#some strange and wondrous new world

[nopizzaaftermidnight]

[tinietaehyun]

Wondrous Tales

[Wonderland!txt x lost!reader] [one-shot series]

Pairing(s): wonderland!txt! x lost!reader

Genre(s): fantasy, dark fantasy, romance, supernatural, thriller, one-shots.

Contains: (specific to each one-shot)

Links: Masterlist

Summary: Upon your stroll in the park, you stumble upon an envelope on the grass. With further inspection, it appears to be an invite of sorts. How peculiar indeed.

Wonderland? What was that? Did someone accidentally drop an invite for a birthday or costume party on their way?

Brimming with curiosity, you open up the flap to peek inside. Initially there seems to be no name, huh, it’s not addressed to anyone. Then why…

Before you could even finish your thought, you begin to see the world around you warp and twist as you soon come to realise the dire consequences of your insatiable curiosity.

Perhaps you should have left that damn invite alone because now, you were stuck in a whole other whimsical and whacky world with no idea how to get out!

Luckily (or unluckily) for you, you’ll meet some rather interesting people along your journey to leave. Though….dear reader, will you successfully escape or become ensnared by the five lovely figures of Wonderland?

1. The White Rabbit - Choi Soobin

➸ “The timekeeper of Wonderland, no matter how efficient he is, he is destined to run late. A timid soul who has always led guests to their doom, there’s not much he can do about it after all.”

Summary: With your abrupt arrival into this whimsical space, you wander around aimlessly. How odd, every turn you took, you ended up in the same spot.

Though as they say, third time’s the charm, when you encounter a blonde haired man, with a top hat and formal attire - goodness, were you going insane already?

The man gives you a gentle smile, walking towards you with his hand outstretched, “Goodness it’s been awhile since we’ve had any guests,” he observes you, “A pretty one no less.” That‘s it, you were definitely going insane.

He brings your hand to his lips with a soft gaze, “You must be so frazzled, guests always are. Well it’s my pleasure to be your guide. Now, come on, chop, chop, time’s ticking.” With a swift tug, you’re getting pulled along by this strangely tall man. What had you gotten yourself into?

Read here!

2. The King Of Hearts - Choi Yeonjun

➸ “A ruthless, flirtatious man with a dramatic flare who has quite the fondness for new guests. So much so, half don’t even make it out. He’s always looking for entertainment and wishes to be the centre of attention, so always make sure you give him what he wants.”

Summary: You peer around at this red, black and white lavish interior. A shudder vibrates through you - maybe you were better off with Soobin. You wonder what happened to him, everything happened so quickly. One moment he grasped your hand tightly and the next you saw him getting dragged away!

The guards shove you through a set of grand heart engraved doors and you stumble to your knees. Peering up, you see the man himself, one leg atop the other, a bored expression on his face, his eyes glimmering in intrigue.

“Ah, my darling guest, have you already fallen for me? Surely, you must have plans to keep me more entertained than that.” He smirks almost too sweetly with a flick of his wrist, “After all, you’ll find out very quickly, what happens to those I get bored with.”

Read here!

3. The March Hare- Huening Kai

➸ “Tea, tea, tea. It’s always tea time for him. Time for tea? Or is it tea’s time to be had? Don’t ever refuse his offer for tea, or you’ll find yourself perpetually mad.”

Summary: Gasping and panting raggedly for breath, you seemed to have done good by sliding down the fluorescent tunnel as a last resort! The King’s guards almost caught you!

What a maniac he was! How could someone be so obsessive? Your heart rate slows as you peer around, huh, this area seemed secluded. You deem it should be safe to take some rest here. Right? Goodness, you couldn’t trust this place at all! Little by little you feel your sanity tearing away.

“Oh? Who’s wandered into my little grove? Another guest for my tea party?” Your head snaps up seeing a tall man, with a coy grin as he clicks his tongue, walking towards you, “Oh you must be the pretty little guest I’ve heard so much about…oh then, join me, won’t you? For my little tea party?”

You had a feeling you couldn’t refuse even if you wanted to.

Read Here!

4. The Mad Hatter - Choi Beomgyu

➸ “His pretty face hides the most decrepit madness. A man who killed time, quite literally. Is being mad so bad? Is being bad so mad? Why be suppressed with all those boring rules and go insane with the Hatter instead?”

Summary: Having managed to elude the tea party and trick Kai into thinking you’ll stay, you scramble for your life by bargaining with a strange caterpillar hanging from the trees to escape.

Being barely lucid, you stumble into what seems to be another secluded grove, another tea party. Oh, you were definitely mad by this point. Not again! You see exuberant host with his feet up on the table with a grin, “Welcome, welcome, do come and join me, little love. I have lots of tea or are you sick of it from the March Hare?”

Panicked you rush off past him, he makes no move to chase after you. How strange. “Toodles, love!” Grimacing you rush off through the tangled foliage….only to arrive back to where you were facing the man again. A loop…?

“Time’s prisoner I am, and so you will be too. I’m awfully lonely and the hare’s fed up of my games. You’ll play with me and keep this Hatter company won’t you?”

Read here!

5. The Cheshire Cat - Kang Taehyun

➸ “A man with hypnotic eyes and a killer smile, almost uncanny in its slyness. A man who likes to toy with his prey and use his wit to outsmart any and who dare to trespass his woods. He isn’t mad like the others, no, under his grin, hides someone smarter than everyone in Wonderland.”

Summary: You break the loop and take the Hatter off guard by your boldness, managing to somehow bypass his riddles and games. With all your remaining strength, you run deliriously, where? You don’t know.

All you know is the thousands of signs reading and pointing to an “exit” were taunting you. You couldn’t believe them. Not anymore, you couldn’t believe anyone, or anything in this world. You were not stupid enough to follow those damn signs and so, you go the opposite path. Into the Dark Woods.

Finding yourself even more lost and the last of your sanity crumbling away, the pollen in the air making you feel hazy, you’re startled to hear a voice, “Well, well, well, what a pretty thing has stepped into my woods today. Has no one told you I don’t like trespassers, hm?” Your eyes snap up to a man lounging in the branches above with a wide grin, “Don’t look so scared, I don’t bite too hard.”

Read Here

Taglist: [CLOSED]

@naoristerling @staaaarykids @tremendousphantommiracle @lun4kazumii @lunathewritingcat @ur-mother-realnotclickbait @taehyhunnzly @20crowsinahoodie @baekberrie @syraphyina @fullbodyblankets @soohashits @f4iryfever @themochiverse @atiny-chocolate-chip @nothingwithoutgyu @ethystclove @hancafe @nap-of-a-starr @isa942572 @evn-09 @ninitorih @m3chigo @tenleeluvr-blog @matcha-binz @soobunnymoa @sleepyygyu @nicngyu @vicurious28 @kurokkkiko0 @zyoopioo @noraimp @bvqler @lailols @iiisusy @astridxxxx @kookiesbunny @scrumptiousloser

[bookhousestark]

ARYA STARK APPRECIATION WEEK 2024 ↳ Day 3: Overlooked traits

Natural leader

They rode north, away from the lake, following a rutted farm road across the torn fields and into the woods and streams. Arya took the lead, kicking her stolen horse to a brisk heedless trot until the trees closed in around her. Hot Pie and Gendry followed as best they could. Wolves howled off in the distance, and she could hear Hot Pie's heavy breathing. No one spoke. From time to time Arya glanced over her shoulder, to make sure the two boys had not fallen too far behind, and to see if they were being pursued.

A Storm of Swords, Arya I

Fond of nature

"When we were crossing the Neck, I counted thirty-six flowers I never saw before, and Mycah showed me a lizard-lion."

A Game of Thrones, Sansa I

Merciful

“[…] Do you want the water?" "Aye." The man swallowed. "And the mercy. Please."

When she came back, the archer turned his face up and she poured the water into his mouth. He gulped it down as fast as she could pour, and what he couldn't gulp ran down his cheeks into the brown blood that crusted his whiskers, until pale pink tears dangled from his beard.

A Storm of Swords, Arya XII

Feminist

"The Lannisters are proud," Jon observed. "You'd think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother's House equal in honor to the king's." "The woman is important too!" Arya protested.

A Game of Thrones, Arya I

Empathetic

She thought of Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If she had never asked him to play at swords with her …

A Game of Thrones, Arya II

Left-handed

Arya took her right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. "The left is good. All is reversed, it will make your enemies more awkward.”

A Game of Thrones, Arya II

Learned

It hurt that the one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse. Well, that and manage a household.

A Game of Thrones, Arya I

Observant

"Learn three new things before you come back to us," the kindly man had commanded Cat, when he sent her forth into the city. She always did. Sometimes it was no more than three new words of the Braavosi tongue. Sometimes she brought back sailor's tales, of strange and wondrous happenings from the wide wet world beyond the isles of Braavos, wars and rains of toads and dragons hatching. Sometimes she learned three new japes or three new riddles, or tricks of this trade or the other. And every so often, she would learn some secret.

A Feast For Crows, Cat of The Canals

[twst-drabbles]

Malleus 18

Summary: You show Malleus your form, in exchange for being able to explore his. An equal exchange. You are a danger and a tempter in turn. Malleus could never hate you, no matter how much his body wished for him to run from you.

(I had a lot of fun with this. Please enjoy, my audience!!)

Whenever Malleus looks at you, he always feels as though he's looking at the empty part of the night sky.

You occupy space, and in his vision, you color the world as anyone else does. But when he recalls those moments, when he's just about to go to sleep and dream of older days, Malleus would always remember you, your presence, and the way your very being just seemed to sap the color away.

Perhaps there was something wrong with him, because, as he so heard from wayward whispers and Lilia himself, there wasn't a spark of magic in you. There was nothing in you that would affect his memory. Maybe it was simple boredom or some illness affecting him?

…the feeling didn't fade. He finally met you in the middle of the night, outside a dorm he thought long abandoned.

He felt you more than he saw you. When he went to that dorm, he felt that comforting silence, then it was… well, not ripped away but unveiled? As though one is gently taking off a table cloth to put away. It took some time for Malleus to figure it out to be your eyes. Your attention.

Did you know that people have this odd habit of being quieter at night? They whisper in the dark, lower their voices as though not wanting to disturb anyone, even though there is no one near. People, regardless of their origins, are the slight touch different at night, and Malleus is no exception. At night, he looks not towards people, but towards the wind, to the night sky above, and to the ruins to give him that solitary comfort that's simply deeper at night than during the day.

When he met you, your voice was clear. You were still in your uniform, and there wasn't a hint of grogginess that comes with staying up this late. You didn't look to ground to keep track of your steps despite all lack of light. You walked to him, not with confidence but with a casual gait. Almost lackadaisical, as though there was nothing in the world that can bring you harm, other than death by sheer boredom.

But when he talked to you, exchanged greetings with you with all the manners befitting of him, you had felt human. Before your first words, the strangeness of you almost made Malleus forget himself, he very nearly thought you to be another fae. All his instincts point to you being something other than human, but fae you were certainly not.

And so he had said, What are you? Because, by all means, you appear to me as nothing more than a human being. But, that's not quite correct, is it?

You are, and you aren't. But, if you need a definitive answer, then the answer is ultimately yes, I'm human. At least, for now.

Then, as though some missing piece finally slotted itself into place, Malleus felt small. The moon cast you a normal shadow, but something in Malleus told him that this was wrong. That there should be more, but there wasn't. You wouldn't elaborate further, and he wouldn't give out his name.

As such, he parted.

When he walked away, he couldn't find that lonely comfort again. Sleep did not come to him that night. No matter how he adjusted his curtains, the weight of your gaze simply didn't fade.

There was fear and there was reverence when people would whisper your name. It was a strange feeling for Malleus, certainly. To think that he would find you at the center of it all, when it would normally be him. Strange caution in his gut aside, Malleus never thought your reputation would elevate itself to something infamous within this college.

Oh course, what choice did he have other than to bring it up? A wondrous topic to discuss, no? And besides, while there was this itch settling in the back of his head, it was easy enough to ignore. After all, you are a new… companion. Not quite friend, but companion.

It seems you have many of these students on edge. Mind telling me your tales? If you have any to share, that is.

There wasn't a twitch to your face, your smile ever serene, ever stable. A rarely changing thing.

Should I tell you, or should I show you?

Oh my.

Perhaps it was simply the secret veil of night, or the weight of which you place in your tone, but there was a slight thrill that went up the back of his neck. It made his scalp tingle, even.

But, at the time, he said no. A part of him wasn't quite ready yet. And, quite frankly, he didn't wish to set himself up for disappointment. But, he will admit…

There was an overblot that I took care of. It seemed I scared quite the number of people. I save them, and I damned them in turn.

Your vagueness left him wanting more. But there is this unspoken deal you both have. So long as he refuses to give out his identity, you, in turn, will only give the barest of details. He cannot make demands of you, so long as this stands.

And so all he can do is dream and wait for the next night to come.

I find comfort in you, you know?

Another night, another series of topics, with mostly Malleus recounting a particular set of ruins with the most exquisite set of gargoyles he's ever seen. Highly likely enchanted by someone to weather the natural forces of nature. How could he not talk about the clear love put into them?

Words clogged his throat. Comfort. How… warm, that tone of yours was. How fond that smile of yours was. The constant weight of your gaze turned just the slightest bit lighter.

There was only a glimpse.

A cold had broke past the natural protections of his clothing and poisonous magic, and settled deep inside his marrow. His blood rushed through his body too loudly, and the colors surrounded his view dimmed, warped, and ripped.

There was the sound of broken glass, a hiss that shot through his head and left behind a horrid headache.

Malleus pushed on, because if nothing else, his magic is more than enough to take care of anything. It was his crown, his birthright.

There was only a glimpse, and that was enough for his vision to be cut in half. Night, from a pinprick, cut out part of your back. It followed a jagged path, expanding fast past the limits of your human body, consuming the space around you as though fungus upon wet wood.

It didn't matter that it was air, all it wanted to do was consume. Consume the air, consume your body, consume the sky, and consume the mirrors.

The sounds around him rushed to you, as though unable to resist your pull, leaving behind only the mess of static in his ears.

There was only you, pulsing in the vague shape of a human being, all in swirling colors, near nauseating colors.

Malleus blinked, and all was well. Everything had settled. The students slowly got up from the floor, nursing injuries and headaches alike, but happy to be alive. And you… were untouched. Clothes not so much as wrinkled.

And when it was over, when the conversations upon the stage of VDC had settled down, Malleus turned to you and said.

Show me. When night comes for us once more, show me.

You smiled and laughed.

Of course, Malleus Draconia.

"Come on," you chuckled against his skin, breathe brushing against the little hairs on his neck, standing them on end, "aren't you supposed to be royalty? Isn't patience something you ought to have?"

"Even you--" Malleus cut off with a hiss when you wrapped your tendrils tighter around the base of his tail, lovingly stroking the side scales with your palms. Firm, your tendrils are firm as they slide and take in every little crevice in his scales. Firm, and like fluid at the same time without leaving behind residue. "Even you have to understand that I have limits. Must I keep my eyes closed?"

Your touch practically sparks his skin, and his every instinct is warning him to open his eyes and spot the danger. The stiffness in his spine tells him he's about to fall and land on the ground. All while swimming in the vast muteness of his suppressed magic.

We can't have any accidents, now can we?

"You hear that fuzziness in your ears?" you traced his neck as white noise buzzed, both far away, yet blanketing him as though a bubble, "The way I sound as though I exist in all spaces, and the way I speak as though I'm coming from your heart? Don't open your eyes, Malleus. Otherwise, you might dissolve into me."

Dissolve, in the same way your back drew in all those colors, and mixed it into yourself, became a part of yourself for a small moment. Malleus wishes to see it, even though his body broke out in a sweat at what might happen.

"Is that," he swallowed, "such a horrible thing? Didn't you say you would show me?"

"Does showing mean you have to witness with your eyes?" A tendril wrapped over his ankle and slipped through the leg opening. You caressed the back of his knee, and Malleus's fingers broke through the wood of the wall behind him. "Careful there. I'm showing you, through all your other senses other than sight."

"Other senses?" Malleus managed to breathe out, "then… what of taste?"

You overwhelm his touch with electric touches, fill his smell with the scent of you, and play his hearing. What of taste? Will he regret this? Well, it doesn't matter. Malleus is curious and he has no intention of curbing it.

"Oh, aren't you a sweetheart?" Your voice was concentrated to a single point, right over his left ear. "Well then, lift your head up, dear prince."

There was an ever-shifting noise beneath the static, like flesh constantly adjusting itself, like blood flowing and popping it's large bubbles.

"How bold of you, making demands of me like this, knowing full well who I am." There was no hatred in his tone, only heated amusement. Malleus lifted his chin, and he almost curled into himself when you pressed your lips against his. You were gentle, almost painfully so as though you were guiding him. You had almost your entire being tied up around him, and you're kissing him as though he's nothing more than faint-hearted fae.

And that makes his fingers curl deeper into the wall of your dorm.

"How," that was close, Malleus's voice almost pitched. How unbecoming of someone such as him, "How cruel of you, to kiss me as though I'm fragile glass."

"Because I know that would affect you most. You know how I am." You chuckled against his lips, stroking his neck in such a way he had no choice but to relax back into them. "Again?" you asked.

He licked his dry lips and answered, "Again. This small taste isn't enough."

"Alright, be careful not to destroy my wall, alright?" you swiped a thumb over his lips, practically hearing the widening smile on your face.

"I'll be more care--" You silence him with the blissful magic of a kiss, tenderly moving against him, coaxing him to relax into a shivering pile of scales. You pulled back and Malleus was ashamed in how desperate he was when he chased after you. "Wait--"

You tilted his chin and stole his breathe once again, fingers slipping past his collar, tendrils wrapping up higher and higher until they're poking at the scales on his thighs. You trailed a hand over his shoulder, down his arm, and guided his fingers to lock with your own.

"Is this better?" You asked, pulling away from his surely reddened lips.

"Y-yes." Malleus tightly clung to your fingers.

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirate’s Promise

Lost and Found: A Pirate’s Promise

A/N: Hi!! This is my first fanfiction ever, and I'm super excited to share it with all of you! I've always loved fanfictions that span across multiple parts because they give so much room for character development and suspense. As a massive One Piece fan, I hope you all enjoy this series as much as I will enjoy writing it!

For this series, we'll start off in the Pre-Time Skip era, specifically during the Sabaody Archipelago arc. Y/N is an established pirate and a formidable warrior, with the third highest bounty in the Straw Hat crew. She's not just another member; her strength and skills have earned her a respected spot among the crew.

Sanji, our favorite lovesick cook, falls head over heels for Y/N almost immediately. True to his nature, he tries every trick in the book to catch her attention, from cooking her favorite meals to showering her with compliments. On the other hand, Y/N may have a small crush on Sanji, but she’s cautious and focused on her goals as a pirate.

As the story progresses, that small crush gradually blossoms into something more profound, but their journey together won't be easy. With the chaos of the New World looming, the dangers they face will test their bond and loyalty to each other. Will their love be strong enough to survive the trials ahead, or will the perils of their pirate life tear them apart?

Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster filled with angst, action, and a dash of romance. I'm thrilled to take you on this adventure with Y/N, Sanji, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew!

A/N: some parts may be changed to fit the story, but others will remain the same. For instance, instead of eleven supernovas it will be twelve. 

Word Count: 2.3k

Sanji x Y/N, OP x Y/N ,

Chapter 1: Desperate Measures: Saving a Friend 

  Having arrived at Sabaody Archipelago with your crew, along with Hatchan, Camie, and Pappag, the vibrant and bustling island immediately overwhelms your senses. The bright, multicolored bubbles floating through the air, the mix of strange and diverse people, and the looming presence of the massive mangrove trees create an atmosphere both wondrous and ominous. You can't help but feel a mix of excitement and unease—Sabaody is a place of both opportunity and danger.

  Luffy, your captain, couldn’t wait any longer to get off the ship and explore. With his usual boundless energy, he leaped from the Sunny, already imagining the adventures that awaited him on Sabaody Archipelago. You remember the day he first asked you to join his crew. It was after a particularly intense battle where your fighting skills had caught his eye. He admired your strength, your resilience, and the way you stood your ground even in the face of overwhelming odds. Luffy, always the one to follow his instincts, had approached you with that wide, infectious grin and simply said, “Join my crew!”

At first, you were taken aback by his straightforwardness, but there was something about Luffy—his unwavering belief in his dreams, his ability to inspire those around him, and the way he saw potential in everyone—that made you consider his offer. He didn’t just see you as a warrior; he saw you as someone who could help him achieve his goal of becoming King of the Pirates. And so, after a moment of thought, you agreed, finding yourself swept up in the Straw Hats' chaotic yet oddly comforting world.

  As Luffy heads down with Chopper, Zoro, is scanning the area to see if there are any threats nearby. “Sense anything Zoro?” you say as you begin to step out of the sunny. “Zoro glances around, his eyes sharp and focused, before shaking his head slightly. "Not at the moment," he replies, keeping his voice low. “Hey Mosshead, back off of Y/N, she doesn’t need you clinging on to her,” Sanji snaps, stepping in between you and Zoro, his eyes narrowing at the swordsman.

Zoro glares back, “Who’s clinging, you curly-browed idiot? I’m just making sure there’s no trouble.”

Before the argument can escalate further, Nami steps in, her hands on her hips. “Enough, both of you. Sanji, you’ll stay behind to guard the treasure along with Usopp. Franky, you’re staying on the ship too—just in case we need to make a quick getaway.”

Sanji’s expression immediately softens, his usual heart eyes appearing as he turns to Nami. “Of course, my love, anything for you!” he says with a dreamy sigh. Then, as if remembering his role as the lovesick cook, he pulls out a single rose, handing it to you with a flourish. “Y/N, keep this with you on your journey, so you won’t forget about me.”

You take the rose, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “How could I forget about you, Sanji? I’ll be sure to keep it close.”

Sanji’s heart skips a beat as you flirt back, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Though he’s always been bold with his affection, there’s something about the way you respond that makes his heart race a little faster. You’ve always admired Sanji’s charm and his relentless dedication to those he cares about, and in moments like this, it’s hard not to let your own small crush on him slip through.

  As you all disembark the ship, Hatchan begins to explain that he knows someone who can coat the ship for your journey to the next destination, Fishman Island. Camie and Pappag act as your guides, showing you around. Nami and Robin decide to head out for some shopping.

“You sure you don’t want to tag along?” Nami asks.

“Yeah, we could have our own mini girls’ day,” Robin adds with a smile.

Shaking your head with a smile, you reply, “No, that’s alright, you two go on ahead. I’ve got to make sure these guys”—you gesture towards the remaining group—“don’t wind up in too much trouble.”

“I’ll be sure to get you something!” Nami calls out as she and Robin head off to the stores.

“Well, Zoro, looks like you and I will be taking care of…”

“Zoro??”

“Damn, did he just leave?” You sigh and make your way back to your group.

 Meanwhile, back on the Sunny…

“Sanji, you gotta relax, buddy. Nami, Robin, Camie, and Y/N are safe and fine,” says Franky, trying to calm Sanji down.

Sanji exhales a cloud of smoke from his cigarette, his eyes still filled with concern. “Yeah, I know,” he mutters, “but I can’t help worrying about them. Especially Y/N… she’s always getting into trouble, and I can’t help but think I should be there to protect her.”

Franky gives him a reassuring pat on the back. “You’re on guard duty here, remember? We’ve got to keep the ship safe.”

Sanji’s gaze softens as he looks at the rose he’s tucked away for Y/N. “I just wish I could be there with her… make sure she knows how much she means to me.”

“Don’t worry, Sanji,” Franky chuckles. “They’re in good hands with you watching over the ship. And besides, you’ve got your own way of showing you care. That rose will do wonders.”

Sanji nods, taking a deep breath and letting his worry slowly fade. “You’re right. I’ll keep an eye out and make sure the ship stays in one piece. Just hope she gets my message.”

He glances at the rose again, a small smile appearing on his face as he tries to refocus on his duties.

  Back in Sabaody… 

 After witnessing the cruelty of the nobles, a shiver ran down your spine as the unsettling images replayed in your mind. You couldn't shake the feeling of anger and disgust.

“Those bastards, no one should be treated like that,” Luffy says, his voice filled with rage. “I don’t care if you’re a noble or not.”

“It’s truly a horrifying sight to see,” Brooke agrees, his usual calm demeanor marred by the gravity of the situation. He and Chopper hurry to catch up with you and Luffy.

“Luffy, remember we promised Hatchan we’d lay low for a bit,” you remind him, trying to steady your own emotions. “As much as I want to strike back, we can’t risk it. We have to stay out of trouble for now.”

Just then, you’re ambushed by a group of bounty hunters who had been lying in wait. One of them, a scruffy man with a leering grin, points at you with wide eyes. “Hey! You’re Y/N, the one with the $115,000,000 Berry bounty. You’re one of the Supernovas!”

“Supernovas?, what are they talking about?” you say in a hushed tone. 

Before they can react, you draw your blades with swift precision. The air around you crackles with energy as you unleash a flurry of strikes, each move perfectly calculated to disarm and incapacitate your attackers. Your combat skills, honed through countless battles, shine as you take them down one by one.

Luffy watches in awe, a grin slowly spreading across his face as he sees you effortlessly dispatch the bounty hunters. “Nice work, Y/N!” he cheers.

Brooke and Chopper finally catch up, their eyes wide at the sight of the defeated hunters. “Looks like we’ve got some unwanted attention,” Brooke observes. “But impressive as always.”

Smiling as you sheathe your blades, your breath steady despite the adrenaline coursing through you. “We need to stay sharp. Let’s get moving before more of them show up.” 

  Finally, after a bit of traveling, they reach Grove 13 and a bar where the coating engineer is said to stay. Upon entering, they are greeted by Shakky, the bar’s owner. A former pirate and friend of Hatchan, Shakky introduces herself with a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you all," Shakky says. "I've heard quite a bit about the Straw Hats.”

The group exchanges pleasantries before asking about the engineer, Rayleigh. Shakky informs them that Rayleigh hasn’t been seen for a while, though he hasn’t left the island. He’s been wandering the bars and casinos for the past six months.

"Well, if Rayleigh’s been missing for that long, we might have to search for him ourselves," Luffy says.

Shakky nods. “Be careful. Since your arrival, there are now twelve rookie pirates with bounties over 100,000,000 berri who’ve reached the Red Line. Luffy, you're second highest among them.”

As the group absorbs this, Shakky explains that most of the Supernovas are staying in Grove 24. She describes some of them: Capone "Gang" Bege, the mafia-type pirate with a bounty of 138,000,000 berri, Jewelry Bonney, with a bounty of 140,000,000 Berri, Basil Hawkins, known as "The Magician" with a 249,000,000 bounty. In another part of the grove, Eustass "Captain" Kid (315,000,000) and Scratchmen Apoo (198,000,000)

In Grove 21, "The Mad Monk" Urouge (108,000,000) and "Massacre Soldier" Killer (162,000,000) next is "Red Flag" X Drake (222,000,000), a former Marine Rear Admiral, and Trafalgar Law (200,000,000), the last of the rookies. Shakky hands you the wanted posters and you note with a small smile that you and Zoro are also among the Supernovas. You’re listed with a bounty of 115,000,000, and Zoro with 120,000,000. 

As you glance at the wanted posters of the Supernovas, you mutter with a playful grin, “Wow, Killer, Eustass Kidd, and Law… they’ve got something uniquely captivating about them. They look kind of cute.”

Brooke, catching your comment, bursts out with a cheerful, “Yoohoo! Looks like Sanji’s got some competition!”

You chuckle and tease, “Oh, definitely. Killer’s dangerous allure, Kidd’s raw intensity, and Law’s cool confidence—they each have a certain edge that’s hard to ignore.”

Leaning in closer, you let your voice drop with a sultry edge, “It’s not just their looks. There’s something about their vibe that’s a little… irresistible. Makes me wonder how they’d be in person.”

Brooke's jawbone clinks with his laughter. “Well, I can’t say I blame you. A little competition always spices things up, doesn’t it?”

You wink playfully. “Exactly. It’s all about the thrill of the chase. But for now, let’s see what these Supernovas are really like. Who knows, maybe they’ll be even more intriguing up close.”

Brooke’s grin remains, his eye sockets gleaming with amusement. “I’m sure they will be. But remember, Sanji’s keeping a close eye on you. Don’t let him get too worked up!”

You laugh, the mischief in your eyes sparkling. “Don’t worry. A bit of competition never hurt anyone. It just makes everything more exciting.”

With that,the group heads out to find Rayleigh, the playful tension lingering in the air. 

   As the group sets out to find Rayleigh, Luffy suggests a visit to Sabaody Park to enjoy the day. Camie, brimming with excitement, eagerly tells you about the park’s significance and her past visits. You walk side by side with her, absorbing the vibrant atmosphere of the park and the joyful energy of the rides.

As you and Camie sit on a bench in Sabaody Park, catching your breath from the excitement of the rides, you both share a contented sigh.

"This place is amazing," Camie says with a smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. "I wish I could have experienced it like this more often. It’s so much fun!"

You nod, enjoying the moment. “I’m glad we could have this day. It’s been a blast.”

Just as you’re about to take another bite of your snack, a shadow looms over you. Before you can react, someone covers your mouth with a cloth, and another pair of hands grabs Camie. You both struggle, but the suddenness of it leaves you disoriented.

Through the fabric muffling your cries, you hear Camie's muffled voice. “Mmmph! What’s happening? Let us go!”

You try to yell out, but the cloth over your mouth stifles your words. Panicking, you reach for Camie’s hand, and you feel her trembling. The sound of ropes tightening around your wrists and ankles is followed by the heavy thud of sacks being pulled over you.

You catch a glimpse of Camie’s frightened eyes as she is shoved into a sack next to you. Through the layers of fabric, you try to comfort her.

“It’s going to be okay, Camie,” you whisper as best as you can through the gag, though it comes out as a muffled sound. “We just need to stay calm.”

You can hear the muffled sounds of Camie’s sobs from the sack next to you. The kidnappers’ harsh voices are distant but clear enough to make out their cruel intentions.

One of them grumbles, “They’re going to make a fine addition to the auction. The buyers will love them.”

The words send a shiver down your spine. The realization of being taken to be auctioned as slaves hits hard, but you try to remain composed for Camie’s sake. You shift slightly in the sack, trying to offer some comfort with your presence despite the dire situation.

In the oppressive darkness and confined space, all you can do is hope that your crew will find you in time before it’s too late.

.

.

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OMGGGG, what do you guys think??? This one was long! But it'll be all worth it! Next chapter is going to be a good one that you don't want to miss. Currently writing it as we speak! Welcome to my page and I can't wait for you guys to read what I have in store! 

[serenescribe]

another ficlet idea: lilia and silver bonding together in the secret garden au \o/ are they playing a game? chatting together? ill leave that one up to you!

[✐] ficlet frenzy

“Regardless of whether you may be ready or not… here I come, little one!”

He stifles a giggle by pressing his palm against his lips, back pressed against the rough expanse of bark and moss. Silver is hiding, nestled behind a particularly ancient tree with roots so monstrously large that they tangle together into dips and crannies he can hide within. He can feel his heart thumping in his chest, the adrenaline of the game seizing hold of him, but there is no real fear there, only anticipation.

It is yet another day in this secret, wonderful garden he stumbled upon in the woods. His refuge, his little paradise away from the orphanage. It isn’t as though he hates it there; his friends are nice, and he loves to play with them, and some of the adults are kind enough to sneak him a few extra treats, or a gift or two. But here, tucked away within the rounded stone walls of a secret garden, is something special — an earthly paradise of the most beautiful flora and fauna, and a friend who smiles at him and plays with him — all his, all for Silver alone.

They’re playing hide and seek again. They’ve played it many times before. But no matter how many times they do it, there’s always somewhere new to hide. Silver always discovers new spots to tuck his tiny body away in, peering out from the wispy leaves of the trees, or ducking his head as his friend peers through a crack in a wall that he’s hiding within. In this little garden, this special place, there is always something new — and can anyone really blame Silver for wanting to come here again and again, whisking himself away into a wondrous world of his fantasies made real?

He holds his breath, eyes wide as he hears a faint thumping of footsteps go by. He must’ve gotten distracted; is his friend close by?

Silver’s friend is… how can he describe him? He doesn’t have a name for him, always referring to him as mister, but he is kind to him, always welcoming him in with a fang-toothed smile, his long black-and-red hair swaying behind him in gentle breezes of springtime wind. He presses sweet treats into Silver’s hands, swings him around merrily into a dance, and plays game after game with him before they collapse into rambling chatters of anything and everything that’s on Silver’s mind.

Silver loves his friend. He really does!

And yet, there is a line he dares not cross.

Beware of the faeries, the adults have always told them. Those of the orphanage are more superstitious than most, having experienced strange activity in the woods time and time again in spite of the modern era they all live in. For as long as Silver can remember, he has been taught painstakingly about how to deal with strange, beautiful people, those who wish to lure him away. Be polite to them, reject their food, and above all else, do not give away your name.

It’s the reason why his friend calls him child and little one, affectionately referring to him as dear. It’s the reason Silver carefully puts aside the ripe fruits and sugary treats he receives, always claiming that he isn’t hungry, and always making sure to eat before he comes so he isn’t telling a lie.

And yet, in spite of all the dangers, he keeps coming back.

“Found you!”

He squeaks as a shadow falls over him, two glinting red eyes peering down at him. His friend grins cheekily, before reaching down to scoop Silver up, lithe limbs betraying a supernatural sort of strength. “What a devious hiding spot,” he teases, “to take advantage of your small statue and hide amidst the roots of the trees! You grow better at this every day, dear.”

Silver squirms slightly, though he leans into the hold soon enough. His friend smells nice, like fresh forest pines and sweet fruits mingling together into something that clings to his nose. Everything about him just brings such an ease to Silver, a happiness he could have never possibly dreamt of.

(And yet, he still hesitates. He still notices the unnatural swiftness of his friend’s movements, the otherworldly beauty that drapes off of him, the way the garden seems to shift day after day, growing and twisting at an otherwise impossible pace.

There is a tinge of iron that clings to his scent.

Silver is happy here. He is safe. But—)

“You must be thirsty after all that hiding.” He feels himself being placed down onto a soft patch of grass. Silver watches as his friend pulls out an elegant little leaf cup out of nowhere, filled with something glistening and shimmering, with a scent that makes his mouth water. “Why not quench your thirst, hm?”

(Does he trust his friend?)

Silver blinks at the drink offered to him.

And then he smiles.

“Thank you for the offer, but… it’s alright!”

[evolutionsvoid]

Tasked with preserving knowledge, the Scholars of the Black are always on the search for new and improved ways to keep centuries worth of information safe and accessible. While Black Bile crystals seem like the perfect solution, there is more to it than simply dumping in the data and moving on. How much information they can store and how long they can last all depends on their purity and structure. Despite what some may believe, not all humors are created equal, and some types of Black Bile are better suited for this job than others. While the Towering Archives have done well in creating new crystalline shards and slabs that can contain a vast array of knowledge, it is still far from perfect. In search for the theoretical "Microcosmic Star," the Scholars need just the right Black Bile to make it work, or perhaps even a combination of different types. Thus, teams of Scholars were sent out into the world in search of Black Bile sources or new ways to store information. Such expeditions occurred before the war broke out, but they still continue to this day, because now the task of preservation is needed more than ever before. Thus, Scholar teams search far in wide for the answer to this problem, but unfortunately, sometimes such searching reveals things best left hidden...

From what folks can piece together, a research team of Scholars from Akavedah were on the hunt for pure veins of Black Bile, and had come across a hidden cave system out in the wilds. Seeing little evidence of other people around, they had hopes that perhaps the resources within these deep cavities were still undisturbed. They plunged into these dark tunnels and arteries, daring to go as far down as they could in search of promising Black Bile. What can be seen from environmental clues, it looks like they faced many obstacles and sealed tunnels, but used their equipment to break through these barriers. It appeared that they entered a previously isolated area, which was quite promising to them. And deep within these subterranean cavities, they found their prize. Wondrous crystals of Black Bile! In such sizes and quantities! From found notes, this strain of Black Bile crystal was entirely new to them, and thus had unknown potential within. The Scholars were quick to set up camp and begin experiments and excavation of this incredible prize. However, these plans would never come to fruition and neither the crystals or Scholars themselves would ever make it to the surface.

When no word was heard back from this team, scouts were sent to where they were last sighted, hoping to find clues to their disappearance. Their search of the area would lead them down the same path, eventually discovering the camp deep below. However, the place was an utter mess, as if they had been attacked. Their notes torn and scattered, their equipment knocked over and smashed, and their tents reduced to rags. No sign of the Scholars were found, but the scouts wondered if more evidence could be dug up closer to the crystal chamber. Before they could continue their search, sounds in the darkness were heard. At first they thought it some cave beast, but the strange noises had a strange pattern and familiarity to them. Like crazed hooting and aggressive grunts, something that felt more fitting to man than beast.

Before they knew it, the source of the noise was upon them, and the team was attacked. With little light down below and the chaos born from the battle, they only caught mere glimpses of their attackers and their weapons. Of the survivors who made it back to the surface, they spoke of strange humanoids of a short stature. Like half the size of the average man, but skin gray as stone and bizarre crystals jutting from it. Their faces were obscured by chunks of crystal, be it a helmet or perhaps even replacing their entire head. The weapons that were flung at them were carved from crystal but incredibly crude. Clubs and spears made from this prized Black Bile and wielded in a savage manner. Magic was thrown their way as well, with shards of Black Bile flying through the air. Yet, this sort of magic was sloppy and amateur, only slightly better than chucking crystal pieces with your bare hands. Despite their size and simple tools, the scouts were hopelessly outnumbered and out of their element. Quite a few fell to these strange entities, with only a handful making it to the surface alive. Though they themselves could hardly describe what had happened, the abandoned notes they had found in the camp had survived as well, and from these pages they began to understand what was down there.

