note of the several items of food nestled within, carefully packed for his use for as long as they would last on the journey back home. He smiled. “Thank you for your kindness, Annúneth.” He said, setting the bag aside. “I shall surely miss it when I return home.”

Annúneth smiled. “Well I should hope so. I would be greatly offended if you did not for then I would have wasted my hours while entertaining you Prince Legolas.” She teased, though he could see that her heart wasn’t truly in it. But he indulged her nonetheless with a smirk on his lips.

“Oh? Was it out of kindness that you would spend your time with me, My Lady?” He returned, raising an eyebrow at her even as she lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Perhaps I simply took pity on you for your lack of friends. You did seem rather lonely when you stole into the kitchen Vagabond.” The Vagabond chuckled at her words as the both of them lapsed into silence.

Inhaling deeply, Annúneth cast her eyes towards the bed where his bags were ready to be saddled for the morning. “You really are leaving.” She muttered, as if the words were only just beginning to make sense to her. Legolas nodded, reaching out to guide her face back to him with a tender stroke of her cheek. “Yes, but I do not wish our last night to be full of sorrow. If you are willing, shall we return to the Garden for one last night of escape before I am to depart?” He asked, offering his arm to her.

Smiling, Annúneth wrapped her hands around his elbow.

“It shall be your honor to escort me Legolas.”

“You had best get off the high horse Annúneth. It wouldn’t do lest you fall.”

“I do not fear the fall, for I know you will be there to catch me. Will you not?”

“Always.”

                                             ————————–

They were to leave.

They were to return to Greenwood that day.

And Annúneth could not bring herself to smile and wish them farewell on their journey.

Why?

Because she did not want to be parted from her Prince, just as he had no desire to part from his Lady.

But they had to.

He had to return to his Kingdom, and she had to stay with her family in Rivendell where she belonged.

She watched from the window as the line of riders departed, with Thranduil in the lead. Legolas should be beside him and yet, she could not see him there. That is until she spied him at the very end of the procession, his mount halted as the Prince looked up towards the window where she perched.

Even from afar, Annúneth could see the devastation in his blue eyes for they mirrored her own. Her hand lifted from the stone railing, to rest atop the gift he had given her.

Finally, Legolas’s horse turned and galloped after the disappearing procession. As she watched him disappear from her sight, Annúneth whispered a soft prayer to the Valar.

That no matter how long they would be apart, they would meet again.

                                             ————————–

Unknown to her, secured with a pretty ribbon was a letter hanging from the branch of the tree they had sat underneath just the night before.

The words within, read thus.

My dear Annúneth,

It is truly with a heavy heart that I say my final words of farewell to you through this letter. I could not say these words in your presence for I was sure, that if I were to speak to you on the day of our departure, then I would not want to leave.

I am sorry to have not made my true feelings to you known, but I promise you, when next we meet, I will not hesitate to show you the true extent of my affections for you. Though that will not stop me from telling you just how much your presence in my life, for the past few months has changed me.

Annúneth, my beloved, even when I tried to stay away, my gaze would remained fixed upon you for I was mesmerized by your beauty and your kind and gentle heart. My heart was full of joy for the simply pleasure of being by your side. Perhaps that is why I did not tell you of my true feelings.

Not a day will go by when I will not think of you. I will dream of the day we would sit by the lake as we had planned, lost in one another, and let the rest of the world disappear around us.

Your name shall be a prayer upon my lips, and each night I will ask the Valar to grant me my wish, and have you by my side soon. That is the only prayer I shall live by until the next time I am your presence.

And like the moon and the sun in the sky, we shall remain by each other's side.

I was, am, and forever will be,

Yours,

Legolas

                                             ————————–

Unknown to him, hidden between the loaves of bread in the bag she had given him, was a letter that she had written for him.

The words within, read thus.

My beloved Legolas,

How can I put into words what my heart has been bursting to say. To shout from the very treetops of my true feelings for you and how they have been imprinted within me for all eternity. You have not yet departed as I write this letter, and already my heart aches for it is aware of the impending absence.

I have lived a sheltered life, unaware of the world beyond my home, yet you have opened my eyes to a world that lies beyond home, and I pray that I will be able to explore all of it with you by my side. For there is no one else I would have as my guide in this world then you Legolas.

I hope you will not think of me too bold when I say, that it matters not what I may see in my visions, for your soul, your Fëa, is my shelter. I have no desire to be away from you for longer then necessary. When next we meet, I hope you will make me yours, as I hope to make you mine forevermore.

Not a day will go by when I shall not think of you, for my reason in this world is now you. Legolas you are within me, my heart, my mind, and my Fëa until the end of days. Should the world end, I shall be content if I were in your embrace.

I trust you to keep my heart safe my Vagabond. For my heart cannot find peace without you. May the Valar keep you safe on your travels. Be safe My Prince.

I hope like the moon and sun in the sky, we shall soon be by each other's side.

I was, am, and forever will be,

Yours,

Annúneth

[bestanimatedmovie]

Tumblr's favorite animated movie, Round 1!

Classification round | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4

Round 1:

Results overview

A Monster in Paris vs Sailor Moon R: The Movie

A Silent Voice vs Shaun the Sheep Movie

A Troll in Central Park vs Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods vs Lu Over the Wall

Astro Boy vs Ferdinand

Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest vs Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion

Barbie & the Diamond Castle vs The Great Mouse Detective

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus vs My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper vs Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena

Barbie Princess Charm School vs Turning Red

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero vs Robots

Batman Ninja vs Barbie Fairy Secret

Belle vs 101 Dalmatians

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children vs The Princess and the Goblin

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie vs All Dogs go to Heaven

Chicken Run vs Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time vs Green Snake

Despicable me vs Wreck-it-Ralph

Fantastic Mr Fox vs Wendell & Wild

Fantastic Planet vs Anomalisa

Gnomeo & Juliet vs Ernest & Celestine

Home on the Range vs A Goofy Movie

Hoodwinked! vs Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro

Ice Age vs WALL-E

In This Corner of the World vs We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem vs The Tale of John and Marie

Isle of Dogs vs Weathering with You

James and the Giant Peach vs Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Klaus vs Summer Wars

Kubo and the Two Strings vs Bambi

Liz and the Blue Bird vs Tekkonkinkreet

Madagascar vs Encanto 

Mary and Max vs The Sea Beast

Monsters vs Aliens vs Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks vs Night Is Short, Walk on Girl

Night on the Galactic Railroad vs Metropolis

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island vs Star☆Twinkle Precure the Movie: Wish Upon a Song of Stars

Paprika vs The Secret of Kells

ParaNorman vs Suzume

Penguins of Madagascar vs The Sword in the Stone

Persepolis vs The Garden of Words

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension vs Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus

Planet Hulk vs Zombillenium

Pocahontas vs The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Pokémon Heroes vs Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

Porco Rosso vs Meet the Robinsons

Quest for Camelot vs Digimon Adventure: Our War Game

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas vs The Nightmare Before Christmas

Spookley the Square Pumpkin vs Kirikou and the Sorceress

Tales of the Night vs Stormy Night

Tehran Taboo vs Emesis Blue

The Adventures of Tintin vs Bee Movie

The Book of Life vs The Aristocats

The Boy and the Beast vs Waltz with Bashir

The Brave Little Toaster vs Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

The Breadwinner vs Millennium Actress

The Congress vs The Legend of Hei

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen vs Ringing Bell

The Jungle Book vs Wolf Children

The LEGO Batman Movie vs Kung Fu Panda 2

The Lego Ninjago Movie vs Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride vs Watership Down

The Little Prince vs Loving Vincent

The Pagemaster vs Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

The Phantom Tollbooth vs The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The Secret World of Arrietty vs 9

The Thief and the Cobbler vs Felidae

The Wind Rises vs Brother Bear

Tokyo Godfathers vs 5 Centimeters per Second

Trolls World Tour vs Promare

Unicorn Wars vs Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Whisper of the Heart vs Batman: Under the Red Hood

[anne-chloe]

Underground | XIII |

The Goblin King/Jareth x Reader

Summary : The Goblin King is constantly there. He offers a gift, a crystal ball, so you can see clearly what your beloved fiancé is up to. And it seems as though Harry is back to his normal ways.

The spotlight shone brightly in your eyes as you advanced towards centre stage with your castmates. The theatre roared in excitement as an instrumental version of the opening song was playing; the cast directed their own applause to the directors, the band, the costume and set designers, and finally to the audience themselves.

Adrenaline filled your body as the applause rang true in your ears. You couldn't help but smile gleefully at the appraisal, bathing in its glow alongside your friends. The way everyone had worked extremely hard for the past 6 months was unreal—every ounce of energy went into this very performance.

You were saddened that this would be the final one, the closing night of the performance. While you mourned the ending, you were joyous that it had happened to begin with.

You exited the stage after the curtains finally fell, and immediately your shoulders dropped. Arms embraced you from all angles, pulling you into one of those joyous group hugs that you loved to savour every second of. You laughed happily in the arms of your friends, listening and participating in words and whispers of encouragement and exclamation of the performance that had taken place.

And out of the corner of your eye, you saw a familiar face.

Jareth.

He lingered in the wings, slightly obscured and hidden by shadows. He looked the exact same as you had last seen him; his mismatched eyes glued to your form. You tensed up at the intensity of his stare, feeling shivers roll down your spine. And in his hand was a crystal ball, which he played nonchalantly with, twirling it in his gloved fingers.

You blinked.

He was gone.

The embrace broke and you followed your castmates to the changing rooms, where makeup and hair care accessories were scattered across every surface. Random articles of clothing strung haphazardly over chairs and the floor, shoes messily piles and sticking out.

"I'm just going to be sobbing for the next year," Penelope joked as she slumped into her chair, focusing her attention onto the mirror that displayed a red lipstick mark of her name in the bottom corner. You slid into the chair next to her and started removing your character's accessories; earrings, necklaces, bracelets...

"Me too," you said in agreement. You blinked at your own reflection, half expecting it to start moving by itself. You scrutinised is closely, watching for any indication that it wasn't truly yours. But it followed your every movement closely, and you tried not to roll your eyes at your own paranoia. "I'll be waking up at 3am singing-crying."

Penelope let out jovial laugh.

