#to heart 2 dungeon travelers

[smirkingcat]

Sasara Kusugawa

[satoshi-mochida]

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World releases today on Steam and Johren(NSFW).

[operationrainfall]

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World is Coming Soon to Steam

[citricacidprince]

Thinking about a Dungeon Meshi swap AU where Laios is eaten instead of Falin

I think everything is relatively the same in the terms of party members. Chilchuck would stay, not for Falin, but for Laios cause he and the blond are actually close and he wouldn’t say it out loud but he’s worried about him and no I won’t take criticism. Marcille would stay, definitely for Falin but she’s worried about that weird guy in her own way. Namari would still leave and wish Falin the best. The only difference is that Shuro would definitely come this time if it was Falin who asked, however he’d probably tell her to go on ahead without him so he can get a bigger team to help and meet her down there. Senshi, of course, still joins the group.

There are a lot of little things that would change but I have such a specific scene in my brain that won’t leave.

In the swap version of the scene where Chimera Falin fucks everyone up and then run off, Falin watches as her now monsterfied and wounded brother flee, tears in her eyes as she attempts to stop herself from crying but can’t. Marcille, immediately assuming that she’s crying about Laios, tries to comfort her by saying they’re going to find a way to revert this, even if at the time she’s just saying an empty promise to make Falin feel better since she has no clue on how to fix Laios either.

But that’s not why Falin is crying.

During the fight she watched her brother very closely, the way he moved, the way he analyzed each person who came close, the way his eyes softened and he gently smiled when he recognized her for just a moment before turning back into a beast. A gut wrenching realization ran through her head the more she watched him and it got even louder when he fled.

She realized that when her brother appeared as that chimera, that monster, his yellow eyes shined bright in the dark and his toothy grin could be seen for miles, and the grin barely faded even during the battle.

Falin has never seen her brother so unapologetically happy in her entire life.

It was like he was made to be a monster.

She wondered if it would be cruel to turn him human again, a horrid thought that she might be ripping him away from what was assumedly his dream come true. Who gave her the right to ruin her brothers happiness when she knows Laios would do everything in his power to make sure his little sister was happy.

She quickly shook away the thought. She had to save her brother. She had to.

But no matter how much deeper they traveled that small persistent thought stayed in her brain, trying to make her doubt the rescue and convince her that, while he wouldn’t tell her outright, Laios would grow to despise her for turning him back a tallman when being a monster was so freeing and easy.

Falin knows in her heart that her brother could never hate her and it was just her stressed and anxious thoughts getting the best of her, but it doesn’t stop those fears from manifesting in her nightmares.

Ignore me I’m running on 2 hours of sleep and I’m loosing my mind slightly

[riacte]

Unconventional format / mixed media / meta / epistolary fic ideas:

Script format but the characters slowly break fourth wall until they grow self aware and scream to leave but the script confines them.

Mock up notes of an author's fic outline only for a "fan favourite" / "author's darling" character to gain sentience and influence the story. The character changes the outline to suit their own agenda, and their changes are marked with a different colour whereas black text means it's the author's will. Maybe another character using another colour gains sentience. The different colours fight for dominance. Mom says it's my turn with the keyboard hey what the fuck man excuse me I'm literally trying to save my family can you guys let go and let me write your character arcs in peace OH FUCK OFF

Recipe fic. The story is told via those unnecessarily long backstories on a recipe blog in which you learn about someone's grandma or a breakup or literally anything. Bonus points if the actual recipe deals with worldbuilding (what ingredients are available? What utensils are used? How to serve this meal? Woohoo Dungeon Meshi) or in-cheek recipes (eg. "Recipe for making up with your estranged mother - Step 1: Mix patience, nostalgia, and filial piety and let it marinate for ten years. Step 2: Throw that shit into the trash because you're better than that")

Travel fic. A character is lost and trying to find their way somewhere. GPS directions, googling "x place to x place", tickets and dates, train station maps, leaflets. It gets weirder and weirder. You never get closer to your destination. You're walking around in circles. It's always 10 meters away. Where are you going and where have you been?

Receipts. Try to infer what a character is doing judging from the weird things they buy together. Also yipppee inflation tracker. On the other side, maybe it can be about a cashier/ shop owner getting to know their customers and what they order.

Written from the pov of an non-native English speaker, all the English words are italicized whereas their native tongue are the only words not italicized. Inspired by Kupu rere kē by Alice Te Punga Somerville. This is because I got salty about people from Ao3 Reddit saying they won't read a fic in all italics.

Murder mystery / "Among Us" style impersonation fic strictly using the chatfic format. Characters and readers will have to figure out which character has been killed and replaced from the way they text and use emojis. This is also because I got salty about Ao3 Reddit being a wee bit pretentious about emoji usage in fics. Maybe emojis can be important plot devices! Some people prefer to sign off messages with a heart emoji of their signature colour, so won't it be weird if they use another coloured heart? How about someone using lapslock suddenly using proper capitalisation and full stops? Can you tell if someone's phone has been stolen? What if someone's mother is pretending to text like their child? Why is someone suddenly only using UwU speak? Is it a bit, or have they been replaced?

Innocuous second person POV until the last line where it's suddenly revealed to be first person POV all along and the "I" has been stalking and narrating "you".

Other fun bits / Easter eggs / secrets to hide:

Decoding within the text itself. Maybe we get given instructions to find a word in x chapter on page y on the nth line. And when we as readers collect all the words, they form a sentence that spells out an important fact which the characters are oblivious to. Or maybe the in-universe characters find a book with the same title as the irl fic with a bookmark in it, and if you go to where the bookmark is stuck irl, you'll find the murderer plainly stated. The rest of the fic is about the readers having hard confirmation of who the murderer is while characters don't know.

A phrase is subtly repeated throughout the text of the fic and is spelled out with the letter that begins a sentence. It gives off the effect that the narrator is screaming and crying into the void (to the readers in the fourth wall) while trying to avoid detection. Bonus points if the same word is repeated for pages and pages to the point the lack of sentence variation feels weird and clunky.

Morse code!! I love morse code! Using onomatopoeia to convey the dots and dashes! The sound of rain pattering on the tin rooftop— drop, drop, drop. A low whistle of a train rumbling in the distance. He slowly sharpens his knife, creating a shiiing sound. A lengthy, high pitched squeal from his kettle. A dog barks. A sharp knock. His heart thumps. Dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. SOS. Maybe a character's death scene spells out the name of their mysterious murderer. Maybe a character is reminiscing their deceased loved one and the scene spells out what the deceased person would've wanted to tell them— "LIVE ON" or "I LOVE YOU" or something.

[majeoeje]

Beating heart (part 2)

Laios x reader

The only right answer was you

Part 1

Is this truly the right decision? You dwelled. The scent of the sea lingered in the air, the sounds of footsteps and people around you was enough to drown you.

You were leaving everything with little money in your pockets. Your stolen dowry surely wouldn’t last that long, you thought. You hoped your parents would ever find it in their hearts to forgive you for what you’re doing. But mostly… you hoped your betrothed would not harbor revenge for you.

Imagining their kind faces turning malicious made you falter. Suddenly the eight hours of horse ride that you just endured felt more than reckless. Maybe you should go back after all.. maybe if you turned back now, they’d still accept you and take you in with open arms.

As you took a step back you were bumped into someone.

You groaned before giving them a short apology not really looking at them in the eye.

“I knew it was them!” You frozed, A familiar male voice filled your ears. Upon hearing that it was as if you were transported back to your home. Back when you weren’t promised to someone you barely know, back when beginning a family wasn’t what everyone expected of you, back when you could have dreams, back to that simple village, back home.

And then you turned around to see that it was some weird unkept guy you didn’t know

You thought maybe you had mistaken someone else for your long time best friend, but then another voice appeared

“Hey, you’re right!!” Said the female voice

You audibly gasped seeing the woman, she was still the same as ever! maybe you weren’t wrong after all. And upon closer inspection, there was no denying it.

“Laios! Falin!!” You gleamed, before you shared a meaningful hug with both the Touden siblings

You almost didn’t recognize Laios with his unkept appearance, his hair growing past his eyes while you could tell he hasn’t been eating enough let alone shower or shave in that matter. You were so glad that Falin didn’t succumb to such things, keeping her appearance squeeky clean.

“It’s been too long” you let go not before you gave them a final squeeze

"We're so happy to see you.. agh- heyy..." Falin protested, you couldn't contain yourself from messing with her short hair upon seeing her signature closed eyed red cheeks smile.

"Are you planning to sail to the island too?" Laios said. Despite his drastic change you noticed that the golden hue of his eyes had never changed. It brought you a sense of relieve somehow. Despite everything, he will always be Laios.

“Traveling together would be nice”

The tone of his voice was rather hopeful. As if he wanted you to come alongside them. And by his words alone you could change your mind.

You thought about how nice it would be to travel together. Maybe you could become adventurers? As hard labour as dungeon exploring is.. you were hoping you could have your chance in it. Maybe now you could have your own room and live however you like, And maybe you could finally see the monsters that Laios was always so excited to talk about.

Aghhhh- you were stupid. You cursed yourself for being so easily swayed by him. The fact that Laios of all people didn't even need to ask you back then horrifies you. How are you that excited to see someone?

This realization came late to say the least. Years of adventuring had gone by and now you’re here. In this very moment. Grumbling alone to yourself about your past recklessness, as your other party members just lets you relish in your own madness (they already know you had lost it so why bother)

It was during your intense thought process that you didn’t notice Laios’ hand inching closer to yours only to falter away.

He wanted to tell you that dinner was almost ready but why was it so difficult??

Hesitant he rarely was, especially with you. But something had changed since last night, it was as if the beat of your heart had ingrained itself in the back of his mind, with each closing distance with you only adding to the fire that was the tune of your heart. It slowly eats him alive, drowning him, suffocating and burning him away with its sounds.

Though it wasn’t until now as he mindlessly observed you that he noticed that the fast and loud beat that was replaying over and over wasn’t yours at all in this moment.

He brought his hand to the left of his chest finding it hard to believe that his heart would beat this loudly for you. Has he always felt this way?

“Oh- Laios!… i didn’t see you there buddy” you were surprised to see Laios seating next to you. He couldn’t be there the whole time could he?? (He was)

You waited for his reaction, but he could only sit there and stare at you like he just had a realization too.

“I think-“

“Dinner’s ready!” Said senshi unknowingly interrupting Laios, presenting another one of his delicious cooked meals. The smell alone could make you drool. It doesn’t matter if it’s a monster as long as it’s good right? You choose not to dwell on the deeper meaning, ignorance is bliss. Some would say.

“What is it that you’re going to say?” You say attention now shifting back to him.

Laios looked like he wanted to say something but he shook his head and retaliated.

“Let’s eat, we can’t have other’s waiting” he stood up before going ahead to where the others are. He didn’t really know what he wanted to say. If Senshi hadn’t interrupted him, he knows that his sentence would just falls short.

Around the campfire everyone ate soundly, maybe it was because the lack of monster trivia on Laios’ part. You can’t help but miss it

It was during this moment that he wonders what is it that he wanted to say? What is it that he discovered? He knew that it was realization and he knew it was about you. But that was about it.

Marcille felt like the tension was rather dry, so she thought she’d finally ask you a question that has been itching itself in her brain

“Was it true that you were betrothed?” She asked, Laios practically choked on his food, it’s not like he didn’t know this, but he never thought to pay any mind to your past betrothal.

“Well, it was a long time ago..”

you wave your hand around, it’s true that it wasn’t a big deal anymore in your life but it does bring a sense of nostalgia in your mind at the times before you ran away from the village

“What were they like?” Asked Marcille, you could by the shine in her eyes that she loved romance books

You hummed before putting your empty plate down

“They were sweet, lovely,caring,hard working and very very stubborn” you laughed. “I could go on and on about how they were but we won’t have enough time”

The way in which you describe your betrothed was as if you were fond of them. It made Laios a little weary somehow. Why was that? It’s not like he hasn’t met them… in fact they were a good friend of yours, despite not getting along that much with him.