At first, the idea was that this was some nest of troglodytes that the Scholars had the misfortune of disturbing. Perhaps they lived off these crystals and saw these researchers as a threat to their home and resources. Yet, when the notes were organized in the proper order and pieced back together, a different picture started to appear. Despite the team seemingly spending weeks down below, they never made mention of other creatures or possible threats. No strange noises or unexplained phenomenon. They were going about their research undisturbed, trying to learn more about these crystals. Though the Scholars themselves made no note of anything amiss, those reading these remaining notes noticed something odd. As the days went by, the penmanship of these writings slowly began to degrade. It wasn't anything major at first, some sloppy letters and sloped lines, but then misspellings and poor grammar started to emerge. For Scholars who pride themselves in logic and research, such crude writing was quite strange. As they got to the last few pages, the writing turned to scrawls and smears, like a baby given ink and paper to play with. The phenomenon was baffling. Some suspected gas being present in the cavity that slowly poisoned them, others thought that these messy pages were written by their primitive attackers. The evidence and notes were gone through again and again, looking for any clues to answer this mystery. And that is when they figured it out.

As the research was going down, and the Scholars were writing updates of their progress, one writer made note of how well the Black Bile crystals took in knowledge. They were excited at this, as it showed promise for a strain that could hold even more information than current types, but as others followed this thread, the realization became disturbingly clear. Many mentions of how "eager" the crystals were to absorb data, and how the Scholars were becoming more and more obsessed with this find. It was through these notes the team realized the truth of it all: the strange Black Bile crystals weren't just storing knowledge, but stealing it as well. For whatever reason, their structure and strain was capable of drawing in information from all around them, and it seemed they could even pull it straight from the mind. The degrading writing wasn't because of gas, but because the intellect of these men and women was being sucked right out of them. As long as they were in close proximity to these bizarre crystals, their minds would be drained by its thieving absorption. And with this in mind, they looked back on the tale of the attack on the scouts and what they saw, and the grim truth was at last revealed. The strange shrunken creatures that besieged the scouts were what remained of the once proud Scholars who had made camp there.

From what can be deduced from the information at hand, it would seem that the Black Bile crystals down there had fed upon their minds and slowly reduced them to a primitive state. All higher thought and memory was sucked away, leaving them more akin to beast than modern man. The hooting and hollering of them, born from tongues that were robbed of their words. Their diminutive forms coming to be as the parasitic crystals stole more and more, reverting both mental and physical states. What remained of these victims was primitive and malleable, coming to worship the crystals that they no longer could understand. And so a small crude cult was born in the darkness, of those who have been consumed by the crystals. They wear it, wield it, worship it. And now they remain forever in the darkness, dancing and praying to the very parasites that stole their minds from them. They serve it and protect it, thus their aggression towards the scouts. Or perhaps they are unable to conceive of anything else that isn't them, and thus see all creatures as alien and hostile.

With this knowledge of their fate, some have demanded that a team be sent town to destroy these crystals and free these lost scholars. However, such wants were quickly squashed once the war broke out and resources were diverted elsewhere. What use is there to fighting a buried clan of mindless creatures, who have no intention of leaving their home? Why bother when greater threats bang upon our gates? However, some say that there is a dash of fear to these excuses, as many are terrified of losing themselves to these very same crystals. That, and the mentions from the survivors who claimed to have heard something else within those tunnels. Something far larger than those shrunken Scholars...

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

"The Lost Scholars"

[rise-my-angel]

Heart of the Great Wolf

49 - Through the Frost Fangs

Pairing: Jon Snow x F!Baratheon!Reader, Robb Stark x F!Baratheon!Reader (Past)

Length: 19.3k

Warnings: angst/hurt comfort, disturbing imagery, motifs of death, suicidal ideation, non consensual vouyerism, smut, oral (m and f receiving), p in v

Notes: Slight time jump from the end of the previous chapter. Previous Chapter Here, Series Masterlist Here

The nature of where you had grown up would normally have removed much ability to be both in awe and terrified of such sights. The dark, jagged, black cliffs all around Dragonstone that were impenetrable. Climbing straight up one you may reach the top, but exhaustion would set in far before you could safely bring yourself down the other side, and nowhere was there to stop. Nothing of the rocks acting as a border, hiding your girlhood home away from prying eyes was anywhere you could stop or rest. Only high winds and sharp edges no matter which way one turned.

The woods between the villages and the castle were lined with what you described as death. Dark, muted colours. Trees with rotting leaves and others barren their entire existence, all sitting stop what you'd hardly call grass. Leaves and plants as if painted with dirt and mud and dried in the little sun which would ever shine down on the woods as a whole. Always blocking from one end or the other was the volcano of Dragonmont. From there it was why a fog always made the distance impossible to see far into, and the air was heavy with the smell of brimstone and sulphur every gasp. Always smoking from the top and filtered down across the bay which was the only entrance to the castle where one did not have to sail miles down and cross said forest from the harbour at the villages.

The castle covered in statues of dragons, scorpions, griffons, and creatures which looked neither natural nor recognizable. Your tutor which taught you High Valyrian had called them Chimeras. Said that ancient Valyrians would toss animals and slaves into the fiery depths of the Fourteen Flames to mix with blood magic, and it could create new animals which roamed their lands even after it's doom. You recalled reading that it was in those volcanoes that they found the first dragons, asking him if that means they created dragons as well and you for years could not forget that he did not have an answer to that. The strangeness of your home was a shadowing echo of a land long destroyed by forces none understood.

But this was the opposite. The sights around as you carefully watched each of your footing the rougher the terrain got, nothing of the same and in some respects, a sight which paled in comparison. Yet it was the sight that terrified for not the same reasons as your home, and it was what you considered the kind of beauty that Valyrians wrongly thought their twisted, dark, fiery hellscape of a home was like.

The lands around the Frost Fangs were more empty then any you'd passed to get here, but they were somehow the ones you couldn't take your eyes off of the most. The only real place in this world where such otherworldly beauty existed was not in a people, or family or remains lost in a doomed land.

If beauty could only exist in one person or place, it belonged to the North.

Divided into two separate manners, the beauty existed as long as the sun stood tall in the sky. The lands you walked and climbed on only made of stone and ice, everything was dipped within a paint of blue and grey but the paths twisted and turned in such manners that it stretched beyond what you could see of any direction. The mountain peaks you existed beside every moment were tall to the point your could not lean you neck back enough nor squint to see the very top of the snow capped edges where in strong bouts of wind, misty snow blew down across the rest of the paths like rain did a ship on open water.

But each path you saw always led to something wondrous and new. The unique lands of your home were nothing, they led to a dark, tall volcano and death around it thick and empty of life. Here though, while life was sparse in what could survive, it was rich in everything else. Some paths contained the traces of water which rushed over stone cliffs, some splashed loud as you knew such a sound well, others were frozen in place. Each drop of water maintained in place for you knew not how long as it pooled out into a great lake. Again, some held it's water still and others froze over so smooth the ice acted as a reflection of the mountain peaks around it.

Some days you had come across great crevasses. Sunk so deep into the ground the ends were pitch black and the only path safe across it was to take the long way and seek where it ended, and cross only there. In the sun, whenever you were higher up it was bright and blue and clear unlike the grey of clouds in the rest of the snowy lands here.

The terrain was not forgiving, but it was a feast for your eyes in ways your stomach did not get so far North. Wildlife existed, but you did not understand how the cave dwellers of the Free Folk could live their entire lives here. Hunting for food must have been the only true task they did all day to feed as many of them lived between two clans. There was only three of you, and food was still such an important aspect of each planned day.

Plants were easy, every clearing you could come across a valley of a frozen meadow which held things safe to eat and easy to make into something else on hand. Wildflowers, coldsnaps, frostfires and the much more bitter piper's grass. Jon and yourself had to some days, get creative, but it did not impede on your time together the days food ran more scarce. It only served to remind one another that as long as you worked together, you had made it each and every day without having to endure nothing to sustain you all.

Ghost had it easier, his mighty size meant any wildlife when he caught his hunger held no chance. Jon and yourself were not put off by the fact that the largest portion of any fresh meat went to the direwolf, he was much in need of all his strength. Ghost and Jon themselves had their own harmony of planning.

Jon plotted the paths, routes, lengths of days and where to detour for resources and remained firmly at your side most of the time. Ghost when the path seemed too steep for him to climb, would run forth to seek out another. Many times, above you two, the direwolf's head would peak out from behind a cliff side as you and Jon would then begun to follow where Ghost had found his way. Other times if it was on level enough ground and the side more of a hill then mountain cliff, you and Jon would simply take time to climb and join much faster.

It was not common, not now. The three of you were not fooled as to why. In a way, it was obvious and it also was difficult to see. In the days, the sheepskin and fur covering both of you looked identical and not much could give hint to anything underneath in passing glimpses, but without anything on the sight was much more clear. But it wasn't quite enough to balance the warmth Jon felt seeing the bump in your womb grow, when you both knew, it wasn't truly enough.

You accepted it already, food was not plentiful out here and you would not gain the same as all other highborn women carrying a child would be able too. Everyday you would go until you could no longer hide your exhaustion from Jon, and you both knew that there was not the freedom to give you as much food as you should be having. You couldn't have a bigger share then split even equal, Jon needed every ounce of strength for your growing lack of easy dexterity and resilience.

And yet you still refused to trade this for any food, even if the old gods descended from the skies themselves. You were still healthy, and so was the child inside of you. It was all you could, or would ask for. You knew the weight you needed to put on wasn't enough, because you had reached this stage before. In one week, you would be five months. The last you were five months pregnant, was when you were butchered.

With nothing on, you looked as many women did at three or four months. It was not a bad sign, not yet. Some women did not ever look much in the way of pregnant by the time they are on the birthing bed, and their babies were healthy and fully developed in every way. You felt exhausted and hungry, but never ill or out of place. You felt strong carrying this time, and even though you had yet to tell Jon, you had a sign much earlier this pregnancy that his child was healthy then you did when it was Robbs son you carried.

Jon and Ghost had gone ahead, keeping you in a flat terrain of land shielded from the bitter cold as they made sure the path was safe to go through after such a storm filled the night before. You were leaning against the edge of the cliff side, eyes closed as it to seek one last bit of relaxation in lieu of returning to sleep when you felt it.

For everything Robb was, it was clear his son had a sweet side. Gentle and unobtrusive right at the end of your only time with him, small kicks as if merely to gain his mothers attention, and would only increase when Robb would run his hand over your stomach. Then a little more rambunctious when he heard the warm sounds of his fathers laugh. Little Ned was patient for his turn in the world, only ever giving enough of a push to remind his parents he was in there.

Jons child though, was a wolf. Not even a shred of doubt, the sweet side of Robb that his son had inherited was not the same kind of ask for attention that Jons child demanded. They wanted their mother to know they are in there, that despite the harsh conditions you are still in this together but did so with all of the same grace Jons temper could flare up with.

Until you rose the fur over you up enough to bite your glove off and run it along gently, as if avoiding where the scar was, Jons child kicked until they found where inside of you met with the hand resting outside. Your eyes grew wide and genuinely you laughed, which only caused them to kick more. Still so small at this stage but had they the ability to growl you had no doubt they would've.

They had eased by the time Jon and Ghost returned, almost as if you wondered, to keep you company. To ensure you were not alone out here. It was so odd to think, but as you had seen Jons figure returning in the distance you wondered if this was what Lyanna Stark had spent months experiencing.

Alone and trapped and unable to be home where she belonged, all she had was Jon. You wondered if that helped her bond to him. The way this time around, you already felt Jons child hold so much personality in such small interactions in your womb, was that what it was like for her? You had Jon, but his mother was alone when pregnant with him.

Was it within the blood running through their veins, which begged for their mothers to not feel abandoned in such places where that feeling could over power you? But, by the time he returned to you that morning, you had readjusted everything. His child had settled once you were no longer alone and you both had another long day ahead. You didn't want to distract Jon with this new development just yet.

The focus however, did not mean you two did not find endless manners to pick the others brain, or things to tease each other, or just you about. Which was what Jon had found his own entertainment in one afternoon. “Just one sentence is all I'm asking.”

If you were not pregnant, you'd had dashed up ahead of him to avoid this conversation. But a playful roll of your eyes came about instead. “I've never known you to need to hear a thing twice.” Like clockwork, one of your hands reached up to grasp at a more sold rock edge to give you leverage to climb up and over some steeper stair like formations, Jon at the same instance wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you with such strong ease to stand more flat on your feet instead of having you waver once on firm ground again.

The audacity in the passive casual tone in his voice. “Maybe if you said it in Valyrian-”

You only glared, but it drew such a quick smirk from Jon as he looked forward once more. The teasing in his eyes bright as the sun above as you know your protest only encouraged him. “It's the singing debate all over again.”

The process repeated again, trying to get over this stretch of more jagged terrain Jon almost always had at least one hand on you the whole time as you climbed over the rocks. “And who in the end convinced you to sing just once that night?” The knowing look shared between you, that was a trap you walked yourself into that time. “Could start asking for that again instead.”

Whatever muttering under your breath you let you got another chuckle from Jon as you spoke up with a jesting lecture. “Do you even know how many people in the world have ever heard me sing?” Jon very dryly guessed numbers at complete random, as if to amuse himself at your growing impatience. Interrupting the absurd guess of sixty, “Since I stopped needing such lessons, the only ones who ever heard me sing were Shireen, and you.” His glance was bright and curious as he looked at you, and the irritation melted down to your feet in seconds as you shrugged. “Shireen used to sit in her chambers, open the one window in there which weren't merely carved into the walls. Would always push her bed to read or draw as she'd sing to the open window, hoping whatever birds flying by might join her. The times I would visit, I'd sit with her the final night before she went to sleep and would sing to her instead for once.”

You hadn't even been looking at Jon when you said it, almost in passing lost in memory. “That night with you, was the only other time I sung in front of someone who wasn't her.”

Jon however, seemed to say something in a deeper tone, more full of something emotional then his teasing before as he almost made you stop in place with a compliment he had said in the exact same manner that night. “Good. I don't know if I like the idea of other men knowing you're this beautiful and can sing like that.” Turning back to him, you wanted to protest but just as he had so many years ago in innocent times, he just passed you by, bringing you head closer to his to press a kiss to the side of your head and prompting you forward.

The fluster on you that time also was just as real. “Well, my Valyrian isn't quite as..well taught as my singing once was. I'm better at reading and writing it then I am speaking it. I'd rather sing you something then try and remember how to speak it.”

“Deal.”

Turning suddenly to him, your mouth parted slightly at his easy confidence when your stomach swooped with a floating feeling like a girl. “Was this all a ruse to get me to agree to that?” The lack of shame in his gaze almost had you break the facade to grin and shaking your head at his audacity. It was getting increasingly ridiculous, the clever ways Jon would trick you into agreeing to things when it was only you three out here.

Manipulative as he was sneaky, Jon was when he wanted to be.

There were two paths, one of which would take the better part of daylight and the other was simply far more terrifying to you. The gap between mountains was immense, but it did close in to a much more climbable section but the other was right in front of you. A naturally forming bridge, solid and made of rock and stone likely carved into a sort of bridge after centuries of likely use. The sight would be beautiful were it not so open.

On each side of the bridge, was blue sky. Jon, Ghost and yourself were so high up that if the Wall was called the edge of the world, you were now at the top of it. Heights did not scare you, but it was the nothing which surrounded you to help. Not even the Bridge of Skulls was so thin and open to the waters below. Ice as flat across from it as a sort of clearing and would be an easy trek forward but you felt your nerves getting the better of you, despite your attempts to stay still and silent.

Jons gloved hand ran over your hair as he stood somewhat facing you to the side, murmuring your name asking if you were alright. Nodding somewhat, you swallowed before trying to straighten your posture as if it would help sell the falling apart ruse of calm. “Of course. Ten minutes to cross, or three hours going around to get to the same spot on the other side.”

Eyes narrowing slightly, Jon spoke with a worried air of comfort in your ear. “We can go around if you-”

But you shook your head. Adjusting the bag over your shoulders and all but nodding for the direwolf beside him to keep going. Ghost always went first in situations as this, sniffing out the danger and testing the strength against the direwolf which weighed the most. The grips on your boots made specifically for such woozy purposes, but it did not change the feeling as if each gust of wind would knock you straight down to the abyss.

Putting you between he and Ghost, Jon walked close to your back as if to always be near enough to steady you if needed. He had told you he would take you slow through the Frost Fangs and despite your efforts to push through at the ability he could, Jon refused you every chance. Forcing you to slow down or stop when he could sense you were shoving your precarious limitations aside for what you felt was his sake.

Each time you hesitated, Jon murmured your name. His hand gently hovering over your side as if to grab you. The heights, rocks, cliffs, hills you had climbed and yet this was what made you feel ill, made your stomach twist. But you would force your eyes to stay on Ghost despite begging to look down, and each time you came close you felt that churning. Which only made more severe, your ragged nerves as the little one picked up on what felt like distress. Only making the motions in your stomach worse, your eyes closing shut, lips parted as something paralyzing rushed through you to keep it all maintained, but Jon grabbed your hip.

Pulling you back into him, as Ghost stopped in place. Turning with his wide red eyes to watch as Jon pressed his chest against your back, your name rasped from his lips as you shook your head in a strained whisper. “I'm sorry-”

Jon did not waste your breath on such things. “Don't be. You're not scared of heights, darling.” His gloved hand just barley allowing itself to run across your covered stomach, his tone changing just the slightest to something a bit more playful as he whispered, even if just to make you breath out a laugh. “I know you mean well, but stop making your mother scared of things she's done a hundred times before.”

It worked just the amount he thought, you barley huffing a laugh out, allowing Jon to be your support for as long as it took for you to force your breathing calm. The twisting inside you settling each passing moment as you could just barley feel Jon following your inhales and exhales with you. Barley sensing him doing it, but it helped immensely. Him staying with you, through what you knew was such an irrational fear for you.

Grasping his hand over your stomach, Jon twisted enough so you both held what you could reach of the other as he held your other hip as well. Ghost sitting patiently with not a single ounce of impatience to make you keep following. “As far as we've come and it's crossing one bridge that makes me panic.”

You could just barley feel Jon lean against the side of your head as he hovered you, but the chuckle from his chest vibrating into your back eased whatever doubt was left. “I climbed up all nine hundred feet of the Wall. You don't think I panicked at any point?” You couldn't see his smile, but as soon as one peeked from your lips it sat free on Jons.

Strained voice you gently opened your eyes, not truly sure when you had closed them trying to calm yourself down. Jon following suit as you stood straighter to continue. “How did you get to the ground? After reaching the top of the Wall, how did you get back on the other side?”

Jons answer as simple and a tad amused. “We climbed down.” Your head tilted almost in question as he chuckled again. “I almost fell once going up when Orell cut me loose. Going down's a lot easier when you almost didn't make going up. At least I'd be falling in the direction I was supposed to go.”

