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l-a-l-o-u · 3 years

Note

super curious abt ur opinions on tlovm. would u be willing to talk abt it??

Two other people (@raycowboyroy and @sapphiczorua) asked me so I guess I'm doing this!! Ty for your interest in my opinion ♥

So!! The Legend of Vox Machina. The tl;dr is that I'm a lil disappointed in the quality of it, but I'm still very very happy that it exists. I have a ton to say about it after watching the first 3 episodes, so I'll organize my thoughts into a list of positives and negatives. But first, some context for my silly little essay:

• This is my personal opinion, and from what I've seen so far, most people love the show. So, please don't decide to avoid it because of me. Check it out and decide for yourself!

• I'm an animation professional so I have a trained eye for animation... and I'm really nitpicky about it! I'll complain about stuff that the average watcher wouldn't even notice

• Critical Role has been a main interest of mine for the past 3 years. I know the story of Vox Machina by heart and actually wrote a big chunk of the main characters' articles on the wiki. That means it's really easy for me to compare the two stories, and also that I already know what's going to happen most of the time

• I had really high expectations before we saw the final art, and that influences the way I feel about the show

Okay with that out of the way, let's start with the list of things I liked in the first three episodes!

• I like the story changes that were made so far. I'm glad we got to see Brimscythe - now we get to see the entire Chroma Conclave story! The way the reorganized some plot elements to shorten the storyline without taking away the main elements has been very well executed so far. And that must've been pretty challenging, what with hundreds of hours of content to distill into a few episodes.

• The voice acting is overall great! My favorites so far are Pike, Scanlan and Keyleth; their line deliveries make them very easy to get attached to. Percy is also very nice, although I wanna wait until I see how he'll be in the Briarwoods arc.

• I enjoyed the group interactions a lot! Every time two main characters talk to each other I can feel their connection and their history. The scenes in Greyskull Keep were especially nice and reminded me why I love this group! Scanlan and Grog's dynamic is especially entertaining.

• The Briarwoods....... hhhnnng

• I really like the backgrounds. There's a lot of great establishing shots where you can appreciate the environment designs, and the artstyle is really solid and pleasant to look at.

• Great use of color to set the tone in every shot. Not every animated series does that! It helps a LOT to carry the story and adds an extra layer of immersion. Plus, it adds a layer of mush needed polish on the animation.

• The storyboarding / photo direction is nice so far. Apart from a couple of awkward shots, I like how they frame everything, it flows well. As they say, good cinematography is when you don't notice it. I especially enjoyed the opening scene of episode 3 with Percy's memories.

• This is probably my favorite Scanlan design yet! I like it even better than his campaign art and comic book design. It's perfect for him. Keyleth is also really well executed overall

• I love that they made Gilmore fat and gave him eyeshadow. King shit

• I just love the fact that this series exist honestly! I love that a group of people managed to turn their silly little friend activity into an entire production. The CR cast looks over the moon about it, and I'm very happy for them.

And now for the depressing part! Here are the things I was disappointed by.

• I saw this coming a mile away with how much the cast insisted this was "adult animation" in interviews, but it really started off kinda crass. A lot of scenes, especially at the start of episode 1, feel like they exaggerated the gore, language, and gross moments just for shock value, and I just thought it was unpleasant to watch. They show vomit and peeing and gory deaths on screen and it's all front and center - I feel like there's a better way to make an audience feel the weight of the action without actually shoving it in our face, ya know? But I guess it was funny in a few places.

• Although the story is well planned out, I think they fell a bit short on the pacing. Many scenes feel very rushed, with too much happening and not enough time to really appreciate it. There are things that should have lasted longer so we can actually feel their emotional weight. For example, the scene with the fisherman's family was nice, but it didn't feel like we were supposed to care about them at all. So when Vox Machina uses their death to motivate their new goals and morals, it fell flat to me and wasn't super believable.

• I wish they would tell us more about how the group came to be. I already love Vox Machina, but I feel like a new viewer would have a hard time getting attached to them. When Keyleth asked “why are we even together?” and nobody answered her, I was like yikes. She’s right who the fuck are you!

• So far the tone of the show doesn't feel super solid. Is it supposed to be funny? It doesn't feel like a comedy, apart from a few jokes here and there. Is it a serious high fantasy adventure? I think that's what they're going for, but so far it lacks a bit in charm and lore. I'm confident this will pick up later in the season though.

• I've said this before, but I really don't like the art style they picked for the characters. It's really a personal preference, but I also think it does a disservice to the animation as a whole. The designs are a bit too realistic and complicated for a television production. They have a lot of elements and little things poking out, making them harder to move in three dimensions.

• I said earlier that I like the use of color, but most character designs are the exception. A lot of them I find weirdly desaturated, which doesn't help to integrate them in the bright environments. Some characters, especially Vax and Pike, have a weird greyish tone to their skin that constantly takes me out of scenes as I stare at them in confusion.

• There are several elements in the main characters' designs that I dislike - again a lot of it is personal preference.

• Vax is my least favorite. The furs on his shoulders make him like he's wearing a football uniform, and he looses all of his twink charm. The top of his hair looks weirdly flat in many shots, and the lines under his eyes are so pronounced that it makes his look a lot older than he is whenever he's not smiling. He doesn't really feel like Vax to me!

• I also dislike Vex's design: she has three belts for some reason, and her tunic is such a bright blue that it looks off next to every other desaturated character element. She also feels too old and not quite like herself, especially without her braid in the front.

• Some very minor things: I don't really like that Grog is blue now, and I CANNOT take Percy seriously with that hair.... And they made Keyleth short?!? at least its not extremely obvious

• Like I mentioned earlier, there were a couple of awkward zoomed-in shots here and there. You could feel like they were trying to be cinematic, but they stand out too much or they're not amazingly executed, taking you out of the moment.

• I thought Scanlan's songs were overall not great. I liked the one he sang to open a door tho!

• The 3D animation was awkwardly integrated with the 2D. The horses were especially jarring. But at least the dragon animation was well made, it just didn't fit super well.

• And lastly! I feel a bit let down by the animation quality. It's really good for the budget they had! I just wish they had more budget lol

That last bit is its own section because there's a few things to unpack.

I wanna preface this by saying that I absolutely don't think the animators did a bad job. The poses are nicely drawn, the layouts work, it's not hard to understand the action, etc. They obviously know what they're doing. Traditional animation always has a less polished look in a television production, because you have to animate more scenes in less time. That means less time for polish and touch-ups. Like I said before, the character designs are also difficult to animate. And I believe that the CR cast, ie. the producers, specifically asked for an animation style similar to anime (because they're attached to it, having done a lot of anime voice work) and also similar to 80s cartoons (for nostalgia again). And, well, anime and 80s cartoons are notoriously cheaply made, with very little budgets and a lot of cut corners. All of that helps to explain why it looks the way it looks. And I absolutely don't think it's bad animation - it's good, it does it's job, and I think most casual watchers will probably not be bothered by it. I'm a silly fool who just wishes to see my favorite thing have movie quality animation! Plus, the CR cast seems to love the final animation, which, awesome for them! It's their characters after all.

Let me explain what I mean. If you compare the animation in the show and the animation in the opening, I think even the untrained eye will notice a significant difference in animation quality. You could even compare it to The Legend of Korra, a show with a very similar art style. The opening of tLoVM was done by a different studio (Grackle), and they likely had a lot more time to polish every shot. Everything seems to move more fluidly, the actions have more punch, and everything is constantly in motion. So what's the difference? The answer is that the opening's animation follows the 12 principles of animation! You can learn more about the 12 principles here if you're interested.

In a production, the first step of animation is to draw key poses: the start of the movement, the end, and a few important poses in between them. When a production doesn't have a lot of time, they go from pose A to pose B to pose C by drawing the inbetweens at an equal distance from each other, going from pose to pose in a straight line. There's a LOT of that in anime. The movement works, you understand it, but it's kinda.... bland. It's stiff and robotic and a little boring. No action has more weight than the one before or after it, they're all equal. I barely noticed any anticipations, follow-throughs, ease-ins, ease-outs... not a lot of arcs either. They used a lot of still poses where only one body part like an arm, a mouth, or the eyes move on their own layer. Facial animations are limited, with characters often starting and ending a shot with the same facial expression. I don't think I noticed any deformation - nothing moves in an elastic way, nothing bounces or stretches or squashes. They did do smears here and there but that's pretty much it. And I want to reiterate that it looks fine and it works! They had less time to make it and less frames to work with.

All of that affects the acting. I don't mean the voice acting, I mean the body language, the expressions, you know!! Acting!! There's acting in the key poses, but so much of acting comes from HOW you move. And when you're trying to cut corners, oftentimes your animation won't do the voice acting justice. One scene that comes to mind is at the start of episode 1, after they've been thrown out of the tavern, and Scanlan turns to ask for his clothes: something covers his mouth, and even though Sam is delivering his line in a really peppy way, barely anything moves. That line deserved so much better!!!

There’s exceptions of course! Some shots, especially the action ones, are a lot more put together. I think overall, I’d give the animation quality a 7/10. Because the layouts and key poses are really good, and they cut corners in a clever way, so it works really well. I do think Titmouse deserves praise for their work! They did really well!! The animation quality is most likely due to budget limitations, and if less episodes had been made, it would've likely been higher. But they made the choice to write more of the story, and I think that in this case with how much material they’re adapting, that's not a bad decision. I wish The Legend of Vox Machina had a big production budget, but it didn't. And that's just life!

As a last thought, I just wanna say - this could've been a lot nicer if they had more cartoony designs. Do you guys remember the picture they used in the Kickstarter days? Sometimes I look at it and think about what could have been... They could’ve done cutout animation, even. That could’ve turned out nice. But oh well! The showrunners are happy, and for such a personal project that's what matters isn't it?

If you read all this hello!!! I hope you had fun reading this & don’t forget to love each other ♥

#i thought about my response all day and it still took hours to write this #anyway let me just repeat this: I'm VERY nitpicky with animation & i bet a lot of people will not agree with me at all #and thats fine!!!#im glad people like the show. that's good #tlovm #lalou yells #the legend of vox machina #critical role #kermitcrimess #ask

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siot-siot · 3 years

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-Recommended reading order, however not necessary as this story can be read on its own: 성화 1st, 윤호 1st, 종호 1st-

[종호 1st]

The last war had just been lost, when that tyrant of a king decided on his next victim. While you were just getting by with bread crumbs, hoping to make it to the next day, another war made its way. The taxations were skyrocketing like never before, your rent was sure to go up again considering the prices that recently had been adjusted in fear of food shortage. And for what? The woman that the king desired was seduced by a criminal, a pirate. She was sullied by a filthy rat according to the news papers, it apparently was still undecided whether she had lost her innocence, that poor woman.

A war against pirates in revenge for the woman he had lost, a supposedly romantic love confession to her, while his nation was suffering famine. That was the reason for the newly recruited city guards and strict rules. Both that had been greatly affecting you and your income. You were working as a weaver in a small fabric shop, so the new curfew and controls at the entrances were damaging the business. Not to mention the higher criminal rate, you once fled your home country due to war and were a so called war orphan, so even the thought of another battlefield was frightening for you.

As usual you stood up before the sunrise, fixing your brownish linen working uniform and tying your hair in a crown braided updo as you always did. Leaving your small rented room and made your daily way to work.

Working in a rural city was unspectacular, everyday the same people only for rare occasions did someone visit, but recently the city had been bustling. As it did today, your shop had two new customers that had the owner celebrating a new mass order. Which meant overtime working to ensure a fast delivery and the possibility of gaining a regular.

Your hands were marred with blisters due to the fast paced weaving work, your goal was to finish at least the first order by the next day. So you were here past midnight sewing in lose strands, cleaning up the white fabric.

Tired you must had made it home as you found yourself back on your regular way to work, slendering through the thick fog that had set overnight. That was when you first recognized the familiar face, of the one that you consistently dreamed of, the boy that saved your life and helped you to cross the border back then. You always wondered whether he made it himself, as the crossfire was started to prevent refugees from leaving which caused you to get separated. Guilt spread in your gut as you remembered how much easier he would have had it if not for you, it was your fault he fell behind as he pushed you to the other side of the closing gates while he remained inside the tumult of the city.

Hastily you hid behind a corner not ready yet to meet him, while secretly watching him loading the finished fabric onto his cart. He wore an armor so you assumed he was one of the freshly recruited. His body stature got a lot bigger over the years, he was more muscular than most of the other guards, the boyish features he once had gone. You wondered whether he would recall who you were, a little part of you hoped he would as he was your secret childhood crush and the one who helped you to keep going, to not waste his sacrifice.

It was when he went on that you dared enter the shop and started working. You had to weave the second order by tomorrow and with your still hurting blisters you knew this day would be strenuous. The atmosphere between workers were tense as everyone was beyond tired. This time as well you had continued until dawn broke in, groaning could be heard inside the small stuffy room.

Finally exiting the shop, you decided to take the longer route back as your feet felt numb from sitting so long and that was when you saw him again, as he was guarding one of the entrances to your district. Stiff in his armor he stood and was on the look out for suspicious visitors. Your heart pounded as if you just ran, studying every feature of him and once again you felt butterflies in your stomach. Like a coward however you turned and choose a different route which took you longer than intended. A long forgotten girlish giggle left your lips as you finally laid on your bed and embroidered a pattern of different flowers onto a white cloth, sewing it together to a fragrance pouch.

Staying awake until late at night you didn't regret, your pouch was finished as you left your home once again. This time you went a different path to work and prayed he wasn't there yet. And to your luck he wasn't, so you put the sachet on the small stool that was behind him the night before together with a small note to cheer him up. But not before checking the contents again, the lavender bud, chamomile flower and cornflower mix was fresh and the ink on the note not smuged.

The days went by fast as you pondered at what to gift him next, you had multiple ideas and were excited to get home. Sadly you couldn't experience his reaction first hand as you were too scared to get caught, but just the imagination had you giggling.

And that was what had you busy for weeks, every morning you left him a small gift on his watch-post consisting of oat biscuits, white bread that you had saved up for, crocheted figures, a knitted scarf and so on. The best part was, seeing him wearing your knitted or crocheted crafts and his smile getting bigger and bigger.

There was even a rumor going around that he was searching for a specific woman and the desire to just reveal yourself had you messing up at work, your fantasy and day dreams were running haywire. It wasn't until you found a rose and a fragnance sachet with a clumsily embroidered rose pattern on your seat that you were feeling sheepish and part terrified at him knowing the identity of his secret admirer.

Another rose and a cute sunflower brooch had been put on your seat the next day and the teasing of your coworkers had you furiously blushing the whole time. You didn't dare to put another gift on his stool, too scared he would wait for you to catch you redhanded and so his little gifts sweetened your mornings while you listened to the new rumors going around of a cute romance story happening in a rural city. Smiling shyly since you knew who the story was about.

Wrapped up in your daydreaming and bubbly time you were shocked about the uproar caused by the latest news article. Witchery happened at the capital, a blacksmith had been imprisoned and a high noble woman had been captured as he was caught in the act of seducing one of his victims. That smith supposedly delivered weapons enhanced with his witchery to pirates and sold love potions to them to help them seduce innocent noble women. He was accused of supporting the incident with the kings beloved.

The nation was terrified of a witchery happening right at the heart of the capital, thus new laws had to be implemented and an alliance with a neighboring country had to be created to support the troops in their fight against pirates that were superior due to their with witchcraft enhanced weapons.

However this wasn't the worst part, women were to be collected in exchange for foreign troops. Your city wasn't spared of this, the baron had to select at least ten young women or pay a hefty fine.

