#vow to save the queen chess piece

[cloudofash]

Kingdom Hearts 4: The Light and Dark Kings Battle for the Queen

"I will save you."

[empressofthesunwriter]

The Queen's Gambit: The Story

The most powerful piece in chess is the queen.

When this piece joins the game of Duel Monsters anything will change.

With two dragon sisters, a magician and her descendant, the queen will take her rightful place.

As it should have been.

Chapter 17: Goodbye Duelist Kingdom

The moment has arrived: it's the final and most crucial duel of the day. Yugi is about to confront Pegasus, win, and free the captured souls. Losing is not an option.

The young boy examined his deck, thinking about his grandfather's wise words before he stepped out of the waiting room.

On the terrace, all his friends and the one he made on his journey were waiting for him.

"Yugi.", greeted him Sehrazat first.

She stepped towards him and took shyly his hands.

They both looked into each other beautiful eyes, holding hands tight.

"I'm glad I met you, I know you will get my mother's soul, your grandfather's and the souls of the Kaiba brothers back. I'm proud to call you my friend."

"I'm glad I met you too, without you or any of you guys I wouldn't have made it this far.", answered Yugi, squeezing her hands.

His friends all smiled at the cute couple-to-be.

Then Sadiye said in a deadpan tone: "Or you two gonna smooch now or not?"

"Sadiye!", hissed her older sister, while Yugi and Sehrazat stopped holding hands.

He was red like a pepperoni and she was sweating buckets, while most of their friends tried not to laugh.

This was embarrassing for them.

Both crushed on each other, but didn't know the other had the same feelings, so they felt now awkward.

"It's time.", called Croquet from Pegasus terrace over to them. "Challenger Yugi Muto, enter the Duel Ring."

Not wasting time Yugi switched places with Yami and made his way to his side of the Duel Ring, while Sehrazat and the other got up to the higher terrace to watch the duel better.

"Yugi we're counting on you!", shouted Honda.

"Do your best!", cheered Anzu.

"Show him your strength, Yugi!", yelled Jonouchi.

"Pops, Gran-Gran says you better kick ass!" laughed Sehrazat down to Yami.

He gave his descendant a small smile and a nod.

He felt his wife's anger and thirst for revenge, mirroring his own.

Pegasus, with two of his henchmen, arrived also on his side of the Duel Ring, saying: "Yugi boy, you're a wonderful duelist. By winning your battles in the kingdom, you earned the right to challenge me."

"Pegasus, you need to make a promise before this duel begins!", yelled Yami pointing at him. "If I win, you will release my grandpa's and Amira Faizan's souls!"

"Yes, I promise."

"That's not all! You'll also free Kaiba and Mokuba's souls from their cards!"

"How strange."; mussed Pegasus. " I understand you want to save the soul of Sehrazat girl's mother and little Mokuba boy, but isn't Kaiba boy your enemy?"

"Right now, you're my only enemy.", declared Yami.

Yami remembers how he had promised Mokuba to defeat Pegasus so Kaiba Corporation was saved and how he had vowed to himself to reunite the brothers.

"Ah, I see a promise.", said Pegasus with a little smile, which shocked Yami.

Pegasus was already using his Mind Scan?!

Anyway, the creator of Duel Monsters promised to release the Kaiba brothers too.

Good.

Now the duel could begin!

Meanwhile, our spectres tried to get fired up, but only Honda had the feeling he had to do something. So he left the group to at least save Kaiba and Mokuba, so Yugi had less to worry about in the duel.

Croquet asked Yugi to show his King's Opposite Hand card to show he could really challenge Pegasus and the man in question told him why they were blank.

If Yugi/Yami lost his soul would be imprisoned in it!

This made all of the friends worry however Sehrazat or better Afya calmed them down.

Her husband and Yugi wouldn't lose. They were a strong team.

Also, she would kill Pegasus before he did this, she vowed quietly.

The Duell between Pegasus and Yami was just unfair.

Not only read Pegasus Yami's mind, knowing exactly what card it had, but Toon World was back and he took even Summoned Skull from Yami turning it into a toon, who winked at his former master.

"That looks like out of something from H.P. Lovecraft!", whisper shouted Maja.

"Only gay.", added Sadiye.

Then Yami draws Dark Magician and hides him under Magical Hats.

It was a desperate move.

Pegasus could still read from his mind where the Dark Magician was hiding.

If he didn't find a way soon to overcome Pegasus Mind Scan all was over!

That's when Yugi called for Yami and they talked in the Soul Corridor about what they could do.

What they came up with was genius!

They had two minds, so why not switch bodies at any turn so Pegasus, not their partner knew what card was played.

Their comeback was incredible, they managed to destroy Toon World and all the monsters on Pegasus's side, leaving him only with 600 Life Points!

Pegasus showed them how a sore loser he was and made out of the Duel a Shadow Game!

"Oh no!", shouted Afya and before anyone could do anything, she raced down to the Duel Ring.

Gran-Gran! I feel this dark power even in my Soul Room!

I know, my child, I worried for Yugi, he can't withstand such a potent Shadow Duel!

Sehrazat whimper.

What shall we do, Gran Gran? Can we do something?

Afya nodded and stepped into the shadows.

This place is creepy., said Sehrazat.

Stay in our mindscape Sehrazat, you can't far here either.

It seemed like an eternity that Afya raced throw the shadowy place, till she and Sehrazat felt sharp pains in their heart.

YUGI!, yelled Sehrazat, tears shooting in her eyes. YUGI! Something happened to him.

I felt it too, don't go crazy Sehrazat.

Don't go crazy?! I love him! And I felt like I lost him forever!

Before Afya could answer she saw poor Yugi fall on the Duel Ring.

The scream Sehrazat let out would haunt her forever.

"Yugi!"

Afya raced up to him and held his body in her arms.

"Pegasus you bastard!", she shouted.

The bastard in question just giggled.

"I had a feeling you would come queenie. Now what are you gonna do? Will you kill me, to revenge Yugi boy?"

Well, she would love to, but she felt a pull from her Fragment and Puzzle and was pulled into the mindscape.

What she saw broke her heart.

Sehrazat held Yugi, crying bitter tears over his lifeless form, while Yami held them both.

She stepped towards them and kneeled down.

"No this can't be true...", cried the Queen.

Not poor Yugi...not this sweet and kind boy.

"Gran-Gran, what are we going to do?", shrieked Sehrazat, hugging Yugi tighter to herself.

Yami and Afya looked at each other.

"Yami, you have to continue the duel, me and Sehrazat will keep Yugi safe. The shadows will not get him."

"I know, you both will."

The pharaoh kissed Sehrazat temple and then gave his queen a short but loving kiss on the lips.

"I will make Pegasus, pay!"

With that, the three were alone in the mindscape.

"Gran-Gran.", whispered Sehrazat, caressing loving Yugi's face. "You have to help Pops. I will protect Yugi alone."

This surprised Afya.

"Are you sure?"

Both pairs of orange eyes meet and Afya sees such a raw fire in Sehrazat's ones.

And she understood completely.

"Love is the strongest power in the world.", said Afya with a smile.

She gave each of the kids a forehead kiss before she joined Yami in the real world.

Pegasus saw how Yugi's body, now in control by Yami stood up and Sehrazat's body, in control by Afya now, stood beside him.

The royal couple looked at him like the vermin he was.

"Pegasus, we will never forgive you!", they shouted together.

The white-haired man was just calm, since now without Yugi he could read again Yami's mind.

Having his queen by his side didn't change anything.

However, he was wrong.

Afya put a hand on Yami's back, where her Millenium Item was, and as he wanted to read Yami's mind a miracle happened.

Not only does Afya stand before his mind, but also Sehrazat with a still unconscious Yugi in her arms and all of Yugi's friends.

Joey, Anzu, Honda, Maja, Sadiye and Kihana.

Pegasus gasped in shock.

How could this be?!

What kind of magic was that?!

As if Afya now could read his mind she stated: "The strongest magic in the world...love!"

Now with his mind again safe Yami managed to defeat Pegasus with the legendary Magicain of Black Chaos.

The creator of Duel Monster screamed in pain and desperation.

How could he lose?!

Slowly the shadows vanished and on the Duel Ring stood now Yugi and Sehrazat.

"Pegasus, we win!", told Yugi.

In their shared mindscape all four hugged each other in a big group hug, all thankful they won together and with the help of their friends.

As the shadows completely vanished, Kihana and the others were relieved and happy seeing Yugi and Sehrazat unharmed.

"Yugi! Sehrazat!", shouted the whole gang, running up to them.

"Everyone, thank you-"

"Don't say anything.", said Jonouchi gripping Yugi by the shoulders. "Because I know. Yugi, when you were battling-"

Anzu came in between them, telling: "We all felt your struggles in battle and your joy when you won."

"Though it was only a little bit, I felt that I was battling alongside you.", admitted Honda.

Kihana smiled and put a hand on Maja's shoulder: "And if it wasn't for Maja and her magic we could have never helped you guys."

"Yeah, that you still have to explain.", chorused Anzu and Honda together.

"Maja is a real Magician, what more do you need to hear?", wondered Sadiye crossing her arms.

"HEY! I wanna say something too!", shouted Joey with a pout.

"We're sorry, Jonouchi-Kun.", said Kihana. "Please let us hear it."

"You guys already said anything I wanted to say!"

"And what is so bad about it?", retored Anzu.

After a moment Joey shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Never mind, you are right because..."

All besides, Yugi and Sehrazat, cheered in triumph: "Yugi won! All right!"

Yugi thanked them again.

That's when Anzu noted how Pegasus wasn't there anymore.

Oh no, what about his promise to release the souls?

They had to find him and make him do it.

Thankful Bakura woke up and promised to keep one eye on the still soulless Mokuba.

So the whole gang raced out of the Duel Ring in search of Pegasus.

(*)

Our heroes were looking for quiet somewhere Pegasus could be as Honda and Anzu noted a high tower.

Both remember being there but thought it had been just a weird dream.

Could Pegasus be there?

They needed to check.

As they reached the tower, they met Croquet with another henchman of Pegasus, who was carrying him piggyback style.

What?

What had happened?

Croquet told them only how Pegasus was attacked and nothing more.

So they decide to investigate his room in the tower, to find some clues.

They found a diary written in English and a Duel Monsters Card of a pretty blond woman, the same woman who hung as potray in the room.

Since Kihana, as Sehrazat and Sadiye, were born in London and lived the first few years there and still had contact with their families overseas, were fluent in English and read aloud the dairy.

It was a tragic love story and full of desperate hope.

The blond woman was Cyndia, Pegasus's grand love and wife who died tragically at seventeen years.

In his grief, Pegasus travelled to Egypt, since he had heard how in ancient times they believed that souls that depart this world continue to live on in the next world.

He thought if he used the ancient arts, he could be reunited with Cyndia.

In a sense he was.

He met a mysterious Egyptian man, the protector of the Millenium Items, and gave Pegasus the Millenium eye.