You stripped out of your costume and lovingly hung it onto the rack, feeling the material one final time between your fingers before finally letting it go. You always became too attached to your character when playing them; it was part of the job. You felt like a piece of the character always stayed with you. Well, you were going to take a piece of the character's jewellery home with you and maybe a prop from the set, just as a cute reminder of the character you got to be. It would be stored away safely in the box that contained other trinkets from previous performances that you'd done, since you were a child up until now.

"Oooh," Penelope called teasingly from behind as you stepped away from the rack. She held up a small white gift bag, a pink ribbon attached at the top with a small hand written note. She dangled it in front of you to take; you gently pinched it from her fingers and skimmed your eyes over the message. "[Name] has an admirer!"

' Your beauty knows no bounds. Your talent is to be admired. Call for me and I will be there. '

It was a note written in cursive. Harry didn't have the neatest hand writing ever, so you knew that this couldn't have come from him. Inside the gift bag was a beautiful rose and a crystal ball.

It was from Jareth.

"So, who's it from?" Penelope asked tauntingly, sliding into your personal space and taking a peek at the written note. You shrugged her off and held the gifts close to your chest, whether to hide them or protect them you weren't entirely sure.

"It doesn't say," you said quickly, and a familiar heat started to burn at your cheeks. But you didn't need Jareth to write that it was from him, and he knew that.

Penelope scoffed and stepped back, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder and jutting out her hip. "Well, that's a bit silly," she mumbled, "how are you supposed to call them if a name or number wasn't given?"

Because Jareth wanted you to wish yourself away to him. Again. You knew that was the only way to find him, and he knew that too. His magic was stronger in the Underground, inside his own realm; it was possibly very scarce in the human world.

"Magic, I suppose," you replied, hoping that your tone came across in a joking manner. It sounded dry and sarcastic, and luckily Penelope found a hint of humour enough to laugh along with you.

You finished changing into something else after the conversation was dropped. Your castmates were going out to celebrate the closing performance, but Harry was expecting you at home. He didn't come to the closing show because he was busy with work (and because you didn't want him making love-eyes at Casey again, if she happened to be there). You didn't mind his lack of presence; you were strangely more comfortable without him watching you constantly. You felt at ease knowing that he couldn't tarnish your favourite space with his betrayals.

"Just come out for a little!" Penelope begged, her arm locked with yours and tugging you in the direction of the nearest pub. She wiggled her brows and it made you chuckle, but you continued to decline and unwrap yourself from the group.

"I'd love to, but I promised Harry I'd come straight home," you explained, now stepping back.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "I don't know if you guys had an argument or something, but in the last two months something has changed! Is he being kind to you?"

Yes. No.

You couldn't answer that.

Harry wasn't horrible to you. He was actually very doting on your personal needs. He became suddenly too attentive, and it was like he knew your emotions before you ever did. But in a way, his behaviour was somewhat hostile—not violent and abusive, but to the point where you felt like tip toeing around him. You couldn't deny that it was nice not having to deal with particular things at home, but you felt smothered and overwhelmed at times, as though Harry was constantly breathing down your neck and waiting for you to make a mistake.

You convinced yourself that he was scared to lose you again. You had been so close to giving yourself away to the Goblin King, and that must have frightened him. To have lost you so easily. It's what you wanted him to feel; you wanted him to mourn losing you, as a punishment so he'd never dare to cheat again. But that changed when Harry had confronted Jareth and saved you both. You'd given him a second chance.

"Nothing happened," you said with the best of smiles you could muster. "I'll text you all later!"

And so the final goodbyes were said, and you parted ways. You found a taxi to take you home, and you arrived back at your shared apartment within 15 minutes. Traffic wasn't too bad at that late hour, but you'd asked the driver to take his time and to prolong the journey by driving down back roads instead.

You paid and left and entered the shared space, inhaling deeply into the quietness of your apartment. You shrugged off your jacket and hung it up alongside your bag, then entered the lounge where Harry was sitting and browsing the TV. His laptop was perched on the coffee table, displaying a document with thousands of words written. You joined his side and snuggled up, placing a quick kiss on his cheek as a greeting.

"Good show?" Harry asked without looking at you. He seemed focused on the TV.

"Very," you answered curtly, sitting back and resting into the cushions. You felt the ache ease from the heels of your feet, and you stifled a satisfied moan at finally being able to relax. "Pen and the others were heading out to celebrate."

Harry grunted, but he didn't look at you.

You placed your hands into your lap. Your gaze roamed the laptop in front of you, sneaking words from his paper. None of the content made much sense, and you were sure if you'd read it from the beginning then you still wouldn't understand. You'd tried to once, but his company was very intricate and complicated.

"Good day at work?" You asked after a brief pause. You watched in your peripheral as Harry's shoulders tensed. But still, he didn't look at you.

"Yes."

Odd. Normally he had more to say. Whether it was about a meeting he was dissatisfied with, or a moan about a colleague messing up—he always had more to say.

You furrowed your brows at his behaviour. "Did Marcus upset you again?"

Harry shook his head, and he continued to scroll through the channels on the TV. Then, he flicked on the Netflix app, where he continued to browse the selection there. But he wasn't looking for anything in particular; he was just keeping himself distracted. And that made you suspicious.

"No. Marcus was off sick."

"Oh," you breathed, feeling your chest tighten as the tension in the room started to grow. You didn't dare to pry any further. There was a question you wanted to ask, but you knew that it would spark an argument if you weren't careful. Harry was clearly not in the mood to be reasonable with his responses, and you were particularly drained from todays events.

"I'm going for a shower," you told him when he didn't show any indication that he wanted to continue speaking. Harry waved you off and you immediately left.

Once inside the safety of the bathroom, you stripped your clothes and turned on the shower. You splashed your face with water from the sink and began wiping away the makeup that made you appear preciously doll-like. Then, you stepped into the shower and started to wash your troubles away.

Your mind continued to focus on Harry and his strange behaviour. You couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Something bad must have happened at work, or else he wouldn't behaving this way. Harry couldn't lie to save his own life, nor could he keep a secret very well; he wore his emotions on his sleeves, and that's why you matched well with him in the first place.

You stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around your hair and body, then moved into the bedroom you shared. It wasn't how you had left it at all—the bed was made, and the sheets were fresh from the cupboard. You dried off and shimmied into your shorts and shirt. You towel dried your hair and plaited it over your shoulder.

You blinked at your reflection.

It blinked back, delayed by a second.

You immediately backed away and pointed accusingly at the mirror. "It's you again," you whispered harshly, watching as the reflection displayed a devious grin, completely the opposite of your irritated expression.

"Yes, yes," she hummed, waving you off with her hand. "Magic is a fickle thing. You chose Harry over our King."

She was direct and straight to the point. You frowned and slid back into the chair. "He was using me—"

"No he wasn't," she corrected fast, shaking her head in disapproval. "Our King did everything you asked of him. And you left. And you still haven't called for him. Why haven't you called for him? You know you want to."

Why hadn't you called for him? Harry told you he was using you for entertainment. You were just another pawn in his sick game of taking advantage of vulnerable wishes. You bit your tongue every time you thought about calling for the goblins to take you away; it was always so tempting to leave this world behind.

"I won't be tricked again," you explained firmly. You drummed your fingers into the surface of your vanity. "I don't belong there, do I? Harry told me—"

"Harry is a liar and a cheat," she hissed, her hands pressing against the mirror. It was almost like she was trying to claw her way out. You were thankful that this wasn't a scene out of a horror film, or else you'd have been screaming in fear. "Don't you think he's been acting strange today?"

"He's probably tired," you defended.

"From?"

"From..." you couldn't find the words to back up your argument. Harry's job wasn't laborious in the slightest. It was an office job that required him to sit, drink coffee, talk to other people via email and meetings, scroll through his phone, type a few words on a document then go home. Sure it could be mentally draining, staring at the same four walls for 8 hours a day, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be tired. Right?

Then, the reflection lifted her finger and pointed at something behind you. You blinked, confused, then spotted the gift bag you had left out in the entrance of the apartment. You whirled around to confirm it was there, and it was. You stood and picked it up, and instinct told you to pull out the crystal ball from the bag.

"He's awfully suspicious," she taunted from the mirror, her eyes glistening something dangerous and knowing. "Take a look."

"That's spying," you muttered, your thumb rubbing over the smooth glass.

"It's checking," she whispered.

A white mist rolled from the centre of the ball, then revealed Harry sitting in the lounge with the laptop perched on his lap. He seemed completely normal, typing away with the TV playing a random film as background noise. But then his phone buzzed, and he immediately discarded his laptop and unlocked the texting app, revealing Casey's contact and an entire history of messages.

You sank down on to the bed as Harry smiled dearly at the messages. He glanced around to check you weren't there, and he texted back. They were flirting—sending kisses and making jokes about their most recent meeting, about how wonderful it was to be in one another's arms again, to explore one another so personally and deeply.

You felt something shatter.

Tears rolled down your cheeks. You zoomed across the room and flung open the drawers, threw on outside clothes and began stuffing random articles of clothing into a duffel bag. You ignored the sly smirk from your reflection, not noticing the way she faded completely.

The bedroom door opened, revealing Harry's mop of messy hair. He peered in, confused, then gaped at the sight of you packing your things. "What are you doing? What's going on?" He exclaimed in panic, rushing to your side to grab your arms and stop you from moving.

You pushed him away, expression darkening at the mere sight of him. "I'm leaving," you spat, bitterly and venomous. "For good. Have fun with Casey. I'm sure you'll both be perfect for each other."

Harry visibly paled, and the clogs inside his mind whirled as the connection was made. "I don't—how did—" He lunged forwards and secured your arms around your body, and you struggled to move against him.

"Let go," you demanded, whipping your shoulders back and forth to try and throw him off. His grip remained firm and secure, his nails digging into your skin.

"No." He huffed, "I want to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about!" You hissed. You tried pinching his arms, but he merely groaned and held you tighter. It was becoming harder to breathe at this point, and a brief fear that he might accidentally suffocate you crossed your mind.

"[Name], please just listen to me," Harry begged, his voice an annoying sound in your ear. Like a fly buzzing around something sweet.

"So you can lie to me again? I trusted you! I believed you when you said you wouldn't see her again! And you're texting her! I bet you didn't want to come to my shows because you were seeing her instead!" You cried accusingly.