That was why you heard the screams of familys this morning, knights were dragging a woman in a carriage and were scouting the city in search for women that were pretty enough to be sent off.

Even at your workplace gossip was spread, it was said that the pirates corpse hadn't been found yet and that the smith was to be hanged as soon as possible, the victims were locked up at the palace since the possible punishments were yet to be determined. Some speculated that they were to be pardoned and added to the kings harem. But that wasn't your business as a lowly commoner.

You were happy to finally be on your way home, when you heard the neighboring old madam that often gave you freshly picked apples on your way to work."That woman! There! She is beautiful take her, my daughter is nothing compared to her," she screamed and pointed at you. The knights studied you and nodded to each other, marched closer to you as one grabbed your arm pulling you forward to get a better look.

Without further hesitation they violently pushed you to the carriage and that was when you saw him for the first time directly, it seemed as if he ran towards you with a sword in his hand as he heard your struggle against the knights two sizes bigger than you. But he wasn't fast enough to stop them, you were roughly thrown into the carriage, where you immediatly crawled to the window and saw him one last time.

His pained but simultaneously sorrowful and furious expression as he helplessly watched the carriage take off was the last thing you saw as knights blocked your view outside. If pirates were considered criminals what about those nobles? This couldn't be your tragic end where you didn't even get the chance to talk to him, a romance that didn't even fully bloom, this couldn't be it. You were left hoping he would come and safe you as he did back then, until you were reunited again.

#ateez #ateez scenario #ateez scenarios #ateez x reader #ateez jongho #ateez angst #ateez au #ateez imagines

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laequiem · 4 years

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Mal d’amour - Part 5

/5 times the High King of Elfhame missed his exiled wife + 1 time she had enough.

The package is there, on the front porch, but it clearly was not delivered by the postal service. There is no address, just a name: her name in elegant cursive letters. The same handwriting that is on the note she keeps on her nightstand.

Cardan’s.

read on ao3 • masterlist • part 1 • part 2 • part 3 • part 4 • last part

Cardan

It was already dark when I woke up from my dream and gave the package to Liliver. Due to mortals’ strange habit of living during the day, we have to wait the entire night before one of the spies can deliver the package.

Needless to say, I do not pay much attention to the various meetings and meals I attend during the night. I doubt courtiers notice, given my usual blasé attitude.

My participation in today’s revel consists mostly of drinking wine and asking the servants for more wine. Whenever someone approaches me for requests or conversation, I reply so shortly that they leave quickly. Nearing sunrise, the Ghost approaches and tells me the package is on its way.

I try to look like I am at least enjoying the revel in front of me. My tail is curled around my calf to prevent it from lashing wildly and betraying my nervousness. My fingers drum absentmindedly on the armrests of the throne as I stare distantly at nothing.

I only last half an hour after the Ghost’s appearance before I retreat from the throne room.

The Bomb

The air of Portland, Maine stinks of iron and gasoline. Nothing like the mossy and flowery scent of Elfhame. Liliver lifts her scarf over her glamoured face, hoping the fabric will filter some of the iron out. It doesn't work, not really, but at least she will not be staying here for long.

High King Cardan has assigned her the task of delivering a package, as if her talents weren't better used elsewhere. She had agreed, or course—money is money. Plus, she hopes to sneak a glimpse of Jude and assess how her friend is doing.

Ever since she left, she has been fighting the urge to peek at the contents of the package. It is about the size and weight of a dinner plate and is delicately wrapped in dark green fabric. Seeing how the King hid the thing, it must be quite valuable.

From the rooftop of the building opposite Vivienne Duarte’s apartment, Liliver can see Jude. She is sprawled on an old couch, numbly looking at some square box with moving images. She seems to be the only person in the small house right now—the perfect moment to deliver the package. The High King has made it clear that Jude has to be seen receiving it. Liliver cannot blame him for being careful.

She makes her way across the street, climbing the stairs as quietly as she can. After placing the box on the floor, she presses the button next to the door and knocks twice. She then jumps to the roof of the adjacent building, making sure she has a good view of the door.

And then she waits.

Jude

Jude groans as she gets up from her spot on the couch for the first time since waking up this morning. Vivi left for work hours ago. Usually, she tells Jude when she is expecting a delivery. Maybe the person rang the wrong doorbell. Still, Jude makes her way to the front door. A peek through the peephole reveals that nobody is on the other side.

It’s been 30 seconds, they better not have put one of those “sorry we missed you!” notices or else she swears—

Cardan’s.

Her chest tightens and she takes a deep breath. Is this hope or fear? It is her first time hearing from Cardan in more than six months. Part of her hopes that he will revoke her banishment and ask her to come back, but why would he? He is finally free to rule the kingdom by himself and be as cruel and unhinged as he wants to be.

The package looks out of place here, everything from the dried flowers used to decorate it to its delicate grassy smell scream Faerieland.

Jude closes the door behind her as she brings the package inside, certain that someone is out there watching her. She won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her reaction. She shoves the clutter off the coffee table and puts the package on it as she sits on the couch once again.

For a few minutes, she just stares at it, wondering if it isn’t better to just throw it out.

Like he threw me out, she hears the intrusive thought over the roaring in her head, loud and unwelcome.

She clenches her jaw, then undoes the strings tying the fabric together. Inside is a nicely carved wooden box topped by a folded piece of paper. She picks up the piece of paper and unfolds it. Her hands are shaking slightly, with fear or rage she does not know.

When she reads it, however, the rage takes over.

I miss you.

Your devoted servant,

Cardan

Jude crumples the piece of paper in her hand and lets it fall to the floor. She opens the box and immediately sees red.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she screams to herself as she picks up the crown, its jewels sparkling in the artificial light of Vivienne’s apartment.

She has never seen it before. Cardan either found it deep in the vault or he had it made only to send it to her as a sick joke. In a fit of rage, she throws the crown against the wall and storms to her room.

Her clothes are scattered everywhere, some of them lying on her air mattress for what might have been weeks. She picks out the darkest, most flexible clothes, then reaches under her mattress for Nightfell.

If it’s trouble he’s after, he’ll find her.

Cardan

“I almost feel bad, Your Majesty,” the Roach says, “pay up.”

I knew trying to sleep was useless, so I headed for the Court of Shadow headquarters instead, where I have been playing cards with the Roach and the Ghost for hours now.

“I hope you’re not cheating,” the Ghost replies, “the punishment could be deadly.”

I lost every single game.

I am not paying enough attention to win.

The cards in my hands are blurry, their numbers and designs utterly meaningless.

All I can think about is Jude.

Jude, opening my package and packing her things to come back here.

Jude, opening my package and immediately throwing it out.

Jude, immediately throwing the package out without looking inside.

This woman has occupied my every thought for years, and I still cannot predict her moves. She is a puzzle, a challenge I want to lose myself in solving. All I can hope for is that she opened it, at least.

My last letter. My last gift. My last chance.

If this is all the time I had with her, I royally (urgh) fucked up.

The Roach gathers the jewels from the middle of the table and brings them to his side.

I discard my hand and reach out to shuffle the deck when his attention snaps to the door, to the small form who just entered.

Immediately, I get up and walk to meet the Bomb.

“Did you find her?” I ask

“Yes,” she says, “She picked it up. I could not confirm that she opened it, but she brought it inside.”

“How is she?” I cannot stop the questions from pouring out of me.

“She looks… different,” she frowns.

I understand she is trying to find a way to phrase it without upsetting me. I do not even know what would upset me more, her being happy in the Mortal Realm, or her being miserable.

“I see,” I sigh, “Thank you.”

The words feel wrong coming from me—yet they seem right in the moment. I do not know if I have ever thanked someone before. But these people, Jude’s spies, have been dealing with me for the last half-year. They have seen me at my lowest. I cannot go much lower than crying after a particularly gruesome nightmare.

I did not tell them this was my last time reaching out to Jude. From the look of pity in the Bomb’s eyes, she knows. I can’t stand it. I walk past her and leave the Court of Shadows.

The hallways are almost empty as I make my way to the cellars. The guards stand straighter as I pass the various rooms, but none of them stop me or try to talk to me.

When I get to the cellars, I grab the worst bottle I can find. I wish the royal cellars had some really low quality alcohol—a budding brewer’s first try, anything that would taste as bad as I feel—but even the worst of the collection is still good. I drink the whole bottle.

Then another.

I drink until I forget.

Forget the responsibilities, the kingdom resting on my unworthy shoulders.

I try to forget about Jude, but I black out before I can.

#the folk of the air #tfota #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #jurdan #judecardan #holly black #the cruel prince #the wicked king #fanfiction #angst #fanfic #cardan

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notalittlebutalottie · 4 years

Note

No humanity Caroline steals klaus’ painting from the hermitage because she feels like it

Thanks for this very fun request!

♡ KLAROLINE DRABBLE #52: Well, It Was a Pretty Thing♡

It’s sitting in her hotel room and the more Caroline looks at it, the more she is able to connect each brush stroke with the painter. Acquiring it was pathetically easy so she isn’t surprised to receive a call, only to receive it via the obsolete, pastel green rotary phone on her nightstand and not her mobile. She doesn’t bother to rush, lets it ring for as long as it takes to finish tying her hair into a plait. It’s only when she’s sat onto the plush quilt atop her king-size bed that she picks up the phone, eyes scratching away at the painting sat against her door.

“Hello, Caroline,” his voice is nothing short of sensual and she can hear the elongated vowels and rolling consonants with much clarity, “I believe you have something of mine.”

“Of course, you have your minions on my tail.” She takes a moment to laugh and finds herself twiddling with the cord attached to the phone. Humanity had left her riddled with guilt any time she even thought of the hybrid, but here she is, indulging in a simple conversation. She’s easing herself back into the pillows as she laments, “You know it’s so hard to find a guy who’ll stalk me himself these days...”

“All you have to do is ask, sweetheart,” his retort is playful, though she’s aware he would be the first to admit its true weight. She can hear the quiet release of breath on Klaus’ end and it’s soon followed by a matter-of-fact declaration, “Actually, I happened to be checking in on things when I was informed of the inexplicable disappearance of my artwork—”

“How awful,” she makes a worthy attempt at imitating his voice but falls short as usual. She makes a mental note to practice for future endeavours — small town guys will be putty in her hands, an easy feed.

“ —and that a young, American girl had been visiting it daily for at least a week.”

Caroline scrunches her nose but replies laxly, “It’s not exactly damning evidence.” So she may have taken a trip or two. The first time was entirely based in curiosity. The second might have been less of a conscious decision — the painting is more than she imagined. But the third, fourth and fifth were to scope the place out.

“Did my work really speak to you that much?” He hums so darkly that she has to remind herself not to feed into any impulses, any stubborn emotions. He speaks once again and this time, she’s sure he knows exactly what he’s doing. “I would have been happy to paint you another.”

The admission settles in as something her usual self would blush profusely at but instead, she shoves it down in place of a dismissive laugh. “It wouldn’t be the same,” she sighs, drawing her gaze to the large painting and its effortless landscape. “Besides, it’s a pretty thing.”

“Pretty? That wasn’t my intention when painting it.”

The words that pour out of her struggle to retain their brittle delivery, “Maybe I just see things that others don’t.”

“Evidently,” Klaus replies with a familiar warmth. She can hear some rustling—papers and pencils—and is left to wonder how much he knows of her situation. Thankfully, before she can reflect on the day of her mother’s funeral, he interrupts, “So, how do you intend on making it out of Russia with the painting? It’s quite large.”

“Who says I’m planning to leave?” Her head tips side to side as she inspects the condition of her nails. “Or that I don’t want to be caught?”

“Do you?”

“Depends on my captor.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief; it’s been too long since their last entanglement and she’s realising just how much fun she can have under these circumstances. She prides herself on how charmingly innocent she adds, “Sending the cops would just be impersonal.”

There’s a long stretch of silence and she loathes to imagine how nervous a humanity-riddled Caroline would be. “As you wish, love,” he states politely but she can hear the tickling notes of intrigue. “Eight p.m. tomorrow. I know you aren’t a fan of surprises.”

Her eyes narrow and her grip on the telephone tightens as she grits out, “Things change.”

“They do.” He lowers his voice and she can tell his lips are pressed closely to the phone by the way each plosive muffles into the speaker, “So, I hope you’ll have turned it back on by then.” That incites a shift in her and she’s adjusting her back upright. She could run through a list of who or how (no need for why) but realises it’s useless; Klaus has nothing if not his finger on the pulse of every vampire community. His tone alleviates but does nothing to prevent the chill that so violently runs through her as he says, “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Caroline.”

Review Here

#klaroline #klaus mikaelson #caroline forbes #the originals #the vampire diaries #drabble #kc fanfiction #klaroline fanfiction #humanity off #this is what i have for you all today

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smashpages · 3 years

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Due out on May 11, DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration will include stories by Asian-American creators about Asian and Asian-American heroes. Here’s the list of stories that will appear in it:

The new character Monkey Prince will debut in a story written by Gene Luen Yang with art by Bernard Chang. Monkey Prince is inspired by the Monkey King, legendary hero of Chinese mythology and the classic tale Journey to the West. In Yang and Chang’s 12-page story, “The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes,” Monkey Prince battles and teams up with Shazam! to defeat Dr. Sivana and a Chinese deer demon spirit.

“Masks” – Ram V, writer of Catwoman, Justice League Dark, and The Swamp Thing, teams up with Audrey Mok, the artist of Sera and the Royal Stars, to tell a story featuring Jade Nguyen, a.k.a. Cheshire. Tying into V’s Catwoman run, Selina Kyle’s protégé Shoes has visions of being rescued as a child by Cheshire. Shoes takes these visions as a sign, donning a mask, taking the name “Cheshire Cat,” and asking Selina Kyle to train her. But is Catwoman ready to take on a sidekick?

“Sounds” – Detective Comics writer and Eisner Award winner Mariko Tamaki (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) and artist Marcus To team up to tell a story featuring Cassandra Cain, a.k.a. Batgirl. Batgirl struggles to understand words, but with her ability to read body language and uncanny fighting skills, she really doesn’t have to…until she meets someone and wishes that she had the right words—ANY words—to say to them!

“What’s in the Box?” – Cassandra Cain steps into the spotlight once more, but this time with Colin Wilkes, a.k.a. Abuse (who first appeared in Detective Comics #947, October 2008), courtesy of words and art by Dustin Nguyen. Abuse finds Batgirl sitting by a bridge, upset by a comment made by Damian Wayne.

“Dress Code” – Green Lantern Tai Pham makes his first comic book debut in this story by Green Lantern: Legacy writer Minh Lê with artist Trung Le Nguyen. Green Lantern is fighting with Arkillo, and the villain taunts him for his costume “looking like a dress.” This reminds Tai of a memory with his dead grandmother who he inherited his powers from.

“Festival of Heroes” – In a story by writer Amy Chu and artist Marcio Takara influenced by current headlines, Katana, Cyborg and Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) are asked to safeguard an Asian American and Pacific Islander community celebration against potential violence from a white supremacist group. But the heroes are quickly reminded that you don’t need capes, masks, or even special abilities to be a hero.

“Hawke & Kong” – Writer Greg Pak and artist Sumit Kumar team up on a story spotlighting the return of onetime Green Arrow Connor Hawke and Kong Kenan, also known as New Super-Man. Connor and Kenan need to do some quick thinking when a gift for Connor’s Korean aunt gets damaged in a battle with a dragon!

