#the ending goes from being lightly foreshadowed

[thesorcerersapprenticeu]

Chapter 7: Cool Out

Well, everything is slowly moving towards the end of the group. Vi wants to take responsibility for her actions, Mylo is bored, Claggor is trying to read the room and Powder doesn't care. And you still have to hide from enforcers.

Notes:

Someone is back, yes me of course! It goes on! By the way, I just updated at 06 (European time) so REALLY damn late. Anyway, have fun reading!

---

You were not angry.

The others may are, but not you.

Disappointed was not the right term either.

Perhaps it was a kind of satisfaction, after all, you had suspected it and now it has come true. There wasn't necessarily any other feeling, except of course the one that comes with the logic behind the situation.

A feeling of security. Vander doesn't have a deal with the Enforcers because he's betraying you, the underworld. There's a reason for it, like almost everything else in this world. He has the deal to protect you, all of you, because you're all his family.

Why the others were disappointed, angry or simply frightened was clear to you. Vi had a talk with him about her behavior as a leader in the whole situation, and now he had a deal with the people chasing you. Powder sees Vander as a role model, just like you do, but he's also affected by Vi. Mylo, well, Mylo is just Mylo, you don't care what he thinks as long as he doesn't tease you about it or say it. Claggor looked devastated, seriously, there wasn't a more failed look.

But then you were there, sitting with your spell book in one hand and the Enforcer's Sphere Gadget in the other. Next to you, Gekko. He had always been interested in stories about magic and everything, and you enjoyed telling him about it. Great wizards who worked miracles, healed people and shot magic from their fingers, and Ekko always listened to you.

The others, well, were as busy as their mood showed on the outside. Vi was sitting in the armchair where she'd been talking to Vander before. Ekko was sitting between you and Powder, listening to you and occasionally tweaking one of her gadgets with a screwdriver. Claggor is reading some book and Mylo is trying to sleep face-down.

"And then the wizard's hand turned all blue and glowed!" That was you, apart from your otherwise rather shy and timid nature, you could tell stories to Ekko as if you were being paid to do so.

"And then?" Ekko asked, looking up at you, not much, but something. His eyes are getting bigger, more curious, and he knew the story was about to end.

"then..." You take a loud breath of air, feeling the warm air flow through your lungs and buy yourself some time. In your hand, you lightly turn the Enforcer Gadget, the sphere that was so interesting that you simply took it with you when you fled.

Should I say that the magician created fireworks through his fingertips? No, that's too obvious. Maybe yes, that everyone who was sick at that moment was suddenly healthy? No, too cheesy.

Or I simply say that-

You hear a noise; it sounded a bit like... cymbals.

Damn. We must hide!

You push yourself off the couch with force, quickly pocket the Enforcer gadget and run with the others.

It doesn't matter if they see my spell book, as long as they don't see the stolen Enforcer gadget.

From outside, the enforcer was already at the door to the basement. Each step left a squeak on the wooden floor, foreshadowing the fate of the next few minutes. Now that he was fully at the door, he raised his arm and opened it.

But the room was empty.

The Room seemed completely Void of any Life, any Light, and any trace that there has been anyone Been here the Last hours. It looked like some kind of storeroom, but completely unused yet maintained.

He turns on his flashlight, shining the beam of light across the room to inspect it. He starts walking around, moving the light and taking a close look at everything. After a few seconds, he shines the light on the couch where you were just seconds ago. But there was something there... your spell book.

Meanwhile, you were on the Edge. You hold your breath as best you can while sweat pours down your forehead and your legs tremble with fear. Every bit of air that touched any part of your body sent a shock through your whole body, all the way to your brain.

Directly above the Enforcer, on the Pipes, there you were. Not alone, but with Ekko, Vi and Powder. And thank God Vi was there, because you didn't manage to climb up quickly on your own, and she managed to pull you up on her own. Something embarrassing, but you're not thinking about it right now because the moment is soaked in pure adrenaline and panic.

You do your damnedest to keep your balance on the pipes. Gritting your teeth and holding one hand, you try to be strong enough for once in your life not to put yourself at a disadvantage.

But right above you, something was going on that was at least as adrenaline ridden.

Sitting at the counter, Marcus swirls the drink in his hand. He brings the glass to his nose and takes a whiff of the aroma only to recoil in disgust. He looks to his right at the bottle and sees a toad with horns sitting trapped by the vessel. Vander spoke as he saw the enforcers reaction,

"Mm, you be careful with that"

Marcus hummed in response before speaking,

"Nearly forgot, I ran into an old friend of yours. He had some stories"

Marcus then grabbed the pipe from Vander's grasp, causing him to make a fist and slam it down onto the counter. Every Person stood up and glared at Marcus while the second enforcer readied his baton.

Vander shook his head gently at the patrons to which they comply and relaxed slightly. Marcus spoke, unmoved from his position,

"You weren't always...the peacekeeper, were you?"

He then dropped the pipe into the alcohol, causing a blue flame to erupt and burn gently as Vander spoke.

"Yeah, well, you can't escape the past. Right? Be a shame if I had to put those on again"

He gestured to the metal gauntlets hanging from above,

"Cast iron's, well, it's hard to clean."

You start to struggle, it's getting harder and harder to hold yourself up, while the guy downstairs could shine his flashlight up at you at any second. The pressure on your ears is getting louder and louder, your hand to hold on is getting weaker and weaker and your head is buzzing.

You look around quickly, you need help, quickly. Vi just looks at you with wide eyes, she seems to realize that you can't hold on much longer, but she's too far away to help you. Powder's gaze is similar, but although she is closer, she is in a similar position to you.

Shit! I can't hold on here any longer! JUST LEAVE ALREADY!

Finally, the enforcer moves back to the door, but just, damn it, just when he's standing at it, you slip. It happened too fast, just when you still had some strength in your weak arms, and then you didn't.

The bad thing: You made a noise, which is why the enforcer, standing at the door, takes another look around.

Shit shit shit! SHIT!

Just as you fall, gently through the air, your hands crack and snatch at the pipe in a flash. The cold metal fills your hand surfaces and your total body strength ensures that you hold on. For a moment, you can carry your own, quite light, weight. But then...

DAMN! I won't make it much longer! Two seconds at most! GO AWAY ALREADY YOU STUPID ENFORCER!

Your hands slip off completely, you're going to fall now, the enforcer will hear it, and then it will all be over for you all. You can already feel the air rushing past your face, the weightlessness in the air and the embarrassment that is you.

At least that's what you thought.

At the exact moment you fall, you react on instinct. With a swift right hand, you reach into the pocket of your coat, pull out the Small Enforcer Gadget and throw it. No, that wasn't quite right either, it rotates in your hand. It spins to the pipe at lightning speed and activates, the thin wires immediately catch on the pipe and you are hit by a fast one.

It hurt, the thin wire cut slightly into your sensitive skin, but it was better than falling down and being found by the enforcers. You also have a huge advantage, as you are small, the enforcer won't see you even though you are hanging so low.

You're not looking at anyone, eyes on the ceiling with tears already running. Your hands are shaking worse than before, especially your right hand, which is stuck in the wire.

Your mind is completely blank, pure instinct drives your actions and you can only hope that it worked.

Vi looks at you impressed, even if she simply had the strength to hold onto the pipe, you handled it perfectly, better than she ever could as leader. Powder's eyes went wide, mouth open, features shocked, and she even let out a low, barely audible whistle.

The enforcer was still standing at the door, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The huge room seemed to him like a hiding place where something could be hidden in every corner, but as long as he couldn't prove it, it didn't matter anyway.

With one last peak, he finally closes the door.

Not a second later, just as the loud banging sound comes from the door and the enforcer takes the first step onto the stairs, you fall. Your hand was already starting to bleed, and it was burning. You didn't like the feeling one bit, and you didn't really have a choice, after all, it would be a wound.

The bang is not even loud, it sounds a little muffled, but it is loud for you. Your ears are beeping, your hands and legs are shaking, your forehead is sweating and your head is pounding. Your breath is coming every second, each inhalation freezes your body for a second and each exhalation makes you close your eyes.

"Wow Y/N! That was so unbelievably cool!" Powder, who now came down too, with the help of Vi. She runs right up to you, stops a centimeter in front of you and starts saying a lot of things to your face.

However, you only understand half of it, but when you finally understand that she is praising you, your heart warms. In general, seeing her so close in front of you makes you feel as if someone has poured a bucket of hot water over your head. Red cheeks and a shy glance to the side as you try to stop the smile that magically appears.

Vi looks from nearby: Powder's excitement from your action and your reaction with the Red Cheeks and Akward behavior. She couldn't help but smile at the thought, which seemed COMPLETELY obvious to her.

The Enforcer returns to Marcus and shakes his head, indicating that nothing and no one was found. Marcus Looks at Vander, with Eyes that asked the Question, but Vander only gave a light shrug. Marcus Instantly clenches his fists and Stars to speak with agitation in his voice.

"You people down here are all the same. Mistaking arrogance for bravery."

He turns around and, with an annoyed look, speaks to everyone in the bar.

"You think you're standing up for something, but we all know there is a crime behind every coin that passes through this place."

He now looks at Vander, a dead look from a man whose honor and would have now taken a memory.

"You're just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury."

He proceeded to turn away but swing himself back around, bringing is baton with him, breaking the glass he was drinking from a moment go sending a blue flame to dance across the length of the counter.

He turns to the people who stood up and literally challenged him. But he, as an enforcer, naturally had much more power than all of them put together, especially because he saw himself as something better.

"And I'm gonna bury the lot of you."

He then stormed out with the Enforcers following, giving cold stares to everyone who dared to stand near the exit.

Vander ran off immediately, he didn't care about the looks of the other people in the store, he just had to get to you. Heavy footsteps, rapidly descending the stairs, making anxious tracks. Finally arriving at the door, he pulls it open and asks the question he almost always asked.

"Are you all okay?"

Vi walks out of her position, while Powder turns on a lamp and finally lights up the dark room again, she stands in front of Vander and answers him.

"No, they almost saw Y/N. What if they took him?" There was a clear tone of concern in her voice, one that already told you this was all going to end in a long talk with Vander.

"No one is taking any of you, Never let that happen."

Vi takes a step forward, now directly in Vander's face, and raises her arm. Extending a finger, she begins to answer louder than before.

"It's already happening. You heard him, they won't stop. We need to fight back."

You, who had just been on the couch and put the magic book in your coat pocket, twitched slightly. The thought of back then, on the Red Bridge. It was a prime example of a revolution that didn't work. "Fighting Back" wouldn't do anyone any good, apart from corpses.

Her outstretched finger slowly forms into a fist, and by now you know that Vander is going to ask her to have another conversation. Her now formed fist suddenly moves abruptly through the air, into a pipe next to her, which literally shook on impact.

"And if you don't I will" It sounded like a threat, a kind of challenge, like Vander's gloves on the bridge.

Vander, looking Vi in the eye for barely a second, what exactly he was looking for was clear to you, the only one. He looked at how serious she was, her determination to really give it her all, but to do it right, not like him back then. The fire you often saw in her eyes, he was probably looking for it right now.

"I've heard this kind of talk before."

It's become a staring match, you think to yourself. While Vander just stands passive, formally unconcerned, Vi is the complete opposite. She was active, leaning forward with her hands clenched into fists, as if she would completely beat up the next person who said the wrong thing.

Vander's gaze hits you, the rest. It looked like a teacher who now had to deal with a difficult student. His gaze went from Powder, to Mylo, then Claggor, Ekko and finally to you. But thanks to your powers of observation, you saw a change in his gaze. He looked at you like an adult, even though you probably had the worst physical conditions in the room for it.

"We're going out." Vander's strong, calm voice goes around the room and resolves any questions that might arise. It was clear what was happening now, he would go out with Vi and come back in about 40 minutes. Even if he will be upstairs at the bar and Vi will be down here with you.

You immediately follow Vi Vander up the stairs and out, without any prompting or anything else. While you don't pay any further attention to the situation because it makes sense anyway, others still seem to be interested.

"Do you think Vander will lecture Vi? I've never seen her so mad..." Claggor's voice was literally all concern, nothing else. He pushed his broad body onto the sofa and looked at Mylo, who answered directly.

"Yeah, what else? Vi gets lectured about every little thing." Mylo's voice had a tone of jealousy. You don't understand why, but you leave it out of it and won't enter into this conversation anyway.

With heavy steps, your legs still trembling slightly, you literally throw yourself onto the sofa. You sink into the fabric, feel your pockets pressing uncomfortably against your ribs and sit up straight.

What should I do now? I still can't think clearly, but that was just too much panic all at once.

You reach into your coat pockets, feel the outer leather of your spellbook and take it out. Before you can see even one of the hieroglyphs, a shadow covers the page of the book in front of you.

"Hey, Y/N?" It was Ekko, standing right in front of you, eyes wide.

"Yes?" Your voice was slightly shaky, the adrenaline slowly wearing off and leaving you sitting there not thinking properly.

"Can you... continue the story?" He sits down next to you, hands in front of his chest, as if he's bursting with excitement about how the story ends.

With a glance at him, and quickly across the room, where your eyes automatically stop on Powder. She looks at the two of you sitting there and smiles at you. As you look down at your book to quickly think of an ending, you feel the fabric of the sofa sink slightly.

Powder sits down next to Ekko, with him in the middle between the two of you, and looks at you almost exactly as he does. However, with puffy cheeks and slit eyes, she is now talking.

"I hope the story ends well!" She lets the air out of her cheeks, slaps Ekko on the shoulder, incredibly lightly, and with that they both look at you like a pet.

"...Of course." That was you, and you would probably finish telling them the story now.

You and Powder sat next to each other on the bed, while you hold the comic notebook from the apartment, Powder tinkers with one of your gadgets. She screws, paints and pushes the finished piece together, tossing it from one hand to the other, seemingly to test its weight.

You, meanwhile, did your best to translate the book, or at least compare the hieroglyphics. The notebook was written by this "Jayce Talis", your spellbook apparently had no author, or simply no recorded author. But why did this "Jayce" know so much about the Holy Wizards Corpse?

Has he met the Holy Wizard? No, he can't be that old. Besides, he's studying here in Piltover, so the whole thing makes no sense. And why did he draw a map of the Corpse Parts? What exactly are the corpse parts for? And why are there any in Zaun and Piltover?

The questions got bigger and bigger, and even if you wouldn't admit it, you wanted the answers. It was just so bizarre, corpse parts of a supposed Holy Wizard. You had given up hope in magic back then, until Vander had taken you in on the bridge.

"Do you believe in the Impossible?"

You have, and you always will, or so you think.

"Where have you been?" Mylo's voice rings out in the room and you, still in thought, only now see what's going on. Vi is back, with a look on her face that seems to contain a lot of thinking, but she tries to cover it up.

"Rumors is..." Claggor starts, looks at you with a quick glance, clears his throat slightly and continues. "The Lanes are gonna fight.".

After he says that, you see the shadow on the floor slowly approaching, Vi. She stands at the edge of the bed and looks down at you, while you return the look, Powder is apparently busy with her gadget.

Powder looks up, her beautiful blue eyes catch Vi's and a small smile appears on her face.

"Look, I made them for enforcers." Powder says, slightly stifling a smile and holding up two of them. "These are smoke bombs." She points with her hand to the two small bombs lying next to her, her smile grows and her eyes light up. "And those two are full of nails. They're gonna work this time, I know it." With that, she hands the Little Bombs to Vi, who takes them.

Vi answers her, from your point of view, with a gentle smile. It was beautiful, the way her red hair accompanied her face and the corners of her mouth turned up.

"Me too."

She puts down the bombs and stretches both of her hands towards you. Since you're sitting next to each other, it's quite easy for her. A warm hand on your face, moving a little of your hair from your forehead. Her muscular arm, which you find impressive, moves flawlessly and stays straight in front of your face.

Then the hand slowly moves from your face to your right shoulder, where it finds a place. The difference between your Grip Strength and her War is incredible. After all, Vi was a fighter, probably unsurpassed in close combat, in your group that is. You were, well, small and powerless, at least in a physical sense.

But she was like a big sister to you, not like the one you had back then. She made you feel safe, you could always talk to her, and she was the best big sister you could ever have.

Well, you see yourself and the sisters more in a family focus, not directly related.

That would also make later events seem strange.

"You know, Powder and Y/N, what makes you different makes you strong. Always remember that, okay?"

You see Powder hugging a stuffed rabbit, which you realize belongs to Vi. But you notice something else right away, the tone in Vi's voice.

What kind of undertone is that? It sounds like fear, maybe regret? What is she up to?

She turns around, and with a too-fast and flashy run, she walks up the stairs. Your stomach begins to churn, your mind suspecting something you don't like. A spark goes through your body, and you have a feeling that if you don't say anything now, you'll regret it forever.

"Vi!"

She turns around immediately, her hair blowing slightly, and your eyes find hers.

"...Are you coming back?" Your voice sounds anxious, which you don't like. But worry was also hidden in your tone, which Vi seems to notice and gives you a small smile.

"Of course."

It sounded fake and you were incredibly sure that it was. But you don't say anything, because it wouldn't do any good anyway. When Vi sets her mind to something, there's no one who can stop her.

And so she left.

You and Powder are both sitting at the bar, she with her head on the table and you in a sitting position with your hands on the enforcer gadget that probably saved your life a few hours ago. Every few seconds you hear a Queitsch noise coming from Powder, who is playing with Vi's bunny.

Vander was on the other side of the bar, cleaning a few glasses with a cloth resting on his shoulder. He watches you as Powder sits there, and you just sit there, bored and seemingly without reason, pushing the Little Sphere around on your palms.

Powder was a thousand thoughts away from the whole situation, with Vi. Her sister, who was all the family she had, hadn't even told her where she was going, even though she hadn't necessarily asked.

But then she looks over at you with the bunny in her hand. At that moment, you also looked as if you were in a completely different place mentally. With the sphere in your hands and your eyes on the ceiling.

And you were, you were somewhere else entirely. With the Corpse, and the two parts that aren't even that far away from you. You wanted them, you wanted to know why someone was looking for them, why this Jayce had a map of them, and why he seemed to know the Holy Wizard.