You'd caught Harry again. Well, sort of. You weren't going to admit that Jareth had given you the means to discover his betrayal, because that would only add further fuel to the argument. You didn't need him finding out your methods of discovery, it was practically irrelevant.

"She messaged me first," Harry argued, as if that very fact would make anything better.

"Why didn't you block her?"

"She got a new number!"

"Then block that too!" You shouted. It was like he found a thrill in cheating on you; sneaking around behind your back and romancing another woman. He must have found an enjoyment in being involved with Casey, then romancing you as if he hadn't just done something wrong. You felt icky and disgusted, especially now that he'd wrapped you into his arms so you couldn't escape.

"I'll do better," Harry quickly said, his attitude changing from defensive to pleading. He spun you around so you were forced to look up at him. His eyes were glossed over, and his face was rather red. "I won't do it again. I'll phone her now and tell her that I'm finished with her. I'll do it."

His ramblings made you want to be sick.

You needed to get away from him. There was no way you could trust him again, not after he'd cheated with the same girl twice. You felt stupid for ever believing that he'd change. You thought he was afraid of losing you to the Goblin King, that nearly remaining in the Underground would have surely broken his heart—but it was clear to you now that he didn't have a heart.

"Phone her then," you decided coldly. "Phone her. Now."

Harry let go and he bolted for the door.

You crumbled to your knees and began scraping together the shattered crystal ball. You desperately tried to piece them back together, but it was useless.

Your head tilted forwards and a harsh sob left your throat. How could you have been so incredibly stupid? You'd always said that a cheater was forever a cheat, and that if your significant other ever cheated then you'd never forgive them. Why didn't you take your own advice? You wanted to believe that your relationship could remain as it had, but you were so stupidly wrong.

"Goblin King..." you huffed under your breath, tears dripping into tiny puddles on the bedroom floor. You sniffled and rubbed your eyes. "I... I wish..."

The words were stuck in your mouth. You were extremely conflicted. Did you really want to leave like this? You could go back into the city and find your friends and maybe crash at theirs for a few days. They would remain out partying until the sun would surely rise—it was their typical fashion.

Harry returned to the bedroom with his phone fumbling around in his hands. You could hear the tone dial beeping, signalling that he was calling somebody.

"Hello? No. Its over. I don't want to see you anymore," Harry said into the phone, his eyes directly trained on you. You tensed up, feeling like his words were directed to you rather than Casey. "I can't keep sneaking around. It's exhausting. I'm not in love with you anymore."

He's not in love with you anymore.

Your lips parted in disbelief. This is the push that you needed. You suddenly felt empowered. You felt... free.

"I wish the goblins would take me away."

Harry's expression turned into shock as the words left your mouth. He lowered his phone and moved towards you, his hand shooting out to cover your mouth, to muffle the words about to be spoken.

But you were too fast.

"Right now."

[entropiceye1342]

Spoiler free review for Netflix's live action One Piece!

WOW.

A lot of stuff to love! I absolutely ADORE this take on the adventure of the Straw Hat Pirates!

The Straw Hats are all cast perfectly, the supporting cast is spot on. Everyone NAILS their characters!

Give the man a crown!

Iñaki Godoy as Luffy is goofy and oblivious in all the right ways. He sticks the perfect landing of the emotional intelligence that was crucial to bring the deeper side of Luffy to life, and doesn't neglect the hyperactive child side either! Seeing him gleefully bounce around - both in and out of fights- was special. The CGI was pretty good! Better than I expected, really. I appreciate making Luffy a little more level-headed, it's a good choice to tone down the chaos goblin for live action 🤣

It was magnificent to see Luffy grow into a "real" pirate in this arc, and he will be the KING!

Mackenyu as Zoro is a bit "too cool" but honestly I expected it to happen, people tend to overlook the fact that 90% of the time he's just as dumb as Luffy 🤷 but MAN is he cool. He really surpassed my expectations for the fight scenes, and did not skip on the brutality! 3 Sword Style was stunningly realized and incredible fun to watch- even without drawing a single blade!

His one liners and sarcasm are on point, ESPECIALLY regarding Sanji 🤣

Emily Rudd as Nami is INCREDIBLE. Smart as a whip and wily as ever, this cat burglar lands on her feet! In and out of combat, Nami is quick on her feet and with her wit. One Piece passes the Bechdel test once again, and her story is every bit the emotional powerhouse as its manga and anime counterparts- better in some moments! 'Nuff said.

Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp is delightful, though unfortunately he doesn't get as much time to shine as the others. When he does though, it's fantastic!

He really got the little things down about the character without needing to be as over the top as his counterparts- a bullseye from the sniper!

Sanji is perfect as well, you can SEE the training Taz Skylar went through for the part, from the mouth watering food to the killer martial arts. Every bit as fun to watch as the rest of the Monster Trio! My expectations for him were already high, and he kicked them into the stratosphere.

I'm glad they toned down the flirting, they found the right balance and played it well. Sanji matches Zoro in the bickering spectacularly, an absolute must that exceeded my hopes in both of their performances.

I'm not gonna list everyone but because I love this stupid fucking clown:

Jeff Ward as Buggy is an absolute TREAT, I am a huge fan of this take on the character. The perfect storm of bumbling dipshit who wants to be taken seriously, but still pretty intimidating at times. LOVE it. His jokes are GOLD.

Speaking of! Gold Roger, the man who started it all! *mwah!* Dazzling performances from him AND the Marines.

The few nitpicks I have are minor, the childhood acting ranges from ok to abysmal, Lily Fisher as young Nami is a notable standout. Some of the "minor" characters suffer from wooden acting, but honestly that's about the worst of it.

The Fishmen look a little low budget in their early appearances, but are absolutely PERFECT when they are the ones in the spotlight. Absolutely phenomenal work from McKinley Belcher III, my biggest fear from this was Arlong being done wrong and he CRUSHED IT!

The soundtrack was rousing, it truly felt like a call to adventure! And above all the SET DESIGN 😭

They TRULY brought the world that Oda Senseii has been drawing for us all these years, to life.

And now, anime One Piece is trending on Netflix.

THE GREAT PIRATE ERA IS HERE!

Here's to hoping Netflix doesn't Netflix it 🍻

What did you think?

Especially if this is your introduction to One Piece, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

[survivalistghost]

top 10 kdrama bromances to feed your empty heart

if you scroll through my page, you can already guess number 1.

#10 - our beloved summer : choi ung and kim ji ung

beautiful beautiful men choi woo shik and kim sung cheol played ung bros for life in this beautiful beautiful drama. one of the best handled love triangles ive seen. they were there for each other through thick and thin, and helped each other through sm. best. on the tenth spot because they could've expanded on it more :(

#9 - what's wrong with secretary kim? : lee young joon and park yoo sik

i could never make it through the series. i left it behind on ep9/10 i think, and primarily because i physically cannot digest how emotionless park min young is. BUT, kudos to the hilarious office best bromance by the great park seo joon and kang ki young. ps - why is kang ki young the pankaj tripathi of korean dramas?

#8 - strong girl do bong soon : ahn min hyuk and in gook du

can we ever forget the legendary wink? or the dream where min hyuk is dressed as a woman? i think not. this was more of a frenemy type bromance, united by their love for bong soon and ironically divided by it, too. i refuse to acknowledge this as a love triangle tho. bong soon was astronomical in not hurting gook du and i will not take any criticism. is it a bromance if one of them is pretending to be gay? (and no, we will not discuss any sort of iTs pRoBLeMaTiC debates here.)

#7 - tale of the nine tailed : lee yeon and koo shin ju

don't come at me with the lee rang comments. rang was his half brother, related by blood. their relationship was top tier, but the stay at home husband yeon and working husband shin ju was too cute to not be classified as a bromance. in the beginning, i saw their relationship as shin ju serving yeon, a dynamic that they both seemed to embody. but as the show progresses, yeon baby we know you love shin ju just as much :*

#6 - alchemy of souls : jang uk and seo yul

song joon ki seems to have an attachment to bromances. han seo had the best character arc of the ENTIRE kdrama universe fight me. that court scene where vincenzo pats han seo's cheek was max bro cuteness. still not over his death. he deserved better.

#5 - vincenzo : vincenzo cassano and jang han seo

even though i didn't very much like the show's first couple, bromance delivered well. hospital scene peaked, complete true beauty sameness. it was pretty hard to understand who was the superior officer in this tbh initially, since their comraderie was so cool, shi jin was kid to soldier in a split second. loved how they chose not to unnecessarily exaggerate the love triangle initially bec i was only rooting for the second couple.

#4 - descendants of the sun : yoo shi jin and seo dae young

business proposal was the first kdrama i saw. i finished it in a three day trip, and i remember thinking more about the bromance than the romance. i was NOT used to the clumsiness of kdramas in general, like wattpad fics incarnated. the bromance delivered well, made me root for the second couple, and was the only initial indicator of kang tae moo being human instead of archaeopteryx. that word was a nightmare to spell.

#3 - business proposal : kang tae moo and cha sung hoon

the most wolfstar bromance if I ever saw one. and NO, i do not ship wolfstar just like i do not ship these two. they are totally adorable, and specially since their personalities seemed to switch from when they were children. yeong turned all serious face and lee gon got fun. love their years of friendship sm, their wordless communication and yeong in general. the acting was amazing.

#2 - the king - eternal monarch : lee gon and jo yeong

#1 - guardian - the lonely and great god : kim shin aka goblin and wang yeo aka grim reaper

yes, i know I'm missing a lot of iconic ones. unfortunately, i haven't seen alot of kdramas and have left alot in bw (like true beauty bec i couldn't see second lead hurt).

spring onion slays ^

told ya, if u follow me u already knew what the first one was gonna be. being the simp i am for the goblin and grim reaper, these two achieved the max points for their bromance. that slow dynamic of goblin calling reaper's hat tacky to fighting with knives to that iconic 'saranghae' to 'HOW DARE YOU' to goblin boiling eggs with his powers while reaper chills the beer. they know each other so well. love love love them and you should too 🔪

in my heart, the trio of our boys beats nothing (except for the gookdu-minhyuk relationship of the crown prince and uk). but instead of choosing the frenemy thing, i decided to love yul and uk more. yul was such a quiet character, with incredible potential in him for me to hate him, but then...(the guy is literally too sweet and beautiful and nice i can ramble for days). and uk, man, our power baby who loves every version of our beautiful but slow girl, needed so much emotional support. uk and yul were not afraid to show their affection for each other, a trait i admired in all the three boys (jang uk, seo yul and park dang gu).

