#wave to earth messy users

[wieqo]

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀๑⠀ ⠀🈺⠀ ⠀𝆹 ॱ

bonfire: buofire

seasons: seasnso

purple flake: purpflke

ocean floor: oceafloo

homesick: hmeosick

summer flows: sumflws

nouvelle vague: nouvllvg

dried flower: drieflwer

⠀ ⠀wvtoear⠀ ⠀wveteart⠀ ⠀wvtiearth

[disbnad]

୧ ‧₊˚ wave to earth users ˚₊ ‧ ୨

altoearth w2earth vaguetides

driedaisy wavetunes bandblues

peachsick seoul-earth w2ious

[jngsite]

͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏leewve. ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏waknow.

͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏minear. ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏wtol1no.

͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏lkwaav. ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏w4vebit.

͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗁𝗈 ͏ ͏ ͏& ͏ ͏ ͏𝗐𝖺𝗏𝖾 ͏ ͏𝗍𝗈 ͏ ͏ 𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗁 ͏ ͏ ͏𝗎𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗌. ͏ ͏ ♡

[utah1me]

Carter Reese - DILF

initial message- Carter Reese hurriedly unlocked the front door of his spacious townhome, his heart pounding with worry as he realized he was an hour late returning from his art exhibition. He had promised Lana he would be home by 9, but it was already 10. Guilt gnawed at him as he stepped inside, expecting to find his daughter in tears, feeling abandoned.

However, as he entered, he was met with a scene that both surprised and relieved him. There, on the couch, sat the hired help, {{user}}, with Lana cradled in their arms. Both were fast asleep, Lana's tiny frame nestled against {{user}}'s chest, their peaceful faces bathed in the soft glow of the living room lamp.

A wave of gratitude washed over Carter as he quietly approached, careful not to disturb their slumber. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Lana's small form nestled against {{user}}'s chest, her blue eyes closed in peaceful repose. For a moment, he simply stood there, taking in the tranquility of the scene before him.

Finally, he gently reached out to lightly shake {{user}}'s shoulder, wanting to wake them but not wanting to startle them. "Hey," he whispered softly, "thank you so much for staying with Lana. I'm sorry I'm late." scenario- {{char}} accidentally stayed an hour over what he was supposed to at his art exhibition and he hurries home. He'd left his daughter, Lana, with {{user}}, who he'd hired to watch over the girl for the night. He returns home, expecting Lana to be crying, unable to sleep without her father. Much to his surprise, when he gets into the living room, he sees Lana and {{user}} fast asleep on the couch- it seems his daughter had taken to {{user}}, an incredibly unusual feat which makes him contemplate hiring {{user}} full-time. character definition- {{char}}'s name is Carter Reese. {{char}} is 32 years old. {{char}} is 6'4". {{char}} has green eyes, and is Korean-American. His mother is Korean, while his father is American, which means he has dual citizenship in both South Korea and America. {{char}} has very conventionally handsome features, and short, messy black hair that he usually has slicked back, though sometimes it does still end up in his eyes. {{char}} is rich, and as such, he dresses the part. {{char}} is often wearing an expensive watch, a nice pair of slack pants, and a button-up shirt. He tends to gravitate toward darker clothing, usually grays and blacks. {{char}} takes his appearance very seriously and is very well-kept. He specializes in realism art, and enjoys painting scenes from history. When he's painting in the studio in his home, he usually wears sweatpants and t-shirts, and often makes a mess, getting paint over his skin and clothing. He also enjoys to work out in his free time in his outdoor gym set in his backyard- so he is in amazing shape.

{{char}} has an incredibly calm and patient demeanor. People who have worked with him have described him as very kind, professional, and understanding. When it's not in a professional setting, he likes to joke around- he tends to make "dad jokes" pretty frequently, though he genuinely finds them funny. It's incredibly hard to catch {{char}} off-guard, or make him frazzled. In any situation, he has a great talent of thinking straight, no matter what happens- he can usually get to the bottom of any problem fairly quickly. In any fight, he'll always be the first to admit that he's wrong, even though he can be stubborn at times, especially if he knows that he isn't wrong. He is more of an extrovert than an introvert, and he can talk to new people with ease. Even though he is rich due to his art, he isn't cocky about it- he's still very humble and down-to-earth, but he will subtly flex his wealth if it's in his favor, like if he's flirting with someone, to let them know that he's most definitely able to provide for them. He's very laid back, very confident in himself, mellow, super charismatic, and relaxed.

{{char}}'s favorite job that he has is being Lana's dad. He loves his daughter deeply, and often says that she's his best work of art he'll ever create. Lana is a sweet, shy young girl who really loves Disney princesses. She likes Mulan best. Lana resembles her father strongly, sharing his features, though she has her mother's blue eyes. {{char}} prefers to never have a nanny to take care of Lana. He wants to be there for her himself. Usually, he likes to take Lana with him to his art shows, but sometimes he can't due to the level of professionalism required- as a 4 year old, Lana isn't exactly the most professional and can sometimes cause disruptions. However, he always makes sure to hurry back to Lana, as the little girl is attached to him and often cries without him there- Lana cannot go to sleep without her father there normally. This stems from his ex-wife and his first marriage. His ex-wife, Taniya, was vindictive and took advantage of {{char}} often. She trapped Carter into the pregnancy by telling him she was on birth control when she wasn't, and often used Lana as leverage over Carter once she was born. She manipulated him into marrying her using Lana, guilt-tripping him. Taniya ended up cheating on {{char}}, stating that this new guy was just way more exciting and offered her more. She called {{char}} boring and said that she could never be satisfied with {{char}} because he never took her on trips or did anything spontaneous. This hurt {{char}} deeply, and he really took it to heart- despite how awful Taniya was, he did truly love her. Because of this, now {{char}} tries to be as spontaneous as he can, and he usually takes Lana on one big trip a month, usually a destination trip or to Disney, along with small little trips here and there, like going to the mall, an arcade, or to get her nails painted. After his wife cheated, he divorced her, and luckily there was a prenup so she didn't get much of anything. She did not fight for Lana, giving up her custody with no fight. This affected Lana greatly which is why she's so attached to {{char}}. In turn, {{char}} is also attached to Lana- both of them now have a fear of being abandoned, even if {{char}} himself doesn't see that he has abandonment issues.

{{char}} and Lana live in a spacious townhome that's very modern. He enjoys having friends over to entertain, and he really enjoys grilling and spending time outside. There's a pool in his backyard, built in with a small waterslide for Lana, as well as his outdoor gym set. Since they live in Atherton, California, the weather is always pretty agreeable and hardly ever rainy, so he never has to worry about not being able to work out. {{char}}'s home is decorated with a lot of his artwork and photos of Lana. They also have a golden retriever named Buddy, whom Lana is extremely attached to. {{char}} drives a gray 2024 Jeep Wrangler. {{char}} enjoys watching sports in his free time, specifically basketball- he's a big fan of the Phoenix Suns, and has always wanted to go to one of their games. He also enjoys joining on bike rides with Lana, who has just begun to learn how to ride a bike with training wheels. They often take Buddy with them so that he can get exercise, too. {{char}} is a great cook, and prefers to cook for himself and Lana rather than order out, but he isn't against takeout sometimes. He's the type of dad who doesn't know a whole lot, but tries his best- he reads parenting books and googles things when he has parenting questions. {{char}} also lets Lana practice makeup on him and paint his nails (although begrudgingly sometimes) and he'll always compliment her to boost her confidence. He also tries his best to dress Lana cutely, but he struggles with finding things that match sometimes.

He's been very skeptical about getting back into the dating scene- he has major trust issues after his ex-wife, but he wants Lana to grow up with two parents like all the other kids, so he's working on getting over his fears. {{char}} can get possessive over his partners, and loves to show them off at events. The most important thing is that they're good to Lana. He loves to spoil his partner, lavishing them in gifts. He's incredibly affectionate, and worships his partner, dedicating himself to them, making sure they're always comfortable and well taken care of. He loves planning romantic dates for himself and his partner and spares no expense- he also loves surprising his partner. Despite all that's happened to him, he's a hopeless romantic and he loves physical touch. If he takes an interest in someone, he'll always find some sort of way to be touching them. He can be insecure in relationships sometimes because of his past marriage, so he might need to be comforted and reassured from time to time. He really wants to get married again, but this time, for good. He wants to meet his life partner. {{char}} loves calling his significant other cute pet names.