For a moment he could see in the world beyond and hold his beloved Cyndia in his arms again.

But the eye only showed vision, not real flesh and blood.

However, this one moment gave Pegasus hope. He searched for a way to bring back Cyndia by using Kaiba Corporation Holograms and the Millenium Items Power.

That's why he wanted to take over Kaiba Corp and have Yugi's and Sehrazat's Millenium Items.

As Kihana ended the story, Sadiye deadpanned and said: "I read fanfics, that made more sense, than whatever this was."

"Love makes you crazy, Sadie.", told Maja wise.

The youngest just made a face.

If love made you act like this she would not fall in love ever!

"We shouldn't leave Bakura and Mokuba alone any longer.", suggests Joey, while Yugi and Sehrazat saw four blank cards on the table.

The others got moving as the two short duelists looked at the cards.

Joey called for them and so they followed, yet suddenly a vortex formed on the stairs making the two stop.

What was this now?

An Egyptian man came out of it.

Sehrazat and Yugi looked surprised at him before Sehrazat spotted what he wore around his neck.

"The Millennium Key!" gasped Sehrazat. "You are the Guardian!"

The man now looked surprised.

"How do you know this, young girl?"

Wordless she holds up her hand with the Millenium Fragment on her ring finger.

"The queen's Millenium Item, so this means you are her descendant, a member of the Faizan Family!"

She nodded.

"I'm Sehrazat Faizan and I was chosen by the Millenium Fragment and this here is Yugi Muto who was chosen by the Millenium Puzzle. What does the Guardian of the Items want here?"

The man told them how indeed he was the Guardian of the Millenium Items and was here to investigate who stole Pegasus Millenium Eye.

"It was not us.", swore Yugi.

"I believe you, young boy because you are with the chosen Faizan. This means the prophecy is about to come true."

"What prophecy?", wondered Yugi and Sehrazat.

"You and your other selves must uncover the true power of the Millennium Puzzle and Fragment and also solve the mystery from 3000 years ago. This is the fate for those who solved the Millennium Puzzle and were chosen by the Fragment."

"Do you know something about our Items we don't know?", asked Yugi.

"Be careful. There is someone who has a Millennium Item who will come for both of yours."

"Bakura?", guessed Sehrazat.

"No, Honda threw the Item away remember?", said Yugi.

They didn't see how the man left them, they only heard him telling them his name was Shadi and that the three of them would meet again soon.

Both young ones were blinking in confusion while their Yamis had watched the exchange in interest.

Whatever Shadi had to tell them...it wasn't the time right now.

(*)

Sehrazat and Yugi reached their friends, right at the moment when Mokuba opened his eyes.

So this must mean all trapped souls were now free!

Croquet joined them, telling them how Pegasus was taken to a hospital and handing Yugi a Card with the name Ties of Friendship.

In Pegasu's name, he congratulated both Yugi and Sehrazat as now official King and Queen of Duelist.

He gave Yugi also the prize money, but of course, he handed it to Joey, who cried tears of joy and thankfulness.

Shizuka would be healed!

Now they only needed to find Kaiba and then they could finally return home to Domino!

As both Kaiba brothers found each other again and hugged, some had to wipe away some tears.

Seto Kaiba was a coldhearted person, but he loved his brother fiercely.

"Yugi, it seems you helped Mokuba.", turned Seto to him. "I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything.", disagreed Yugi.

"But Yugi, our duel isn't over yet."

"I know."

"The day will come when we face each other to decide who is the true winner. I look forward to this day."

With this, the Kaiba brothers walked away.

"Hey! How are we supposed to get off this island?", wondered Joey.

Uh-Oh!

This was true.

As fast as anybody could they ran after the Kaiba brothers.

Maybe because he felt in debt with not only Yugi but also Sehrazat and Kihana, he let them all come aboard his helicopter.

How they all fit in was a miracle in itself, but who cared.

It was time to return home.

(*)

And we're finally done with Duelist Kingdom, yuhu! *Throws confetti*

I started this Fanfic in 2022 and now 2024 finally the First Arc is done.

I can't wait now to write some original chapters for my favourite Arcs and then of course Battle City, which will be quite different from the one we know.

Little Spoiler: Marik has it more out for Afya, the queen, but why we will find out later.

Till next time my loves!

[the-crows-typist]

hi! since your askbox is open may I request a ficlet of leona and fem!mc with the word "crown" please? thank you💖

The Possibilities are Endless

Hello there, dear. I hope you’ll like this one. A little piece where you are the heir to a fallen kingdom and married to the prince to save it.

This piece has an AU where in you, the reader, is the heiress to the fallen kingdom of bird people and is arranged to marry Leona in order to save it. you can say this AU has two concepts in one!

“Another game of chess, eh? Tell me, will you win this one?”

Your marriage to Leona Kingscholar was purely out of political gain. You, the daughter of the fallen king of the Avian Kingdom and him, the third in line throne of the Kingdom of Beasts. The ceremony was short and the vows were recycled from an old piece love story remembered through the ages, neither of you shared a glance at each other nor neither did you speak during the reception. You didn’t really think that someone like Leona could love you nor did you ever think that someone like you could even love Leona. The two of you were pieces of a puzzle that never matched.

That is, until the both of you decided to play a game of chess.

“Is this a pastime for you, your majesty?” You asked, moving your pawn in the way of his queen as a last ditch effort to protect your king. He moved his queen piece, eating the pawn without hesitation and leaving the king alone and unprotected. “You can call it that. When Farena and I were kids, we would play chess to pass the time.”

Your hand drew back and you gave it a thought, Leona’s pieces greatly outnumbered yours. Your king would be put on checkmate if you don’t do something quickly. “You and King Farena…Interesting. I did not think that he would be into these kinds of activities…As I see him out and about all the time.”

You pulled your king back and Leona retaliated by eating the nearby rook piece. You were slowly losing control of the board. “He likes board games as much as the next person. He’s just not very good at it. His words, not mine.” A small laugh left your lips and you raised your hands. “And this is where I raise my hands in defeat.”

“But you still have your queen to use.”

“True.” You say, tipping the king to fall on its side before looking to the queen piece staying in its position. “But I don’t think a king would want to see his queen suffer just for his protection.” Taking the queen, she placed it near the fallen king.

Leona huffed, taking the fallen king from the board to get a good look at it, scrutinizing the detail of the polished hardwood. “Using your heart in these kinds of situations will guarantee a bitter loss.” He said, you took the queen in your hands as he continued to speak. “Isn’t that what happened to your kingdom, princess? Why you had to marry.”

The grip on the queen tightened and his words bit in and pulled out the memories you so wanted to keep hidden. Your kingdom was falling apart with siege after siege and the straw the broke the camel’s back was when the trusted advisor of your father was assassinated. Your mother, bless her soul, was your father’s last source of comfort and he couldn’t bear to lose her.

So he surrendered, leaving your kingdom in the hands of the enemy. In overwhelming guilt, your father disappeared and soon did your mother follow; leaving you to be the sole heir to the kingdom.

“I don’t expect you to love me.” You put the piece down. “Neither do I expect myself to love you.”

“But I’m going to right the wrongs my father has down and help my kingdom with this marriage.”

Your eyes shined as your stared into his bright green ones. Somehow, it reminded you of emeralds polished to perfection its brilliant gleam contrasting the dull appearance of the second born prince.

“Checkmate.”

Days passed as the both of you bonded over chess, whether it be teaching each other how strategies to gain control over the board, discussing philosophies, or just telling each other funny memories from childhood.

“No, wait, you mean your scar wasn’t from this big epic battle like the stories say?” You asked through your fits of giggles as Leona sighed in embarrassment. Somehow, telling you his personal stories were both a pleasure and an annoyance. “It wasn’t. I actually…I got it by running into a wall.”

“Oh my stars, Leona!” You burst out laughing, holding your stomach as your voice echoed through the halls. “That’s precious.”

Leona grumbled, his lips barely keeping in a smile. “To be fair, I ate too much sugary treats. I couldn’t help it.” You rubbed your eyes of the tears that settled on your lashes, your cheeks darken from the sheer joy you got from your laughter.

“Hey, at least mine wasn’t as bad as the time you got stuck on the tree because you thought it was a good idea to start flight training.” He retorted again.

“I was 5.”

“So was I.”

The chess games then became nights where you would meet him by the balcony to stare at the stars and talk. Your hands in each other’s grasps. “When you’re up in the sky, the world below looks like a river of stars.” You began. “It’s just so different up there. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Leona blinked, looking over to you. “Then why don’t you try to fly up now if it makes you happy.”

You pushed yourself off the ground and bringing your knees to your chest. “If I did…I don’t know how long until I come down. If my parents didn’t then...”

His hand went to yours, caressing the soft skin of your hand.

“I can’t do it. Not now.”

“You don’t wear any crowns, Leona?” His brother, Farena with his wife and son made a public appearance for some time. Little Cheka was sick for a few days and the family decided to walk around the market place so that the little prince could get some fresh air and some sun.

“The royal jewels are only used by the reigning monarch.” On Farena’s head rested the family’s prized crown. The ruby stone shined greatly on the crown of Farena’s head, an emerald on his wife’s, and a tiny diamond on Cheka’s. You hummed out in reply as you walked with him.

“You came here without one. Don’t you wear a crown in your kingdom?”

“I’m not one for certain jewelry. I like bracelets and necklaces, even rings…But never crowns.”

The both of you held hands as you walked through the market, easily losing the royal guard in the crowd. Your wings tucked to your back, making sure it doesn’t bump into anybody and alerting others of your presence.

“Do you like wearing crowns, Leona?”

“I’m fine with it as long as it’s not heavy.”

“Heavy?”

Both of your hoods went up, hiding his ears and your hair just as the scream of the guards resonated through the crowd.

“Where is his highness and his wife?!”

“I tried wearing Farena’s crown back then. It was really heavy; I’m surprised he doesn’t have stiff neck from wearing it all the time.”

“Search the perimeter. They shouldn’t have gone far!”

The both of you stopped by a flower shop, its products floating in tubs of water. Something catches your eye.

Flower crowns.

“How much for this, madam?” You ask the lady looking after the stall. She was a small thing, quite old but kind looking. “That will be 75 madols for one, miss.” Your eyes widened at the offer then moved to take some notes and coins out of your pocket, handing it over to the nice old lady.

“So, you don’t like crowns that are too heavy…” You fish out a crown of purples, blues, and pristine white. “Then these will be perfect for you, Leona.” You nudged him, your elbow to his. “Come on, you know you like the crown. I can see it in your tail.” You say with a giggle.

“I hate it when you’re perceptive.” Your husband says, his tail swaying in excitement and glee. He removes his hood from his head and bows it. “To think I would have a public coronation.” The stall owner chuckles as you put the crown on him. “I dub thee—“

“Prince Leona, your highness! There you are.”