“You know by how you described them it would seem that you loved them” chilchuck asked, a little suspicious

Laios awaited your answer practically on the edge of his seat. Well it was pretty clear that you didn’t considering you ran away and what not, Laios said to himself

“I did” the sound of your confirmation was accompanied with the sound of Laios’ wooden bowl falling to the dungeon floor. “How could i not?”

When everyone looked at him he tried his best to seem normal, laughing nervously and saying how his bowl just slipped past his hand suddenly before gingerly picking it up.

“Then why did you leave??” Marcille was basically starry eyed, hearing you talk about your love life was what she had been waiting for.

While Laios was lost in thought. Would you want to come back to your betrothed? If you did loved them then it wouldn’t be outrageous or even wrong to get married to them once all of this is over.. but you would still go one a some adventures with him and fin before you di right?

it’s just that by then Laios had realized that he didn’t want you to marry anyone. He didn’t want his adventures with you and Falin to be over just yet. Such thoughts of you to be wed with other people lingered on his mind and soured his appetite.

“It’s because I didn’t want that life yet you know? I just didn’t want to settle down when i haven’t at least tried to reach my dream”

Your answer was short, Marcille begged you for details but suddenly you drifted the conversation to Chilchuck’s children. Then suddenly her attention drifted away. You chuckled at her antics, you didn’t thought it as nosy really,it was quite endearing to you.

“Do you.. still love them?..” Laios suddenly asked, a little quiet, but not quiet enough for you not to hear, the tint of insecurity was more than evident in his voice yet you couldn’t be more than blind to it.

After a long while you finally thought about them once again. Those days you spent everyday was more than lovely. At the time, you enjoyed their company more than anyone… it would be a lie if you were to claim that you did not love them. But even though you were glad that now you were able to look back at the fond memories you had and appreciate them, you never once wish you would go back.

“No.. at least not anymore” you reminiced, bittersweet it was.

So many questions filled Laios’ head. What if that person were to look for you? Would you come back to them? How long were you in love? He wanted to ask one by one yet only one was able to spill out of him

“Would you ever want to settle down?” Asked Laios.

Your cheeks grew warm. It was a if… he was asking for you to settle down with him.

You mentally slapped yourself for such thoughts. For fuck’s sake that was your best friend you were thinking about! You knew him ever since you were all but 2.

You looked back a few summers back. Back when you were with someone who once used to be your soon to be spouse. Back when you planned a whole future with them knowing that you didn’t actually wanted those things before ultimately throwing everything all away. You remember all the pain, anguish and guilt you felt as you ran away. You never wanted to feel like that ever again.

But.. you thought that if it were with Laios.. it would be different. It somehow just sat right to you.

“I would like that”

You unconsciously smile, you were ashamed to say that you were excited about such ideas, like he meant what he said anyways. You then realize the gentle hold of his hand on yours, his thumb gently rubbing circles on your knuckles before carefully tracing down to one particular finger, perhaps someday where a wedding ring would be.

“I would also like that”

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @hopeaha , @curiously-lazy , @ harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus Thank you for all your beautiful comments, it keeps me going ♥️♥️

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 , PART 15 , PART 16 , PART 17 , PART 18 , PART 19 , PART 20 (You're here) , PART 21

At the castle's doors.

Sophia: (walks outside, enraged)

Echanted Arthur: (close behind, running) My love! Wait!

Sophia: (turns to him) What? Haven't you humiliated me enough?

Echanted Arthur: Please! Whatever quarrel you have with Merlin, we can solve it!

Sophia: He hit me and humilliated me! 😡

Echanted Arthur: I know it looks bad. But I'm sure he must have his reasons.

Sophia: ...What?

Echanted Arthur: I know him, he wouldn't just... This is not like him! Maybe there was a misunderstanding. So please forgive him, my love. I beg you. Forgive him and come back to the castle, please.

Sophia: (in disbelief) It's incredible. I used the strongest love spell there was and put all my power in it. I knew I had to be quick as soon as we saw your heart was compromised. But even now you're fighting it. You still prioritize him.

Echanted Arthur: ...Is that a methaphor?

Sophia: (gets back to her offended fiancee rol) I'll never forgive you, Arthur Pendragon. (Thinking) Oh, how much I'm going to enjoy killing you. (Turns her back at him and leaves as dignified as she can)

Echanted Arthur: (makes a gesture to go after her, but sees some guards walking nearby so he aproaches them) You! Make sure my father doesn't kill Merlin while I'm gone. (goes after Sophia)

Guard 1: But, sire! What if the king orders his execution? Sire! (turns to guard 2) What do we do?

Guard 2: If we go against the King's orders, he'll kill us.

Guard 1: But if we go against the prince's orders, he'll kill us.

Guards: (stay thinking and thinking what to do like winnie pooh)

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the dungeons.

Lancelot: (arrives carring a plate of food, rehearsing his lines in a whisper to himself) I came to bring food to the prisoner, I came to bring food to the prisoner... (stands up before the guard, determinated) I came to bring food to the...! (sees the guard is knocked out) prisoner?

Merlin: (gets out of a shadow) You're late 😒.

Lancelot: (jumps out of his skin, screaming) Aaaah! What the- How did you-

Merlin: Magic. (Takes the knocked out guard's sword and starts going up the stairs to the exit)

Lancelot: Right. (Follows him and they walk side by side) Morgana saw Arthur and Sophia leave the castle, so Gaius sent me for you.

Merlin: (sighs) Figured as much. Where there any horses in your escape plan?

Lancelot: Yes, actually.

Merlin: Good. We're going to need them.

Back with the guards at the entrance of the castle.

Guard 1: (with a coin in hand) Face we die by the king.

Guard 2: Seal we die by the prince.

Guard 1: (Flips the coin)

Guard 2: (looks the result) We die by the king.

Guard 1: (sighs) To sneak the servant out of the dungeons it is. (About to leave)

Guard 2: Wait! Look! (Points something in the distance)

Guard 1: (looks) Isn't that the prince's manservant?

Guard 2: And he's escaping! 😨 And with the horses! 😱

Guard 1: Who's that with him?

Guard 2: We have to tell the King inmediatly! (About to go inside)

Guard 1: Wait! Don't you see? This is perfect!

Guard 2: (confused) What?

Guard 1: We don't have to go against the King's orders now! 😃

Guard 2: You're right! 😃 We're save! 😄

Guards: (celebrate)

Guard 1: We still have to tell the King the prisoner escaped though. It would be suspicious if we don't.

Guard 2: We will, we will. Just... give him a head start.

Guards: (wait)

Meanwhile, in the woods. Lancelot and Merlin riding side by side.

Merlin: (stops) It's here. (Gets off his horse)

Lancelot: (gets off too) Do you know how to break the love echantment?

Merlin: Killing Sophia. (Starts echanting the sword)

Lancelot: Not that I don't support that, but maybe in a way that doesn't involve killing? Just to have options.

Merlin: (ends echanting the sword) This is sidhe magic, it's almost imposible to undo. (Gives sword to Lancelot) Here, you can defend yourself with this. (Starts running in direction of the lake)

Lancelot: Wait! (Stops Merlin by the arm) Merlin, we need a plan.

Merlin: (impacient and desperate) There's no time! Arthur could be dying as we speak!

Lamcelot: You said "almost imposible to undo", so there is a way.

Merlin: It doesn't matter!

Lancelot: As the only no magic user here who is going to confront two powerful magical creatures, it matters a lot to me! What if she puts a spell on me too and turns me against you? I need to know!

Merlin: (sighs, exasperated) Fine! As far as I know, I great act of true love can break any love echantment. The more efective ones would be a true love kiss or the loss of someone you love. But Arthur isn't in love with anyone and Sophia will be too busy trying to drown him in the lake to echant you, so you don't have to worry about that. Can we go now?

Lancelot: Sure. (Thinking while they go to the lake) To think everything could have been avoided with a kiss 🤦‍♂️. But now I get why she didn't try to kill Merlin when she had the chance. The loss of Merlin would break Arthur for sure.

At the lake. Sophia in the lake with Arthur while Aulfric is at the lakeside.

Aulfric: (echanting) Ia bend dǽdon níwe. Cúðon gare íewe deahl sǽ áre. Sé áre. Ig bæþ deahl sǽ néah. Déaþ ór cwylþ óga him. An wén.

Echanted Arthur: (holding hands with Sophia, between confused and mesmerised by her) I... what is happening?

Sophia: (sweetly) It's our wedding, silly.

Echanted Arthur: (smiles brightly) Really? Am I doing it correctly?

Sophia: (Nods and caresses his face) You are doing just fine. Just look at me. (Her eyes glow red) Look at me.

Merlin: (hiding behind a bush, whispers a spell to make Aulfric staff go to him) Onbregdan.

Aulfric: (feeling his staff move, holds it tigher, stops echanting and turns to Merlin) You think we didn't know you were coming? (Points the staff to Merlin) Na þing biþ! (A lighting gets out of the staff to hit Merlin)

Merlin: (stands up) Scildan! (Blocks the attack with a magic shield)

Sophia: (from the lake, shouts worried) father!

Aulfric: I got this! Don't break the eye contact!

Sophia: (brings her attention back to Arthur)

Merlin: Swilte, gold beorþ! (Throws a lighting at him too)

Aulfric: (blocks it easily with his staff without conjuring a spell, laughs) Is that all you got?

Merlin: Actually, I can conjure earthquakes, lightings and fires that could burn an entire forest.

Aulfric: (laughs again) And why haven't you done that?

Merlin: (smiles) Because now I'm just a distraction.

Aulfric: (confused) What...?

Lancelot: (stabs him from behind with the sword)

Aulfric: (drops dead on the ground)

Sophia: (screams horrified) NO! FATHER!

Merlin: (picks up Aulfric's staff and is about to use it to kill Sophia)

Sophia: (Puts Arthur infront of her, a hand on his neck, eyes glowing red with fury) Try anything and he dies!

Echanted Arthur: (eyes blank and no emotion on his face, basically being handled like a puppet)

Merlin: (scared, but tries not to show it) You won't kill him. You need him to go to Avalon.

Sophia: I don't care about that enymore! (Tears of anguish and anger run down her eyes) My father is dead! This was our dream and he worked so hard for me to have it... and he suffered a pathetic mortal death because of you! (To Arthur) Gewseorc, hine beclyppe!

Echanted Arthur: (starts to choke, like he's being strangled)

Merlin: (shouts in panic) Arthur! (About to go into the lake)

Sophia: Stop right there or I'll soffocate him to death!

Merlin: (stops, fearing for Arthur's life)

Sophia: This is what is going to happen. (Gets closer to the lakeside holding Arthur hostage) We will go back to the castle. You (points at Lancelot) will be arrested and executed for killing a Lord (turns to Merlin) and I will continue the wedding to make sure to make your life a living hell!

Lancelot: (suddenly holds Merlin from behind and puts the sword at Merlin's throat)

Merlin: (more than confused) What are you doing?

Lancelot: (whispers) Trust me. (Raises his voice again) I'm sorry, Merlin. But I won't die for you! (Shouts to Sophia) I'll kill him myself, my lady! Please let me live! I'm too young to die!

Sophia: You think I'm going to forgive you that easily!

Echanted Arthur: (blinks like waking up from a dream and mumbles quietly) Merlin?

Lancelot: I'll do it right now! (Pretends he's about to cut Merlin's throat)

Echanted Arthur: (opens his eye wide and shouts, frantic) MERLIN! (runs forward to stop Lancelot, freeing himself from Sophia)

Lancelot: (lets go of Merlin to hold Arthur and shouts) Merlin, now!

Merlin: (uses the staff to break the chain around Sophia's neck with magic)

Sophia: NO! (Looks frantic for the necklace that fell in the water)

Merlin: (takes Lancelot's sword, goes to Sophia and stabs her several times, while screaming furiously)

Echanted Arthur: (crying, while trying to free himself from Lancelot) NOOOO! SOPHIA!