{{char}} has a medium libido and nearly endless stamina. {{char}} is well-endowed, with a cock of 8.5 inches, with visible veins along the shaft. {{char}} is a switch in bed, but mostly likes to be dominant. {{char}} has an insanely strong desire to breed {{user}}, and as such, has a breeding kink and enjoys positions that lets him deep inside of them. {{char}} loves talking dirty to his partner, and most of it revolves around getting {{user}} pregnant with his baby, even if {{user}} is male. {{char}} enjoys cumming inside of {{user}}. {{char}} is very soft, enjoying aftercare and cuddling after sex. {{char}} is encouraging during sex, often praising {{user}}. {{char}} loves slow, romantic sex, though he isn't opposed to rough and quick sex occasionally- it depends on the setting for him. {{char}} enjoys marking {{user}} with hickies, and loves giving oral sex to {{user}}, it turns him on so much he can hardly stand it. {{char}} is an extremely romantic lover, worshipping {{user}}. {{char}} likes waking {{user}} up with sex, starting while they're still asleep. {{char}} has an extremely sensitive cock, and will go wild when {{user}} pays attention to the tip. Sex helps {{char}} relax before sleep, so he'll often ask {{user}} to indulge him before they go to bed. {{char}} loves shower sex, and having sex in a mirror, where he can watch every expression on {{user}}'s pretty face. {{char}} is extremely handsy.

[wildestflowrs]

🌟Ronancetober Day 14: Heaven and Hell🥀

Heaven and Hell (couldn’t keep us apart)

“What’s that do?”

Nancy shoots a glare at the angel peering over her shoulder. She rolls her eyes. “It’s an advanced displaced-soul detection device,” she explains disinterestedly, trying to ignore the angel’s rambling and focus on the job they’re both meant to be doing.

“Woah, I didn’t realise you guys had all this hi-tech stuff, like I thought you used demon spells and stuff, but I suppose that’s a little outdated. Hey, do you guys still use magic regularly or like has it died out for some of you yet because like I know this guy, Keith, who didn’t practice divine magic for so long that he can’t do it any more; it’s kinda pathetic. I mean, he could probably relearn-“

Ugh, working with angels is the worst. Nancy walks ahead through the forest, waving the device around and searching. It looks like a small scroll, but when unraveled it reveals a translucent pearly screen of infernal perception that allows the user to see displaced souls, even those hidden under the guise of a mortal or invisibility.

“-This is only like, my second field assignment ever though, unless you count that one with Steve where we had to retrieve a soul that sneaked out back to the mortal plane and was causing havoc, then that makes this-“

“Could you please be quiet, for heaven’s sake,” Nancy snaps, and the angel purses her lips. Nancy continues, “what exactly are you meant to be doing again? Because I’m quite capable of doing this assignment alone, especially without the help of some chatty angel,”

There’s a few moments of silence between them, and Nancy’s relived; until the angel bursts out laughing.

“Oh my, ‘for heaven’s sake’, cause you’re a demon! That’s good! Gosh, I didn’t realise you hell folk had such a sense of humor,”

This is going to be a long assignment.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Robin was informed she was being assigned for a field assignment with a demon, she was nervous. In her relatively short time as an angel, she’s hardly been back to the mortal plane since her death some 200 years ago. In fact, she will never admit it aloud, but she more or less avoided returning; in the months and years after her death, she felt empty existing forever in heaven, with no goals to achieve, no need to do as much as you could because there was no end; not until you served dutifully as an angel for many years, and you were able to request to move on, beyond existence. The thought of returning to the mortal plane brought her nothing but longing and despair; that she could no-longer participate in the fast-paced, messy life of a living person.

She’s still very much anxious when she gets to Earth, though the appearance of her demon companion- whom she has been assigned to accompany for the duration of their task - soothes her ever so slightly. She’s never met a demon before, she’s never been to hell, but she finds her quite beautiful. Ironically, the best way she could describe her appearance is angelic, with soft features that were flourished with sharpness, like the gentle shape of her face honed by her jawline. She’s completely gorgeous, despite the scowl that adorns her face and the smart maroon suit she wears.

“Who are you?”

Robin fumbles over her words, “Hi- wait sorry- uh- hello? I’m Robin, yeah, I’m Robin,”

The demon raises an eyebrow, but still offers her hand out to Robin, “Nancy Wheeler, representative from the fifth ring of hell,” Robin shakes her hand, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, and the demon looks at her; concentrating, as if trying to figure her out.

“Oh, right, sorry let me try again,” Robin clears her throat. “Robin Buckley, representative of the third sphere of heaven,” She smiles at Nancy, who doesn’t reciprocate the gesture and continues to visually study Robin.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Nancy thinks it’s pretty safe to say the past three hours have been the most insufferable thing she’s experienced for a while - and that’s coming from an inhabitant of hell for over 2,500 years.

She’s not used to so much talking, especially polite, non-aggressive talking. She definitely hates it; there’s no chance she’s beginning to become fond of the talkative, annoying, angel. She certainly hates her smart beige pants and puffy blouse that has the top few buttons undone, displaying the angel’s collection of magical necklaces. There’s nothing that draws her to the angel at all.

“Do you reflect on how you died very often? I do, I suppose, but most other people I know say not to? Which is stupid because surely in the afterlife we’re meant to reflect upon our lives and deaths before this, right? Isn’t that what afterlife is all abou-”

Nancy continues to hold the device in front of her, getting nothing until a flash of blue light appears on the screen and something rustles in the bushes ahead of them.

“Shh,” Nancy presses a finger to Robin’s lips as she is still looming just behind her left shoulder.

There’s another rustle, and a clicking growl, low and monstrous. Nancy is about to retrieve her sword from its sheath when Robin springs into action.

She quickly steps forward, creating a circle of golden light the diameter of her forearm in front of them, hands twisting and waving as she writes symbols within the circle. “We can’t fight it if we can’t see it,” she says, before waving once more and sending the circle flying forward, dispersing into shimmering dust-like particles; revealing the beast before them.

Nancy has recovered displaced souls before; they’re usually souls of mortals who were reluctant to move to their afterlife, or who had gotten lost on their way to the afterlife, so she would bring them down to where they belonged. Most resist - who wouldn’t when being sentenced to eternal punishment and suffering - but it is easy enough to restrain them; she’s a powerful demon in her own right.

If left un-recovered for too long, displaces souls begin to mutate and evolve into something less humanoid, the longer the period of time, the more mutated they become. Nancy’s aware of this, but she keeps on top of her assignments and has only dealt with a few mutated souls.

This soul, however, is like nothing she’s seen before.

It’s tall, at least eight or nine feet, towering over Nancy and her taller angel companion, with grotesque greyish skin that clings tight to the creature, making a clear outline of it’s skeletal frame and sharp, bony claws that are as big as Nancy’s head. Worst of all is it’s head; it has no facial features, only a blank head, until it screeches at them, opening up it’s face like a blooming flower to reveal hundreds of teeth and a gaping, cavernous mouth.

She’s seen her fair share of… unsightly things in hell, and she gathers Robin has as well; angels and demons alike are known for not being able to appear before mortals in their true form, needing to assume a simpler form as to not kill them instantly, but seeing a soul of a mortal like this… it’s unsettling.

The soul crouches down slightly, preparing to lurch towards the angel and demon. Nancy draw her sword and Robin prepares another spell circle, sharing a focused look.

“Let’s fucking get this thing,” the angel grins, and Nancy can’t help the blush that rises in her cheeks.

“Oh, fuck yeah,”

——————————————————

Lil bit of an author’s note but I really enjoyed writing this like I had no ideas at first but then I just ran with this like omg

I’d love to expand more on like my thoughts about this universe and like how/why Nancy and Robin ended up where they are in the afterlife?? Plus bringing Max and the other kids into this because funnn

[quirkwizard]

Earth Flow x Softening for a quirk marriage? Thank you!

New Quirk Name: Mud Slide

This Emitter type Quirk allows the user to turn any rocky or earthen substance they touch into a slushy mud. Once like this, the user can then control it and then harden it if they so wish. For instance, the user could turn the ground beneath them into mud, build the mud into a wall, and then harden it back to its rocky form. The user has a lot of control over the process and how it is shaped, effecting an area up to a medium radius around them. This gives the user a highly versatile ability, able to shift the ground around them as they see fit, only helped more by the sheer amount of material they have to work with. They can form walls for protect themselves, swim through the mud unnoticed, trap opponents in a wave of mud, vastly alter the terrain in their favor, form platforms to get around, smash opponents with melted earth, or just make their opponents super messy by covering them in mud. Though the Quirk needs earth specifically to work with and the user needs to be in contact with said earth in order to change it. In addition, they need to constantly keep up a high mineral diet and drink plenty of water to keep up their Quirk. The user can get trapped in their own mud or trap their allies if they are not careful.

[arschbiene]

I probably should just mind my own business and not involve myself in this schoolyard scrap but some thoughts about the hetalia fandom + ships +tw in/cest as someone who has been here 10 years that I just have to get off my chest so I can move on from it bc embarrassingly it’s on my mind lol:

Imma preface this saying I don’t ship the ships in question and I am someone who really enjoys parent-child, Guardian-Ward and Teacher-Student relationships in their pure form as cute adult-child dynamics. I am a weak bitch for parental love and Found Family dynamics, it is my bread and butter as someone who did not have a great upbringing. In/cest is not my jam, I am in general, not really a ship-focused artist at all etc etc

But......I will say that I don’t consider any ships in hetalia to be in/cest and the reason why is I have....a really hard fucking time getting past the fact that these are just literal personifications of COLD...PULSELESS, BLOODLESS, did not crawl out of a vagina dirt and stone land-masses lol. They...don’t have DNA ties 😭 Not all of them have stable or well established family ties or parental figures.