Powder's gaze still lingers on you, your form that she loved to stare at when you were reading books or telling stories. The way you found a clever way to do it right in every situation. Your perfect manner, which mirrored her own and she liked so much.

For a brief, split moment, Vander smiles at Powder and you, places cups in front of you and pours you a juice. He drops straws into the cups and pushes them even further so that they were right in front of your noses.

You let the gadget be still, lean forward slightly and drink a little from the straw. The sweet juice slides down your throat and feels more refreshing than anything that has happened today. It's like growing a new skin, only better.

But when Vander sees the bunny that Powder places on the table, he realizes it immediately.

Vi has run off to sort things out with the Enforcers, she, as leader.

This marks the beginning of the end.

[little-cereal-draws]

Details I noticed in The Last Wish pt 3

I always get too invested in the story at this point to notice any details so this list is making up for several detail-oriented rewatches. It got so long I'm going to split it into two parts. This is going to cover everything from the pocket full of posies to when the bears are in their cabin. It also includes lines I wish were talked about more lol

I think it's so funny when Kitty and Puss are trash talking Perrito as they go through the pocket full of posies. "Ughh, his path is so corny." "And cheesy." "And lame." "And weird. Like him." "Yeah. Why are you so ridiculous, dog?"

Jack has to push off a baker's face with his foot to pull Excalibur out of his magic nanny bag

When Jack's tank gets stopped by the posies, he says, "Well?? Start chopping!" There's this one baker who says, "On it! You don't have to tell me twice! I'm going to chop the heck out of this Ficus lyra-" He then gets eaten by a flower and another baker falls to her knees and goes, "Jerry, no!!" I think the fandom should appreciate Jerry more; the baker who was overeager at his job and knew a lot abt flowers lol

Jack has basically no eyebrows (they're a very light purple that's only visible in close ups) and crow's feet

When Jack is using the phoenix as a flamethrower, it cries a single tear

Jack also sets one of his men on fire when he's flamethrowing

Kitty has gold embellishments on the end of her sash

Kitty sees Puss scratch at his beard twice before he tries to get her to say he should shave it so she definitely knew he didn't like it

When Kitty's shaving him, there are some hairs that stay longer even after she went over that area. It really gives it the look that he's being shaved by a dagger on a boat lol Not the most precise shave, but it gets the job done

Kitty brushes Puss' fur off her hands as he gets rid of his stick sword after the shave

During the fight on the bank of the river, Puss sneezes out a bunch of confetti after the second unicorn horn explosion

During his panic attack, Puss lightly pets Perrito's head. I'm sure this is common knowledge but I always thought that he just put his hand on his head, not actually pet it too

When Mama bear says that they're a "crime syndicate family," it triggers the map to bug out. Goldi's holding it at the moment and the map could probably tell the confliction between her wish and her reality

The map's message right after also has more foreshadowing for Goldi's wish. "To find your wish, adjust your view. What you seek may be right in front of you." It's trying so hard to tell her that she already has her wish but she doesn't get it lol

It must be winter wherever the bears are from. They keep bringing up hibernation, their cabin is covered in snow, and both Baby and Papa are asleep in a matter of minutes of entering their house

The library stamp in Goldi's book reads "Crying Tears Orphanage Library." What kind of name is that??? Also, it proves that Goldi was at an orphanage first and then probably wandered into the woods on her own accord; her parents didn't leave her there. It does still have lots of angst tho because everyone in the town/orphanage probably assumed she died

The other kids who checked out Goldi's book were Hansel and Gretel

Mama has a scar on her nose. It's pretty big too

I love Baby's line after they find Puss hiding under the table with the map. "Oi! You crime-ing us when we just crime-ed you? No. No crime backs!"

Part one, Part two, Part four, Part five

[thecoffeelovingfreak]

flash that angle, grind a smile

Pairing: Vil Schoenheit x gn!Actor!Reader

Writing Genre: story

Genres: fluff, pining, co-workers to friends to lovers

Words: 2.2k

Warnings: very brief discussion of poisoning & blood, it's my first time writing for Vil so hopefully he's not too out of character

Notes: I was listening to 'Sculptures of Anything Goes' by Arctic Monkeys and my mind started drifting to creating this fic -- so here it is! <3