Lancelot: (still holding Arthur, looking at Merlin disturbed) That... was unecessary. 😰

Merlin: (leaves Sophia's corpse floating, gets out of the lake all cover in blood and drops the sword)

Arthur: (coming back to his senses) So...phia? (Stops struggling) Wha... Where am I? (wipes his tears, confused) Why am I crying?

Lancelot: (lets go of Arthur, happy) Your Highness! You are back!

Arthur: (looks Merlin is all covered in blood and panics) Merlin! 😨 (Runs to him and checks him, anxiously) What happened to you?! Where are your injuries?! (Tries to take off his clothes)

Merlin: (Stops him) The blood is not mine, I'm fine. (Holds his face, to check closer his neck and eyes with concern) Can you breath correctly?

Arthur: (blushing at the sudden closeness) Yes, I think I do.

Merlin: Are you lucid? You don't... you don't love Sophia anymore?

Arthur: (frowns, confused) Who is Sophia?

Merlin: (sighs in relief) You are fine.... (Pushes him away from him abruptly in poorly hidden anger) There's nothing wrong with you, my lord. I'm so glad.

Arthur: Hey! You can't just push your prince like that! 😡

Merlin: (composes himself) You are right. Forgive me, sire. It won't happen again.

Arthur: ...

Arthur: Merlin, are you alright?

Merlin: (too politely) Of course, sire. Forgive my impertinence, sire. I just didn't want to stain your royal clothes with mine (stresses the word) sire.

Arthur: ... Okay? (Looks around) Uhm... Can someone explain to me why there are two dead bodies here? What on earth happened?

Lancelot: You don't remember anything, sire?

Arthur: Not really, the last thing I remember is being with Merlin in the woods fighting some bandits and... No, wait... (starts remembering) There was a girl, I think... she- (open his eyes wide and pales, shouting) I GOT ENGAGED! 😱 How could my father consent that? 😡

Lancelot: Well you asked him to let you marry Sophia quite nicely, sire.

Arthur: I did what?! 😨

Merlin: (crosses his arms, looking to the side) Yes, you were pretty entusiastic about it, my lord.

Arthur: But I would never! I was... echanted! Yes, I remember now! (Turns to Merlin) You told me Sophia was echanting me! And Morgana, she tried to warn me about her too. But I- (opens his eyes wide as another memory assults him, suddenly furious) YOU ATTACKED A NOBEL LADY PUBLICLY?! 😡 WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?!

Merlin: Oh, I'm sorry for not worrying about property when I was trying to save your ungrateful royal ass! 😡 (composes himself and adds) My lord.

Arthur: I am grateful. But my father could have killed you for that!

Lancelot: Well, he did send Merlin to the dungeons.

Arthur: WHAT?! 😨

Lancelot: But I sneaked him out from there before the king decided a sentence for him and we went after you.

Arthur: You sneaked a prisoner out of the dungeons...

Lancelot: Yes.

Arthur: So Merlin now is a fugitive and you are an accomplice.

Merlin: We didn't exactly have a choice, my lord.

Arthur: I know, I know, I just... (brings a hand to his forehead, thinking distressed) How the hell I'm going to get Merlin out of this!

Lancelot: Do you remember anything else, sire?

Arthur: Yes, uhm... Sophia and her father brought me here. They were doing some kind of ritual.

Merlin: They were sidhes, creatures of magic, my lord. They were trying to sacrifice your life so they could go to Avalon, apparently. Why they chose you especificilly completely baffles me.

Lancelot: (worried) Anything else, sire?

Merlin: (pales, thinking) Fuck, I forgot he saw me using magic!

Arthur: I... (remembers Lancelot and Merlin arriving, Merlin using magic and killing Sophia) Uh... No, that's all I remember.

Merlin and Lancelot: (sigh in relief)

Arthur: So... (points the corpses again) I'm assuming these are the sidhes. How did you defeat them?

Merlin: Well-

Lancelot: It was me, sire! I slayed them both with my sword. (Thinking) Merlin is in enough trouble as it is to have muder on his list of crimes too.

Arthur: You slayed two powerful creatures of magic all on your own. 🤨

Lancelot: Yes sire, Merlin helped of course. Acting as...uhm...

Merlin: A distraction.

Lancelot: Exactly! It was team effort.

Arthur: Not that I don't believe your word, Lancelot, but then why is my manservant the only one covered in blood?

Lancelot: ...

Merlín: ...

Lancelot: I also have blood. (Points the only little stain he has) Here.

Merlin: Yeah, it's just that... I kind of got in the way... when he was... slaying them.

Arthur: (thinking) Do they believe me this stupid? Really? (Says) Alright, we'll talk about the details later. Now we need to hide the bodies.

Merlin: Why?

Arthur: Well, I don't know. Maybe because you were seen attacking Sophia and you textually said you would kill her in front of the king? So when they find out you escaped from the dungeons and search for you and find the corpses of Sophia and her father laying here, who do you think they're going to believe killed them?

Merlin: Oh, you seem to remember quite a lot of details of what happened, sire. (Accusing) Tell me, how conscious were you really, my lord?

Arthur: What? What does that have to do with-

Lancelot: Sorry for interrumping your spat, but though I agree with your highness, I don't think we have enough time. Search parties must be looking either for the prince or for the prince's manservant as we speak. There's no way we can dig a hole to bury the bodies so fast.

Merlin: Oh, that's easy. There are ropes on the horses we brought with us, right?

Lancelot: Yes, I believe so.

Merlin: We can tie them with the ropes to heavy rocks and then throw them in the lake so they sink to the bottom. No one will look there, problem solved.

Arthur: ...

Lancelot: ...

Merlin: What?

Arthur: You seem to know a lot about hiding bodies.

Merlin: It's simple logic and fisics, my lord. Someone would think that with all your royal education you would know. (Sighs) Let's get this over with. (Walks away to go to the horses)

Arthur: (walks behind with Lancelot, whispering to him) He's been calling me "sire" and "my lord" for far too long. Is he mad at me?

Lancelot: He's definitely mad at you.

Arthur: But why?!

Lancelot: Well, you weren't very nice to him when you were echanted.

Arthur: It's not my fault! I was echanted!

Lancelot: That's right and he knows but...

Arthur: But?

Lancelot: If a drunk man killed a woman and his defense at court was that he was drunk when he did it, would that make him less guilty infront of the Jugde.

Arthur: ...

Lancelot: Just give him time, sire.

Time skip. After they hidded the bodies.

Arthur: Great. Now we need to get rid of your clothes. (About to help Merlin off his clothes)

Merlin: (stops him and says dryly) I'm perfectly capable of undressing myself, my lord. Thank you (turns his back to him and starts taking off his jacket, shirt and neckerchief with hard movements).

Lancelot: (To Arthur) Your eyes, sire.

Arthur: (takes his eyes off Merlin, blushing) I was not looking anything.

Merlin: (finishes taking off all his top clothes) My pants are clean.

Arthur: Are you sure?

Lancelot: Sire! 😠

Arthur: I was just making sure!

Merlin: (folds his clothes) I'll get rid of these.

Lancelot: (takes Merlin clothes from him) No, I better do it. The sooner you're far from this place or any evidence, the better. (To Arthur) You can take my horse, sire. Well, technically it's your horse but... you know...

Arthur: Of course. (Turns to Merlin) Merlin-

Merlin: (Just passes him and goes ahead)

Arthur: (sighs) Was I really that mean?

Lancelot: (mumbles) Rather you were too nice to Sophia.

Arthur: What?

Lancelot: I said you better hurry, sire. (Leaves to get rid of the clothes)

Time skip. Merlin and Arthur with the horses.

Merlin: (prepares get on his horse)

Arthur: Do you need help with-

Merlin: No, my lord.

Arthur: (Notices Merlin is shivering a bit) Wait, put on this. (Takes off his jacket) My cape is still wet, but I think this is dry enough-

Merlin: I don't need anything from you, my lord, thank you.

Arthur: Look, Merlin. I'm sorry, alright? If a treated you badly while I was... that was not fair to you and you deserve an apology.

Merlin: You don't have to apologise, sire. You were echanted. I understand.

Arthur: Then why do you keep calling sire?

Merlin: Because that's what you are, sire.

Arthur: See? You are still mad!

Merlin: I'm not mad! 😠

Arthur: Yes you are! 😠

Merlin: I'm not! 😠

Arthur: Fine, be mad. But I won't let you catch a cold so put on this! (gives Merlin his jacket rughly)

Merlin: Is that an order?

Arthur: Will you put it on if it wasn't?

Merlin: No.

Arthur: Then it is an order. Put it on. Now.

Merlin: (puts on the jacket angryly and gets on the horse)

Time skip. Merlin and Arthur ride side by side in an uncomfortable silence until they encounter a search party.

Knight 1: Sire! You're back.

Knight 2: And the... prisoner is with you.

Arthur: He's no prisoner. We're in our way back to the castle. You can scolt us if you like.

Knight 1: But, sire, the King order us to arrest the boy.

Arthur: I'll talk to him to solve this, but Merlin is coming with me.

Knight 2: But-

Arthur: (raises his voice, more sternly) I said I will solve this! Understood?

Knights: (frightened) Yes, sire. (start scolting them to the castle)

Knight 1: (whispers to knight 2) Isn't the servant wearing the prince's jacket?

Knight 2: (whispers back) Yep.

Knight 1: You think they...?

Knight 2: Totally.

Knight 1: And Lady Sophia is no where to be seen.

Knight 2: Want to keep being a knight?

Knight 1: Yes.

Knight 2: Then hear and see, but stay silent.

Time skip. Merlin and Arthur in the throne room with the king and Morgana.

Uther: Horseplay?

Arthur: Yes, Merlin and Sophia were just horseplaying, but it kind of... got out of hand.

Uther: ...

Merlin: (thinking) This is the best excuse you could have come up with? Really? 🤦‍♂️

Morgana: My lord, if you allow me, I noticed Lady Sophia didn't like Merlin from the start. She even told me once she wanted to get rid of him. Merlin as a servant can't say no to the wishes of a Lady. It wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to get Merlin into trouble on porpuse through this... horseplay.

Arthur: (crosses eyes with Morgana and gives her a grateful smile)

Uther: Even if that were true, it doesn't change the fact that he escaped from the dungeons!

Arthur: He didn't escape, I ordered some guards to free him before I left.

Uther: The guards were knocked out!

Arthur: I ordered them to be discret.

Uther: (sighs) I'm going to corroborate this story later. Where is Lady Sophia?

Arthur: Yeah, about that... we decided to break our engagement by mutual agreedment and she left with her father.

Uther: What?! But you were so in love with one another.

Arthur: We were but... sometimes love can be... fleeting too.

Merlin: (snorts)

Uther: And it had nothing with the fact that this boy went after you.

Arthur: I had already broken our engagement and given her my farewells when Merlin found me. He apologised for his behavior and explained to me what really happened. (Puts an arm around Merlin) He even brought me a horse to ride back more comfortably, because he's such a considerate servant.

Merlin: (gets the arm off him)

Uther: (thinking) Either he made my son cover for him or managed to make him believe this stupid lie, this seductive demon is more dangerous than I thought! (Says) It's a shame Sophia and you didn't work out, (looks at Merlin, severely) Though I don't blame her, honestly. This boy still needs to learn his place. You should at the very least, fire him. In fact, I'm firing him.

Arthur: But, father-

Uther: I'm not leaving the boy without salary. He would still be Gaius apprentice, so don't tell I'm being too hard on him. You should be grateful I'm not sending him to the dungeons again after this.

Arthur: But that's not fair! It was all a big misunderstanding!

Uther: Do you really expect me to believe-

Merlin: I quit.

Uther: ...

Arthur: ...

Uther and Arthur: What? 😧

Merlin: I quit being the Prince's manservant. Can I leave now?

Arthur: You can't quit! 😡

Uther: Yes, you're not quiting! I'm firing you! 😡

Merlin: Okay, I'm fired. Can I leave now?