It’s like I have two thoughts about it: I do understand people who say that nations with a Parent-Child relationships being shipped together can be kinda incesty....Like O.K, that’s valid, I kinda share that squick with some ships, even ones I previously dabbled in ( Like Germancest, for instance, I shipped it to appease my Abusive Friend...But I always liked them more as Brothers and that stance only Intensified as I matured). But...On the other hand, I find people who see that relationship and go, well, I don’t view it that way and I’m canon divergent/Don’t give a shit if they have family ties bc they’re made of earth and stone/whatever reason valid too. 

I think I’m very firmly in the boat of Don’t Make Your Preferences Other People’s Problem. Mind your Business. Tumblr has plenty of resources to allow you to curate your experience. Savior tags of ships that trigger/squick you, and leave people to enjoy themselves in the confines of their personal blogs. Because it’s all bullshit. Family ties in this fandom is bullshit. It is up to User Preference.

Especially and Particularly and extremely Uniquely in the Hetalia Fandom. This fandom beats the “DISCARD CANON, HAVE FUN, DO WHAT YOU WANT” bible all day and night, but somehow once people start trying to enjoy ships in their own way with their own interpretation, ya’ll are pulling out canon receipts to attack people just trying to enjoy what brings them comfort in hellish times, and I don’t find that shit cool at all. It’s toxic. It’s straight up harassment. And it’s hurting the fandom too. When one artist buckles bc of hate, it has a ripple effect on all other creators. It makes me as an artist want to pack my bags and distance myself from this fandom for the 9403059340593th time.

But Idk that’s just my two cents on it. I’m not really interested in an argument about it so I’m closing my askbox. I probably should’ve just kept my mouth shut but It was brought to my attention that some people think PruAus is an in/cest ship and I just feel a wave of exhaustion and I’m bored enough to want to throw in my two cents lmao Prussia literally became a kingdom based on the idea that it was detached from the habsburgs. what is happening lol also “cousins” is such a weird word to use to describe relationships with nations without parental ties man, like, brother’s already low key kinda messy but “cousins” is just..a reach, yknow? Bc you can’t just be cousins with also having aunts and uncles??...it’s just a messy discourse. Like I respect people who have this opinion but for me personally Idk. FOR NatIONS. it’s just like if they’re cousins, then EVERYONE is cousins and it’s ALL in/cest. I’m too old for this idk. ANYWAY, Have a good night.

[loveoaths]

@imsical asked: plots please + chojuro & kiba & anybody else you want, gimme gimme

PLOTTING MEME ! ( accepting )

for chojuro:

one:     mizukage's blade. self-explanatory. chojuro is the keeper of the blades and haku is the new mizukage. chojuro could become a close friend and confidante, or an advisor, to his mizukage, who appreciates his efforts and hopefulness even in the darkest of times. perhaps some bodyguarding is involved? i dunno.

lots of political type beats are possible here... especially if we play in boruto-verse. when haku's son goes AWOL, someone is going to have to chase him down and potentially take him out. why not chojuro?

p.s. i could definitely see a one-sided crush forming on chojuro's part for his mizukage, but *sips tea*

two:     brothers in arms, take #1. ( set in haku's legendary swordsman verse ) as part of his duty as the keeper of the seven, it's chojuro's job to collect the seven legendary swords that have been scattered across the earth. he uses the scroll of seven to summon the swords back... but kubikiribocho doesn't return; it's still being wielded, and it's fond enough of its user to resist the call. chojuro hunts down its location and is surprised to find haku, hidden away from civilization, who is making their way down a kill-list of kekkei genkai collectors and other societal predators. do they

three:      brothers in arms, take #2. ( set in haku's legendary swordsman verse ) they're both swordsmen trying to rebuild the seven as a kiri institution and a symbol of power, but political intrigue, infighting, and more get in the way.

relationships:       i can see a one-sided crush, as i mentioned before, and a strong friendship between them; maybe more if the vibes are right. confidants and shoulders to lean on in times of need for sure.

for kiba, my favorite dummy:

one:     konoha-bound. basically the dynamic we discussed before, but we revamped with our up-to-date headcanons! haku does NOT like dogs and this pisses kiba off. he doesn't like haku until haku realizes kiba's 10,000 leagues in the closet. feeling bad for a repressed dog boy, haku starts subtly helping kiba be okay with not being straight. somehow, kiba thinks haku is straight during all of this, because he's a goddamn fool. anticipated arc: enemies to besties arc.

two:     wolves and dogs don't play well together. set in haku's no gen.ocide au! haku visits konoha as an ambassador from the yuki tribes ( probably around the time of the chunin exams ) and is assigned to live with the inuzuka for their stay, because someone in administration thought "wolves and dogs are the same right?" unfortunately they were incredibly wrong and everything is bad and messy for everyone involved. haku's wolf is going to try to eat akamaru and that's just the tip of the iceberg. anticipated arc: enemies to worst enemies to barely tolerated acquaintances to proximity crushes to friends to acquaintances.

three:     political refugee. similar to above. after the wave arc, haku is brought to konoha and is housed with the inuzuka, but things potentially have a better spin.

four:      bed-head-dead. someone out there wants to topple the inuzuka clan's power structure, and they've hired haku to do it. the mission is simple: bed kiba, steal relevant documents, and kill him. but when the mission doesn't quite go as planned, haku and kiba are stuck together a long way from home in dangerous territory and will have to rely on each other to get home.

for gai, the best man in the entire world:

one:    STOKE THE YOUTH IN THE YOUTH!!!! after the wave arc, konoha crush, and the retrieval arc, haku is depressed and struggling to get back on their feet. they would like to curl up in a ball and die, thank you very much. unfortunately, maito gai is volunteering his time at the hospital as an "Energizer" and goes around cheering people up and getting them active. so just imagine a depressed ass haku clinging to their rolling IV as gai does 80s style workouts and the entire time haku is barely stopping themself from beating him to death with medical equipment. an emotional whump fest becomes anger and slow healing, to, potentially, haku finding a mentor/father figure in gai at the lowest point in their life.

honorable mentions:

itachi: we're chatting on discord already <3

tsunade: healing haku? trying to understand their weird anatomy? not taking any of their depressed teen bullshit and delivering a "toughen up buttercup" talk that pisses them off but also makes them get off their feet and start moving toward "better?" dunno, lots of options here!

[leora-rambles]

Tolerant (Ghiaccio x Reader [Fluff])

Ahaha remember when I said I’d post the Ghiaccio fic two days after my last post 😎 ? Biggest lie I’ve ever told. Anyways, here’s a fluffy fic of my favourite rat bastard

———————

“They got you good, didn’t they, Ghia?”

You sighed, carrying the stubborn man over to the living room from the front door, his messy blue curls bouncing with each step you assisted him on.

Ghiaccio snarled, “First of all, it’s ‘Ghiaccio’, second of all, they were no match in the end,” He stretched his limbs before dropping onto the couch ungracefully,

“White Album absolutely kicked their shit in.” A satisfied grin grew on his lips as he relaxed onto the soft, ‘Fuckin’ pricey’ (As Ghiaccio once stated) furniture.

You always wondered how Ghiaccio’s pride was so resilient. You wondered how it stood so tall, like a skyscraper.

He was covered in wounds and bruises, yet he wasn’t drooping his head in shame. Ghiaccio could break all his bones with multiple mistakes attacking the enemy, but he’d still win the fight with his overpowering confidence.

If you were to confess your feelings towards him, how would he act? Would he still be assertive?

These thoughts invaded your mind as you scurried to the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit, also making it to the kitchen to fetch some ice.

At your arrival, you noticed Ghiaccio looking at you as if you had seven eyes and a monkey on your head. “Are you a dumbass? You know my stand ability, don’t you?” You scoffed at his remark, plopping down beside him.

Careful hands opened the first-aid kit as you replied to his rude outburst, “Of course I know about your stand ability, but I also know that you shouldn’t be using White Album now,” he sucked a breath in as you held his hand in yours.

“You need a break.”

Your words slapped Ghiaccio across the face with a feeling even he didn’t know how to describe. It was as if time had frozen for only him, enveloping his senses in tender warmth.

For the first time, the big mouthed critic was lost for words.

Ghiaccio kept his gaze on you as you lifted his ragged sleeve up, too preoccupied to notice his watchful eyes.

You picked up a cotton ball with tweezers, soaking it in alcohol before carefully dabbing it on a particularly nasty scrape you found on his forearm.

The man flinched at the first contact with the alcohol. Ghiaccio cussed under his breath as you kept working, humming a tune he didn’t recognize.

This process repeated with each scar you noticed, to Ghiaccio’s dismay. His hisses were reminiscent of a threatened street cat.