Truly, Jon did not like to talk a lot about his time out here, especially with you. For the important things he learned and grew from out here, it was a time in his life he spent a year and a half constantly looking out for death in every direction, and hoping his lies were convincing enough to let him escape with his own life one day. But perhaps, being out here with you this time helped.

Only him, you, Ghost, and Jons own son growing inside of you. It made the perils of then feel a lot more worth it, if he could be the one to guide you through such a place now. It was odd to think about, how little loyalty actually mattered then. The snow and ice came down and Jon was certain Orell used it as an excuse to try and cut Jon loose. He hated him so much he didn't care about the fact that it too would cut Ygritte loose, as long as Jon fell then he'd have gotten what he wanted. But the thing was, it made Jon feel uncomfortable the fact that she didn't care either.

Jon had confronted him about it, saying he knew it was Orell who cut him loose on the Wall. Orell just gestured to where Ygritte was walking away in the distance, saying he cut her loose too but she wasn't complaining about it. That she understood it was the way they did things. But Jon stood there on the bridge with you until your own senses came back down and the two memories made him angry.

Jon was uncomfortable realizing that Orell and Ygritte both thought him weak for caring about being cut loose on the Wall, how little life mattered in loyalty to them that they could both stand there as friends and not care Orell saw her as a mere casualty of his ire for Jon. But it was the sudden way your head perked up before stepping forward, the way you tired to turn and look at him with something sharp on your tongue. “What do you mean he cut you loose?”

Trying to explain it, Jon felt angry as you did for different reasons. You were angry at what Orell did in general. Jon knew you had not a single reason to think positively of Ygritte but it was the sheer factor of the disregard for human life that still offended you on her behalf.

But it made Jon angry when he stood there realizing, were Ygritte in the place of Orell, she would have been the one to consider Jon the causality just to cut you loose. He couldn't stop thinking it as you all crossed the remainder of the bridge.

Being out here only put it into sharp contrast, despite Jon telling you in broad terms what she forced him to do, you still never bad mouthed her. Jon knew why, you had seen enough to have once wrongly assumed it was actual love between he and her and Jon was smart enough to know that the short moments Ygritte treated Jon like a person was enough to sell himself on a lie. You had seen enough of Ygritte to know she was not just a monster the way Ramsay was to you, and he knew you wished to respect those parts of a human being which was now gone.

Only Jon, didn't know how to explain to you that he wished you wouldn't do that. Because he knew without any doubt, Ygritte would have taken every chance, every moment of opportunity to stand between Jon and you. She was not kind to Jons sense of self esteem, but Ygritte would have eviscerated yours. The sheer way she'd make fun of girls just like you that Jon would've grown up around, and sure on a surface level, she could sometimes say something funny. She was loud and outspoken, sometimes Ygritte was funny just because she talked enough that eventually something would accidentally be amusing by chance.

But on a deeper level, it disturbed him to think of you anywhere near her. What she would've said to you, what she would've done to you. Jon had been murdered trying to leave to go find you, what would she have done the second you rode through those gates? She probably wouldn't even have let you anywhere near his body. What would she have done once she realized what had happened between you and Jon once you brought him back?

Because Jon knew, not a second of that would have changed. Just maybe he thought to himself, he would truly have ensured you were pregnant that night if she were alive. Keep you alive and safe by bonding you and Jon together for good the moment you reunited. Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered, maybe he thought, it would only make her want to kill you more. He hated it. That the only point of comparison of another woman he had was her, because all it did was bring into clarity the truth of what he almost let himself become.

It very likely confused her when she died, he knew. Her final moments on the ground wondering why Jon left her there, why he wasn't there to hold her and cry. What had she gotten so wrong about him and Jon knew she'd die before figuring it out.

But Jon still had scars from every single arrow she shot him full off, just how your body still held scars from the horrors of what Ramsay put you through. He didn't know why he was so focused on the subject, but he hated that you both had to endure them in order to be able to reach this point. But then Jon would catch the sight of your stomach, it made it all a little easier.

Guiding you off the bridging path, Jon kept an arm at your lower back as you walked the first few feet of flat ice and his eyes casted downwards again and again. Maybe it all had to be worth it. His life before was full of fear that getting you pregnant was ruining your life and his child's chances at a good life. Maybe it all had to happen, so that Jon could finally realize, he didn't just want all this, it was to realize that you were right. That he was supposed to have this.

Maybe despite all the back and forth in his head, it was only there to lead him to the one answer that mattered, that no matter what he could fear from another life, the life right in front of him was you being his wife, and his son growing inside of you. The far north was full of conflicting memories for Jon, but perhaps it all was there to put into perspective that the life he deserved was in front of him now.

If there was no coming back from his journey, then you wouldn't be pregnant right now. If this was all in his memory to show him how far he's come, then the gods wouldn't have let Jon fill you with his child. He knew you were still trying not to compare yourself with Ygritte, but there was no comparing.

Hell, she would've cut one of his hands off if he tried to even be half as gentle or comforting to her for anything as he was with you. You still worried where your shortcomings out here were against her, but Jon, the second he turned you suddenly in his arms to face him now on flat land, leaned down to cup your cheeks, pressing his lips urgently against yours and it all settled back inside of him.

He was a pillar to keep you safe physically out here, but as much as Jon would let his mind wander in the quiet, all it took was your gentle, loving kiss to throw all of that turmoil down into the abyss you all had just crossed. The longer you survived beside Jon out here, the more and more your image finally was obliterating what was left of hers.

It was why he knew the four of you had to come back alive. Jon knew there was an entire remaining lifetime waiting for him back in Winterfell. This baby was more then just something he never thought he'd have with you, it was his real new start. His son with you, was where the last of Jon previous nightmare of a life might finally begin to disappear forever, and he couldn't wait.

It was far easier for you to blame Jon for this feeling.

You would be fine one moment and the next you felt something surging through your veins taking over like an obsessive need until you were so out of your head all you could do was think about it. But he would stand there looking so effortlessly handsome that you felt that driving desire moving before he could reasonably talk you out of it.

You were weak to the way he looked, Jon was weak to the bright, almost innocent look in your eye when asking. You had taken him off guard one afternoon. Kneeling down to put something away in your own pack, did your eyes wander. You wanted him so much more like this the past month and it was driving you as out of your mind as it was him. Jon was a giver, he didn't want to just stand there and make you do the work for his own pleasure, but he truly did hate saying no to you when asking with such a gentle politeness. You both knew you took full advantage of that when it came to this act.

But then you'd feel the gentle sensation of him gathering your hair blown messy from the wind, keeping it in his hold as he'd murmur to you in low tones and dark eyes. “Go on.”

It was almost teasing how careful you were with him in contrast to how swiftly his hand gripping your hair tightened. Gently running your hand over the layers covering him. Before even pulling him out, feeling his cock twitch and harden under your almost massaging touch, mixing for Jon, too much with how genuine and innocently you did so. Not trying to tease him or put on any display or whatnot.

Feeling him grow hard enough you moved to pulled him out and with one hand not even able to wrap around the thickness of his cock, you guided him into your mouth without wasting a breath. The cold air exposing what of him was out against how much you took him into your throat, warm and wet around him. Only letting go to grasp steadily at his hips you slowly took his cock deeper as your eyes fluttered closed at the whirling feeling of need in your stomach forming.

Stretching your mouth where your jaw would later feel a sting no matter how used to his size you should've been, your tongue ran over what you could reach of his cock. Saliva collecting around him making it a bit more manageable to sink down more. Nothing greedy or even urgent, only soaking his cock further and further as you sucked his cock. Low growls contained in his chest, you never went fast or close to. Only sinking inch by inch each time you pulled back, sliding him further into your mouth as you almost whined at the sensation.

Hands flexing at his hips, Jon shifted to slowly sink more into your mouth himself. Almost sighing in relief, your head bobbed up and down his cock with a quiet obedience, your heart racing but not enough until you felt the panic of such a large size so deep in your small mouth.

Were Jon demanding, he'd have forced your head up and down him at the exact pace you were already going but that was simply how you sucked him, knowing what he needed was what you wanted. Gently moving you deeper onto him as he thrusted slightly forward, Jon didn't even mean to start guiding your head, but he did. Holding your hair tight as your mouth soaked around his length to the point you could not pull away without looking a mess.

Faster and faster did he move you, jaw clenched as your own thighs begged to press together but never did you leave your hands from his hips. It wasn't about you, you almost felt upset at the idea of trying to share this when it was only for him. You didn't want to have any part of your body feel good, when you were almost desperate to mean each time Jon could not go any further down your throat. Pulling you back only inches from where you sunk, Jon would then press your nose against the coarse, black hair around the base of his cock and it was then the moan in you could not be contained. He let out a groan at the sound humming around his length, and your heart sped up. Blood pumping in your ears at how little you could handle him keeping you there as if it was your new home. But you'd keep his cock that deep for however long he wanted.

A tingling wetness between your own thighs at the idea, of being forced to keep Jons cock in your mouth as long as he demanded you too, or for however long his far superior strength would hold you there without choice. It was pathetic, how much you wished to keep his cock filling your mouth or how your hands flexed at the thought of how close he might have been.

If it weren't such an embarrassing thing to admit, you'd say how much you love the taste of Jons seed, how good it felt when it was so hot spilling deep into your throat and fill your stomach as if out here, should food run low, Jon could eat and you'd need nothing but him. He pushed you to take him deeper and deeper and in another world, this would've been Jons favourite thing, and on your knees would be your rightful place before him.

Gods, you were nothing of the proper lady you were supposed to have been raised to be. Should any else hear such thoughts, they'd say this lustful, wanton bastard had bewitched or cursed you into serving his cock but you didn't even care. You could hardly even breathe he was so deep, but you didn't care about any of it because you felt so good being dragged up and down his length.

By the time Jon throbbed inside your mouth, you whined a sort of beg to not be pulled off despite knowing he was far too gone every time to ever consider finishing anywhere else. Jon sunk your head, forcing you to take him deep in your throat. Face pressed against the coarse hair there, Jon fisted your hair in his grip, not allowing you to even budge as his other hand moved to grasp at the back your neck. His hand on your hair guided you deep, his hand on your neck however, forced you to accept every drop he was to spill.

But you moaned around him at the taste, at how much his hot seed spilled down your throat and pooled in your stomach. Muffled sounds like a gag trying to accept all of what he was gifting you to swallow and your heart raced at how little you cared. It was out of your mind to feel this way, but you'd give up your title as his Queen to be nothing but a whore to take his cock in whatever fashion he wished to spill inside of you.

Only once you had swallowed everything with the struggle of how much he could fill you with, Jon slowly pulled you off as his voice rasped with something strained and dark. His blown out eyes watching your mouth part gasping for air, but still dutifully putting him back to not expose his cock to the bitter cold. “I don't deserve you,”

But your eyes fluttered shut, the taste of him lingered in your mouth like a reminder of why you always hated when he'd try and stop you. Shaking your head, your hands still gripping his hips but your forehead resting at his now covered cock still. His grip in your hair looser, but not letting go as you whispered through such an obvious strain from taking him so deep. “You do, I promise, you do. Gods, I love when you met me to make you feel good.”

It took a few moments to convince himself to stand you back up, but cupping your cheeks as he did, Jon traced the bridge of your nose with his. “I'm starting to think you're bad for my health, darling.” You breathed out a laugh, giving Jon a more genuine one in return. Tilting your cheeks to press a kiss to your forehead as your arms wrapped around his shoulders and back of his neck. Toying with the loose strands before you found the willingness to part.

Not before slinking around to gather his hair to pull back for him, Jon himself couldn't decide what was a guilty pleasure more. How willing you were to let him force you to take his cocks entire thick length, or when you without prompt did such small things or him simply because you liked too.

Jon did more of the same small things for you, but you both knew, no one had ever treated Jon the delicately gentle way you still did. And even out here, it only made Jon feel so much more obsessed and possessive of you for it. Regardless, he would pull three times as many orgasms from to out do your efforts the nights you sucked his cock.

Afterall he knew, you did not like taking his cock in your mouth as much as he adored tasting the wetness between your legs. You could not match Jon in how addicted to you he was, and Jon really never even bothered to let you try. You both already loved what you had now too much to make any real change to it.

Neither wanted too.

It was one day later when you realized you had once looked forward to when the morning ills would finally have passed. Knowing it would mean you were giving Jon less and less of a reason to stop on your behalf. But it wasn't quite working out that way even as the ill feelings were gone now.

The more easily out of breath you could become the more you found your footing slip in the easy to misstep ice filed terrain. The small cliff side you both were slowly working your way up shouldn't have been a big deal.

Climbing was something you'd always done, but the things which previously would give a mere skip in your heart before moving on, would now send the little one inside of you into much more of a panic on your behalf, only making the slip of your footing worse. The day had been quiet and calm up to that point, but such silence only meant you could not hide any of it from Jons sharp hearing.

What originally was one misstep, turned into you missing your foots grasp and sliding down the rocks, only for your insides to lurch violently the second the little one too seemed to panic. Thus it had caused your hand to slip from grasping your next hold. It was not as if it were a long way down, but it was enough you fell, trying to ease the landing by dragging your knee against the rocks to create a slowing friction, but alas that had only ripped into the sheepskin and tore blood from the now shredded skin underneath.

Calling your name in distress, Jon swiftly made his way down before kneeling in front of you to hoist you up more on your feet. Somewhat resting your back against the cliff side, Ghost begun making his own way back down the longer path to meet you. Hands bracing your forearms, Jon looked you over with wide eyes until he got to your knee. “Are you alright?”

Not bothering to let you lie, Jon yanked his pack off, searching right for something to clean and wrap the new wound with, muttering under his breath as he pulled your leg to rest your calf over his shoulder so you didn't stand unsteady as he undid the top of a smaller skin of water to gently run through the blood. “You should be telling me when you need to stop, darling.”

Shaking your head slightly, you still felt the overreaction in your blood as your stomach twisted as if trying to pull a feeling from the baby into the mix. “Had a wrong misstep is all.” Jons eyes tore up to yours with a doubt heavy inside of them before tearing off a scrap of wrappings with his teeth. Gently moving to wrap it around the whole area.

“I'll clean and close this later, this should stop the bleeding for now.” Apologizing gently, Jon sat you back down steady on two feet as he stood up, looking you over for a moment before finding a voice again. “We'll stop here for the night.”

Instantly, as he moved to begin setting camp you grabbed his arm to pull him back. “Jon, no. It's fine, I slipped once.” Trying emphasize only once, Jon protested saying he wasn't pushing it, only causing you to raise your voice slightly, not in an anger or defiance but almost in a distress or worry. “Jon there's still hours of daylight, we can't keep stopping everytime I get a cut.”

Looking you over in silence, Jon was about to make his own case for the opposite when the little one had either the worst timing, or the funniest. You weren't sure. Almost looking as if you were going to be ill once more, Jon grabbed your arm once more but you only blinked wide as you seemed a bit winded, huffing out a breathless laugh. “What?”

Your eyes bright as you looked up at him, and it seemed the one inside you sensed Jon as well. Shaking your head you grabbed his hand, pulling a glove off and very easily directing him to where you felt a slight kick.

Grey eyes growing wide at the first feeling of a kick against his palm, only increasing to what you had felt with laughter when the feeling increased, as if his baby could sense he was right there. Your grin turned to a bemused wince at how relentless it was for a moment. Stepping close to you, Ghost rounded the corner and came up just as eager to your right. Jon muttering so low were you not inches from his face you wouldn't have heard him say anything “How long has he been doing this?”

A small shrug, “A few days now. Seems to like getting my attention at the worst times possible.” Jons palm followed the path as if ensuring he was not imagining the first few, your left hand reached up to run your thumb along the facial hair at his jaw, your other finding itself within Ghosts fur as the thought came to you. “Starting to feel like prey, surrounded by all you wolves.”

A smirk drifted onto his lips as he tore his eyes to look up at you, an affection drenched in something jesting that put you at ease. “A little deer getting herself alone surrounded by predators?” You tried to snark back that you were a stag but Jon had very quickly shut it down so simply it had you parting you lips slightly in audacity. “You're too small to be a stag, and not sharp enough either.”

Muttering under your breath, “Aren't you supposed to be nice to the mother of your child?”

Grey eyes so bright were the day more sunny, they'd have shined against it like a perfect reflection towards you. Leaning in as Jon kept one hand on your stomach and moving the other to cup your cheek to bring you to his lips. Muttering against them enough you felt their softness each passing motion. “I love you.”

That wasn't what you were asking for, but you leaned up to meet his lips all the same. Hands finding the back of his neck, you felt him twist his wrist to press close against you, without ever removing his hand from your stomach. It wasn't deep nor greedy, but a guiding gentleness that consumed your lungs until every ounce of it's need was in Jons control, yet trapped by his kiss. Lightheaded perhaps by both it and Jon himself, you let him press you more into the cliff side, deepening it only enough you picked up his urgency.

Raking his hand through your hair, Jon pulled you to angle up better to not escape his kiss as he only let his hand trail from your stomach down to hoist your thigh up by his hip. Too many layers between you, but it was not about that now.

Not as only something pure existed in the press of his lips to yours, not at all caring of the wind passing along your skin. The baby didn't stir up again, only allowed peace to settle between their father and mother as Jon failed to pull away. Capturing you lips time and time again each instance he wanted too pull away until he left only small chaste pecks barley leaving.

Moving to the side of your mouth, to your cheek to one just below your ear as he rasped into it. “Stay here with Ghost. There's a cave a mile back, I'll make sure it's clear before setting in tonight.” Pulling only away enough he could barley see your eyes, you nodded and both met the others lips once more. His head dropping to press against your forehead to look at your still hidden stomach with a smile on his lips so natural you suspected he didn't even realize he held the look on his face.

Once more, the baby only seemed to grab your attention once Jon was gone, and was settled a bit as Ghost gently nudged his head against your stomach as if the very presence of wolves was enough. Still you looked up to the sky and hoped once more. Praying that in her final, lonely, terrifying months, that having Jon with her brought Lyanna even a modicum of peace for what little time with him she'd ever have.

Within the eyes of dreams you had known what it felt like to be watched by more than one bird.

A black crow with three eyes with an intense wonder and a raven with feathers dripping in blood which was often found by it's side acting like the mentor guiding things for the three eyed crow. Those eyes were strange on both and you did not understand them, but you did not feel uncomfortable and unsettled by them.

But this one watched you in your waking life, and it watched nothing like the eyes of the other birds before. You did not know Orell, nor the eagle which was his companion but Jon did and he was sure that they were one in the same which followed you. He didn't know why it was following without doing anything, but now you felt unnerved by how close it sat and watched.

The cave Jon sheltered you in had enough winding paths which kept the blowing winds away from where you all settled directly. They were fascinating the manner which they did or did not interact with the world outside of their depths. The rock walls were so thick they could absorb any sound. Two people could be in the tunnels next to each other and not hear the other yelling, the sound trapping so absolute.