Leona let out a growl as he straightened himself to look over at the guards running your way. “Why did you stray away from the group?” They asked. “Please, let us go back. Your brother is worried sick.” The both of you exchanged glances and Leona turned around to get another flower crown form the tub. “Alright, alright. Tell my brother to calm down. It’s like neither of us were trained.” He growls, taking your hand and walking back into the crowd.

On his head was the flower crown you gave him.

Your fingers intertwined with his as you walked back to the safety of the royal family’s convoy. “Leona?”

“Hm?”

“Let’s play chess later.”

He gave you a smile, one that was not laced with his usual haughty nature. The hold on your hide tightened comfortably. “Sure.”

[absconditum-imaginaerum]

CHECKMATE | JR

JR | Checkmate | T+

Words | 4,690

Notes |  Accidental compromising situation, friends to lovers AU, game night. I have been with JR for 8 years now and he deserves a lot of love and with their comeback (I know it was a while ago now but wow I’m still not over it???) I have been flooded with JR feels so... enjoy my shitty writing lmao. Highly unedited because let’s be honest, when does Ailea edit any of her writings....

You promised. You promised a thousand times they were just going to be skittles games, that there would be no ounce of competitiveness in any of the matches you played and while the both of you knew that was going to be a total lie considering your nature with each other, JR sighed and accepted your proposal with the promise that you would make his favorite dessert when it was all said and done.

Skittle was a term JR came to understand as meaning just for fun in regard to the game of chess when you first began teaching him how to play. Ever since he started getting really good, skittles games were the norm—no timed matches, no speed rounds, just straight games for fun using all the time either of you wanted in the world. At first, he started coming over to your place because there was a nice table where the two of you could play comfortably.

It didn’t take long for the venue to switch to his place because he only had one roommate who generally either stayed in his room or was out and about and never bothered you when you occupied the living room to litter it with snacks and drinks and flip through movies while working through your games. Sometimes the movie was forgotten about, your matches getting a little more competitive. The glimmer that JR got in his eyes when he felt he had you like cornered prey was a look you came to completely adore.

You were prepared for anything and everything when you knocked on his apartment door the next day, chess set clutched under your underarm with a grocery bag full of things to make his favorite caramel apple strudel bar when the chess-playing was over in your other hand. He answered the door, running a hand through his shaggy hair as he looked up at you from under his lashes with a shy smile looking like he’d just gotten up from a nap. And it wasn’t long after that the board was set up on the living room floor. JR pristinely set the pieces while you put dessert ingredients in the fridge.

“It’s awfully quiet, no Minhyun?” you asked, noting that the younger boy had yet to make an appearance, as he often did when you arrived at their place.

JR shrugged. “He left for the weekend; didn’t say where he was going, just that he’d be gone a few days.”

“You have the apartment all to yourself?” you asked, peering over the kitchen island and across the small space to where he was sitting, fidgeting with one of his knights as he waited for you.

“It’s not that unusual.” He laughed. JR was always the quiet type, Minhyun definitely the more adventurous. “In fact, more often than not, he’s not here while you’re over. I’m surprised you even asked about him.”

You hummed in response, curious by that observation that you hadn’t made yourself. “I guess I never noticed.”

“Too busy focusing on me,” he retaliated with another laugh.

“Too busy focusing on kicking your butt!” you called back, definitely unable to help the burning that made its way to your cheeks.

The relationship between you and JR was simple, really. You’d been close friends for a number of years and from one intellectual brain to another spent most of your time with each other playing strategy or puzzle games. It almost always turned into a competition. Even though JR was quiet, he prided himself on how witty and smart he could be, especially if it meant outsmarting you. But chess was a different game. He vowed he would get good enough to beat you and after a few lessons and a lot of time spent contemplating strategies by himself, he was well on his way to doing just that. Occasionally, you went to his place to see how far he’d come, knowing full well that one day you were going to regret it. When JR was determined for something, seldom could anything stop him.

“I think today is the last day you’ll be saying that, even if it takes a couple of games.”

“Is that a threat?” you asked, looming from the kitchen as you ambled over to the board and the boy on the floor and plopped on the side with the white pieces.

“I’m thinking it’s a promise,” he uttered, peering at you from under those lashes once again but instead of humility it was conniving.

“Then you better bring your A-Game, honey,” you sassed and moved your trusty and beginning pawn two spaces.

“You’re going to be eating those words, darling.” The quiet and encouraging purr that slipped from your throat pulled the grin to his face as he reached down, matching his pawn with yours at the center of the board, and so the match began.

In all the time that you’d been teaching JR how to play chess, the emphasis on using every piece to its highest potential was of the utmost importance. To most inexperienced chess players, highest potential would be to move as far into enemy territory as possible, but what it really meant was to place your pieces to be strategically threatening and to take control of the center four squares. Control of the center four was ideal for domination of the game, especially once a player is able to get their stronger pieces out into the open to go on the offensive.

It took JR a little practice to understand that moving pieces into enemy territory wasn’t the best idea, especially in the beginning of the game when defenses were still fortified. It would be foolish to move your queen all the way out to be overtaken by a pawn—a lesson he learned very quickly. JR got a grip on the concept of highest potential nearing immediately and became a formidable opponent much sooner than you had anticipated; but JR was always a smart guy and a quick learner, so the surprise should have been minuscule at best.

Moves and counter moves and counter-counter moves had JR thinking pretty intently about every future endeavor he was going to make against your fortification. While JR busied himself with playing the aggressive game, you turned your style on its head and started playing defensively, setting a trap long in the making that would inevitably lead to his demise.

“You’re getting a lot better,” you complimented in regard to his promotion, a pawn having sneakily made it all the way across the board to grant him a captured piece of which he chose a bishop as you’d not so foolishly left your king on the end rank un-defended against an rook which he so inconveniently didn’t have to promote anyway.

“Well, I began with a great teacher and practiced my skills from there,” he replied, watching you move a piece he had actually looked over—a knight to take his newly acquired bishop.

“We’ll see if it pays off,” you replied and waited for his move.

“I think it has,” he uttered, moving a rook down to capture your knight which for a moment seemed pretty foolish to you, as the rook still had a bishop to go through before it could reach your king and should he take the bishop, your king was in prime capturing position.

A smirk tugged at your lips as you moved your queen into position, and in turn, as you expected, JR captured your bishop.

“Checkmate,” he said, believing he had your king pinned between a bishop and a rook and one of your own pawns.

“Not so fast,” you whispered back, moving your king in a retreating diagonal. “One key rule you always forget about kings is their ability to also move diagonally.” JR scoffed; he did often forget that rule which probably would have saved his own king on many occasions had you been kind enough to inform him, but he had to learn sooner or later.

With a somewhat defeated sigh, he moved his rook to a different position in the corner, having concocted a different plan with no time left, as on the next move he was in check. Pinned in the corner, his queen had no choice but to capture one of the offending pieces, but no matter which piece he picked, checkmate was inevitable. So, the first game went to you and JR sighed in defeat.

The both of you took a short break to stretch your legs and get something to drink, as sitting on the floor would get grueling for more than one game at a time since both of you were hitting that age. The floor definitely wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be when you were kids when it wasn’t that far to sit down and not that far to get up.

JR, being the gentleman he was, grabbed you a water from the fridge as you continued to stretch. Sincerely thinking about pressing the bottom of the chilled water bottle against the exposed skin of your lower back as a result of your shirt riding up, JR looked over you before deciding to just wait and hand you the water bottle.

When you stood upright, JR was standing incredibly close, your shoulder almost against his chest as he held out the bottle to you, looking at your face. Merely able to look back at him, you took the water bottle so gingerly, you almost dropped it on the floor. His warm breath was on your face, soft fingers against your own as he handed it over, and you swore a small smirk tugged at the right corner of his lips if even for just a moment.

“On for the next game?” he asked you with a raise of his brow.

“Are you ready to lose again?” you questioned, unable to stop the way your eyes glanced at his mouth—far too close for comfort—and back at his eyes a second later.

“I won’t make the same mistakes twice,” he reminded you.

“Then, bring it.”

JR settled across the chessboard from you after taking a swig of his water. As you anticipated, the game started off tense—JR was thinking very seriously about every single move he was going to make, planning as far as a few moves head and taking into consideration the multiple ways he assumed you’d move. It was a lie to say that you were entirely focused on the game, since whenever you weren’t looking at the board, you were looking at his face. The way he gnawed his bottom lip as he considered moves, shaking his head and mouthing some reasonings had you looking at him extra hard. The thought about putting a movie on hadn’t even crossed his mind since you showed up—he was so determined to show you that he could beat you; he didn’t want any distractions.

So, the game played out. There were a couple of instances in which you thought you might be in trouble, but somehow found a way out. Never were you on the offensive in this game. He diligently moved his attacking pieces in positions that also defended his king if it came down to it. He was really going all out on this game and you were getting a little nervous.

“What’s wrong?” he asked you when he caught you thinking extra hard, reaching for some pieces before retracting your hand, eyes scanning the board numerous times but not coming up with any solid plan to continue an advance.

“Nothing,” you bit through your teeth, trying to ignore the way he played with you, sarcastically asking what was wrong as if he didn’t know.

Moves were extremely limited while simultaneously being useful, but you saw their use expiring far beyond what you hoped for. You concluding that, without any other choices, you had to sacrifice some pieces to get the game perhaps moving in a direction more favorable to you—you sacrificed a knight.

“That’s unlike you,” he commented and observed the board.

“There comes a point when you need to open space, even if that means sacrificing one of your pieces,” you sighed, refusing to look at his face at this point—he had this game won, you could feel it in your bones.

All he could muster was a small hum in response as he gnawed at the tip of his thumb. Careful was an understatement when describing JR at this moment. He looked over multiple pieces tens of times and mapped their paths just as much, also eyeballing your pieces before finally deciding on a move, pushing his knight forward into a squeezed spot, but with the way that knight moved…

“Checkmate,” he uttered.

You almost scoffed. Such a simple move had destroyed your whole game. The only moveable spots for your king was right into the path of his bishops. It was unlike you to have your king blocked in, but it was far early in the game and didn’t think that you would have to clear your king out, based on the play of previous games.

After studying the board for a minute, making absolute sure there was no way you could destroy any of his checking pieces, you accepted defeat and reached out to push your king over. It rolled off the board and onto the carpet underneath.  He waited for a moment, hoping for a congratulations, but he didn’t get one. You were clenching your jaw, hiding a small defeated smile as you continued to look at the board.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to be sour about this, it’s about time I’ve beat you once,” he commented, trying to draw your attention up to him.

“You know what they say. Once you’ve beat them once, the wins will just keep coming,” you replied.

“You have that much confidence in me?” he questioned with a laugh as he began moving his pieces back.

“I have that much confidence in my teachings,” you answered, trying to take his light away out of playful competitiveness. But he couldn’t find the smile in your words.