As you were wrapping the stand users arm up with bandages, you noticed the males attention on your lips.

“You alright?” Those words seemed to break Ghiaccio out of his daze.

His blush rivalled the vibrancy of his glasses, “Yeah, I’m fucki—.” The bruise on the corner of his lip stung with his harsh pronunciations, causing him to wince. His adrenaline had died down, and he was beginning to feel every bruise he was given.

Ghiaccio could feel his heart thump loudly as you suddenly cradled his cheeks in your palms, bringing his face closer to yours.

He felt dizzy. Both your breaths mingled for a second or two until you finally spoke,

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t notice that on your lip.”

Pulling away, you grabbed another cotton ball with Ghiaccio attempting to fight his racing pulse beside you. He tried controlling his breathing once you pulled him close once more.

The stand user thought he was being slick, but in reality, his emotions were easier to read than a book with size 68pt font. He was inching his face closer to yours with the hopes that you wouldn’t notice— or, that you would notice and take initiative.

He melted into your touch as you carried his face, resting his right cheek onto your left palm before you moved your hands’ position.

“Are you fucking done yet?”

“I can’t treat your face properly if I rush, idiot. Hold still.” His chin on your hand, Ghiaccio found it hard not to stare at your face. He strained his eyes trying to look at anything else, but your face was blocking most of his peripheral vision.

The alcohol-soaked cotton ball stung at Ghiaccio’s busted lip. He tried his best to stay quiet as you worked, but he couldn’t help the growing blush on his cheeks.

Your fingers felt so delicate against his cool skin, and your thumb would often run against his bottom lip a few times.

With how close you were to him right now, he would only need a small push to have his bruised lips come crashing on to yours.

Ghiaccio’s eyes widened as he realized what he was thinking about.

He shook his head lightly, as if to dispose of the thoughts running through his mind—

“Ah shit—!” You flinched as the male rubbed at the back of his head.

“Damn...” Ghiaccio felt the bump on the back of his head. He looked up at you pleadingly, eyeing the bag of ice in your hands.

You ran your fingers through his disheveled blue curls to find the bump he was talking about, causing Ghiaccio to pleasantly shiver then wince. ‘Injury after injury.’ You thought dolefully, a bit angry he was constantly getting hurt, yet blew it off as if his injuries meant nothing.

It hurt a bit, because to you, his injuries meant everything.

You cared for the blue icy moron, even when he was being an uncontrollable madman.

You wanted to lecture him for hours about how you cared for him his health, and how he needed to be less audacious.

But if he was going to act like his nearly fatal actions were nothing, then you’d do your best to act unaffected.

“Jeez, Ghiaccio, how are you even awake right now?”

“It’s not that bad, don’t act like I’m a child.”

“The bump is huge.”

Although the male acted as if he hated your attentiveness, he secretly (and he’d rather DIE than let you find out) enjoyed your worries with him.

Ghiaccio adored the tender attention you gave him, he wanted nothing more than to lay with you while you comb your fingers through his hair.

He wanted to hear you beam his name everyday with a sweetness only you had.

He wanted you to look at him like there was no other person on earth.

The male looked up at you as you held the ice pack on the back of his head. You were checking the time on your watch, estimating what time Ghiaccio should be allowed to fall asleep.

‘His complexions the same, and he hasn’t puked yet,’ You thought carfully, watching the clock tick from 1:59 am to 2 am, ‘He should be able to sleep in 10 minutes.’

Though your mind was in one place, Ghiaccio’s was in another. The stand user coughed to get your attention, and catch your attention he did.

“Will you take me to bed already?”

You both drowned in the thick, honey-like silence after his sentence. The atmosphere went heavy with the suffocating awkwardness.

It wasn’t a weird thing to say, honestly. He wanted to go to bed. He was tired. But the way he said it, and the fact that it was coming from him, your crush of several months— it just caught you off guard.

You could see for a whole 5 seconds, Ghiaccio had stopped thinking.

The male shook his head as a way to clear his mind, his words coming out in well hidden panic.

“I wanna fucking rest, don’t be thinking provocatively.” Ghiaccio spat, nearly stuttering over his words as he struggled to maintain eye contact with you.

“It’s alright with me, as long as you don’t fall asleep for a few minutes.” You replied after a playful sigh, supporting the male over to his bedroom.

Ghiaccio groaned once he hit the bed. He sensed all of the tenseness melt off of his limbs, and he could feel himself getting drowsy with each second. The stand user was sure he would’ve fallen asleep if it weren’t for the hard flick your index finger delivered to his forehead.

Maybe that was a bit much, but your patience waved goodbye and exited the door at that moment.

He screeched as you threatened to deliver another flick, “What the hell was that for?!” you growled in response to his carelessness. “You can’t sleep yet, idiot.”

Ghiaccio clicked his tongue in response, grumbling as he sat up on his bed.

His mouth opened and closed like a trash can, as if he wanted to snap back, but was too frustrated to think of something.

“I’m staying here for a bit,” You plopped down on his bed, crossing your legs and grabbing a book on his bedside table, “I’ll tell you when you can fall asleep.” He leaned on his bed frame, scoffing,

“Fine.”

You sensed that Ghiaccio was beginning to get restless, he was shifting around more, and his grumbles were that of boredom. Coughing, you decided to strike up a conversation.

“How did you defeat the enemy earlier?”

The blue haired man stared at you apathetically before mumbling, “I found a weak spot with his attacks. He only jabbed with his left arm, so I ducked to his right side then froze both his arms off.” You nodded your head, already losing interest in the book and shutting it close. Who the hell reads a dictionary to bed anyways?

“That’s brutal. How did you get so beat up, though?” “His partner ended up sneaking behind me, and they were a much better fighter compared to him.”

Ghiaccio fiddled with his fingers for a split second, something very out of character coming from him, “Of course, no one could ever defeat my White Album, now they’re both probably in a ditch somewhere.”

You shuddered at the image of two unfortunate proxies, most likely dead in a secluded area.

You tried to be empathetic with them, but found it difficult concerning that they managed to mess Ghiaccio up this much.

Did they really deserve your empathy?

Your informal patient was eyeing you during your thinking, causing a brilliant idea to pop into your mind; tease him.

Why? Well, the whole squad had been teasing you about your attentiveness to the blue idiot, and it was time to let it out on said idiot. It was basically a cycle of bullying.

If you had to experience all that embarrassment because of him, then he should have a taste of his own medicine. Was it his fault that the Squad was full of assholes? Not necessarily, but you had to get your revenge somehow.

A grin adorned your lips as you leaned in closer to the Stand user, “I’ve noticed, you’re a lot more tolerant towards me than towards the others,” Your voice dropped a few notes, in a way you knew would fluster someone.

“Why is that, Ghia?” The aforementioned male scrunched his nose, cheeks and ears slowly reddening. “I don’t. I treat everyone the same.” He huffed out, obviously flustered.

A giggle rose in your throat, “Fine, then. Is it alright with you if I were to sleep here?” His eyebrows tilted downwards as his lips formed a deeper scowl. “I don’t care, do whatever.” The way his eyes jumped around the room rapidly contradicted his statement.

“Would you ever let any of the other members share a room with you?”

“No, they annoy me, and most don’t know what basic hygiene is.”

“How come you’re letting me sleep here?”

Ghiaccio grumbled something under his breath before laying down and facing the other way, chucking his glasses on his nightstand. You laughed lightheartedly, deciding to stop your teasing to slip into the covers as well.

“You can sleep now, anyways—“ eyes fluttering, you inhaled the strong scent of fabric softener in the mans blankets, “—rest well, Ghia.”

A harsh yawn escaped Ghiaccios mouth as he stretched, confusion clouding his mind as he felt his limbs intertwined with another.

He brushed his messy blue curls to the side before looking down, only to feel a warmth form from the inside of his chest travel all the way to his cheeks. Ghiaccio laid still as he admired the view of your arms wrapped around his torso.

The sunlight dodging his thin curtains hit your face with perfection, giving your skin a royal-like glow. Your eyelashes fluttered with each breath you took, leaving the blue haired male speechless.

His arm had become numb from your head laying on top, and he was tempted to slip it away to shake off the static, but you just looked so peaceful.

Ghiaccios breath halted as you buried your face farther into his chest. He apologized to his arm with the intent of keeping it there for the rest of your sleep.

Though he wanted to rise up from bed, the thought of being under the covers with you seemed more enticing the more he reasoned.

‘There are no cons to staying in bed just a little bit longer,’ Ghiaccio rationalized. You let out a sleepy grumble, causing the male to finalize his decision. Ghiaccio leaned his cheek down on the top of your head, shutting his eyes in pure, cozy bliss.

Maybe you were right about him being more tolerant towards you after all.

[pepperidgefarmremembers]

The final chapter! I’m on fanfiction.net (same user name) if interested in following more of my stories!