“Special Delivery” – Master of None writer Aniz Ansari makes his comic book debut with artist Sami Basri in this story featuring Robin (Damian Wayne). As Robin ponders about his heritage, he slowly discovers that something about this pizza place seems off…

“Kawaii Kalamity!” – Shadow of the Batgirl writer Sarah Kuhn and illustrator Victoria Ying (Diana: Princess of the Amazons) tell a story about Red Arrow’s reluctance of enjoying “kawaii” things because of people’s general assumptions of what she likes simply based on her Japanese heritage.

“Family Dinner” – Amazon juggernaut Grace Choi has to meet her girlfriend Anissa Pierce’s dad for dinner. But when your girlfriend is Thunder, that means meeting the parents is that much more stressful because her father is Black Lightning!

“Perceptible” – The Good Asian duo of Pornsak Pichetshote (writer) and Alexandre Tefenkgi (artist) tell a tale featuring The Atom (Ryan Choi) trying to defeat a microscopic robot sent from the future…to save our reality as we know it!

#dc festival of heroes: the asian superhero celebration #anthology #comic books #dc #asian american and pacific islander heritage month

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coreastories · 4 years

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Royals Spotted: The Unbreakable Sword has Insta!

Queen's Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk has (well, had) an Instagram and while it’s mostly filled with a musclehead’s usual posts of gym equipment and protein and green shakes, Mr Jang also has a following for his reviews of skin care products

This author was heartily amused by that. Mr Jang, you and I share a love for COSRX

Ding, ding, ding! Two of the carousels in Mr Jang’s Instagram held Easter eggs!

To be fair, only someone with an obsession would have found these, deeply buried in Mr Jang’s posts about weights, the gun range, carb loading with Corea’s various mouthwatering noodles, and various skin care products

This author’s assistant happens to possess that healthy amount of obsession, enough to have found Mr Jang’s Instagram in the first place, and trawling through all of it next

The reward is gratifying

These Easter eggs are none other than photos of the king and queen of Corea!

We are sorry to inform you that as of this writing, Mr Jang’s Instagram has disappeared. This author is truly sorry, because Mr Jang was about to review the latest from Clinique.

We don’t want to be blacklisted from Corea’s press relations, especially not with the Queens Day and other deliciousness so tantalizingly close, so we reached out to the Royal Public Affairs Office for permission to post these photos.

Exactly 12 hours later, we received a response. Yes, we are allowed to publish the photos at no profit (this page has no ads, as you can see), and yes, it will have no consequences.

For us, that is. From their track record, the Royal Public Affairs Office can be vindictive, so this author made absolutely certain that publishing these won’t provoke their ire.

Whether there will be consequences for Mr Jang remains to be seen. We hope they won’t be too hard on him. He’s a sweetheart, really. Never mind that he can crush this author in one hand.

According to the Royal Public Affairs Office, this intimate photo was taken on the birthday of Head Court Lady Noh. Mr Jang had no caption for this, only several heart and bouquet emojis.

We love seeing this royal couple in casual wear! Especially against the backdrop of the luxurious furnishings in their private residence. Swoon.

And the king’s arm around the queen. In a world of royals who won't touch in public. That's double swoon.

The head court lady serves the king and queen directly. From what crumbs we managed to extract from Coreans, the head court lady pretty much runs the palace.

But more than the equivalent of a royal butler, this particular head court lady holds more weight: she also raised the king.

Most palace staff positions are inherited or strictly vetted by the royal family, the noble families, and their own servants. This is how they keep their circle of trust. Head Court Lady Noh belongs to that very private circle. We have nothing else about her, despite this author’s assistant’s tenacious search.

We did unearth something juicy.

Apparently, there was an incident with a local hoity-toity shaman in Busan, who boasted that the Head Court Lady Noh bowed to her!

Note that bowing in Corean means a more restrained equivalent of practically prostrating yourself to the ground. You touch your forehead and palms to the floor.

We can’t find the shaman for comment. According to the bakery next door, the shaman has moved to the northern region. As you’ve read this author mention before, the palace is terrifyingly efficient.

This very recent photo was taken in New Zealand. Mr Jang’s caption was:

“Just settled in. Waiting for food delivery (and testing). Very tense. At least she hadn’t tied her hair yet. But HM is starting to get panicky.”

Then there were five laughing emojis, and ten cold sweat emojis.

The Royal Public Affairs Office didn’t illuminate this funny caption. Does the queen tying her hair signify something scary?

And aren’t they just adorable here?

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

Photo edit from @kge.global on Instagram (”When you remember there are no more TKEM episodes,” lolol this fandom is delicious)

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction #my withdrawal is killer #the king eternal monarch #the king: eternal monarch #lee min ho #kim go eun #kim young ok #lady noh #lee gon #jeong tae eul

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jeeperso · 3 years

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D&D Quotes Without Context

Ravenloft Edition, Dementlieu Arc part 2

Alright, it's night. Jonni: “The best time for arson!” Jonni, you are up spending some quality time with Vesh. Jonni: “The best time for arson!” "YOU COME INTO MY CITY WITH A PARADE, PUTTING ON A FARCE FOR THE MASSES, YOU FOOL THEM BUT YOU DO NOT FOOL ME. NOW FACE MY JUDGEMENT." They point a bony finger at Vesh and....nothing happens. They point a few more times, expecting something to happen. Vesh sighs. "You done?" “Hey, buddy, I told you, she’s a Princess. Maybe not of a big nation, but a Princess is a Princess.” "...Well I guess she is. Sorry for disturbing you." And the spirit then awkwardly shuffles out. "That reminds me, I will visit Semprini, warn him of this Red Death." “Or, hear me out, we don’t and hire a bard to follow him around and then show us what happened later in moving pictures.” "Come on, you know how well I can fit in with high society, Steve. I can speak Snob." "Steve... He really moved up in the world after he died. I'm proud for him." "Social gatherings...I can be nice and polite, but high society tends to leave me cold. It all seems so...fake." “Yeah. But I usually get to fork some ashholes [sic] trophy wife in the cloak room, and the food can be good.” "Look it's easy, you go to some parties and dinners at some places, see the sights, smile and laugh, and we're golden. "And if anyone gives us any shit, we just grin and take it, and then track them down after the party and light them on fire." "We've come on behalf of a young lady whose parents have been afflicted with a curse..." “We need that lifted before we have to adopt again.” "None of the rest of you better pull an Edmund on us." Gorbash: "Okay Marshal's not allowed to speak for the group without approval. Jonni was already not allowed to speak for the group. God... am I the diplomatic one here? How the hell am I the diplomatic one?" Jonni: “Hey, I can be diplomatic. In a skeevy way, sure, but diplomatic.” Jonni: “Back of the line, new Eddie. Gorb’s in charge unless I have a better idea.” "Some specters showed up while you were out, but Kyra and Simone drove them off....Where's Marshal?" Jonni: “Getting ready for me to kill him when he gets back.” Seoni sighs, "Of course he did." Gorbash: "Yeah, he's joining Jonni in the 'not allowed to make decisions without group permission club'." Jonni: “Wait… Marsh is gone! No one will stop me from killing Semprini!” Gorbash: "I am still here." Jonni: “I’ll bring you his mustache.” Gorbash: "You may continue." Gorbash: "...Gods, I'm the leader... How is the guy who spent a year in a fracking asylum the one people look to for leadership?" OOC: Gorbash is going to be referring to this kind of epic stupidity as Pulling an Edmund for at least as long as it takes us to save Edmund. OOC: I haven’t seen a robot do something that dumb since Optimus’ Primes comic death. And his brain fits on a 3x4 floppy. Gorbash: "I've been to Blutspar. I don't need eyes to see horrors everywhere. Give me the tour." Nyx: "I would like to go some place without horrors for once. I'm guessing that is too high an order around here." Gorebash:

Yeah she had a holy symbol of Asmodeus on her armor. “Oh, hey, we got that douche canoe back home” Jonni says, very loudly. “Demon Prince of tiny dicks.” Jonni: “I don’t go to plays with ‘king’ in the title after the incident. “Course, most of the plays I go to have titles that are parody’s of other plays. They usually involve some kind of food delivery that can’t be paid for.” Gorbash grabs Irost by the collar. "Entire city. Mass suicide. Rivers of blood centuries later. GIANT MAN MADE OF BUGS!" Irost: "....That could possibly be classified as urban improvement..." Irost: "But then we'd miss the ball, and the excitement, and the chance to make names for ourselves." Jonni: “New Eddie is dumber than old Eddie.” Gorbash: "My old crew and I once infiltrated a gods damned apocalypse cult-a-polusa! I damn well know my apocalypses." “We’ll get you a red snapper, it’s okay. The things beyond the veil aren’t going to tear your soul out and wipe their ass with it tonight.” The stall has three barrels around the stall, and a large crate with a sign that says "Stikk hand in fer big serprize." [sic] Gorbash: "This feels like a trap. Hey Jonni, come here!" Jonni: “Want me to light it up?” Upon you saying that the crate grows a mouth and begins inching away. The crate and the three barrels, as well as the sign, all get up and move towards an open manhole. The lead mimic turns and spits at you, "Damn adventurers, this used to be a nice neighborhood." Jonni: “Hey I know where you can find a really dumb guy. I’ll tell you if you bring us his mustache.” "How dare you, we are not vagrants nor tramps. We are guards for a traveling merchant caravan. And adventurers who solve problems and help others." "Right! They're Hobos!" Jonni: “Cool. Cool. So you’re a colossal asshat, your god sucks, and virtually no one I care about will mind if you die. In fact, the nicest member of my party thought about doing it herself.” Jonni: “Hey! One last thing? Go fuck yourself with a cactus you racist piece of devil-worshiping pig fart.” Linxia takes a deep breath. "We will settle this another time I think. But keep in mind;" she reaches out, grabs a caterpillar from a tree, and crushes it in hand. "Vermin always get crushed in the end." Gorbash: "B!+ch, we're Pest Control experts." He is wearing a "I survived the Organ grinder" TY shirt over his armor, and is also covered with popcorn, soda and other stickyness. In one hand he holds a handful of balloons, and in the other a large stuffed purple teddy bear. On his head is a hat with cat ears. Jonni: “We met new people to kill and you’re not allowed to tell me no anymore.” Gorbash returns the favor that Marshal did for him back in Hazlan and tightly hugs his metal friend. Irost would hug him from the other side as well, squeezing tightly. You are stuck fast to Marshal now, he is very sticky. "Uhm, do we need to get out the special scrubbing alcohol to clean you guys off now?" Marshal: "Fire." Jonni casts the “create campfire” cantrip. Irost: "WAIT! Wait we're still-AHHHHHH!" Marshal ties a blindfold around his helmet's eyeholes and sticks a cigarette in just in time. Jonni: “Sorry, reflex.” Marshal: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe." Jonni: “I’ve fucked things you wouldn’t believe. Anyhow, walk it off. We got crime tonight.” “It’s that or wait for the play that pinged Gorb’s 'end of world' alarm to finish.” "What you did Marshall... Sainthood should be being considered." “If they gave out sainthood for being a moron Semprini would be a living god.” You guys become aware, that there things watching you. Or rather watching Marshal. You see countless tiny stuffed animals of varying types: bears, foxes, rabbits, but with horrific twisted features. Some have obviously human eyes or teeth, others are bulging with strange contents. Gorbash: "How is it, that Marshal is the one with the most Stalkers?" Marshal: "Co-workers on break." Jonni: “They forming a union?” According to Vesh, the boat will be arriving at Midnight with cargo, among which will be the box. It will unload the cargo in the shipping company's warehouse. where it will stay until it is shipped to the D'honaire estate on the night before the ball. The docks are silent. No one on them. The niight is clear, with stars in the sky and a huge moon. So what's your plan? OOC: Fireballs. You see the bizarre scene of a bunch of demonic beanie babies smoking. After about fifteen minutes, the bay is rocked by a massive explosion, as the galleon bursts into flames. "Jonni!" Jonni: “Gods I wish that was me.” OOC: Great things happen when Kreuz has a Paladin Moment. OOC1: This other crew is going to find we aren't harder to deal with than most adventurers, we fight smarter, not harder. OOC2: Also, we are more mentally unstable and prone to dickery. OOC: To be fair, the rules don’t say I have rocket feet. The power gamer in me says no, but the nerd in me says “ROCKET BOOTS!”

#dungeons and dragons #dnd 5e #quotes without context #ravenloft

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amaya777 · 4 years

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Battle on the Seas | A Twisted Wonderland Oneshot

TwstOBer 23. Battle - Pirate AU Savanaclaw x reader

For this theme, I took inspiration from Savanaclaw’s Halloween costumes and figured what would be more fun and fitting than a battle on the ocean with pirates. Even I admit that Captain Leona is pretty good looking in that outfit and the eyepatch too. Warning: Implied death

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Growing up, you always loved the sea since it is in your DNA pretty much. Both your parents were sailors who met on a boat and you were even born on one too. Eventually they had to settle down after having a child, getting a house in a coastal town right next to the ocean. But they continued to work on boats and travel, taking you with them a lot and teaching you everything about boats, how to maintain and run one, and traveling at sea as well. In recent years, pirates started to become a nuisance though luckily you and your parents never encountered one before. But to be on the safe side, you learned how to wield and fight with a sword for self-defense should anything happen.

Finally after years of working alongside your parents with dreams of making it on your own, you got your chance. You were hired on to be the first mate and assist with the captain of a merchant ship that would be sailing across the ocean with food and supplies to deliver to a major port, along with some valuable treasures needing to be delivered too. It would be a long journey, your first time out at sea without your parents as you said goodbye and they wished you well, telling you to be careful.

It was just you, the captain, and the rest of the crew all aboard the ship along with everything that would be getting delivered as the ship then departed. Using all of your knowledge, you were able to help the crew so much and ended up taking charge of them since the captain seemed to be focused on the money from this delivery. Leaning on the side as you were feeling the breeze of the ocean while the ship was sailing, making good time so far and just enjoying this right now. This is what you always wanted, to be like your parents and live the independent and freeing sea-faring life.

Halfway through the journey, it was dark as most of the crew and you were hanging out down below deck playing cards before getting ready for bed. Working so close together, you bonded with the others really well like a second family and thinking that nothing could be better than this. But then you all heard it, the sound of cannon fire and then the ship moving. What in the hell?!

“There’s another ship that just fired a warning shot at us, and they’re coming in fast!”

So you quickly headed up to the deck as everyone else and the crew followed, looking out and seeing a ship. It was approaching, hard to tell what it was as you grabbed binoculars and glanced through them to get a closer look at what kind of ship was coming.

That flag, it can’t be! You had only heard about them as legends, even among other pirates as they were considered to be THE most notorious and infamous pirates to ever exist. The King of the Sea was led by the terrifying Captain Leona, numerous stories about how they have plundered countless ships while stealing everything they can get their hands on and showing no mercy to those in their way. You never imagined ever encountering them of all the pirates, thankful that you knew how to fight but that this won’t end well if those pirates get on.

You commanded the crew and captain to quickly prepare for travel, hoping to outrun that pirate ship as you helped out. Your ship started sailing forward as the pirate ship was getting close, hearing shouting come from it.

“Fire!”

The next second, another cannon ball fired but landed just in front of the ship, barely missing the bow. But the sudden strong waves that came about from it shook the boat a lot, stopping their movement as everyone hung on to keep from falling down. But that was all it took as by the time the ship stopped and you were yelling at everyone to get going again, the pirate ship was now parallel to it and almost touching.

Wooden planks were placed down from their deck to yours as pirates yelled and started running across them onto the ship. Then three particular individuals who looked to be in charge of the pirate crew came abroad, one wearing an eyepatch.

“We’re taking everything on this ship! Leave nothing behind! Ruggie, Jack; help take care of these fools.”