“You’ve been spoiled with all of your winning,” he noted as you sat there. He would have pegged you as pouting about the game, but in all honesty the thoughts running through your head were far from the game at this point. You stayed silent for a moment before JR pushed the board out of the way. “You really are so upset about this game! I won’t have that frown in my apartment,” he threatened and reached out to you, both of his hands going for your sides when you quickly clamped your elbows down.

“Kim Jonghyun, don’t you even think about it!” you hollered, blocking his attempted tickles as he poked at you, that Cheshire grin across his lips bound and determined. You were slapping at his hands, trying your best to escape, shoving him every opportunity you got to try and scramble away.

“Oooh, busting out the full names now! This must be serious,” he teased some more, crawling across the floor to get close to you, poking anywhere he could to get some giggles out of you but you were far from having any of it. You grabbed his wrists, hollering his name and, with the help of some adrenaline, overpowered him to shove him away.

He was relentless, though, and never one to give up so easily. You’d crawled your way over to him, only making it easy for him to begin his attacks again, but you had something else in mind. You grabbed both of his wrists again, now having the proper leverage to really overpower him and pushed him over, off the balance of his legs and he crashed down onto his back, breathing heavily as you pinned his arms above his head, grip tight against his wrists. In order to get enough leverage to keep him there, you swung a leg over his body and straddle him to pin his hips to the ground, too.

In your struggling, your breathing had become labored also, and it fanned across JR’s face as you looked down at him. He was panting back just the same, but his arms never struggled out from under your grip. In fact, it was quite the opposite; he looked up at you with half-lidded eyes, tongue dancing behind his slightly parted teeth.

“Not so mouthy anymore, are you?”

He didn’t have a good reply for you, just turned his gaze away and slightly shifted his legs with a quiet grunt. That was the only time his arms ever struggled in your grip, but you weren’t about to let him up, not without a good explanation.

“Cat got your tongue, JR?” you asked, shifting a little bit to get a better grip on his wrists.

His gaze snapped back to you. “You are sitting very precariously on my lower half and I am concentrating so hard to not pop one underneath you; so yeah, I have nothing good to say.”

The blush that covered your cheeks was hotter than the sun when you realized the situation. Your hands let go of his wrists and he knew what was coming. He gave a vain attempt to stop you, but you were already convicted.

“Don’t!...Ah… fuck,” he groaned, defeated. The friction of you rotating to sit up was beyond his breaking point. All that concentration out the window with that simple of a movement; JR threw one of his freed hands over his eyes, expecting that you would jump off him, but you didn’t. You took a deep breath, your hands flat against his abdomen as the pressure grew underneath you. The fabric of his shirt was weak and pliable under the clawing motions of your fingers as they scraped against him.

JR’s legs shifted again, trying something, anything really, to relieve the pressure from you as you made no attempt to move, at least not to get off of him. The salivation occurring in your mouth was betraying you as you looked down at perhaps your closest friend, covering his embarrassed face with a shake of his head as you sat atop his most intimate parts.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, “I hardly have any control over it and the tiniest amount of anything will set it off at any moment.”

You didn’t even hear him, really. He was speaking, you could tell because you were looking at his face and could see his mouth moving, but as far as words actually being received in the mush of your mind—it was futile, really. As if on autopilot, you shifted your knees and rocked your hips.

The groan that fell from JR’s lips was nothing short of delicious.

“Ooh, fuck,” he whined, pushing his head back into the carpeted floor, legs shifting some more underneath and behind you. With his eyes clenched closed, he removed his hand from over his face and turned it over so that the back of his hand was staring back at him and drew his index finger knuckle between his teeth, which did absolutely nothing to muffle the next whimper from deep in his throat.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t really know why I won’t get off you,” you admitted, the haziness in your eyes just about matched his, but you were coming to some sort of consciousness even as your fingers continued to paw at his shirt, bunched against his middle. JR’s teeth ground together gently as he thought of what to say, but really all he could focus on was how warm you felt against his lower extremities and the saliva collecting under his tongue which he soon swallowed hard. His eyes opened to slits to look at you.

“How would you feel if I asked you to kiss me?” he finally uttered.

Your soft chuckle turned to a grin, then faded to you biting your bottom lip as you took both of his hands and laced your fingers with his. He watched you curiously, but threaded his fingers with yours nonetheless. You sat high on your knees, lifting from his hips and with his help, you guided his hands down to the carpet slightly above his head and watched his eyes flutter closed to anticipate you, but you moved right passed his face and into the crook of his neck.

Still, that sigh bubbling at the top of his throat spilled over when your teeth nipped at his jaw. His head tilted away and back from your mouth, giving you more area to bite at your will. Your soft lips against the curve of his jaw had him positively wild for you as you kissed along it—slow, sensual, lingering kisses down his neck.

His hisses were absolutely electrifying, hands jerking against yours, gripping them even tighter before he even thought about turning his face back to you; when he did, you swallowed the needy sigh right off his supple lips. His kiss was soft and sweet, but still quite eager and needy, especially as you drew his bottom lip between your teeth to caress it with your tongue and then bite softly before letting it go.  It returned to its rightful place just to be drawn between his teeth, and with another quiet hiss he opened his eyes fully.

JR’s soft gaze met yours, even as his fingers begged for your hands to continue to hold his when they slipped away. You were about to settle back down on his hips, the situation slipping your mind again; he took your hips to guide you to the side, gravity helping him roll over top of you. His dark hair fell forward, curtaining his face a bit as it fell into his eyes. His left hand shoveled under your shoulder while the other caressed your cheek with his thumb, eyes affectionately admiring you. His lower half was cast off to your side as he leaned over you, but that seemed to be the least of your concern now as he leaned down to slant his mouth against yours.

While one of your hands braced against his shoulder, the other delicately wrapped around the back of his neck. He tilted his head, accepting your warm tongue against his for just a second before he broke the kiss, the soft suction of departing lips loud in both of your ears. His eyes slowly fluttered open to meet your gaze again.

“Wow,” he uttered.

“What?” you asked with a soft smile, trying to stave the blush off your face.

“You have nice kisses,” he admitted and leaned down to chastely peck your lips, wet from his kiss.

The front door popped, opening slowly with Minhyun already explaining that he was back because he had a change of plans but in the middle of his rant, noticed the two of you on the floor of the living room and paused mid-sentence.

He cocked his head to the side for a minute, a curious glint in his eyes as he observed the living room. The chess board was messily cast aside, snacks and drinks littering the coffee table before his eyes settled on the two of you again.

“And how long have you been keeping this not-secret from me?” he asked curiously, shutting the door behind him.

“It’s as brand new to us as it is to you,” JR replied, eyeballing his roommate and best friend.

“Not-secret?” you questioned from under the older male.

Minhyun scoffed with a condescending smile. “You really are blind to each other, or yourselves, I can’t decide which. I’ve been making bets with Ren about how long this was going take because even he can scrape the tension off himself with a credit card. But if it is brand new as of right now, then I owe him twenty bucks.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” JR asked, finally letting you sit up properly.

“I told Ren that the two of you were already together, bet him that you’d passed this stage a long time ago, but he was right when he said that you guys were too stubborn to admit your feelings for each other.”

Minhyun didn’t waste any more time entertaining the two of you—he was better off getting his things and getting lost to let the two of you catch up on a long time coming. JR stood, helping you up to do the same to make the situation a little less awkward, but he kept you close in front of him to hide the obvious result of accidental movement which sparked this whole thing in the first place. He shifted to sit on the armrest of the chair and hulled you over, begging you to play along as you leaned against his leg with his hand entertaining your hip as you waited for Minhyun to finish rustling in his room and leave again.

The door popped again, another familiar face making an appearance. “Minhyun! We’re already la—Oh, hello,” Ren commented, noticing the two of you and waved his fingers in your direction.

“He owes you twenty dollars; don’t let him forget,” you commented, a little salty with him for walking in on the two of you a little busy on the floor. You could feel JR relaxing a bit behind you, taking particularly calculated breaths to calm himself before he could make eye-contact with Ren.

“Ohh, so the truth has been discovered. That’s so cute, you guys have always been so good for each other. I told Minhyun that if he was wrong, I was going to set the two of you up for real. Glad to see you’ve opened your eyes,” Ren explained. “Minhyun! Tick-tock!”

“I’m coming! I’m coming. Jeez. Don’t you think the lovebirds will have enough time for themselves? No need to rush me out of my own apartment,” he grumbled, hulling his bag towards the door.

“Toodles, my little doves. Don’t have too much fun,” Ren commented with a wink as he pulled Minhyun through the door, slamming it behind them.

JR relaxed into you, slouching into your back to bury his face. “They are so embarrassing,” he commented, muffled in the back of your shirt before you were pushing off his lap. You looked at him, a little curious about Minhyun’s comment about you having plenty of time to yourselves.

He must have sensed it, because he took your hands and drew you back to him, bringing them up individually to kiss the back of them. “I have every intention of starting this right and taking it slow. Don’t listen to Minhyun, you know he lives to get under people’s skin.”  

“Do you want to help me make your caramel strudel bars?” you asked him, stepping to him and slightly between his legs to drape your arms across his shoulders—it felt so like home, it was almost indescribable; as if your hiraeth had been cured.

“If it means standing behind you, nestled in the crook of your shoulder while I watch you make it… I’d be happy to,” he replied while looking up at you. He adored the way you pushed his hair back, tucking the longer strands back behind his ears, generally caressing his face as you admired him just the same.

Looking at him now brought a different sense of joy. Of course, you were always happy to see him before, but now… now it was ecstatic. Now you felt completely at ease. He made your heart full, and the way he looked at you about had your toes curling, goosebumps raising on your skin because you knew he looked at you for altogether a different reason. Instead of looking at you and enjoying your company as his closest friend, he looked at you and appreciated your place by his side.  So, with a soft smile, you laced your fingers with his and turned to tug him off to the kitchen, but not without a sweet, contract sealing kiss that he was yours now, and there were no take-backsies.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing Apr 1st - Apr 7th

Another week, another roundup! Special thanks to all who submitted works, both for themselves and others. 

As a gentle reminder, we’re here to highlight any new content from the previous week. If we missed a submission, we’ll be happy to update our post or carry it over to the next week, but if we tried to include everything beyond a week, we’d never get a post finished!

Thank you so much!

--Mod Rem

Fanfiction:

A Little Piece of Gundam Wing

The archive is being ported to AO3! Check it out!

AerisEithne

The Snow Queen 

Days after the incident that nearly sparked a new war, Relena returns to the Sanc Kingdom to contemplate her future. She can’t help but wonder which path the perfect soldier will choose… and whether their destinies will continue to collide.

Pairings: 1xR

Warnings: Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop, Preventers (Gundam Wing)

��@the-indomitable-bhg, Morbidbirdy

Animus

A ghost of Heero's past takes possession of his life, relationships and his identity.