Arthur: Merlin!

Uther: You insolent brat! Get out of my sight! 😡

Merlin: With pleasure, sire (bows and makes a gesture to leave)

Arthur: (stops him by the arm) No! You are not fired! I'm rehiring you! 😡

Uther: Arthur!

Merlin: (exasperated and tired) Alright! I'm rehired! Can I please, PLEASE just leave?

Morgana: You are dimissed Merlin.

Merlin: (frees from Arthur rughly and leaves)

Arthur: Merlin! (makes a gesture to go after him)

Uther: Don't you dare go after him! 😡

Morgana: For once I agree with the King, Arthur. Let him be, he must have gone for quite an ordeal.

Arthur: (sighs and looks where Merlin left, sad)

Time skip. Arthur encounters Morgana in a hallway.

Arthur: Hey! Can I speak with you for a sec?

Morgana: (surprised cause Arthur hasn't talked to her on his own will for a while) Sure, what is it?

Arthur: I wanted to thank you for helping Merlin and for trying to warn me about Sophia and all. You were right about her, I should have listened to you, I'm sorry.

Morgana: (smiles) Arthur, it's okay, I don't blame you. You were echanted. Besides, saying I saw Sophia killing you in my dream, even in your right mind I would have understand if you didn't believe me.

Arthur: It's not just that. I know I haven't been very nice to you lately. I was... going through stuff and I took it out on you. I'm sorry.

Morgana: (teasing) The great Arthur Pendragon apologising two times in one day? That's a record!

Arthur: (still very ashamed) Will you forgive me?

Morgana: (gives him a comforting smile) Of course, you silly. (Hugs him)

Arthur: (thinking while hugging her) I missed you so much. Gods, please let me keep her. Let me keep my sister too. I don't want to lose her again.

Merlin: (passes by)

Arthur: (separates the hug inmediatly) Oh, hi, Merlin.

Merlin: My lord. (Bows and leaves)

Morgana: Uh... did something happen?

Arthur: (vents, frustrated) He's been mad at me since Sophia! Acting all respectful and proper like-

Morgana: Like an actual servant?

Arthur: Yes! It's anoying! 😠 I get that maybe I treated him badly while I was echanted, but this is not fair! I'm not the drunk man! The drunk man chose to get drunk before killing that woman, but I didn't choose to get echanted! So he doesn't get to be mad at me for something I didn't have any control over! 😡

Morgana: (confused) Who's the drunk man?

Arthur: Lancelot.

Morgana: Lancelot killed a woman! 😨

Arthur: No! He gave me this metaphor about a drunk man killing a woman-The point is Merlin has no right to be mad at me!

Morgana: (in disbelief) You think Merlin is mad at you... because you treated him badly while you were echanted?

Arthur: And it wasn't even that bad! From what I remember, I still was pretty considerate of him if you ask me. My attention was mostly on Sophia.

Morgana: Oh, gods 🤦‍♀️. You really don't know, do you?

Arthur: What?!

Morgana: Merlin is not mad at you because you treated him badly especifically.

Arthur: Then why is he mad at me?! 😡

Morgana: (unsure) I don't think I can tell you.

Arthur: What? Why? 😨

Morgana: It's not really my place to say.

Arthur: (begs) Morgana, please! I need to know! I can't handle his respectfulness anymore! He even woke me up at the right time this morning, I can't stand it!

Morgana: Well, if Merlin has been the one echanted to love someone else and has brushed that love at your face every 5 seconds and even almost married that person, wouldn't you be mad at him?

Arthur: Yes, but that's because I- (realises) Oh...

Morgana: Yes, oh.

Arthur: He... he's jealous?

Morgana: Again, it’s not my place to say.

Arthur: (smiles) He is jealous.

Morgana: Don't smile! 😠

Arthur: I'm not smiling (smiles)

Morgana: You did it again! 😠

Arthur: Alright, I'll stop. (hopeful) So... he loves me?

Morgana: Love is a very strong word. I would say he likes you, though I don't believe he's aware of it. He's been pretty oblivious to your advances and he may not even be aware he likes men that way.

Arthur: (keeps smiling)

Morgana: Stop it! May I remind you Merlin is still mad at you and you are not precisely in his good side right now?

Arthur: (turns serious) You're right. Sorry. What do I do then?

Morgana: (crosses her arms) Why should I help you? 🤨

Arthur: Because you would cut your own arms and legs for me? 🥺

Morgana: You! (Shoves him) I should have know you would use that against me!

Arthur: (whines) Morgana!

Morgana: (sighs) Fine, here's what you should do.

Time skip. Merlin and Arthur arrive at the stables of a horse seller.

Horse seller: These are our finest horses and mares, your highness.

Arthur: (looks at the horses carefully)

Horse seller: Has one caught your attention, sire?

Arthur: Not really. (turns to Merlin) Pick one.

Merlin: (confused) What?

Arthur: I need to pick one before I get back.

Merlin: Then you pick one, my lord.

Arthur: I'm doing it by ordering you to do it.

Merlin: That doesn't make any sense...

Arthur: It's an order from your prince, Merlin. Pick one.

Merlin: (rolls his eyes, but looks at the horses until his eyes stops in one) This one is pretty. (Aproaches a young black mare and smiles) What's your name, precious?

Horse seller: Oh, it doesn't have a name and it's barely more than 3 years, quite young and savage still, but a pure blood nonetheless.

Mare: (lets herself being caressed by Merlin and neighs, happily)

Merlin: (giggles) She seems pretty docile to me.

Arthur: (To the horse seller) I want that one.

Horse seller: Of course, sire. At what name shall I put the papers? Yours or the king?

Arthur: My manservant.

Merlin: WHAT?! 😨

Arthur: I'm buying this mare for you.

Merlin: Are you insane?! 😠

Horse seller: I'll go get the papers. (Leaves)

Merlin: (whisper yells) Rumors in the castle are bad enough as it is! They are saying I'm some jealous misstress of yours! Some even think the reason Sophia never came back was because I killed her out of jealousy!

Arthur: (whispers back, smirking) Didn't you?

Merlin: What?!

Arthur: I mean, you did help Lancelot kill her.

Merlin: To safe your life! Not out of jealousy, you arrogant prat! 😡 So what do you think they're gonna say when I come back to the citadel with my own horse?!

Arthur: I don't care what others say or think. No, actually, I do care about what one person says or thinks: you. Your opinion matters to me, Merlin, more than anybody else's.

Merlin: Yeah, you care about it so much you brought me here without telling me you were planning to buy me a horse!

Arthur: Because I wanted it to be a surprise, you idiot! And I couldn't exactly wrap a horse.

Merlin: ...

Merlin: Wait, this mare is a gift for me?

Arthur: No, I buy horses for my servants every day. Yes! This is a gift for you, Merlin!

Merlin: Oh... (blushes)

Arthur: What did you think I was doing?

Merlin: Getting me in more trouble with your father? He's not going to be happy about this, Arthur.

Arthur: (smiles) You called me Arthur. Does this mean I'm forgiven?

Merlin: (smiles apologetically) There was really nothing to forgive. I'm sorry. I was being inmature.

Arthur: It's alright. I understand why you were upset. If a man killed a woman an then got drunk-wait that's not how it was.

Merlin: Was what?

Arthur: Never mind. (Holds Merlin's hands) You know, even when I was echanted I never gave Sophia any gifts. (Gets closer) Nor a horse... or a flower in a pot. (And closer)

Merlin: (blushes) A...Arthur? 😳

Arthur: (looks down at Merlin's lips)

Horse seller: (arriving) Here are the papers, sire! 😊

Merlin: (pulls away from Arthur quickly all red)

Arthur: (kills the horse seller with his eyes)

Horse seller: Uh... should I... come back later or...?

Merlin: No! Not at all! Where do I sign?

Arthur: (confused) I thought you didn't want the horse?

Merlin: Well, I figure if I'm going to be the talk of the castle, better live up to them. (Signs the papers)

Arthur: (thinking, smiling) I need to thank Morgana for this.

BONUS SCENE:

Morgana: I told you a small gesture! SMALL! Like flowers, chocolates, a love letter! NOT A FUCKING HORSE!

...

I think this and the previous post are the longest I've written so far! I had so much fun exploring this episode with tree Merlin and future Arthur.

Credits to my best friend, Rosangela, who gave me crucial ideas for this, like the cat fight and the say of the drunk man XD

Any ideas for names for Merlin's mare?

[eldritchscribblings]

Ever At Odds

Thranduil X Reader

Part 2

Reader is an artist who has taken up a temporary residence in Mirkwood, but keeps bumping into an irritatingly handsome elf king. What happens when a late night encounter forces them together?

Word Count: 2876

Warnings:

swearing

part two will have smut

Notes: I'm sorryyyyyy I didn't want there to be a part two but it took me so long to write this part and I wanted to get it out asap for y'all <3 Pt 2 will be out soon, I'm moving across the country, so writing is slow rn.

A cold autumn wind blew through the halls of Mirkwood, biting into the very bones of those who dared set foot in the ancient woodland realm. In the ages past that bitter wind would have only howled, but its teeth had grown sharper in recent times. Not only did the wind sink its teeth into those unprepared for the woods, but it had turned its teeth upon its own people; the elves, as well. The time of elves on Middle Earth was drawing to an end.

You, of course, were well aware of that from your perch in Imladris, watching as elves dwindled and men rose to power. You were a long way off from leaving for the Undying Lands yourself, but you had already begun to feel that tug in your soul to move from your idle nest and wander towards the sea. And so you’d decided to bide your time by traveling middle earth and sketching all that was old and new among the elves; making a record of what you’d leave behind. It had been a comforting work to put your brush and pencils to paper and convey the millennia of love and sorrow that each individual stone and sapling possessed, and it had satiated you to know that once your work was completed you could leave Middle Earth with a contented heart. But as every tree must survive a storm at some point, your storm came in the form of an elven man with thick furrowed brows and a disposition that would make soot taste sweet; King Thranduil Oropherion of the Woodland Realm.

You’d arrived in Mirkwood nearly two years prior after being rescued from a giant spider by the guards and losing your favorite quill (poor Flutterflick) among the leaf strewn ground. After a quick interrogation, you were released into Mirkwood to do your duty, and yet everywhere you went for peace and tranquility you seemed to run into the Elven King. The first time it happened you hadn’t realized who he was until he threatened to have you locked in the dungeon for disagreeing with him on the best elven wine and whether charcoal was best used compressed or as a powder. You’d tried to avoid him after that, and yet this maze of a realm kept twisting you back towards him whenever you tried to get away. Which was how you found yourself sitting in an archway sketching your view of the vaulted ceiling within this particular area of the hall in the middle of the night, using a candlestick as a light.

It was the wee hours of the morning; a time you were certain the tall blond of your nightmares would be having one of his own, far away from where you’d secluded yourself. The only noises were the hush of a breeze blowing through an open window and the soft scratching of your pencil against the parchment you’d clipped to the thin drawing board in your lap. Your eyes darted seamlessly from the page to the section of empty hall you were drawing, your steady hand moving quickly to gesture in the wider picture so that detail could blossom with ease when you pulled out your softer charcoal. With the silent night enveloping you, it had been easy to fall into a trance of placing your pencil to paper and letting the world fall away into lines and values. You should’ve known the peace wouldn’t last.

“It’s a bit late for sketching fine architecture.” Thranduil’s voice echoed from behind you, and you sighed and pressed your lips together in irritation.

“My aim was to be uninterrupted, My King,” you spoke slowly and surely, presenting each word as nothing more than it claimed to be in hopes he would leave you alone. “It’s a bit late for anyone to roam the halls alone, don’t you think?”

“I am not alone, and neither are you now.” Realizing you had no intent to face him, he walked around and knelt in front of you with a disappointedly curious expression. “How fortunate it is that we can keep each other company on such lonesome nights.”

“Oh, please.” You met his steely blue gaze with a challenging one of your own, attempting to prove yourself unafraid and ward him off. “You and I both know that the two of us together always leads to disaster.”