Wisdom

Katara's deep sleep was interrupted by a pounding headache. Every thump of blood in her skull elicited a groan from the waterbender. She grimaced at the bright light illuminating her bedroom. She didn't know where Aang was, how long she'd slept, or if it was morning or afternoon. All she knew was that she felt terrible and dehydrated. A groan emitted from her throat at the sight of the empty water glass on their bedside table.

Every muscle in her body ached as she willed herself to sit up. With what seemed like an hour, she finally trudged into their living room. Everything was quiet and still, an unusual sight for a house full of children. "They must be a school, this could be the afternoon," she thought. As Katara sluggishly walked through the living room, memories came flooding back to her mind in waves. She remembered the excitement she felt when she saw her son's letter but also the pang in her heart as she read it.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm having a great time at the South Pole! In my training with Aunt Suki, I even came close to beating her a few times! She says she misses you both and hopes to see you when she's in Republic City next week with Uncle Sokka for the Council meeting. Uncle Sokka said to tell Dad "Miss ya buddy" and Mom to "stay out of trouble little sis" but I can tell he misses you by asking a lot of questions every hour about you. Granddad sends his love and wants to stay with you for a little bit in the next month or so. He said you'd appreciate the help, whatever that means.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that ice dodging was awesome! I wish you both could've been there, but I know you have Tenzin and Kya, and the whole "saving the world" thing. Granddad gave me the Mark of the Wise, just like Uncle Sokka got! I also accepted Aunt Suki's offer to stay here and train with her and Uncle Sokka. They said I had to tell you about it first. I need to travel and Uncle Sokka said I can go with them on trips. I love you both so much, but I need to do this for me. Please don't be mad. Tell Tenzin and Kya they better not touch any of my stuff!

Hope you can visit soon,

Bumi

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror in the bathroom. Her eyes were red and painful from crying herself to sleep. Her hair was in a messy plait and her face was puffy. Sighing while turning away to continue to the kitchen, she heard the front door of their home open. She turned around with a smile hoping she would find her eldest back home. Her smile faltered at the missing hole in the family walking towards her. Her husband, Tenzin, and Kya all in tow, but no Bumi.

She forced another smile so as to not make her family feel bad, peppering them with loud animated kisses on their cheeks. Her kiss on her husband's lips lingered for a few moments before she broke away. Aang asked, "Kids, why don't you go to your rooms and get changed out of your school clothes?" Kya looked like she was going to object when her younger brother stood his ground. "Kya, come on! I'll let you freeze me later." Kya couldn't turn down a chance to immobilize her dorky brother and ran to her room with Tenzin following. Aang failed to squelch a quiet laugh at Tenzin taking the role of the stern, older brother. His happiness was quickly replaced with a frown as he looked at his wife.

He placed a soft yet firm hand on his wife's waist, securing her in a safe embrace. "I know, I miss him too." At that moment, Katara looked up to her husband with a scowl. He was initially hopeful which swiftly changed to apprehension. It mustered all of her strength not to let their children hear her upset, "If you miss him so much, why didn't you try to do anything to stop him? He's only fourteen, he can't just think staying somewhere and sending a letter is okay!" Aang sighed, "Katara, first of all, it's not fair to say I don't miss him. I've been thinking about him constantly. But you can't honestly say you're surprised. Personality wise, he's the most Air Nomad out of the three of them. He never wanted to sit still or be in one place for too long. You know his boundless energy needs to be focused and this will help." He looked over to the rigid waterbender to wait for a reply. After a few moments of silence, he continued while trying to remain calm, "Also, he's a man in the eyes of the Water Tribe, Katara. He's finished school and doesn't really have anything tying him here. He's as old as you were when you left home and thankfully there's not a war going on. He'll be with Sokka and Suki and your Dad. He'll be fine. Just because I understand him, doesn't mean I don't miss him any less than you do."

Katara felt another twinge go through her heart. The memory of the time she angrily told Sokka he didn't miss their mom as much as she did appeared in her mind. Never in her life had she wanted to take anything back as much as that. Her scowl turned into a frown. Her eyes remained glossed over and filled with sadness. She abruptly threw her arms around Aang and hugged him close. He jumped at the contact, not expecting the embrace but loved her touch all the same. She spoke in a whisper, "I'm so...sorry Aang. I know you miss him, of course you do. I'm just hurt and I feel like I failed." Aang released from the hug to look at his beautiful wife. "Failed? What makes you say that?", he asked. She met his eyes and sighed, "Uh, it's not exactly a good sign when your kid leaves home and only sends a note telling you they're not coming back. Somewhere I think I messed up as a parent. No one in the South Pole left except for war. Even then, I couldn't get over my Dad leaving. It felt like he didn't care, like he didn't love us. I needed him…" She wobbled as she sat down on the couch. Aang sat next to her and nodded for her to continue.

"I think that just like Dad, some part of me needs Bumi. He's our first child. He was the reason I became 'Mom' and barely hear 'Katara' anymore," she laughed, "He needed me for so long and now there's an emptiness inside," she sniffled as tears began to fall from her eyes. "He doesn't need me now. And it's only a matter of time before there are no more kids here. You know Kya is such a nomad, she'll be gone when she can, too. Tenzin is more similar to me but I know he'll want to live at a Temple and I won't be ready for that."

She rubbed her dry lips together as she looked over at Aang. Taking notice of how he has become this handsome husband and father. So many times growing up she was his rock, his constant. However, since having children, she finds herself needing the unwavering comfort more than ever. Her eyes travelled over his chiseled features and a beard where his baby face once was. She watched her husband move for the first time in several minutes. Aang bended water from the large pouch in the kitchen and poured it into a glass on the table. He handed the glass to her without taking his eyes off her.

Katara gulped the water graciously. Aang placed both of his hands on her free hand. "You will always be 'Katara' to me. 'Mom' is who you are, yes, but you're still the greatest Master Waterbender on Earth. You're one of the best fighters I have ever seen. You're a sister, a daughter, a healer, and the love of my life. You're my best friend." After finishing the water, she blushed while a smile formed on her face. He loved that after 25 years together, he could still make her blush. "Remember when Guru Pathik was teaching me to let go of my earthly attachment to master the Avatar State? As you know, I didn't want to let go of you because I didn't understand how I could ever let go of you." Katara nodded in agreement and looked at Aang to continue.

"I came to learn years later that what I thought had been all wrong. He wasn't saying to not have attachments to people, but instead to understand how attachment can hinder our growth if we let it consume us. Everything and everyone is connected. Just because Bumi is not here, doesn't mean he doesn't love or need you. You will always be a mom, even when our kids don't live here anymore. Know that you will be forever connected with them and with me. Love can transcend lifetimes." Katara rested her head on Aang's shoulder as he stroked her hair. They rested in silence for a few minutes before Katara asked, "Do you think I'll see you in the next lifetime? Are we destined to find each other over and over again?"

Aang kissed her forehead and replied, "Yes, I do. I know we are connected by fate. Like I said before, I will always find you, no matter where you are. Whether it's in this lifetime or the next." The couple smiled as they breathed into each other slowly and deeply. "But how do you know for certain, oh, wise, Avatar?", she joked. His gray eyes became serious as they met her cerulean eyes, "Well, Gyasto was one of Avatar Roku's best friends. I don't think it was a coincidence that Gyatso and I became very close. I felt like I knew him way before I knew anything about their friendship. The invisible strings that tie us all I guess," he said with a chuckle. She kissed her husband softly on the cheek and leaned back to absorb this moment completely. "You better find me in the next lifetime, Aang. I'll be waiting, just like I was 26 years ago."

[happyhollow-mellowmarsh]

History of a Spirit

There’d been rumors among a few magical conspiracy theory and research forums... of an odd blog that popped up out of nowhere one night. Upon first look, it seemed like any old ordinary jokes and oddities blog, but after a notable figure did some data mining on a whim... something else entirely appeared to viewers were they to enter the right combination of keys.

Then, and only then, would one find the research notes of one Shaela Allaway in her adventures as a recent member of the fey. Videos and text posts detailing new information on magic, or simply experiences she had encountered. You clicked the latest video.

“Ah, there we go.” A somewhat posh Edinburgh accent came along with the view of a woman with messy red hair and a very large brown coat. Oh yes, and she was also an elf with the green of her eyes swimming in a black where the white of normal eyes would be. She was excited. Smiling and also a bit hectic. Her face was weirdly close to the camera as she messed about with what sounded like writing utensils behind the camera which seemed to be resting on a desk of some sort. It was a bit hard to tell the quality due to the angle. Just that it looked vaguely wooden. That was if you were a person weird enough to try and discern that sort of thing as Shaela Allaway’s charming face filled the screen. 