Read it on ao3!

~~~

Silently sipping on your delightfully warm latte, you observed the scene being produced in front of you.

“And if the Grand Duke hears about this? What do you expect your fate to be then?” one of your co-stars voiced worriedly, trying to reason with the antagonist.

“My fate is of no concern to anyone but me.” Vil’s character Antoine glared at the man before continuing, “I’m sure there are plenty of cases for you to investigate in the city. Entertain yourself with one of them and move along now, Dorian… lest you find your destiny lying with His Highness.”

You fought back a chuckle, being mindful of the cameras still rolling.

Dorian seemed slightly dejected as he quietly left the Prince’s office – a physical foreshadowing of the character’s motives that were to be revealed later on in the series.

As the scene came to a close the floor manager called out, “And cut! Great work today everyone! Get a nice meal and a good rest – I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!”

The formerly quiet set began bustling with various audio engineers, camera operators, runners, and assistants. Rising from your chair, you stretched before deciding to strike up a conversation with Dorian’s actor, Killian.

“Hi, Kil! Your performance was fabulous today!”

“Mine? We should be talking about yours! The dinner scene was phenomenal! The way you portray such a deceiving Marchioness is almost frightful.” he finished with a wink. Your bubbly conversation with your co-star continued for approximately fifteen minutes until you decided to bid him farewell.

—

After changing back into your everyday clothes and having your hair and makeup undone, you felt content to return to the trailer you would continue to call home for the weekend. As you finished gathering your things, you heard your favorite voice speak from behind you.

“Good evening, Y/n. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I would like to discuss our scenes for tomorrow’s filming.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Vil. Why don’t we talk in my trailer over salad?”

He looked contemplative for a moment before agreeing.

—

You had always held respect for Vil’s love of his craft, and seeing how dedicated he was to ensuring both his and your prime performances began turning that respect into admiration. Working on the newest season of Twisted Wonderland’s most popular historical drama for the last few months had brought you closer, and you felt yourself drifting nearer and nearer to the sea of love. It was always hard to decipher the blond’s feelings due to his consistent air of professionalism, and although sometimes it was irksome, at the end of the day it was yet another aspect of him to appreciate.

“Y/n? What’s got you so distracted?”

Your body jolted to attention as you focused back on your conversation, quickly sipping on a glass of lemonade you had gotten after dinner.

“Nothing, I apologize.” you laughed off lightly, “Please, continue.”

He eyed you with suspicion and knowing before clearing his throat.

“Anyways, as you know Antoine’s plan will be accelerating to prepare for the next season after the finale tomorrow, and the masquerade scene we will be filming will run the longest. Since our characters are slowly blossoming into each other’s love interests, I think the scenes of them dancing together will be the most important to master, especially since they represent the turning point in their relationship."

You nodded along to his words before asking, “Should we go over the dance one more time?”

“I would say that we could do it now, but unfortunately there is not enough space in here. We can arrive at the set earlier to rehearse, however.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Vil checked his watch before sighing, “As much as I wish to continue our meeting, I must prioritize my schedule. Tomorrow will be important, and I want to feel and look my best. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have to be off now. Have a great night, Y/n.”

You wished him a good night as well, before starting your own routine.

–

A huff exited the actor’s lips as he braided his hair – a pointless action as hair and makeup would style it accordingly – but alas his frazzled thoughts needed a calming activity. His brain continued pestering him by replaying your conversation last night. He knew why you were distracted, and the feelings behind it are what made him hesitate to take your offer. But upon further reflection both last night and this morning, he found that he was not entirely averse to the idea. You had become casual friends during the long period of filming, and he had to admit to himself that there were many things about you he found appealing.

A knock on his door broke him out of his thoughts.

He tied off the braid and adjusted his hair before rising from his vanity to answer it. Who else stood there but the single person who occupied his mind as of late.

“I figured now would be the perfect time to practice since it’s still early enough for the set to be empty. I also brought this for you,” you spoke, handing him a simple hot lidded cup. “It’s just green tea, as I thought that would be more your preference in comparison to coffee.”

“You would be correct.” he replied.

“Great! Now let’s go master these waltzes.” you smiled brightly, turning to the large building that was home to your ballroom.

—

The Grand Duke fell to his knees in his chambers. His muscles shook heavily and his heart tightened. Blood seeped from the corners of his lips.

A cut back to the masquerade.

When a passerby couple made eye contact with Antoine and nodded, you knew the plan was fulfilled.

The Prince chuckled as he leaned down to your ear and whispered, “Just what have you done, Marchioness?”

Your character smirked before replying, “I believe I should be asking you that question. After all, you have a reputation for being a prodigy in poisons.”

He coyly retorted, “Hm. Is that so?”

You made knowing eye contact while you continued your dance. Around and around the ballroom you spun, circling the Prince’s figure and weaving through his arms. When word of the ruler’s death made it to the grand party, the guests entered a frenzy.

The Prince and the Marchioness however, continued spinning about the floor.

“And cut!” the floor manager yelled.

You finished off your spin before steadying yourself.

Soon claps and cheers echoed across the extras, cast, and crew in celebration of the last day of filming. It was a bittersweet feeling, but knowing that you would be coming back next year helped lift the weight off of your heart.

The director made an announcement about a special event being hosted for every member of the cast, along with the stars of a new sci-fi series and an up-and-coming adaptation of a popular fantasy novel. It was to be hosted at one of Pyroxene’s most famous museums – L’histoire de la création.

Excitement bubbled around the room and as it fizzled out it was replaced by a contentedness over the crowd. After bidding your co-stars farewell, you went to your assigned room to change out of costume and put on a knitted sweater and trousers. You cleaned your face and applied simple skin care products before choosing to sit on your sofa and bask in your remaining time on the set with a book about the show’s time period.

About twenty minutes later a knock rapped on your door and you perked up upon hearing it.

Marking your place in the book, you approached and answered the door.

“Oh, hello, Vil.”

“Hello, Y/n.”

“Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, thank you.”

You opened the door wider and stepped to the side, allowing him to enter.

For being so notoriously put together, the actor carried traces of nervousness in his gaze.

"What did you need?" you queried.

"Not much, I simply had a parting gift for you."

Surprise blossomed on your face before you spoke, “It doesn’t seem like you to give out gifts to just anyone.”

He let out a sound somewhere between a huff and a laugh, “You’re not just anyone.”

Your heart jumped – what exactly did he mean by that?

Taking the gift with a slightly awkward thank you and opening the lavender-colored box, you were greeted by a shimmering gold bracelet. A heart embedded between daggers sat in the center, with two rows of amethyst vines leading to a clasp. It was dazzling, and seemed to carry the very essence of Vil.

“I… it’s beautiful, thank you, Vil.”

“You’re welcome, Y/n. I look forward to seeing you wear it.”

—

Completing the finishing touches on his outfit, Vil stepped gracefully into the night and to his awaiting chauffeur.

“Good evening, Francis.” he spoke, watching as the man opened his door.

“A lovely eve to you too, Mr. Schoenheit.” he replied, allowing the blond to step into the vehicle.

After Francis closed the door, the actor felt a peculiar mixture of nervousness and excitement begin bubbling inside of him. He never felt such a way at the prospect of attending events – they were simply another aspect of his work and another way for him to flaunt his efforts and attributes.

“To L’histoire de la création, correct?” his chauffeur questioned.

“Yes.” was his only reply.

When his eyes drifted from the rear view mirror and arrived at his reflection in the window, he observed his amethyst and gold earrings and came to a somewhat shocking conclusion.

He was looking forward to seeing you again – his heart was racing in fact.

It had been a month since you had last seen each other and he was ready to dismiss his feelings and get back to his former routine. But now, as old emotions dredged up, he had no choice but to reflect before coming face to face with you once more.

—

“We have arrived, sir.” the chauffeur spoke.

“Thank you, Francis.” Vil said, waiting for his door to be opened.

Reporters and the paparazzi stood along the carpet leading to the museum, and as soon as the model stepped out of the car, all of the flashing lights turned to him.

His fashion for the night consisted of his signature purple in the form of a button down, layered underneath a maroon vest with gold details. His black trousers matched with the onyx blazer he wore which ended after his torso in the front, and continued to lightly trail on the floor behind him. The coat held golden embroidery, matching with the gold jewelry he wore and the details on his sleek black heeled boots. To top it all off, his hair was tied into a braided bun with two curled stands left to frame his face.

Needless to say that he was sure to be going viral by the end of the night.

After traversing the media show with class, he finally entered the venue. Witnessing the lovely stone architecture embellished in gold after so many years made him feel a sense of nostalgia. Fellow actors and actresses cavorted across the space, looking at paintings, statues, and antiques from throughout Pyroxene’s history. A waiter came by carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres, but the model waited patiently for one to bring drinks.

“Pleasure seeing you here.” you voiced from behind him.

Vil turned and gazed upon you for the first time in thirty days. Your outfit unknowingly complimented his, and he immediately felt that rumors would be circling. A raven and violet ensemble highlighted with gold – most notably the bracelet he gifted you on the last day of filming.

“I see you’re wearing my gift tonight.” he spoke mellowly, trying to keep a somewhat low-profile among the crowd.

“I’ve worn it everyday since you gave it to me.” you whispered.

For once, Vil Schoenheit was left speechless.

Trying to recover quickly he responded and lightly teased, “It must be timeworn by now. Would you like a new one?”

You chuckled before replying, “No. What I would really like is you.”

Did… you mean what he suspected you to?

“I’ve had a lot of time to look at what exactly I feel towards you. How exactly to handle it. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I should not repress these feelings just because of my public image. While you may not feel the same way, I at least wanted you to be aware.”

You most certainly did, it seems.

He took a few moments to ponder what to say. You waited patiently, visibly anxious to hear his thoughts.

“I must admit, Y/n, that what I feel for you is the same.”

You started beaming at his admission.

“I do wish however, that we keep this relationship private for the time being. Our images require great care and I would like for this to be something that is ours – not the world’s.”

“I accept your terms, Schoenheit.” you voiced playfully.

Throughout the rest of the eventide you would sneakily link your pinky in his, cast loving and frisky glances at each other from across the room, and meet to whisper in front of the renowned art.

It seemed that Vil was incorrect in his assumption, however, as the next day only photos and articles documenting his attendance to the event circled. He laughed lightly – it seemed that at the end of the day, you truly were some of the best actors.

[sukirichi]

can i just say, while rereading to form my ultimate theory, ive realised i don’t think rintarou truly knows what love is. i don’t think he’s deluded himself into loving iris, i just don’t think he realises love isn’t transactional and that what he has with iris isn’t love. i noticed he also refers to the reader as “[his] woman.” as if she’s an object or his property. she’s been referred to as a pawn too. an object, something used to guarantee protection, he just hasn’t realised the pawn was the queen and he was the king about to be in a checkmate. i think ive noted three or four instances where he’s called her his woman now, it’s making me realise she was only ever that. not his lover, not his wife, just a woman he cared for and cared to use.

i’m sure now as the story has progressed he’s more infatuated with her, and that he did feel genuine feelings for her over the years, i just don’t think he knows love beyond what he’s observed. he was never raised with his brothers (reference to the drawings excluding him), he was the crown prince and so his mother saw him more as a work in progress for the future than her beloved child who she must care for — what the ring is to yn is what rintarou was to his mother, proof that SHE had the king at the end of the day and not his concubine. she’s determined in making rintarou king not because ushijima would be a bad ruler but because it would be letting her competition win. the queen and yn are two women on different sides of the same coin. rintarou also knows only of lust, his father was never loyal as seen by the fifty princes bro decided to spawn.

but back to the queen theory, cuz lowkey im popping off with that me thinks. she knows yn is powerful, “i would not take her wrath lightly” - (chapter 2) is essentially foreshadowing everything that’s about to happen, i can’t remember the exact quote but the queen warned him that yn CAN rip the throne from under him. rintarou doesn’t realise, the queen isn’t just saying this because yn is incredibly smart and strategic, she’s saying it because it’s something she’s almost witnessed first hand. the queen speaks from wisdom — age + experience.

i also retract my statement about iris’ mother being the reason she’s (iris) trying to be concubine. i think rintarou genuinely thinks he’s a fucking genius and that his plan is going to work. i do however still believe iris’ mother pulled a lot of strings to get kiyoomi and her married, there’s definitely something behind that, and put ontop of the fact that iris’ mother was in love with the king - or like wanted to be queen (delusion runs in the family ig) 💀💀💀

anyways i’ll keep rereading over the next few days, i don’t think there’s anything major in the latest chapter that gives away massive clues, but reading between the lines during the second read through might make me realise somethings.

- shhh anon

alright let’s finally dig into it 🧎🏻‍♀️ long response ahead

!! shhh anon cooking again !!! are you like, studying psychology or something because you got their characterisations on point. firstly yes, rin does not know what love is! he grew up without loving parents - he was neglected and left to fend for himself - and it was instilled to his mind that to be loved, to be seen as worthy, he had to work hard for it. like you said, love did not have to be transactional, but that’s how his mind works ! he goes along with iris smoking and drinking to get to her good side, so she would like him. he courted reader for two years, so she would fall for him. but at the end of the day, does he really see them people? maybe yes, maybe not - it’s hard to tell. like you said, he refers to them like iris and reader are his objects, his pawns, and in a way, that’s technically how he sees them.

reader is a doll for him to dress up and manipulate to make himself look good and great as a candidate for the throne. iris is his ‘woman’ whose purpose is to make him feel less lonely. AND YES OMG i love you for noticing that detail that rintaro (subtly) is materialistic ! he was seen as a ‘work in progress’ like you said, just another man to wear the crown. and their ring is exactly that too - the objects and material things they have are nothing but proof of their titles and power. in the literal sense, everything is a symbol, whether its a person or a material object. a symbol of loyalty, a symbol of protection, a symbol of “at the end of the day, i’m the legal wife!” which makes you think that since everything is a symbol to the royals, it makes sense how iris is also hesitant around rin because what can he give her? genuine love and pure feelings? she doesn’t want any of that

‘the fifty princes bro had to spawn’ HELP 😭 no but you’re so correct. the queen is speaking from experience, she wouldn’t stay as queen for that long if she lowkey wasn’t doing shady business, too. the difference between the queen and reader is that YN would go to the extreme to do what she thinks is right, while the queen would go the extremes to keep her power. they are two sides of the same coin 👑 that’s why the queen is hella pissed off because she did not endure her husband’s affairs and every horrible thing that comes with the crown just for her dumbass son to pull this 😭 anyways i loved reading this, you hit the hammer right on the nail! will not confirm or deny other theories that might be a spoiler though ;) but ah thank you as always for the interest in DTD and taking the time to share with me your thoughts 🥹

[antlerqueer]

Okay so on the whole 'if you survive you live' thing, I've actually been thinking about that being connected to the locket. Like maybe they're giving it to whoever's about to be hunted because of the 'now your untouchable' thing in a 'if the forest wants them to survive than they'll survive' kind of way? I saw people say that maybe the locket goes to whoever is going to be next, and maybe it's just the way I read it, but it implied that the person gets it like ahead of time, like before the ritual comes up, which again just feels like it doesn't fit? Because I can honestly not imagine a single one of those girls finding out that after months of struggle, a necklace is what's going to decide their fate, and being okay with it, unless it takes a super depressed angle where one of the girls just like, embraces it.

But I also wonder where it is today? Was it left in the woods as like a final goodbye? Did someone bring it home? Did Lottie bring it back and start using it with the cult and/or currently has it and will have to use it with her cult/the others as like a final ritual? If they sacrificed wilderness baby then did they maybe leave it with him?

Is javi maybe alive in modern day and just like, dipped on everybody after they got rescued (this one doesn't seem too likely to me), did he maybe stay in the forest if he is alive? Did him and the baby possibly stay behind?

Is the dripping supposed to foreshadow maris death? Just the fact that a death will happen soon? Does it work like during the seance when Lottie heard the dirt tell her to spill some blood? Is there a chance that maybe mari is the one that either kills the next person (and like the dripping suddenly stops like the second after she does) or suggests that the next person to die (or even just christen if they find her body) should get eaten, maybe she becomes the person to kind of like officially start the rituals or even just being the one that gives them their biggest push in that direction?

Also the vision of how the plane almost crashed, is this like the dirt gods saying they saved them so now they owe them back for the mercy, is it a show of the power they have like theyre powerfull enough to stop the plane crashing that way, or maybe a show in the sense that the way the plane crashed was the natural way and the dirt gods had the power to have made the crash even worse if they had chosen to intervene? Is it a sign that maybe the dirt gods chose to save them for a specific purpose and not just an act of mercy?

Anyway, a lot of these were a lot less likely than some of the other ones but honestly, atp I'm just shooting at everything and the first thing that lands is what I'm gonna call the target😆

Thanks for your patience on me answering - long messages are harder for me to reply to on mobile and I wanna give it my full attention!

In my opinion, if it is part of a ritual sacrifice, it's given to whomever has to live through the night right before they run. They play like hide and seek rules, give them to 100 to get a head start, then the chase begins.

The question about where it is today is really good - honestly, would Shauna return it to Jackie until it's time for it to come back? Maybe? But I don't see Shauna wearing it constantly after it's used for the sacrifice stuff.

I don't know what's up with Mari and the dripping, tbh. I think we may not know until the end of the season what's up with that, based on it just being teased lightly for the past two episodes. That's one thing I don't have any ideas on, because I keep thinking of the promo where Coach Scott is like smacking his head to stop hearing something? So maybe he ends up hearing it, too? Maybe more people start hearing it? I don't know.

I think since the vision was during Nat's OD it isn't a message from the wilderness as much as it is from within Natalie; therefore, if the darkness is within them, then the darkness within Natalie brought forth that message. She may think the darkness saved them from their untimely fate, but I don't think the wilderness necessarily saved their lives. Because why would the wilderness save their lives and then ask for more blood, yknow? Saving them just to kill them? So it seems more like a reflection from Natalie's subconscious - she'd rather have died in that crash than do what they needed to do to survive, she'd rather have died than let that darkness into her, and now she has to live with these consequences. The darkness inside her, inside them all, makes her wish she never got out - and let's be real, did they really get out when it's inside them?

[harmoniouspixels]

Played a little sims for the soul tonight, with TS2 being the version of choice! Highlight reel, albeit with minimal pictures includes:

Remaking two old OCs in Pleasantview, getting hit with the "this application has crashed" error 13 minutes in. Classic TS2, expected as much, 10/10 game

Anyway. Said OCs are Barbara (Barb) and her daughter, Lisa. Yes they're just generic preset heads lightly tweaked but these are recreation of my OCs I made when I was like? 12? So I get a pass

Barb is eventually going to enter a relationship with Don, is a secret agent (hence the move to Pleasantview)

Barb and Lisa BOTH got harassed by Mortimer after looking through the telescope (foreshadowing!)

Kaylynn doing an idle where it looked like she was punching Don will never not be funny. However he did her, Nina, and Dina in quick succession after that picture so it does get less funny

Spun the picker wheel and sorry Cassandra, no marriage to Don this time!

Bella being the downtown call is hilarious, so the family goes out save Alexander

Mortimer has a date with Bella... all to end up marrying Dina when I load the Caliente lot. #Awkward, and would explain that harassment from earlier...

Maybe I'll formalize this more, buuuut it was fun to just vibe in-game after not doing so in like, forever

[joaquinwhorres]

2, 8, 11, 12, 27, 56 and 79 for the fanfiction writing asks :) x

sorry this took so long to get out! I took my time with the answers, wrote it all, and then Tumblr closed the window and deleted it for reasons unknown to man. The emotional toll of being disappointed by Tumblr's editor made me ignore this for too long.

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

I tend to get struck by ideas of characters, relationship dynamics, or "what ifs" that I want to explore. Sometimes it's prompted by having an incredibly compelling or hot actor in a role. Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere as a gift/curse from God.

8. Post an out-of-context spoiler from a WIP.