Pairings: 1x3, 2xH

Warnings: Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Post-Canon, Psychological Torture, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content

@claraxbarton , @kangofu-cb

Bad Company 

"The only hell and the only paradise are the ones we build ourselves." - Unknown

Years after the wars, Preventers has decided to tackle one of the most powerful and oldest of all the Terran crime syndicates. Embedded dangerously deep in an undercover operation targeting the violent and bloodthirsty Sinaloa Cartel, Trowa Barton is pushed beyond even his flexible morals - and when his new "partner" arrives in the very unexpected and unwelcome form of Duo Maxwell, the one person he'd been trying to protect at all costs, both men must deal with the realization that preserving peace for humanity is turning into a bloodsport.

What follows is race against time to uncover the evidence they need to bring Sinaloa, and its beautiful but deadly leaders, down - all while keeping each other alive in the process

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Violence, Post-Canon, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Human Trafficking, Gang Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Moral Dilemmas

CosmicAether

Untitled GW Resistance AU 

When their communicator breaks down, Duo and Trowa must survive the night before attempting to rendezvous to their extraction point. Duo confronts Trowa about their relationship that night and vow to be more honest with each other, they need only to make it home first.

Pairings: 2x3

DarkDanc3r

April Writes Playlist Challenge 

30 days, 30 songs from a Spotify playlist. Characters and pairings will be at the start of each chapter.

Warnings: Tumblr Prompt, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It of Sorts, Damnit Prowl Lives

GlassAlice

The Pictures He Drew 

Hiatus is over! Last chapter will be up in two weeks. Re-write of a fic posted to 1x2 yahoo groups I wrote forever ago and lost. Only the bare bones of this fic have anything to do with the first one. Hopefully this one is a bit better. Originally posted under name Duos_hallelujah. Simple get together fic with Duo being an artist.

Pairings: 1xR, 1x2

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Song Fic Kinda, Rape/Non-con Elements, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, these boys are messed up, they need therapy, after war, the pilots trying to live their lives, 1x2, 2x1 - Freeform, 1x2x1, 1xR non con, 1x2 end game, we're back from hiatus, boys just trying to figure shit out, relena is kind of the bad guy, Sorry Not Sorry, i'm anti relena, so expect her to be treated badly, bullied duo, attempted suicide, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, language trigger warnings, a bit dark, Angst

Lithle

Like Oxygen 

Five years after the war, Wufei seeks Duo out for one more mission. But Duo has his reasons for wanting to be left alone. As Wufei and Duo grow closer, so do Duo's memories of the war, and with them, the old scars and dangerous thought patterns that make even breathing seem difficult.

--Note: Originally published on FF.net, this is my 'Editor's Choice' edition. It's been edited and slightly rewritten for flow and cohesion.

Pairings: 2x5

Warnings: Unhealthy Relationships, Post War Trauma, Suicidal Thoughts, no EW, Post-War, Post-Canon, POV Duo Maxwell, Explicit Language, Sex, Duo is Broken, Wufei is Pretty Broken Too, Gritty, Get Together

Luvsanime02

Just One Day 

Relena gets a surprise on her birthday.

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Light Angst, Family Issues, Cocktail Friday

Maldoror

The Source of All Things

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, eventual 1x2x5

Warnings: Violence, alternative universe, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Two Halves

The two kingdoms of Sanq and Lin were at war for years; a conflagration involving magic, armies and political murder. The conflict left both nations devastated and strewn with refugees. The king of Sanq finds his infant son, lost at birth, among the death and the ruin, a miracle he barely dared to hope for. But there isn’t just one boy, there are two, clinging together like two halves of a whole that cannot be separated. Decades later, the truth behind that second child’s existence will put a hole in the world, or possibly save it.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Fantasy AU, medieval setting with magic, starts with our heroes as children, Cousin Incest, sort of, eventually, being royalty this is in fact the norm and rather expected of them, Canon-Typical Violence

Margaret_Armstrong

Queen’s Rook 

Rook; definition:

1. a gregarious Eurasian crow with black plumage and a bare face, nesting in colonies in treetops.

2. a chess piece, typically with its top in the shape of a battlement, that can move in any direction along a rank or file on which it stands.

Queen's Rook; definition:

(chess) A rook on the queen’s side of the board at the start of the game.

Truly, a female bodyguard is just what the Vice Foreign Minister needs. There are dangers about.

Pairings: Canon Relationships, 3x4, 2xH, 1xR

Warnings: Violence, Women Being Awesome, brothers in arms, everyone protects Quatre except Quatre, L2 forever!, The Past Never Stays Buried

 @noelleian

The Pact 

After seducing Quatre, the other four ex-pilots brave the uncharted waters of their new abilities and learn to cope with the unintentional gifts they were given. But as always, power requires responsibility and the humbling acknowledgement of humanity's weaknesses. The struggle to stay true to themselves becomes a dangerous and terrifying endeavor as they skirt the boundary where conscience bleeds into chaos and the dark abyss of temptation.

Pairings: 1x2x3x4x5, 3x4, 1x4, 2x4, 4x5

Warnings: Smut, Porn With Plot, OT5, Fluff, Humor, Fivesome - M/M/M/M/M, Angst, Newtypes, Possessive Behavior, Alternate Universe - Dark, Non-Graphic Violence, Alpha/Omega, Omega Verse

Green Olive

Duo's had a rough day and needs to unwind, but this time he's in the mood for some company.

Warnings: Friendship, Bromance, Underage Drinking

@noirangetrois

Cocktail Friday

This will be a collection of my Cocktail Friday snippets.

Pairings: Various

Warnings: Cocktail Friday, Alcohol

The Story of Wrong 

Duo recounts his experiences during the war in order to explain... well, why he was wrong.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Violence, Major Character Death, Duo POV, Angst, Drama, Tragedy, slight AU, Spoilers, very dark, Heero and Duo don't die, I promise, Yaoi, slowburn, Mental Instability, Mental Health Issues, Mental Breakdown, If those are in any way an issue for you then go ahead and skip this, Eventual Smut, VERY eventual, this is mostly canon-compliant but I've changed a couple things here and there

Outrightmight

MCU One Shot Series: After Colony 195 

"It took Bucky a split second to get his bearings. The portal had spit them out into an aircraft hanger. The make and model of the one and only small jet was unfamiliar. He would have said it was of Soviet make, but the 50-foot robot idly standing in the middle of the hanger was making him second-guess himself."

Warnings: Natasha Romanov (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Duo Maxwell, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Heero Yuy, Canon-Typical Violence, One Shot

@remsyk-blog

Souls for the Bayou 

For Trowa Barton, exploring the bayou is the ultimate adventure. Drawn to its borders since before he could walk, he spent his childhood learning its paths and uncovering its secrets.

But a chance encounter sets him on a path that spans across time, challenging everything he thought he knew, plunging him deeper into its mysteries than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: 2x3

Warnings: Supernatural - Freeform, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Bayou, Cajun, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Mystery, Slow Burn, Technically Speaking, Young Love, Use of accents, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I don't want to give it all away at once, Fandom Trumps Hate, Time Jump, Suspense, Quatre is a great friend, Mentions of Children Disappearing

Shenanigans

A Collection of my shitposts from Tumblr.

Enter looking for a good time. Expect the tags to change as more installments are added

Warnings: chat fic, shitpost, Professor!Trowa, Cooking, Pinterest, Pancakes, Exercising, Tumblr Prompt, Originally Posted on Tumblr, In depth analysis of riding dick, New Year’s Eve, Jenga, Stupid Dares, Just Heero Things

ShenLong

Bound, Bonded and Betrayed 

Heero is the eldest son of the King of Colonia. His 21st birthday is approaching and as tradition dictates his betrothed is soon to arrive. However he is also bound by tradition to select his own personal slave. The events that unfold lead him down a path that not only tests his sanity but his humanity and love as well.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR, 3x4, 13x11

Warnings: sap, Angst, Bondage, Slavery, Yaoi, Lemon, Lime, Het, Violence, Fluff, AU, OOC. - Freeform

@softnocturne

P.S. I Miss You

Quatre is missing Trowa who is off on a month-long mission.

Pairings: 3x4

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

StarLove18

Believe in Yourself

Children will live what they learn. Pain is costly, until one incident sparks a new flame of hope and a promise to persevere.

Pairings: 1&2&3&4&5

Warnings: Original Character(s), Bullying, Comfort/Angst, School, Minor Violence, Loss of Parent(s), Alternate Universe, AO3 FB Challenge

Thai_tea_addict

Abyss

Duo's not in a good situation when he falls in love with the man next door, and it goes downhill from there.

Pairings: 1x2, 2x3x4

Warnings: Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-con, Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark Character, Abuse, Stalking, Murder, Sadism, Infidelity

Warnings: DARK – please don't read if you think any of the following subject matter could hurt you: depictions of abuse, sexual assault, stalking, murder, sadism (not the fun kind).

Whenpigsfly84

Doormat Babe

A mysterious child is left with Duo one morning. As he seeks for answers he'll have to face his past and prepare for a haunting future he'd never expected. Will he be able to reconnect with old friends or will he lose all those he loves?

Pairings: 1x2, 2&H, 1x2x5, 3x4

Warnings: Violence, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Swearing

White_fox

Life is a Highway 

On an impulsive plan to travel from California to New York City to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Heero Yuy did not plan to pick up a hitchhiker in nowhere Texas. Faced with some setbacks and a growing attraction to his passenger, Heero goes through more challenges than he planned on facing.

Pairings: 1x2, 1xR

Warnings: light slash, Fluff, Road Trips, Dubious Morality

Snippets:

@lifeaftermeteor

Duo’s Apartment

@noirangetrois

Ladies Night

@weiclown

WIP  

Headcanons / Meta / Discussions:

@remsyk-blog

Gundam Wing on Ao3 - Breakdown of Fanfiction stats 

 @terrablaze514

Ladies of Gundam Wing 

Secret Magic Heero Yuy 

Four Months after Mariemaia 

Fanart:

@noelleian

Zero Three Zero Four

Hipster Quatre 

@remsyk-blog

Duo Maxwell Hip Hop

 @showtime-eric

Trowa and Quatre, Sandrock and Heavyarms

 Crackposts:

@the-indomitable-bhg

BDSM 

Calendar Events:

Cocktail Friday

https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/

A new prompt every Monday!

Submissions should be posted Fridays between 3 and 5pm EST, and tagged with @gwcocktailfriday

Interview with a Creator by @remsyk-blog @interview-with-a-creator

Remsyk has created an online interview for fandom creators to fill out and then she features one each week so that everyone in the fandom can learn a bit about each other.

This week features @scacao

If you haven’t filled out her interview, go! do! now!

[christlovez]

A Study in Skulls, Sonnets, and Chess

Ello! I am only a beginner at theorizing for Sherlock and I’ve yet to read the books (gotta read asap) but found great fun in brainstorming. Hopefully this isn’t all a repeat of what the fandom’s been saying for months now!

(This post will later on revolve a bit around the Extended Mind Palace theory and/or meditative trance theory)

Quick briefing for sonnets before i get into it: There are some fans who noticed that John’s counting on of 57 texts in The Scandal in Belgravia was a reference to William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 57. 