[thewatercolours]

PART FOURTEEN - Replaying King's Quest, Chapter One (2015)

I enjoy the little bonus approach to the castle you can do after you've got Pillare's horn. Little look at the moat monster and the swiftly coming future.

I see the little rampart. I have decided it's the little rampart.

Lots of chatter of background voices at the castle. That place is buzzing compared to the town!

Gotta wonder where that gang of squirrels would have taken Graham.

OK, bridge troll negotiations solved. Now we get all the lovely different variations on Manny's Baroque-evocative harpsichord and sometimes cello theme. We'll get the outright villainous versions later, but these are the best ones in the Duel of Wits scene. All circuitous and shifty sounding. And over it, at least initially are some pizzicato strings which we hear more often in tunes associated with Graham and/or Daventry, which I never noticed before. That's cool!

Manny just drinks through his helmet. I get why he won't take it off but - really?

All the little Manny remarks they pack in at the end. The pumpkin would make a good reading lantern. "And they'll all have to accept it's what's on the inside that counts," (a line with nothing leading up to it contextually, so far as Graham's concerned,) all the passive aggressive, judgmental comments he makes over the course of the game. Everywhere frustration, suspicion. Comments designed to get just a bit under your skin and make you feel bad about yourself. Manipulative little beggar.

Interesting that almost every shady choice Graham can make in this chapter is one which he ends up having happen to him. He hypnotizes Pillare - he gets hypnotized himself. He steals, he gets robbed. He bends the rules - Manny bends the rules to make it impossible for him to win. While there's no overt commentary on any of Graham's actions, we do get to see the other side of them and what it's like to be on the receiving end. A little nod to justice while not derailing the story or player agency.

The swirly, spirally sounds of hypnosis echoing in Graham's mind are the perfect touch - we're looking at the board, not at his face for context clues, and that sound layer keeps the unnatural state of things forefront.

The fact that the Royal Guards' theme gets heard here for the first time, and it's the Ants' song about "Coming to Help King Graham," is fun.

Manny doesn't noticed one of the raisin juices is dyed because goblin vision perceives a different range of colours - that's my take.

*Knuckle crack* OK! Duel of Wits, right and proper! Here we go.

[pearl-blue-musings]

I See You pt. 2

Hi hi!!!

You all voted and this is what won!!!

Pairing: pirate!Shinsou Hitoshi x fem!princess!reader

Warnings: 18+, aged up characters, fem reader, attempted kidnapping, talk of su*c*d*, feelings, slight angst

Word Count: 4.6K

Todoroki Shoto knew he didn’t want to get married and was reluctant to speak up. But upon his first meeting with you his feelings were unmatched. He had always considered love at first sight to be a fantasy like the goblins and trolls he had heard about. Suddenly he had the urge to be there for you and protect from whatever was troubling you in those beautiful eyes of yours. When the king had introduced the two of you, he was elated then hit with a pang of hurt.

“This is going to be your future husband so that the kingdom will have an heir,” your step father boasted to you and the Todoroki royals.

Shouto briefly looks you over and quietly finds his voice. “But is she not well enough to rule on her own? I know this kingdom is known for having queens rule before.”

The laughter that came from your side of the family bounced off the walls and rang loud in your ears. The sheer amount of hatred and hopelessness that lies within your heart and soul was enough for him to attempt action. As they were leaving the throne room, he pulled his father to the side. He pleaded with his father, King Enji, to call off the wedding. His and your cries fell on deaf ears. His father boomed about how his first born turned savage, his older sister married off as well, and his other elder brother Natsuo is in line for the throne that he doesn’t want. Shoto always thought his family life was messed up. He was almost outmatched yet again.

The first time the two of you took a tour of your kingdom, he wanted to hold and caress you. The crowned prince never realized that having the love of your own people was a privilege, a privilege he’s held onto tightly ever since that day. The crowd booed you, their own princess. You just sighed and rest your head on his shoulder. He felt the fabric of his cape dampen as you feebly attempted to shield the people from your brokenness. His heart leapt for you then, wanting nothing more than to take you home and wrap himself around you. But you don’t love him, and he doesn’t love you. What’s love got to do with it anyways? Your mother didn’t love the king so maybe you could do this.

The rest of the ride was in revered silence. Upon returning to the castle, you lied through your teeth to the king and his advisors as Shoto took you to your chambers. The man beside you clears his throat as you stand by your door. His voice, soft and unfamiliar, comforted you in a way you didn’t realize you had been missing. “Let me take you away from here. I can talk to my father about you returning to our kingdom-”

You place a finger against his lips and solemnly shake your head. “I have to produce an heir. I have to stay,” your voice trails off as your eyes glaze over with nothingness. A cold hand wraps around yours and pulls you into a firm yet warm chest.

“Let me at least love you the way you deserve. This is no life to live.”

You pull away and shake your head, admiring the man in front of you and his willingness to help. A remorseful smile comes to your face as you backtrack. You step up on the balls of your feet, place a steady hand against his cheek and kiss the opposite one. “You don’t love me, and I don’t love you. Let’s not jest with our hearts. Besides, I plan on ending my life soon so it doesn’t matter” You gasp softly when he takes your hand and gently kisses your palm, trailing kisses to your wrist and more of your exposed arm.

“Then let me love you like you should be loved, at least for tonight.”

Your gaze over the sea hardens and your grip on the ropes around you tighten as you recall one of your last evenings in your kingdom. Is the kingdom really still yours? Especially if you were never really accepted. That thought passes quickly as your mind is fixated on that one night with the prince. The prince with heterochromatic eyes that made you feel loved and wanted in ways you never thought possible. The way his touch was hot and cold simultaneously had you shiver and bunch your legs together. Prince Shoto was the only good thing that had happened to you and you had met him too late. If only he could have been your savior. Remembering his burning touch has you closing your eyes tightly to contain yourself on deck. A swift hand comes to the back of your head and you're abruptly taken out of your head. “What the hell?!”

Bored purple eyes with an irritated stance greet you as Shinsou rolls his eyes. “Yer starin into space. Cap’n needs ya. Gotta make sure the blind spots you gave us are real.” His hand falls from the back of his neck as he urges you to follow him. You sigh, adjust your top into your pants and hop down. You wobble a bit, still trying to get used to the new footwear as you follow behind him. His broad shoulders…wait, this is no time to think of him in this way. It’s probably because you were thinking about the prince. That has to be it. You follow farther away from him as he takes you to Aizawa’s quarters. You wave past Kaminari and Monoma, who greet you cordially with warm yet sneaky smiles before they get back to work. You want to say hi to Midoriya but he’s busy manning the helm, something he let you do once and your hands were covered in blisters and splinters. He patched you up with apologies and a warm hug as you praised him for his job. You gaze at his back softly before Shinsou knocks on the door and Eraserhead lets the two of you in.

Shinsou stays away from the two of you, opting to view you and his mentor interact from afar. He doesn’t truly understand why he’s so taken with you. Does the captain have feelings for you? Or maybe you’re some long lost relative of his and Shinsou is going to lose the ship he’s worked so hard for. There’s no way some spoiled princess is going to take what’s rightfully his. He grunts to himself and rolls his eyes at your foolish attempt at talking like one of them. It’s cute how stupid you look wearing those clothes that are a little big or those palms of yours covered in blisters and scars from learning how to sword fight and attempting to help Deku that one time.

Wait, cute?

“Mind Jack,” Eraserhead calls over his thoughts. Shinsou shakes his head and trods over toward the table where the map is laid out. He notes that there’s a slight difference in the path toward your kingdom and they’re making another stop. “Tell the crew we’re stoppin’ at Port Musutafu to restock n get help.”

Shinsou quirks up an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “We gettin Captain Yamada to help?”

“And Pirate queen Nemuri,” Aizawa adds. Shinsou begrudgingly stands next to you to get a closer look and to inspect the strategy. “Wit how wide and resourceful the kingdom is, we can’t go in with just our ship.” Shinsou is quick to pick up on the nervousness you’re exuding and bumps your shoulder like an olive branch for you to lean and rely on. You visibly relax and a small grin comes to his features. He must have missed some part of the conversation but he’ll be informed soon enough. Shinsou nods in understanding and leaves the two of you to be alone. He trudges out and shuts the door behind him. A pirate has no room for silly emotions that can distract from the mission at hand. So whatever has been building and bubbling inside him, he’ll just have to shut it off and focus on what’s next and making sure he’s getting his inheritance. He goes topside and barks the orders to the crew, feeling the ship start to sway underneath his feet. The salt of the open sea enters his nostrils and all is calm within his soul.

But just who the hell were you thinking about?

******

When Shinsou leaves, Aizawa approaches you with a deep sigh. He knows he shouldn’t be going so easy on you but he has no restraint. The way your gaze is just like his is what has him buckling his resolve. Eraserhead has wanted nothing more than to find the real captain of his ship and that goal suddenly seems closer than ever. He’s been all over the oceans and saved many lives and creatures, but it doesn’t amount to saving his best friend, his first love: Shirakumo Oboro.

You have his eyes there’s no denying that. You even have some of his carefree spirit, he just had to dig it out of you. He’s enjoyed seeing you open up around the crew and let your true personality come out; just what the hell happened to you to make you so reserved and closed off? Aizawa was in denial that you were Shirakumo’s daughter but when you laughed at a joke from Kaminari, he saw it. He saw the care that you have for his crew, the bubbly side that had been hidden and taken away. You look so natural on a pirate ship and even maybe having some leadership could prove to him that you are the rightful heir to the vessel. He sighs at the thought as he remembers promising it to Shinsou, someone he’s become quite fond of. He’s seen him grow as a seafaring man and as a genuine individual. He thinks Shirakumo would have liked the lad and that makes him smile forlornly. The captain runs a hand through his hair with a deep sigh, unsure of what is the right thing to do concerning you and Shinsou. If only the latter liked you more then maybe you could work together.