Leona yelled as he nodded to the smaller snickering man and the tall serious man, the two nodding before chaos ensued. The pirate crew members were running down below to grab anything and everything to steal as your crew were trying to stop them. But it was no match as those on the crew were being tossed around and knocked out easily by the pirates. The serious man was crazy strong, fighting and winning against multiple opponents all at once with pure strength. Meanwhile the snickering one would sneak up behind those distracted and knock them out instantly with a well-placed hit to the neck.

You were the only one not being overpowered, defending yourself with your sword and keeping the pirates at bay. But you were worried for the captain, quickly glancing around only to see Leona at the captain’s wheel with his sword to the captain’s neck, threatening him while the captain cried and was surrendering. Racing around the pirates on the deck and up towards where the two are, you then slid in between the captains as you held your sword in a fighting stance and glaring at him.

“Don’t surrender Captain! I won’t let this ship be taken!”

Leona smirked as he heard you, seeing that fierce determination on your face and refusal to just give in unlike the weak captain.

“This is a first for me, they all gave in right away. You have guts, I like it. But no one survives a fight with me, I always win.”

The two of you then started to fight, clashing swords with the sound of metal ringing with each hit. You were defending yourself, barely avoiding his strikes while he was evading the swings of your sword as well. It was an even fight and for a moment, you truly thought that you would beat this pirate captain. But pirates never fight fair as the moment you had let your guard down, Ruggie came up from behind and stole your sword so easily. You felt Leona’s sword slash you before you fell back and then his foot stomp down on your chest as you coughed. You couldn’t get up as he leaned down right in front of your face, holding the sword blade to your neck.

“Nice try. But you’re the best opponent I’ve ever had, I’ll give you that.”

He grinned as he won the battle per usual, having completely taken over the ship in no time. While some pirates were taking the food, supplies, and treasure over to their ship; others were tying up the captain and all the crew members with rope by their wrists and ankles while gagging them too. Ruggie was just tying up your arms fully together with rope, not gagging you but laughing at your glare as he held your sword still. You wanted to kick and fight back, but Jack was holding you still with his strong grip as he seemed to have a look of remorse on his face. Leona came walking up towards you, grabbing your chin in his hand and staring into your eyes, a hunger in his striking emerald eye.

“Unlike that pathetic lot, you seem to know what you are doing and have quite the spunk. Normally I would let you drown along with the rest. But you’ll be useful as one of my crew and we can have some real fun with you too,” Leona whispered as he licked his smirking lips before backing away.

“Jack, Ruggie, take this one to my quarters. Throw the rest off the plank. We’ll party all night with a feast!”

All the pirates cheered as Leona gave that declaration and you were shocked, looking back at your crew. No, you didn’t want them to die and you did not want to be with these pirates! You immediately screamed and started struggling while Jack avoided looking you straight in the face as he picked you up easily. You were thrown over his shoulder, helpless as you were being taken over and watching one of the pirates grab a crew member, taking them to the plank. They struggled with their cries muffled as you screamed for them not to do it. The last thing you saw was them being pushed off before you were hit in the neck and went unconscious.

#TwstOBer #twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #savanaclaw #twst savanaclaw #pirate au #twisted wonderland scenarios #fanfic #oneshot #twisted wonderland fanfic

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jadelotusflower · 4 years

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Robin Hood Rewatch: 1x02 Sheriff Got Your Tongue?

So for My Gang to Me this year I rewatched the first episode, intending to leave it at that, but recently I’ve been really in my feelings about this show again so I’m going to go all the way and rewatch the whole thing. Yes, even season 3.

So, some random thoughts, and Emotions about That Robin/Marian scene.

It’s rare we see some spunk from Locksley villagers, so Sarcastic Bow Man was very much appreciated. RIP Sarcastic Bow Man’s tongue.

“We are also against the Sheriff!” I really love Much’s earnest logic, and good heart - he doesn’t want the men robbing them to get sick from eating undercooked rabbit - or alternatively, doesn’t want them thinking he’s a bad cook, and either way it’s precious and Protect Much Forever. “Well those were horrible men” is also a very charming line reading.

Aw, Forrest and Hanton. I wonder that they went to the trouble of establishing them and including a wife for Forrest, only for them never to be seen or spoken again after this episode. When exactly were they cut, since I would have assumed the script for episode 3 at least would have been written before filming started in Hungary? Anyway, my personal headcanon: Forrest reconciles with his wife and she gets pregnant, so they leave to live somewhere he’s not a known outlaw, and Hanton goes with them.

“With your lawlessness and your...disgusting camp, and your snide...your snide...” It’s the way Sam sells it, Much is MVP in these scenes.

Okay, Robin’s been gone for five years, Alice lives in Locksley, little Little John is ten (?) years old. So why doesn’t Little John recognise Robin? Or he does, and doesn’t care until he hears about the reward, or doesn’t actually remember what Robin looks like, since Robin would have been a teenager when John was outlawed? I feel this is untapped story potential.

Concussion count: 1 (Robin)

Guy telling the Locksley villagers that they should have no fear of reprisal from Robin just goes to show how much he doesn’t get it. The Sheriff, on the other hand - the attempted manipulation by portraying Robin as brainwashed in a pow camp is clever (and of course that comes up again a terrible later episode).

“If I tell you where I am, can I claim the 20 pounds?” The pose, the quip: Peak Robin.

“In the Holy Land my master had dreams - he spoke your name.” Called out like that in front of your father, yikes. But the way Much looks right past Edward and stares at Marian, while she can’t look him in the eye - I really love the Much and Marian dynamic.

Speaking of great dynamics, the Robin and Sheriff scene. Within a day, Vaisey already has Robin all figured out (well mostly) and knows exactly what buttons to push. I credit the show with attempting to address the problem of why Robin just doesn’t kill the Sheriff, and tying it to Robin’s broader ptsd is a good choice.

A Look. A Scene. Moving back to regular formatting because I have Feelings:

It’s very telling that Robin actually seems rather upset when he first sees Marian - he thinks he will soon die, and doesn’t want to her to see him like that. But that very quickly changes to amusement by her manipulation of the jailer, but crucially, he can’t let her know he’s impressed, he has to look away as soon as she turns her attention to him. And of course, begins to berate him, but what I love about this scene (and this pairing) is that they’re both right! Marian’s point that getting himself killed will doom more lives than he has saved is sound, but so is Robin’s, that he can’t stand by and weigh up lives to sacrifice for the greater good.

And he’s enjoying the banter, since Marian was probably the only person who ever argued like this with him, but then the tone of the conversation shifts:

“You could have stayed here in the first place instead of following your King to the Holy Land if you cared so much about your precious people. But you didn’t. You chose war. You chose glory.”

Marian slips here, she gets emotional - “you chose war (over me)” “you chose glory (over me)” And Robin thinks he’s got the upper hand here - he leans in and says “What is this about?” when he knows what it’s about, and she knows he knows what it’s about. It’s a reflection of their scene in the first episode, except this time with real emotion rather than flirtatious bravado, but neither of them want to admit it, they want the other one to first.

“This is about you saying that you care about me the people of Locksley when the truth is you ran off to battle thousands of miles away.”

Lucy’s delivery of this line just kills me - the hesitation, the hurt, the way she can’t meet his eyes until the end. Even behind veiled words, it’s the most honest she is about her feelings until the season finale. His return has thrown her off kilter, afraid she’ll drown in all that water under the bridge, and she is angry at him, angry at herself for feeling for him when she swore she never would again, for not even knowing what she wants from him in that moment, because when he does reach out for her she can’t handle it, and slaps his hand away.

And I don’t think Robin really understands until that moment how much he hurt her by leaving - it was all fun banter like it used to be until he sees what it really is, so he tries to show affection and is rebuffed. So in response, he withdraws too, back to that safe banter-place where everything is played off as a joke, and even gives her (and himself) an out - he wasn’t reaching out for her, there was “just something on [her] cheek” - but even that is a pointed remark, allowing him to wrest back the power in the conversation. It’s sets up their relationship for the whole rest of the season - Marian is very, very careful never to let her true feelings show like this again, and he is too easily rebuffed and hides in that safe place, where there is distance and he can say exactly how he feels but pretend it’s a joke and push her buttons - “I love it when you look at me in anger.”

It’s so good, because they are both just crying out for each other, but they’re too proud, in Marian’s case too hurt, in Robin’s case too defensive, and both of them too afraid to be open and risk getting hurt.

“If you go back in and die, then I will die. Of grief. So you must come now, if only the save me.” PROTECT MUCH FOREVER.

Robin proving that he’s willing to kill requires a bit of suspension of disbelief (wouldn’t Vaisey notice the “dead guard” disappears?) but it’s plot necessary, so we’ll go with it.

“That arrow hurt, lavender boy” - I love Roy.

When Robin tells the others to go, and then holds off the rest of the guards by himself it is A Moment, and while it’s Robin being flashy and showing off, it’s also showing them that he’s fit to lead them, because he’s willing to put himself in danger to protect them, to demonstrate how capable he is - but risky behaviour is also linked to ptsd and I think is also absolutely Robin always seeking control over any situation, and the more dangerous it is, the more rewarding when he succeeds.

Oh, I forgot this outfit. A +

#robin hood bbc #robin hood rewatch #robin x marian #my gang to me #sheriff got your tongue?#this week in Everyone Needs Therapy #and why can't these tragics just communicate #+ precious much is precious #and whatever happened to forrest and hanton?

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snowfall-fanfictions · 4 years

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When All Is Lost, All Is Found Ch.1- The Sailor

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

No one was to set foot on the island, that was the decree from King Runeard. And for over 40 years, that decree was followed. Now, when a stranded sailor washes up on Arendelle's shores, claiming he survived the Island, that decree is about to be broken.

Sequel to "Beware the Frozen Heart"

I’m BACK BABEY!!!!!

The waters of Corona Bay glistened under the full moon. Few people were still out and about at this ungodly hour: drunkards stumbling out of pubs to return to their wives, women of the evening strutting about offering their services, and a few homeless children scurrying the empty streets like the rats they slept with. Down by the docks, several shady and hooded figures darted from shadow to shadow, avoiding the numerous guard patrols along the way. One by one, they slid silently into one of the warehouses on the north side. Closing the door behind them, they each removed their hoods and breathed a sigh of relief. One of the men, a thin bald man with cold silver eyes, walked forward to inspect the large crates before him while a still hooded man walked up beside him.

“You two,” he called out, pointing to two men, “get these things open!” The men walked forward as they brandished crowbars. With a loud *clunk*, the two men sank their crowbars in between the wood covering and yanked with all of their might, producing a loud squeaking sound as the nails were pulled out of the wood.

“This’d better be worth it,” he mumbled to the man beside him.

“Yesss, much worth here,” the hooded figure said in a thick Eastern European accent, “I’ve been watching this place for weeks, these crates are full of Chinese jade. Worth millions.”

“Let’s just hope you're right…”

As he finished talking, the crate opened with the loud clattering of wood on stone. All of the men gathered around the opening, ready to collect the precious materials inside, only to be surprised when the crate was empty. Frustrated murmurs filled the warehouse.

“What the-!?” The bald man shouted, turning to the hooded figure, “you said it’d be here!”

His anger was cut short by the sound of guns cocking from behind the crate. Several guards filed out to meet the group with pistols raised. One of them, a young man with a thick red hair and mustache, approached the bald man with a fearful scowl.

“Johann Üstag,” he announced, raising his pistol to his chest, “you’re under arrest in the name of Arendelle and Corona!”

“What?! But how?!”

“Me, you old dumbass!” The hooded figure shouted, dropping his accent. He pulled his hood back to reveal his gaunt face, jet black hair, and scar traveling down the left side of his face. His brown eyes met the man’s silver ones.

“ERYN?!”

“Hello, Johann,” Eryn sneered, “miss me?”

“I-I thought you were in Istanbul, looking for-”

“- for Liam? He’s long gone, I’m afraid. Leapt off the Hagia Sophia rather than come quietly.”

Johann’s body shook at Eryn’s words, “You bastard! Turning on your own friends like this!”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t turn on me, Johann! I still remember when you ruined damn near a month of prep with a bomb.”

“That was Alius, and from what I’ve heard you already got him back.”

“Your right, I did,” Eryn pulled out a revolver from his cloak and aimed it at Johann’s head, “but you didn’t do shit to stop him, so I’m considering this ‘tying up loose ends.’ Now, hands where I can see them, will you?”

Johann glared at him as he raised his hands.

“He’s all yours, Lenny,” Eryn said. Linaeus walked up to Johann and slapped a pair of shackles around the old man’s wrists. One by one, the guards moved through the mob of criminals, restraining them in a similar fashion. Eryn and Linaeus walked through the crowd until they passed through the doors of the warehouse.

“Well,” Linaeus said, “that should be the last of them, right Eryn?”

“Yep,” Eryn sighed, “He’s all that was left.”

“Then why so grim looking? You should be glad this is over now.”

“I still think that I could’ve taken care of it mys-”

Eryn’s sentence was interrupted by a series of rough, dry coughs. He brought his hand up to his face as he tried to force whatever was in his lungs out. Linaeus leaped as Eryn’s coughing fit started up.

“Eryn, are you alright?!” Linaeus said startled.

“I-I’m fine,” Eryn panted as he recomposed himself, “nothing to worry about.”

“Those coughs have been plaguing you for the last two years! There has to be something wrong.”

“It’s. Nothing. Lenny. We need to focus on the job at hand and get these bastards back to Arendelle.”

“Eryn…”

“Trust me, Lenny,” Eryn placed his hand on Linaeus’s shoulder, giving him a half smile, “I’m fine.” Linaeus gave Eryn a worried expression, “Can you at least promise me you’ll get it checked out when we get back?”

“Fine. Now, shall we get going?”

“I have to sort this out with Captain Fitzherbert first. These criminals are also Corona’s problem.”

“Rrright…” Eryn rolled his eyes. He’d grown a rather serious distaste for the husband of the Princess of Corona. At times, the man gave off this air of arrogance and romanticism, something that grated Eryn’s nerves only slightly. It was when Linaeus introduced him to Captain Fitzherbert that their relationship soured.

“I still don’t understand how you two don’t get along. You two are almost identical.”

“We would’ve gotten along if someone didn’t mention the whole ‘pledged my life to an ancient evil to be an assassin’ bit.”

Linaeus cringed at Eryn’s retort, “Look, I said I was sorry.” “It was the first thing you said when introducing m-” a rapid series of coughs interrupted Eryn as he doubled over.

“Why don’t you just… head back to the ship. I’ll talk with Eugune myself.”

“F-fine,” Eryn sputtered, regaining his composure. He hobbled past Linaeus, trying to stifle any remaining coughs.

Linaeus did nothing but shake his head as he watched Eryn slowly return to the ship. Ever since Skyne’s death, Eryn had been acting… strange. When he wasn’t chasing down a lead on one of his former colleagues, he was distancing himself from everyone. He would eat by himself, deliberately avoid the guards assigned to him, and, strangest of all, would take long lonely walks in the dead of night. Any attempt to find out what was wrong was met with a grumbled “nothing” followed by a mild to severe coughing fit. Linaeus couldn’t help but feel worried for his old friend. He let out a sigh, turning back to the warehouse to discuss the transfer of prisoners with Captain Fitzherbert.

He was concerned for Eryn, but Arendelle always had to come first.

XXXXXX

Eryn slumped against the door to his cabin before letting out another coughing fit. It felt as if he gargled seawater and chased it down with wood shavings. All he wanted to do at this point was rip his throat out and toss it into the ocean. Two godforsaken years had these coughs been plaguing him. Eryn lost count of how many sleepless nights he endured, jolted awake by the intrusion in his throat and lungs. As the coughing passed, he let out an exasperated groan. In a way, he felt like this was some kind of cosmic punishment for thinking he could face Skyne alone. Linaeus told him the whole ordeal a few days after apprehending Markus, how Skyne struck him down and how the queen managed to intervene and kill the monster. The one chance he had to prove himself and he blew it.