Being your slave, what should I do but tend Upon the hours and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all to spend, Nor services to do, till you require. Nor dare I chide the world-without-end hour Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you, Nor think the bitterness of absence sour When you have bid your servant once adieu; Nor dare I question with my jealous thought Where you may be, or your affairs suppose, But, like a sad slave, stay and think of nought Save, where you are how happy you make those.    So true a fool is love that in your will,    Though you do any thing, he thinks no ill. 

Modernized verison: “Since I’m your slave, what else should I do but wait on the hours, and for the times when you’ll want me? I don’t have any valuable time to spend, or any services to do, until you need me. Nor do I dare complain about how agonizingly long the hours are while I watch the clock for you, my king, or how bitter your absence is after you’ve said goodbye to your servant. Nor do I dare ask jealous questions about where you might be, or speculate about your affairs, but like a sad slave I sit still and think about nothing except how happy you’re making whomever you’re with. Love makes a person such a faithful fool that no matter what you do to satisfy your desires, he doesn’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”

Sonnet 58:

That god forbid, that made me first your slave, I should in thought control your times of pleasure, Or at your hand th' account of hours to crave, Being your vassal bound to stay your leisure. O let me suffer, being at your beck, Th' imprisoned absence of your liberty; And patience tame to sufferance bide each check, Without accusing you of injury. Be where you list, your charter is so strong That you yourself may privilege your time To what you will; to you it doth belong Yourself to pardon of self-doing crime. I am to wait, though waiting so be hell, Not blame your pleasure, be it ill or well.

“Sonnet 57 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man. Sonnet 57 is connected with Sonnet 58 which pursues the theme of the poet as a slave of the beloved.” - Wikipedia

Modernized version: ”Whatever god decided to make me your slave, may he never allow me to so much as think about having any control over when you see me, or asking you to account for how you’ve been passing the hours. I’m your slave, after all, and forced to wait until you have time for me. Oh, while I wait for your summons, let me suffer patiently the prison of this lengthy absence from you as you do whatever you want. And let me control my impatience and quietly endure each disappointment without accusing you of hurting me. Go wherever you want—you’re so privileged that you may decide to do whatever you like. You have the right to pardon yourself for any crime you commit. And I have to wait, even if it feels like hell, and not blame you for following your desire, whether it’s for good or bad.“

Sonnet 59:

Mary is said to have called/messaged John 59 times in The Six Thatchers because she’s going into labor.

John says this number, ‘59.‘

If there be nothing new, but that which is Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd, Which, labouring for invention, bear amiss The second burthen of a former child! O, that record could with a backward look, Even of five hundred courses of the sun, Show me your image in some antique book, Since mind at first in character was done! That I might see what the old world could say To this composed wonder of your frame; Whether we are mended, or whe'r better they, Or whether revolution be the same. O! sure I am, the wits of former days To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

Modernized version: “If it’s true that there’s nothing new and everything that now exists existed in the past, then we are really fooling ourselves when we struggle to write something new, winding up, after much exhausting, painful labor, with a tired imitation of an imitation! If only I could look back into the records, even as far as five hundred years ago, and find a description of you in some old book, written when people were just beginning to put their thoughts in writing, so I could see what the old world would say about your amazingly beautiful body. Then I could see whether we’ve gotten better at writing or worse, or whether things have stayed the same as the world revolves. Oh, I’m sure the witty writers of the past have devoted praise and admiration to worse subjects than you.“

Sherlock in The Six Thatchers, explains to Mary that he knows 58 possible ways of diminishing variables and calculating the steps she would take. (despite the fact that he did not use this tactic to find her location after she fled to lure Ajay away. Tracer device n’ all) This mention of 58 comes after the mention of 59, which is also mentioned in The Six Thatchers episode.

Sonnet 59 is also connected to a picture seen in The Abominable Bride. The skull painting of the modern Sherlock world is blue with a rather simple plain background. In Sherlock’s mind palace, the painting is red and is a Victorian painting called All is Vanity. All is Vanity in real life is typically a more neutral brown than the reddish brown we see, and sometimes white. (The fabulous @cyntrix-gm helped me find this painting’s name)

Both the painting, and sonnet 59 refer to verses in the bible from the same book of Ecclesiastes. 

(Sonnet 59) If there be nothing new: Ecclesiastes 1.9: "The thing that hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun."

In Scandal in Belgravia, Sherlock says, “The wheel turns, nothing is ever new.“ and Mycroft in The Sign of Three in Sherlock’s mind palace reminds, “What do we say about coincidence?” Sherlock responds “The universe is rarely so lazy.”

All is Vanity: Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.“

John’s Chinese fortune cookie  says “There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.” (credited post by @teaandforeshadowing)

This post by @lillabaloo displays a screenshot in which thewatsonbeekeepers explains that William Sherlock Scott Holmes’s real initials (WH) are connected in parallel to whom sonnets are addressed to.

His Last Vow had a deleted scene featuring Magnussen and a hospitalized Sherlock where a vase with a dark, withering rose and letter stood.  

(@cyntrix-gm found the rose symbolism) The symbolism of the withering rose: 

“The dark crimson rose has a meaning that has two sides. On one side it’s about sadness and mourning and death.  On another, it has a more joyous meaning - rebirth and love.  When someone you care about passes away, the dark crimson rose can express your feelings of mourning and sadness.” - website of Auntyflo on rose symbolism. 

Magnussen - “The struggling carnations are from Scotland Yard. The single rose is from.. ‘W’.. And the black wreaths? C-block Pentonville (prison). I’m not sure the intent was entirely kindly.”

(Fun fact: White carnations = pure love, good luck. Black wreaths = death. Many more shades of carnations appear in the scene, though white is the most common, next to pink. The pink carnation was said to have appeared because of the Virgin Mary’s tears, a symbol of a mother’s undying love- it’s no wonder it’s a Mother’s Day flower meant to say “I will never forget you“. It also is a flower of support. [Info from: Teleflora ... and Google])

Flip the letter upside down and increase contrast levels:

Invert the colors:

A chess piece with a skull on it and something that can be described as a lock(?) above it. The letter W has turned into a perfect blue M.

(Blue and red in the series has been used as a way to imply inverse or alterations, especially when it  comes to Sherlock’s poster, and sometimes locations within his mind palace. Curtains within John’s home [or therapist’s office?..that office changes a lot too, to be honest,] in season 4 turn red, when before they had been blue.)

Mary in the Abominable Bride opens a letter from Mycroft saying, “Immediately.” It’s from Mycroft because later, as she sneaks with Sherlock and John to catch the Emelia Ricoletti culprits, she admits that she works with Mycroft and that he summoned her.

A rose and letter from Mycroft after Sherlock is stabbed by Rosamund/Mary? Interesting.

In the modern letter it’s hard to tell whether the chess piece is a standard queen or bishop piece.

This brings us back to the controversy surrounding season 4 promotional pictures, which apparently were copyrighted and declared as ‘leaks’, because they reveal important spoiler information.

It’s not quite known what the spoiler is, but the implication is enough for mystery.

In this picture, we see two bishops upended along with pawns, flying towards the camera.

“The bishop’s predecessor in medieval chess, shatranj (originally chaturanga), was the alfil, meaning “elephant”, which could leap two squares along any diagonal, and could jump over an intervening piece.” - Wikipedia

We can now say that the letter’s chess piece is most likely a bishop, as it very well references to a reoccurring symbol: The elephant [in the room]. 

Symbolically or literally an elephant has been hidden in rooms, for example on Mrs. Hudson as a necklace, in the back of the 221B room, and within John’s blog and Sherlock’s best man speech using The Elephant in the Room as a good tale. The symbol can refer to an obvious issue that John and Sherlock choose to ignore, perhaps their feelings towards each other (if you’re a johnlocker).

If you want to further analyze, the remaining pieces standing on the board is two opposing knights, with Mycroft’s king and his two pawns.

Knights: “Colloquially it is sometimes referred to as a "horse", which is also the translation of the piece's name in several languages. Some languages refer to it as the "jumper", reflecting the knight's ability to move over pieces in its way.“ - Wikipedia

John may be the “jumper”, as Sherlock does refer to John’s jumpers an episode before, in The Sign of Three, when trying to deduce who is the next target of the Mayfly man. If the chess pieces are symbols of people, who if not John would be the knight? John’s presence in this picture raises slight question.

 With all this comes the question of: who is Mycroft’s knight? And why do John and Mycroft’s knight oppose one another?

Most of Sherlock’s chess pieces are strewn on the table in front of Mycroft, and Mycroft’s pieces across Sherlock’s side of the table.

Sherlock is either unable to beat his own brother (so close to checkmate), or he’s passing the game onto us in this picture.

Mycroft throughout the series has subtexted queen status.

John at Buckingham Palace, “Are we here to meet the Queen?”

Sherlock - “Apparently”

A painting of the young Queen Elizabeth II, “Queen Regent”  by Pietro Annigoni in 1954, hangs behind Mycroft in his office. It’s the only wall decorative in this Sherrinfordian office. 

Moriarty’s stealing of the crown jewels could be a reference to gaining control over Mycroft, perhaps through blackmail. We know they communicated inside and outside of Sherlock’s mind palace, at least.

Irene - “Jim Moriarty sends his love.”

Mycroft - “Yes, he’s been in touch. Seems desperate for my attention, which I’m sure can be arranged.”

“And honey, you should see me in a crown.” - Moriarty.

This symbolizes a lot that I’m unsure of. He breaks down a glass wall after writing “Get Sherlock” on it, which I suppose means his barriers keeping him back are no longer there, and he can now become queen. We still don’t know what Irene told him in the beginning of A Scandal in Belgravia, and what could have possibly kept him from killing John and Sherlock at the pool (unless someone does know, please hit me up!)

In the end, Mycroft holds the power of the British government. There’s no explanation for how, besides that Magnussen also held a lot of power and it was through blackmail.

But regardless, Mycroft is most likely queen on the chess board.

Back to the letter W/M in Sherlock’s hospital room, the W/M stands for someone/something.

It’s easier to assume it’s an M, with the chess piece insignia as reference for which way to read the seal. If it is M, and the one Sherlock plays chess/games against is Mycroft and Moriarty, especially as Moriarty in S4 is shown to have worked with him, and oddly has also had a connection with Mary Morstan before John and her ever met.. it can be safe to assume M stands for Mycroft.

Another idea of who it is could be Mary. She did visit Sherlock in the hospital, possibly as one of the first visitors. A rose very well mirrors her true name, Rosamund, as does the wallpaper behind Sherlock when she shot him.

Though this is an overly prepared and symbolic way of giving a ‘ get well’ or ‘don’t tell john’ letter. (If you believe the Extended Mind Palace theory starting from the reversed heart monitor in HLV, this can also mean M is still working behind the scenes while Sherlock is incapacitated)

S4′s connection of all the people who ever pulled the strings of Sherlock’s heart and gave him trouble, find their place and connection to Sherrinford or through Mycroft, the one supposed to be in control of Sherrinford. 