Aizawa shakes his head at the possibility. Sure, Shinsou gets along well enough with the crew but the older man muses that he couldn’t run it alone, let alone with anyone on the crew. “Oi,” he barks at you. You whip your head up toward him as you wait for his next words. The smile you give him makes his heart flutter, something that hasn’t happened in quite a long time. Aizawa knows that his friend never reciprocated his feelings from long ago, but maybe he can do something to unite your family again. It’s what Shirakumo would’ve wanted. “Yer sure you okay goin’ back to yer kingdom?”

You search his eyes for an obvious or unknown answer but you come up short. Just what is he trying to get out of this conversation? And why have it without the first mate? “‘Course I am,” you say shakily. You turn your gaze away when you can sense the expression from the captain's face being one of disbelief. You sigh and sit down on a stool. “Okay I’m terrified. Obviously, I need to get my mom but if I go back… I’ll be forced to marry someone and bear their children. Children neither of us want. I can’t do that to Prince Shoto or to any potential child. I want to see my mother again but…”

Aizawa saunters toward you and places a hand on your shoulder. The weight of the world seems to have been temporarily lifted as he gets on one knee in front of you. He debates telling you what he knows, unsure of how you would react. A flicker of light goes off in his head as he remembers something he was given. He pushes himself off the wood floor and heads toward his desk. Your eyes follows in bewilderment as he then returns to his previous position with a piece of parchment. “I’ve had this pic’ure fer awhile now. And now, ‘m glad I kept it.”

You take the photo out of his hand and stare at it. And clear as day you see your mother, younger of course and in her arms is you. “This is me, then this must be…” you trail off as you see a tall young man caught between looking at the camera and looking at you and your mother. Even without color you can tell he’s where your eye color and smile comes from. The creases in skin from his contagious smile have you laughing with him. He seemed so lively even in just a still. The formation of tears in the corner of your eyes is inevitable. This is your family, your complete family that you had been missing for so long. Your fingers shake as you hold the parchment away from your face, your breath becoming shallow. “You,”your voice breaks, “you knew my father?”

Aizawa smiles and wipes away his own tears. “He was the captain of this ship before he met your mother.

“And he wanted to give this ship to you.”

******

Once the ship is steered in the right direction, Shinsou returns to the captain's quarters. He slowly steps down the stairs with an excited grin. Barking out commands and watching the crew follow through with them, gave him a sense of commandeering. There was no way ownership of the ship would go to anyone else. It’s going to be him, no doubt about it. He’s about to walk inside when he overhears the conversation with you and the captain.

Daughter of the previous captain?

You’re supposed to be the new captain?

What about all the work he’s done? Do all the years he’s been with Aizawa mean nothing? All for some princess who wanted to end her life in the first place?

Shinsou contemplates barging into the office, his rage bubbling the more he eavesdrops. He takes a deep breath and walks back up top when he hears you come close to the door. You open the door with a photo clutched to your chest. You wipe a tear away as you stare at the picture again, and head toward Shinsou until he cuts you off. “Sh-Shinsou! I didn’t think you’d be right there, sorry for running into you.” He scoffs at you and rolls his eyes.

“I know who you are, princess.” He pokes your shoulder and your frown deepens. You stammer for a response but he cuts you off. “I’ve worked too hard ta inherit this here ship and you,” he backs you against the wall, surrounding you completely with his intimidating frame, “are not gonna take it from me, ya got that?” Your lip trembles from his proximity, remembering the last time you were ever this close to a man. Your mind goes back to that time and you feel your cheeks warm up. Even under this light, his eyes are another world you are willing to get lost in despite his threatening aura. Your breathing deepens and you notice his does too.

He pushes himself off of the wall and he walks away, the tips of his ears a burning red as his mind runs wild with mixed thoughts of you.

****

A couple days later they arrived at the port, a strange sense of ease and dread washing over you. It has been so long since you’ve set foot on land that when you left the ship your legs were wobbly. Once you’ve got your bearings, you take in the port around you. You’ve heard of port Musutafu from your mother and various stories from the pirates on board but it didn’t do it justice. It was loud and raunchy, the smell of dirt and grime and semi-rotting fruits fills your nostrils. If this had been your first time around here you would have vomited from the stench but since being with the crew, you’ve easily adjusted. There are sellers everywhere with all kinds of groceries and knickknacks. As a princess, you were never allowed out on the town and had to remain on castle grounds. But now, the world is your oyster.

You hurriedly rush off to look at the sights, briefly hearing Aizawa tell everyone to meet back at the tavern for a meeting. He had also graciously given you some coins and items to barter knowing your interest in shopping and looking around. With your pockets full and head held high, you head toward the most interesting stall first. A man around Aizawa’s age or older, it’s hard to tell with the dirt and missing teeth, spots you and walks up to you. “Well, ain’t ya a pretty one?” His voice is rough with an attitude to match as he wraps an arm around you. “I ain’t seen ya around ‘ere before! Whatcha lookin for, dame? I gots all kinda stuff girlies like you would enjoy. Walk wit me.”

Unfamiliar with the way things, you walk with him and approach his little stall. You’re amazed by the different trinkets he has, and your eyes latch onto a beautiful locket. The salesman notices your glance and picks it up for you.

“Ya like that?” You eagerly nod and hold it in your hands to appraise it in the sunlight. It’s heart shaped with an amethyst pendant in the middle. Something like this reminds you of stories and legends you had heard of missing jewelry from loved ones at sea. You’re absolutely taken away with it and a gentle smile comes to your face. You think to yourself, if there was anyway to make a copy of the photo Aizawa has and put it in here, this purchase would be worth it.

The shopkeeper seems to mirror your expression and slowly approaches you. “Thinkin about someone?” You nod and wipe away any potential tears.

“I lost my mom a while ago, and this really reminded me of her.” You sniffle and reach for your pouch. “I’ll take it, how much?”

The man rubs his hands and chuckles. “Usually, things like that go fer a hefty hand, but since it means that much to ya, I’ll trade ya a silver dollar.” Your eyes go wide in shock. Just a silver dollar? That’s it?

“Sir, are you sure? It must cost a lot-“

He puts his hand in front of your face. “Nope, if it means that much it’s yours. Keep it.”

After your encounter with the surprisingly cheerful salesman, you walk further into the port. A clothing store catches your eye and you begin to look at the fabrics. The rugs and sashes are some of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen and you’re taken back to your more lavish lifestyle. You eye them a little longer and continue forward throughout the bazaar. You walk a bit further when a hand pulls you into an alleyway. You’re about to yelp when they put a hand over your mouth.

“Don’t say a word.” The man’s rumbly voice strikes fear in you as you nod against him. He slowly releases you and makes you face him. You notice his arms are covered in tattoos and scars litter his face. His sharp blue eyes almost hypnotize you into wanting to do anything he asks. His grin is sinister as he leers closer to you. “Ya look too pretty to be from ‘ere or be a pirate. You a whore?”

You feel back and smack his hand. “I am not! How dare you! I am the princess of-“

A hand connects with your face and you gasp, holding your cheek. The man in front of you grabs your wrist and pulls you deeper into the alley. “Ah, ya shoulda kept yer mouth shut. A princess will fetch a mighty penny to those in cohorts with the league.” The man chuckles and drags you. You fight against him and pull against his arm, only making his burning grip even tighter. You’re able to shove him away for a quick second and start to runaway. You trip over your feet and go back to the public eye. You make an attempt to yell but the man comes up behind you and places his hand over your mouth. “Oh no, princess. No one escapes Dabi,” his breath is hot on your neck as his hand wraps around your waist and pulls you away.

You should’ve known better than to wander off on your own. You’re panting against his gross hand and your anxiety rises. The fear that you’ll never be seen again it uses for ransom fills you as the light of the bazaar fades out. This is it, you think, this is how you die. Tears fall from your eyes as you come to accept your fate. You think about your mother and your unmet father as once again your future fades away from you. Suddenly, you’re pulled from Dabi and into what feels like safety. You hear your assailant fall to the ground and the sound of angry breathing behind you alerts you to what has happened. You turn your head and see an expression you’ve never thought Shinsou was capable of. The amount of irate ness and irritability was terrifying yet comforting. His arm on your shoulder tightens as he growls at the man on the ground. You relax against his embrace as his face turns to yours.

“Are you alright?”

You nod against him and hold onto him tighter. You miss the way his ears redden as he puts you behind him. “Ya think it’s cool just dragging’ dames off’ta street? She’s part of my crew!”

Dabi wipes the blood off the corner of his mouth and snickers. “Your crew? I didn’t think old man Aizawa had finally passed on. But if she’s yours, keep her. I hate breaking in virgins.” That was the last straw for Shinsou as he walks up and punches Dabi square in the mouth. You gasp and pull Shinsou away before he does anything else he might regret. The two of you run quickly through the bazaar and lose your assailant, laughing all the way as the adrenaline pumps through you. Shinsou brings the two of you to an abandoned building to help you catch your breath. You rest against the wall while Shinsou approaches the balcony looking over the port city. You meet him at the railing and stand next to him.

You hesitate but place a hand on his bicep. “Thank you. I, I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you weren’t there.”

Shinsou sighs and rubs your hand. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. ‘Zawa should’ve told ya about the league of villains and their trafficking. I’m glad I got there in time.” He looks away at the end of his comment, afraid of your reaction.

“You wanted to save me? But I thought you hated me.”

Purple eyes roll and he inches closer to you. “I don’ hate you.” He puts his hand on the back of his neck and sighs. “I was mad earlier cause… Cause Aizawa promised me the ship when he was done. And now that you’re here,” he trails off and finally looks at you. “I heard yer conversation about ya dad and, you should get the ship.”

You push against the railing in shock and shake your head. “I couldn’t possibly! I know nothing of running a ship. Everything I know I learned from you and Eraserhead. Please,” you put your hands over his. “You should have it. I would just ruin it. Like I ruin everything.”

Shinsou rubs his thumb over the back of your hand and pivots toward you. “Ya don’t ruin everything. Why would you believe that?” The breeze flows through his hair and for some reason he looks so peaceful and understanding and you can tell him anything. Just like the Prince. Your shoulders relax and a comfortable smile comes to your face.

“Cause I do, alright? My step father didn’t want me, the whole kingdom hates me… and they just wanted to marry me off so I can produce an heir. And,” you chuckle, still holding the hands of the pirate in front of you, “the only person who saw me was the prince and he was too late. Everyone was too late. I couldn’t even end my life correctly.” You hadn’t realized you’d been crying until the warmth in your hands shifted and Shinsou wipes a tear from your eye. His hand then cups your face gently so then you can hold his stare longer.”