You really are an ass, aren’t you? He thought to himself, the whole world could’ve ended because of you, and you’re sitting here pissed because you didn’t get the fame for saving it. How the hell did you convince Elsa to spare you…

Eryn let loose a loud sigh. In his mind, Elsa was being far too kind to him. The two of them met all because of a few sacks of gold and the request of her head on a silver platter. Secretly, he’d been dreading the day the final member of the old gang was in chains. That meant he’d have to return to Arendelle and face her again. Eryn wasn’t sure what would await him upon the delivery of Johann. He fully expected to be thrown in the dungeons once again, or even put on the gallows immediately.

Mustering the little strength he had gathered in the past few minutes, Eryn lifted himself off of the floor and fumbled over to his hammock. Perhaps some sleep would clear his mind and conscience. He flopped onto the hammock as he let his eyelids go heavy before drifting to sleep…

He was back on the North Mountain, his hands covered in blood. Elsa laid before him, her throat slit and her eyes still and glassy. Anna sobbed loudly as she cradled her elder sister in her arms. Linaeus approached him with his sword drawn, pointing it towards Eryn.

“ERYN!” Linaeus shouted, “WHY?!”

Before he had a chance to respond, an inky black tentacle pierced Linaeus’s chest. Eryn could feel the blood splatter onto his face as his friend slumped to the floor with a loud gurgling noise. Looking up, Eryn saw… him. The crimson eyes that pierced his soul. The inky black skin that blotted out the night sky behind him. The serpentine head, a maniacal grin overtaking it. The antlers, now stained with blood. The canine-like legs sinking into the snow. The wretched smell of death and decay. Skyne lifted Anna into the air, who was begging to stay with her sister. In an instant, Anna was enveloped in an orb of darkness. All Eryn could hear was the shrill shrieking of the princess followed by the sound of crunching bones. Skyne let out a wicked chortle as he lifted Eryn off of the ground and brought him to face level.

Come now, Odrikson, the monster growled, Isn’t this what you wanted?

“N-no!” Eryn gasped, clawing at the beast’s grasp, “I want out!”

I’m afraid that’s no longer an option. You’ve signed away your freedom the second you swore allegiance to me!

“Let. Me. GO!” Eryn’s heart raced as he felt Skyne tighten his grip around him.

T̷̬̍H̷̺̓Ë̵͓́R̵̥̓È̵̬'̵̩͐S̸͖̍ ̵̜͐N̵̤͆O̸̦͘ ̷͔͝T̶̻͗U̷͛͜Ř̵͈N̸͈̎I̷͈͒N̶̦̋G̷͗ͅ ̶̢͐B̷̭͐A̵̯̽C̶̭̏K̴͚͊ ̶͇͒N̶̤͌Ő̴͓W̶̝͐!̷̘̑

Skyne’s grip became tighter and tighter. Eryn struggled to free himself, only enticing the spirit to squeeze harder until he could hear his bones crack under the immense pressure…

“Eryn! Wake up!”

Eryn bolted upright in his bed, panting as if he ran a marathon. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead as his heart raced. Eryn snapped his head to the left, only to be greeted by a concerned Linaeus kneeling by his bedside.

“L-Lenny!” Eryn gasped, “Wh-what happened?”

“What happened?” Linaeus gawked, “I overheard you shouting in your sleep, that’s what happened. Something about ‘wanting out.’”

Eryn buried his face in his hand as his panting subsided. It was just a nightmare, he thought, Everyone is-

As soon as his breathing stabilized, Eryn was greeted by another bout of coughing. This time felt much harder and more fierce than any before. It felt as if his throat was on fire.

“Here, drink some of this,” Linaeus said as he handed Eryn a small flask. Without hesitation, Eryn grabbed the drink and eagerly gulped it down. As he drank, he could feel Linaeus’s gaze boring a hole into him.

“Th-thank you,” Eryn said, returning the flask to Linaeus. The general’s look of concern didn’t change as he took the container from Eryn’s hand.

“You know what I’m going to ask, right?” Linaeus asked.

“It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Eryn quickly responded as he attempted to get out of bed.

“You had that nightmare again, didn’t you? With… him?”

Eryn winced at Linaeus’s question. “Y-yeah…”

“Eryn, this isn’t ‘nothing.’ You’ve been having those nightmares since--” “I can deal with them myself,” Eryn snapped, “A few bad dreams haven’t hurt anyone.”

“But if it’s the same bad dream for two years? That’s not normal, Eryn.”

“We work for a woman who controls ice and snow, what do we know about ‘normal?’”

“Even Elsa’s magic can’t manipulate dreams, Eryn,” Linaeus folded his arms as he rose from the floor, “You shouldn’t be ignoring this, you know…”

Eryn flopped his head back onto his pillow. “Ugh, fine,” he groaned, “I’ll see what help I can get once we get back to Arendelle.”

“We are back in Arendelle.”

Eryn shot back up from the bed, “What?! A nonstop trip from Corona to Arendelle takes at least two days! Are you telling me that I slept the entire trip?”

“Indeed you did. Had to fight to keep the captain from tossing you overboard.”

Eryn could overhear the crew shouting and moving objects above. His heart sank as he realized that Linaeus wasn’t joking.

“Er, thanks, I guess?” Eryn let out a weak chuckle.

“Wouldn’t want to miss out on your audience with the queen, now would you?” A small smile formed on Linaeus’s face. Eryn returned the smile, but could feel his anxiety creep through his body.

“What’s got you so worried?” Linaeus chuckled, “She’s not going to bite, y’know?”

As far as you know, Eryn thought, but resisted the urge to say anything. He knew of Linaeus’s feelings towards the queen (well, everyone knew except for Elsa) so Eryn wished to avoid insulting her in front of him.

“I’ll leave you be so you can ready yourself,” Linaeus walked over to the door and swung it open before turning back to Eryn and adding, “And don’t forget about… well, you know.”

“R-right. Thanks, Lenny.”

Linaeus nodded and closed the door behind him. Eryn let out an audible gulp. This was it: the day he both awaited and dreaded. Once he left this boat, his fate was up to the queen. Might as well get this over with, he thought to himself as he got out of bed.

XXXXXX

“Wait,” Olaf said, scanning the large map of North America laid out on the desk. He stood next to Anna upon Elsa’s chair as he smoothed out the map with his twig hands. “They want to take all that land?”

“Yep,” Anna said, looking over the map, “Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. From what I’ve heard Elsa talk about, Texas wants to be a part of America but some Americans don’t want it.”

“But it’s so big! You could fit like... a hundred Arendelles in it!” Think of all the snowmen you could make in there.”

“Ehhhh, seeing how it’s mostly desert, you won’t get a lot of snowmen out there.”

“Then why take so much?”

Anna quickly rolled up the map before saying, “How about we take a break for now? I’ll go check on Elsa if you can go down to the docks to wait for Linaeus and Eryn. I promise that we’ll keep talking about this later.”

“Oooh! I can do that! I missed Derri-- I mean Eryn.” With that, Olaf hopped off the chair and scurried out of the room. Anna placed the map under her arm as she walked out with him, only to be immediately greeted by Kristoff, her fiancé, leaning against the wall in his normal fur outfit. Anna ran towards him as he caught her in a warm embrace.

“Hey,” she said against his shirt, “I missed you.”

“Hey yourself,” he replied, “How’s the current events lesson going?”

“I’m not sure how to describe slavery to a snowman,” Anna detached herself from Kristoff, “Wow, that’s an odd sentence.”

“Odder than ‘My sister can sneeze life?’”

“Okay, that’s valid. Speaking of which, have you seen Elsa?”

“Heard some of the staff say she was in the library. Not sure what she’s doing there, though.”

Anna pursed her lips. Ever since Elsa came back from the North Mountain, she started getting borderline obsessed with ancient myths and legends. Anna always found her curled up on a chair somewhere with a massive book of mythology either resting on her lap or collapsed on the floor. Anna couldn’t get any answers out of her, all she would get was an “I’m fine, Anna,” or “Don’t worry, Anna.” But that’s all she could do. She worried that her sister was falling back into her old habits. Worried that she was going to lose Elsa again. How could she do anything but worry when she didn’t have the whole story?

“Hey,” Kristoff placed a loving hand on her shoulder, “You wanna go check on her?”

Anna gave him a warm smile, “Yeah, thanks.”

The two of them made their way down the hall when Anna jerked to a stop. She knelt down and began hiking up her dress when Kristoff came and knelt beside her.

“Is your leg acting up again?” He asked as she hiked up enough of her dress to reveal her wooden prosthetic. He was still impressed as to how fast that came in after the attack. What impressed him further is that, rather than just a pegleg, it closely resembled an actual human leg and foot, even matching Anna’s creamy skin color.

“Yes,” Anna groaned, “Can you… uh… push that in?” Anna pointed to a small metal piece jutting out of where the artificial ankle was. Without hesitation, Kristoff shoved the protruding piece back into place.

“I thought this thing was ‘state of the art,’ why does it feel like it breaks every other day?” Kristoff asked, standing up while helping Anna off of the floor.

“Well, the doctors did say that I shouldn’t do too much ‘strenuous activity’ with it, but you know me, Miss Strenuous Activity herself.”

Kristoff lightly chuckled, “Heh, you’re right on that. Let’s just get to the library before that thing breaks again.”

“I’ll race ya.” Anna gave him a cheeky wink.

“I’m not sure if that leg of yours is gonna--” before Kristoff could finish his sentence, Anna flew down the corridor and off to the left. Kristoff simply sighed as he bolted down the corridor in a vain attempt to catch up to his beloved.

XXXXXX

“Alright, let’s look through this again,” Elsa told herself, dipping her quil in the inkwell. Before her on the mahogany desk laid out some parchment paper, a book that translates from Latin to English, and a worn old book she found on accident two years ago, hidden behind one of the bookshelves. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she read through the passages. An authentic skald poem, thought to be lost hundreds of years ago, about magic! After months of fruitless searching about Skyne, Ahtohallan, or even Aren the First, this writing was a godsend. What wasn’t a godsend, however, was attempting to translate the illegible writings. She’d lost track of how many nights she spent trying to decipher the ancient texts. To her left, a small piece of parchment where she wrote down some translations of the text into something more legible. Relaying her sight between the book of translations and the skald poem, Elsa diligently printed line after line onto the parchment paper, careful as to not misspell or miss any words. Once she fully translated the passage, Elsa placed the quill back into the inkwell and began to read over the passage:

A thousand years ago,

When magic roamed these lands,

Man and myth together

Lived in fair harmony

From Ahtohallan’s shores

To southern lands most far

The four masters roamed wide

Where North Wind met the sea

Elsa paused at the last phrase. She heard it before, in her mother’s lullaby about the source of all magic. Elsa absentmindedly bounced her foot as she contemplated this information. It’s a start, at least, she thought to herself before retrieving her quill and starting again. Perhaps the rest of the poem would have more informa-

“ELSA!”

Elsa jumped at the shouting of her name, encasing her quill in ice. She quickly around, her blue eyes narrowed in anger, to find Anna and Kristoff standing before her.

“Please just knock next time, Anna,” Elsa sighed as she tried prying the quill out of her hand.

“I did,” her sister replied, “you were just so busy with… whatever it is you’re doing, you just didn’t hear.” As Elsa listened to Anna’s explanation, she waved her open hand over the icy quill, vanishing the cold before setting it back into her inkwell

“Is everything alright? Is it your leg again?”

“No, no. It’s just…”

“We were a little concerned about you,” Kristoff interjected.

“There’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m perfectly— ANNA!”

Anna held Elsa’s work in her hands, reading it silently to herself. Once she was done, Anna looked up to Elsa with a look of confusion.

“Elsa, what is this?”

Elsa sighed in defeat. “I-”

Before she could explain, Elsa was interrupted by a knock on the door. Gerda meekly entered the room, giving the queen a small curtsey.

“Sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but General Torvond and Mr. Odrikson have arrived from Corona.”

“O-oh,” Elsa felt a wave of both relief and anxiety rush over her. Even two years later, she was still kicking herself for letting her guard down and allowing an assassin so close to her, let alone growing attracted to him. Ever since the day she found out the truth, Elsa swore she’d never be duped like that again. For her sake, and for Anna’s.

Elsa shook off the feeling as she regained her composure. “Good,” she said, “do they have Mr. Üstag with them?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They’re on their way to the castle now.”

Elsa nodded, “Very well, I’ll meet them in the courtyard in a bit. Thank you, Gerda.”

As Gerda left the room, Elsa turned to face a slightly annoyed Anna, pouting disapprovingly.

“So are you going to tell us what’s with the books?” Anna asked.

“I’ll… tell you after we deal with Eryn and Linaeus.”

“Promise?”

“Super sister promise. Now, let’s head to the courtyard.” Elsa briskly walked out of the library as Anna and Kristoff exchanged worried looks.

“She’s doing it again,” Anna said.

“But she at least promised to tell you,” Kristoff replied, “that’s more than any other time.”

“But is she serious about it or is she just saying that?”

“Only one way to find out.” Kristoff gestured to the hallway as the two of them casually walked down to the courtyard.

XXXXXX

“All this for what, Eryn? To become some royal’s pet?” Johann sneered.

“Oh, shut it, you old bastard,” Eryn grunted as he shoved him through the streets. Throughout the city, people stared quizzically at the three men as they made their way towards the castle. Just a few steps ahead of them, Olaf was skipping merrily across the cobblestones prattling on about whatever was on his mind. All of them were flanked by stone faced guards, brandishing their rifles like a living set of tin soldiers. While Linaeus humored the snowman, Eryn fixated his attention on the castle looming in the distance. He knew what was to happen to Johann, a night in the dungeons before he hung, but it was his own fate Eryn wasn’t sure of. Anxiety shot through his body with every step towards the castle. Eryn shook off these feelings as he tightened his grip on the man in his grasp, who struggled with each step.

“So she really let you off after you swore to bring us all in? I knew she was a whore, but not a stupid wh-”

Eryn struck Johann in his stomach, who fell to the ground whimpering like a dog. With no hesitation, Eryn hoisted the man off the ground and brought him to eye level.

“You’re lucky I don’t have a sword on me,” he growled, “because if I did, I’d cut that tongue out of your damn head!”

Johann formed a weak smile, “Seems I’ve struck a raw nerve, eh, Ery-”

Johann was silenced by yet another strike to his stomach.

“I just got tired of hearing you speak, you-” Before Eryn could finish his insult, he was cut off by a series of sharp, dry coughs.

“And here I thought I’d be the one to die first, but judging by that cough, you just might drop before me.” Johann gave Eryn a sly grin before Eryn hooked his right hand into the old man’s face. The sudden blow forced the man onto the ground as Eryn hoisted him back onto his feet.

“Any more out of you and I’ll knock the rest of your teeth out, now move!” Eryn roared, shoving Johann towards the castle. The two of them managed to catch up with both Linaeus and Olaf as they passed through the castle gates.

”...and I said ‘you can eat as much as you want but you’ll never get enough Vitamin D,” Olaf said, “Oh! We’re here!”

Before the men stood Elsa, flanked by two emerald clad guards, her expression regal and poised. Eryn steeled himself as he shoved Johann through the courtyard. Linaeus greeted the Üqueen with a quick salute as Eryn followed behind.

“Your Majesty,” Linaeus said, “It’s good to see you again.” “You as well, Linaeus,” Elsa replied, “I assume your mission in Corona was a success?”