It also meant that the warmth within some were held there soothingly in the bitter cold. Sitting by the small pooling remains of wherever there existed a hot spring, it was no more then only a few feet deep. You could stand within the water and only be hovered in heat to your ankles. So instead you had made home right at it's side, Legs uncovered as the sheepskin all sat by a fire near to warm from the cold day. Keeping your long sleeved layer on your torso as you slowly washed around the now cleaned, stitched and wrapped cut by your knee, you thought little of it at first.

The eagle had flown to follow in the sheltered warmth of the cave, and now sat high on a rock protruding from the ceiling just far enough away it could fly back out of sight the way it came in if need be. You didn't think of it when he first flew in, barley letting your gaze flicker up. But as you reached back to rest the cloth by the small makeshift basin of soap did you go to reach for your other final layer to wash the remainder of grime from your upper half.

Only, as you uncovered as far as the bump underneath did you notice. Eyes flying up to see the eagle watching you. Never before had it's presence felt intimidating. Watchful eyes of animals hadn't felt intimidating before. Ghost had seen more then his fair share of passionate throes of love making between you and Jon and never did it occur to any of you to care. The night you had brought Jon back, he sat in the corner of the cell and watched as if to ensure no soul dared come down to disrupt the reunion.

But the more slowly you pulled your final layer off did you feel intimidated by this eagle. Shifting on it's feet without a sound, watching you watching it as your chest was revealed to the cold air around and the warm steam from below. Instead of not caring, you gently draped the material along your hips, as if to hide your most intimate aspects of you body. As if not feeling comfortable being so open and bare to such a distrusting pair of human like eyes.

You hoped it was only an eagle and Jon was wrong. You did not know Orell, but you did not wish for him to know you either. The entire time your upper half was washed you and the eagle stared at one another, and you could not tell what it was about you he was watching. Was it your bare form, who you were to the man you travelled with or was it the unmistakable bump growing at your womb it was watching?

Only it took off to the unseen edges of the cave the very second you heard the footsteps of two wolves return to the cave clearing you were within. Ghost trotted up to the front of the small spring of watering remains you were by, a low growl within him as he watched in case it returned. Only settling once Jon called to him, “Ghost.”

Nothing more was said between them, you had long since gotten used to the two wolves somehow needing not a single sharing of verbal words to understand each other. Moving to settle beside you, Jon ran a hand over your back as his eyes too did not drift yet from where the eagle sat. Asking roughly if he did anything, you shook your head, comfortable now returning your focus to your skin. “Just sat there is all.” Glancing to what you could see at your side of Jons tense form you added with a lighter hope of jest, “Too bad. Could have scarred my face too, then we'd be matching.”

A smirk crossed your lips when you could see Jon turn to give you a look you preferred not to be lectured with in such peace. Taking the cloth from you, Jon properly soaked it in the mixture once more, collecting your hair with one hand to push it over your shoulder, he took over the more difficult aspect of very massagingly running it along your back.

Three months it took of spending every moment with each other in many new capacities, and finally it seemed you could exist in some state of undress without wakening the darker wolf within the White one you married. Protectiveness won out against his hunger it seemed. “I can't get you to stop finding new ways to bleed for me, don't need you looking for more on purpose.”

A half smile formed as you leaned somewhat back into his warm chest. Your voice low, “I wouldn't call what I do, looking for more ways to get hurt. Just terrible luck.” Jon half chuckled, looking for something to put your hair up only to give up on the notion of leaving you to do so. Letting his curls loose to messily pull yours up off your neck to properly run the soaping cloth along your neck and shoulders. “You never told me, why Orell attacked you.”

Once Jon may have not paused comfortably but from where he knelt behind you, he could so perfectly see your growing stomach and not a shred of doubt or pain sat in his heart as long as you were right in front of him so openly. “He always knew I was lying, and was mad he couldn't convince the others. Then I ran a sword through his chest.”

Your brows narrowed a little, “It feels as if you've left a number of details out.” The chuckle in your ear was endlessly comforting, pulling your own small smile back onto your lips. “Wasn't trying to pry, I suppose if I were forced to be a bird the remainder of my life, I too would hate the one who trapped me there.”

Jons guess was not what you were expecting. “He could see through what I pretended to feel for Ygritte, now he's obsessed with watching what I actually have with you.” Putting forth perhaps he was simply in need of something to entertain himself, Jon grunted unamused. “Can find that somewhere that isn't stalking my wife.”

Humming, you knew it would be too easy to let him spiral into that darker part of himself, and thus you took what felt like the easiest path to draw him back into something much more present and hopefully back to playful. “So is it you are only willing to share me with one man of the free folk or just not that one specifically?”

His hands stopping moving entirely almost had you crack your facade into laughter, even moreso when he grumbled under his breath likely a string of words including cursing. Returning to your form, Jon tilted your head to the side so he could reach around and run the cloth along the front of your neck. The soap trailing from where it landed and sliding down between your bare breasts as this time the watchful eyes you felt were grey to the point now they were likely treading on black in colour.

By the time he found words, Jon did not at all address your comment, knowing it would only amuse you further. It was his idea, and now Jon was the one avoiding recalling that night every single opportunity he could. “We'll make it there by the new moon.”

Your eyes trained on the steaming water and nowhere else. You knew where he spoke of, and the new moon would only be in some three or four days. Since when did you and Jon come so close? When did this journey draw so close to an end?

You weren't ready yet, you had only this week felt Jons baby inside of you start to move.

As long as you were inside you could avoid what it looked like out there the moment the sun went down, but you didn't want to think about why. You couldn't, not when he had been so happy to feel his child kick against his touch in your womb, it wasn't fair Jon needed more time. Jon deserved to be a father for longer then this.

But why wasn't he spiralling the way you were? Your stillness was an indication of such fear in and of itself, so why was Jon so collected and together? Why wasn't he angry about this coming to an end?

He only continued to speak, sounding as he always did each time he would relay the next day's plans to you as normal. “When we get there, we'll camp until the next morning. Even if it's dawn when we get there, we'll stop for however long in the day is left. I won't rush you out there.”

No, you wanted to scream. This wasn't about you. You carried this baby for five months, you had every second of it's life with them. It was about Jon. Jon needed more time, he needed to be able to hold them in his arms, give them a name and finally feel safe calling his child a Snow. He needed to experience giving his child the love he and his mother were ripped from sharing together.

Twice you carried a Stark baby until five months, but Robb had always known he'd make a family of his own. It was not a surprise or new development for him. You needed Jon to experience more then the hope or fantasy of it.

If it was a girl, he needed to hold her so he could return home and bring his daughter to his mother and tell them they shared a name. If it was a boy, you two needed to go back and forth on what to name him to share his son and heir to his people.

You had this process twice now, but it couldn't end before Jon could have the remainder of it, it wasn't fair.

You felt a fool at the sting behind your eyes. Jon was calm, so why were you feeling the heat behind your face derive from more then just the heat behind and in front of you. Why wasn't Jon afraid of losing what he only just thought he could have?

Why did the gods bring you back just to die together out here? You had only been reunited a year now. Jons new life with you didn't deserve to be even shorter then the cruel amount of time you and Robb were forced to only have in such short years.

You only nodded. Keeping it all in, not wanting to start anything. As soon as he was done, you'd jump at the chance to switch places. Perhaps if you had something to focus on, you wouldn't let the feeling of loss take over. You had once wished you could've been allowed to trade your life for Rickons.

Now you wished you could trade your life so Jon could truly love and raise his child. But five months was too early. You couldn't do what the vengeful demonic ghost of Catelyn Stark had spit at you in favour of. You couldn't simply cut your baby from you now to gift to Jon before taking their place and walking into the deathly cold alone.

If Jon suspected what was spiralling inside of you, he let you keep it inside as you swiftly turned to try and take his place and position him where the hot spring water pooled into. “I know you feel the cold, but truly, how are you still this warm even out here?”

Carefully pulling the layers from Jons torso now from him, you ignored his wandering eyes as you stood to sit his clothes near the fire to dry and warm as yours were. Perhaps his hunger wasn't quite as dormant as you previously assumed. But regardless, you started with his back and shoulders first as he did for you last.

By the time you were at his front, you had not a clue when the conversation had turned to what it was nor did you really know quite when you had gone from kneeling respectively at his front to Jon yanking you up to straddle his now bare hips instead of letting you do your work in peace. His voice continuing the present discussion as if he hadn't just moved you to his pleasure. “Felt like he was trying to mock me.”

Shrugging, you were carefully running the cloth down his torso, eyes always memorized with the scars littered about in a blend of a horror and wonder. A year had passed, and still did you scarcely understand how you had been the one to bring him back. But your more present mind had latched onto his comment quickly. And just as fast, did you flatly let out the exact range of emotion you had when sharing your final words with the man. “He probably was. Most in the south look down on the Nights Watch as little more then a joke, I wouldn't expect a man such as him to give you any respect on the matter.” Meeting Jons eyes suddenly with a taken back expression, “What did he even approach you for in the first place?”

The answer was curious as it was nonsensical. “He was essentially asking if I had ever killed a man yet.”

You were fairly certain there was not a single shred of logic which existed in the mind of Ser Jaime Lannister. Shaking your head slightly, returning to work against Jons torso you muttered with a degree of left over frustration from a previous life. “Unless your answer was somehow I murdered the psychotic King I was sworn too, I'm not quite certain why he'd care.”

It came out so naturally, you had almost forgotten that neither of you had broached that topic since then. Who he was in terms of blood now that Jon knew the truth. It felt so wrong, it felt a lie, a treason, it was gross and an insult to the grandfather of Jons the same King actually killed. And yet it was none of that which seemed to come to Jons mind. “That answers that question.” Asking what he meant, Jon clarified with his own amusement. “Who you hate more, House Targaryean or House Lannister.”

He made it easy to smile and smirk such days now it felt. Your muttering not lacking in truth, only elaboration Jon fully understood. “The only margin they are getting is because I wasn't alive when they committed their crimes. Harder to say I hate the family I went to war and die against, less.”

Touch running up your hips and waist was soothing despite the rough calloused feeling of Jons hands so large even against your plush skin. His voice a rasp that only watched you with bright, unjudging eyes. “Starting to think it's even for me.”

Glancing up and then once more back at your work, you weren't sure how much you wanted to comment on it for him. Even now it wasn't something easily digested after an entire lifetime without that knowledge. Finally beginning the process of rinsing the remainder to clear his skin entirely, did one hand of Jons reach up to you with the still damp strands of your hair falling into your face.

Pushed behind your ear, you let him speak without interrupt. “It's hard to accept, that a family could leave as much death in my family as the Targaryeans did.” Sensing his eyes on your scar, strange it was starting to look against the growing bump around it, a contrast which showed such drastic differences in life to life that only the ones littered about Jons chest could understand. Somewhere in this trailing thoughts though, did an interesting one come about. “Everything he did that ruined my family, hurt yours, all so I could end up here.”

Meeting his eyes curiously, you put the cloth to the side. Hands returning to brace against his shoulders, toying with his loose curls your fingertips could reach. “In a cave at the end of the world?”

But Jon didn't look strained in the thought, as if something inside him was settling over the matter in his own small beginning ways. “The people he killed and hurt to bring me into this world, but here I am, raised by Ned Stark, married to Robert Baratheons niece, and everything their family valued, getting to call our son a Snow, because I've finally figured out what my name is doesn't matter.” Running your hand more to rake through his curls, you ran your other palm down to rest over his scarred heart as your forehead found his, nothing but calm running between you both. “Can't be more of a disappointment then that.”

You only smiled though, “Speaking as my fathers own disappointment, you get used to it.” You could see Jon going to protest that but you cut him off at the chase. “Are you going to dispute that, because I assure you Jon he's more proud of you then he's ever been myself. Suppose had I been born a boy..”

His hand running now more at your side, trailing down your breasts ever so lightly as your shiver was distinctly not from the air around you. Jon muttering as his dark eyes trailed down your form much more freely again. “Rather not think about not having you exactly like this.” Peeking up to your eyes, watching as they fluttered shut right as his thumb trailed over the small buds of your breasts, a swallow rough in his throat watching as you nearly jumped from such a feather light touch alone.

Surging upwards, Jon grabbed you by the hips. Standing up in an instance and pushing you by said hold up against the cave wall, the water from the hot springs pouring down your back and now splashing somewhat over both of you as Jon and yourself stood in the pool of water. His gaze now greedy as he looked you over. One hand firmly at your hip keeping you pressed there as his other returned to your breast, teasing this time instead of a light touch of innocence.

Keeping you on that razors edge as he never let his touch grow rough, but knowing the shaking in your muscles was intense regardless. Your hands tried to grasp meekly at his waist, as if too trying to be respectful and not look to how hard his cock sat thick. As if he didn't even care about it as long as his touch against your breast grew rougher each grope until he twisted the nipple, the sparks through your blood arching your back from the watering wall into his body.

Only Jon shoved you right back from his grip at your hip. Crowding you more, his curls growing wet as the water now soaked both of you, but too close to skew your views of one another. His voice husking over the sounds around you, vibrating deep in your chest down between your legs. Growing more wet from not the waters of a hot spring, but a burning consuming your soul so close to Jon. “I need you to stay right there, darling. Just like this.”

Nodding, Jon grasped your chin, pulling you up to meet his lips in a desperate kiss. Your arms winding without hesitation, around his shoulders and back of his neck, Jon wrapped an arm around your back and pulled you into his front as much as he stepped towards you. His other cupping the back of your neck to keep your lips pressed to his with no escape. Soft yet rough, harsher and more demanding he told you to follow his kiss at his command and the water so warm around you both had you melt so perfectly into his touch.

The moment his tongue brushed your bottom lip, you graced him such permission as his tongue slid inside of your mouth to brush against yours. A whine weak in your throat, but you felt Jons cock twitch as it brushed between your legs. The hand around to your back trailing down, pressing against your ass to force your hips to press more against his, your own hands tightening in his hair, but he only tasted inside of your mouth to consume your every cry and breath.

Lightheaded but arching into his touch, Jon pulled back from you with a bite to your lips. The weakness having him return once more but speaking as the trail of saliva sat between your so close lips, now swollen from his harsh demand. “Just like this, alright?”

Running the hand at the back of your head down your hair until you whispered in a breathy need, “I promise.” One more surging kiss to consume your head with a burning fog only of him, Jon pulled back as swift and wasted no more time.

Kissing a path down your neck, licking and kissing before his teeth sunk deep to force marks as he then sucked harsh at the skin to bruise. Your body again arching into him but Jon grabbed your hands and forced them up against the cave wall, letting his own hold you at your waist with the upmost confidence you could not dare disobey such orders. Which you did not in any way, you listened to his every demand no matter how silent.

In an instant both of his hands roughly grasped at your breasts, twisting your nipples with a roughness unbecoming of his usual tease and yet you begged his name as if it were his cock giving you such pleasure. Yanking more as his hands groped rough imprints into your skin, you begged his name with words you did not know, nor care. Only pleas for him as Jon responded with nothing and showed no mercy.

Dragging your insides too close, spiralling out of control as you begged him. The water was freezing compared to the burning brewing between your legs, spreading through your bloodstream like a wave washing away a village. Head foggy as Jon skipped past your breasts with his mouth aside from one single rough bite which pulled such a gasp from you tears followed.

But he didn't linger. Hands running to your hips as he kissed down your bump, only to pause. His hands rough as he covered what skin he could reach between his moving lips. That time, the surge existed only in your heart.

You wanted to have this child for him so badly.

Jon however, needed something else. It was the final of it, it begun in a place just like this and Jon was not going to leave this cave, this very spot until it ended here. Each and every haunting had been replaced with you, and now it was the last of it. Your begs and pleads were high pitched and so sweet any other man may have felt it a trick.

Every ounce of your beg of his name was soft, as was your touch and not a second did you consider not listening to him, or not sharing yourself with what he wanted. Roughly spreading your legs, there was one final memory in his sights and the moment Jon buried his face into your cunt, not for a second could he even tell you her name. If she was a woman who was not you, no longer did she exist.

Grabbing your hips, Jon refused you to pull away. Licking tight motions to your clit before sucking it with a nibble to end on before repeating the process. Hands now sliding to your inner thighs, Jon shoved your legs wider. Nothing easing you into it was given to the bundle of nerves but it coiled something needing within you so fast, tears formed in your eyes as you only let one hand rake through his curls.

Jons hold on your thighs was rough, your hand in his hair was not. Gentle and almost caressing, you needed to feel something more of him as your heart landed back down in your chest from how far it floated away. But Jons tongue ran at your clit with such tight purpose that you could not elaborate anything but his name singing from your lips.

Soaking you from his saliva alone, you burned at such an easy touch to your clit despite how much your mind wanted to simply beg for his cock, to be taken as he wanted fighting with the fact that this right here and now was just that, what Jon wanted.

Drinking from the wetness you gifted him, the moment he felt you tense and your begging of his name peak into gasps, Jon sucked at your clit with a rough greed. The stimulation making you jump but it was simply the first taste. As soon as your orgasm finally washed over, Jon shoved you more against the cave wall. Burying his mouth at your core, your orgasm pouring onto his tongue with every ounce of his greed growling at the heavy taste.

A rough hand forcing your thigh wide for him as his facial hair scratched raw into your skin, contrasting with his tongue warm and soft licking your folds up to your cunt and refusing to let anything building inside of you go to waste. Jon wanted to taste all of it and his touch was so rough it bruised every single scrap of skin he held you with.

The water muffled any real sounds of his feasting, but you could feel the sounds and grunts he made as he soaked you as much as you were soaking his mouth and tongue. Dragging back up to your clit before sinking back, his other hand grasped at your ass, digging his nails into the plush skin as you were pushed more to meet his mouth.

Your insides burned, you were set alight and the only salvation was to let Jon do what he wanted, even if that meant throwing you into a burning fire as long as he touch was the one casting you into such damnation, you'd beg him to do it. Never did you grip his hair mean or tightly, making his closed eyes roll into the back of his head you still never wanted to be demanding with your touch even as he drank from your cunt like his final meal soaked his mouth before him.

Shaking around him, you begged his name, “Gods, oh Jon please..so good, gods you're so good,” Jon groaned into you, hands tight as he held you to his mouth, not allowed to leave. Your orgasm burned into something too bright and tightly wound to contain, snapping as Jon only lapped up every single bit of wetness you gifted to him.

Drinking from between your legs, an oasis of perfection Jon only ever found in your taste. Never slowing down, Jon let his tongue dive inside of you sensitive and begging as you kept arching more into his mouth, he couldn't stop thinking you were perfect. Such a good girl in every facet of your normal life and yet you still were in the one thing you could let loose, but you didn't. You held Jon without demanding anything, only asking so sweetly for him with praise and begs.

The taste was so painfully addictive. You hadn't even yet come down when his mouth soaked you into another, that time your cries so much more of tears and words too much to bare speaking beyond the screaming burn he pulled from your core. His tongue flat and wet your head almost slammed into the cave wall begging his name.

Jon though, needed one more. He needed to make you cum once more before he would do anything else, he needed the taste because he didn't care about any meal that was not the wetness he soaked up along his tongue, and left a burn of facial hair to mark your thighs with memory that he drank from.