“I see you. I see someone who’s had it rough, but wants what’s best for everyone. I see someone who cares for those around her and loves her family. And I’m sure the prince was right in everything he said to you. And if he saw ya now, I’m sure he’d take you regardless of needing an heir.”

“I don’t want him!”

Your voice comes out louder than intended, shocking the two of you as you feel your cheeks warming up. You notice his Adams Apple bob from your words. “I,” you repeat, “I don’t want him. I may have been thinking about him but I don’t want him.”

Shinsou moves closer to you, face getting ever so closer to yours. “Is there someone,” he whispers, almost fleetingly as the fear of his own feelings take over. He’s no longer the captain of his own body as he begins to share breath with you. “Is there someone you want?”

You stare up into his lilac pools and your breath catches in your throat. “I don’t wanna upset you again. I'm not sure right now, I’ve been through a lot and-“

Shinsou silences you and hugs you tightly.

“I can wait, I’ve been a pirate for a long time waitin for things ta get better. I can wait for ya response.”

You smile and lean into him. You breathe softly and lay into him. His hold on you being the most comforting thing you’ve felt since your mother died. You lift yourself up and explore the room around you. It looks like a child’s room based on the decorations.

“How do you know about this place?”

Shinsou sighs and lowers his arms, interlocking your fingers with him. “It’s where I used ta live. This was my room.” You pause and look around, strolling further into the abandoned house. You turn to him and see a solemn expression. You want to say something but the words fail you. “‘‘Twas a long time ago. But I come here as often as I can.”

You walk up to him with a slow step. “Are your parents..?”

“Killed by a neighboring kingdom? Yeah, they were. Aizawa took me in and I've been a member of his fleet ever since.” His shoulders tense up until your hand calms him down. “I met your father. I didn know he was ya father. But he was great. He’d love ta see ya now.”

You smile and hug him again. For the next few minutes the two of you tell each other stories of your life, recalling moments in time that were tough for you both and laugh over some antics on the ship. It had been entirely too long since the both of you had been around someone who makes you feel better and uplifts you. Somehow he’s being that for you and you him. You don’t want this to end. But deep down inside, you know when you charge into your kingdom you’re not coming back. So now is the time to bask in these moments.

Shinsou is the first to break the silence as he gets up. “Well, it looks like we gotta get to our meeting. C’mon, let’s go take you home.”

Part 1

[hils79]

Hils Watches Goblin - Ep 3

I love him

Haha! A dramatic rescue and now they have to walk home

Can they communicate telepathically now? I love it

He's very cute

YES! Fuck up her abusive family

So there's a chance that the king that killed him has been reincarnated as member of ikon or a member of this girl group that I don't recognise. Amazing.

Ooh nice tough having him be there for the doctor not the patient. Didn't see that coming

This reminds me of when I was watching Duel and the characters kept stopping to eat at Subway and talk about how tasty the food is

I love her

Haha! She blew out the food she burnt and accidentally summoned the goblin, who she is trying to avoid

His smug smile. Everyone in this is a dork and I love them

I mean if Lee Dong Wook showed up to take me to the afterlife I would definitely go without hesitation

I assumed grim reapers had always been grim reapers but apparently he has a past life. Interesting.

Oh my god they've gone grocery shopping together. I love to see powerful supernatural beings doing mundane stuff like this

Grim Reaper: I can't wait for your bride to pull out the sword so you die Also Grim Reaper: Oh, no, please don't leave 🥺

Grim Reaper is totally going to pretend to take her just to get him to come back

Aww she kept the flowers he gave her the first time they met. This drama isn't at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be all brooding heavy angst but it's sweet and funny

Ooh magic stall lady hexed the grim reaper so he would pick up the ring. I've already forgotten what's significant about the ring. Was it that woman in the past who owned it? And then did Eun Tak's mother pick it up at one point too? I'm sure all will become clear

Oh my god did Eun Tak's pretty boss just have a meet cute with the grim reaper. Well, that fortune teller did say she'd have bad luck with men. This probably won't end well

Yeah, for a start he can't touch her. Oh, didn't he say he can see people's past lives if he touches them? I'm sure that will become relevant at some point

Yeah, that's not ominous at all

I mean yes if I had a meet cute with Lee Dong Wook I would be like this also. I mean not really because I'm ace but I understand. He's very handsome.

He's been living with the goblin for too long. He's started wearing sweaters now too

Wow she is terrible too. I hope the goblin punishes her as well

Two powerful immortals freaking out because someone rang their doorbell. This drama is so fun.

This is about to get awkward

Wait, can she really see it? I'd think 'holy shit there's a giant sword impaling you' would have come up before now

[alittleillumination]

2023 Drama Round-Up!

I know no one asked for this, but I figured I’d post what I’ve watched this year and how I rank them in case anyone is looking for recommendations! I saw @dangermousie did this and stole this idea (hope that’s ok!)

14. Heartbeat: It was…fine? Didn’t really leave me with any lasting impression. Was hoping for more from a drama about a vampire. I need a good vampire drama. This wasn’t it.

13. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - So much potential, didn’t live up to the hype. Give me those BATB vibes any day normally, but in this case the FML was too Mary Sue for me.

12. Back from the Brink- Fun! Good side characters! ML bored me to tears. FML carried the drama. Will keep an eye out for her.

11. Moon in the Day: A solid story. Nice and neat. Definitely would watch the ML in other things. I’m always here for a reincarnation storyline.

10. My Journey to You - Esther Yu! Zhang Linghe! Other awesome characters! Vibes! Otherwise just OK, I wasn’t super invested in the story. Would watch a second season if they deign to make one.

9. The King: Eternal Monarch - Another one that had great potential and I ended up somewhat disappointed. The concept was fantastic. I really love a modern day story with a modern monarch who’s beloved. I’m a big fan of the two main actors so that bumped it up the list. Unfortunately their chemistry was only so-so.

8. Tale of the Nine Tailed S1 - LEE YEON AND LEE RANG brother dynamic sobbbb

7. Doom at Your Service - Great leads with awesome chemistry! Sad! Story was simple and sweet.

6. Love is Sweet - OG Bai Lu/Luo Yunxi couple!! I loved them so much, I’m def watching this show again and again. Couldn’t stand the second couple, though, I skipped all of their scenes.

5. Alchemy of Souls S1 - This show has such a phenomenal concept, and a really well flushed out universe. The side characters are all great and three dimensional. I love the magic too. It’s lower on the list just because I’m not as emotionally connected to the leads as I am to those in other shows, but I really love this show.

4. Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 - This show has it all: magic, romance, historical setting, fashion, time travel, politics, humor. As much as I love LDW/Lee Yeon, the show was really an ensemble triumph. The story, the action, the humor, everything was top notch. Excelled in surpassing the first season in quality which seems so unlikely but they really did it.

TIED FOR SECOND

Til The End of the Moon - What can I say about this show? It’s wump central. It’s serving misunderstanding trope but make it completely overdone and unbearable. The fake blood budget alone could have paid all of the actors’ salaries. The female lead got shafted in favor of the male lead.

And yet…

You’ll think about this show every day for the rest of your life. I know I do.

(Also credited for the beginning of my obsession with Luo Yunxi. He’s babygirl. Tantai Jin is the best character ever written.)

Goblin - Oh man, this show. THIS SHOW. Despite some controversy over the age difference between the main couple, i love them. I grew up on vampire romance, nothing can sway me there. I really bought into their romance and I was devastated when they went through it. I cried more in this show than I have in any other. I also completely loved and was invested in the second couple, which almost NEVER happens.

Despite the romance of the two couples being stellar, it was the friendship and the found family that really sold it for me. The Goblin and the Grim Reaper have the best friendship and wildly fun chemistry onscreen. I couldn’t get enough of them. I watched the bts of them so many times over.

And my favorite for 2023…

1. Love Between Fairy and Devil - My first Asian drama. My first love. Noting will surpass this. No couple will touch Dongfang Qingcang and Xiao Lan Hua. I’ve rewatched it twice already. It’s the clear winner.

I’m currently watching My Demon and so far it’s rly good. Might break top ten.

On the short list to watch in 2024:

- Alchemy of Souls S2 (I’m not ready for it to end but I NEED to see it)

- Ashes of Love (I’m forcing myself to finish this I HAVE TO FOR LY)

- Story of Kunning Palace

- Only for Love

[consumeronionbulletin]

Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016-17)

This show is flawless. I guess if you don't like fantasy shows, you may have trouble getting into it, but this was exactly my kind of show, and once I started I couldn't stop watching it.

What's It About?

On the surface, this is a revenge story about a general in ancient Korea who was betrayed and had his whole family murdered. He got so mad about it that he turned into an immortal being as both reward and punishment.

But the story picks up with a meet cute between the Goblin and the young woman who is destined to both marry him, and bring an end to his immortality. So it's also about growing up, what it means to be really mature (at least in the writer's opinion). It's also about how growing up isn't an end state, but a process, and that process is not linear. It comes in fits and starts and some people never reach the end of it for a host of reasons—because of hubris, selfishness, and being unwilling or unable to see other people, or to work on their own flaws.

What Worked?

Everything, especially the characters and the way they interact. You've got all of the main themes from something like The Princess Bride—Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles—all stretched out into 16-20 hours of show. Also includes: ghosts, buddy comedy, school rivalries, terrible family relationships, past lives, travel, etc.

Each character is treated with care, they all have interesting and important arcs, and the show weaves them all together into something really special.

What Didn't Work?

I have no notes. I can see how someone might be annoyed with the pacing (it's slow in a few places), or the fantasy elements, or the predictability of some of the plot, or the may/december relationship. But I didn't have a problem with any of that. Because I knew right away that this was fantasy, and it requires a different lens than normal drama.

The Performances

(This is going to be a long list.)

Gong Yoo as Goblin / Kim Shin. I don't know how you even start playing a literal god, but this guy figured it out. His performance manages to be funny, petty, arrogant, and somehow also relatable.

Kim Go-eun as Ji Eun-tak. Kim Go-eun had a completely different brief: to be the eyes of the audience and the center of all the crazy story stuff while still managing to be a genuine, relatable person instead of a two dimensional magic pixie dream girl (which is what you often end up with when the show runners drop the ball).