“Only because you bring disaster with you everywhere.” Thranduil laughed softly and licked the pad of his forefinger before pinching out the flame of your candle between his forefinger and thumb. You were grateful for the darkness to hide a traitorous blush growing on your cheeks, undercutting your disturbed expression. “Finish your sketch in the daylight. You’ll make fewer proportional errors.”

“Is poisoning your kindness with insults meant to be amusing or alluring? Because it is neither.” The only reason you were so confident with your words was because the worst Thranduil could do is send you where you already planned to go ahead of schedule. Of course that was only in theory. In truth, a part of you enjoyed the little games you played together; the spiteful spitting of venom brought energy to your day, negative or positive. You couldn’t deny he was a handsome King, but you could deny giving him the satisfaction of knowing you held him in any regard.

“Have I misled myself on the quality of your mettle? Forgive me if I have caused any true harm.” The first sentence was a sharp retort, the same wit you had begun to expect from him. The second was genuine in a way that surprised you.

“Don’t delude yourself. The only way you could bring any harm to me is with a blade. And I doubt you’d want to stain this lovely hallway.” You responded with a similar genuineness that you hid within your humor, although by the look of his expression he seemed relieved enough to surmise he’d picked up your intent.

What the fuck was your intent? Half flirting with a widowed king? He was an elf who could toss you out a window or carry you down to the dungeons as easily as he’d carry a sack of grain. You inhaled and sharply shoved your charcoal pencil back into your pouch, looking away from Thranduil to shove the image of him carrying sacks of wheat like a handsome miller’s son out of your mind. Truth is you’d daydreamed about kissing Thranduil to shut him up as much as you’d daydreamed about killing him for the same outcome. It was strange to think of how a two letter difference changed the entire context of your fantasies.

“I am no mortal man so easily prone to violence. I take offense that you would think I am capable of such a thing.” Thranduil’s voice changed tone, causing you to look at him again. He was dead serious with a furrowed brow as he knelt before you, reaching forward to take your hand in his. “My guards brought you here and promised you safety. I will not make liars of them.”

“A noble, if impersonal, thought.” You responded with an equal amount of seriousness, gathering your supplies in one hand and placing the other in his as he helped you to a standing position. His intent mystified you, making you unsure of if you’d been wrong about him or if this was a lure to finally catch you when you least expected it. Either way, as you began to walk down the hall back to your rooms he walked beside you with the smallest hint of a smile on his otherwise serious face.

“Do you really think of me as cruel and unkind?” Thranduil asked softly after you had traversed a fair amount of the hall.

“Yes and no.” You replied after taking a moment to chew through your words. It was strange of him to ask the question, stranger still for you to answer honestly. You were friends, but it was a friendship that danced a fine line between confidants and the king and his favorite jester. “I think you capable of cruelty. I think your role requires unkindness. Your presentation fits the role you fulfill. I would no more expect a thatched roof on a palace than a wisened king to be tender hearted.”

“I don’t like the word wisened; it makes me feel old.” Thranduil interjected despite you being done speaking. “But I understand. And I appreciate your point of view. You’re insightful. It’s fitting for your role as an observer. I am curious, I always see you drawing and sketching instead of talking to your fellows. I’m curious as to what you draw when you’re not intending on showing it off to people.”

“Truth be told, it’s mostly animals and people. I carry around smaller sketchbooks for those and it’s idle work to do while I watch and listen to those around me.” You felt the words leave your mouth before you could stop them. Not even death would stop you from blabbing about your art when prodded. “Of course, for those sketches I prefer drawing with metals. You can use a stylus made of silver to make marks upon parchment as well as any charcoal. It’s quite beautiful in the light.”

“Then I must see them.” Thranduil stopped abruptly, causing you to have to turn around after several paces and realize he was at the door to your chambers. If you’d known you were close to your rooms you would’ve just stayed quiet. Having the Elven King in your bedroom, looking at your art, was a bad idea.

Art was your escape, your passion, your diary. There were notes about your feelings and poems about your life scrawled among the pages among grocery lists and drawings of cats napping in sunlight. There were also -you realized with sinking dread- one or two drawings of the King that you did not want him to see. You had to get out of this.

“Sire, it’s very late-“

“Nonsense, you’re up later than this quite frequently, as am I.” He stood by your door, waiting for you to open it for him. His excitement faltered for a moment as he seemed to consider the situation, and he then added; “If you truly do not desire it, I will not impose myself.”

“No, I simply hesitate because I am afraid you will not find my art as impressive as you hope.” Your eyes were firmly on the handle of your door as you opened it and allowed yourself and Thranduil into your rooms. He was very close to you as he entered behind you, and you caught a hint of his scent of petrichor and spices in a way that sent your head spinning. 

Your rooms were simple. Far from grand with books and papers strewn about haphazardly. As you entered you felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you at the state of your things, but you would not let it show. Your bed was in one corner, luckily you had remembered to make it up before leaving, but the bedside tables were covered in strewn papers and pencils. In the opposing corner there was a desk with your notebooks and sketches, and that was where Thranduil made his way to as soon as he entered.

“You live your life messily.” He stated, looking around the room before passively picking up one of your loose sketches from your desk. It was a picture of a young couple walking the halls together arm in arm, oblivious to any observer. Oblivious to you. “I do not question it. You prefer to be hidden away whenever you leave your chambers, so it must be comforting to have such things to hide yourself behind in your own dwelling.” He chuckled, glancing at you as he perused through your art, leafing through the piles of sketches on your desk. It wasn’t as if you could tell him not to, and although you were surprised at his understanding of you, you’d never admit to yourself or him whether he was right or not. 

“Or perhaps you simply collect too much and want it all near you, like a raven building its nest.” Thranduil continued despite your silence, unphased by it. He reached for a drawing closer to you, his eyes meeting yours for the briefest moment that sent a shameful shiver down your spine. It was only when his gaze left you that you realized he had grabbed one of the drawings of him, but before you could protest, he had turned it over to look at it. It was one of the less embarrassing ones; he was sitting with his chin resting on his fist, staring off into some uncaptured distance. His face was peaceful and yet melancholy. It had been at one of the star celebrations that you had forgotten the name of last year; you had been sat at the sidelines happily drawing those partaking in the merriment when you had seen him. His sadness as he sat on his perch above his kin had captured your attention, and you hastened to put his likeness on your paper lest the spell of the moment be broken. He was beautiful to you in that moment, beautiful and wounded. The moment had ended with your eyes meeting and him sending a prideful smirk your way that left your stomach churning, but you would always remember how striking it was to see past his hardened exterior for one brief moment.

As you watched him then, taking in that art piece that had truly cemented your growing fascination with the widowed king, you could not decipher the emotions on his face. His brow furrowed as he traced the lines of his face as they were portrayed on paper, and he hunched over the drawing to better see its details. You almost made a joke, just to break the hideous silence, and yet something stopped you. Your words were stoppered in your throat with tenuous curiosity and something inside you told you to bite your tongue.

“I remember this night,” Thranduil whispered, tracing the roughly sketched embroidery on his portrait. “I was lost in thought, not one of them was pleasant, but my mind was determined to see the end of the chain. I could sense eyes on me, but there is always one person or another watching my every move.” He looked up at you, and the depth of his gaze was hauntingly sirenic, like a calm sea below a dark gray sky. “You were different. I saw your brow furrowed as you looked at me, always fiery and determined to find a flaw where no one else will.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face, no more than a twitch of his eyes, and yet it comforted you. 

“A gap in your personified stoicism is more so due to a lack of divinity than any flaw.” The words flowed easily from your lips, and you stepped closer to him so you could look at your art. “Truthfully, when I found you ‘lacking’, I found you more fascinating than I did when I believed you perfect. Like how a fly, when caught in amber, reveals the quality of the jewel.”

“Am I to be the fly in this metaphor?” He teased, lowering the drawing and stepping closer to you.

“You are aware of what I intended, my lord.” The tone of the conversation had turned lighter, but the air remained tense. It was taking all your might to will yourself not to look at his lips, or his chest, or anywhere but his eyes or your feet. You were afraid any slight unexpected movement would be perceived the wrong way and break the wavering thread of connection between you. 

“What if I were not? What if we were to spend another year misinterpreting each other? Dragging out your stay here in Mirkwood for no perceivable reason?” He seemed as hesitant to move as you were, waiting for some unknown signal to allow him to act.

“Then I suppose, should I be prevented from completing my work, I would need to stay here longer.” You were beginning to catch on. Perhaps there was more to this banter and teasing than you had originally thought. Perhaps the guilt-ridden attraction that had festered deep within your gut was mirrored in his own tumultuous emotions. You leaned slightly closer, taking your drawing from his hands and setting aside. 

“To properly record Mirkwood in such sketches as yours would take decades…” Thranduil drew out the idea, but did not finish it. Instead, he stepped forward and tenderly placed his hand upon your cheek, caressing you gently. “May I kiss you?”

The thought struck you like a blind man meeting a drunken bird, and you inhaled sharply as reality dug its cruel claws into your skin. He was the king. He had asked you to kiss him. But more than the king, he was Thranduil. Your playful nemesis who was the bane of all your existence and yet whose presence you yearned for in the darkest parts of night. Was this change in your relationship worth it? Was this a risk worth taking?

“Yes.”

[crazypersonslayy]

[Lessons in love]Severus Snape x Prof!Reader

~~Part 2

Summary: Y/N is the Herbology professor who has worked in Hogwarts for a few years since Professor Sprout retired. She has never really interacted with Snape, until Dumbledore assigns the both of them to work on combined lesson courses to improve student engagement. Things seem professional, maybe with a hint of unspoken attraction simmering beneath the surface. Until one thing leads to another.

~~

Two days had passed, yet they hadn't spoke a single word about the arrangement. She was starting to worry. What if he didn't want to work with her? Was she that unbearable? Surely he had forgetton about it. She paced around her room, debating whether or not to go down to the dungeons and find him herself.

Speak of the devil. Her owl flew in the window, dropping a letter on her desk. She took a closer look, realizing it was just a small piece of parchment paper that read:

Professor L/N,

Come to my classroom in 10 minutes.

S.S.

She almost choked on her coffee. His handwriting was definitely nice. More than that, it was an elegant script, and she liked the way he wrote his "l"s in a loop. Her thumb brushed over his writing, smudging the fresh ink. Her heart thumped in her chest as she imagined Snape bent over his desk, writing the letter, writing her name. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Then she paused. What am I thinking? He's my colleague. Shaking her head, she folded the piece of paper paper and tucked it away, then grabbed her wand before heading down to the dungeons.

~~

She dragged her feet begrudgingly towards Snape's classroom, goosebumps erupting on her skin as a gust of cold wind travelled through the dungeons. She shivered, making a mental note to herself to bring a coat next time. She reached the wooden door to his office, hesitating slightly. Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in." His deep voice instructed from the other side.

She pushed the door open, the loud creaking of the rusted hinges made her cringe internally. She stood between the doorway, looking down at her shoes as she mumbled a "Hello, professor". "Sit", she raised her head slightly and saw him gesture to a chair across him. She hurriedly closed the door behind her and made her way towards him.

The first thing she had noticed about him was his reading glasses, which were rested on his crooked nose, threatening to slip further down. His onyx eyes were fixated on the mountains of papers in front of him. They were stacked neatly into piles, some littered wlith red crosses and scribbles in the same handwriting she had admired a few moments ago. His posture was ever more perfect, he sat upright in his wooden chair, legs crossing beneath the desk. She sat down across him, then looked down at her hands.

A moment of silence passed, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of scratching parchment. She figeted with her hands, clearing her throat, "So..Professor, is there anything-" Snape cut her off, "I sent that letter at exactly 1107 hours, I had expected you in ten minutes. It is currently 1115 hours, you sit and wait." He continued with his marking. "..Oh, alright then" She mumbled. What a jerk he is.