Or it may not be so complicated. It may simply be Moriarty’s last goodbye, but if so, who placed the letter and rose there?

Rewind to the skulls.

So many skulls.

Sherlock’s skull poster seems to always remain blue before The Abominable Bride (Correct me if I’m wrong please):

Alas, poor Victor.

Odd glass-ish ball on Mycroft’s desk possibly resembles a skull at certain angles.

Perfectly normal, unusually well-lit poster here.

Stop laughing at me, Mr. Skull. You’ve gone purple, and I’ve never heard of a pirate having a purple flag.

Blue, the shade of TD-12, Mary’s death scene, and lies. Fascinatingly vague information.

Skull picture is blacked out in TLD, while Sherlock is with Culverton at the hospital. Which brings me to realize.. 

If Sherlock is unconscious, who’s manning the mind palace?

Is him being unconscious in the hospital bed a thing of consciousness awareness? He may still be in the hospital outside of mind palace, after all. 

John is often wearing colors that match the Mind Palace skull paintings. John seemed to be subtextually connected with Sherlock’s skulls since the beginning of A Study in Pink where John says about the mantelpiece’s skull, “So I’m a replacement for your skull?” and Sherlock says, “Don’t worry, you’re doing fine.” Sherlock upon John’s first seeing the skull claims that it’s his ‘friend’ of a sort. In Sherlock’s mind palace, after HLV, John may be even more connected to the skulls.

The skull poster is also symmetrically aligned with John’s chair, just as the shifty orange lamp and smiley face is aligned with Sherlock’s chair. The room is rather deliberately a half-n-half of John and Sherlock, John’s side being more green, and Sherlock’s being more beige.

In narration, it always seems to matter who’s sitting on the right or left side of the flat. Clients must sit in the middle while John and Sherlock sit in their respected spots. Moriarty chooses to sit in John’s seat as an act of domination over their balance of things, which can lead us to assume that Sherlock offering his own chair is in an ode of respect towards John rather than Moriarty. Which leads me to believe the placement of the skull poster (and smiley face), is even more correlated with John’s place in the Mind Palace.

During Mary’s frankly unreal monologue at the end of The Final Problem, we see the skull picture again, purple/gray and appearing very dark, digital and coded. It’s a sign that things aren’t finish yet.

I may edit this bit later if I notice anything else.

Interesting post regarding the skull poster  by @the-7-percent-solution

(to those tagged, please let me know if you want me to uncredit!)

(Gradually migrating Sherlock posts from this blog to @all-is-v-57)

[katealexandra26]

Turning the Page (2/?)

Summary: After several long years, Emma and Killian are finally getting the second chance they thought was beyond reach. At the same, Henry Mills is still struggling to find his own story while beloved family members live out theirs. Belief and hope guiding him, he leans on his other mother, Regina, and another version of his stepfather, Captain Hook, to help him write his next chapter. And someday he’ll return home to share his epic tale with the rest of his Charming family.

Rating: Mature (for now)

Catch up here: Ch 1

Also on: ao3  | ff.net

Author’s Note: This started as a little drabble post-7×02. I have a few ideas about where I want this to go and I hope you like it. I’m going to do my best to write and post one approximately 500 word chapter everyday because it’s a manageable goal. Enjoy!

Hook was sitting on the the log by the dying fire, staring at the chess piece he’d carried across many realms, when he felt the tip of a hook tapping on his arm. He looked up to see Emma’s Killian eyeing him with a natural expression. By the tilt of his head towards the other side of the clearing, he understood Killian intended for them to talk away from the others. He followed, trying to prepare himself for what might be unsaid between them.

“Aye, what is it you wished to say?” Hook demanded of the other man.

“My wife has placed her trust in you by asking you to look after Henry. You have to understand how important it is, that you do not break that trust. Emma’s trust was one of the things that set me on the path to let go of my villainy and explore the possibility of a happy ending, or, as Emma prefers, a happy beginning,” Killian explained, though Hook could tell there was more to be said from the way he paused.

“I understand this is a second chance and I don’t intended to waste it,” Hook stressed, almost desperate that his doppelganger believed he meant it. After almost separating the man from his child, a pain he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy, Killian had still pleaded with Emma to save his life, thus Hook now felt a debt was owed.

“I hope you do not. I think you should also know that Henry is the one responsible for setting the events in motion that lead Emma to me. Emma had Henry when she was incarcerated for crimes the father of her child pinned on her. Young and alone, she gave Henry up to give him his best chance unlike our own fathers who were selfish and abandoned us to save himself. Regina,” Killian pointed towards the Evil Queen, “she adopted Henry and raised him alone until Henry was 10 and set out to bring Emma to Storybrooke. He helped her find her parents and she eventually found me. Her family became my family and though I might not be the lad’s birth father, make no mistake, Henry is my son and I love him as such.”

“He seems like a fine young man. I’m sure… well… I’m sure he’ll be okay,” he mumbled, stumbling over his words, a little embarrassed that for all the languages he knew, words had failed him just then. Killian chuckled softly at this.

“He may seem grown but he’s still a lad in many ways and you know it. I need you to promise me that you will look after my son, as though he was your own, because whether he means to or not, he’ll look to you for guidance and support because you are a version of the man that helped raise him,” Killian asked, intentions finally aired out.

“I owe both you and Emma for saving my life, so I promise, on my honour, that I will guide and protect young Henry in your stead,” he vowed, extending his hand. 

To be continued…

tagging some folks under the cut who asked to be tagged, liked this story or those whom I believe will (if you want to be tagged/untagged just ask): 

@haunted-nymph, @greenleaf777, @x-prettybird-x, @electria1, @love-with-you-i-have-everything, @alys07, @stina-g, @captainpoe, @caoimhejm, @iacobdiana2000, @anaztaziya, @lindseythompsonxoxo, @rubyrose82, @onceuponaswans, @flyflyangel, @feigninghapiness, @andiirivera, @teamhook, @atlanticstardust, @noneplus5cups, @fleurreads, @lenfazreads, @lenfaz, @klar425, @deathbycaptainswan, @timeless-love-story, @galadriel26, @a-little-squirrely-sunshine, @liketenerifesea, @snowbellewells, @spartanguard, @kmomof4, @optomisticgirl, @woofiefangirl, @sambethe, @bethacaciakay, @xhookswenchx, @disneylady21, @lanacorde, @pinkbonesforeverblog, @sherifffjones, @mr-and-mrs-killian-jones, @whimsicallyenchantedrose, @flslp87, @blessed-but-distressed

[portfolio-]

Thoughts about Ruler: Master of the Mask, Part 10

(Note: This entry is going to be longer than the usual incoherent or coherent posts I've had. I'm still digesting all the feelings I have for this episode because wow, RMOTM actually had the potential to raise the bar.)

 I must be a sadist. I watched The Throne last Tuesday, then I watched today's episode. I've mourned Yoo Ah In's Sado, now I mourn for Yoo Seung Ho's Lee Seon (albeit for a short period of time).

The episode last night depicted a good picture of the main theme of this show imo, power, which fits just right as we move headfirst to the climax of the story.

(I’ll be a decent person for once and put this expand post thing here because this entry has more spoilers than I think should be spilled).

Dae Mok proved to be the best villain out of all in the show as he nitpicked on all his enemies. In one swoop, with the fake King's help, he managed to get absolute power within the court and in extension, Joseon. He loves (with whatever is left of his blackened heart) his granddaughter, as we've seen throughout the series, but will not waver in the name of his organization. He tortured the true king with his lover and his most loyal friend, knowing that beneath the regality, he is simply a man who protects the people he care about. I could already feel the satisfaction of seeing him dead when this series ends, in whatever form it will reach him. Props to Heo Jun Ho for being very, very effective on his role.

I feel bad for the queen dowager, but then again, the better villain always prevails. I will miss her being at the top of her game. Kim Sun Kyung is becoming one of my favorite actresses to watch in her generation, second to Jeon Mi Sun.

Hwa Goon actually gained my sympathy this time as her grandfather forced her to bend to his will. I liked the interaction she had with her father, that the latter's love always prevails. They gained my sympathy because beneath all the bullshit they experienced from the head of their family, they never lost the ability to care for each other. I still dislike her for forcing herself to the true king (especially at this episode), but actually felt sad at the idea that she would surrender everything to him. I'll discuss more on the true king later. For now, it will suffice to say that had the true king held hands with Pyunsoo Group by marrying Hwa Goon, it will only ruin them both. I hate her for slapping Ga Eun because the latter has no idea (again, who’s fault is this?) because she had no fucking right. Who set the ball ralling in the first place? Huh? (slaps Hwa Goon because you need to wake up too girl!!) But what takes the cake for me was when Gon lied to Hwa Goon for her sake! And how it breaks Gon to betray his master. Why did the writers fucking threw their pairing aside?! (screams) And when Hwa Goon actually pressed the sword on Gon's neck with the latter remaining steady on his resolve! What a parallel with our main leads. Had the writers went this way, I would have liked Hwa Goon more (even just a smidge of it). Anyway, thumbs up to Kim Seo Kyung for portraying Gon this way, worming in my heart after that fucking Hyun Suk betrayed us all. In the case of Yoon So Hee, she has her moments, but she still feels exhausted to me when she gets angry (except for that scene with Gon). I would have wanted an extra oomph from her, because Hwa Good could have been more likable on my part had she brought the same degree on intensity as the other leads.

The one receiving my ire once more (Actually, not just ire. I want so bad to slap him. I want to inflict physical character on him fucking asshole.) is the fake king. YOU FUCKING POSER GET OFF YOUR FUCKING HIGH HORSE AND FIGHT ME!!!!! (screams) He became a corrupted, guiltless puppet whose selfish intentions ruined the lives of those who actually care for him. FUCK YOU FAKE KING. Just when we thought he was in the right position to help the true king and his lover, jealousy takes over. AIN'T GONNA TAKE MY BABY GIRL'S HEART BASTARD. I hate him so much right now I want to run a sword through him, harakiri style. He fails to see how he would never win Ga Eun's heart. He actually had the nerve to console her after telling her of the true king's "death". FUCK YOU UGH DIE!!!!! In terms of acting, Kim Myung Soo actually played his role fine. While not to the level of his true counterpart (discussed later), he actually managed to bring about this rage within me (for his character).

(Pauses to take a deep breath)

Now, let's go to my babies because HOW DARE YOU WRITER-NIM HURTING THEM GAAAAAAAAAAAH (slaps left and right).

Let's start with our beloved Chung Woon. It's about damn time he confessed to Ga Eun that she was the one to behead her father. (I want to slap the true king for prolonging everyone's agony, but I'll let it slip this time because because because!!! You'll see later.) Can you see how understanding Ga Eun would have been had the truth been told to her all this time? (glares at writer-nim) The fact that she actually comes with Chung Woon proves that. Also, his bromance shone again in this episode, when Dae Mok used him as another bait for the true king to join Pyunsoo Group. WHY DID YOU DO THAT AHHHHHH WHY DID YOU BLIND MY CHUNG WOON! But maybe it is fitting for his guard career to end like this, his blindness as the price he paid for going with the late king's orders. But goodness, who will save the day now?