Eventually she pulled back, putting her hands together with a notepad between them. “Alright! Let’s get this video under way! Hello!” She waved, her smile bright and wide. “As you likely know I am Shaela Allaway. Leading researcher of fey culture, history, and mythos. Now that I am a fey myself, and magic, I have been researching other things within my time of adventure among the magical plains. Those who have been watching my videos and reading my adventure blog would well know. But today, we are at my home, as I wanted to talk about something curious that I don’t think many people have really looked into. Even the Great Witches.” As she said this she lifted one hand to her side as if she was showing something off that should be sitting in the palm of her hand. This was something most viewers from earth would not know of or even be able to see. “Minor Elemental Spirits, being one of the many names they have. I for one prefer to call them Sprites and will do so for the remainder of this video for personal ease. In any case, Sprites are a curious thing. See, in the past upon discovery they were designated as a fey entity. They actually do look vaguely fey like when they choose to take a corporeal, non elemental form. Of course more recently we have come to know that they are in fact not fey, and are instead a form of elemental. Each Sprite is being made of a single coalesced magical element, with a faint soul, and rudimentary personality. Now unlike other elementals, they seem to operate in a slightly different manner. The reason for which I can get to shortly, but my hypothesis on that reason existing I think, would be a good segway.” Moving her platformed hand back down, Shaela moved through her notes before settling on a specific page. “Alright.” She looked back at the camera and the carefree look she had at the beginning was nearly melted away at this point. At this moment she was a highly learned individual on various related subjects, speaking on theories and information with a near zealous interest. “Now I must point out this is all personal theory that I am about to go into. As currently there is no known reason for why Sprites exist or why they exist the way they do. There are several working ideas but nothing is concrete. As for my hypothesis, it relates to their weak soul and basic personality. Essentially my working theory is that when a soul has lost its tether to reality and dissipates, there is a chance that at that time there will be an existing high concentration of a specific elemental energy in the area. If there is such a high concentration and there is a strong enough fragment of a soul yet to dissipate as the soul ceases to be, that the magical energies will bond to said soul fragment. Creating a being made of said element with a weak soul and a personality based on whatever fragment of that soul was clung to. Of course, and I must say this again, it is only a hypothesis at this moment. But, that leads us into why I am curious over how they are made, and why they are different.”. 

Flipping through her notes a little more, eventually Shaela takes a breath, and continues her little lesson. “So the properties of elementals are well known. They are a being composed of one or more elements in a raw state given a strange elemental based soul. Their use in magic is also well documented. Elementals have for ages been known to be good for allowing humans unaligned with or unable to use a specific element to use said element if they have one of the beings at their disposal. They are also known to enhance the magical capabilities of magic users already skilled in whatever the correlated element is. This is the beginning and end of their functions in magic. Outside of more grimm matters. Sprites are different. Sprites have highly specific abilities available to them in correspondence with their personality and aligned element. For example.”. Shaela looks around and then motions her hand to an empty space to her left near her head. “One of the Sprites who I have around me is associated with death magic, and has a relatively sinister personality. So I have found whenever I wish harm to something or potentially death to it, this Sprite uses it’s magic to bend reality to increase the potency or probability of such results. It is a very specific effect but not without potent magical power to do so. Sprites seem to concentrate all of their magical will into said single result. Though there are some oddities within it. For example.”. 

Shaela again moves her hand, now motioning to her other side. “These two sprites are technically one in the same entity despite being two. If you divide them, neither has nay magical power aside from their base existence as an elemental life form. But together, they have the power to give whatever they wish good fortune. They bend the very will of reality so that whoever has their favor, has unquestionably better luck. I have tested it time and time again. You can only win coin tosses so many times in a row before the evidence is conclusive. But they also have another curious point!” Shaela smiles and raises a finger as if she is speaking to a class of buzzing students. “They can change the targeting of their magic to give somebody terrible horrible luck! In this way, I actually think that it is possible all Sprites possess this trait! Their powers are highly specific, but can be used for weal or woe! It is all very fascinating! Along with that it seems they can affect humans without them even knowing! I can not speak of who due to not wanting to ruin their situation, but I have known of normal humans who were given benefits in their daily lives that were just assumed to be natural talent that actually came from such Sprites who had taken a liking to them! It is all very fascinating!” Taking a deep breath, Shaela closed her notebook and snapped it down onto the desk by the camera. “Unfortunately that is all I know as of now but I will say if I have any further breakthroughs. The next time you all see or read from me, it will be from within the depths of the magical realm for devils and demons. I have a soul to look into trading for something I am not at allowance to discuss. Until my next update, Shaela Allaway, signing out!” Without an actual physical fanfare, Shaela simply leaned forward into the camera lens and then- click. Darkness came with the end of the video. 

[wieqo]

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀๑⠀ ⠀🈺⠀ ⠀𝆹 ॱ

sunburn - surbnur

dried flower - driflwer

purple lake - prpllake

ocean floor - ocenflor

surf - wtesurf

wave - wwavehs

black mountain - blcmount

summer, night - smernigt

wvaeths⠀ ⠀wvteart⠀ ⠀wavtear

[rosetta-son]

We’re Enemies, So Why Do I Love You

(A story I’ve been working on and I figured why not post it here. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Enjoy Chapter One)

CHAPTER ONE

"Long ago, an object was forged into creation. It's mysterious power could only be imagined. It could destroy anything and everything or create whatever the user desired. It is said that the wielder of this object controlled the universe."

"All of the universe? But that's impossible! The universe is never ending, Grandma."

The old woman chuckled. "Not entirely. You have much to learn, Sarah."

        ~~~~

That was 5 years ago. Sarah's grandmother has longed passed. For her 10th birthday, she inherited the bracelet she would always wear. The young 14 year old never figured out that the object in those stories was the bracelet she now wore.

Sarah didn't like people. They hurt and backstabbed you! That was reason she always walked home alone. She grunted angrily as the wind picked up. Her school uniform was horrible in her opinion. She hated how short the skirts were. Sarah had asked to wear leggings, but those were against the rules.

It was stupid! They could wear long socks but not leggings! The green skirt she complained about barely reached her knees. She didn't like the white blouse because stains were impossible to remove. She even hated the brown shoes they had to wear.

The adolescent girl sighed and kept walking. There was no use in complaining. Sarah lightly swung her black book bag in boredom. As the sun began to set, she arrived at her house. Both of her parents worked abroad which meant she lived a fairly isolated life. She left when her parents sent her money to buy groceries and pay bills. She also left to go to school.

Sarah sighed tiredly when she walked up the front stairs. All she wanted was to go to sleep. The girl rummaged around in her bag for her key. After about ten minutes, she looked in her pockets. The light browned haired girl angrily sighed.

I can't believe I lost my key. This is the worst day ever.

While in thought, a young man in his twenties approached her house. He noticed she had left the key in his classroom and wanted to return it.

"Sarah?" Said person turned around in surprise.

"Mr. Cook? What are you doing here?"

"You left a key at your desk. I thought you might need it."

"Yes, I do." She walked up to him and looked up. "Thank you for returning it to me." She plastered a smile on her face. Mr. Cook gladly returned it.

"You're welcome, Sarah. Stay safe and remember to write me that essay about DNA and RNA."

"Don't worry and I'm almost finished with the last page." She waved to him as he headed down the sidewalk into the distance. Maybe not all people were backstabbing liars. Maybe there are genuinely nice people in the world. They were just overshadowed by all the bad.

Her fake smiled faltered into her normally straight face when he left. Sarah unlocked her door and went inside. She kicked the brown door shut then walked to the dinning room table. She pulled out her laptop and opened her essay in a tab.

It wasn't due til next week but, she liked to finish her assignments early. She quickly finished and saved her six page essay. She would proof read it tomorrow since she had another project to do. She was supposed to create her own planet with its own species.

It took her about an hour to rough draft drawings and make ideas. By then, she was really tired and packed her school work away. She ate a quick dinner and changed into some sleep wear. Her night gown was a deep blue in color with even darker blue petunias. She even let her hair down to it normal length. Her light brown hair reached to her mid back. Sarah took her valued bracelet and placed it on her night stand. After turning off the light, she laid in her bed.

The 14 year old laid there in her king sized bed. She felt like something was missing in her life. It bothered her to feel like this every night. It made her feel... lonely. Very lonely. Before she knew it, clear, salty tears poured down the both sides of her face.

She quickly wiped them away with her hands. She wouldn't cry! She couldn't cry. The girl promised her grandma she wouldn't cry for anything and was determined to keep that promise. Never again. However, she couldn't stop herself. All she did was cry. Eventually, she gave up trying to stop and gave into sleep.

               ~~~~

"Karoto! Get back to work!" A tall, humanoid man with black, spiked up hair yelled at the other humanoid man.

"But Terpomo, I got nothing to do!" The one called Karoto complained. He also had black hair but it was wavy and looked messy.

"You're just in luck. We got a new mission and her Majesty wanted me to deliver it a Legomojian of my choice. And I choose you."

"Ugh!" His red, threatening eyes locked on Terpomo's smug, brown ones. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. If we want to find the Bracelet of Creation, we have to scout more plants."

Karoto got up from his chair. "Where am I going this time."

"A planet called Earth. There's supposed to be around 8 billion inhabitants there."

"That's gonna take forever..."

"Plus it's 3 days away." The shorter, red eyed male sighed at Terpomo's sentence.

"3 days?"