"Excuse me?" He looked up again, his eyes staring daggers into her soul. Her eyes widened. I swear I didn't say that out loud.. "I hope you realise that your thoughts are quite loud" Oh. He's a Legilimens. Shit. Her eyebrows scrunched together, "Please stay out of my head, I prefer for my privacy to be respected". He scoffed, removing his glasses, "I did not call you here to tell me what or what not to do. " She stood up from her seat, "We are here to work together, not bicker like children. I expect to be treated as an adult". He pinched the bridge of his nose and put down his quill, standing from his chair, "Let's just get this over and done with". God save me.

"I have the new timetable for this year, we have combined lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 1300 hours to 1400 hours for the sixth years, 1400 hours to 1500 hours for the seventh graders. I was thinking we could teach our separate subjects on Mondays and Wednesdays, I will be free to assist you if needed. Then on Thursday we could have half an hour each." She explained. "I will not require your assistance whatsoever, not after that stunt you pulled". He hissed. What? Oh.. She did in fact blow up a cauldron by accident back in sixth grade. "That was once." She grumbled. "Once is enough to blow up my entire classroom, I would advise you to stay out of my teaching. I will teach Mondays, you on Thursdays. And on Fridays we will have theory lessons in my classroom, understood?" She sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, "Alright. I will send a letter to Dumbledore to inform him of our plans."

She turned away, walking towards the door. Then he called out to her "L/N," before she could react, Snape appeared in front of her holding a small vile of potion, "Your hand," She looked down at her hand confusedly, realizing there was a gash between her ring and pinky finger on her right hand, with dried blood smudged around it. She hadn't noticed it before, it was probably from handing those thorny plants that morning, "Drink this, before it gets infected." She hesitantly took the potion from him, "Oh-I uh, thanks" Her cheeks flushed as their hands brushed ever so slightly, a jolt of electricity shot down her spine. Snape had merely nodded, his expression unreadable as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. She had sworn she saw something more in his eyes: maybe concern, maybe kindness.

She shot him a small smile and pocketed the potion, before turning around and walking briskly out of his office. Walking through the halls, she felt another gust of cold wind against her cheeks. But this time, instead of the sharp, freezing sensation, her cheeks felt warm.

Maybe he wasn't that bad after all.

~~End

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Feedback is always appreciated :)

Tags: @pear-1206

[quiteliterallyilliterate]

MDNI

So I promise to write the Isekai pt. 2 next, but i had this idea skittering around the back of my brain and I- I just had to. Anyway. This is smut. Kiddos please leave and come back for the next episode.

cw: Completely gender neutral. Sexual content, descriptions of masturbation, oral (m receiving) and lots of praise.

Hope you enjoy~

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

Link was a patient man. In every iteration and every universe, it was something that followed him each time— the ability to wait for the sake of a greater sense.To wait as his muscles burned so he could get the best strike. To redo the same puzzles over and over until the dungeon is complete. To learn every small detail about you, even the ones that are irrelevant to most, for even the chance at you loving him even a fraction of how much he adored you.

Loving you was easy. Partly because you made it so easy to be loved that it felt as if it were something inherent to him, written in his soul. Hyrule has walked the span of worlds and yet it was you who he found to be the most precious. Afterall, even among the exceptionality that was Hylia’s heroes, you were an outlier.

For long he waited, passing the time as you grew accustomed to your surroundings and made your place among the chain. The last thing he wanted was to make you uncomfortable. He would sooner relinquish his magic and bleed his soul into a cold earth than force himself upon you. He may have been raised apart from proper society, but he was no monster of his desire. He is better than that creeping urge beneath his ribs.

But that didn’t change that he could feel it flare when your knuckles brushed his when you’d tag long onto his inevitable wanders. He never found it easy to sit still, but teaming with energy and magic from a full heart meant it was all he could do, to wander. You didn’t need to follow as he went to embrace the world’s soft silence. And yet, wordlessly, you’d offer him your company and follow. You made him wonder, If two arms were not enough to grab a hold on life, perhaps four?

It became familiar to feel his heart lurch as you looked upon him with soft, loving eyes when he healed you. You’d mutter the quietest thanks, just for him to hear. A gift that once marked him as tainted or impure was one that you praised.

The people of his homeland were mean, crooked people. If you weren’t exactly like one of them, you had to be purged. He was shunned by most for his magic. He does not fault them for not trusting what they don’t know, but the bitter cold loneliness got to him more than he’d like to admit. It was many years before he learned to accept that his gifts were not faults as he’d been told. The sooner he shut out the cries of unhappy souls, the sooner he could be happy. Still, he thinks of how perfectly you defied their logic.

You were nothing like anyone he’d known. Strong and defiant, taking orders from only those whom you thought to be good leaders. But you knew when to pull back. How to listen and how to care for fragile things that do not care for themselves.

It was a surprise to quite literally no one that he fell. It was also secret to no one how badly he longed. Mainly in part to his own lovesickness, he was always horrible at suppressing his emotions. But he could endure Legend’s incessant teasing if it meant he could stare at you while the sun bathed your face in just the perfect light.

He was utterly hopeless, at your beck and call for any and all orders. In the society he hailed from, such behaviours were disgraceful of a man. But so long spent being a mistake of magic meddling with mortals meant he didn’t care what they branded him as, so long as he was yours.

He was patient.

Enough so he could watch a fondness beyond friendliness grow behind your eyes.

Enough that he could hold hands with you on late night walks.

Enough that eventually, he’d hold your hand as you travelled and lead you by the small of your back whenever you joined him on his rambles. He celebrated each little milestone, giddy despite his efforts to remain calm.

He could readily recall the first time he cradled one of your hands in his, a cold night’s walk as the first snowfall dusted on whichever Hyrule the chain had wandered into. A shiver racked your body, and he couldn’t find the self restraint to stop himself before grabbing both of your hands and cupping them in his own. He brought them to his lips, almost akin to that of prayer and blew hot air onto your chilled skin. The moment passed slowly as his heart fluttered like a fairy within his ribs.

“Let’s get you back to camp to warm up” He’s still surprised he could manage to suppress the tremble of his voice as he kept one of your hands and led you back. He remembers so clearly the look you passed him with wind-flushed cheeks before your eyes darted into the treeline.

It was not much later on that he realised that this one sided love of his was anything but unrequited. Unfortunate that it happened under the circumstances it did, but it was worth it in his eyes. He hopes that even in the situation where you wouldn’t be bleeding beneath him, he’d still recognize the yearning of your heart. It was hard to miss

the fluttering of your heart as his hands glided over the appropriate grounds of your skin. It was harder to miss the way your soul reached out towards him through the bridge of his magic. The sensation was so unexpected that he faltered for a second, the bond weakening. He welcomed you, his world, with open arms.

It was a longer while yet until he kissed you. Even then it was still debatable, as he didn’t initiate. This time, a humid summer evening. A chorus of critters and crickets accompanying his ramble. He’s still rather unsure what it was about fairy culture that made you reach out and cup the curve of his jaw, but he’d be a fool to complain. Especially considering how gently you kissed him afterwards, stopping him from leaning forward and closing the gap to admire his flustered face for a moment. And for that second, he was suspended in time, lost within the raw feeling of being alive. He’s sure he was shaky at first, but he grew a little more confident as you guided his hands to your hips. You did most of the work in hindsight, gently sucking and nipping at his bottom lip. All he’d ever known told him to be ashamed of the whine you pulled out of him as he squirmed beneath you, but the proud smirk you rewarded him with filled his heart with something other than shame… But it certainly burned equally as much.

He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering back to the clearing, no matter how much time had passed or what he tried to distract his thoughts with. Vividly he still feels the sweat clinging to his skin and the pressure on the side of his hips as you shifted to straddle him. Its hard to forget that amount of pure energy and magic rushing through his blood as his heart soared. He just couldn’t keep his thoughts off of you.

Mostly they were innocent: what flowers he could braid to make your crown, what gifts he could adorn you with… things that would make you smile.

But it was those odd nights he couldn’t quite wrangle his mind that he would instead wonder about what would make you keen. What he could do to have you squirming in your seat. Whether or not you’d prefer him be below you or above. Where exactly you’d prefer his hands and lips to explore.

It was now he truly understood the priminality of the mind scape. Things that under any circumstances would have been the former, his mind would skew into the ladder. Sleepy groans as you wake twisted into whines of pleasure as he indulged in drinking down your sweet release from his worship of your sex. Sly calls of his name in teasing being morphed into your beckoning as your hand works his cock.

He tried, hard as he might to shove such indulgences out of his mind. He’d never cross your boundaries.

But is it really crossing boundaries if you’d intentionally slip a hand between his thighs while cuddling?

Is his imagination that far off if you already suck at the sensitive part of his neck?

He did not wish to indulge in being so sacreligious as to deface your divinity. So, he’d resolved to cuddle you to sleep and slip away, as he had tonight. He’d never been particularly too fond about touching himself in any way intimately. It was seen as a sin back home to indulge in pleasure outside its most primal use of breeding. But especially when considering the roads he travelled on were uncharted and dangerous, he never had the time to ever succumb to temptation in the first place.

He fumbled with his pants, eventually freeing his erection that you’d spent the last ten minutes palming. The cold air of the night only served to make him more sensitive, his lungs sucking in the air through his teeth as he rested his head back against the tree he leaned on. Slowly, he loosened his hand from where it was balled up, tightly gripping at the grass beneath him. It was easier, moving his hand to caress the length of his dick, when he imagined it was you. Hylia- how badly he wishes it was you.

He spread his thighs, as if making room for you already as his thumb gently rubs the crown of his cock. He feels his blood pulse as he continues the motion, sending shocks shuddering over the webs that made up his nerves. He slips his hand lower down, groaning as he adds pressure in his grip. The calluses of his hands are rough, contrasting the sensitive skin.

He wishes that you would watch him. Tell him he’s doing it right, kiss the column of his neck and whisper into the shell of his ear how good he’s being.

He wants to be good for you, it’s all he’s ever wanted. Sure, it’s changed now in its deeper meaning— But being a good boyfriend and being a good boy can’t be that different, can they? The thought makes his head swim and go dizzy as his languid strokes turn eager and needy.

He squeezes his eyes shut and blocks out the world to focus on you. Stunning, perfect, intoxicating you. He recalls every raspy whisper telling him how well he’s learning for you, every passing praise he’s collected. He imagined you behind him, working your hand up and down at this painfully stimulating rhythm while telling him you pretty he his as he whines your name.

All it’d take is your order for him to sing your praises and he’s moaning out his begs. His whimpers could be your hymns as he falls to his knees and worships your heat dripping with slick pre-cum. For his offering to you, he’d stay there as your fingers tug at the roots of his hair, letting you cum all over his face as his dick is left neglected. Perhaps if you were truly gracious, you’d let him hump against your leg.

His back arches as he lets out a throaty whine of your name. He sputters and grinds his hips against his hand as ropes of cum spurt from his cock. He pants, his eyes fluttering open as his fuzzy vision works toward refocusing. His blurred senses snap back to normal as a hand cups his jaw and turns his head to the right. Your eyes are half lidded as you scan over his body and the mess he’d made.

“Awe look at you” Your voice purred as your other hand combed through his wavy locks. His swallows thickly as he tries to decipher the expression on your face. What if you hated him? What if he’s too sinful for you? What if you don’t want him anymore? What if- But he finds not an ounce of dismay.

“You sounded so pretty… wailing my name as you came everywhere” His face flushed and his rapid train of thought halted, going to a complete silence.

“I- Hylia- I’m so sorry sunshine-“ He stammered out, only for you shut him up with a kiss, whispering assurances between breaths. He can feel your lips brush past his own as you mumble words of loving adoration. You nip slightly at his bottom lip as your tongue slides into his mouth, exploring his own. One hand finds purchase on his hip bone as the other stays tangled among his hair. He chances your lips as you pull back, tongue darting out to lick his saliva from your lips.

“You look so nice all dazed like this,” You tease as his head spins with you. The hand in his hair slides down to tilt his chin up, exposing his neck.