Caro choked on a sob as she cradled the phone to her ear. "She does." 

"Caro," Mickey appealed again. 

It happened quickly. One minute her mother was arguing with her father about overreacting and the next the phone was plucked out of Caro's grasp.

"Ma'am, this is Lieutenant Jake Seresin. Caro and Mickey have to speak with the doctor, but I'm here to convey any questions you might have." His eyebrows shot up as her mother's voice could be heard from the speaker. "I understand, but she's talking to the doctor, so I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

He dismissed the two with a wave of his hand and Mickey took Caro lightly by the arm and moved her to sit in one of the nearby chairs.

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around? & 12. Do you outline your fics? If yes, how detailed are your outlines? How far do you stray from them?

My writing process goes like this:

I get ideas for a handful of scenes that I'm super excited about, so I write them to make the most of the inspiration and get them out. After that, I see if it's possible to turn them into a fic or if it'd be better as disconnected one-shots.

If it's better as a fic, I start to outline it out. My plot-driven stories tend to have more detailed outlines than my character-driven stories because it's more important to make sure that one scene leads to the next and is important to furthering along the plot. It's also a way for me to plot out foreshadowing and other hints and ideas that will come full circle.

 In character-driven pieces I tend to outline the progression of the relationship or growth arc, and then give different ideas for events that will happen in order for the character to reach that beat. So like, if I want a character to start to fall in love at a certain point, I'll plan that out with the idea like: X surprises Y with insightfulness. Then I may jot down a few ways that could happen and see which scene makes the most sense of that I like the most when I get to writing it. 

I don't outline by chapter anymore because I find that's just too arbitrary for me, and it almost always ends up leading me to have to go back to the drawing board. Instead, I tend to make my outlines on a calendar. This helps make sure time passage makes sense.

I only outline the chapter right before I write it. Even then when it comes time to write it, sometimes I have to change plans or directions because of where my characters are at. (My biggest example is from The Fool where Wren breaks up with Simon a chapter early and in a way she wasn't supposed to and around people who weren't supposed to see. I lost a whole major reveal over this.)

While I outline, I tend to come up with ideas I'm excited about, so I'll write them before finally going chronologically to publish. 

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

Characterization, for sure. I am such a stickler on characterization, maybe moreso than dialogue. I'm really confident in my ability to characterize though because:

I constantly return to the source material and spend a lot of time with it. I don't just use what a character says or does to characterize them, but I also pay attention to their body language and facial expressions and what they do when they're not the focus on screen.

I'm not attached to the idea of fanon.

As a teacher, I get to know a lot of different people really well. I spend time in their life and hearing their perspectives and as a result, it's easier for me to pick up on patterns of behavior more easily. I also can relate characters to a wider array of different people I know.

56. Are there any fics that you would change or rewrite if given the chance?

Like mine or others? ;) (Please tell me I'm not the only one who reads a fic and is either disappointed by the quality or is like "I like this idea and want to steal it and go in a different direction, but it's too specific for me to do that and it not be plagiarism)

I'm currently in the process of re-writing the first and only fic I've ever finished called Parting Shot. It's a Clint Barton x OC fic, and while I really like what I did with the plot, I think that I want to allow the characters more room to breathe and be themselves and not just make the next event happen.

There are also a lot of unpublished WIPs that I'm constantly changing and re-writing because I'm not happy with where they're at, so I don't feel ready to publish them.

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Don't compare numbers with other writers. It's a losing game. For one, it's so random what makes it big on Tumblr. For two, I have read fics that make me want to claw my eyes out and have thousands of notes and hundreds of reblogs. Conversely, some of my favorite fics are just barely past 100 and it's been years since it was published. Comparing numbers is a surefire way to land in a writing slump.  

Also, be true to the characters. There's a reason you fell in love with them, so make sure you're honest with yourself about what they'd actually do in a situation or if it's really an AU.   

[respectthepetty]

You Changed Me

What exactly do I want…from Mangkorn? – Episode 5

Previous Posts' Recap: Ep. 1 [Yin & Yang], Ep. 2 [The Color of Anxiety], Ep. 3 [Do you get déjà vu?], Ep. 4 [The Cages We Live In]

The episode begins in the black, which is Yai’s color. Yai has been fighting with Mangkorn while the storm picks up around them, but Mangkorn finds a way to get them out of the storm and end the argument.

Yai hesitates at the door, but Mangkorn pulls him into his color and space. Mangkorn wants to let Yai in. Red also represents passion. *wink wink*

When Yai wakes up, he is waking up in love with Mangkorn surrounded by pinks and reds, but the title card shows that Yai doesn’t understand the reason he feels this way. There isn’t any logic. The pan out shows the yin yang rug we see in the trailer, and that although Yai is lost in his emotions, it's because Mangkorn is missing, as the red pillow covers the Yang side of the rug.

Mangkorn has already picked out clothes for Yai, which is the red shirt he gave Yai after the party and when they went on their noodle date. Mangkorn also delivers this as a command of “Wear This” or “Put this on first.”

Mangkorn is wearing black in the kitchen, so after their night together, they exchanged colors similar to their date night.

Mangkorn proceeds to serve and feed Yai. He also mentions this is his mother’s recipe, and she would be happy to see someone enjoying it. This resonates with Yai because he misses his mother, but also lightly foreshadows that Mangkorn’s mother will be happy with Yai.

They joke about the flashcard image, which is a dragon and a tiger, but the original design also had writing on it that is seen on the poster and states “Dragon” and “Moon.” We see the moon later when they are arguing.

After they tend to each other’s wound that they gave each other, Mangkorn asks if Yai wants to join in the shower. Yai falls deeper into his thoughts because everything about Mangkorn surprises him and the way he makes him feel when Mangkorn is gentle with him. Yai repeats this action of touching his cheek when Mangkorn leaves the room.

After his shower, Mangkorn lets Yai know he can stay at his place since he already ordered him food, and he puts his number in Yai’s phone plus makes him follow him on Instagram. Mangkorn knows something is bothering Yai, so he goes out of his way to make Yai at ease. Even when Mangkorn’s mother interrupts them, Mangkorn moves closer to Yai and continues to touch him. Mangkorn assures Yai they will speak later about this.

The house is a mess, but Yai, a person who is only known for destroying spaces, decides to clean it up.

Yai is this close to seeing the flier for Mangkorn’s Master’s program in New York but stops when his phone rings. Mangkorn spoke about this with his senior in the first episode and said he didn’t want to go, but next week’s preview shows he is thinking about it as an avoidance tactic.

Park and Phong show up in their designated colors, but they each have the other person’s colored rag. Much like Yai and Mangkorn’s exchange of colors, Park and Phong are exchanging theirs little by little after their storm encounter the previous night.

They also have rainbow dusters and heart sponges emphasizing the emotions that Yai feels cleaning for Mangkorn.

Once Park and Phong leave, Yai is outside with his BIG emotions about Mangkorn. This happened in episode four as well when his thoughts were consumed by Mangkorn.

Yai can’t find Mangkorn in his phone even through Mangkorn put himself in the phone. Instead “my mom” comes up, and Yai gets more upset. Mangkorn, being Mangkorn, probably listed himself in the phone as “Dragon,” “Boyfriend,” "Pain in the ass," or "The Love of Your Life"

The bracelets that Hong picks up from the house were the same accessories Mangkorn’s senior brought him at his job last episode. The women are shown with the color balancing that is similar to Yai’s and Mangkorn’s. Hong as Mangkorn’s equivalent [Dragon/Phoenix] is red and the other is black.

Yai goes to the school to see Mangkorn but is embarrassed, while Mangkorn is delighted that Yai came to see him.

They begin to argue, but unlike before where the stormed kicked in, they aren’t trying to hurt each other here. They are trying to understand each other. Like in the coffee shop, they are balancing each other out - Yai in his dark top and light pants with Mangkorn in his light top and dark bottom.

The pillar in the middle is the divide between them, and they are on opposing sides (Yai is dark, and Mangkorn is light), but they mention the other’s faults as well.

Dragons are elusive and aggressive while tigers are stubborn and selfish. However, dragons are generous and tigers are frank, which helps balance each other. Yai gets Mangkorn to tell the truth, and Mangkorn gets Yai to realize because of Mangkorn’s situation, he’ll have to sacrifice his love for him.

When Yai realizes this, he goes from being surrounded all in black, to seeing Mangkorn’s colors in the background – the red hair and the greens and blues.

Bonus: During this entire episode, Yai does not wear his tiger necklace. He is struggling with his thoughts and questioning himself. Therefore, he is wearing red the next day, while being surrounded by black. Nine, normally in black, blends into the couch. He is an extension of Yai's life, but adds nothing new to it unlike Mangkorn who adds color and intensity.

Mangkorn’s, as usual aggressive and determined dragon behavior, reaches out first and texts.

But tigers are stubborn, so Yai ignores it. When he leaves class, he is greeted by Nine. Both Mangkorn and Nine have BMWs, so when Nine drives up, Yai might have thought it was initially Mangkorn.

During the dinner, Nine doesn't try to serve or feed Yai the way Mangkorn does. Nine and Yai have different backgrounds. Nine’s is purple and Yai’s is black. Nine and Yai have known each other since they were children, and Nine is beginning to add color into Yai's life; then, the caterpillar interrupts.

The caterpillar crawls on Yai, which scares Yai. Caterpillars represent transformation, which Yai is also scared of. However, Nine asks if Yai would be as scared of caterpillars (change), if he saw the beauty in them (a butterfly, perhaps representing Nine).

But not all caterpillars turned into butterflies. Some turn into moths. This caterpillar might be a Sphinx Moth. A sphinx is a part man, part bird, part lion creature which would be similar to the balance of Mangkorn (dragon/phoenix) and Yai (tiger) bleeding into each other’s lives and transforming into something new. These moths feed off of oleanders, a toxic flower, which blooms in pinks and reds. Mangkorn and Yai are taking each other’s toxic traits and making each other better. Mangkorn isn’t holding onto secrets, and Yai isn’t being selfish. Transformation is beautiful no matter what the outwardly appearance is. It doesn’t make sense that the caterpillar eats something that would kill others and grows from it, but most things about transformation are arbitrary.

At the end of the episode, Mangkorn is wearing black and Yai is wearing red, but next week, we see after Nine’s kiss, Yai is back in black (retreating into himself), while Mangkorn remains in black (still in love with Yai). However, Yai will find his way back into Mangkorn's world because love isn't logical.

[watchmegetobsessed]

SLEEPLESS

a/n: omg! it's been so long since i last wrote something for harry so it feels a bit weird but in a good way to be back. i've been spending more time offline so writing hasn't been going that fast like before, but im working on a few other stuff too! just please be patient with me, im trying my besti swear! so now enjoy this oneshot of two oblivious and stupid roommates who start sharing a bed...

pairing: Roommate!Harry x reader

word count: 8.1k

masterlist

Living with three boys has its perks but also a lot of downsides too. It’s not how you planned, you were set to move in with one of your friends from second year, but she bailed on you last minute, leaving you with no place to live when most of the houses were already taken for the next at least one year. You were bracing yourself to sleep under a bridge or something already when your heroes came along.

You went to high school with Harry Niall and Louis, but you weren’t exactly in the same friend group, just knew about each other. Then you ended up in the same Lit class freshman year with Harry and he was basically your pass into their little group. You hit it off pretty easily and you always wondered why you didn’t become friends before college. Later you had two more classes with him in the second semester and it was just all a coincidence that he found out about your living situation.

“Why don’t you move in with us?” he prompted one afternoon when you were studying together in the library.

“I’m not sharing a room with any of you, Harry,” you sighed, shaking your head.

“You wouldn’t have to. We had a fourth mate living with us but he dropped out about a month ago. You could take his bedroom.”

“Are for real? You should talk about it with the boys first, don’t you think?”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind it. They like you too and if I’m being honest, the place could use the touch of a woman,” he smirked and you just rolled your eyes, but you were incredibly thankful for the offer.

So after talking with Niall and Louis about it and once they gave their amens on the situation, you officially moved in with the three of them.

You’d be lying if you said there hasn’t been times when you thought about choosing the bridge, living with boys is not exactly a dream. They are messy, sometimes loud and oblivious about certain things women do and need. You’ll never forget Niall’s face when you packed the shelf above the toilet with your tampons and pads. The horror in his eyes as he examined all the different sizes and types.

“But why so many? I don’t get it why you need the large ones and the mini ones too,” he huffed.

“Because I vary them according to the strength of my flow.”

“Bless you,” he scoffed and just walked away.

They tend to leave their clothes around the house and they don’t always realize when it’s time to let some fresh air into the place either. Harry has a sixth sense wanting to use the bathroom when you’re in and Louis always forgets to get rid of his spoiled food from the fridge. Tini things that surely got you thinking if it was a good idea to move in with them. But then there are times when you can’t even imagine sharing a home with anyone else than these three idiots.

The way Harry always leaves you a cup of coffee on the counter when he has an early class on mondays and wednesdays, how Niall always waits for you to get home after your night shifts at the restaurant you’ve been working at, but he always just says he was watching Supernatural on TV. You love that Louis goes out of his way to get you your favorite pastry for breakfast on sundays when he goes for his morning runs. But the absolute best is that you never feel alone or bored with these three around. Something is always happening and they make sure to involve you in everything, making you feel like part of their little pack.

Tonight is Thursday and Thursdays are movie nights in your home. It’s been a tradition since the first week and you haven’t missed any of them. Sitting on the couch at your usual spot, you laugh as Niall growls in annoyance when you suggest to watch another rom-com.

“Not again!” he protests, sitting on the floor by the coffee table you and Harry thrifted a few months ago after the previous one was broken at a smaller party held in the house.

“Why? I bet Harry would love it!” you grin, glancing at the guy in talk who is now entering the room with a big bowl of popcorn.

“Of course he would, because he is a pussy! And the two of you always team up, dragging Louis with you so I can never watch something I enjoy!” Niall whines as Harry sits next to you, not too bothered by his friend’s cries.

“Come on, I bet you enjoyed Crazy, Stupid Love last week!” you laugh, remembering how he whined for the first part, then fell asleep at the end.

“Love, if you think that was enjoyment, I wouldn’t want to be your boyfriend,” Niall scoffs and you gasp at his reply.

“Hey!” you snap at him, but can’t help laughing. This is how it always goes with you and Niall, the non-stop bickering can sometimes drive Harry and Lou insane.

“Okay, so what do you want to watch?” Harry asks, throwing some popcorn into his mouth as he gets comfortable, an arm resting on the back of the couch behind you, the other one busy with the snack in his lap.

“There is this new horror I’ve been dying to see!” Niall’s blue eyes light up right away, but you’re fast to break that shine.

“Nah, no way. I’m not watching a horror movie.”

“Why not?”

“Because I fucking hate them and they scare the shit out of me.”

“That’s like the whole point!” he protests, but you shake your head no again.

“What are you fighting about again?” Louis asks, walking into the room after his quick shower, the smell of his body wash filling the room for a few moments.

“I want to watch a horror movie, but Y/N is a little baby and she doesn’t want to.”

“I’m not a baby! I just don’t enjoy watching people get killed or demons sucking the life out of someone!” Niall just rolls his eyes at your response.

“But it’s always what you or Harry wants to watch, why can’t I choose just this once?”

“That’s not true, we watch movies you like too!” you retort, but Niall gives you an unimpressed look. “We watched that crime thing, that was your choice!”

“That was three months ago, Y/N,” he sighs and as you do some quick math you realize that he is right.

“Hey, he has a point. Let’s just watch what he wants this one time, yeah?” Harry curls his arm that’s been on the back of the couch around your shoulder and he pulls you to his side, squeezing you gently.

“But I hate horrors,” you pout, knowing well that it’s already kind of settled, you lost this battle.

“It’s just a movie. And if you get scared in the night, you can sleep at mine,” he offers with a wink that surely makes your heartbeat fasten a bit.

If you’re being honest, you’ve always had a tiny crush on Harry, even back in high school, when you didn’t really know him. He was the cool guy, but not the douchebag type, more like the one that was nice to everyone and earned their respect and liking. Getting to know him just proved that he really is a great guy, but you figured he would never feel the same way about you. These three guys only saw you as their sister and that was in a way kinda worse than being friend zoned, but there’s nothing you can do about it, so you just decided to come to peace with your situation. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get flustered when you see him wander around the house in just his boxers or when he gets a little touchy with you, which happens a lot, because that’s just how he is. Hands on your shoulders, a little squeeze on your hips, the gentle touch of his fingers on your back, they happen all the time and they get your pulse up every time. You can only hope it’s not that noticeable.

Niall finally gets what he wants and you agree to watch that stupid horror movie. It doesn’t start off too bad, but it quickly escalates and makes you shudder every time the screen gets a little darker or the music is foreshadowing that something is about to happen.

“Jesus fuck!” you jump a little when the killer appears out of nowhere in the scene.

“You alright?” Harry asks, peeking down at you.

“I fucking hate this dude,” you mumble, rubbing your face with your hands, to get your shit together. Harry chuckles lightly next to you, his arm pulling you to his side close and you gladly sink against him, the warmth of his body giving you some comfort and a sense of safety.

Your eyes are on the screen, but your mind is dancing around how his fingers are delicately running up and down your arm, drawing circles and little shapes on your skin. It could put you to sleep easily, even with the woman screaming on the screen after seeing her husband get killed.

“Just imagine the guy with a funny mustache,” Harry murmurs, leaning closer to you so he doesn’t bother the other two guys with his comment. “Or maybe in a ridiculous outfit.”

“Like… in a onsie?” you ask, squinting your eyes at the screen.

“Could be, yeah,” he chuckles quietly. “Just imagine him running through the woods in a onsie with bunnies all over it.”

You can’t push your laughter down, covering your mouth with your hand so you don’t bother the others. Harry just smirks, giving you a squeeze as you’re still melted against his side on the couch, legs pulled up to your chest, while his are spread out in front of him.

“Definitely not that scary,” you giggle and Harry hums in agreement.

“Would you mind getting a fucking room, you guys? You have two, in fact!” Niall snaps at you playfully, when you start laughing again.

“Sorry, sorry!” you clear your throat, your cheeks heating up at the comment, but luckily it’s dark enough to hide your embarrassment. Niall is always quick to make dirty jokes and tease you in a way that makes you nervous, especially when it involves Harry as well. He has made plenty of comments about you and Harry since you’ve moved in, implying that the two of you sometimes act like a couple or that you should hook up. Harry is always quick to shake them off, that’s how you know he couldn’t even take the thought seriously.

At the end of the movie you feel like it wasn’t bad, not with Harry holding you close at least.

“Will you be screaming tonight, Y/N?” Niall teases you, making you roll your eyes at him.

“Either way it’s gonna be your fault.”

“I can live with that!” he laughs, bidding his goodbye before he shuts the door of his bedroom behind him.

You do your usual evening routine, get ready to bed and by the time you’re done in the bathroom all the boys have retired into their rooms. The hallway stands dark in front of you, only a tiny bit of light coming from your bedroom since you left your bedside lamp on in there, but you still can’t help the eerie feeling that washes over you. That movie didn’t sit right with you and now you have to face the aftermath of it.

Switching the lights in the bathroom off you sprint into your bedroom, pictures from the movie flashing in your mind of the killer just jumping out of nowhere. You shut the door and lean your back against it for a moment, taking a deep breath. Tonight is going to be long.

No matter how hard you try, you just can’t fall asleep. You’re way too alerted, opening your eyes at the tiniest of sounds around you, which is unfortunate, because your window is looking over the main street, unlike two other rooms in the house, that are facing the small backyard. Harry and Louis have the luck to have those rooms.

Every time you’re about to fall asleep something from the movie sneaks into your thoughts and you get scared to death. Soon, you realize you won’t be able to sleep on your own tonight.

Sitting on the edge of your bed, you wonder if Harry really meant that offer that you can sleep with him or not. Part of you is convinced it was just a joke, but when you hear someone shouting down the street you push your doubts aside and you quickly find yourself making your way to Harry’s room.

You knock on the room lightly, not wanting to wake anyone else up. The last thing you need is Niall seeing you go into Harry’s room in the middle of the night.

No answer comes from inside, but you won’t just leave it at that. Opening the door you’re facing another dark room, barely making out the furniture, but you already know the route by heart. Making it to the bed your eyes finally adjust to the darkness and you can see Harry lying on his side, sleeping peacefully. Squatting down you place a hand to his shoulder and give him a tiny shake.