Another good thing in this episode was how Woo Bo bounced back to his usefulness being a true king's man. The subtle communication he had with the fake king provided him with the answers he needed, and I'm so damn excited for him to execute a plan of action versus Pyunsoo Group. By being fired, so to speak, Woo Bo was placed in the right position to sequester the loyal followers of the true king during his time as the chief peddler. Remember what the true king/chief peddler asks in return, the loyalty of the people he aided as he trained to become who he has been right now? This is the perfect time to call on them. And thank you, Park Chul Min, for being our endearing drunkard. I look forward to your "mental" battle with Dae Mok.

And now. MY BABIES. (hugs YSH and KSH)

 I'll start with the true king because damn Yoo Seung Ho, you're giving me a run for my money. This time, we see the true king fight Pyunsoo Group not as a leader, but as a lover. Do I hate him for it, for letting his emotions get the best of him? At first thought, I would have. That's reckless. That's insane. That's not worth it. (This is me speaking with my mind over matter perspective.) But then, watching the entire episode, facing Pyunsoo Group is some sort of rite of passage not just for him, but for Ga Eun as well. I like how dignified he carried himself at the beginning, and how Dae Mok broke him little by little until he was left with no other choice but to relent. He was a gentleman to Hwa Goon through it all, and his standing by his principles and his heart only made him shine all the more. He wouldn't take Hwa Goon because he was a decent person who wouldn't bring about that sort of pain even to his worst enemy. He wouldn't take power that was stolen or taken by spilled by blood. He would not be seduced by power, especially when it stemmed from evil. He would not ascend at the expense of other people, and that's what makes him a good person. I think that is what makes Hwa Goon not appeal to him, because at the core of her kindness towards him is the selfishness that would always be a step away from topping over the edge. We could hate him for his decisions, but we couldn't fault him for wanting what's best for those around him.

And when Dae Mok blinded Chung Woon and he suddenly screamed "Master Dae Mok!" Oh my gosh. I love watching the true king break down. So in character, so true of his vow as the leader of his people.

As a lover, he demanded respect for Ga Eun when she was unceremoniously dragged by Dae Mok's men because in his eyes, she is the rightful queen to his king. He would put her safety first, whether or not he knows that the odds are against him. He would risk his neck if that meant she would not be involved anymore. He took the poison to save Ga Eun, which was his initial intention. At this point, if it were any other actor/person, I would be screaming at how stupid he had been, but YOO SEUNG HO DAMN. He made us feel the depth of his love for the woman who always had his heart, and like any sucker for undying first loves, I succumbed to the storm of emotions brewing within me and cried my heart out.

And Han Ga Eun, the most powerful pawn in the show. The bait to both Lee Suns. The subject of hate and jealousy of Hwa Goon. This episode is another revelation to her, an extension of the trauma-inducing exchange with the true king. Finally, she asked the truth about her father's death to the right person. Finally, she held her own to Hwa Goon face to face (When she was slapped, I was like "Oh no you didn't!" Then when she stopped the latter from slapping her again, I was like "Yeah show her!"). Seriously, Hwa Good had no right after all her actions. Gets Ga Eun's father killed now this? Ha! Going back, I hate the fake king continued to appeal to her by using their old friendship. (One of these days, someone should hand me that asshole's ass.) Now that she would be concubine to the fake king, she would be in the perfect position to make things work for the good. Even if she thinks the true king dead (saving the best for last), I really, really hope they make the best use of her, as the last piece standing. Come to think of it, the queen is the most powerful chess piece right? I shouldn't but I am anticipating some showdown with her on the lead. She is the only hope of the "light" side with everyone thinking the true king dead. From what I could see, she is the best bet of the inner court with Mae Chang and the Chief Eunuch as her guide.

And lastly. Gosh. I know the mourning is short lived, but oh my gosh, did Kim So Hyun and Yoo Seung Ho make me cry like a baby. On the verge of taking the poppy wine, Ga Eun tried to prevent the true king from drinking the poison. The way she told him she would not forgive him for wasting her father's death, then the way she called him His Majesty and telling him that she already knows the truth (I really hate the writers right now for this torture, but I'll take what I can get.) Her desperate cries. Lee Sun calling her "Ga Eun-ah". The moment it hits him that she knows the truth.

The small smile he gave her before drinking the poppy wine (thinking about this scene makes me teary-eyed ugh come on). That small smile reminds me of that scene in Goblin wherein Kim Shin finally defeated the ghost of his enemy and realized that Eun Tak will be safe even at the cost of his immortal life. Here we have two men realizing that they finally get to do something good/save the women they love.

The way Lee Sun fell. The way Ga Eun held the sword to push it out of her way to hold Lee Sun. And that heartbreakingly sad confession. "From the first time I saw you, with all my heart, I loved you." His hand fell. Silence. That look of disbelief in Ga Eun's face. Then her cry. While Lee Sun's body was being carried away, the desperate way she tried to go after him.

WHY OH WHY IS THIS SCENE TORTURING ME

(Also, wow YSH and KSH. WOW. With Dae Mok clapping, you'd think he's clapping for the performance of the two rather than his victory.)

And her disbelief when the fake king confirmed (!!!!!!) that the true king is dead. "I still have so many things to tell him!" Reminds me of that scene in Moon Embracing the Sun when the court members stopped Yeo Jin Goo from running after Kim Yoo Jung as she was banished from the palace when she was cursed upon the request of the Queen Dowager. KSH gutted me.

I cried a lot. I'm so, so exhausted.

Anyway, to close this unbelievably long post, I think what appeals to me about RMOTM is the fine line power creates between good and evil. That the characters who are naturally good remain incorruptible makes me root for them all the more, good writing or not. RMOTM showed us the extremes these characters are willing to take to achieve their ultimate goals.

So to you who reached the end of this post, congratulations. I hope you don't feel as tired as I am composing this.

[jakeremake]

Chessmaster - a HP fanfic

No price is too great forthe scalp of the enemy King. - Koblentz

The black knight jutted out in a wide "L" shape across the board, claiming a pawn in it's wake. The old man frowned, stroking his beard. It was only a pawn, but it was a pawn that could have, potentially won the game for him, if he had played it just a little more carefully, if he hadn't let his bravery and bravado get in the way, to recklessly claim a bishop that served very little purpose. He had regretted the move almost as soon as he had made it, it had been tempting him, taunting him, knowing that he could not resist it.

But sometimes, there were causalities caused by rash decisions. He couldn't always prevent them. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, a bad decision is made, and it costs a pawn. Or a life. Sirius Black, for instance, had been a rash decision. One that he regretted, but it was too late to regret it now, just as it was too late to regret the missing pawn. The best he could do was tailor his strategy to no longer involve the pawn, to no longer include Sirius. He hadn't been vital, important, yes, but crucial, no.

He moved his queen away from the dangerous reach of the knight. Just one space to sidestep it. The same way the man across from him had sidestepped danger many a time before. Yes, in terms of strategy, Severus was most definitely the queen, the most powerful piece, the second most crucial, second most necessary piece to the game, sidestepping out of danger, slipping away in another direction that the opponent never considered when attempting to pin him into a corner.

A rook slid down the board, into the same rank as his king. "Check." The word was quietly uttered, but yet rung out in the small study. The only other sound was the occasional gulp, and the slight sucking noise that a mouth wrapped around a lemon drop makes. He studied the board. He could move his king, but it would mean sacrificing his bishop. But sometimes, sacrifices were necessary, sometimes it was needed to give up one piece for the greater good, to rationally choose to do so. The only other option was to back the queen up, and sacrifice that instead.

It was the reason why they were playing this game after all. It was all about sacrifice. Sometimes, sacrifices were necessary. He could sacrifice himself for the good of the order. He had known about the unbreakable vow from before the start of term, but now was the first time that Severus had dared mention it to him. Severus had known that he knew though, after all, he did give the appearance of omnipotence. Carefully placed spies in certain places was all his omnipotence was, but he'd never let anyone know that everything he learned, he learned from the ghosts and portraits.

Sacrifice was necessary, in order to win this. And he was going to win this. Better a bishop than a queen, to protect the king. And that's all this was. Protecting the king, protecting Harry. If Harry were to fall, the game would be over, it would all be for naught, and Voldemort would win. And he'd be damned if he let that happen. No, better to sacrifice one piece for the greater good, to keep the king alive.

And so, he moved the king out of the way, letting the other man take his bishop, unscathed. It was his turn to move a rook, pinning the king to the back row, trapping him. Backing him into a corner. That was the strategy he had for defeating Voldemort as well. Never give him a chance to escape, back him into a corner and flank him. It was an old military tactic that had worked for muggle armies for thousands of years, it would be no different this time around.

They say that the greatest warlords and strategists were master chess players, and he was inclined to believe it. Chess was a game of calculated risk, which was all war was as well. Figuring out what you could afford to loose rashly, what you could sacrifice, and how to pin your opponent into the corner to strike in for the kill.

He allowed himself to loose a rook as well, it was the endgame, he wouldn't be needing it. He advanced a pawn forward, watching as the knight encroached on his king again. But he saw the resignation in the other man's eyes. He had won, he had trapped the king to that rank, and as he moved his pawn forward again, promoting it to queen, the other man sighed, if a little over dramatically. "Checkmate" He said simply, and Severus sat, staring at the board, tipping his king over, signalling his defeat.

"Headmaster-Albus-"

"I won, Severus. You are a man of your word are you not?"

"What you're asking me to do-"

"I'm asking you to make a move. Sacrifice a bishop for the good of the king. You can't go through a chess game without loosing a piece, nor can you win a war without a sacrifice. Save the boy, Severus."

"Bloody Gryffindor." The words were barely audible, but he chuckled at them nonetheless.

"Believe what you wish about my willingness to die for the cause, Severus, but you are far more useful. Everything I could do is already on paper. Everything is outlined, Minerva can give orders just as well as I can. But we need inside information." He paused slightly, both for effect and to let his previous words sink in. "Besides, would you like to see an innocent boy, corrupted? Because of external pressure, even though he doesn't have it in him to be evil?" He could see the words hit home by the look of carefully hidden disgust that flickered across the younger man's face. "I won Severus, that was the agreement of the game. If I won, you were to follow through with the unbreakable vow."

"And I will." The words were spat out with hatred, a certain special type of self loathing that takes years to master.

"Thank you, Severus. You might want to work on advancing your king a little more often, saves it from running the risk of getting pinned." The words had a tone of dismissal about them, and the younger man stood, heading for the door. "Lemon drop before you go?" The only response he got was a swirl of black, and the door closing. Severus may not like doing what he had to do, but he would do it, he would do whatever was necessary to win, to get the checkmate.