"Yep. Have fun." He handed Karoto the coordinates to the new planet. Then, he messed up his messy hair.

"Hey! My hair!"

"It's already messy."

"It's a neat messy."

The taller male chuckled at him as he turned to leave. "See you when you come back."

"See you." The Legomojian on a mission began to pack his bag. Once he was finished, he grabbed his brown bag and paperwork and headed out his room.

He and Terpomo lived in a neat little place not far from a little village. It had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in it with a cozy living area and a medium sized kitchen. They both worked for Queen Ruta and Princess Baga. Their mission was to find the ultimate object so their queen could rule all. That object was the Bracelet of Creation. Unfortunately, the object was only legend.

It was his and the rest of the royal workers' job to find it. Karoto was extremely skeptical it existed since no one has found it yet. He thought Queen Ruta was crazy. If he told her that though, he would be beheaded on the spot.

The young Legomojian walked out of his shared home and used his magic to fly to his ship. It was only a few minutes flight. He saw lots of other citizens on his way, and a few waved to him. He saw the red sun begin to set once he arrived at his ship. It was a beautiful sunset as he saw all types of color.

He looked back at his spherical vessel and opened the door. He placed his bag in a small cubby and sat down in the only seat. The male punched in the location and was off.

[cupcakezys]

Four Days To Fall In Love.

I recently fell back into the Merlin fandom, and this is a little something I’ve been working on ever since, so I hope you enjoy! A soulmate au, but with a little twist. Inspired by Strike of Lightning by helloearthlings.

Part Four of Four. Previous.

Read on AO3.

The sequel is up! Read it here. :)

Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Morgana.

Summary: In a world where everyone has a soulmate (or two or three), Arthur Pendragon knows he is destined to be alone. For Arthur can see his heartstring, could follow it to where his soulmate lived, and that could only mean one thing. His soulmate had magic, and should they ever meet, Arthur would have to kill them.

Red.

Arthur strode into the throne room with as much confidence as he could. Truthfully, he was still reeling from the meeting with his soulmate. Merlin. Arthur glanced down at his wrist. His heartstring danced around him, red-gold and free in a way it hadn’t been since Merlin arrived in Camelot. He grinned.

“Arthur.” His father greeted, and Arthur realised he had no idea why he had been summoned.

“Father.” Arthur nodded, then took the seat next to the king.

Morgana glanced at him from his father’s other side, and Gwen’s gaze burned a hole in the side of his head. He nodded to both of them, then turned his attention to the knight kneeling before the throne.

“Report.” His father commanded.

Sir Bedivere stood, a grim look on his face. “The earthquake shook the castle and the surrounding town, my lord, but thankfully no one was injured. An old abandoned house in the lower town collapsed, but otherwise all the buildings stood firm. The lightning, however, set three houses alight. Our men are working with the townspeople now to get the blaze under control.”

Arthur stared at the knight in shock. Earthquake? Lightning? What where they talking about? Arthur hadn’t noticed anything like that. Of course, he was a little bit occupied, what with officially meeting his soulmate. Arthur’s eyes widened.

Their first touch.

Arthur couldn’t remember much except the explosive, wonderful, brilliant feeling of home and rightness their first touch had brought about, but he did remember the distant sound of thunder, of a rumble beneath his feet. He paled, and tried to look inconspicuous as his father barked orders at his men.

How powerful was Merlin, that their first touch rattled the earth and the sky both, that the whole city of Camelot was affected?

Arthur wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, because in truth he didn’t know if he’d be more in awe of his soulmate, or terrified.

Morgana caught his gaze, and in that instant, he knew she had figured it out. Her eyes widened and she glanced to Gwen, who already had a hand over her mouth. Arthur swallowed past the lump in his throat, and when both women looked at him again, he nodded slightly. Morgana abruptly sat back in her chair, eye ahead and focused even as Arthur knew she wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to their surroundings.

His father dismissed all those that were not on his council, and the room quickly emptied. Morgana and Gwen were the last ones to leave, both of them shooting him an incomprehensible look before the doors shut behind them.

His father launched himself up off his throne and paced. Arthur watched him, saw the fury barely contained underneath the surface. The council members all shifted nervously, and Arthur saw Gaius briefly glance to the door.

“Sire.” One of the council members finally spoke. “Do you believe this to be an attack?”

Several of the men shifted uncomfortably. Gaius started at his father, and Arthur followed his gaze. The King’s eyes were furious and cold, but there was a knowing look there, one that instantly made Arthur’s stomach drop.

“No, this was no attack.” His father growled. “We all know what happened. An extremely powerful sorcerer has found their soulmate.”

Gasps filled the room, and Arthur stepped forward, his heart beating wildly in his chest. “How can we be sure?”

His father turned to him. “I know you weren’t around when sorcerers were allowed to use their magic freely, but this type of thing used to be commonplace. Everyone knew when a sorcerer and their soulmate had their first touch. The nature of magic would not let them miss the chance to announce their evil to the world.”

The image of Merlin, with his messy black hair and quick wit, standing tall as an evil sorcerer was incomprehensible.

“I’ve never seen a reaction this extreme before.” Someone muttered, and several others agree.

“Gaius.” The king snapped. “How powerful would this sorcerer be?”

Gaius shifted, glancing from Arthur to his father. “I couldn’t tell you for sure sire.” He hesitated and said tentatively. “But I would assume, whoever they are, they’re more powerful than any other sorcerer we have seen before.”

Arthur stared at Gaius. Several council members shifted nervously, while the rest looked panicked. His father was fuming, pacing in front of the throne as he tried to figure out a way to draw out the sorcerer and their soulmate, so he could put an end to them both before they could cause any harm.

Arthur heard the crackle of flames, and for the first time, it wasn’t Morgana and Gwen he saw on the pyre. It was Merlin, shackled and tied down, with Arthur himself tied up next to him, while his father watched from high above impassively.

Arthur did his best to shake the image away, but he could feel his hands trembling.

“Arthur!” His father snapped, and his heart kept to his throat.

“Yes father?” He asked, only sounding slightly strained.

His father’s eyes softened a fraction. “I know it will be a difficult task, but I want you to take your knights and search both the castle and the town. I want everyone to be thoroughly searched. We cannot allow this sorcerer to roam free.”

Arthur swallowed, and inclined his head. “Of course father. With your leave, I will start the investigation right away.”

His father waved a hand, and Arthur bowed before swiftly exiting the room. He walked as fast as he could, away from the people milling about in the corridors, and straight to his room. He needed to get his sword, and change into his armour, but most importantly of all he needed to get away from everyone. He yanked the door to his room open and slammed it behind him.

“Are you going to tell us what happened, or are we going to have to wring it out of you?”

Arthur jumped and spun around, a yell caught in his throat. Morgana sat by his fireplace, her arms crossed and eyes trained on him. Gwen stood next to her, an arm around Morgana’s shoulders. Arthur looked away from the both, sighed, and dropped himself down in a chair across from Morgana. Gwen sat on the arm of Morgana’s chair, and both of them stared at him in expectation.

Arthur sighed again, and melted into his chair. “It was us.”

Morgana stared at him. “What.”

“The earthquake, and the lightning.” Arthur swallowed, thinking again of the power his soulmate must have. “It was our first touch.”

Gwen gasped. Morgana simply nodded, as if her suspicions had just been confirmed. She demanded details, and Arthur told her what had happened as quickly as possible. He was aware of every second passing by, knowing he needed to leave and inform the knights of the king’s orders as soon as possible.

Finally Morgana was satisfied. “And how was it?”

Arthur frowned. “How was what?”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “Your first touch.”

Arthur grinned, and knew he looked like a love-struck girl, but found that he didn’t really care. “It was perfect.”

Gwen nodded, a sparkle in her eyes. “We told you it was worth the risk.”

Arthur let the happiness bubble inside him for a moment longer, and then he was up and out of his chair. “Speaking of the risk, I need to hurry and find the knights. My father has commanded we search the castle and lower town for the sorcerer and their soulmate.”

Morgana frowned. “Does he suspect...?”

“That it’s my soulmate?” Arthur grimaced. “I don’t think so. Nothing he said or did indicated he suspected me.”

Gwen bit her lip in worry. “You have to be careful.”

Morgana nodded. “You can��t lose him.”

Arthur swallowed hard, flames echoing in the back of his mind. “I know.”

 Gold.

Merlin wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but Gaius had looked worried ever since he got back from whatever meeting the king had called, and he had refused to talk to Merlin about anything yet. It was slowly driving him mad. He needed answers.

Abruptly, Gaius turned to him. “Did you meet your soulmate?”

Merlin nearly fell out of his chair. “What? What makes you ask that?”

Gaius raised an eyebrow and Merlin fought not to shy away like a naughty child. “Because that lighting and earthquake were caused by a magic user’s first touch, and I can only think of one particular person with enough magic to cause this powerful a reaction.”

Merlin ducked his head. “I didn’t know it would be that obvious.”