“Harry?” you call out quietly, but his answer is just a huff. “Harry, it’s me,” you try again, squeezing his arm. He furrows his eyebrows before slowly blinking his eyes open, finding you in his sight.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” he asks in that groggy, low voice you love hearing in the morning so much.

“I can’t… Did you mean that I can sleep here if I’m scared?” you ask, afraid that he might just have a good laugh and send you back to your room. For a long moment, he just blinks at you before nodding his head and you feel relief washing over you.

“Sure,” he hums.

“O-okay then I’ll bring a blanket and take the floor and--”

“Shut up, you are not sleeping on the floor,” he growls, grabbing your wrist and pulling you into bed with him as he scoots over, making you space on the mattress.

It’s a bit weird at first, lying in bed with Harry, especially because it’s just queen sized, so there’s not much space between the two of you, but it seems like Harry doesn’t mind it so why should you?

Your nerves are a lot calmer with Harry next to you, but maybe it’s still because of the movie or because you’re a bit anxious about the whole situation, you just still can’t relax enough to fall asleep.

“Y/N, no one is gonna kill you here,” Harry speaks up surprising you because you thought he has already fallen back asleep.

“I know, I know,” you whisper, trying to sound convincing, but you can’t fool anyone, especially not him.

He huffs deeply and before you could realize what’s happening, Harry’s arm is curled around your waist, pulling you against him, spooning you from behind, the warmth of his body wrapping your figure almost entirely.

“If a murderer comes, they will have to fight me first, alright? Now sleep,” he mumbles against your hair, squeezing you gently. All at once, you couldn’t care about killers and dark shadows around you, because Harry was right there, holding you tight and there was nowhere you wanted to be more than right there.

You slept like a baby. Harry’s closeness kept every nightmare away from you and the morning came with ease. Harry’s phone wakes the two of you up at eight, because he has a morning class at 9.30. The two of you are completely tangled up in each other, lying on your side facing each other, Harry’s arms are wrapped around you, while yours are hugging his waist. Groaning at the sound of his alarm, he rolls to his back to reach for the phone on the nightstand and then he finally turns it off. It’s bright outside, the darkness of the night finally long gone. You’re still groggy when Harry rolls back, his arm coming back around you like it’s the most natural thing in the world and in a sense, it feels like that. But as you both slowly wake up, you realize that you might be a little too close. Slowly but surely you let go of each other, rolling to your back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Hope I didn’t kick you in my sleep,” you smile at him, peeking over at him, hoping to break the awkwardness of the situation.

“No, don’t worry about it,” he chuckles, rubbing his eyes, before pushing himself up and off the bed. You follow him with your gaze as he steps to his dresser and grabs a pair of clean underwear. “I’ll put on a coffee while I shower, want one too?” he asks, though you know he could make one for you anyway.

“Sure, thank you,” you nod and he nods back, yawning as he walks out of the room, leaving you lying in his bed, a bit confused and kind of aching to be held by him again.

Two days pass by, everything is going as per usual, neither you nor Harry brings up that you spent the night in his bed that one particular time. Now it’s saturday and you all were planning to go out, but a sudden storm has cancelled your plans, so the evening turned into a cozy, lazy hangout instead of a wild party at some frat house.

Louis decided to work on a paper that’s due in two weeks, Niall has been relentlessly swiping on Tinder while you and Harry are spawled out on the couch, watching some shitty action movie that was on TV, since you both were too lazy to choose one and put it on. Deep down you’re a little happy you don’t have to spend the evening in a crowded, smelly house, drinking cheap alcohol.

Harry gets up from his seat to grab himself a drink just when Niall growls in annoyance.

“What is it?” you ask.

“They keep unmatching with me after we’ve talked a little!”

“Have you thought about the reason?” you smirk at him, knowing well that Niall probably isn’t the easiest to talk to, he surely takes it too far too soon.

“Well they probably don’t like that I ask them if I can go over,” he shrugs, making you laugh.

“You’d go over in the pouring rain?” Harry asks, returning to his spot on the couch. He puts his drink to the coffee table and instead of sitting into his previous position, leaning against the arm of the couch, he lies down, laying his head to your thigh, making your breath hitch for a moment.

“Of course not!” Niall rolls his eyes. “But I thought it would make them think I would do anything for them.”

“It makes you seem desperate,” Harry retorts, earning a questioning look from his friend. “What? It does!”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes it does,” you nod in agreement. “Going over in the middle of a storm just to fuck? Sounds like you’re having a hard time finding someone.”

“Women are so fucking complicated, and for what?!” he growls, before storming off to his bedroom, like an angsty teenager, leaving you and Harry alone.

He doesn’t move, his head stays on your thigh using it as a pillow. His curls are tickling the soft skin on your thigh and you have to fight the urge to play with his hair or scratch his scalp. You stay like this for the rest of the movie and when he gets up you almost want to pull him back.

“Alright, I’m fucked, I’m gonna go to bed,” he yawns, stretching his arms out into the air as he heads into his bedroom. “Good night, Y/N.”

“Night, Harry!” you call after him as you watch his frame disappear down the hallway.

Sighing, you slide down on the couch, cursing under your breath that you’re still so hung up on Harry. You really thought that you had it under control, but lately those damn butterflies are acting up in your stomach at everything he does.

“I’m pathetic,” you mumble under your breath just as the sky rumbles outside with a blinding lightning, making you jump with a squeak. “Shit,” you huff, already knowing that falling asleep will be a pain in the ass. Again.

You’ve always hated storms, they make you think that something bad is about to happen, a tree is about to fall into the window or a lightning will blow up the building. It’s kind of stupid, you know it, but you just can’t help it.

Tossing and turning, you jump every time a lightning flashes somewhere outside and a few seconds later the thunder rips through your whole body, almost making you fall off the bed.

“Oh God,” you let out a shaky breath. You have no idea how long it is until the Storm finally stops and you’d really like to have a good night's sleep. So pushing your anxious thoughts to the side, you get out of bed and head over to Harry’s room once again.

It’s such a deja vu from a few nights ago, as you gently knock on the door you wait again, but this time you actually get an answer.

“Yeah?” you hear him call out from inside and you slowly open the door, peeking your head inside. Harry is lying in bed, his head propped up against the headboard as he is scrolling through his phone. “Y/N? What’s wrong?” he asks, putting the phone aside as he sits up.

“I just, I-I know it’s stupid, but I was thinking… I don’t know--”

“Y/N, just tell me, alright? Come on in,” he gestures for you and you slip into the room, closing the door behind you before sitting to the edge of the bed next to him. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t sleep during storms…” you admit, looking into his eyes, hoping he gets the hint where you want to head with it. He stares back at you for a moment before he scoots over, lifting the covers up, giving you the green light to join him.

Relieved, you climb over to him, making yourself comfortable as he wraps the blanket over you, his arm immediately coming to cradle you, this time pulling you to his chest so your head is laid upon his shoulder, a hand gently placed onto his hard chest, probably right above where his butterfly tattoo is adorning his abdomen.

This is now easily your favorite place. Safe and tight in Harry’s arms, protected from anything and everything, like you’re in a little bubble as soon as you get on his bed.

Lightning strikes outside again and you shiver a little. Harry probably notices it, because he tightens his hold around you, as if it’s his way telling you that he is here and nothing bad is gonna happen. Eventually, you’re able to shut the outside out and only focus on Harry’s warmth, the touch of his hand on your arm and his even breathing. And then finally, you drift off to sleep.

This morning is different from the previous one you spent here. There’s no alarm since it’s Sunday, neither of you have anything in particular to do, so you wake up feeling rested, the Sun shining through his half drawn in curtains, no trace of last night’s storm can be noticed from where you’re lying in bed, the sky is as clear as ever. Sometime during the night you got tangled in a way where Harry is the one now cuddling you, his head lying on your chest, hugging you as if you were a giant teddy bear, his leg thrown between yours, lightly snoring against your sleep shirt. You can only see his mop of hair and the urge to play with them is back, but this time, you give in.

Leaving one hand on his back, you move the other one to his unruly locks, gently playing with one before you comb your fingers through it, lightly scratching his scalp. Harry hums in pleasure, shifting from his dreams back to reality, but he doesn’t move, just keeps humming as you massage his scalp.

“It’s not a good morning, it’s the best,” he mumbles groggily, making you chuckle at his words.

One of his hands is flat against your ribcage and the damned butterflies start dancing when you feel his fingers gently stroke your side as you keep playing with his curls. This feels so idyllic, as if you’ve been like this forever. You wish that was true.

Groaning as he stretches, Harry rolls to his back, making you instantly miss his body pressed against yours. He rubs his eyes, sighing deep as he blinks up at the ceiling a few times, then he turns his head to the side, looking at you.

Just when he is about to say something, outside his door it sounds like someone just broke a pile of plates and it’s followed by Niall’s usual annoyed growl. You both get out of bed to go and check what happened, not even thinking about how it might appear that you both are coming from Harry’s room in the morning.

Harry flings the door open and there is Niall, collecting pieces of a plate from the floor, his breakfast scattered down the hallway as well while he curses under his breath.

“What happened?” Harry asks, picking up a bigger piece from the plate.

“Fucking tripped,” he growls back, glancing up just for a moment, then back down, but then he processes that you’re standing behind Harry, in his room, in the morning. “What the fuck are you doing in Harry’s room?” he bluntly asks, quickly forgetting about the mess he just made.

“What?” you ask nervously, your pulse quickening in an instant. Harry stands up, seemingly not too bothered by Niall’s question.

“You slept in his room?!”

“She did,” Harry answers, leaning against the doorframe.

“Wait, are you two fucking?” Niall’s eyes widen, snapping back and forth between you and Harry.

“Just because two people sleep in the same bed, doesn’t mean they are fucking, Niall,” Harry chuckles, seemingly amused by the situation that’s got your stomach knotted. Louis’ door opens and he walks out, his hair a little messy, but already dressed, a mug halfway filled with coffee in his hand.

“Wha’s this circus out here?” he asks, looking around, his eyes scanning over the mess on the floor.

“Did you know these two are fucking?” Niall asks him and Harry lets his head drop back at his words.

“Are you?” Louis simply questions and you shake your head no.

“We are not. Y/N can’t sleep in a storm so she came over to mine.”

“Funny, she doesn’t come to me when she’s scared,” Niall scoffs.

“I never came to you because you don’t understand that sleeping together doesn’t mean sex,” you retort, though your ears are practically burning from the rising anxiety inside you.

“Wait, whoa. This wasn’t the first time you two slept together?”

“She was scared after your stupid horror movie too,” Harry shrugs.

“Wow, so are you guys a thing now or what?”

“Niall!” Harry growls and you’re not entirely sure what bothers you more. Niall’s shock and interrogation or the way Harry seems so cool and unbothered, like it’s no big deal. Maybe because for him it really isn’t, it’s only about the sleeping, nothing else, even though the cuddles are a little beyond the lines of friendship.

“What? I’m just asking the important stuff! Am I not allowed to tell dirty jokes to Y/N because you’ll cut my prick off?”

“You shouldn’t tell those anyway,” Louis chimes in and you nod in agreement.

Seeing that the conversation is just getting more and more awkward with each passing moment you decide to pull yourself out of it. Pushing yourself past Harry you mumble an excuse me before rushing back into your room, the three boys eyeing you curiously as you shut the door behind you, finally putting a physical barrier between you and them.

You shouldn’t be this offended, it’s not like any promises were made and you should have known better and not fall for him more than you already did. It was silly of you to think that there was anything more behind these nights spent curled up against each other, or when you woke up tangled and melted together. It was never what you hoped it to be.

Then and there you decide it’s better if you distanced yourself from him, or at least go back to how it was before. No bed sharing, no cuddling and preferably no bitter feelings.

It all goes well, because you have a pretty busy week after that day, you always have something to do and it’s not like you spent the night with Harry randomly, so it was evident that you stayed in your room so far.

But about a week later another storm was threatening to strike. The sky was gradually darkening all afternoon and now it’s only five o’clock, but it feels like eight. It’s Sunday, you’re quite exhausted since you were working until three. Niall was out somewhere with some of his coursemates and Louis went home for the weekend, won’t be back until Tuesday. It’s just you and Harry, who’s been sprawled out on the couch in only his sweatpants while you’re making yourself an early dinner so you can go to bed soon and have a good night’s sleep.

It doesn’t take long for the rain to start pouring, you’ve just gotten out of the shower when the first thunder rips through the place, making you gasp in fear. Harry’s head snaps around, looking in your way where you’re standing at the bathroom door, a questioning look in his eyes, but he doesn’t say a word. Ignoring his gaze, you just make your way into your bedroom, not even thinking about what could be on his mind. Is he thinking about whether you’ll ask to sleep with him again or he doesn’t care about it at all?

By the time you are ready to go to bed, the storm is fully raging outside, making your insides tremble every time you see a lightning or the thunder breaks the quietness in the house. You make one last trip to the kitchen, finding Harry leaned against the counter as he eats an apple.

“Going to bed early?” he asks as you pour yourself some water.

“Mhm,” you nod, avoiding looking at him.

“Everything alright?”

“Sure, I’m just tired,” you force a small smile onto your face just when a thunder rumbles outside, making you jump. Harry is watching you curiously and kind of expectantly, but you’re doing your best ignoring it. Instead, you just grab your water and head back to your room. “Good night.”

“Night, Y/N,” he calls after you, and you can feel his burning gaze on your back right until you close the door behind you.

Your plan to sleep a good ten hours goes right out the window. It doesn’t seem like the storm is about to calm anytime soon, so you’re stuck to suffer through it on your own. You’ll be damned to go to Harry’s, that would be an instant heart break and you just can’t take that right now. Long, torturous hours pass by with you lying awake in bed and part of you wants to go running over to Harry, but you force yourself to stay. It’s not happening tonight.

You fall asleep sometime after two in the morning when the thunder and lightning have stopped. Unfortunately, you need to wake up early in the morning, so when your phone’s alarm shakes you out of your sleep, you feel like absolute shit. Dragging yourself out of bed appears to be the hardest thing right now. As you make your way out, you are met with an all too familiar figure sitting at the small dining table, two cups of coffees in front of him, one obviously made for you.

Harry’s eyes snap up at you curiously, taking in your terrible looks as you head to the bathroom.

“Morning,” you mumble under your breath.

“Good morning’,” he nods in your way and though he doesn’t say anything else, you can tell he has a few thoughts about your current state.

Once you’re done with your morning business in there you join him at the table, barely able to keep your eyes open.

“Rough night?” he asks, eyes examining your face.

“Kinda.”

“The storm?”

You don’t answer, just nod your head. He remains silent, but you can feel that he is dying to ask another question.

Why didn’t you come over?

You’re glad he doesn’t actually asks you, because you wouldn’t be able to give either a normal answer or say anything without starting to cry. Instead, you just grab your coffee and head back into your bedroom to get ready for the day.

That week on Friday all four of you are invited to a party. At first you want to cancel, but some of your friends from classes will be there too and it’s been ages since you’ve been to a great party, so you decide to tag along with the boys.

For the first half of the evening you go your separate way, spending time with people you don’t actually live with and see every day. One drink follows the other, though you make sure you don’t go farther than getting tipsy. You’re not in the mood to deal with a nasty hangover in the morning.

Sometime after your third or fourth drink you run into Niall and he pulls you into their little circle that also involves Harry. When he sees that you’ve joined them, his eyes light up and goes out of his way to get next to you.

“I haven’t seen you in ages!” he whines, slurring his words as he wraps an arm around your shoulders to keep you at his side. He is definitely drunk, that you’re sure of.

“It’s been just about two hours, Harry,” you roll your eyes, but can’t push your smile down. You’d be lying if you said you’re not enjoying having him so close. Your dynamic hasn’t been the same since you stopped sleeping in his bed. Not that it was such a regular activity, it only happened two times.

“But I missed you, I feel like we haven’t… haven’t talked in so long!” he huffs, knitting his eyebrows together. “Have you been avoiding me?” he asks leaning closer, so your conversation can somewhat be private.

“That’s silly. Of course I haven’t!”

“But it feels like that,” he pouts with glossy eyes. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

“Sure,” you nod, the bitter taste of lying filling your mouth.

“Alright, cool,” he smirks and pulling closer he kisses into your hair before he engages with the rest of the group again, keeping his arm around you as if it wasn’t a big deal.

For the rest of the evening you simply don’t leave his side and not because he doesn’t let you, but because you don’t want to. Harry is not the only one missing the other, this week you’ve noticed that even though you’ve been keeping yourself busy, your thoughts always took you back to one particular, curly haired boy. Despite everything that’s been going on, he is your friend first and foremost who you love spending time with and talking about anything and everything.

Both of you are intoxicated, Harry a bit more than you, but you’re having a blast playing beerpong or ruining Niall’s chances with girls he is trying to pick up. You’re genuinely having an amazing time and it wouldn’t be the same without Harry.

Arriving back home your little group splits, everyone using the bathroom after the other and you’re the last one in line, because you always take the longest. By the time you’re finished, Louis and Niall are both locked up in their rooms, but Harry’s door is still open, some dim lighting illuminating the hallway. As you approach it, you find him throwing his dirty clothes into the hamper, but his head perks up when he sees you.

“Good night, H,” you sigh, quite tired and in need of a good sleep, but before you could head into your own bedroom, Harry grabs your wrist and pulls you into his. “What is it?”

“Sleep here,” he simply prompts, already leading you to the bed.

“Why?”

“Because I want you to.”

“I-I… I don’t--” you stutter, feeling flustered from his offer.

“Come on, you can’t say no,” he tells you, already crawling under his covers and then he holds them up as the invitation.

Taking a deep breath you follow him and make yourself comfortable in your almost usual spot. Harry’s arm falls over your waist in an instant, spooning you from behind as he hums pleased. But a few moments later he lifts his head, looking at you with concern in his eyes.

“You know you can say no, right? I was just joking.” Looking back at him you give him a small smile. Even drunk he makes sure you aren’t doing anything you don’t want to, but how could you not want it? You’ve been aching to sleep next to him all week, especially after the last storm when you suffered alone in your room.

“I know, Harry.”

“Alright, okay,” he nods, his head dropping back to the pillow. “I missed this,” he mumbles with a sigh.

“Yeah?”

“Mm, sleeping alone sucks,” he hums and in a split second, your heart breaks.

Harry didn’t want to sleep with you, he just wanted to sleep with someone and you were the one there. It has nothing to do with you.

You want to blame him, you want it to be his fault that your chest is now aching, knowing that it truly doesn’t mean the same thing to him it does to you, but you know you can’t. It wouldn’t be fair, so once again, you’re left with a sinking heart wrapped up into Harry’s embrace that suddenly feels burning.

“Good night, Y/N.”

“Good night, Harry.”

When the morning comes Harry is still sleeping deep beside you, an arm thrown over your waist, puffing warm air against the side of your head with every breath he exhales. Seeing him so peaceful warms your heart, but then you realize everything that happened last night, how he only used you because you were available and not because he wanted you.

You don’t want to wait for him to wake up and face him, your emotions would surely bring the best out of you. So carefully, you unwrap yourself from his hold and sneak out of his room, back into yours.

There’s no way you can face Harry right now, so before he could wake up you leave, planning on spending the day in the library, working on your assignments, hoping the school work will take your mind off of how badly you’ve been friendzoned.

Sometime after eleven Harry actually texts you asking where you went and you just tell him you have a shitload of school stuff to deal with. He asks if he can join you, but you tell him you’re with a group of your classmates, even though you’re sitting in an almost entirely empty library. He luckily doesn’t push it and leaves you to be. Hopefully he’ll be fine when you take another step away from him for a while to get your head straight and sort your emotions out.

You get home quite late, but not late enough, apparently. Because walking into the house you find the boys clearly getting ready to watch a movie.

“Just in time!” Niall beams. “Join us, Princess!” he laughs, grabbing himself a cola from the fridge.

“Oh, no, I have some things to work on--”

“Come on, you’ve been in the library all day, you can have a break!” Louis tells you and you know you won’t be left alone, they are just so persistent.

So you join them in your usual spot, which is of course next to Harry, though you’re trying to avoid his gaze that hasn’t left you since you arrived and by now you’re certain he knows you’re avoiding him. There’s a reason why he asked you last night if you’ve been doing it lately, he is not stupid, but this is not the time to deal with it.

With your inner crisis bubbling inside you, you completely forget to ask what you’re watching. A few minutes into the movie it becomes quite clear however.

“Is this a fucking horror movie again?” you ask, snapping at Niall, who just starts laughing.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Harry will gladly let you sleep in his bed tonight,” he teases, making your whole face heat up at his comment. Harry slaps his chest before he turns to you with concern filled eyes, but you pretend like you see nothing, turning back to the screen with your jaw clenched.