Your head felt like it was floating, your cunt soaking wet as it was almost stinging from how demanding Jon tasted you, and how wide he kept forcing your thighs open and shoving you against the wall to prevent you from escaping. Sloppily dragging his tongue up to your clit Jon sucked at the bundle until your orgasm shattered from a third into aftershocks sparking a fourth.

Grabbing both of your hands, Jon forced them up above your head into the water stream as he stood, his cock hard as he crowded you again. But you were just as he said, a good girl. Leaning up to meet his lips, you gave him permission without having to be told. Parting your lips, Jon slipped his tongue back into your mouth, making you taste what he was far too addicted too between your legs. It never was what he seemed to get out of your cunts wetness, but the mix of his kiss as enough to let your legs widen even more for him.

Interlocking your hands as he kept them above, Jon pressed himself too much against you to be able to slide inside of you but it was not quite that he sought. There was something in the way more then usual, the bump of your child together kept Jon at a bit of a distance from crowding you. Barely leaving your lips, Jon rasped into them, unable to even open his eyes as your mouth wished to beg for him to come back already. “I love you so much,”

Before you could even say it back, you called his name in a worry as he left your hands to grasp at your thighs. Hoisting you up against the wall, you grabbed worried at his shoulders, drawing his dark, dark eyes to your wide ones, voice unsure in your tone, “Jon, I'm too heavy for this-”

Narrowing his gaze at you, Jons arms did not even have a single strain. Black eyes as dark as the rasp in his voice almost hissed at you. “You are carrying my child, you are not too heavy.”

Imploring him to reconsider, Jon ignored it. Capturing you lips in a biting kiss, Jon let his cock side along your soaking folds, wasting no second in sinking inside of you. Despite his mouth drawing every bit of soaking wetness to ease his size, the stretch stung in an instant, it always did. Hands grasping tightly at his shoulders, you wished so badly to hide in his shoulder with your gasping wince but Jon surged forward to capture your lips first.

Tangling them in his curls instead, Jon was slow as he begun to sink deeper and deeper. You taking his every inch without resistance and yet it was how large he was in your tight walls that had both of you shudder in need. Biting your lips almost in an instinct with a snarl, as deep as you could take him, Jon didn't move. Throbbing inside of you, only making you clench around him more but never did your lips part from one another.

Your insides screamed at you in such a shattering of feelings overwhelming your nerves as Jon slowly pulled out. Inch by inch your cunt almost begged to draw his cock back inside of you, but he eased you with his kiss softening as he did so. Only his tip remaining, Jon pulled from your kiss only enough to murmur against you. “I'm not leaving you,” Nodding your hands grasped desperately only to beg to hide in his neck once more as he sunk back.

Slowly, so slowly Jon thrusted in and out, never wishing to speed up but his lips desperate to feel yours, he kissed you almost more urgently then his cock sliding inside of you. Dragging against such a sensitive wall, your nails dug into the back of his neck before sliding into his curls again, unable to stop leaving it a mess as he filled you so completely, even only like this.

You felt yourself soaking him each time, were he not as thick as he was, your own mess would have smeared down your thighs, instead it was trapped inside just as the seed leaking from Jon, the feeling so overwhelmingly full and yet the slow speed only accentuated it to something too much to handle.

Giving only enough room for you to gasp for air, Jon sunk deep again, the sounds unable to even be heard beyond the water cascading around your bodies, but you both felt it none but your skin against each others in desperation. It crept up slowly, your orgasm.

A burning which always raged in Jons presence felt out of control when he took you, as if you were never truly complete without him inside of you. Voice weak as you muttered, not knowing if he'd even hear you. “I'm sorry I ever left you..I'm so sorry..”

Jon thrusted back inside of you resting his forehead against yours. The smile not quite what one would imagine on a man as deep inside a woman as he was, but despite the roughness forcing out his voice, there was a tenderness which matched how slow he fucked you. “Don't be..I was always yours..but this way, we belong to each other...only each other..”

You hardly really could comprehend in your conscious mind what he was saying, the draw of his cock against you so deep left a burning trail of pleasure screaming for more in it's wake before he set it ablaze further when he once more slowly sunk his cock back. Never even considering to pick up the pace, only rocking gently inside of you up against the watering wall of the cave, nothing existing outside of being so deep inside of you mattered to Jon and it didn't matter to you.

The rest of the world didn't exist here. Your first orgasm came from nowhere, hidden in the depths of your soaring heart, Jons name gasped from your mouth as he pressed his lips to yours. Clenching tightly around, Jon gave but nearly five more thrusts, each increasing ever so slightly in he strength until he groaned in your kiss in return to your moans.

Pushing inside you as deep as he could, Jons hands against your thighs grew bruising as his kiss was so biting you felt the skin of your lips tear slightly. It only made you hold onto him so much tighter, sounds begging in his mouth for more as he finally spilled inside of you.

But unlike that very first time, so much like here that night in Castle Black, Jon never stopped. Never allowed his cock to leave you, only staying at that steady pace he formed when finally pouring his thick seed deep inside of you.

Jon had wished that very first time with you that when he filled you, it would take. Now it almost was frustrating he couldn't do it now. He could feel your stomach against him just enough to ensure he always could sense how you were carrying his child, but he hadn't gotten you pregnant that first time and part of him could only recall that disappointment realizing he hadn't. Refusing to give leave you yet, Jon increased his thrusts.

Rougher he begun to sink inside of you, faster and faster each time as you begun to cry out. Head falling against the cave wall behind you, uncaring of the water still cascading now against you. Nothing would get in either of your ways of each others touch, each others kiss and Jon had barely muttered your name to convince you to return to him.

His lips were more gentle then his cock, jostling you in his arms enough that your breasts bounced with each shove of his cock. Tearing from your lips Jon almost watched with the wonder of a boy, before his jaw clenched and kissed you again. His tongue meeting yours, tasting your mouth without letting you return the gesture as such.

If Jon could've filled you with a daughter right now, he would have. Cumming at the same instance you begged for him, walls asking for you to be filled with his pouring seed. Spilling deep but you feared having any of it leave you, as if something took over your mind. The fear of Jon pulling out of you matching to this being the end, but Jon cradled the back of your head as he kept you pushed against the wall enough.

Shushing you gently, you hadn't even noticed any sounds even remotely like crying had begun to leave between your begs for him to stay inside of you. Nodding against his whispers of nothing in your ear, Jon never stopped moving in and out of you.

The world spun, and suddenly though, most of your body lay within the warm pool of spring water, only your shoulders and head laying against dry stone below. But Jon, yanked your hips up. One thigh up against his side, the other held open for him, you barley had noticed the change in sight before it was Jons grey eyes turning to a wolfish pitch black as he stared you down.

Something in him, snapped. No longer was his fucking gentle or slow. Something had changed as he had spilled inside of you the second time. He couldn't get you pregnant this time around, and it seemed, Jon decided on the alternative. Jon had kept so much of what utter horrible filth wanted to come from his mouth when he first took you.

But here? Alone in the world with you his wife, carrying his child? What more of his desires need he hide?

His eyes trained intently on where his cock was sunk deep inside of you, only moving slowly the first pull of his cock out of you. The soaking sight as he could just barley glance up to the rest of you so perfectly on display, his hands on your legs tensed as he suddenly thrusted roughly inside of you. Never looking away from how he sunk deep, you accepting his length without a single bit of hesitation. He'd pull back out painfully slow, dragging against your sensitive walls until you clenched around him with a gasp only to pound back deep just as roughly once more.

The sloshing of water beneath you, beads of it splashing up onto your skin, as it shined. To Jon, it for moment, felt as if he had been lured in here. Tempted by a goddess to sink deeply inside but you did not seduce him, you only lay there, arms spread above your head as much as your now wet hair draped along the cave floor. To Jon, you were more then a goddess, someone as such like a siren wouldn't let a bastard like him fill her with a child. Yet your stomach showed he had truly done just that, your breasts bruised and marked up from his many nights taking advantage of how they were so sensitive he could finish you just touching them. Bouncing with every thrust inside of you just as Jon could see the plush skin of where your legs and hips met jostling with his sudden pounds.

Not for a second did Jon loose any intensity, not even slowing down as a growl tore from his chest. Hands tense on your hips, his eyes closes shut as his head dropped somewhat. Rough pounds of his cock inside of you, each one more slapping them the last. Only pulling halfway from you before slamming back as deep as you could take him, cries left your mouth needy and high pitched just as your name tore from Jons in a dark need.

A sudden and thick warmth filled you, a whine wishing to tear from you as his seed poured inside deep, his cock rough with every thrust and more and more did he always have to gift you. As if you had been designed to take him, and never let any drop go to waste be in inside of you here or when Jon was fair and let you feel his seed down your throat. But he didn't stop, not slow, nor loose any momentum with how hard he was.

Feeling your body jostle with every rough thrust, your core burned. White hot like a star in the sky and twisting until it then exploded into a marvellous sight but within you. Jon finally let it all begun to speak from wherever in his heart or mind bled black and possessive as you clenched around him while you came. A growling husk of a voice entrancing you to whatever he said, like a spell to bewitch you to his pounding cock inside of you. “Fuck, you're perfect.” Head dropping a bit again, Jons eyes almost fluttered closed once more as if he too, was losing himself in how you felt so tight and soaking around his cock. “You were made for this, made for me..made to take my cock,- you were born just to take my cock, darling,”

Cutting himself off, Jon shifted. Sinking deep suddenly, Jon yanked your thighs more up onto his hips as the indication to stay just like that was spoken. Hands rough slamming down to each side of your head, Jons cock pounding deep and shallow as deep as he could be inside of you, but you were trapped in his dark eyes. Hands reaching to grasp, he let you both interlock your fingers once more, one of your legs wrapping behind his back to try and pull him further inside of you.

Head flying back, you only looked back up to him, wide eyes beaming with unshed tears so overwhelmed and so tingling all over. Your breathless begs nothing but that of a sirens song in Jons mind. “I belong to you, Jon, gods- I promise I've always belonged to you, I'll always be yours.”

Cutting off the second you finished a breath, Jon roughly pressed his lips to yours. Hands locked together tightening as did your leg stay wrapped around him. Jon all but shoving his cock deep with pounds so rough were you on dry land, the echo would've bounced across the cave. Your walls clenched around him, only making him go harder, the water beneath you as loud moving with your bodies as was the falling one against the wall.

Tearing a cut into your lip with a hissing bite, Jon tore from your lips then. The saliva trailed between you as he refused to ease or slow how much his hips sunk deeply into yours, his eyes wide almost more in awe looking at you then from how you felt.

One hand let go, Jon cupped your jaw and cheek, refusing to let your head throw back in desire as she forced your eyes to watch his dark ones. No longer speaking, just watching as the pounding of his cock jostled your breasts as if this were a show for men in a brothel. Short cries, your now free hand grasped at his shoulder and you almost closed your eyes at how suddenly his cock drew an orgasm from you once more.

Your cunt begging for Jon to stay inside of you, he refused to not listen. Jon did not speed up, or grow rougher, but his voice did. Slurring and his northern accent heavier then it ever had been, he did not even wait for your begs and cries of nothing from your orgasm burning in your blood to calm before he started to say exactly what he refused to your first night together.

“Next time I want to get you pregnant, darling, you're not leaving my cock until you are.” Letting your cheek go, Jon wrapped an arm around your back and rose you up just the slightest off the ground. His cock sliding so easily inside of you, as the sudden colder air around meant the sounds mixed with a slap of skin in both of your ears. Your wetness more then the waters below as he sunk deep inside each single thrust. “Spill inside you for hours until my seed takes..you remember how I tied your hand to my headboard that night?”

Nodding meekly, your free hand only wrapped to rake through his curls as you failed to meet the demand of his cock slid so roughly in you where your soaked walls mixed obscene with the remains of his warm spend. Your voice failing you as your lungs were derived from air the more he fucked you.

That was fine, Jon continued on his own. Rambling to the degree neither you nor him were sure he really even knew what he was confessing. “I'm going to tie your beautiful legs up too, spread them wide so you have no other choice but to take me over and over. Oh fuck- you'll beg for me to never leave you-”

Gasping in the air, you too did not know that the throbbing of his cock inside of you matched the gutting feeling in his heart. “I already, gods- Jon I don't want you to stop now..or ever, please,”

His voice was as rough as it was genuine in reassurance, leaning down to press a chaste kiss opposite of how rough his cock was treating you. “This isn't where this ends, I promise. I'm getting us home, and I'll keep you with child as long as I can just to prove you I mean it. I'm never giving you up again, never.” In a moment Jons head dropped to your chest as you let go once more.

How many times had he brought you to a finish you did not know, but there were not overwhelmed from desire tears behind your eyes. But real ones, ones you did not hide as you begged his name as your orgasm flooded you like a wave on the sea. Meeting yours, Jon looked no more put together, face twisting when he had to pound harder to drive his cock as deep inside of your cunt, his lips parted in something just as overwhelming as he watched your tearful gaze.

Letting both of your hands free, you wrapped them around the back of his neck and desperately into his dark curls. Your begs so weak but raw clawing from your chest, “Everything you want, I promise. Whatever you want from me, I'll give it to you. Even if I screw this one up, I'll try again, give you a son I promise.”

Jon cutting you off, hardly was pulling from you anymore. Shallow thrusts so deep that his entire cock was soaking inside your warm walls, assuring you with a tone as gentle as your promises. “You've never done anything wrong, not with me.”

In truth, it should have made Jon feel more shameful, but he knew it'd be a lie if he pretended otherwise. It was nothing but honest in admitting that the sight of tears down your cheeks was what made him cum. Not mean or malicious, but it took all of your lifetime to be so open with him to cry like that as he fucked you, that it made him spill deeply inside of you once more. Hiding his face in your hair as Jon tucked you away in his neck as you both found ends with the other so closely connected.

Unlike that night in Castle Black, Jon refused to pull out of you. Keeping you tucked into his chest, Jon turned you both onto your side the second he slightly shifted you both from the water. Running his hand down your wet hair as he pulled it back loose properly, your legs tangled as he never left your cunt and you never even slightly indicated with your needy touch that you'd want him too. Only whispers of love, and that he promised, “It'll all be okay, darling.”

For once, even just until you fell asleep, you think you believed him.

Two different views of the land, that was what you had thought the North was. But thus far, the Frost Fangs had been showing most of only one side of such a view. The beauty was easy to see, it sat all around you in it's natural position. But it was also unforgiving as it was cruel. Stealing your breath as it did tearing away your ability to catch up. Each step rose higher and higher to the edges of such lands and yet you had not realized it was that day.

The snow sunk deep down the edge of the hill which you had been climbing, but up and up did you feel something dizzy in your bones. Not only you, all three of you felt it. Something in the air which was different and yet you pressed onward knowing stopping here in an uphill climb was not where it should have been discussed. It was months ago now you had asked Jon if the winter lands you walked towards ever ended, and you had not a clue what it would feel to find out.

Were you but a girl you'd wonder if a man could simply sail that far but the waters Jon said grew as cold as what was coming. That sailors many times have tried to see where it ends and got no further then their ships becoming trapped within the shifting ice and never could go further then the maps already known to the world.

It was not the same as the far stretches of east, the lands of Yi-Ti people did live there and the maesters did write about it, but it was not viable information provided. Much of the other lands were written with little knowledge of what really was there but all knew as far that people did live there. Survivable lands existed, most only did not get there and back with reliable knowledge. But this no one knew, no one came here and came back with stories to not be believed.

This far north, no one came back. Only one. Only a Stark. And only once.

One foot in front of the other with a held back need of air, but you three pressed forward as the top came into view. Exhausted and ragged, you hardly even registered it as your eyes did not look to the sky as you approached, only the snow and ice you walked upon, but it was no mistakening to be there. Waiting for you to see it as it wanted.

The other side of the sights was here, and it was that of memorizing terror. Seeing from afar was not a single bit the manner so close made you feel. It had you so dizzy you felt the wind knock your breath right from your lungs almost having you sway as you stood. The walls of the sky looked like night, but you and Jon had not been hiking for more then a few hours from dawn.

Pitch black it was, only there were curtains hanging from such walls and it was a shimmering green dancing in the air it existed in. Liquid poured into the black to entrap your eyes to its sights without every giving away too much of what it was. You had seen it since, you had seen it from the Nightfort, but it was nothing to this.

The Green was everywhere. It was all around and it danced as if speaking a language to the stars it hid in it's fabrics. Thoros of Myr had said it was mesmerizing and that was the perfect term. Neither you nor Jon spoke a word but watched with wide eyes and parted lips at it. Below though, was not the Frost Fangs.

Mountains were in the distance hidden by mists of snow and dark, but for a long stretch was a frozen wasteland of nothing. It would take days to cross and reach anything which turned into something other then a field of ice.

Jons hand ran gently over Ghosts fur as the direwolf looked to meet Jons eyes, something unspoken running between them in silence as his hand tightened. Ghost shifting a bit closer to him for a moment before his own voice managed to rasp out after what felt like years of silence in the blowing winds of green sights. “We'll make camp here tonight. Make sure we have enough with us before going out there.”

You said nothing, and until Jon had repeated your name a second time did you turn to look at him, your eyes still wide and unsure but in contrast he had sealed his expression closed and prepared. Only nodding, you turned back as the wind blew your hair in front of your face as if to obscure the view ahead. Had Bran made it this far? Where was he in the lands he too risked everything to go towards, was Benjen somewhere within these misty storms too?

There was no getting around what was to come, fear. It was fear and a desperate wish that you had figured out what you wanted before it had risked being too late. Most of your life what you wanted as irrelevant to what you were expected to do, therefore you hardly ever considered the answer to such a question. The first time you came up with one of your own volition, was perched in the arms of Robb Stark as you both finally knew despite all the war, a family was finally what was coming for you both.

Only, that was shattered. And a falsehood perpetuated by the red womans lies. Now though, your want was not for you. You had part of this. Twice. Jon never thought he'd have even a piece of it. What you wanted, was to have this child, to let him have a family, be a father the way he thought was not an option for him anymore. You wanted what Jon never thought he could have and yet you faced the unknown which none was said to return from.

Neither of you had spoken of the fact that no dreams nor vision had come you to the entire time you both were in the North. Nothing close to it had come, and the closer to the curtain of dancing green which you came the less you felt as if you were being guided somewhere. Because you were on the path it seemed, they had been trying to place you on for your entire life.

But the dreams and visions had never been comforting before, so the lack of them in this face, was not comforting now. Jon nor you acted to the other as if this was the end. It would not help, it would only make you panic more of such worries.

In your final night within the lands man could know to survive, Jon remained awake long after you had been curled up in chest. Bare under the fur together with the warmth of Ghost close on the other. His hands running over every inch of skin he could find and contemplated why he was not afraid. He had seen what led him here, and he had seen who asked him here. Not why or for what or anything of the sort, but Jon had led you here because it was the only answer he could get, the only ones which led to the fate dooming them all.