She not only hit the brief, but she delivered an amazing nuanced performance. Goblin may be the title of the show, but this was her show too. She managed to portray the entire arc from naive innocence, to experience, to emotional maturity with each episode's performance building on the previous one. It's a quiet change, but I think it's the heart of the show.

Lee Dong-wook as Grim Reaper / Wang Yeo. You can't have a good buddy roommate comedy without the grumpy straight man, and Lee Dong-wook did a great job with that part of the role. But he also did a great job with the amazing (tragic) love story he was given. And he somehow also managed an interesting take on the Grim reaper--as an angel of death who is sometimes a grumpy judge, and sometimes an overworked public servant. And finally he pulls out the character's mystical backstory as (spoilers!) King who had his heart broken and given up on life. This character has a huge story, and this actor showed an amazing range bringing it all out.

Yoo In-na as Sunny / Kim Sun. I already loved her in True to Love. Yoo In-na was even better in this role. Funny, sad, grumpy, sweet, tragic. The only one of the lead characters that didn't get enough story (though she had tons of backstory). What we did get from her was amazing to watch.

Yook Sung-jae as Yoo Deok-hwa. A solid performance from someone who started out mostly in music. He was primarily the comic relief, but he did a good job as kind of a bridge between all of the different characters. He supported each of the main characters when they needed it, without disappearing into the background.

Kim Byung-chul as "No good, evil guy" Park Joong-heon. This actor is so good at playing characters that you love to hate. I wanted to punch his face every time he appears on screen, so mission accomplished Kim Byung-chul! What I like best about this character is that, if he had been born 900 years later, he could have been just as happy as like a minister of finance, or a really petty CFO, but he was trapped in the age of divine right of kings, so he had to go on a murder spree poisoning a bunch of royals to gain power. The tragedy of his character was that if he had been born in modern Korea, he wouldn't have had to turn evil.

Kim Sung-kyum as Chairman Yoo Shin-woo. This is one of those grandparent characters that you really love to watch, but you know that (since it's a kdrama) he's gonna be gone sometime around the middle of the series. The actor did a great job showing a character who was mature and thoughtful and someone you should aspire to be.

Go Bo-gyeol as Kim Yoon-ah. I saw her in Hi bye, Mama! and she did a decent job in kind of a thankless role. She was similar in this, but the part was even smaller. I wish the writers had given her more to work with, or else got rid of the character completely as I wasn't sure what her purpose was. Still, kind of nice to see this actor working, I guess?

Lee El as Samshin, Goddess, the creator of birth and fate. What was up with that terrible aging makeup? One of the few missteps, IMO. I liked the character, and you always knew something important was going to happen when Lee El showed up, but for most of the show, she was more of a plot device than a full character. It was still nice to see her in something besides My Liberation Notes.

Ji Eun-tak's terrible family. Again, the actors did a great job making me hate them in a very short time. It was kind of cool getting little updates on what they were doing, but I was glad when we stopped seeing so much of them by the middle of the show.

The Loan Sharks. Fun character work by these two actors. Still wanted to punch them when they showed up, so mission accomplished.

The Grim Reaper Squad. It was sometimes hard to tell them apart, but that had to have been a fun role to play, and you could tell the actors were (mostly) enjoying it.

Everyone else. The ghosts were a fun addition, the bullying school kids / school teacher were annoying (which is exactly what they were meant to be), the cute child actor with wind powers was cute, and the baseball player Oppa did a good job as well.

TL; DR:

If you like fantasy, even a little bit, watch this show. It is worth the time. Also, the soundtrack is pretty cool too.

[bestanimatedmovie]

List of accepted movies!

Let me know if you find any mistakes

101 Dalmatians

5 centimetres per second

9 (2009)

A Goofy Movie

A Monster in Paris

A Silent Voice

Adolescence of Utena

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Anastasia

Anomalisa

Asterix the Mansion of the Gods

Astro Boy (2009)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest

Bambi

Barbie & the Diamond Castle

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

Barbie Princess Charm School

Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island

Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Batman Ninja

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Beauty and the Beast

Bee movie

Belle

Big Hero 6

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children

Brave

Brother Bear

Captain Underpants

Chicken Run

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Coco

Coraline

Despicable me

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!

Emesis Blue

Encanto

Ernest & Celestine

Fantastic Mr Fox

Fantastic Planet

Felidae

Ferdinand

Finding nemo

Gnomeo and Juliet

Grave of the Fireflies

Green Snake (or White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Hercules

Home on the Range

Hoodwinked!

How To Train Your Dragon

Howl's moving castle

Ice Age

In this corner of the world

Inside Out

Interstella 5555

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus

Isle of Dogs

James and the Giant Peach

Jin roh: The wolf brigade

Kiki's Delivery Service

Kirikou and the Sorceress

Klaus

Krabat – The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Kubo and the Two Strings

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda 2

Lilo & Stitch

Liz and the Blue Bird

Loving Vincent

Lu Over The Wall

Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro

Madagascar

Mary and Max

Meet the Robinsons

Megamind

Metropolis (2001)

Millennium Actress

Monsters inc

Monsters vs Aliens

Mulan

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks

My neighbor Totoro

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl

Night on the Galactic Railroad

One Stormy Night

Paprika

ParaNorman

Perfect Blue

Persepolis

Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension

Planet Hulk

Pocahontas

Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias

Ponyo

Porco Rosso

Princess Mononoke

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

Promare

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Quest for Camelot

Rango

Ratatouille

Ringing Bell

Rise of the Guardians

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

Sailor Moon R: The Movie: The Promise of the Rose

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Shrek

Shrek 2

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Song of the Sea

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirited Away

Spookly the square pumpkin

Star Twinkle Pretty Cure the Movie: These Feeling within The Song of Stars

Summer Wars

Suzume

Tales of the Night

Tangled

Tehran Taboo

Tekkonkinkreet

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

The Aristocats

The Book of Life

The Boy and the Beast

The Brave Little Toaster

The Congress

The Emperor's New Groove

The Garden of Words

The Great Mouse Detective

The Incredibles

The Iron Giant

The Jungle Book

The Last Unicorn

The Legend of Hei

The LEGO Batman Movie

The LEGO Movie

The Lego Ninjago Movie

The Lion King

The Lion King 2

The Little Prince

The lorax

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Pagemaster (1994)

The Penguins of Madagascar

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Prince of Egypt

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Goblin

The Sea Beast

The Secret of Kells

The Secret World of Arrietty

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Sword in the Stone

The Tale of John and Mary

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Thief and the Cobbler

The Wind Rises

Tokyo Godfathers

Toy story

Toy Story 2

Treasure Planet

Troll In Central Park

Trolls World Tour

Turning Red

Unicorn Wars

Up

WALL-E

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit

Waltz with Bashir

Watership Down

We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story

Weathering With You

Whisper of the Heart

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Wolf Children

Wolfwalkers

Wreck-it-Ralph

Your Name

Zombillenium

[tetsunabouquet]

Heir To The Lands Chapter 20

When Things Go Wrong Masterpost

The group dragged Jaime upstairs as quickly as they could, Ty quickly drawing several runes on Jaime to aid him in his current state. "Thank you." "No problem." Ty replied, it simply was the right course of action after all. Even being supported, Jaime still needed to have enough strengths to move his legs so shins wouldn't be battered and bruised from being dragged upstairs, something Jaime didn't have. These were one of the things Kit loved most about Ty, how he just immediately did the most logical thing whilst looking at everyone with this certain confused cute look that said 'Duh?' They walked around the corpse of the Faerie guard, his green blood blending in with the vines. They were extra careful not to trip this time, treating the situation of getting the slightly sluggish Jaime out of the hallway with surgical precision. As soon as they were gone from the bathroom section, the group sped up. They needed to get out of the castle, fast. Each could feel their heart pounding with adrenaline, even little Gwenneth. The dark atmosphere seemed to be worse on their way out then their way in, as if it had been misleading their intuition. Kit was having a very bad feeling about this. With the arm that wasn't supporting Jaime, he let his hand linger near the set of throwing knives in his jacket. The group kept rushing forward, and Kit's heart leaped with relief as he saw the exit; with no enemies in sight. Kit felt his heart sweel with hope as the group left the Seelie Castle and he felt Jaime slump against him. "I think I've been deprived of fresh oxygen too long, it's making me dizzy." The gaunt young man explained, and the boys pushed him forward with a little more care . Gwenneth grinned a toothy smile. "We made it out! Oooh, I am going to L.A!" Jaime smiled at the goblin as Dru watched on with a pained expression, clearly concerned for his sake. The group carefully moved through the garden, their hearts drunk on the victory so clearly in front of them. Too drunk, as it would turn out, because peace was but a short lived thing. Just as they were lulled yet again in a false sense of ease, they saw a figure moving in the garden and a horn was blown. "Shit, we're caught!" Kit cursed just as an arrow flew past his ear. "Run!" Dru yelled, and the two boys dragged Jaime as fast as they could, Gwenneth on their heels. Dru hated how that none of them were primarily long ranged fighters, like Jules, Mark or Thais. They had brought knives to a gunfight, and that never goes well. Just when they were about to reach the more safer territory of the trees, Dru could feel an arrow sink straight into her calf muscle. She limped forward and Ty looked at her in horror. Kit was sick to his stomach, they couldn't lose Dru. But just as all hope seemed lost, Kit could hear leaves ruffling the trees before a boy landed before his feet. Kit thought he might be a year older then he was, he was handsome with fine curly silvery-white hair and green eyes that looked very familiar. "I'll take her from you, don't worry. Consider this a truce between us two, First Heir." Kit froze at the name, whilst Ty, Dru and Gwenneth all seemed entranced by his entrance. It was because of this split second, that allowed the boy to pick up Dru and spread beautiful, angel-like wings thought they were as dark yet pretty as the shimmering night sky. Before anyone could react, the boy flew off with a stunned Dru in his arms. Gwenneth looked at Kit with shock but he couldn't see that. He only had eye for the flabbergasted, panicky look in Ty's eyes and how his hands started to flutter. "The knights are approaching my King! If you are the First Heir you have the power to make a portal out of here!" Gwenneth cried and Kit's eyes snapped open just as Jaime's full weight crashed against his side, Ty no longer being able to support him as his breath began to shake. Kit, thinking of what Tessa and Jem taught him, closed his eyes and just as he saw two Faerie knights on their horses come close, the world seemed to fall away underneath their feet, the grass swallowing them.