You’re fucked.

The movie is a fucking shitshow and leaves you traumatized. When it’s over, you think about why didn’t you just stand up and go into your room when you realized it’s another horror. For a change, this one was filled with demons and monsters that hide in the shadows, just what you need before going to bed. In the night. In a totally dark room.

Exiting the bathroom you’re already planning on watching something lighthearted and cheerful in your room, hoping that would make you forget the movie you just saw and give you the chance to actually sleep.

Walking past Harry’s room you see that it’s still open and you catch him expectantly looking at you when you appear in the doorway as you walk down the hallway, your eyes meeting for just a split second before you disappear from his sight and shut your bedroom door without a word behind you.

No matter how many random videos you watch on YouTube, some scenes from the movie are just imprinted into your mind and they have you trembling in fear. Every shadow looks like a demon or ghost, hiding in your room, ready to haunt and kill you and you’re on the verge of actually crying. It might not be only because of the movie, more like everything else that’s been bottled up inside you, added to the fear the movie has brought to you.

Shutting your eyes closed you try to take deep breaths and for a bit it actually seems to help, but that is until you hear the door opening. It gives you an instant heart attack and you can’t keep your tears back anymore.

A whimper leaves your mouth as the door opens and you can only see a shadow entering the room, totally not recognizing Harry in the dark.

“Y/N, hey, it’s just me! It’s okay!” he quickly clears, seeing how shaken up you are. He rushes over to the bed, one hand cupping your cheek, the other one finding your hand and before you could think, you grip it hard.

“You scared the living hell out of me!” you cry out, sobbing.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to check on you.”

Silence sets between the two of you that’s only momentarily broken by your shaky breaths as you try to calm yourself down.

“Why didn’t you come to mine after the movie if you were so scared?” he then asks, surprising you with how straightforward he is.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” you mumble, blinking the remaining of the tears away as Harry stares down at you intently.

“Why would you think you’d bother me? I like having you there.”

“But it’s… Doesn’t matter,” you sigh in defeat, but it just concerns him even more.

“No, tell me!”

“Harry, just go back to your room. I’ll be fine.”

“You definitely won’t and I’m not leaving until you don’t tell me what’s going on,” he protests firmly and you lose your patience to keep lying to him.

“You just wanted someone to sleep with yesterday, okay? You didn’t need me. And… I don’t want to depend on you more than I should.”

Harry stares back at you with a blank expression and you feel like this is going to be the end of your friendship. You have to come clean about your feelings and he’ll tell you that he doesn’t feel the same way. But then he speaks up and the tables turn faster than ever.

“Y/N, I wanted you to sleep with me last night. Not just anyone. You.”

“What?”

“I really thought we have been on the same page, but apparently, we’re not even in the same book,” he sighs, confusing you even more. “Wasn’t it suspicious how things have been between us lately? The way we slept, the mornings, did you think these are normal things to do?”

“I-I thought that… it didn’t mean anything to you.”

“Well it did,” he replies and you breath hitches in your throat. “I was trying to take it slow, see how you’d react to everything and I thought you were feeling the same way. But then last time you didn’t come to my room when there was a storm and I thought that was your way of telling me that you want to pause whatever’s been going on.”

You’re just blinking in shock, listening to his words. This is nothing you expected.

“But then you seemed like you opened back up last night and you agreed to sleep with me, thought we were back on track, but then you were nowhere to be found in the morning, avoided me all day and now you would have rather spent the night crying here alone than to come over to me. What did I do? Just tell me, because quite frankly, I have no idea what we are doing anymore, Y/N,” he sighs, clearly tired of this insane game you’ve been playing without even knowing.

“So… you did all of this, because… you…”

“Because I like you, Y/N. But there’s a possibility it’s already way more than just a strong liking,” he admits with a soft chuckle that melts you in an instant.

“Oh god, I could cry again, but not out of fear this time,” you tell him, making him laugh as you scoot closer to him on the mattress. “I feel the same way, Harry,” you softly tell him, your hands finding the base of his neck while his hands have wandered to your waist so now he is pulling you towards him until he ends up in his lap. His face is now so close, and even in the dark, you can see the cheesy smile on his pink lips.

“You’re not saying this just to keep me here because you’re scared to be alone, right?” he asks, clearly joking, earning a wholehearted laugh from you.

“No, but I guess that would be a major benefit of it.”

“I’ll protect you from all the demons and killers under one condition,” he smirks, his face already inching closer, his nose is already touching yours.

“Yeah? And what’s that?”

“I get to kiss you.”

“Deal.”

You barely say this one little word, his lips are already on yours, kissing you in a way that almost knocks all the air out of your lungs. You press yourself up against him, his arms curling around you, holding you tight as if he is already protecting you from everything that scares you, though you can’t really think about the stupid horror movies now that you’re kissing Harry.

He pulls you down with himself making you lie on your back as he holds himself up above you, his lips parting from your just enough so he can look into your eyes.

“How about I kiss you every time you feel scared?” he prompts, pecking your lips gently as you pull your legs up and his hips settle between your thighs, while your hands dance down his back.

“Alright, I’m in,” you smirk at him and for a moment he just stares back at you, smiling wide, in complete awe that it’s finally happening. Then he cocks his head to the side before speaking up.

“Are you still scared?”

“Very,” you nod. “I’m shaking.”

“Good,” he grins before his lips press onto yours again.

Thank you for reading! Please like/reblog if you enjoyed!

[hematomes]

listen. i have made a discovery abt scaramouche. it's after literally everyone else but just in case there are other lost souls, here goes

did you know that the heart mentioned in the bloom times

"You once acquired the 'heart' that you always dreamed of,"

"But it was but a mere prop for lies and deception."

and in the song of life

Later, the lovely puppet would finally obtain that "heart."

It was, after all, his purpose for being, the very reason he existed.

Yet, it was not what the puppet truly desired,

For it did not contain any blessings,

But was instead a sacrifice brimming with selfishness, hypocrisy, cunning and curses,

All wrapped in an amiable husk.

is actually a delusion?

The wanderer did not know that he had any faculties for dreaming,

Thinking that this must have been the researchers' little trick,

Or perhaps it was the infinitesimal resistance of that bygone heart.

I THOUGHT IT WAS THE GNOSIS FOR SOME REASON, and that we were really far from the end of his character act??? i am stupid. anyway, that's not the only thing ive noticed, now with the event i have a conclusion: the next time we'll see scaramouche should be the last major act for him before he joins the party (if he does, but as i previously stated it's basically certain).

the lore attached to this set is a bit hard to really analyze for my sad little brain because there are several different times, but it says in the cup lore that his story is, since inspired by traditional japanese theater, cut in 3 acts: "But for now, his three acts are still ongoing."

we have actually seen all 3 acts:

the 1.1 event with the meteorites

"Lord Harbinger. Where are you headed?"

The youth, hating chatty humans the most, gave his subordinate a backhand slap.

But he also loved watching expressions of terror and helplessness play across human faces,

And it was perhaps precisely because of this imbecilic underling's expressiveness that he had kept them around.

He told the groveling, quailing figure that they were headed east, for Mondstadt.

the 2.6 event with the irodori festival

Amenoma, Futsu, Isshin, Hyakume, Senju.

These were, once upon a time, the five branches of the Raiden Gokaden,

But today, only Amenoma still maintains its line of succession.

[...]

The wanderer would never admit to this.

He would never admit that he had done this as an act of revenge against the bladesmith.

Nor would he ever mention the truth,

That he had abandoned his schemes halfway because they had suddenly become dull.

He would only say, in that tone of voice he had learned from a certain researcher:

"It was all just a little experiment into human nature."

and we're in the last one since the archon quest, when he finally obtained the gnosis

"You once acquired the 'heart' that you always dreamed of,"

"But it was but a mere prop for lies and deception."

"Now, you will finally obtain what belongs to you,"

"And this false construct of a body can at last aspire to power over this world."

but what's interesting is what immediately follows this:

"Yet, this is all but a fleeting dream of glory."

"And it will all one day drift away amidst the sighs of a suffering earth..."

the thing abt the suffering earth is really fucking with me, because my first thought would've been another cataclysm. but im conflicted, because that would mean that he'd give up on the gnosis & his aspirations because of yet another war?

and we know that things in sumeru aren't really going well right now, to put it lightly; i don't know if this is foreshadowing some terrible shit going on in sumeru (maybe involving the fatui? lots of players are expecting to see dottore in sumeru, and there were some speculations abt arlecchino as well), or if it means we won't see him again until the end of the main quest, when we (maybe) confront either celestia and/or the abyss order

my heart wants the 1st one to be more likely, but i have to admit, this wouldn't be surprising if a cataclysm were the only thing that could convince scara to join us lmao. then again, the fatui also could be a reason, especially since childe is looking for him rn. im calling it now: childe rerun in 3.0 /hj

[xebecatt2002]

"Gabrielle, Tell him. Do the Bard thing" Chariots of War

From the very first episode Gabrielle is introduced as a storyteller and straight away it is hard not to be impressed with the level of authenticity the writers give to Gabrielle’s skills as a Bard. Many of these stories she tells are based on fragments of authentic myths.

'Chariots of War', the second episode of the series, opens on Gabrielle telling Xena a story as they make their way to the bar in a village tavern. Though we only catch the ending of her story, there is still interesting details to unpick.

G: “And so, Zeus, in his appreciation, turned the two lovers into oak trees. And then do you know what happened?”

X: “Somebody built a boat out of them?”

G: “No-- their branches intertwined, and they spent the rest of their days in each other’s embrace.”

There are a lot of stories in Greek myth involving 'metamorphoses', the Greek word for ‘transformations’, with both gods and mortals turning into other things like plants or animals. The only story that comes close to the one Gabrielle tells is the story of Baucis and Philemon.

The complete version of the myth is only found in the work ‘Metamorphoses'. It is a collection of myths woven together into a narrative through their common theme of transformation. It was written by the Roman poet Ovid who lived between 43 BC and 17 AD, a period of Roman history which saw the end of the Roman Republic and the reign of the first Emperor, Augustus.

The gods Zeus and Hermes (known here in their Roman forms, Jupiter and Mercury) disguise themselves as mortals and travel across Greece. When they seek hospitality from the mortals they encounter, they find themselves turned away from every household until the come upon the simple home of Philemon and Baucis.

‘Looking for shelter and rest, they called at a thousand

homesteads;

a thousand doors were bolted against them. One

house, however,

did make them welcome, a humble abode with a roof

of straw

and marsh reed, one that new its duty to the gods and men.

Here good Philemon an Baucis had happily passed

their youth

and here they had reached old age, enduring their

poverty lightly

by owning it freely and being content with the little

they had.’

Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8.628-635

Here the couple greet the strangers and offer up what little they have, providing them with the best of the meagre food and wine unknowing their true divine identities. Ovid goes in to quite a bit of detail describing the hospitality the couple offer especially the dishes that make up their feast during. While they entertain their guests the cups magically refill with wine.

‘Meanwhile, whenever the mixing-bowl got empty,

it seemed

To refill of its own accord, with the wine welling up by

itself.

Stunned and scared by this wonder, Philemon,

trembling, and Baucis

lifted their upturn hands to heaven and fervently

prayed

For forgiveness after serving so poorly prepared a repast.’

Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8.679-682

Fearing they have offended their divine guest they seek to appease them by sacrificing their only goose. This leads to a comical scene with the elderly couple chasing the goose and failing to catch it. It appears to run towards to gods for safety which seems to work as the gods command them to spare the bird as they are grateful for what they have already provided.

They then proclaim that the couple will be spared from the punishment they will inflict of their impious neighbours who refused to honour the Greek custom of hospitality known as xenia (ξενία), a word derived from the Greek word for stranger xenos(ξένος). Sometimes referred to as 'ritualized friendship' the custom was based on generosity, courtesy and gift-giving that strengthen ties between people. In earlier times when it was thought that the gods walked among mortals it was even more important to respect these customs to avoid incurring the wrath of a visiting god. It would became seen as a moral obligation for both Guest and Host to show respect to each other.

Returning to Ovid's story, the couple leave their home with the gods and head to the safety mountains. There they witness the flood the gods send down to wipe out their impious neighbours. Nothing is spared except the couple’s home which undergoes its own transformation as it becomes a temple to the gods.

The gods offer to grant the couple anything they desire as reward. After deliberating with each other Philemon and Baucis ask to be guardians of the new temple and also, that when the time comes for them to die, that they die together so they don’t have to suffer the loss of their partner. After many years happy years together they are transformed into Trees. Philemon an Oak and Baucis a linden.

"We

ask

to be priests and to guard your temple; and since we

have passed our years

together in peace, let the same hour carry us off, so I

need not

look on my dear wife’s grave, nor she have to bury my

body."

Their wish was granted; as long as life was allowed

them, they served

as the temple’s guardians. When time had taken its

final toll,

and while they were casually standing in front of the

steps of the building,

telling the sanctuary’s history, both Philemon and

Baucis

witnessed their partner sprouting leaves on their worn

old limbs

As the tops of the trees spread over their lip sand concealed

them forever.

Still to this day the peasants of Phrygia point to the oak

and the linden nearby which once where the forms of

Philemon and Baucis.’ Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8.712-720

The devotion the couple have for each other is really endearing. You can really see why this story would appeal to a young Gabrielle who left her home and arranged marriage to find the true place she feels she belongs.

It is also an interesting choice of story to share with Xena, someone she’s just met who is aloof and independent. She’s eager to befriend the warrior but is finding her emotionally distant. This emotional distance is reflected in the physical distance between them. In these early episodes they have clearly defined personal spaces, such as sperate bedrolls, and they spend a lot of time apart as Gabrielle is left behind in a 'safe' location. You could read into this that just as Xena tries to keep distance between her and Gabrielle physically to protect her, she is trying to keep her emotionally distant for safety reasons as well. In some ways Gabrielle may understand this which is why she choses to tell this particular story to Xena. The old couple might seem weak and vulnerable but they are given strength by the devotion and support they have for each other. Gabrielle is trying to show her new friend that caring isn't a weakness but a source of strength by using this story as an example.

X: “What’s the point?”

G: “Come on, Xena. I believe everyone will find their tree in the forest someday-- even you.”

X: “I find the strongest trees in the forest stand alone.”

G: “You don’t have to be strong all the time, Xena; sometimes it’s good for the soul to be soft.”

This moment beautifully foreshadows the relationship that grows between Xena and Gabrielle throughout the series as both become entwined emotionally, spiritually and physically in a multiple of ways. There are moments that the imagery of the myth is invoked in such a way that Xena and Gabrielle symbolically become the lovers. Intentional or not by the writers it is a fantastic coincidence.

One episode that subtly does this is ‘The Abyss’ during one of its poignant cave scenes. After an encounter with cannibals Xena and an injured Gabrielle become tapped in a cave that is rapidly flooding. As Xena tries to get them out, Gabrielle tells Xena her final wish, that she wants to be buried with Xena.

X [Whispers]: "Gabrielle-- Gabrielle-- here-- here. The time's

come. We're getting you out of here, all right?"

G: "Oh."

X: "All right."

G: "Xena, I have a-- a last wish."

X: "I don't want to hear of it."

G: "No-- I'm serious. You don't want to know?"

X: "What is it, then?"

G: "I don't-- want to be buried-- with the Amazons."

X: "All right. Well, in fifty years, when the time comes."

G: "Xena-- I wanna lie with you-- with your family? In

Amphipolis."

X: "What about your family?"

G: "I love them-- but I'm a part of you. I want it to be like

that forever. I love you."

It is the climax of a series of intimate moments that are grounded in their love and devotion to each other. Gabrielle’s words cement their soulmate relationship. They are meant to be, and will be, together forever like the lovers of her story.

The context of this moment adds another layer to this allusion. As Gabrielle is affirming to Xena that she is a part of her, the warrior princess is preparing to save her injured partner by tying her to herself using vines. This nicely invokes images of Gabrielle’s story of the two lovers who becoming trees and entwining together. Also it connects with Ovid's tale of Philemon and Baucis as like the mythic couple, Xena cannot bear to witness the death of her partner. As Philemon and Baucis were spared that fate by being transformed into trees, Xena is using a plant to physically entwine her and Gabrielle to save her from death.

This climb up the ravine walls to escape the rising water could be reminiscent of Philemon's and Baucis' arduous climb up the mountain to escape the flood or just another coincidence. What perhaps isn't is that it is love and devotion that binds each couple together for eternity. Just like the lovers in the story Gabrielle tells in season one, and the myth it is based upon, Xena and Gabrielle will be together for eternity in each other's embrace.

Throughout the series there are a number of different ways Xena and Gabrielle become entwined together. As the emotional distance between them shrinks, the physical space seen in earlier episodes disappears and they begin to embrace each other. Not only is there a myriad of touches and hugs to connect them but while sitting, walking and even fighting they become inseparable.

They become so close that they pick up traits from each other and almost merge into one. This is such a vast topic to discuss it really needs its own post to explore in detail but the importance for this discussion is the idea that they merge into one entity. The idea that they become one is the connection with the myths and invokes the imagery of metamorphosis.

This metamorphosis becomes literal later in the series. In season 5’s ‘Succession’ during Ares’ contest to determine a worthy successor to Xena as his Chosen, he places Gabrielle and Xena into the same body. At dawn they discover that Gabrielle metamorphoses in to Xena and dusk, Xena into Gabrielle. This nicely alludes to Gabrielle’s story as they transform, much like the couple becoming entwine trees, two individuals become one entwined in each others bodies.

This physical metamorphoses happens in the series when it has become fully established that these two are soulmates, destined to be together for eternity. They are truly devoted to each other that they cannot be separated, just as the lovers cannot bear to be parted from each other even when they are transformed into trees.

As Gabrielle predicted at the end of her story, they both found their tree in the forest in each other.

Sources

Ovid, Metamorphoses

Whoosh.org, Episode Transcripts

Screen captures by myself

Thanks to Simjay on the Discord Xena group for the Gifs!

[une-nuit-pour-se-souvenir]

The Dragon has Three Heads

"Three heads of the dragon... yes... but the third will not necessarily BE a Targaryen..."

~ GRRM @ at some convention

The conclusion is simple. The heads of the dragon refer to people and while the two are Targaryens, the third might not be one.

We can ignore anything that says this group of things are of different things (for example, I've seen "two Targaryens plus a concept"), as that makes no narrative sense. The key is exactly that last sentence, the third one may not be a Targaryen, which implies the three heads are all people and that two are Targaryens and the third is not quite one. Therefore, these three dragon heads must refer to people associated with dragon, with two of them being Targaryens but the last one not necessarily being one.

The most popular theory is that the two Targaryens are Danerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, with the third being the youngster that claims to be Aegon VI Targaryen and appears first in ADWD. This identification ignores the narrative framework for both Aegon VI Targareyn and Jon Snow.

On one hand, Aegon is often associated with kingly imagery (for example, the chapter he's introduced starts with six chests, the kid himself is introduced as standing at a higher ground than the rest, and ends with a turtle who is said to witness the birth of kings), he's accompanied by a lot associated with his parents such as Jon Connington (his father's hand of the kind) and some dornish / royne people (his mother's land and culture). Another thing to note is that Varys introduces him as the real thing to a dying man.

Moreover, there is at least one "baby switch" story that shadows this one, a prince baby being switched with a nobody, sent away to protect against a Baratheon. In specific, Mance Rayder's son (the wildling "king") being switched with Gilly's son, then sent South for protection against another Baratheon, which is notably a plan concocted by Jon Snow (another of Rhaegar's kids, as if preparing him and the reader to "believe" such a scenario is possible).

On the other hand, Jon Snow's core character revolves around two facts, that he is a bastard and that he loves his Stark family. The reveal that he's not Eddard Stark's bastard but Lyanna Stark's child doesn't erase the latter, as he's a Stark through his mother. Still, the nature of Rhaegar and Lyanna's relationship may erase the former. If Jon is illegitimate, that doesn't erase the former, but if he's legitimate somehow (Targaryens are said to take multiple wives), that erases the former and replaces it another. It can go either way.