“I’d say it was,” Eryn chimed in, shoving Johann up to the two of them, “May I present Johann Üstag, anarchist, traitor, and would be assassin.”

“Well isn’t that pot calling the kettle black?” Johann mumbled. Eryn was half tempted to give him another blow to the stomach, but resisted the urge in front of the queen.

Elsa strode up to the man as her expression soon turned to an icy glare, “You have a lot to answer for, Mr. Üstag.”

“Well, it looks like all I have to do is say I’m sorry and all is forgiven. I mean, that’s what you did with the mastermind behind all this.” “He’s done more than enough to repay his debt. Unlike you, who shows no remorse.”

“Why would I show remorse for a loathsome whore like y-”

Eryn quickly interrupted his sentence with a jab to the man’s jaw.

“Christ, could any of you come up with anything original?” Eryn groaned, “I’ve heard more ‘whore’ from you lot than a brothel can carry. Er- pardon the analogy, your majesty.”

Elsa waved her hand, “It’s fine, Eryn.” She then turned to Linaeus, “Escort Mr. Üstag to the dungeons. We’ll arrange for his execution later.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Linaeus said as he took Johann from Eryn and dragged him through the castle doors. Eryn attempted to follow his friend, but was immediately stopped by the queen.

“I would like to speak to you personally, Mr. Odrikson,” She said. Eryn could feel his anxiety flare up throughout his entire body.

“O-of course, your majesty,” Eryn replied, masking his nervousness. Elsa’s icy glare faded to a warm smile.

“I’d first like to thank you personally. For doing this.”

“Ah, well, it was nothing. Didn’t like half of them anyway.”

“And the other half?”

“The other half didn’t like me.”

Elsa stifled a giggle, easing Eryn’s nerves a bit.

“I was surprised you even came back at all. Everyone in the council thought you’d disappear after I sent you off. Even Anna and Kristoff.” “Well, what can I say? I’m full of surprises.” The two of them started chuckling amongst each other. Eryn cringed internally. That’s what you say? He thought to himself, of course she knows you’re full of surprises, you ‘surprised’ her by trying to kill her! Their laughter soon died out, bringing about an awkward silence only broken by the sound of birds and the waves of the Arenfjord.

“Anyway…” Elsa continued, “With Mr. Üstag in custody now, I guess that means you’re debt free.”

“Indeed.”

“Did you… have any plans now?”

Eryn thought long and hard, “I had a… vague idea. Probably live out my days back in Karnisvarne. Become a farmer or something…”

This couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He’d actually planned to catch the next boat to Romania or something, far away from Arendelle, where he’d hopefully die a nobody. It’s what he deserved after fucking up as horribly as he did.

“Well, I’d like to make you a job offer, one that might sound better than being a farmer.”

Eryn cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“I’d like to give you your old job back. Well, Derrick’s job, that is.”

Eryn’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Surely she wasn’t serious, right?

“Wait, what?”

“You’ve not only proven that you're loyal to Arendelle, but also worthy enough to stand as my bodyguard. So, do you accept?”

Before Eryn had a chance to answer, Anna and Kristoff barreled through the front gates towards them.

“How are you so fast?” Anna panted before turning her attention to Eryn, “Oh, hello Eryn!”

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Eryn gave the princess a small bow, careful to avoid staring at the false leg his old colleagues gave her, “And you too, Mr. Bjorgman.”

“Right,” Kristoff said coldly, “So, I’m guessing that was the last of them being hauled to the dungeons?”

“Yes,” Elsa interjected, “We can all rest a little easier now, thanks to Eryn.”

“Well, it’s because of Eryn all this happened,” Kristoff grumbled under his breath, earning a slap on the shoulder from Anna.

“It doesn’t matter who caused it, it’s all in the past now. Now, Eryn, what do you think?”

“Well-”

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sa-” Eryn turned sharply to see what else was interrupting them. A young guard came bolting across the bridge, panting like a dog. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he tried to stop and catch his breath.

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Elsa asked, visibly concerned about the young man’s safety.

“A- a body… washed in from the fjord…” he panted.

Elsa’s jaw fell open, with Eryn’s following suit. “Where is it?” Elsa asked

“On the docks… one of the fisherman found him…”

“Alright, I’ll see to it. Thank you.” With no hesitation, Elsa made her way towards the docks.

“She really needs to learn to delegate,” Eryn said as he followed after her, followed by Anna, Kristoff and Olaf.

XXXXXX

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf tore through the massive crowd as if they were traversing through thick grass. When they reached the center of the mass of people, they saw a few doctors huddled around what appeared to be a rather muscular man, clothed in a white and blue striped shirt and navy blue pants. He was visibly breathing, though it was shallow and sporadic. As Elsa approached, Eryn made his way behind her.

“Oh, God,” Elsa said under her breath, “I-is he okay?”

“He appears to be alive, that’s the good news,” one of the doctors piped up, pumping a large pair of furnace bellows in the man’s throat. In an instant, a geyser of water erupted from the unconscious man’s mouth, causing the whole crowd to gasp in surprise.

“Оstrov Smerti! Ostrov Smerti!” he gasped between coughing bouts.

“He’s Russian?!” Eryn said, “What are the Russians doing here?”

“Who’s ‘Austin Smitty?’” Olaf asked, “Is that his name?”

“No,” Eryn replied, “He’s saying ‘Isle of Death…’” Eryn knelt down beside the man and began speaking to him.

“Chto s toboy sluchilos'?” he asked, “What happened?”

“Sh-shipwreck…” the man gasped, “w-we got stranded on some island… They… they slaughtered us like animals.”

“Who? What island?”

The man said nothing as he weakly raised his hand to point out towards the Arenfjord. His finger landed on the massive island just beyond the waters of Arendelle, thick with trees and mist.

“You were on Jӧrmundskala Island??!” Eryn and Elsa shouted. A murmur erupted from the crowd as the man was lifted off the ground by a few guards and doctors.

“Jӧrmundskala Island?” Anna said, “No one’s been on that island for years! Who would even think about going there?!” “I don’t know, but it’s something I need to look into,” Elsa said, not taking her eyes off of the island.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Kristoff said, “‘I?’”

“The island is Arendellian, inhabited or not. And I’d rather not get involved in an international incident with the Russian Empire.”

“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Eryn interjected, “You made it sound like you were going there personally…”

“I am.”

“What?!” Anna blurted out, “You are not doing this alone.”

“Anna, no. I have my powers to protect me, plus I can’t have you injured again on my behalf…”

“I’ll manage. I’ve been through hell and back at least twice and without powers, so, y’know, I’m coming.”

“Me too,” Kristoff added.

“Jӧrmundskala?!” a voice shouted from the crowd. The four of them turned their attention to see Linaeus making his way through the crowd. “You can’t be serious, Elsa!”

“I am, Linaeus.”

“You aren’t going without me, or a proper military detachment.”

Elsa was taken aback by Linaeus’s demand before nodding. “Alright. Whatever guarantees a safe and quick procedure.”

“I’m going too,” Eryn said as he looked on towards the island, stifling a cough. All that were present stared at him confused as they all gave a synchronized “What?”

Eryn let his gaze linger on the island before turning to the group, “If I’m to take up a job as royal bodyguard, I should accompany you on this journey, shouldn’t I?”

Elsa smiled weakly as Kristoff, Anna, and Linaeus stared on in disbelief. As they talked amongst themselves, Eryn stared back at the island. He couldn’t describe what it was, but something inside of him was goading him there, drawing him to the island. Whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t tell yet.

All he knew was that he needed to go to that island.

#frozen fanfiction #disney frozen #OC #queen elsa #princess anna #olaf #kristoff #hans #fanfiction #Eryn Odrikson #blood tw #gore tw #mature

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something-tofightfor · 5 years

Text

Truth Be Told - Part 1

Pairing: King Caspian x Reader

Word Count: 4655

Rating: M? I think there’s some language, as well as talk of a plot of murder, but for the most part, it’s nothing to be warned about.

Summary: Picking up where we left off at the end of Take a Sip (Halloween masterlist) ... Caspian and his Queen have to deal with the fallout of Sor’s return to Narnia and his disruption of the Harvest Festival.

Author’s Note: I’m trying to work my way around to all of my characters and stories without just sticking to one, but this one (even though it’s multiple parts long) is roughly 75% finished... and I wanted to get something out.

I know I tend to write longer pieces, which isn’t ideal for some people... so I’m attempting to post differently, and rather than posting it as a long, single piece, I’m breaking it up.

Thank you for reading!

Tagging: Wanna be added? Let me know! Wanna be removed? Let me know.

General:

@the-blind-assassin-12 @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @obscurilicious @sweetybuzz25 @suchatinyinfinity @lexxierave @gollyderek @poindexted @ificouldhelpyouforget @elanor-of-imladris @thesandbeneathmytoes @luminex3 @geeksareunique @weallhaveadestiny @mfackenthal @thesumofmychoices @yannii04 @beautiful-thinking @drinix @agentlingerie @blah-blah-fuckit-shit @dreams-with-thoughts @wangmangagavroche @traeumerinwitzhelden @jigsawlover10 @malionnes

Caspian:

@emyyjemyy @damalseer @thisisparadisemylove @chibiyanai @life-is-a-melody @shinebrightlikeafanbase @halfwit-halfblood @littlemermaidprobz

Uncategorized:

@banditthewriter @padfootagain @madamrogers @ethereal-heavcns @editboutique @marauderskeeper @ilkaeliseb @delicatelilyflower @king4thesirens @ymariejp @mr-robot-x @rageshots @introvertedlibrary @writing-for-a-chance @yesixoxo @ilikebeachessushiandsmallanimals @likeorions @swiftyhowlz @dylanobrusso @malik-payne @lynne1993 @ladyblablabla @dreamwritesimagines @audreychaz @tc-elliot @kind-wolf @honeyydippaa @binbonsadoration @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @ms-delos @jeanettexkillian @avengerswhore @elioelioeli0 @projectcampbell @giggleberts

In the days following the attempt on your life at the Harvest Festival, Caspian hadn’t been able to leave your side for longer than a few minutes at a time. From the moment you both woke up, comfortable and safe in your suite’s bedroom, he’d felt the need to watch you closely, ensuring that you didn’t need anything, that you weren’t weak or disoriented or afraid for your life. I’m overreacting, he’d thought as the two of you made your way down to the kitchens in the early afternoon, personally requesting some of your favorite foods for dinner that evening. She’s going to be fine, this cannot continue. But it had - even as he’d watched you voraciously eat your lunch, drinking almost an entire pitcher of water on your own, followed by a tall cup of apple cider that was leftover from the night’s festivities. She’s fine, she doesn’t need me to…

But Caspian had stayed close, accompanying you to meet with a palace messenger, wanting to ensure that your pastry delivery was still on, sitting with you as you scheduled a time for the two of you to speak to your kingdom’s residents, telling them that you were very much alive, that Sor’s plot had failed, and that you wouldn’t be taking time off to recover, heading up to the treasury, which was located high in one of the towers of Cair Paravel to ensure that the festival was properly accounted for. He hadn’t even seen you cry over the ordeal aside from the tears you’d shed as he carried you from the field to the medical wing, and Caspian thought that you were the strongest person he’d ever met. She was meant to be Queen. Fair and fierce, determined and unstoppable, you weren’t going to let a little thing like almost being poisoned stop you from giving the people what you’d promised them a year prior, and Caspian’s affection for you grew by the moment, pushing the worry he felt for you down - slightly.

“My King.” On the morning of the third day, you were dressing in front of a mirror, hair swept over one shoulder as you pulled a gown up and over your torso. “You can’t keep your eyes off of me, I feel like…”

“That’s always been true.” Caspian grinned, standing from the bed and moving behind you, settling the fabric in place as he tightened the laces, tying them for you. “But…” He sighed, looking down before meeting your gaze through the mirror. “I almost lost you, and now I don’t…” He swallowed, trying to keep his voice even. “Sor’s imprisoned, but that doesn’t mean he’s the only one, there could be others, and I don’t want to risk…”

“Danmair and Rantawn’s men caught three other men, Caspian, but they’ve all sworn that it was just the four of them that sailed here together.” You sighed, reaching up to touch Caspian’s hand, which had settled on your shoulder. “Damnair believes them. I believe them. They’ve been caught, they have no reason to lie, they’ve been implicated in a plot to kill me.” You smiled, the words leaving your lips with only the slightest hitch. “Telling the truth is all they have now, if they want to receive a fair judgement.” Fair? What’s fair? He didn’t respond right away, focused instead on your dress and on the information he’d received about Sor the day after the festival.

The man had sustained a single stab wound on the right side of his abdomen, though it wasn’t deep. You’d only managed to push your weapon a few inches into the man’s skin, and while painful, one of the palace medical staff had stitched it up, ensuring that the man would live to be tried. Caspian had been disappointed at that, almost hoping that you’d wounded him badly enough that Sor wouldn’t make it, but the more he thought about it, the more he was looking forward to the man getting what he deserved - and having to look you in the face as it happened. “I know.” He spoke again, shaking his head. “I know all of that, but I can’t believe it, and until we…”

“I want to talk to him, Caspian.” You turned away from the mirror, reaching up to place your hand on his cheek. “I want to ask him why, I want to -”

“No.” He shook his head back and forth, eyes wide. No. “I don’t want you anywhere near that man, I don’t want you to -”

“You can’t stop me, Caspian.” Tone gentle, you stared up and into Caspian’s face. “I don’t want to go without your approval, but I will if I have to.” You can’t, I’ll have the guards stop you. You can’t go down there, you… But he knew that Danmair - as loyal as he was to Caspian - had taken his job protecting you in the same way that a father would have, and would do everything he could to make your wishes reality, no matter what they were. Caspian couldn’t fault the man - the care and concern Danmair felt for you was understandable, and Caspian knew that he wouldn’t let you put yourself into harm’s way. “And I need to go alone.” Freezing, Caspian felt his head moving back and forth. “Yes, Caspian. If you go, he won’t…” You sighed deeply, looking down. “He’ll speak freely in front of me, Caspian. Tell me exactly what he thinks of me and why he did it, but if you’re there, he’ll just focus on hurting you.”

He knew you were right, but he didn’t like it. He said your name, your head tilting back up slowly and Caspian paused before he spoke, wanting to be sure of his words. “If you think you need to do that,” he trailed off, collecting his thoughts. “Just make sure that you’re safe, make sure that…”

��I’ll have to sneak out of your eyesight for more than a few minutes at a time, Caspian…” You teased him gently, rising onto your toes to kiss his lips, your breath gentle on his skin. “You do realize you can’t just hover over me for the rest of my life, right?” Damn. Caspian found himself smiling, his arms going around you to hold you close.

“You married me knowing exactly how closely I wanted to watch you,” he murmured. “This isn’t new.” Laughing against his chest, you nodded. “But you’re right, I just…” He tightened his hold, thinking. “Give me the rest of today, and then…” Caspian pushed you away, holding your upper arms tightly. “If you’ll… allow me one more day of keeping you close, tomorrow, we’ll get back to normal?” Four days is long enough. Four days is enough to see that she’s…

“Fine, my King.” You inclined your head, straightening your shoulders. “Until tomorrow, and then we’ll both get back to work.” You smoothed his shirt, fingers trailing over the lapels of the jacket he wore over it. “Let’s go talk to our people, Caspian.” He nodded once, heartbeat loud in his ears. Yes. That’s a good idea.