[lu-twilights-pup]

So for my Creative Writing Course we had a prompt of “Scars” and originally I was gonna write something for Time, but that would have been mad obvious, and I would throw myself out into the see if someone recognized what i was writing SO

Here is the story of Sol (my link oc) and how he got his ear scar, as told by Gan, his bro.

DISCLAIMERS:

Tw self harm/injury, negative thoughts, talk of battle scars, implication of bullying

When I was seven, my brother once told me, “It is not what you are, but who you are, that makes you my brother. Much more, but nothing less.” Such a wise notion. He said it with such a fierceness that only an eight-year-old could muster. A smile across his face just as affectionate and buoyant as he was. Blue eyes shimmering with determination.

The pure conviction in his noble, little voice seemed much louder than even that of our nanny’s when we had broken a vase across the sandstone palace floor. Not a lie could hold to his features; not an ounce of malice could smear across his hand as he sloppily wiped the tears from my eyes. I had forgotten I was even crying by then. But I never forgot what he had told me. He had written that within me for years on, never allowing me to throw away that page of myself.

I love my brother very dearly, for who he is, not what he is.

I look up to him, although nowadays he must look up to me in most cases. Older by a half moon and shorter by two full. Sharp as he is kind, his compassion is a thing to be feared, just as well as any body of water, or dune of sand. My brother is not perfect, no real person is. But he is as close as one may come to it in my eyes. He may be a king of kings if he damn well pleased, and if the position fancied him in the least bit. But he holds no position of royal devotion, as I do. No ‘divine right’ as he had put it. Skill, heart, mind, what have you aside, he cares not for the functions of high society, so better off that way we are.

My brother—much too well, and much too haphazardly— blends in with the sands of the throne, far too large for him in the first place. Gold crowns, meant to adorn heads of fiery reds and rich umbers to light its gems, disappear into his sandy scalp. Magic did not flow between his fingertips and bones. It rested in his hand in the form of a tool, or weapon. That works well enough though as his passions rest in the grips of combat. In the dance of the front-line confrontation. He is a warrior through and through, not a nobleman.

He adorns victories along his person like jewelry. Knicks and blotches of discolored skin plagued his arms and torso, each a certified proof of his prosperity along the battlefield. Some of them, as small as a hair, are barely noticeable to those not close enough to look for them. Wisps of what could have happened to him and starting points for more to come. Others were well beyond visible. They ranged in shape and size; impossible to know if they were made by man or beast.

The clawed scratch of a goblin, or the flat crosses of a sword. The twinkling, glitters of small, pinpoint marks of arrowheads. Valleys formed along his legs and chest, flesh eroded away in the wake of scar tissue, rebuilding and replenishing its host. Intricate designs spanned his body telling story after story of valiant battles. Some merely telling of less than brilliant plans of childhood. A chin mark from a nasty fall in a spring pool. A diver in his arm from getting into a losing fight with another kid who had taken a liking to shoving me around, small as I was back then.

But one crater of his body, jagged and crude, was made by no beast and by no other man. No sword, nor claw, nor arrow had torn through there. Sat beside his face, on the left of his head, where his ear ought to be. The long and pointed shape of the appendage, seen on his right side, was half the size on his left. My own, shorter ears, somehow longer than the lone remnant of his.

It almost looked like it had started forming at birth, but stopped halfway through. One could tell there had been a full ear there at some point—maybe. But it stopped short of about 2-3 inches. The winding cut off crooked and shaky scar barely straight across the area. It hid well behind his hair when it was down, until the wind blew or he moved too swiftly. Being who he was, moving slowly was not part of his being.

Many found it difficult not to stare at him for it. Not that scars are something so obscene and unsightly in our culture, no. They are rites of passage among many other things. Should you have them, others will know that stories live within you that were too significant to remain in you any longer. Thus, many wanted to know what such wild story had clawed its way out of my brother's head, taking his ear with it.

I remember a time when, if someone had asked, he would simply ignore them. Daring not to utter what beast had crossed his path, and what sloppily, valiant battle had befallen him.

It took him a while to be able to speak of it. Like a battered soldier, trying to recall war. What he did recite was jumbled. As if he did not remember it at all. Like telling a dream. Little details of it changed every so often, slowly becoming clearer, until he stopped telling the story all together. I do not quite recall when that was. But it wasn’t as if he ever told anyone else the story other than me and Ma. When anyone did bother to ask and not simply stare at him, he would come up with a different strange tale.

I fought a monster; he would say, and they would nod along. I fought a spirit, he would say, and they would nod along. I fought a demon. I fought a hatred. A lie. And with such heroics under his belt, no one dared tell him he fought no such thing. Where was the thing if he did not fight it? If he did not win.

I remember believing such tales when he gained the horrid injury.

At the fine age of 13 I was barely able to hear myself over the sounds of Ma, sobbing in the doorway. Crying out for her poor baby, her precious son. Calling for anyone to come and help. I truthfully do not know how I crossed the room so fast, or how long I had simply stood over him. I remember after a moment, falling to join him on the ground. Just sitting next to him, holding him to my side and telling him over and over. “It is who you are, not what you are that makes you my brother.” I supposed my voice was much shakier back then. The sight of that much blood will do that to someone I suppose. I can still hear his voice sometimes, pleading to give him back the dagger. Sobbing to allow him to carve away at his other lobe.

Ma had run to retrieve a healer, a nurse, someone. I sat with my brother as he wailed, deep and pained. I am not what you are, he cried to me. I shall never be what Ma is. I do not belong, dear brother please, he sobbed. He once again pleaded for the dagger that laid yards away. I did not give it to him.

I realized what monster he had fought soon after. Hours earlier he had been regarded by several citizens, his brothers and sisters, as not a hero nor a skilled warrior, but an outsider. An intruder. A name he had become used to, but a name that had grown too heavy on him. The spirit of loneliness had dragged itself into his bed and made peace with slumber.

In the dead of night, I snapped awake as I realized what demon had struck him down that day.

My brother, who could not be seated on the sandy throne, as he would sink into its size and blend in with the sandstone. My brother who did not bear a crown as Ma and I did, because it would disappear into golden locks. My brother, who had not a trace of magic in his fingertips, and Ma and I did. My brother, with long, lithe ears.

He could entertain the sun and become the same deep umber as his brothers and sisters if he so wished. He could stain his hair and fill his head with a fierce fiery red, capable of igniting every gem in the land. He could hold item after item, filled with magic. Bracelet and charms, hidden from the eye, and call the power his own. But he could not un-grow his ears.

The tell-tale sign that he was not of our blood.

But as he told me, at eight years old, it is who he is not what he is that makes him my brother. He knows that now and wears it proudly. The end.

“When I had asked you what you remember about our childhood, I more so meant fun trips or rude ambassadors. Or perhaps the last place I hid my journal.” he huffed.

“You asked, dear brother. If I remember anything, it is that you are my brother, for who you are, not what you are. Just as I am yours.”

Such a smile, still eight-years-old, still so fierce, and buoyant. “I suppose so.”

The end

Tee hee

[libraryofjoy]

Books read in October 2023. This list is kind of long so I'm not going to include as many details as sometimes.

The Artisans by Shen Fuyu. Nonfiction. The author shares stories about the members of his rural Chinese hometown and their traditional ways of life. I really, really enjoyed this book.

The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli. Fiction. A gimmicky auctioneer tries to sell his audience a tall tale about his life.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. Fiction. The journalist grandaughter of a wealthy Cuban socialite-turned-refugee visits Cuba for a travel article but finds romance, familiy secrets, and trouble with the Cuban government. I think I would've had a better experience with this book if it had placed less emphasis on romance.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Nonfiction. Kimmerer, an Indigenous biologist & educator, shares wisdom about sustainability and respect for other beings, interspersed with memoir of her own life experiences.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Fiction. Two orphaned girls live with their grandmother and then their aunt as their home life becomes increasingly unstable.

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano. Fiction. A young Mexican-American girl uses the game of Loteria as a framework to understand her troubled home life.

The King and the Catholics by Antonia Fraser. Nonfiction. This is a history of the fight for Catholic freedom and representation in British government from 1720-1829.

Little Fish by Casey Platt. Fiction. A transgender woman wrestles with grief, alcoholism, and intimate relationships as she investigates whether her deceased grandfather may also have been transgender.

Uncommon Measure by Natalie Hodges. Nonfiction. After removing herself from playing violin over debilitating performance anxiety, the author reflects on the physics of music and how music shaped her social location.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Epig. Fiction. After the death of her first husband, lady pirate Shek Yeung (real historical person you may also know as Cheng Shih!) bargains to bear her new husband a son to inherit their fleet. But the emperor is cracking down on piracy and she may be running out of time.

Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks. Nonfiction. The author shares what she learned as an educator seeking to bring feminist and anti-racist change into the classroom.

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. Fiction. 3 years after being freed from a 20-year curse, the newly orphaned Dowager Royina Ista goes on a pilgrimage. She intends to escape the confines of her life but can't escape the gods' calling. This is the sequel to The Curse of Challion. I'd recommend this series to fans of the Queen's Thief series or The Goblin Emperor.

Poor People by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Fiction. Two poor people write letters as their prospects grow bleak and their love for one another becomes an obstacle to survival.

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison. Fiction. Thara Celehar serves as Witness for the Dead, solves mysteries, mentors a trainee, facing something really scary, and has professional interactions with academics. This is a character and a world that I really love. I enjoyed this book a lot.

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas. Fiction. An 8-year-old savant sneaks aboard her father's voyage and finds a colorful and dangerous city.

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi. Nonfiction. The author gives a Palestinian perspective on the history of his homeland, including both broad political context and personal stories. It was chilling to hear his description of Gaza's geographical vulnerability to attack in light of the current humanitarian crisis. I've been feeling pretty helpless lately but reading and paying attention are things I can do.

Fiction:10

Nonfiction:6

Total fiction this year:40

Total nonfiction this year:42

I had a really wide range this month: the fiction ranged from irreverantly humorous to adventurous to haunting. The nonfiction I read this month approached themes of traditional living, the tandem hardship and joy of a musician's life, and the scars and open wounds of colonization. I'm trying to press myself not to shy away from difficult subects.