Moreover, there is at least one "legitimized bastard" story that shadows this one. In specific, Jon Snow is offered to be legitimised both by Stannis Baratheon (something that is a true temptation, as it would give him everything he secretely longed for all his life), but also by Robb's will as it names Jon Snow as his heir over sisters and that's only possible through legitimising him. It's my conviction that "the rule of three" applies, therefore that Jon will reject Robb's will like he rejected Stannis' offer, but will have a third legitimization opportunity and that this time around he'll acept.

To be more specific and in contrast with Aegon, who's introduced with kingly imagery, Jon is introduced with bastardy imagery. Bran introduces him into the narratve as his bastard brother, while Jon's first POV chapter starts with him musing that he's a bastard. While Jon has "kingly" imagery, it doesn't come associated with imagery from his father's side, and seems to be self-contained to the North (for example, the first inside joke is "kings hiding under the snow" or Mormont's crow calling him king while he's at the wall). Jon's hidden parentage comes along with prince imagery instead (for example, the anti-parallel with bastard prince Joffrey). With my conviction explained above, I do believe it will come to Aegon legitimising Jon as his heir until he has kids (a parallel to Robb's will). Most (if not all) foreshadowing falls into place. Aegon VI is king, Jon is the (bastard) prince. An example would be Sansa's "Glory to your betrothed," Ser Arys answered at once. (...) "He is the dragon's heir." which fits with Jon as Aegon's heir.

Combined, this interpreation suggests that the popular theory is actually backwards: Aegon VI is the real thing while Jon Snow is the Blackfyre (bastard Targaryen). This is in accordance to the way the text is presented.

House of Undying

"THe dragon has three heads" is referenced for the first time to Danerys Targaryen in a prophetic inducing Shade of the Evening tripping out at the House of Undying.

The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?"

"Will you make a song for him?" the woman asked.

"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

I'll say that whatever the House of Undying shows, may not be reality. Rhaegar wanting to fulfill some prophecy with three kids is not referenced anywhere else, except this moment which is the equivalent of a very bad drug trip. It's worth mentioning though, Ratgar saw a comet in the sky and thought he should impregnate his wife, against medical advice because she who was recovering from giving birth his first child. It could be, but it could not be.

Regardless, what's important to note is what's being prophetized. Much like GRRM's convention remark, Rhaegar identifies the three heads as people. So far so good. However, he also gives us an order: omitted Rhaenys as she was born already, Aegon in mother's lap, Danerys when Rhaegar looks up to "see" her at the door, then finally Jon when he says "there must be one more". On one hand, Rhaenys was murdered and Danerys is in this as well, so the conclusion is that the former "replaced" the latter in the prophecy. On the other hand, if this had been a real memory, than Rhaegar would have two legitimate kids at the time (Rhaenys and Aegon) such saying "there must be one more" suggests a third child (Jon), which goes well with GRRM saying "the third may not be a Targaryen". So in order, we have Aegon, Danerys, Jon.

Danerys later reflects upon what this prophecy means and comes the conclusion that these heads are supposed to be people. This is because the Targaryen coat-of-arms is a dragon with three heads, each head representing three Targaryens.

"The dragon has three heads," she sighed. "Do you know what that means, Jorah?"

"Your Grace? The sigil of House Targaryen is a three-headed dragon, red on black."

"I know that. But there are no three-headed dragons."

"The three heads were Aegon and his sisters."

(...)

"Prince Aegon was Rhaegar's heir by Elia of Dorne," Ser Jorah said. "But if he was this prince that was promised, the promise was broken along with his skull when the Lannisters dashed his head against a wall."

"I remember," Dany said sadly. "They murdered Rhaegar's daughter as well, the little princess. Rhaenys, she was named, like Aegon's sister. There was no Visenya, but he said the dragon has three heads. What is the song of ice and fire?"

(...)

"Your Grace," he conceded, "the dragon has three heads, remember? You have wondered at that, ever since you heard it from the warlocks in the House of Dust. Well, here's your meaning: Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, ridden by Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya. The three-headed dragon of House Targaryen—three dragons, and three riders."

(...)

When Brown Ben left, she lay back on her cushions. "If you were grown," she told Drogon, scratching him between the horns, "I'd fly you over the walls and melt that harpy down to slag." But it would be years before her dragons were large enough to ride. And when they are, who shall ride them? The dragon has three heads, but I have only one.

(...)

"No dragon has ever had three heads except on shields and banners," Armen the Acolyte said firmly. "That was a heraldic charge, no more. Furthermore, the Targaryens are all dead."

"Not all," said Alleras. "The Beggar King had a sister."

(...)

"The dragon must have three heads," he wailed, "but I am too old and frail to be one of them. I should be with her, showing her the way, but my body has betrayed me."

The prophecies in ASOIAF are always misunderstood. Danerys is no exception, as she's wrongly identifing people and their motives. One thing is for sure in all these mentions though, the "dragon heads" are meant to be people and one of them is Danerys.

Danerys thinks these three dragons are supposed to mimic the original trio, with herself as Aegon and two men she'll take as lovers as the two sister wives. This is where the misunderstanding is, because it's obvious from the framework that is backwards.

These at least she could rely on, or so she hoped . . . and Brown Ben Plumm as well, solid Ben with his grey-white hair and weathered face, so beloved of her dragons. And Daario beside him, glittering in gold. Daario and Ben Plumm, Grey Worm, Irri, Jhiqui, Missandei . . . as she looked at them Dany found herself wondering which of them would betray her next.

The dragon has three heads. There are two men in the world who I can trust, if I can find them. I will not be alone then. We will be three against the world, like Aegon and his sisters.

Danerys is a dumb bitch and the text shows us exactly how. The idea of Danerys being betrayed comes together with the other two heads. They're not lovers, they're betrayers. It occurs again in ADWD as she's in the Dothraki Sea, contemplentanting if the "king" betrayed her and a wolf answers in the distance.

The framework fits this foiled scenario. The original trio was a man married to both his sisters, but only he became king (later, only the man could rule according to Targaryen law). In contrast, Danerys is a woman (foil) and both her brothers are dead (foil), whom are replaced with nephews that have a bigger claim than her (foil) and whom will not be involved / married with her (foil).

It's also thematically relevant and poignant for the trios to be foiled. The Targaryen king dynasty started with an alliance between three dragons, it's fitting that it ends with a war between three dragons. It's what they've been threatening all along with the Dance of the Dragons after all.

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues

oh, deer

word count: 2.8k

warnings: none for this chapter, vague foreshadowing

ship: dousy (daisy johnson x daniel sousa), background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

heyyyyy…. yes i posted it early on Ao3

howeverrr you guys are gonna like this chapter. i just feel it in my bones (bc its fluffy and the angst starts kicking in in the next one)

“You look like Rudolph, Daisy,” Elena greeted.

Daisy took a large swig of coffee, rolling her eyes but smirking. The pair were walking together to Elena’s first class after a tough early-morning spar.

“You’re the one who punched me where I already had a bruise,” Daisy shot back.

“Hey, I already told you I was aiming for the jaw. It’s not my fault you didn’t duck quick enough.”

They laughed as Elena swiped her key card to the comms building. Daisy held the door for Elena, shoving her lightly in the back as she passed.

“Hey!”

“Not my fault you can’t see backwards,” Daisy teased.

It was Elena’s turn to roll her eyes and laugh, slowing to a stop outside May’s lecture room.

“Right. Wish me luck, I heard May was giving a pop quiz today,” Elena grimaced.

“You don’t need any luck. I’ll see ya, Elena,” Daisy replied.

“Yeah, you will!” Elena said, backing into May’s large lecture room.

Daisy watched her wave and sit down with a group of third-years, her perfect french braids swishing behind her, before turning around. Daisy didn’t have a moment to think about where she was going before she ran into a solid wall.

Daisy looked up into a pair of dark chocolate eyes, crinkled at the edges with a small smile. The wall’s hair was ruffled, as if he had just gotten out of bed. He wore black SHIELD sweats and a white t-shirt. The wall was very attractive. She vaguely registered the smattering of books on the ground, her mind more focused on his hands on her shoulders.

“Daisy, are you okay?”

She must have been staring for too long. “Yeah, I’m good! Great! Sorry, Sousa,” she apologized, quickly bending over to pick up his books. She almost dropped them again when his hand brushed hers while she handed the thick textbooks back. She gave him a quick smile, taking a deep breath to compose herself, reciting her affirmations. I am Daisy Johnson. I am an Agent of SHIELD. I can move the Earth. I am powerful. I am in control of myself.

Daniel’s smile grew a bit when he heard Daisy laughing quietly to herself.

“I guess you could say I really swept you off your feet.”

Daniel chuckled at the quip, his hands still on her shoulders. “Yeah. Foot,” Daniel corrected. Daisy furrowed her brows, but ignored the strange comment.

“Right. Well, the bell—” Daisy was cut off by a long, high-pitched bell. She closed her eyes tight, the blaring alarm causing tiny vibrations to travel through her skull. When she opened them, Daniel was still standing in front of her, white tee and black sweats and messy morning hair encouraging just a bit more flirting before he had to leave.

“Wow, look at you. Late! I’m a bad influence on you, Danny.”

Daniel shrugged, glancing at his watch. “S’not the first time,” he murmured lowly, stepping away and giving her a last look before he disappeared into the classroom.

Daisy pretended not to notice her heart rate had risen from it’s usual sixty beats-per-minute to seventy-six beats-per-minute.

Daisy spent the rest of the day absentmindedly completing work in her classes. For some reason, flirting with Daniel felt… different than it had with her exes. Even her exes in SHIELD. Daniel was grounded. He had a calm presence. Being late didn’t phase him in the slightest; Daisy would have internally berated herself for the rest of the day.

She was finishing a short answer assignment from International Law and SHIELD Policy while stretching on the outdoor training grounds when she saw him again: still in sweats despite the heat. He was still walking with same, familiar limp. Then it clicked—’Foot’; the throwaway comment from earlier made much more sense now. He had a prosthetic. Before she could think anymore about that revelation, May called the Ops trainees to gather around her under a giant maple tree. Daisy was the last to get up, hanging towards the back as usual.

“Ops training, eh?”

Sousa turned to Daisy standing beside him, breaking his focus on May to turn to her. “Yeah. I used to be military, remember? 28th Infantry Recon Scout. I figure I’ve got to get at least near the level I used to be before I can go in the field.”

Daisy nodded, her hair caught in a slight breeze. “As long as you don’t steal my crown as the Queen of Spar, Master of Field Ops Physical Training.”

Daniel chuckled quietly, turning his attention back to May, who was explaining today’s exercises.

“Partners,” Daisy breathed. Daisy hated partners, unless it was May. She’d rather condition. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the other trainees, they were great people! But her nerves got the better of her and she ended up holding back, not helping herself or her partner. She knew how to control her powers, how to keep herself from using them while sparring. Whispers of doubt and guilt still invaded, fogging her mind like deadly mist.

You could kill them. It’s happened before…

She was taken back to the moment by Daniel tapping her shoulder. “Partners?”

Daisy reluctantly nodded and motioned to him to follow her over to a thick pad of grass next to a small willow tree.

“So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing? It’s Tuesday, which is usually a mix of breathing and nerve control and focusing on technique, rather than strength.”

Daniel glanced over at the other partners, who were all going through defensive and offensive stances slowly, like tai chi, he thought.

Daisy walked closer to where he had stopped beside the willow, pointing out a pair of partners moving almost in sync.

“They’re focusing on how their breathing can help their fighting. Mentally and physically. If you’re nervous, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and then your body gets sloppy. If you aren’t breathing, your heart rate spikes, your brain goes fuzzy and your body gets sloppy. Breath can make a punch more powerful and a kick more accurate, if you know how to use it. I’ll show you the moves.”

Defensive, offensive, block, strike, block, kick. Daisy continued in a cycle until Sousa could mirror her movements with little effort.

Daisy stopped him then. “Great! You’re a quick learner,” She winked, smiling wide.

Daniel smiled back, “So how do I do the breathing thing?”

Daisy pondered how to explain it for a second. “You have to flow, like water. You control your breathing, you have the power. But at the same time, you have to let the air flow naturally. The moves will align with your breath, don’t force it.”

Daniel nodded, and they were off. It took a minute to get into the groove, but once he did, it felt effortless. Every kick, block, inhale and turn, exhale and strike came naturally. It gave him the opportunity to study Daisy.

Usually, especially in the early mornings in the computer lab, Daisy looked tired. Her brows were drawn slightly, fingers fidgeting, knee bouncing. In the halls she walked briskly and adjusted her bag or checked her watch often, a small tic she didn’t seem to notice. Right now, though, breeze across her olive skin, Daisy looked cool as water.

She felt the earth beneath her. The trees and grass and flowers in the wind. She tuned in to the radio of her surroundings, letting her muscle memory guide her. The forest was really loud. The concrete buildings had a sort of buzz, too. They mixed in her bones like the sounds of a great symphony, low rumbles and high-pitched chittering and long, constant notes that provided a harmony to the undulating melody. The frequencies of each living and non-living thing in the area seemed to be flowing around her, steady.

Daniel softly stared at her as she moved through the flow with him. She was very good at this. He was having a bit of trouble, though he doubted he would be having this much trouble if it wasn't Daisy right in front of him. For an exercise designed to relax them, wasn’t it counterintuitive to partner with the girl that made his heart skip a beat when she smiled?

When May clapped her hands and signaled the end of the session, the tired, sweaty kids gathered around May’s oak tree. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, bringing a glow to each of their faces. Daisy looked radiant.

“Class is dismissed. Tomorrow, we’re conditioning,” May warned. In a quieter voice, May called, “Daisy, can you hang for a second?”

Daisy stepped away from her bag and towards May. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I have a question for you. Would you mind giving up your free period three times a week?”

Daisy’s eyebrows raised, no classes that she knew of only took place three times a week. “I want to say yes, but I’d also like to know why?”

“Fair. Top brass called. If you want to be a field agent with powers, you’ve got to practice fighting with them, get comfortable with them. I know everything that happened with Lincoln…” May paused, gauging Daisy’s reaction. When there wasn’t any, May continued. “Your powers didn’t make you an agent, I did.”

May paused, giving Daisy a chance to settle her thoughts before adding, “But I think this is important.”

Daisy slowly nodded. If this was important to May, then Daisy had no problems giving up her free period.

“Who will I train with?” she asked.

May smiled. “Meet Yo-Yo and I behind the garage at seven sharp tomorrow morning.΅

Daisy saluted playfully, wandering to her bag and walking in the direction the other students had gone. She could see them filtering into the cafeteria. A smoothie sounded nice…

The canteen was full of students grabbing plates of chicken and veggie tacos. Daisy was always happy during dinner on taco Tuesday. She grabbed her plate and a small green juice and searched for a familiar pair of heads, warm brown eyes and freckles sitting next to dirty blonde curls.

As she approached, two hands went up, waving. Weaving her way through students, she saw Fitz pat the seat beside him.

“Oi, Dais! I've got something to show you!”

Daisy sat down, her attention drawn to the tiny device on the table in front of her. It was small enough to fit in her hand, but surprisingly heavy for its size. Multiple coloured wires stuck out from various surfaces. Fitz was grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He pressed a button on a small remote that sat on the table. Daisy looked over at Jemma, puzzled. Was something supposed to be happening?

Daisy glanced down at her hand. There was nothing there but a constant weight.

“Fitz! You replicated cloaking!”

Jemma and Fitz immediately shushed her, looking around. “He wasn’t supposed to! It’s above his ‘level’. Professor Weaver practically forbid him.”

Daisy’s eyes widened. This was very Fitz. Tell him he can’t, and he will, just to prove it to himself. Holding it up to eye level and moving it around, Daisy marveled at the seamless invisibility. “What are you gonna do with it?”

Fitz shrugged. He began to explain a number of uses for the device, along with the technical modifications he’d have to make for them to work. She tuned out after Jemma exasperatedly told him they couldn’t train monkeys to be invisible recon scouts.

Her plan to learn something from Fitzsimmons banter was derailed when Daisy noticed a shadow at the corner of her eye. It slipped away as quickly as it came, around the corner of the cafeteria and out of sight.

Why was she getting déjà vu?

“Dais, you alright there?” Fitz asked quietly.

Daisy turned back to him, smiling. “Yeah, I thought I saw something. Probably just tired.”

The sandy blonde boy laughed, “S’only Tuesday, Dais. We’ve got a whole week ahead of us!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’ve got six tests this week!” Simmons countered.

Daisy’s mouth opened in surprise, quickly shut when Fitz made a comment about catching flies. “Wait, so you aren’t excited for the tests?”

Jemma shook her head miserably, her amber eyes rolling. “No. Usually I would be, it’s so odd! But I was studying the other night and reviewing old tests, and my chest felt so heavy and my head started spinning—”

Fitz stopped her by putting his hand over hers, gently reassuring her. Watching the two, Daisy thought her heart might burst, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest.

Jemma turned back to her, considerably less distressed.

“Do you want some help studying?” Daisy offered.

Jemma nodded. “Tonight, 8, the rooftop?”

The group nodded.

At eight o’clock, Daisy carefully climbed out her window and around the corner to the fire escape. The stairs whispered and creaked with the wind, but you would never know anyone was climbing the iron to the roof unless you ran directly into her.

She arrived at the last landing, one floor above her own, and crouched down. She jumped, using small quakes as a make-shift propulsor. Jemma turned her head towards the soft thump of Daisy landing on the roof.

The space was decorated with a jungle of potted plants and fairy lights strung around the ledge, mix-matched multicoloured and shades of white. They cast a warm glow across the spread of notes and textbooks neatly placed in front of Jemma. Daisy approached, pulling out her laptop and a pouch of pens, pencils, highlighters, and white-out.

“Ready for our study date?”

Jemma smiled. “Yes. Fitz should be here any minute.”

The two girls got comfortable, beginning to go over notes and chat idly. Daisy wrote down vocab and key ideas on note cards and organised them by subject. Jemma laughed loudly when Daisy expressed her confusion at the difference between the three biochemistries that she was taking. Suddenly, loud clanging was heard from the side of the building.

“Daisy! Jems!”

The two girls shared a glance at the panicked voice. Fitz.

They rushed over to where he would be coming onto the iron landing, grabbing his hand and helping him over the concrete barrier onto the roof.

Fitz supported himself on his knees, panting. “There's a guy down there. Creepy bastard.”

Jemma and Daisy shared another glance, this one full of concern and trepidation.

Fitz pointed to Daisy. “Askin’ about you, Dais. Your…” Fitz trailed off, drawing waves in the air with his hand.

Jemma rested a hand on Daisy’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Go check it out, we’ll be here when you get back.”

Daisy reluctantly jumped onto the metal landing below, resisting the urge to use her powers to cushion her landing. She quickly checked the perimeter of the dorm, then wandered closer to the forest that backed up to the dorms.

If only she had night vision as well as the power to create earthquakes.

A subtle movement caught her eye, a dark silhouette shifting in between the trees. A haze of clouds covered the moon, making the forest darker than usual. Daisy stepped forward slowly, her breath speeding up.

The air seemed electric, the few clouds in the sky bloodred with the remaining rays of sunset. The tall pines and thick oaks were silhouetted black against the sky, branches seeming to reach out to grab the twilight shadows. Daisy threw a quick glance over her shoulder, letting out a relieved exhale when she saw Fitz and Jemma watching over her from the roof.

A twig snapped right in front of Daisy, the treeline only twenty feet away. Daisy felt the echo bounce around the forest. She took a deep breath, steadying her hands and lungs. Something, someone, was right on the other side of those bushes…

“AAGH!”

A deer leapt out of the brush, landing right in front of her. Its large doe eyes stared at her, ears back. It was just a fawn.

Daisy slowly let out a sigh of relief, dropping her arms from where they had come up in front of her. She snorted.

“You’re just a baby. What are you doing in the bushes by yourself?”

Daisy tentatively reached out, the fawn showed no signs of moving. She opened her palm, letting the deer sniff before it bounded away across the field.

Daisy sighed. She felt something was off, like you would the moment before you were struck by lightning. Like any second, something else would pop out of the forest, this time a real threat…

Silence.

Stillness.

Daisy sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. I just need sleep. If the paranoia has set in, I definitely need sleep.

Daisy headed back to the dorms, the feeling of eyes on her following until she was safely on the roof with her friends.

The twinkling fairy lights lit the rest of their evening, shadows and deer forgotten in the warmth of laughs and starlight.

[millepara]

waccha primagi ep 16 (HECK i would have watched this way sooner but I think I forgot the anime existed despite thinking abt the game nonstop all week....,)

who is Huiguhie even that he gets to plan a training camp. I keep thinking is he Jennifer’s partner? is he going to be Touma’s partner? but neither seems right. right now he’s just a random criminal with too much say in primagi

since the point of primagi is to suck waccha out of humans, does that mean if everyone stopped doing it the magic world would lose all its magic? how did this system first come about, was the magic world originally lacking in magic and someone just realized they could create a new resource by stealing it from another world (which: how could they have known about it w/out magic in the first place?)? I know these are like season-ending things to discuss so they’re mostly on the back burner in my mind but it’s just a really weird system and it doesn’t entirely make sense that the primagistas would just be ok with it if they even thought abt it for a second. (I would though. like whatever you know)