Perhaps it was death he was not afraid of, he had experienced it before as had you. But it was more then that, it was the fire within Jons soul telling him that it was useless for this to be where his life with you ended. The gods had moved so much in the worlds to bring you back to Jon, and he knew it was not just to end out in a frozen wasteland far from your home together.

The gods did not let Jon gift you with a child for him to never be born the way your son with Robb never had that chance. Many hours that final day, within the safety of the last home you had, Jon had wrapped his arms around you, and you him, hovered over your body as he sunk deep inside of you as your lips hardly once left his. It was quiet and peace even then, and Jon knew he had to hold all of your fear for you to keep going.

He did not have words to explain why he had known you brought him back from death, and Jon did not have words to explain why he knew he was bringing you, Ghost, and this baby all home, the four of you together. He just knew, and he trusted in that for his death and he trusted it now. You all belonged together and you all would fight to stay together, and so if he wasn't going to let himself feel that fear, then he'd hold onto that greater protectiveness.

In those final moments as Jons eyes felt heavy though, there were many he thought of. His siblings lost or gone, friends he had lost, a mother he never knew, and a father he wished he could tell he was sorry he thought he didn't trust more. But it was one face he thought of as he looked down at your slumbering self curled into his chest.

Jon could only hope Robb knew. This was not what he likely thought Jon meant when he said he'd protect you, when he'd take care of you. Jon wanted Robb to know he was sorry he didn't keep his wife safe from the world that killed her. But Jon would not apologize for not turning back and taking you home.

Jon told Robb he was sorry this was the life he gave you after Robb was gone, but Jon would not apologize for doing what the world needed. Keeping you and him together. You were Robbs once, but now you were Jons, and Jon was fighting a very different war then the one which killed his brother.

This war hadn't ended at one death in his heart, and Jon wouldn't give it a second so soon again.

It was the same formation thus far each day. Ghost close to one side of you, ensuring you could feel his large stature giving support as Jon drew you into his side as you both walked. It was not easy for any of them, but he'd never seen you struggle so much to keep going. Jon and Ghost had to be the ones to ensure you kept putting one foot forward each and every step they all made, but you were exhausted and the cold was bitter and horrible around you.

It bothered Jon and Ghost, it was brutal and freezing but yet it was as if it was worse for you. Not much of a voice beyond a strain in your throat but you would give enough to ensure you were alright, enough to ensure the little wolf pup inside of you was doing far better the you, yourself felt. It had to be enough.

The lands here did not end, so Jon kept you going.

Almost tripping over you feet at one point, Jon stopped. Turning to grasp you by the arms and you held his in return to steady yourself. “I'm fine, I promise.” One hand turned your face up by your chin to meet his eyes. Grey wide and worried as you looked less uncertain of the words coming from your ragged face. You were in a rough place, more then Jon and Ghost.

But Jon couldn't coddle you, he couldn't tell you not to push yourself the way he does, not this time. So, running a hand down your face, Jon gently warmed your cold lips with his as your hands came gently to hold at his waist, his free arm wrapped around your back pulling you into him. A chaste kiss all you shared, all the time asked of you, when the cold whirled.

Spinning around and around, did you and Jon part from one another as it plummeted in the already fatal winds. Ghost almost wrangled you into Jons chest, a growl low in the direwolf as Jon turned to look in one direction and you the other. There were no maps for where you were, but now there were no sights. Only the snowy mists.

Racing hearts beat in tandem, a match between all three of you as in such a clearing of nowhere in between mountain peaks did you become blind. A dagger clutched in your left hand, made of a black stone shining like glass, and the arm not around you, Jon had grasp tightly the hilt of Longclaw.

You knew what the cold, white winds meant and all stories of Old Nan said that only here did the white walkers come with it. They made no sound. A figure emerging from the blindness, a horse that was too obscured by snow to see, but you and Jon felt the cold freeze you to the spot and fuse weapons to your hands. Ghost kept you pressed up between he and Jon as the later never let you leave the safety of pulling you into his side.

Still as it approached, it made no sound. Graceful as if walking through a clearing meadow did it come face to face. Taller then any man you've ever met with eyes blue like crystals. Its skin, a blueish white like flesh made of milk and drenched in ice keeping it's beauty forever. It looked a man, but was not your kind at all, and you knew not what to think of it.

Ghost growled as did the sensation rumble through Jons tense limbs for a fight, but it only approached you the moment it climbed from its dead horse. Eyes first on Ghost, only to then look at you. Hardly six feet away did it stare at you down to your stomach. Not visible well under the sheepskin and your size at five months hardly what most women would call healthy out here, but it could be seen if known you were in such a state. The entire time it walked forward with eyes on you, until the wind around stopped.

It blew everywhere else, but not around the figure before you three. As soon as the winds stopped and cleared for only this creature, did it close the gap. Your hand could have broken you were holding the dragonglass so tensely, but you had not any thoughts you understood. None as you looked upon the death waiting to take you all as it stood in front of you in your waking, true life.

But Jon, he had seen him before. More then once. This thing had watched Jon kill one of it's own at Hardhome with the sword tight in his grip now, and he had looked Jon in the eye as he raised thousands of free folk with blue eyes to demonstrate one kill from him could not match thousands beside them. Then he invaded his dreams, more and more he watched Jon as he watched him until finally he called to him.

Jon was here for answers, and he would either get them from this creature, or kill it. But he would not turn empty handed, and he would not leave any of you behind. Whatever the Others wanted, they did not want it as much as Jon wanted to protect his home and his people, and he did not come out here idly to die before doing just that.

They stared at one another, Jons eyes so dark they painted black with a challenge on his expression to match Jon this time. Silence sat between them, pure silence as a white creature the height of half a giant, stared down at just a man, who no longer held fear for it.

But then it opened its mouth and a loud crackling like ice screamed out in your ears. Long and drawn out as if calling to something, and only as you and Jon looked around as the wind died down everywhere did you all realize it. It had tested if Jon would attack it, because animals and blue eyed corpses were in each direction you looked, it had you surrounded.

Before your eyes did the appearance of a great structure appear from the mists hiding the distance beforehand. It walked from you all towards such a strange fortress, but you could not turn back. It had you, Jon, and Ghost trapped in its home.

There was no turning back now. Only stepping forward into the jaws of a frozen death.

[rpgsandbox]

Obojima is a 250+ page campaign setting inspired by the wondrous worlds featured in Studio Ghibli films and the beloved Legend of Zelda game series. Guide your players through breathtaking locations, encounter strange spirits, discover rare oddities, and battle wild and wondrous creatures. Create your own unforgettable narrative in this familiar world with an all-new collection of curious items, magical spells, and numerous player options.

A world built for exploration and adventure. Lose yourself alongside your players as you travel the breathtaking island of Obojima, a curious place with a mysterious past. Obojima is a prime location for many adventurers' stories.

In Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass, you'll find pages and pages of rich lore, detailed maps, pre-generated characters, strange factions, unique locations, and more.  All of which is accompanied by breathtaking art to pull you deeper into the world. 

On the Island of Obojima, potion crafting is a useful skill that most adventures learn, but few master. LUCKILY, Potion Brewing has never been easier!

Hunt for any of the 100 + ingredients spread across the island and combine them to create custom potion recipes. With over 180 potions to brew, you'll be a seasoned adventure before you've crafted them all. That being said, you must be careful; some of these fabled ingredients are hard to obtain! Many experienced Brewmasters have lost themselves or worse in search of a rare ingredient.

Foul magic has begun to spread across Obojima's Eastern coastline!

The sea has turned black: the waters have begun to poison the sea life and corrupt the land. Rumors have spread amongst the spirits, but few claim to understand what's taking place on this strange island. What we can say for sure is this corruption has bestowed unlikely creatures with dangerous abilities. It has even affected some adventurers. 

Will you explore the coast and delve below the water's surface to uncover the cause of this dark affliction?

Play as an eclectic College of Masks bard and craft versatile theater masks to help you in any situation. Breathe life into paper constructs and control the battlefield as an Origami Mage. Harness the potent magic that has slowly begun to infect Obojima as the Corrupted Ranger.

Fully immerse yourself and your players in the world by using any of the new subclasses, spells, backgrounds, feats, weapon types, or player races. 

The numerous options will have you struggling to decide what to play.

Create unforgettable encounters using any of the 60+ new monsters only found on the island of Obojima. See if your players can catch the elusive and playful Sheep Dragon on one of the islands' rolling hillsides, or stay hidden as the dangerous and cruel Urugama haunts the roads between villages. Reveal these creatures' strange quirks or powerful abilities and watch as your players scream and shout in delight or shock!

Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, August 31 2023 5:00 PM BST

Website: [1985 Games] [facebook] [twitter] [instagram]

[p5x-theories]

What We Know About Wind

(last updated 12/27/24!)

Riko Tanemura, codename Wind, is a third-year member of the disciplinary committee at Kokatsu Academy, and the rich heiress to a plum company.

Riko picks the codename "Wind" after being told her codename should be something incredible/wondrous, and she thinks of how she's always found it strange that the character for "wind" is used in the word "disciplinary committee". She also connects it to wanting to be a tailwind for her allies and a headwind for her enemies.

A separate version of Riko (Ceaseless Wind) will be added Version 3.2.1, and will have a separate post documenting her combat information. Note that Ceaseless Wind presumably cannot be on the same active team as Wind.

Her Japanese voice actress is Atsumi Tanezaki.

In the story prior to Chapter 3, we see her at school, as a student who mainly appears in scenes to remind other students of the rules. She and Motoha seem to be at least a bit familiar with each other, and there seem to be some girls at school who even are fans of Riko's and find her cool.

Future story information about her has been translated as:

"As the discipline committee member, Riko Tanemura helps the school manage the lives of students, which has become a very important part under the new policy. Riko-senpai is smart and knowledgeable. As a member of the discipline committee, she will make rational judgments when facing radical campus reform policies. Facing her own problems, she will definitely be able to make better changes through meeting the protagonist and his party. When she faces the struggle to break the rules that constrain her, it is the second movement of the Concerto of the Rule Breakers!"

She was also listed as a Confidant in the first beta (but it was locked), and was present in photo mode in the third beta. The third beta trailer shows her talking to Wonder in a scene that has not yet been present in-game. She also had a special animated promo video focused on her.

While little has been seen of her at the moment, she seems to at least outwardly present as a calm, reserved student. She encourages Wonder to speak up, but also complains that students have been acting more selfishly lately. She's mentioned to be the head of the student disciplinary committee, so she helps uphold the rules at Kokatsu. The school's dean frequently pushes administrative work and other duties onto her, but she takes care of it all without complaint, solely focused on preparing for her future career when she eventually inherits UMETANE from her father.

Her Persona awakening reveals that her strict sense of duty is actually tied to a desire to be loved genuinely. From a young age, it was impressed upon her in various ways that she'd only ever be loved superficially, and only if she excelled at tasks and stayed useful. She repressed the part of herself that sought genuine care and affection from others, and became closed-off and clinical, viewing the world with the assumption that everyone was only keeping her around if she could be of use, and always had ulterior motives for getting close to her.

Seeing Shadow Katayama's genuine, desperate care for her students, and specifically for Riko's wellbeing even as it was killing her, helped her to realize what she really desires out of human interactions: she wants to believe people can actually love her for herself, without wanting something from her. Seeing Shadow Katayama be used the way Riko always lets herself be used in the real world, she became determined to break out of the circumstances she'd created for herself, and focus on the people who honestly love her, like Ms. Katayama.

Later, she shows a distinct determination to steal Ms. Katayama's heart, to the point that she outright tells the real-world Katayama that she'll do so, inadvertently leading to her Treasure materializing before the Phantom Thieves have even secured an infiltration route. Riko is officially recruited to the team after this conversation (before they'd realized the consequences), and given the role of tactical advisor on the team. When fighting Shadow Katayama, she shows an unprecedented fury at Shadow Akashi (perhaps Akashi in general) for the way he treats her, and does everything she can to help prevent the real Katayama's death due to this treatment.

When they have to leave Katayama's Treasure behind, Riko promises she'll come back for it, and quickly begins to formulate a plan for how to trap Akashi so they can steal his Treasure.

Promotional information about her has been translated as:

"The surname Tanemura is spread in the ancient Wakayama Prefecture, a family closely related to “plum”. The phantom thief costume extracts the design inspiration of the “miko costume”, supplemented by the design concept of “plum blossom”."

Given she's paired with Makoto for their P5 Collab sticker (pictured above), and is the next teammate to join, it seems very likely her role will parallel Makoto's.

Her Persona is Chiyome (based on a famous female ninja), and functions as a navigator. While she’s summoned, Wind sits on a swing hanging below her, while Chiyome herself soars through the sky.

Chiyome is an Elucidation Persona, the designation used for navigators, and her trait gives the enemy with the highest level of Guard a "Vulnerability" after every three teammate actions. A Vulnerability increases the enemy's damage taken from the next attack to hit them, but then is destroyed; when destroyed, Wind receives two pieces of "Intelligence". If the attack hits a weakness, or even does normal damage (i.e., is not resisted, absorbed, or reflected), their Guard will be reduced by an extra level, and every time an enemy's Guard is reduced by a level in this way, Wind gains an additional piece of Intelligence. She has three support skills, which have cooldowns to use, but can be called in at will otherwise: the first reduces the defense of all enemies for two rounds (based on Wind's own speed stat), and gives one enemy a Vulnerability; the second increases the damage taken by all enemies for two rounds, and every time a teammate reduces an enemy's Guard, or knocks them down, this skill's cooldown is reduced by 1 turn (and can trigger automatically when the cooldown reaches 0); and the third requires at least 5 Intelligence to use, and consume all Intelligence to give all teammates "Unyielding Bravery" (buffs damage caused, moreso the more Intelligence is consumed) for one round, and restores one teammate's health.

Her passive skills buff the team's stats, buff the team's health + attack + defense stats at the start of combat based on Wind's speed stat, and buff One More and All Out Attack damage dealt by the team.

While she doesn’t strictly have a melee or ranged weapon as a navigator, P5X does have tools that the navigators use for their abilities, also obtained through the weapon gacha, and hers are parasols.

Her recommended card sets are 1) 4 of Coins (Power) + Page of Coins (Growth).

The game recommends teaming her up with 1) Joker.

A Summer version of Riko appears in the Summer event. Her design concept art:

[elsternwick-rp]

“Gracious friend, you have been chosen to visit our lovely city… come to Wondrous Elsternwick, near the nexus point of the multiverse!”

No matter who, what, where, or when you are in the wider multiverse, you have received a fine written letter, inviting you to take a vacation to Elsternwick, a beautiful riverside town!

In this amazing place, Magic and technology have come together to make all sorts of fantastic inventions, and its proximity to the “Nexus Point” has caused all sorts of strange things to pop up in the nearby forest… you can choose to help with the research of these anomalies, go on adventures unrelated to them, go on your own journey to understand the bizarre things that populate these lands, seek your own fortune, or simply unwind in the beautiful town of Elsternwick as a place to relax! You’re free to leave and return home at any time as well, no strings attached!

The town is always changing with the seasons, and its many events, given all the strange things that can happen with the multiverse!

Given their pride, they have invited everyone, even rough types and villains are allowed in town! So long as they behave, of course...

Elsternwick is a Discord RP server, we allow all sorts of fun plots & events to happen, and there are many interesting places to visit and explore!  All the while you’ll be having your own kind of unique happenings with your character, be they an original character, a fan character for something already else set up, or a canon character!

We’re a group that focuses on the lighter aspects of roleplaying (as well as crossovers), the fun and adventure that can come about from unique interactions in a wondrous setting, while also allowing for the potential of some more serious plots, and allowing you take your own pace in both reply speed and plot progression! We are also very laid back, chill, and friendly to practically everyone!

Some other features include…

Canon characters, Original Characters & Fan Characters, and maybe even some self-inserts (if done well) accepted!

PG-13 Group!

Events ran by both players and mods/admins,  can feature original settings and stories, as well as visits or takes on canon plots & locations! You’re also free to DM regular threads if you want, just be sure to run it by the team first <:

Seasonal and Story Events for every season! Both Seasonal and Story focused events happen throughout the year!

NPCs can be played by the moderator team, or even just regular players as long as they fit and can have fun stuff done with them! You can even promote an NPC to a full player character if you like them well enough!

Get your muse a job! Elsternwick is always hiring with many jobs, some simple, some complicated, and some inspired by places from across the many different universes! You can do these to help inspire threads, get rewards for your muses, or simply add flavor to other RPs!

“Dungeon Runs” of varying flavors semi-regularly, have your character investigate the mysterious ruins for the thrill of combat and loot! You never know what might be lurking down there!

“Expeditions” that take you beyond Elsternwick, to other towns, and even worlds beyond your own, and other places beyond your wildest dreams!

Dedicated dice rolling bot allows for combat with some stakes, and outcomes one might not expect! (Dice aren’t used for every action!)

Not a fighter? No problem! There’s plenty of odd jobs around the city waiting for you! You could also always help with puzzles and negotiations!

All formats of Roleplaying Accepted! (Text/Script, Paragraph, even long form!)

Many types of plots & developments accepted, be it fun and carefree, or serious with some high stakes behind it!

New areas and locations being added constantly, some depending on characters coming in, and some being “unlocked” for completing events!

Buildings and new locations are added semi-regularly, and sometimes depend on player input and choices, be careful, you could help or hinder all player characters present!

Laid back environment with friendly people, while also allowing a wide variety of developments and changes!

Meet tons of new, friendly, and creative people!

Spectating is an option as well if you simply want to take a peek before joining! Simply send an ask

Plenty of options for OoC chatter and bonding!

Navigation | Master List | About Us/Premise | Rules |

(New Promo post with slight updates!)

[tumblingxelian]

SMMR of RWBY

So, seeing as @smmrofrwby is encouraging RWBY posts today to hopefully get some specific tags trending, particularly #RWBY and #GREENLIGHTVOLUME10. & given the wonderful news we had yesterday, I figured I should contribute!

I create analysis videos covering RWBY & other topics

I have several pieces of fanart over on my art channel @shakytailstudios on Tumblr

I have twenty nine Fanfics, but will only share some:

Worlds Bound by Shadow (Crossover) Arriving on the shores of the Eastern Kingdom, High Priestess Tyrande & the Warden Maiev soon find their forces beset by unfamiliar beasts of bone and shadow.

Arriving in Mistral, Ruby Rose and her friends soon find themselves roped into investigating strange behavior in the local Creatures of Grimm on behalf of Haven's Headmaster.

Soon, both parties will find themselves staring down unfamiliar threats and alien worlds.

The Knights Errant Decisions both major and minor can lead to big changes. Missing their chance to attend Beacon Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake will still need to come together to escape their pasts and reach for a new and brighter future.

Bumbleby Week 2023   The Bees are canon and its time to celebrate with Bumbleby Week 2023!

My Bumbleby Week 2022  My collection of oneshots for Bumbleby Week 2022.

My Bumbleby Week 2017 I have decided to take part in Bumbleby Week 2017! I hope people enjoy the works I managed to complete for this wondrous event, starting with Garden!