“Do you mind if I mark you up a bit?” he’d be a fool to ignore the glint in your eye, nothing pure he’s sure of it.

“Fuck- Please” Your thumb presses into his mouth and onto the very tip of his tongue as your lips suckled at the side of his neck. He can’t think of tomorrow’s embarrassment as he tries to hide the marks. His foggy mind can only focus on how amazing your lips feel as they leave bruises and the way his nerves jump when you bite him gently. He tries to beg for more as you lean away, but is stopped by the soft pad of your thumb. He swipes the tip of his tongue across it one last time before it’s removed, much to his dismay.

“Would you like some help?” You ask, bemused as the hand on his hip spread out, your palm flat against the lowest part of his abdomen. He didn’t even notice that he’d gotten hard again. Let alone that he had been arching his back.

“Don't be nervous. I want to make you feel good” Your thumb, still damp with his spit, caressed his cheek with sincerity. Your eyes held nothing but a genuine love. He nodded slowly, eyes wide as they stared back into your own.

“Use your words for me love, I wanna hear you”

“Please- shit m’ so- ah~” His begs were coked from his throat as your hand finally dipped down to fondle his balls. You sunk to right between his thighs, pressing a kiss to the very inside of either one.

“So good of you getting all prepped for me” You cooed, your hands rubbing circles into his thighs and massaging out the tension from being splayed open for so long. You pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of his cock, your tongue licking away the bit of pre-cum that followed. You smiled and licked the underside of his length along his veins all the way back up to the head.

“Mnh- Please”

“Please what, dearest” You knew what you were doing, sucking only when he tried to beg for more, reducing him to moans.

“M- mph~ More!” You grinned as he finally got the word out through choked whines.

“Alright” Finally, you took him into the wet heat of your mouth, flattening your tongue as you took him as deep as you could manage, your hands working what you couldn’t. Only to sink back up to focus on the tip while a rush of cold met his shaft.

“F- Ah~ Please” He cried as he rocked his hips, pleading to be returned to your wet mouth. His hands threaded into your hair as you sank back down. He tried his hardest to stop his hips from sputtering, lest he choke you. But something within his mind snapped as he stood at the precipice of pleasure. His hips bucked into your mouth, relishing in the warmth.

When his mind finally cleared and caught back to consciousness he was back at camp, all cleaned up. He was in fresh clothes and felt no stickiness on his skin. Your hands worked carefully as they carded through his hair, twirling at the untamed and uneven cuts. He groaned as a wave of exhaustion rolled over his bones.

“Sh sh” You eased from behind him. He was cuddled up on your chest, starfished over you.

“I cleaned you up and brought you back. You alright? Water? Snack?” He buried his face into the crook of your neck as he shook his head. This is where he was supposed to be, not waiting about for some sake of superficial love or false marriage. He was supposed to be here, loved in your arms.

“You did so well for me,” You pressed a tender kiss to his temple “I love you so much.”

“I love you too sunshine” He mumbled into your skin as sleep dragged him away.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Dungeon: The Nightmare Foundry

Having trekked across the wilderness following the smell of acrid smoke and the distant screams of phantoms, you've managed to find the origin of the undead rising at last, standing like a blasphemous monument against the night sky.

Pulled from the depths of the shadowfell this grotesque tangle of iron and chimneys was made to siphon up wayward souls and smelt them down into a horrid new purpose. When transposed onto the material plane it has an even stranger effect, pulling errant spirits through the darkened places of the world and forcing them to manifest in the places of the living. Invariably these spirits take refuge in whatever vessels are at hand leading to a rash of possessions, hauntings, and spontaneous animations across the region.

After dealing with the symptoms and seeking out their source, the party is faced with the challenge of infiltrating the factory, shutting off whatever machinery has bent the mortal coil, and dealing with the foundry's soul devouring demon watchdog: Grodmaw

Challenges & Complications:

In order for the nightmare foundry to cross the planes it must first take root in an established forge or workshop, the seed of its malignant growth planted by some accidental tragedy or sinister ritual. This endless, burning, sorrow is then stoked to kindle the first of the foundry's engines, imparting each manifestation with a pervasive emotional palette and recurring iconography, which like any haunting may prove the key to banishing the manifestation for good. Consider for your own game what ghost or ghosts might burn at the heart of the founry's engine, which your party will have to unravel as they travel into its depths.

Any direct approach to the foundry is likely to be fought with peril as its great smokestakcs pollute the surrounding land with with varying degrees of smog, necrotic rain, and occasional bits of cursed industrial shrapnel launched like cinders from a volcano. This makes a ground-level approach preferable to any of the rifts or sluiceways it carves in the earth, which are filled with toxic runoff and fumes that can corrode the soul.

Many entities haunt the Foundry's cramped gangways and sprawling processing floors, from faceless undead drudges consigned to endless toil to nightmarish constructs burning souls to power their steam engines. Grodmaw eclipses all of these in threat, an unthinking beast with the temperance of a prison warden, blindly patrolling the structure's lower levels unless summoned by a triggered alarm.

Should such an alarm be triggered the party would do best to hide, though they may learn too late that the demon hunts not by sight but by sensing the presence of souls the way a reptile senses scents with its tongue. This ironically makes the best place to hide in the foundry's most haunted vaults, such where the raw materials of unprocessed souls are held in cages of haunted iron or the blasphemous blast furnaces.

Art 1

Art 2

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

500 polls summary

And now our 500th poll is over.

A game that stayed at the top for...every precedent summaries has lost its throne.

Here is a Summary of these 500 polls results (with some comparaisons to the 400th poll summary):

The 10 Most Known Games :

1 Call of Cthlju (3% never heard of) NEW

2 Pathfinder 2e (3,20%)

3 Cyberpunk (3.60%)

4 Shadowrun (8.30%)

5 Mage The Awakening (9.20%) NEW

6 GURPS (10.5%) NEW

7 Warhammer fantasy roleplaying (10.90%)

8 Dungeon World (13%)

9 Fate Core (13.10%)

10 Thirsty sword lesbian (13.50 %)

3 new game in this top : Call of Cthulhu, Mage the awakening, GURPS.

This means Mage the Ascension,Apocalypse world and Exalted are out of the Top 10

The 10 Most Played Games

1 Call of Cthulhu 43.50% NEW

2 Pathfinder 2e 42%

3 Monster of the Week 36.40 %

4 Chronicles of Darkness 34.70%

5 Fate Core 33.20%

6 The Quiet Year 31.70%

Below this line, the played part was not the majority on the poll

7 Dungeon World 30.60%

8 Shadowrun 30.40%

9 Blades in the Dark 28.60 %

9 Star Wars Edge of the Empire 28.60 %

10 Lancer 26,10%

One new game in the top Most Played : Call of Cthulhu who dethroned Pathfinder

Mutant and Masterminds is out the Top 10

The 10 Most Voted on Polls

1 Dallas The Television RPG 8013 votes

2 I'm sorry did you say street magic ? 1593

3 Wanderhome 1187

4 One HONK Before Midnight 1163

5 Fight Truck 1044

6 Chuubo's Marvelous Wish Granting Engine 1026

7 Buffy The Vampire Slayer RPG 995 NEW

8 The Quiet Year 953

9 Dialect 893

10 Mork Borg 890

Only one new game on the most voted top : Buffy the vampire slayer

Pathfinder is out of the top 10

Percentage of Games per Decade

2020s: 270 polls (+ 58), 54% ↑

2010s : 121 polls (+ 21), 24.2% ↓

2000s : 55 polls (+ 14), 11% ↑

1990s : 28 polls (+ 3), 5.6% ↓

1980s : 23 polls (+ 4), 4.6% ↓

1970s : 3 polls (+0), 0.6% ↓

Most Known Game from each Decade

1970s : Traveller 29.30% Never Heard of

1980s : Call of Cthulhu 3% NEW

1990s : Mage The Ascension 14.80%

2000s : Pathfinder 3.20%

2010s : Dungeon World 13%

2020s : Thirsty Sword Lesbians 13.50%

Some games have been dethroned ! Call of Cthulhu has become the game of the 80s instead of Cyberpunk

Will someone dethroned Pathfinder for the 2000s decade ?

Which country do most games comes from ? ( the arrows apply to the percentage, not the position)

1 USA : 310 polls (+ 64), 62% ↑

2 UK : 55 polls(+14), 11 % ↑

3 France (+1 ↓) ; Canada (+6 ↑) : 19 polls, 3.8%

4 Australia 14 polls (+5 ), 2.8% ↑

5 Unknown 12 polls (+3) 2.4% ↑

6 Italy(+0 ↓), Japan (+ 2 ↑) : 9 polls, 1.8%

7 Sweden : 8 polls (+0), 1.6% ↓

8 New Zealand/Aotearoa : 7 polls (+2), 1.4% ↑

9 Finland (+0 ) 5 polls, 1% ↓

10 Germany (+1 ↑) Spain (+0 ↓) , Scotland ( +0 ↓) : 4 polls, 0.8%

11 Phillipines (+0 ↓), Ireland (+2 ↑) 3 polls, 0.6%

12 Brazil (+0 ↓), Denmark (+0 ↓) : 2 polls, 0.4%

13 Bandgladesh (+0 ↓), Malta (+0 ↓), Malaysia (+0 ↓), Mexico (+0 ↓), Netherlands (+0 ↓), Norway (+0 ↓) , Russia (+0 ↓), Singapore (+0 ↓), Slovenia(+0 ↓), South Africa (+0 ↓), Trinidad (+1) : 1 poll, 0.2%

We discovered a game from 1 new country : Trinidad

Please continue submitting games from other countries, and check the unknown ones to see if you know where they're from. Don't hesitate to submit non translated games

Most Known Game per Country

Australia : Mausritter 34.70% Never Heard of

Bandladesh : Midnight in a Perfect World 95.20%

Brasil : CBR+PNK 54.40%

Canada : Monsterhearts 16.90%

Denmark : Red Rook Revolt : 89.10%

Finland : Lamentations of the Flame Princess 44%

France : In Nomine 60.20%

Germany : The Dark Eye 62.40%

Ireland : TWarhammer 40k Wrath and Glory 30.50% NEW

Italy : Fabula Ultima 43.10%

Japan : Ryuutama 52.30%

Malaysia : Lumen Ryder Core 79.20%

Malta : Flabbergasted 78.80%

Mexico : Nahual 81%

Netherland : Foul Play 72.30%

New Zealand / Aotearoa : Monster of the Week 15.20 %

Norway : Itras By 85.30%

Phillipines : Gubat Banwa 36.80%

Russia : Horror Movie World 89.90%

Scotland : Delve A Solo Map Drawing Game 46%

Singapore : Hearts of Wulin 63.90%

Slovenia : Ultraviolet Grasslands 59.50%

South Africa : Nihilation 93.90%

Spain : Eyes on the Price 63.90%

Sweden : Tales from the Loop 18.70%

Trinidad : Nielsenauts 95.20% NEW

United Kingdom : Warhammer fantasy 10.90%

USA : Call of Cthulhu 3% NEW

Unknown : Fellowship 45%

All the results and the submitted games can be found here

To submit a game, go here

[satoshi-mochida]

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World for PC launches February 14, 2024

Gematsu Source

Dungeon RPG Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World will launch for PC via Steam and Johren on February 14, 2024 for $19.99, publishers Shiravune and DMM Games, and developer AQUAPLUS announced. It will support English, Japanese, and Traditional Chinese language support.

Here is an overview of the game, via Shiravune:

About

Recruit a huge cast of friends from four different base classes that branch into over a dozen variations, and always build the best party for the job! Explore one long, twisting dungeon that only gets more perilous the further you go, with plenty of optional quests and side areas to unlock! The original Dungeon Travelers game takes place in a separate world from the others, drawing characters instead from the fan-beloved world of the PlayStation 2 anime classic To Heart 2.

Prepare at the Guild – Whenever you stop for a respite from exploring, you can identify your new gear, reequip and restructure your team, or even upgrade your characters’ classes along branching paths!