!! just noticed that the op has changed so that Lemon’s spotlight has her gulping her ectoplasm back in instead of barfing it up like she did before!! I wonder how many eps I’ve been missing that for ;;

can’t believe he brought up Touma’s confession. do we really have to deal w that in this ep

the aquamarine person from the last ep.... but they’re ancient now... which is the real one

what’s with the coord book glowing at the element coord talk. do element coords call to other element coords? is this cardcaptor sakura now?

when am I going to be able to buy primagi-affiliated cat candy... (btw though you can see irl versions of nekoame if you image search “飴細工 ねこ”!!)

Hueughyi what you are experiencing is called a crush

why is an Omega corp human(??? suddenly doubting this) able to go to the magic world?

omg is the thing that Touma mentioned abt Hui cooking and eating him foreshadowing for bluegreen here cooking and eating him....... (old style magic-users... does that mean that before primagi magic users used to eat humans to get their waccha?!?)

LMAオ oh whoops but anyway Phoenix suddenly appearing while Hina is napping on top of her coord book that it’s in... this 

lightly toasted serious face after being woken up by being set on fire by her own coord... this is why Hina remains my fav

omg he really is in love w Touma... they’re really doing the magic user goes nuts after their loved one is injured trope (a personal fav) in primagi w Hyuughie and Touma... primagi truly goes beyond my expectations every time. to think I didn’t want to watch this ep!! AHH now Touma’s giving him his waccha. it is requited

ARGH to think this character w the best design in the world is the aqua element. no.....

the Heart Feather coord is truly cuter every time I see it 💖💖💖

oh my god I finally understand Undine’s gobi. she’s saying olé but with an a instead bc she’s aqua. christ

ok she is voiced by Ohara Sayaka. of course. no wonder I could feel myself inexplicably falling in love despite her only having like 4 seconds of screentime and basically no qualities I like, it’s bc she shares a seiyuu w my fav character. ok. (also w Tetsunee from prichan, who is not my fav character, if anyone remembers her... I only do bc of voice actor!! but I guess this means she is permanently part of the priseries voice actor family)

rereading this to catch typos and I am astounded by how many questions I ask only to have them immediately answered w/in the ep. it’s almost as if I should just shut up and watch it huh

[ginkgomoon]

Hello there! I hope everything is going well with you. (・∀・)

I have some questions. In CH 30 & 32 the Time Observer mentioned about the "price being too heavy/dear" & he mentioned that he never expected for Victor to choose that method to prevent the crisis. I was wondering what price is he talking about & what's "the method" he mentioned? & Victor collapsing in CH 32 was not from hitting the bullet I believe. What exactly happened there?

Also...I don't know the details but I think I saw it somewhere that Victor goes through different timelines & dimensions for 10000 years in the later part of the story...? I remember reading it in a R&S that every time he crosses a dimension he'd experience soul crushing pain... The mere thought of doing it for so long honestly made me feel traumatized. I was hoping you could give me some insights as to what exactly he was doing.

I hope I'm not bothering you with tons of questions & they made sense. Thanks a lot in advance! Have a good day! <3

Hello!!

Thank you, you too! :)

I hope I helped answered your questions here. It's quite long, so enjoy the read!

I did Victor’s Time Observer analysis and I’ll be heavily referencing that post to help answer this particular ask. Big thank you to @cheri-cheri and @ey8508 for help clarifying some of my thoughts concerning Victor this chapter! Spoilers down below! ⏱

“With great power comes great responsibility.” -The Peter Parker Principle

We all know Victor bears great power, but also with that comes great responsibility. He is the sole individual who has the will and power to alter time and space, however this develops drastic consequences to his health and to history- all for his love for MC.

Victor doesn’t care about this price- he is more concerned with whether he can prevent the death of the girl in every unpredictable future.

“The person who can save the world… is not me, but her. As for myself, I know my ending line and how much pain I can bear better than anyone. I would rather take such a risk.” -Chapter 35-36 Rumours and Secrets

Chapter 30-6

Victor is seen to be flanked by bodyguards on Adagio Street. Moments later, in a pure white space, we see the Time Observer addressing Victor.

I stood in the centre of the street, looking hesitantly around, but I was unable to spot that familiar figure.

In the dead of the night, from the distant horizon, there seemed to come the sound of a mechanical little violin.

In a boundless, pure white space, the music would be at time peaceful and solemn, and at others somber and mournful. After the final note, that pair of tightly-closed eyes opened.

The Time Observer looked at Victor, neither showing surprise.

That pale white hand brushed lightly over the violin strings, and his gravelly voice spoke up with the pluck of the string.

TO: “The natural rules of operations no longer supply. This world… in memory is a turbulent past and in imagination, there is no serene future. She should have stayed in that world. Her return was a mistake.”

Victor: “If you’re still here that means we still have a chance.”

TO: “A chance that comes at such a heavy cost. Is it really worth it? You will soon understand, in some things, you are doomed to helplessness. Try with all your might, and yet, it remains out of reach.”

Victor: “I won’t let her die again. No matter when."

This will foreshadow future events such as in Chapter 32, where Victor shows a demonstration of this.

Chapter 32-6

Amidst the scattering glass shards, I saw a number of bullets flying towards me.

Only one thought ran through my mind.

Am I going to die?

Chapter 32-8

In the darkness, a crack suddenly splits open, and a blinding light appears, obscuring my sight. My heartbeat practically came to a standstill, the pain I expected never came. The blinding light disappeared, instantaneously replaced by darkness.

Time seemed to pause for a second.

The pitch black bullets, the fractured glass, the car in mid-air…

And then it fell all heavily to the ground.

And in this moment, Victor challenged “fate”, or rather, the “natural rules of operations”, stated by the Time Observer.

I reached out and grabbed the black clothing fluttering before me. Even my voice was trembling.

MC: “Victor…”

I looked in a daze at the man before me, at those fierce eyes beneath his wind-blown hair.

He was looking back at me, as if trying to etch me into his eyes with his deep gaze. But there was another emotion hidden within as well.

After confirming he was unharmed, I let out a sigh, then looked anxiously into his eyes.

MC: “What are you doing here?”

Victor: “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

But this time, his voice was flat.

MC: “I’m sorry… but I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not unaware of the danger… I must simply stay and stop them.”

I hastily wanted to get Victor out of danger, but his feet were planted firmly. I looked up, to get a look at his expression.

His voice was steady, stopping me in my tracks.

Victor: “I see.”

MC: “You really believe I can stop them?”

Victor: “I said before, even if you don't trust yourself, always trust me. I won’t do anything I'm not sure I can handle. Go what you think needs to be done.”

He patted the back of my head lightly, with a hint of tremor in his voice. He didn’t ask me or stop me, as if he already knew the choice I’d made.

So, while the STF agents and runaway Evolvers were battling, MC was literally going to die at that moment. But Victor enters- using his Evol to stop time, ultimately stopping the bullets and MC’s death.

I whirled around, hoping to catch sight of him.

MC: “Victor!”

I wanted to tell him I’d done it, that I really had prevented this crisis.

A faint worry floated up in my chest. What about Victor?

Medic: “Someone, come quick! There’s another person here!”

I turned and hurried to the end of the bridge.

I then quickly found him.

Ringed by a crowd of people, there he was, the person I would recognise anywhere.

It was…

I halted my steps for a moment, then ran to him without hesitation.

I broke into a panic.

Chapter 32-10

Victor… What happened to him??

I pushed the crowd aside and frantically ran to him.

His face was pallid, eyes squeezed shut, his hair plastered messily to his forehead with sweat. I grasped his hand, unable to believe how icy cold it felt to the touch.

MC: "How could you… Why did you…”

Just then, those eyes shut with pain cracked open. He pursed his lips and then coughed violently, blood started trickling out. Even like that, he still chuckled weakly.

Victor: “I used to think… that your problem was that you thought you could control fate all by yourself. Stubborn, self-reliant, in over your head. Whenever anyone tried to tell you anything, no matter what they said, it was always in one ear and out the other.”

Although it sounded a little weak, his voice was unusually calm, and didn’t really even pause or halt. Almost if, if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to start again.

Victor: “But I really did learn a little something from you. You are the thing unto yourself, so only know the best what your values and decisions should be. No one can guide you. And just like I can’t hold you back, you also can’t change this decision that I’ve made. Don’t ask why, this time, just let me say my piece.”

His voice grew weaker, but he managed to lift his right hand and place it over mine.

I clasped his hand, and a feeling of suspense and dread came over me like I'd never felt before.

MC: “I know… I know… You don’t have to say more.”

He was afraid of something, but not because his life was slipping away. It was more like… something would happen.

Victor closed his eyes, completely exhausted. I squeezed his hand tighter, as if trying to hang on to those remnants of warmth.

You have to make it through this.

A man standing by the riverside swiped his hand through the fog, swiped his hand through the fog, stirring it up into an erratic vortex.

Zero: “Did he actually…”

TO: Like I said before, he is the most suitable candidate.”

Zero: “But he refused to help us open the Door of Return.”

TO: “Perhaps it’s only temporary, and he’ll change his mind. I didn’t imagine he’d choose this method for preventing this crisis. Too bad… the price was so dear.”

After Victor saves MC from death, she finds him on the ground- pale and in terrible pain. Throughout Victor’s time with MC, we slowly see the influence he has on her- and the influence she has on him. He tells her that while she shoulders everything on her own and never listens to anyone, she did teach him things in the process. With her love and kindness, she strives to defy “nature's course” and saves worlds. Literally.

You were correct, Victor didn’t suffer injuries from the bullets because he stopped them just in time but Victor is overusing his Evol, and it’s gradually taking a toll on his body. Even back before MC crossed over to the Winter World, Victor was trying to find other alternative ways for MC to live and not sacrifice herself. Unfortunately, there were none. He did also suffer immense pain whenever he time traveled, especially when it led to his time travel pocket watch cracking and breaking in the end.

Victor would normally be practical and very principled in how he executes his plans, but this time around, it was him. This- he- was the plan. That's it. This is similar to how Victor opened a time rift to send MC away in Chapter 18- to somewhere and sometime in space. He waited for her to come back with the help of the Time Observers to confirm her safety. Only someone with his powerful Evol could do that, otherwise they’d risk losing consciousness in the “Time Rift”.

Additionally, he held onto that hope that MC could and would be saved in the end, like how he tried to find her for 17 years after the orphanage incident, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. Victor wants to wield that control, denying “helplessness” and “winning all the bets” he had with MC prior to her “death” in Chapter 18. Victor stated that if she couldn’t trust herself, then she should trust him and his decisions to protect her. Even if it’s detrimental to his health. Life-threatening, even. Because in the end, Victor knows he will always win. He just does.

And since he knows that he won’t be able to stop MC from doing what she wants, we now see him fully embracing then acting upon it. He accepts that she’s her own person and he has grown to have so much faith in her, seeing how she successfully survived Winter World then coming back home safe. It’s almost like- “okay. It’s you and me against the world”.

On the sidelines, Time observer and ZERO both observe, surprised that Victor will pay such a high price to avoid MC’s death from occurring- with the risk of his own. Could they have lost their most powerful time Evolver from this incident?

Though, we shouldn’t be surprised that the Time Observers think that Victor would be so foolish to use his Evol up to the point where it would actually kill him just to save MC. It's literally in their name- “Observers''- they haven’t and aren’t even allowed to actively participate in the events that happened in Loveland, let alone the different histories and worlds that existed, other than claiming to “correct it” by influencing other people who can. They don’t appear to have this kind of empathy in understanding Victor and why he wants to save MC’s life, or how important she is to him.

“You misunderstand. We never alter, we are correctors of history. We want you to join us, your power’s scope of influence has already surpassed the dimension of this current world. Before you are rejected by it…”

Victor: “I will not leave this world.”

“Even if you’ve seen the future of what is all to pass?”

Victor: “No matter what happens, the person I’m seeking for is right here.” -Black Curtain: Chapter 6

Also taken from my Time Observer Analysis-

Since Victor’s Evol is strong and has the capability to do more than “observe” like the Time Observers, he is the one who is deemed the most suitable and more responsible for “grasping the time in the past and the future”. Ever since STF found out about Victor’s Evol, they wanted him to cooperate with them too. Every time he stops time, certain surrounding energy and space changes.

The organisation also entertains the idea of fate, and how things should be refused to be changed. Since they have “seen the future of how the world ends”, they want Victor to cooperate with them in making it stop. Nobody can rewrite the ending among them, except him. Victor refuses to join because he doesn’t adhere to this idea.

“QUEEN’s return has brought unexpected consequences; the entire collapse of the world is ahead of schedule. The world’s line has come to an end, no matter through time or space, we can no longer interfere in this world.” Was there a difference in letting each world go to the end alone to close all the world lines in the future directly? Although we found a breakthrough, this situation really caused us a lot of headaches: she who should not have survived and she should not have been sent to other worlds. As a result, it would seriously interfere and disrupt the timeline. No one had done it before, and no one except Victor could do it.

In disbelief, we weighed it and threw the olive branch- as long as he is willing to cooperate, we will help him find her. As decisive as he was to refuse a few times before, this time he had promised me without thinking. And for a moment, I didn’t know if his decisiveness was good or bad. -Chapter 33-34 Rumours and Secrets

Victor "travelling ten-thousand years in the future" was mentioned in his Chapter 35-36 Rumours and Secrets. The Space and Time Administration (who the Time Observers were under) could "repair his abilities", after he stopped the bullets from hitting MC. He would have to stay there for the Space and Time Administration's time duration of ten-thousand years. Victor accepts. (BIG THANKS TO @cheri-cheri FOR CORRECTING ME LAST MINUTE WITH THIS ONE, YOU AMAZING HUMAN!!)

[ms-interpretation]

They are both so funny! Someone somewhere on tumblr described (jokingly) their relationship as being ‘Annoyed to lovers’. I love that take, I find it hilarious. I mean just look at Jeong Tae-eul’s face in the first screenshot when she’s just found the talisman. It just screams: “Are you actually serious?” and Lee Gon must know how strange he is coming across and just decides to... roll with it. I adore their dynamic. How Jeong Tae-eul is so straight-forward and Lee Gon so outrageously earnest. Tae-eul quickly becoming quite bothered by him during their interactions early on (wonder why? *cough* *cough*) and Lee Gon being so happy to have finally met her that he just decides to answer basically everything and anything she asks honestly and openly (the exception being his name) even though it makes him sound completely insane is all compelling stuff. In this scene Tae-eul outright teases him a lot. First about the talisman and then about the “monopoly” money. We see her get quite serious however when she asks him about why he told her "I finally get to meet you". She clearly felt his sincerity in that moment and wants to get to the bottom of what the hell is going on. To say that’s she’s taken aback is putting it mildly. She is quite frustrated by this whole situation and about this man in front of her who is seemingly spouting out nonsense, but who is simultaneously seeming to be incredibly earnest. You see her struggle with this paradox in their scene at the chicken place and while they’re in the bamboo forest as well. 

I would argue she feels something between them early on. There’s definitely some outright attraction. After he catches her off-guard with his compliment (”You look better in real life too”) the camera emulates her point of view and lingers on him as she is looking at him (he is hilariously framed in a very attractive manner in that scene). Then Tae-eul undercuts the moment as she tells him he looks like a criminal, however not before taking him aback by asking him why he is staring at her in a certain way (the implication being romantically). Lee Gon is even flustered for a moment in that scene (which is equally as hilarious as it is adorable). Tae-eul undercuts the moment deliberately, I would argue, to re-assert herself after having been flustered (I love her). A person on twitter has written some really great ‘meta-threads’ where they spell out some of the cultural subtext which cannot be fully translated through subtitles. An example is the “Will you continue talking down to me?” exchange. They bicker about how they are addressing each other (which has to do with who’s older and Korean speech levels). This adds to the emotional and somewhat flirtatious subtext of their interaction, an aspect slightly lost on international viewers. I have attached a link to the thread below. Tae-eul later teases Gon about how she might be older than him in episode nine, which can be argued is a fun continuation of their bickering here. I do think that some of the subtext in scenes like these might have been lost on the international audience (of which I’m part) at times due to the need to read subtitles + not having access to the characters’ tone through their use of language. Saying that however I don’t think that dramas should simplify their scripts to cater to international viewers (that would honestly be awful), but it can be worth keeping in mind when watching as an international viewer. Tae-eul is flustered by his compliment here, and then again when he compliments her at the hotel, but being the somewhat “tsundere”-like character she is she quickly hides it by basically insulting him instead. We see later that this slightly thorny aspect of Tae-eul is part of her personality, which at first glance may obfuscate her very passionate and kind character (her taking on KSJ’s bullies and telling him, somewhat rudely, to come back to the dojo springs to mind - I really like her). 

So two quite quick-witted and unapologetically straight-forward people meet and it all unsurprisingly ends up with them bickering a lot. One of the thing I like the best about their bickering is that it is really equal, neither of them simply “takes it”, so to speak, instead they respond in kind. This creates an air of honest reciprocity between them. Later in the episode stuff gets more serious. Tae-eul gets more and more genuinely annoyed by all the impossible things Gon keeps claiming. After he asks her if there might be a reason for her helping him, she doesn't respond. But she thinks back to that moment later. His lack of a name and the fact that his claims are genuinely insane becomes a bigger issue for her the more they get to know each other (i.e. the more they connect). Her frustration is quite understandable. Her well-honed instincts are basically at war with her rational mind and world-view (and she has started to like him, which makes it all personal). There’s not much Lee Gon can do however. We feel his frustration easily since we know that he’s telling the truth. It all results in their fairly cold goodbye in episode three. Then of course she misses him, and really starts to believe him. Resulting in their quite emotional reunion in episode four. It is so great that in episode five she continues to tease him after she arrives in the Kingdom and finally seeing that everything he has claimed is true. Why? Because it furthers their relationship instead of resetting it. It is also an indication that Tae-eul’s slightly ‘thorny’ attitude is part of her personality and not simply a consequence of her being annoyed with him. She starts to realize just how much she likes him in episode five and six but she also freaks out a little, because she's more emotionally guarded. Which is why after she first opens up, expressing admiration for him and apologizing for leaving him alone, she then states that she cannot compete with a person from his world (expressing some insecurity. I’ll write more about that scene later). Lady Noh’s warning words are fresh in her mind. Back in the Republic however, after missing him and being worried she finally decides to embrace her love for him when he returns. 

Let’s talk about the first mention of the Royal Ancestral Shrine. Lady Noh is referred to here as Tae-eul finds the talisman planted in Lee Gon’s wallet. A talisman which states it purpose as finding love for the recipient. This because Lady Noh is, as she stated in episode one, adamant of finding Lee Gon a Queen so that he can fulfill his duty as King (which entails providing the Kingdom with an heir). This talisman and this mention of the Royal Ancestral Shrine foreshadows this aspect of the plot and is brought up again later in episode 16. Where Lady Noh brings it up, hinting that Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-eul might marry in a year (‘completing’ the Royal Ancestral Shrine as she put it). A very nice person on soompi explained this for me. She also makes Lee Gon bring a talisman with him as he goes off to have a weekend with Tae-eul. Later on they find themselves back in the Kingdom, almost like the talisman (which Lee Gon accepted this time around which indicates his change of heart from episode one) have deliberately brought them back to the Kingdom to lightly push them to move forward in their relationship. One can definitely argue that it’s technically FateKid’s doing. A very good meta which has written about this in particular is linked below, this blog has a lot of really great posts about TKEM. I would highly recommend it. 

Lee Gon’s amused expression in the last screenshot is such a funny beat, especially in addition to Jeong Tae-eul’s disbelieving expression after she’s found the talisman and her subsequent “Good Luck”. I do so love the comedy in this show. It works so well with the quite grounded characters Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-eul are. 

Link one (spells out some subtext easily lost on international viewers): https://twitter.com/jungpilot/status/1304404562896277505?s=21

Link two (talks about FateKid and LG’s and JTE’s future and more): https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2020/06/16/the-king-ep-16-the-happy-ending/