---

Later that night, you and Caspian had retired back to your rooms, undressing for bed and climbing beneath the covers. Though the weather was still mild and the breeze blowing in through the opened window was on the balmy side of crisp, the air smelled of Autumn. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, your room only illuminated by the flickering glow of lanterns and candles encased in glass containers, Caspian took a deep breath. “I meant what I said.” You shifted, hand still pressed against his bare chest, but using the other elbow to lift yourself off of the mattress, raising your head to look at him. He wet his lips, waiting a beat as you quirked an eyebrow up, staring at him. “Tomorrow we’ll get back to our normal schedules. All I needed to see was you with the people.” You smiled at him, eyes seeming to glow in the low light, and Caspian reached up with one arm, crossing it over his chest and pushing your hair away from your face. “You handled that so well, my Queen.”

“You think so?” He nodded solemnly, fingertips stroking down the side of your face and thought for a moment, back to the way you’d sounded earlier that afternoon.

“Narnians.” You stood next to him on the platform that was still standing in the center of the square, and though Caspian had fought you on it, there were no guards between you and the crowd. Instead, they stood a short distance away, flanking you on both sides, arms hanging loosely. “Thank you for being here.” You waited, nodding at individual members of the crowd before continuing, their low murmurs of encouragement reaching both of your ears. “As we all know there was… an attempt on my life at the festival a few nights ago.” Caspian gripped your hand more tightly, giving you a moment but ready to jump in if necessary. “A Narnian - one of your King’s former trusted advisors was responsible, along with a few accomplices.”

You pulled your hand from his, turning your head to look at Caspian quickly before you stepped forward, closer to the crowd. Caspian watched as you raised both hands, turning your palms up and holding them out toward those gathered. “It was an unsuccessful attempt, but many of you…” You paused, taking a deep breath. “Many of you witnessed how close Sor came to succeeding in his task of removing me from the throne, in eliminating me from my place by King Caspian’s side.” The murmurs were growing louder by the moment, and Caspian took his eyes from you, looking out over the crowd. They’re angry. He realized this with shock, watching as those gathered shook their heads, eyes narrowing and voices growing louder. “He tried to take it upon himself to make the decision for the entire Kingdom alone, because he believes that he knows what’s best.” You stopped, dropping one hand and raising the other, fingers folding down until only two were held in the air, the crowd quieting almost immediately.

“I am alive. I am fit to rule by my husband - and your King’s side.” Some of the crowd members nodded, their expressions becoming less angry. “He did not succeed, but it wasn’t for his lack of trying.” You lowered your hand, and Caspian watched as you bowed your head for a moment, waiting. “I let myself get caught off guard. I let myself forget where I was and why I must be vigilant, and …” You looked back up, setting your shoulders. “I cannot let that happen again, because as your Queen, I have to be prepared for whatever comes. I cannot risk something slipping by me and potentially… harming a single one of you.” You looked back over your shoulder, catching Caspian’s eye and he fought the urge to step closer to you, to take your hand in his again. “I cannot risk my King’s life, either. I won’t.” You gave him a tight lipped smile before turning back to the crowd. “And so my promise to you is this.” You drew your shoulders up, straightening your back. “I promise to do better. I promise to stay aware. I promise to…” You licked your lips. “To set a good example for all of you and for any that may feel about me the way that Sor did, even to a small degree.” The crowd’s response to that was filled with many shaking their heads, a great many Narnians looking at you as if you weren’t making any sense. She doesn’t need to feel this way, she… “Sor will have a trial - a fair one - to ensure that the punishment he receives fits the crime.” He will?

Caspian should have felt surprise at the way the crowd exploded at that, their shouts drowning each other out. They want him to pay, they don’t want a trial, they… He gave you a moment, again ready to step forward if necessary, but you held your ground, eyes scanning the crowd. “It doesn’t matter what he did.” Your voice was quiet but firm, head shaking back and forth. “We believe in being fair, in allowing people to…” You clenched your hand into a fist by your side. “...To speak their minds, even if a majority believes that they are wrong.” You closed your eyes again, lips curving into the smile that Caspian could almost feel against his own. “Thank you for your support and concern. It means the world to us.” You stepped backwards and Caspian took your hand immediately, helping you to uncurl your fingers and slipping his between them, squeezing gently.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered as he looked over the crowd, thinking about what he’d say before the two of you retreated back inside, leaving the crowd to disperse. “Absolutely amazing.”

“Caspian, that’s what any Queen would have done, I just…” You sighed. “I needed to do more than to show them I’m alive, I need to let them know that…” You frowned. “That I can be fair and objective, and stay level headed and…”

“You spoke before I did.” He wrinkled his nose at you, leaning closer. “You made a decision that didn’t allow me to go down into that dungeon and kill him myself before consulting with anyone.” You shrugged but didn’t deny it and Caspian laughed quietly. “They were just as surprised as I was.” It was your turn to laugh, your body lowering again, cheek resting against Caspian’s skin as he curled an arm around you to hold you close. “The trial won’t last long.” He took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. “I want it over before Christmas, since this is the first we’ll be married for, and…”

“That’s fine, Caspian.” You turned your head, pressing a kiss to his bare skin. “It needs to be quick, he needs to see what will happen to him and so do the people. We need to -” Caspian said your name and you stopped speaking.

“Enough.” Though he spoke softly, there was a finality in his voice. “No more of this for tonight.” You agreed, lips trailing over his skin and up, your body moving so that your faces were even. Caspian turned to look at you, rolling onto his side. “I love you.” You replied with the same, catching your lower lip between your teeth. I could be planning her funeral. He shuddered, closing his eyes. But I’m not. He opened his eyes, moving without pause and rolled toward you, pinning you on your back beneath him. “Let me show you.” Hair spread out over the pillow and your lips parted just slightly, you nodded. Caspian rolled his hips against you as he lowered his head, mouth hovering over yours. “Let me tell you.” Done waiting, you stretched forward, closing the final distance and kissed him, Caspian swallowing the gentle sigh that left your mouth and lowering his body further against you.

---

The next few days passed without incident; you and Caspian falling back into routine. Though he felt anxious and sought you out every few hours on the first day, knowing that you were safe within the palace gave him comfort, and Caspian got work done, much to his surprise. The second and third days were easier, parting after breakfast - you being escorted into town with Danmair to attend to things while he remained in the palace for meetings, Caspian’s advisors and some of the Lords from surrounding areas filling his day with plenty of information. The trial was scheduled to begin two weeks after the night of the festival, ensuring that those who were summoned to attend could make it to Cair Paravel in time, and that the rooms within the palace could be prepared adequately for them.

Though Caspian refused to discuss the events of the festival with the Lords since they’d be sitting in on the trial and he didn’t want to influence them, he heard whispers, both from them and among the staff, his advisors letting him know what the citizens of Narnia were saying, the way they viewed what had happened. They’re unhappy. They don’t think that… It’s a good thing they’re not deciding his fate. He kept busy, but you were never far from Caspian’s mind, and as each day passed, he found that while he still counted down the minutes until his duties could be finished for the day and he’d see you again, he wasn’t as afraid for you as he had been the day before.

You gave no indication that you’d been to the dungeon to visit Sor, and each time he asked Danmair or Rantawn if they knew whether or not you’d gone, they told him no, giving him no indication that they were lying. Maybe she decided not to. The thought filled him with hope, but on a rainy Saturday, only a few days before the trial was scheduled to begin, Caspian was unable to find you anywhere within the halls of Cair Paravel. He knew you hadn’t left; the rains were too steady for you to have gone into town, and in a split second, Caspian knew that his luck had run out, and you’d gone to the dungeons. I have to go. I need to… His feet carried him down long hallways, heartbeat increasing as he descended beneath the palace, but when he reached the bottom of the stairs, Caspian stopped, unsure. She said she didn’t want me to…

“Your Majesty.” He heard Danmair’s voice before he saw the man step out from the shadows, one hand on the hilt of his sword. “She’s down here, but she -”

“I know.” Caspian sighed, speaking quietly. “I don’t want to bother her.” The other man sighed, leaning in to speak directly into Caspian’s ear.

“You can stand at the end of the hallway and still hear her, your Majesty.” Really? “As long as they don’t know you’re here…” Caspian nodded once, allowing the man to lead him quietly down the hallway toward the cell where Sor was held. “I left Balvos at the end of the hallway, I figured you’d be along soon enough.” By the time you reached the split, Caspian could hear the sound of your voice, loud but even, drifting to his ears. She sounds angry. Though he hadn’t heard the beginning of the conversation, he settled in next to the other men - Balvos bowing his head to Caspian.

“I just want to know why, Sor.” You waited, but the man didn’t speak. “I never did anything to you, and you decided that I wasn’t good enough for Caspian without -”

“Didn’t do anything?” The man laughed, the sound loud and bitter. “You came to this palace and immediately found a way to meet the King, and from that day on? You worked at him, digging in and finding the weaknesses that he hid from everyone.”

“I didn’t, I just… that was my job, to work in the library, and I -”

“It wasn’t your job to befriend a nobleman.” Caspian could tell that the man had curled his lip as he spoke. “It wasn’t your place to speak to him, to think you were his equal, to believe that you deserved to influence him.” You started speaking but Sor cut you off. “Who are you to have an opinion on the King’s life? You, a woman that couldn’t even listen to what she was told.” How dare he. Who does he think…

“Caspian came to me for advice. Caspian asked me to help him, I didn’t suggest it. I never…” You sighed. “I never asked for this, I didn’t want to fall in love with him, I didn’t…”

“Likely story.” Sor coughed. “Everyone has an agenda, and yours was likely to -”

“What was your agenda, Sor?” You spoke loudly, tone sharp. “Why did you want him to marry someone else so much that you hand selected two women to come here?” Caspian heard a tapping sound and realized that you were pacing in front of the cell, footsteps echoing off of the damp stone floor. “What would you gain from Caspian marrying…” There was silence that was punctuated only with your steps and Caspian stiffened as he heard the man’s words.

“I had everything to gain.” Sor said your name and you stopped moving, Caspian peeking around the corner to see that you were facing the cell with your arms crossed, Sor’s hands gripping the metal bars tightly. “I chose those women because they were both… willing to do what it took to win Caspian’s favor.” He watched your facial expression change, your nose wrinkling. “Their families could have used the wealth that would come with uniting with Caspian, and so they were very amenable when it came to my suggestions.”

“You wanted someone that you could control.” Your arms dropped, head shaking back and forth. “You wanted someone that you could influence, because Caspian was no longer listening to you, and if…” You trailed off, taking a step closer to the cell, but still leaving enough space between you and the bars that Sor couldn’t reach out and grab you. “If he married someone, he’d obviously care about them and what they wanted, and…”

“And it’s so simple to convince a woman that something is for the best.” Sor’s voice was low and persuasive; Caspian had heard the tone many times and knew it well. What a disgrace. He heard Danmair hiss quietly next to him, the man’s large body stiffening, even as Sor continued. “So simple to drive the point home that it doesn’t matter what’s best for Narnians, it only matters what’s best for the Crown.” Never. I would never…”I might not have had the title, but it was never about Caspian being happy, it was about securing my own future, my legacy by convincing his Queen that she needed to behave a certain way, to expect certain things from Caspian, to demand them for herself.”

“He trusted you, Sor. He would have -”

“Not when it mattered. Not when it came to you or to doing what was necessary.” Sor let out a long groan. “He should have been married long before you came here, but instead he carried out his fantasies of being a sailor, of going on adventures to increase his knowledge.” Caspian gritted his teeth, listening as Sor spat on the floor, the action followed with a sound of disgust. “Caspian wasn’t doing what was necessary as King, and so I stepped in, because it needed to be done. Someone had to take control, and it certainly wasn’t going to be him. Not with you around.”

“And what would…” You swallowed, Caspian still peering around the stone, though he was shrouded in shadow. “What would getting rid of me have done? Then or now? I never lied to him, and though you didn’t know that, you -”

“If I’d gotten rid of you before he even started courting you, he would have had to marry someone else quickly. Those two women would have done what was necessary. He would have missed you at first, but Caspian’s nothing if not dutiful, and he would have married one of them and devoted himself to them and that would have been that.” No, never. No one else. “But now?” Sor chuckled, voice dropping. “Now, eliminating you from the picture would have caused this whole thing to crumble. Losing you? Caspian would have reacted immediately, losing favor with the people, losing the will to rule. They would have seen him as something to fear - not something to celebrate, and there’s no coming back from that. Not ever.”

Sor’s words made sense, but Caspian was reluctant to acknowledge them. He felt Danmair’s hand on his arm, but Caspian was rooted to the spot, jaw set. Keep going, you swine. Keep - “The people would never fear Caspian. They love him, they… they need him, he’s the Telmarine that saved Narnia, he’s -”

“He’s just a man. And men can be replaced.” Caspian watched as Sor leaned forward, his face poking through the bars. “As can Queens.” You drew back, lips pressed together, but stayed silent. “I’d do it all over again, you know.” Sor used one hand to gesture to his abdomen, laughing. “This was worth it. I only wish I’d been faster, been able to tip that cup up, that you’d swallowed some of the -” You stepped forward - still out of reach - and shook your head. “What? Is that a surprise to you?” Sor laughed again, this time loudly. “You were meant to die that night, as proof that it doesn’t matter if you’re Queen, you’ll still get what’s coming to you for undermining the people who matter. You’re not meant to rule Narnia, you’re not meant to influence him, you’re not meant to do anything except set an example, and I would have gladly bled out in front of all those people at the end of your dagger if it meant that I proved my point and you were no longer Queen.”

“You know,” you said, taking a step back and straightening up again. “You’re only still alive right now because of me, right?” You paused for a moment. “Caspian didn’t come down here to kill you after that night because I wouldn’t let him, and you’re only getting a trial because I -”

“Well thank you, Your Majesty.” Caspian watched as Sor stepped away from the bars and bowed deeply, his fingertips sweeping the floor. “How can I ever repay you for your generosity?” Sor stood back up and shook his head, the sneer back on his face. “Your empathy will be your downfall, you know that? You can’t make the difficult decisions, and it’s going to come back one day. You’ll see.” Sor leaned forward again, fingers wrapping back around the bars. “You’re not good for him, and you’re not good for this country … and you know it. This is a fantasy - for you, for him, for all of those idiots that believe in the two of you.” He was seething with anger, Caspian’s heart pounding so hard that he could hear the blood rushing through his veins, but Danmair’s hand kept him grounded, as did your demeanor. She’s still holding it together, he’s telling her… and she…

“The trial starts in a few days.” You spoke in a matter of fact tone, eyes locked on Sor’s. “There’s still a chance for you to -”

“It’s got to be almost time for dinner, hmm?” Sor leaned forward, his arms hanging through the bars. “Why don’t you go and have a glass of wine, I hear that the stuff from the Lone Islands is a great -” You turned away wordlessly, and Caspian stepped backwards, flattening himself into the shadows as you made it past the three men and down the hallway, your head down. Sor laughed from the cell, the sound echoing over the damp stones, and Caspian turned to Danmair and Balvos, shaking his head.

“Shut him up.” Danmair nodded and the younger man turned toward the main row of cells, muttering the word “gladly” under his breath. “I’m going after my wife.” With a single nod, Danmair followed the other man, leaving Caspian on his own. Go. He took a deep breath and walked back the way he’d come, stepping quickly up the stairs. As he reached the hallway on the main level of the palace, Caspian took another breath, trying to calm himself. She wouldn’t have gone to the orchard because of the weather, and she wouldn’t have gone to our rooms because I might have been there…

He figured out where you were with his next breath and Caspian turned immediately toward the room where he’d first met you - still his favorite place within the palace walls.