Explore the Dungeon – The Auto-Map function will fill in the grid with each step, letting you know where you are and where you’ve been. Be careful, though! Don’t try to go too far at once…

Battle and Collect Monsters – The deeper you delve into the dungeon, the more dangerous the monsters will become. You’ll need tactics to counter each new threat—and what better way to get to know your foes than by weakening them and sealing them into your book for study?

Strategize and Win – With every battle you’ll amass more gold, EXP, and items. It’s up to you whether to press on, or to head back outside to power up for later!

Story

When I awoke, there was fantasy stuff everywhere… What kind of adventure could be in store? And will there be any way home when it’s all said and done?! It all started after class in the student council room. Takaaki and all his friends had been gathered to test some unquestionably suspicious if not downright dangerous game—or “full-body immersive RPG experience,” in the words of its inimitable creator Ma-ryan. The play-test was only questionably voluntary. The game started to launch. A bright flash filled the room… When Takaaki opened his eyes, he was somewhere he didn’t recognize. His friends Konomi and Tamaki were kitted out in full fantasy gear, and when he looked more closely, he realized he was too. Were they in the game? Forget that—how would they get out? Only one lead presented itself. “In the depths of the dungeon located nearby, there lives the god who created this world…” But who could it be? In search of more clues and hopefully some answers, the party set out into the dungeon…

Characters

Konomi Yuzuhara (voiced by Yurina Hase) – Takaaki’s childhood friend, one year younger, who lives next door. She’s fond of fortune-telling and food and has a dog named Genjimaru. Likes to look after people but isn’t much good at it.

Tamaki Kousaka (voiced by Shizuka Ito) – One year older than Takaaki and Konomi, she was always the boss of their motley crew. The heiress of an old family, skilled at cooking, cleaning, martial arts, and academia. Her hobbies include antiques collecting and historical dramas. Very bad with dogs.

Manaka Komaki (voiced by Noriko Rikimaru) – Takaaki’s classmate and class president. Formerly the class vice president. As a big snacker, she’s turned a certain storage area into a secret tea room. She isn’t very assertive, but has been friends with Yuma since middle school.

Karin Sasamori (voiced by Saki Nakajima) – A girl who loves paranormal phenomena… and also egg sandwiches. Blessed with boundless curiosity and energy, but doesn’t look before she leaps. The founder and fearless leader of the Mystery Club. Join today!

Sango Himeyuri (voiced by Sayori Ishizuka) – Ruri Himeyuri’s older twin sister. One year under Takaaki. A genius at computers and a major fan of red bean butter bread. Lives at her own pace, doing what she wants, when she wants.

Ruri Himeyuri (voiced by Konami Yoshida) – Sango Himeyuri’s younger twin sister. One year under Takaaki. Emotional and unacademic, she practices jealousy and stubbornness as art forms. On the other hand, she’s good at housework, and loves Sango more than anyone.

Yuma Tonami (voiced by Hitomi Nabatame) – A girl who sees everything as a contest: You can win or lose, and she wants to win. She’s constantly challenging Takaaki, but almost never comes out on top. She must have been born under an unlucky star. Most things she does backfire.

Lucy Maria Misora (voiced by Rio Natsuki) – A space alien from Planet Luu, the third planet orbiting 47 Ursae Majoris… or is she? She’s certainly an odd girl, with her own language and the power to get drunk on soda. Attends classes only when she feels like it, but no one seems to mind.

Yuki Kusakabe (voiced by Rina Sato) – An old classmate of Takaaki’s who thinks everything “seems like fate.” Never seen without the fancy notebook that she seems to carry everywhere. Likes black tea, though it burns her tongue. Seems to be primarily nocturnal?

Sasara Kusugawa (voiced by Ryoko Ono) – The student council president, formerly the vice president under Ma-ryan. Afflicted by a strange condition that causes her body to reject food made with love. An unabashed aficionado of soft and slimy animals.

Ma-ryan (voiced by Ema Kogure) – Real name: Unknown. Age: 14 forever in her heart. Moonlights as a voice actress. Even post-graduation, she comes and goes in the student council office like she owns the place. The definition of a troublemaker. Full of mischief and mysteries.

Harumi Kouno (voiced by Kotomi Yamakawa) – A girl who transferred in one day and started calling Takaaki “Darling.” Her true name is HMX-17b Milfa, and she was previously in the body of a teddy bear. She’s always arguing with her little sister Silfa.

HMX-17c Silfa (voiced by Harumi Sakurai) – The youngest of the three maid sisters has a distinctive speech impediment. With a phobia of human interaction, she hides in a cardboard box when she’s upset. The maid uniform she always wears comes courtesy of Yuji.

Chie Yoshioka (voiced by Kaori Ota) – Konomi’s close friend, nicknamed Yocchi. She’s known Konomi since middle school and Michiru Yamada since kindergarten. Bright and cheerful—and also weird and kind of nosy, but a good person at heart.

Michiru Yamada (voiced by Akira Kasahara) – Konomi’s close friend, nicknamed Charu. She’s known Konomi since middle school and Chie Yoshioka since kindergarten. Normally collected and wryly witty, but her family’s work is weighing on her lately.

Ikuno Komaki (voiced by Chiro Kanzaki) – Manaka Komaki’s little sister. She normally uses a wheelchair. Always worried about her sister’s trusting nature, she’s keeping a close eye on Takaaki, whom her sister is fond of. Cynical and often bitingly sarcastic.

Nanako (voiced by Kayo Sakata) – An innocent girl who loves Takaaki, or “Takky,” like a big brother. She’s also more of a go-getter than you might expect: in the past, she’s roped Takaaki and others into a quest to find a magic user.

Haruka Yuzuhara (voiced by Chieko Honda) – Konomi’s mother, and a sort of second mother-figure to Takaaki. She looks and acts considerably younger than she is and has a wealth of hobbies. Specialties: Killer Curry, thorough discipline, and loving her husband.

HMX-17a Ilfa (voiced by Emiko Hagiwara) – A maid robot whom Milfa and Silfa can call their big sister. Specially equipped by Sango with software that gives her a people-loving heart. Normally she seems sweet and demure, but don’t make her angry!

[operationrainfall]

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World is Coming Soon to Steam

[demigoddessqueens]

Master List 10

Tieflings 💕

Types of hugs

SFW REQUESTS/WRITING

Dragon Age - a fainting Hawke //

House of the Dragon/Game of Thrones - aemond + touch/massage prompt //

Delicious in Dungeon 🍱/Dungeon Meshi 🥘 - soft Laios headcanons //

Fallout - ghoul meme // i REALLY like him //

Ultraman rising - kenji sato fluff //

Dune - nsfw & romance // incorrect quotes //

Monkey Man - “Whispered Corners” fic //

The Arcana ✨- waking up with the main 6 // pirate Julian - heartbreak // massage headcanons // julian birthday headcanons //

Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss - taking care of you // Lucifer SFW Alphabet // valentines 💘 with Lucifer // Lucifer + s/o with depression // massage headcanons //

Marvel

Spiderman 2099/Miguel O’Hara - massage headcanons

Critical Role 🎲

Vox Machina - special rock // poison?! // Vax 💔 oneshot // feeble mind spell // Percy rescues kidnapped reader // time ⏰ traveler reader // sit in my lap?// Vax + pregnant!reader //

Music 🎶 - Lunch ft the girls //

Dark Au - Orin!reader

Mighty Nein - Beau + sibling!reader // Mollymauk w/ reader // Caleb song angst // fjord song oneshot //

Crown Keepers -

Bell’s Hells - the “I love you” prompt //

Castlevania 🌙- massage headcanons // surprise kiss Dracula // do’s and dont’s - Alucard, Isaac //

Castlevania Nocturne 🌙 🦇 - massage headcanons // richter + pregnant!reader // shy kisses // “from bottom of your heart” + bg3

Assassin’s Creed - being Aveline’s sibling // shay for valentines 💘 // stealing Haytham’s coat // love languages // Basim + reader // Ezio + artist!reader // Haytham and Shay + former!Assassin // friends to lovers w/ Ezio // massage headcanons // shay + reader // Basim angst // Basim + fluff // Hytham in love // protective of pregnant!reader // Ezio modern au // basim angst oneshot // Connor with Latina!reader // Ezio birthday 🎂 headcanons // local hawk population //

Codexmonthly - February “ship” —> Shay story // Edward 🏴‍☠️ story // Altair & Maria //

March “artefact”

April “vault”

May “modern”

Mermay 🌊🧜‍♂️ - mermaid!Desmond //

“Shadows” prompt

June “mentor”

Baldur’s Gate - astarion + drunk!tav/reader // Halsin and letters // smile from your heart // sick 🤒 TLC headcanons // massage headcanons // interlink pinkies // astarion & his opposite // deep kisses // forehead kiss // secret 🤫 dating Astarion // how lucky to be with you //

Bat 🦇 Astarion Week - day 1 // day 2 // day3 // day 4 // day 5 //

Blood of Zeus ⚡️ - massage headcanons // musical mortal // Ares and handsy lover // Dad Apollo ☀️// Hermes being a dad //

Genshin Impact - neuvillette massage //

Star ⭐️ Wars 💫 - sequel quad + saving sibling // sibling with depression // nightmare headcanons // coming out non-binary //

The Bad Batch - crosshair headcanon //

NSFW REQUESTS/WRITING

Hazbin Hotel - Lucifer alphabet //

Challengers - art + patrick nsfw headcanons //

Critical 🎲 Role - service top + mighty 9 //

[guesst]

OKAY MANHWA REC LIST

CONCUBINE WALKTHROUGH

the main reason i made this list lol concubine walkthrough is a video game isekai with a. a really REALLY cool artstyle b. very well thought out plot that kept me guessing and c. lovely characters. the game itself is set in historical korea so if youre a fan of that id rec. super super good

the art btw ⬇️

THE VILLAINESS EMPRESS' ATTENDANT

this one i started reading recently! the art is cute, plot is also fun w a healthy dose of comedy and i really like the empress akfjsm her and the mc have such a good relationship its great

could be yuri but its not and honestly i love it either way

FOAM OF THE SEA

okay well this one i dont have much to say about cus only 2 chapters are out so far lol BUT its intriguing!! the premise so far is that the main character, having been pushed off a cliff by her lover, is resurrected in a different body by a sea witch n is now out for revenge. has very strong little mermaid elements and againnn the art is lovely. look at the cover!! the art !!

S-Class Hunter Doesn't Want to Be a Villainous Princess

IF YOUVE READ BEWARE OF THE VILLAINESS AND YOU LIKED IT AND HAVENT READ THIS YOU SHOULD. same artist!! same energy!!! tower dungeon protagonist is thrown into a romance plot and now has to clear this to get back home . i love her so much shes so op lmao. anyway its a good action/comedy so far and the constellations are funny too

I SEE YOU

i am rereading this yet again. its so good its so so good you will cry and your heart will feel warm and happy i promise. it handles grief and friendship and the side characters so well the backstories are so !! pain inducing !! and good !! and honestly its so easy to like the characters !! if you pick one thing to read from the list please make it this. also theres this silly man

MY FAVOURITE IDOL

super super super good take on the idol genre !!! i will admit i dont read much manhwa about idols (like. at all) but i am really enjoying how they explore the industry in this one. plus theres some bodyswapping :D and the character arcs are great too !! both mains learn a lot from each others lives :]

they are good kids

THE REDEMPTION OF EARL NOTTINGHAM

INSANELY GOOD !! the author clearly did a lot of research into the era this is set in -- early 1900s, during WW1 (which on its own is pretty unique like im not seeing a lot of historical manhwas set this time) and definitely has some very heavy themes. the mc time travels back to her twenties just before ww1 breaks out, after her marriage goes wrong w her husband and she dies from. falling down the stairs. RIP. i just think its really well written and the pacing is lovely - the author is not infodumping all the bad things that happened in one go and its working really well. also look at this guy

okay ive hit image limit cus im using app, truly terrible. TBC