Warm Night The Nights of Menagerie are warm, but Blake relishes in the company of her partner.

Red Dawn Life outside the walls is dangerous beyond measure, yet Arslan’s clan had always seemed to beat the odds.

Their safety is thrown into chaos however, when their warriors are deceived and her master is left beaten and broken.

Now the only guardian between the children of the clan and her foes, the young lioness has no choice but to fight.

[theresattrpgforthat]

my girlfriend really wants a game that is "crunchy" about how you build a whole character, ie. having "mechanics" for the fantasy of said characters. an example would be spheres for pathfinder or 5e. we're just looking for other ideas! we both love pbta and we both love 5e, but sometimes you want to chew on the system a little.

THEME: Mechanically Dense Characters

Alright, so let’s see what I can recommend that I haven’t recommended a lot yet. I’m going to try and approach this with a few different genres, as well as a few different systems. There will also be links to related rec posts at the end!

Into the Black, by Monkey’s Paw Games.

INTO THE BLACK is a sci-fi roleplaying game where one or more players take on the role of Management and presents a futuristic universe of corporate oppression and class warfare, while others take on the role of Freelancers and create characters to struggle and survive in that universe. Players must navigate and explore a strange and wondrous galaxy while deeply indebted to an interstellar corporation. Life among the stars, then, is about treading the razor's edge of struggling for survival and finding joy and love where one can.

Into the Black is built on the Into the Odd rules system, created by Chris McDowell. This places it into the OSR family of games. Now, OSR games are typically pretty lethal at low levels, and Into the Black is no different, but I know that 5E has the same kind of problem, to the point that many people will skip first level altogether.

In Into the Black, your character starts with an occupation, a background, randomly rolled abilities, and some gear. Once you advance to your first level, you take one of two classes, and customize from there. Technicians learn new occupations while Specialists take on new Kinesis Abilities, which are paranormal abilities that fit the space setting. You’ll chew through characters pretty quickly here, but I think that finding a character that does survive past the first few levels might be akin to a Nuzlocke run in a Pokemon game - you care a lot about the person who survives past a certain point, and your investment will help you generate this character’s thoughts, feelings and reactions in the game.

Gubat Banwa, by Makapatag.

GUBAT BANWA is a Martial Arts Tactics and War Drama Tabletop RPG where you play as martial artists poised to change the world: Kadungganan: the cavalry, the wandering swordsmen, the tide turners, the knights-errant, the ones to call in darkest night in a world inspired and centering Southeast Asian folklore.

Witness, grand warriors, honorable gallants that trudge and toil under kings and haloes. Witness, KADUNGGANAN, that refulgent name. That blasted name: WITNESS NOW. The end of days is upon us: and the new world MUST BE BORN. Bear your blades, incant your magicks. Cut open your tomorrow from the womb of violence. Inscribe your name upon the very akasha of this world. 

There are plenty of mechanics to immerse yourself in when it comes to the Kadungganan of Gubat Banwa. You have a homeland, a social class, defining life events, a profession, a religion, and a specialization. These choices give you pieces of your backstory, but they also give you skills. You’ll also choose a Discipline, a martial art that your character is currently practising, which defines your character’s philosophy and the way they carry themself into battle. Various cultures have collections of different disciplines, with each flavour receiving special abilities, as well as thematic advice on how they present themselves in battle. If you like games that give you extremely cool abilities and badass weaponry, and tie everything in your character to integral pieces of the setting, then Gubat Banwa is for you.

Neon Nights, by EfanGamez.

In Jeriko City, everybody wants to be somebody. Who do you wanna be?

Neon Nights is a cyberpunk/dystopian tabletop RPG set on Earth after a nuclear war devastated the entire planet. After hundreds of years of thousands of people roaming the desolate, irradiated Great Wastes, megacities emerged from the dust of deserts. Where there was once crumbling roads and dancing dust devils now stand skyscrapers towering over hundreds of thousands of roaming pedestrians walking the streets of Jeriko City, located on the East Coast of the once powerful United States of America.

Neon Nights uses a point-buy system to increase parts of your character sheet as you like, which gives you a lot of flexibility when cobbling together a concept. You use points to increase traits, which seem to affect your rolls, perks, which are special abilities used in specific situations, and World Stats, which determine how your character is seen by the rest of the world. How famous are you? How feared? How much respect are you granted? At character creation this may be a guide for the GM as to how your character is received by different elements of society. And these arenas will change depending on what you do in the game. You’ll also choose Occupations which give you pre-determined modifiers and skills that make your character unique. Finally, there’s your gear! Biotech, consumables, and weapons all give your character tools to use in whatever situations you find yourselves in.

Mutants in the Now, by Julian Kay.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, they ruled the streets, kick-flipping off of villainous faces and slipping into the shadows. Then, they vanished from the world of tabletop gaming.

But they’re back. And ready to KICK BUTT.

Mutants in the Now is a retromodern retake on the mutant animal role-playing games long past and left behind by licensing. Mutants fight to survive, thrive, and make the world better for themselves and humanity.

If you want unlimited options, Mutants in the Now has options. Over 130 animal species and over 200 mutation traits are in the basic book, along with fourteen combat styles, psionic powers, and detailed rules about combat, allies, villains, and more. You can roll randomly for your animal, and spend points to improve them via mutations, combat styles etc.

There’s a lot of pieces that you can look at and then generate a backstory based off of the character you’ve created, and the setting is high action, Saturday-morning-cartoon in theme, but the details are up to your play group. If you like limitless possibilities for character creation, you should check out Mutants in the Now (and it’s expansion, Mutants in the Next!)

Other Posts To Check Out

All The Dice

Branching Out From D&D

Character Customization

Echoes of D&D

Tactical Combat

Rules-Lite Systems with Classes

[specialagentartemis]

Art of the last two days:

I went to see Flow with Runo and it was gorgeous.  It's a Latvian animated movie set in a world without humans.  A cat finds unexpected friendship with a capybara, a lemur, a dog, and a secretary bird after a flood inundates the world and they take refuge in an old boat travelling the new worldwide ocean as the waters continue to rise.  It was gorgeous, magical in a strange and lonely and wondrous way.  There's no dialogue.  It's carried by the animal body language and music and it was majestic and lovely.

And on the airplane I finished reading the novella Sordidez by E. G. Conde. It's a climate fiction novella, compelling and powerful, a worthwhile read I'm still mulling over, but some parts became a little too obviously black-and-white. The writing was beautiful. The depiction of a climate-change-ravaged future, where both the careless greed of the global powers and the vindictive and deliberate use of environmental devastation against political dissidents, was lyrical and heartbreaking and way too resonant. The struggles and triumphs of community-building from the rubble, Native people once again tending to their Native lands after the colonizing powers rise and fall and rise and fall again, was deeply moving. The timeskips, the span of time this short novella covered, could sometimes feel jumpy, but I think that mostly worked. I loved seeing Doña Margarita's survivors' community in the rural Yucatan. I really liked the perpetual low level conflict between the UN, the People's Government, and the local rural people. I liked Vero and his struggle to figure out what he was meant to do and who he was meant to be. I was... unsure how to feel about La Loba Roja. The explicit parallel drawn between her and the military dictator was weird, because she was also portrayed as right. I also. Well. I wasn't as enthused about her unilaterally declaring herself a goddess-queen of the new Yucatan as it felt like the book was. And appointing Vero the returning king of Puerto Rico. That felt like nothing good could come of unilateral declarations like that. I feel like the results of her movement were not adequately covered, they were just timeskipped over. I also thought one of the late-book reveals about the UN kind of cheapened the politics of it somewhat--made it a little too... obvious, a little too trite.  Which was unfortunate, because so much of it was so good and thoughtful!

Very different takes on climate fiction, and both really cool and kind of hard to describe my feelings on.

[anneangel]

Friendship...

I just love the friendship between Bilbo and Elrond, Bilbo and Aragorn, Bilbo and Frodo, and Bilbo and Thranduil, and I'm sad because I've already read all the little fanfictions about Bilbo's friendship with them!

So here are some excerpts from the books in case anyone wants to get inspired:

“Hmmm! it smells like elves!” thought Bilbo, and he looked up at the stars. … He loved elves, though he seldom met them. … Bilbo would have liked to stay a while. Also he would have liked to have a few private words with these people that seemed to know his names and all about him, although he had never seen them before. He thought their opinion of his adventure might be interesting. Elves know a lot and are wondrous folk for news, and know what is going on among the peoples of the land, as quick as water flows, or quicker. (…) They (the dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo) stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped therefor ever and ever.

The master of the house was an elf-friend — one of those people whose fathers came into the strange stories before the beginning of History, the wars of the evil goblins and the elves and the first men in the North. In those days of our tale there were still some people who had both elves and heroes of the North for ancestors, and Elrond the master of the house was their chief. — He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo’s great adventure is only a small one, though important (…) His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley.

(...) Bilbo heard many stories there (...)

“What are moon-letters?” asked the hobbit full of excitement. He loved maps (…) and he also liked runes and letters and cunning handwriting, though when he wrote himself it was a bit thin and spidery.

“Moon-letters are rune-letters, but you cannot see them,” said Elrond, “not when you look straight at them (…)”.

There a warm welcome was made them, and there were many eager ears that evening to hear the tale of their adventures (…). When the tale of their journeyings was told, there were other tales, and yet more tales, tales of long ago, and tales of new things, and tales of no time at all, till Bilbo’s head fell forward on his chest, and he snored comfortably in a corner. He woke to find himself in a white bed, and the moon shining through an open window. (…) “A little sleep does a great cure in the house of Elrond,” said he.

Weariness fell from him soon in that house, and he had many a merry jest and dance, early and late, with the elves of the valley. - The Hobbit

‘(…) you are the heir of Bilbo, the Ring-finder.'

`Dear Bilbo!' said Frodo sleepily. `I wonder where he is. I wish he was here and could hear all about it. It would have made him laugh. (…)

Gloin looked at Frodo and smiled. 'You were very fond of Bilbo were you not?' he asked.

`Yes,' answered Frodo. 'I would rather see him than all the towers and palaces in the world.'

Elrond went forward and stood beside the silent figure. 'Awake little master!’ he said, with a smile. Then, turning to Frodo, he beckoned to him. 'Now at last the hour has come that you have wished for, Frodo,' he said. `Here is a friend that you have long missed.'

The dark figure raised its head and uncovered its face. `Bilbo!' cried Frodo with sudden recognition, and he sprang forward.

`Hello, Frodo my lad!' said Bilbo. `So you have got here at last. Ihoped you would manage it. Well, well! So all this feasting is in your honour, I hear. I hope you enjoyed yourself?'

`What were you doing?'

`Why, sitting and thinking. I do a lot of that nowadays, and this is the best place to do it in, as a rule. Wake up, indeed!' he said, cocking an eye at Elrond. There was a bright twinkle in it and no sign of sleepiness that Frodo could see. 'Wake up! I was not asleep. Master Elrond. If you want to know, you have all come out from your feast too soon, and you have disturbed me-in the middle of making up a song. (…) I shall have to get my friend the Dunadan to help me. Where is he?'

Elrond laughed. `He shall be found,' he said. (...)

They did not notice the arrival of a man clad in dark green cloth. For many minutes he stood looking down at them with a smile. Suddenly Bilbo looked up. 'Ah, there you are at last, Dunadan!' he cried.

`Strider!' said Frodo. `You seem to have a lot of names.' (…)

`Where have you been, my friend? Why weren't you at the feast? The Lady Arwen was there.'

Strider looked down at Bilbo gravely. `I know,' he said. 'But often I must put mirth aside. Elladan and Elrohir have returned out of the Wild (…).

`Well, my dear fellow,' said Bilbo, `now you've heard the news, can't you spare me a moment? I want your help in something urgent. Elrond says this song of mine is to be finished before the end of the evening, and I am stuck. Let's go off into a corner and polish it up!'

Strider smiled. `Come then!' he said. `Let me hear it!'

(…)

`I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle,' answered Boromir proudly(…) He looked again at Aragorn, and doubt was in his eyes.

Frodo felt Bilbo stir impatiently at his side. Evidently he was annoyed on his friend's behalf. Standing suddenly up he burst out:

‘(…) Not all those who wander are lost (…)’. Not very good perhaps, but to the point -- if you need more beyond the word of Elrond. If that was worth a journey of a hundred and ten days to hear, you had best listen to it.' He sat down with a snort.

`I made that up myself,' he whispered to Frodo, `for the Dunadan, a long time ago when he first told me about himself. I almost wish that my adventures were not over, and that I could go with him when his day comes.'

Aragorn smiled at him; then he turned to Boromir again. `For my part I forgive your doubt,' he said.

- The Lord Of The Rings.

And for Bilbo and Thranduil, here, see this post:

[stormingfrost]

Wonders of the Invisible World 

Tags: Body horror, major character death, Implied/Referenced child abuse, original characters, pitch/sandy

summary: 

Through hundreds of years of strange things happening all over the world, finally someone sees. The Bennett family is now at the forefront of every children's tale - except, now, they learn that these tales are not only real, but much, much darker than they first thought.

For @rotg-halloween day four: castle 

Read it on AO3

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 /13

chapter four: Castle 

under cut

“So Santa is a giant Lovecraftian creature?” 

Jamie nodded. Uncle Andy sighed. Aunt Vivian looked at his mom, nudging her. 

“You alright?” Mom nodded, giving her a look that meant they would talk later. She held her new present, the one that Santa gave her last minute, close to her. It was still unwrapped

“He said he loved the children of the world,” Jamie said. The way those giant hands cupped him and Sophie… gentle and nothing short of caring. He was wondrous and terrifying. 

Jamie looked down at the baby tooth in his hand. 

The what-ifs were racing in his head. He saw the boogeyman. He talked to Santa. What if the tooth fairy visited him? He knew his mom was also wondering the same thing. She kept glancing at him, a worried look on her face as she looked at the gap in his mouth.

“What was the thing in the woods?” Jamie asked. Vivian froze. 

“I’m not sure,” Andy said. “Some sort of zombie? He was a boy. I saw his grave. He was fourteen when he died. We took him to the colonial cemetery, and he showed us his grave and then told us to…” Andy sighed, grief weighing him down. 

“He wanted us to end his suffering,” Vivian finished. “We buried him.” 

Jamie looked down. 

Not a monster. Instead, the monster was actually just a poor, suffering undead creature. 

It had calmed him but also made him feel a bit guilty. He was scared of the poor boy. 

They were spending the night at Grandma’s. Sophie and Jamie got their own rooms, and so did Mom, but Andy and Vivian had to sleep in one, on two different beds that were perpendicular to each other. Jamie guessed that Mom’s room would’ve sat empty if she never married as well, but since it was given to her, they didn’t take it away after the divorce. 

He still remembered being angry at his grandparents. They didn’t support the divorce and nearly stopped talking to his Mom. They only started talking when they realized they wouldn’t see him or Sophie again. 

He sat the tooth under his pillow. He heard Vivian and Mom whispering. 

“What if she’s real? What if she takes the tooth?” 

“I’m not sure.” 

Jamie lay down, staring up at the ceiling. Ordinarily, he’d stay awake for as long as he could, waiting to catch the tooth fairy. After seeing a zombie, the boogeyman, and Santa, he was sure she was real. 

But did he want to see her? A little bit. He was sure she wouldn’t be anything like he expected. 

He turned on his side, staring at the door. Light drifted in from the hallway. 

A strong, unnatural drowsiness fell over him. He blinked his eyes open. The lull of sleep washed over him. 

And then he was awake again. It was dark. 

There was someone in the room with him, whispering. It wasn’t a familiar voice. 

“Left central incisor. Look at how he flossed!” 

Jamie grabbed his flashlight, pointing it at the voice. 

The woman looked towards him, a look of surprise on her face. She was mostly a bird-like creature, with legs like a bird and feathers covering her body. Her arms and face were the only human features Jamie could make out. Her wings flapped. 

“Hello,” he said. The woman shook herself. 

“Greetings.” 

“I knew you’d come.” The woman smiled at that. 

“Of course! You’ve got wonderful teeth. Shame about the memories though.” 

“Memories?”

The woman nodded and hummed, and then Jamie remembered his father. He shivered. 

“See? They are bad. Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t remember the bad things?” 

“I don’t know…” Jamie debated. “It’s a big part of my life.” 

The Tooth fairy dismissed Jamie’s words. 

���But it hurts you. Don’t you want to be happy? I wish I could go back and stop him. But I am not a creature of time. However, I am the ruler of memories. I can make you forget and remember anything I please. I control your perception of time and life.” 

Jamie suddenly regretted waking up. 

“Don’t mess with my head,” he snapped. The Tooth fairy clicked her tongue. 

“Foolish children shouldn’t talk to me like that. Now you’ve forced my hand.” 

Jamie got up. 

“No! Give my tooth back!” 

Then his mind went blank. 

“What would you like to remember?” Her voice whispered. 

“The names of planets? Your mother’s name? Your native language?” 

He couldn’t recall his own name. He looked at her in alarm. 

“Stop.”

“You should know better, after all you’ve seen. Don’t talk to me like that.” 

Memories flooded him. His mother. His name. His sister. His friends. The names of his teachers. The answer to the math problem that he forgot on the latest quiz. The details of the silver locket his mom always wore. The one time he gave a book report and tipped over his shoelaces. 

He slumped over, exhausted. 

“A pain-free memory is best, Jamie. Don’t worry. I’ll keep your memories safe. I have a palace where I keep them. They will be guarded and protected.” 

With that, she was gone. Jamie looked around. 

Then he grabbed the pillow, looking under it. He got twenty dollars from her. 

He looked back to where she was. 

Why was he angry at her? He couldn’t recall. 

Morning came, and he shuffled upstairs, to where there were warm pancakes and the smell of coffee. His mom smiled at him. 

“She’s real,” he said, holding up the twenty. “I talked to her.” 

“Did… anything happen?” Jamie struggled to remember their conversation. 

“She said I have nice teeth and I floss well.” 

“You got a twenty from her?” Andy said. “Right on, little dude!” Jamie shrugged. He still had that feeling. Like he was forgetting something important. But he couldn’t remember what it was. 

“Good morning, Jamie!” Grandpa said, coming up behind him. Jamie nodded, distracted. 

“What do you say?” Grandpa nudged him. 

“Dad!” His mom scolded. “Be nice.” 

“Well, we don’t want him to end up like his father, now, don’t we?” Mom got up in an instant, dragging Grandpa out of the dining room. 

“Wow,” Andy said. “That’s a new low for him. I’d be surprised if she talks to him again.” 

Jamie looked up. 

“What does he mean?” Andy sighed. 

“Your dad wasn’t nice. He was comparing you not verbally answering him to your dad’s abuse.” 

Jamie’s eyebrows scrunched together. 

“I… I don’t remember my dad.” 

Andy looked down. He looked at the twenty-dollar bill in Jamie’s hand. 

“Did the Tooth fairy do something to you?” He asked urgently. Jamie shrugged. 

“I dunno. I don’t remember a lot of the conversation.” 

Andy frowned. 

“Joyce,” he called. “Something’s wrong.”