---

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n0v4hearts · 4 years

Text

So This is Love

Ship: Snatcher/The Prince (AHIT) x SI/OC

Word Count: about 3,160 ish words, and not beta read (unless sending this to your friend at 3am to read it over is beta reading ksbdjd)

Ok, so this is majorly self indulgent, because I low-key really like masquerade balls and grand costumes and stuff, but I can't write imagery for JACK and the song "So This is Love" basically came into my heart and smashed my knees with the image of me and Snatcher dancing to this elbdj

Also! The Prince doesn't really have a name, so i just named him Luka lol

(I haven't posted anything og my self-insert, but they go by Bee and they/them pronouns, and they work as the king's mail carrier and post man. They and Luka have been close friends since childhood, and that's why they get away with so much stuff together lol)

Anyway, I need to stop rambling, I hope you like it!!! I know I do-- The actual fic is under the read more!

... <3

Acorn sighed, as they fiddled at their clothes. Even though they are a mail carrier, they are a royal mail carrier and got the privilege to be invited to a masquerade ball the kingdom is holding. The heir of the kingdom – Prince Luka – practically begged for Acorn to be there, seeing as they were a close friend of his. Luka even had a tailor of his make a set of clothes for the occasion. When he gave Acorn their set of clothes (on a mail run, no less,) they almost burst into tears. Even though Acorn was a friend of the Prince's, and technically worked for the King and his Court, they were still pretty surprised that the King allowed them to join. Acorn sharply shook their head to try and stop thinking about what happened before the party, thoughts lingering on the clothes and the handsome Prince instead.

Thankfully, Luka made the clothing he gave them lighter than what most ball dancers would wear, as well as not having many intricate ruffles or details sewn on, unlike the richer party-goers of the ball. Ladies' dresses were puffy and frilly, with hand-stitched flowers and lace put onto the dress and bodice, waists thin and masks ranging from a simple face covering with pearls and feathers to a full-on mask with lace and colorful markings with animal representatives. Men's suits were… less fun to look at, but still brought attention to them, with brighter colors and designs in the suit rather than the tones than most were used to seeing, along with their ruffles more prominent. Their masks were similar to the ladies, with most being simple masks and the most extreme one Acorn has ever seen being a peacock themed set of clothes.

Luka, who's family was hosting the ball, had a moderately complex suit. His was centered around a mouse, trying to mimic Acorn's rabbit mask and the suit he commissioned for them. His pale white and more natural fur-like colors of his suit and extra details contrasted his normal clothing style, which used more purple and red tones, showing his stature in the kingdom. His overcoat had slightly padded shoulders to emulate his everyday wear, and his vest to protect his shirt slightly covered the silly cravat that Acorn loves to torture him about. He didn't wear his boots, as he was forced to wear his uncomfortable dress shoes. Luka's mask was ornately decorated, with a small crown of pearls shaped vaguely of a lute sat on the forehead, and silver adorned the cheeks and temples of his mask. Acorn's mask and suit were nowhere as near to the simple extravagance of the kingdom's prince, but they were still proud to wear it, albeit, slightly embarrassed. Their mask was of a simple white rabbit, it's ears extending from the area just above the temples. Despite being very simple in shape, there were swirls of silver, and around the eyes and the edges of the ears, there was gold paint. Their mask also had a very little rabbit nose, similarly decorated to the rest of the mask. Their suit had no overcoat and had a more brown set of tones rather than the pure white of Luka's. Acorn was able to wear their boots, as it did match his suit, and they were sure if Luka was there to see that, he would probably give them a look that would kill.

Speaking of which, Luka was greeting the party-goers, occasionally leaning down to kiss a lady's hand as her group of friends giggled at the small gesture. When he looked up from greeting a different woman who was surrounded by her escorts and saw Acorn, they could tell his night was made. Even though they could see his mouth, he was still in front of a small group, and couldn't show his excitement fully. Luka's eyes lit up, his hazel eyes catching the candlelight to make them a more pale yellow than normal, a happy glint in his eyes. Before he could excuse himself from the group to say hello to his friend, Luka was thrust into a conversation about courting, with the young woman – her name, what was her name… Vanessa? Was that it? – and him being the topic of conversation. Acorn saw Luka stiffen slightly when he turned around to an older gentleman gently touching his arm, and realized that they would probably both be here for a while.

. . . <3

Luka crept behind Acorn, trying to be discreet about getting to the food table. Well, as discreet as he could be, being the kingdom's one and only heir to the throne, while people are trying to make him do political moves, like marrying their daughter that probably only wants to get in his pants or leave. He jabbed at his friend's sides, making them jolt and whirl around, glass slightly raised in case they needed to resort to violence. "Oh, you–!" Luka chuckled and struggled not to laugh louder than was socially acceptable as Acorn realized it was him and gently smacked the back of their hand on his shoulder. "I almost splashed my champagne all over your suit, You're High–" Acorn was cut off before they could continue.

Luka shook his head and put a finger over his lips. "Don't call me that, please. I just got out of a conversation with a neighboring kingdom's duke. I'm sure their daughter is nice and all, but God, I just want to have some food and spend time with you before I'm forced to go dance with the people here." Acorn quirked an eyebrow at that. The Prince? Wanting to spend time with the mail carrier? During a ball to find a suitable lover? Not out of the blue, but certainly not expected. Before Acorn could ask the thoughts running through their head, Luka quickly responded. "We haven't had any time to speak at all lately. I mean, I've been looking for a good school to look into law practice and you've been constantly working all the time with deliveries that my father is making you do. The whole reason why I invited you to this is so I could talk to you, not talk to the political figures," Luka bitterly spat out as he grabbed a small plate and put some sweets on it. "… Is that so wrong?" He stayed silent for a moment after saying that, previous actions slowing and calming slightly.

Acorn shook their head. "Of course not! It's alright to want to talk to someone who hasn't spoken to in a while. But," They lowered their voice slightly and moved closer to Luka, who in turn subconsciously moved towards them. "Why here? Where you are trying to find a suitable lover?" They turned their head slightly to get a look at Luka and oh stars, when did he get this close. His shoulder-length hair had a small ponytail in the back, tying off some, but leaving the rest down to frame what little of his face people could see. He smelled like vanilla and lavender, and Acorn couldn't get enough of it. They were thankful for the mask for once, hoping that the other couldn’t see their face flush scarlet as they realized what they were thinking.

Acorn looked away, probably a bit too quickly, and looked around at the scene around them as Luka sighed. “Well, you know how it is. I was kinda forced to come here. Royal duties to,” he switched to a deeper voice and cocked his head a little higher, “keep the royal bloodline alive and all that wonderful business.” He shook his head and started to walk away from the table with his plate piled high. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t wish to, but I would like you too.” Acorn looked at Luka and smiled, while they both walked off together. Luka side-eyed them and lifted his mask slightly to eat easier. They smiled at one another after a moment, and after Luka gently slapped Acorn's hand for trying to steal a chocolate truffle, they walked onto a balcony to (hopefully) get some better privacy to talk with one another.

. . . <3

The two slightly moved their masks away from their faces, finally being able to breathe more comfortably and show their faces while in their own company. Acorn walked closer to the balcony and looked up at the sky, while Luka slowly picked at the desserts on his plate. “It’s beautiful.” Luka looked up, and swore his heart stopped at the sight ahead of him. Acorn was leaning over the balcony’s intricate stone banister, one leg tucked behind the other. Their tight bun was slightly undone, hair messy, but oh so… Elegant, is that the word? Even in the dim light of the moon shining down on them in their suit, and the band still heard playing, Luka could just stare. This moment felt too intimate. Even… even for just friends, silently pining. Acorn turned slightly, to look back at the other. “Don’t you think so?” Luka stuttered as he let out a held breath – since when did he stop breathing? He flubbed an agreement that seemed to satisfy Acorn, because they turned around and kept looking at the stars and constellations. Luka unknowingly kept admiring them, smiling to himself. He finished his dish and set it next to him as he got up to look at the stars next to Acorn. They stood there for a few minutes, pointing out constellations and enjoying each other’s company for a bit.

Luka looked over at Acorn, and his heart flipped. Oh how he wished he could just kiss them –

… Wait.

Oh. Oh.

Oh no.

He flushed red at the thought that he couldn’t quickly shoot down as he wanted to. He? And Acorn? His childhood best friend, who helped him through everything, even though they were the child of a mail carrier? He wanted to laugh, but the thought had crossed his mind too much as of late for his to even think about drawing an awkward chuckle from himself. They were just so… so perfect for him not to fantasize about what a relationship with them would be like. It would be a scandal for sure, but would anyone really mind? He saw the was his parents looked knowingly at him when he laughed a little too hard at one of Acorn insufferable puns and jokes. Even when the topic of this ball was brought up by an advisor, the King told him that it was really just a formality to “keep the bloodline alive”, and nothing more. Luka realized that he was probably staring, and cleared his throat slightly, looking back at the stars above. Then one of the band members – violin presumably – started a familiar refrain, as the other instruments slowly joined in.

Luka looked at Acorn, as they looked back at him. “You should probably… go grace somebody with you amazing dancing skills Luka.” They looked at the slightly ajar door they left open when they came out on the balcony. “I mean, some lucky lady is probably wanting to dace with you. Perhaps the one you were talking to for hours on end, hmm?” Though their voice had a teasing tone, Luka could tell that they didn’t want him to leave. Not yet.

Luka pretended to think it over, and grabbed their hand to pull them closer to him. “No, I don’t think I’ll leave just yet.” He chuckled, and dramatically leaned down to kiss Acorn's hand as they sputtered. “Care to join me for a dance, my dear?” Even in the dim lighting, Luka could tell that Acorn's face was probably scarlet at this point. Their mouth opened and closed for a moment, trying to find words without sounding like a fool, but eventually they just nodded their head. Luka smiled gently. “You don’t have to. I won’t mind if you refuse Acorn.” They stood their ground and shook their head, saying that they did want to dance. So, they got ready to waltz in time with the music.

Luka put his hand on Acorn's shoulder while Acorn put theirs on his waist. They clasped each other’s hand, and started swaying gently with the music. It was surprisingly more springy than they both remembered, but the pair started dancing slightly. They turned and swayed as the music continued, and slowed when the band quieted to let the singers… well, sing.

So, this is love

Mmm~

Luka hummed the words slightly as the pair subconsciously moved closer to one another. Acorn looked up at Luka slightly, eyebrow raised. Luka scoffed slightly. “We both know that we’ve been raised on this song, don’t give me that look.” Luka gently nudged the other, and Acorn chuckled.

So this, is love…

So this is what makes life, divine

Closer and closer still, the pair moved in tandem with one another, circling like two moons orbiting a forgotten planet. They swayed, with Luka gradually whispering the lyrics, enjoying himself. They both looked borderline ethereal to the other, both of them unbelieving of the sight they had.

“I’m all aglow, mmm

And now I know,”

“And now I know…” Acorn sang slightly, looking at Luka while he sang the verse before. They both seemed surprised that Acorn did that, but Luka recovered and muttered that they had a nice voice. Acorn flushed, and buried their face into Luka’s jacket, stuttering.

“The key to all heaven is mine…”

They harmonized with themselves and the singers inside the castle. They had stopped dancing altogether at this point, and had just started embracing each other instead. Acorn's head was on Luka’s shoulder, and Luka was staring ahead, head tilted slightly to clay. The pair still swayed gently, but it wasn’t to start dancing.

My heart has wings, mmm

And I can fly

I’ll touch every star in the sky…

Luka looked down to Acorn, and saw the peaceful expression they held. ‘They are right there,’ he heard himself scold. ‘Just kiss them, get it over with.’

So this is the miracle

That I’ve been dreaming of…

Mmm

They now faced one another and started slowly leaning together, their faces almost touching. Luka’s eyes fluttered closed as Acorn's glanced down at his lips.

Mmm

So this…

Is love.

The singer’s duet ended, and their lips finally connected. It felt like fireworks and explosions were going off, sparks dancing on their lips. As the two gripped each other tighter, they didn’t hear the pair of feet making their way towards them. “Your highness, you are–” The guard cut herself off as she realized what she had walked into unknowingly. The two parted quickly once her voice was heard, and Acorn tried to shuffle away from Luka slightly to try and at least pretend that they totally weren’t kissing, what? “I, I’m sorry your highness, I can come back–”

Luka shook his head, but never let go of Acorn. “No, no. What is it?” He inquired and put most of his attention to the distraction at hand, slightly disappointed. Acorn looked down at the ground, away from the guard, suddenly taking interest in a few pebbles on the surrounding stone.

The guard re-positioned herself. “The King wanted to see you sire, but I will just let him know that you are… Busy doing other things. I, uh. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything too maj– you know what? I’m just gonna…” The guard awkwardly walked off, shifting in her armor slightly, embarrassed that she walked in on the prince and the mail carrier having a moment together.

... "Wait, the mail carrier??"

Luka waited for a moment after she left, making sure the gentle clinks of her armor had faded completely. The pair stayed silent for a moment, before Acorn tried to shift away again. Luka pulled them to where they were originally in his arms and smiled mischievously. “Where do you think your going, lover?” He teased, laughing slightly as Acorn pretended to fight back. He grin became wider as he realized that Acorn had blushed darker. “Oh, did you like that dearest? Calling you ‘lover’?” Luka cooed at them, as Acorn gently swatted at him. “Just come here, sweetheart,” and with that last teasing pet name, he brought them into another kiss, less tentatively. He could feel Acorn smile as they let out a silent sigh and melt against him, knees weak. Luka pulled away slightly, and as Acorn's head followed the movement slightly, he whispered, “Don’t you think we should take this somewhere a little more private after the guard, you know…?” Acorn's knees fully gave out, and Luka hurriedly clung onto them as he felt how hot they were. He fussed over them for a second, hoping that they didn’t fully pass out.

They both chuckled for a moment after Acorn quickly recovered, and Acorn muttered something along the lines of “Kissing is just fine for now, anything more and I think I’ll die.” The two couldn’t contain their loud laughter at this remark, Luka’s laughter carrying on over Acorn's. He leaned over and gently pecked their cheek, saying how they didn’t want anyone to see them kissing again, and that he was sorry that he insinuated something more than kissing. Acorn pecked him back on his lips, and accepted the apology.

💛

(Little bonus scene! I didn’t really wanna write this out fully, but I kinda wanted to add what one of their fist meetings could be sknf -- enjoy!!)

Looking back on it, the Snatcher could hardly believe that he was so in… actual infatuation and love with a childhood friend that he could hardly believe that he could marry Vanessa. She was of course, fine at the start, but the lingering feelings for the pair never truly left their hearts. He shook his head, looking back down at his book, waiting for that kid – Hat Kid was it? Or was it Bow? – when a knock sounded on the tree bark. Snatcher sighed. “What do you want, ki–”

His sentence was abruptly cut off as he saw an all too familiar face in the entry way with Hat Kid behind them. “Hello your highness. Been a few years, hasn’t it?” Snatcher almost dropped his book as his jaw hung slightly. Acorn, in the flesh. Right there. Their clothes were much more casual to fit the modern times, and they carried a mail bag on their shoulder, with a mail carrier's cap in one of their hands.

Snatcher blinked a few times. “Yeah… 10, at least, huh sweetheart?” Acorn laughed loudly, and ran towards him. They embraced again, and finally after 200 years of waiting, wondering if the other was alive or not, Acorn peppered Snatcher’s face with kisses. There certainly wasn’t going to be any complaining about this for a while to say the least. Even from a ghost who always said he had a reputation to uphold.

#self shipping #self ship #oc x canon #self ship fic #self ship writing #dead.lawyer #beeans.art #humming #this took WAY too long #i am super happy with how it came out though. i got to be kinda cheesy smbdjd

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