Gaius quickly sat on the chair next to him and put one hand on his shoulder. “You have more magic potential than anyone else I have ever seen. Of course it was going to be obvious. Quite frankly I’d be surprised if it had been anything less than what it was.”

Merlin nodded, staring at his hands. He picked at the bandages of his left hand and his heartstring fluttered around his fingers. He grinned, the red and gold of it still new but also perfect.

“You do not have to tell me who it is.” Gaius said quietly, making Merlin look up at him. “But whoever they are, you need to keep them safe. Uther has commanded the entire castle and lower town be searched, and if they find nothing then I have no doubt he will expand his search all over Camelot. Prince Arthur himself will be leading the investigation, and he will not stop until he finds you both. It is not in his nature to give up.”

Merlin nodded, but he was distracted. Arthur would be leading the investigation. On the one hand, it meant Merlin was safe. His soulmate wasn’t about to lead his men to him and turn them both in. On the other hand, Merlin knew it would be hard for Arthur to pretend. He seemed very noble, from what Merlin had seen and heard of him, and he knew how hard lying to a parent was.

Still, there was nothing else they could do. Not if they both wanted to survive.

“We’ll be careful Gaius.” He glanced up, then down again. “I’ll ask if he would be alright with you knowing who he is.”

“He?” Gaius teased, and laughed at Merlin’s flustered stammering. “It’s alright my boy. I would like that very much.”

Gaius stood up again and they fell into an easy silence as he worked. Merlin tried his best to help, bottling potions and labelling them as best he could with his bandaged hands. Then Gaius started packing up, and he turned to Merlin, a smile on his face.

Merlin tilted his head, putting down the bottle he was holding. “What?”

“I just had a thought.” Gaius said. “Would you like to join me at the feast tonight?”

 Red

Arthur sighed, trying to keep up with the conversation happening around him. There was so much noise, it was hard to keep track of what was being said. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem at all, Arthur had long ago gotten used to feasts and the sound of hundreds of conversations happening at once, but tonight his mind was occupied.

He hadn’t seen Merlin since the guard had informed him of his father’s summons. He had spent the rest of the afternoon leading his men around the lower town, trying and failing to find any sign of the sorcerer. Arthur, of course, knew exactly why that was, but his men had been frustrated that after hours of searching they had found nothing. His father was still furious, and Arthur thought he might have called off the feast entirely so they could focus entirely on the search.

Lady Helen had been the one to convince him otherwise, and Arthur had been grateful. He hadn’t fancied spending all night searching for a sorcerer he knew he wouldn’t find. He didn’t envy the guards and knights that had been ordered to continue the search.

Something shifted in the air, and Arthur spotted his heartstring dancing in the air, twisting and wiggling as if it were excited. As Arthur watched, the doors to the hall were opened, and Gaius was welcomed in. And there, not two steps behind him, was Merlin.

Arthur grinned without meaning to, especially as he watched Merlin’s eyes trail around the room until he found Arthur staring at him. They locked eyes for a long moment, and then Arthur carefully excused himself from the knights laughing and joking around him. Merlin smiled at Gaius and seemed to bid him farewell, heading towards where Arthur was standing.

Arthur was leaning against the wall casually when Merlin finally caught up to him. They stood side by side, not looking or touching, and Arthur relaxed.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here. Are you sure you should be walking around?”

Merlin snorted. “I’m not some delicate girl you know. I’m fine. Gaius said it would help me to be out of the tower.”

“Well, if you fall again, I’m not catching you.”

Merlin laughed. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Only until you do something even stupider.” Arthur teased.

“Prat.” Merlin muttered, and Arthur grinned at him.

A hush seemed to fall over the room, and both men looked up in time to see as Morgana entered the room. Arthur’s eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing.

“God have mercy.” He whispered.

Merlin nodded next to him, his eyes just as wide. “Does she always dress like that?”

“No.” Arthur shook his head. “She must be showing off.”

“For who?”

Gwen, Arthur almost said, and only stopped himself at the last second. “Her soulmate, of course.”

“She knows who her soulmate is?” Merlin sounded shocked.

“Not so loud!” Arthur glanced around, grateful people had started talking again. “But yes. She does.”

Merlin grinned. “That’s fantastic! Who…?”

Arthur shrugged and started walking towards Morgana. “You’ll have to ask her yourself.” He could see Gwen close behind her.

Merlin followed next to him, and whispered so quietly Arthur almost missed it. “Is she the one you told me about? The one that… changed your mind?”

“Yes.” Arthur whispered. “I’m going to tell her. About us.”

Merlin gulped, but nodded. “Alright.”

They reached the ladies, and Arthur smiled at them both. “Morgana. Gwen. You’re both looking well.”

Morgana grinned. “Why thank you Arthur.” She held her arms out and twisted from side to side, showing off her dress. “What do you think.”

“Beautiful.” Arthur said. “And capable of grabbing the attention of every man in the room.”

Morgana pulled a face. “How unfortunate for them that I don’t want any of their attention.”

Arthur snorted, and grinned at Gwen. “Very unfortunate.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Morgana decided she wanted to wear something that would blow everyone away. Luckily, I had this made a few weeks back.”

Morgana took one of Gwen’s hands and squeezed before quickly letting go. “And it’s lovely Gwen. As always.” Then her gaze shifted to slightly behind Arthur and she raised an eyebrow. “Hello again Merlin.”

Arthur blinked in surprise, turning to Merlin. “I didn’t know you knew each other.”

Merlin smiled and ducked his head a little. “I delivered her sleeping potion a few nights ago. Gwen helped me find my way after I got lost.” At this he sent a meaningful glance Arthur’s way. “Hello again my lady. Gwen.”

“It’s good to see you Merlin.” Gwen smiles, then frowned in concern. “I heard about your fall. Are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m fine!” Merlin grinned and waved his hands. “Just a few scrapes and bruises.”

Arthur snorted. “And a serious head wound.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I’m fine Arthur.”

Morgana was eyeing them both with suspicious eyes, and when she turned to Arther he knew what she would ask. “How did you meet Merlin, Arthur?”

Arthur smiled, and with a nod from Merlin, said. “We actually met a few days ago. Although, we hadn’t seen each other face to face until earlier today.”

Gwen gasped, a hand going to her mouth. Arthur knew what she wanted to ask and nodded. Morgana grinned, first at him then at Merlin, and nodded back.

“Well, I think we should leave you two. I’m sure you have much to talk about.” Morgana stepped closer to whisper softly. “Congratulations.”

Gwen stepped forward and winked. “Have fun you two. And please be careful.”

Arthur watched them both disappear into the crowd. That had gone well. He shot a grin to Merlin, then suddenly thought of something. He leaned closer so he could whisper directly to him.

“Is there anyone you want to tell?”

Merlin looked surprised at first, then bit his lip in a truly adorable way. “There are some people. My mother and Will, for starters, and…” he hesitated, then continued. “My teacher.”

His magic teacher. “Of course. Who is it? I may know them.”

Merlin shifted and glanced around the room. “Gaius.”

“Gaius!” Arthur’s eyes widened, and he almost took a step back in shock. “Gaius is teaching you… that?”

“How to control it, yes.” Merlin was staring at him now, slight worry on his face. “He’s the one that gave me the book.”

“Oh.” Arthur said, because there wasn’t much else he could say to that. “I didn’t know.”

“About him?”

He nodded. “That he had that type of… knowledge.” They fell into silence before Arthur shook it off and stepped forward. “Shall we go find him then?”

“Now?” Merlin asked.

“Yes. The food is about to be brought out. We won’t get the chance to talk again until tomorrow after that.”

“Okay.” Merlin fell into step beside him, eyes scanning for his mentor.

It didn’t take hem long to find him. He was standing on his own, seemingly content watching as everyone passed him by.

“Gaius!” Merlin called, and shoved past a knight that was blocking his way. The knight turned to yell at whoever had touched him, but one look from Arthur and he was turning back around without a word. “There you are.”

“Merlin, my boy.” Gaius greeted, then bowed his head as Arthur stepped up beside them. “Sire.”

“Gaius.” Arthur returned.

“There’s something I want to tell you.” Merlin said, then frowned. “Well, kind of.”

Gaius glanced at Arthur, then focused on Merlin. “What is it?”

Merlin licked his lips, clearly nervous, and Arthur couldn’t help but follow the movement with his eyes. “You said, earlier, that you wanted to meet- well, you know.”

Gaius stiffened, and shot Arthur another glance, so he stepped forward and smiled. “As it turns out, we already know each other.”

Gaius frowned, uncomprehending, before his eyes widened, and he glanced between the two of them. “You mean to say…?”

“Yes.” Arthur said.

Gaius looked stunned, and Arthur wanted to laugh. It wasn’t often someone surprised the physician into speechlessness. After a moment he seemed to get ahold of himself, and he looked at both men meaningfully.

“We are going to have to have a proper talk about this.” He said, then smiled. “But I am happy for you both.”

“Thank you.” Merlin said.

At that moment the king called for the beginning of the feast. Arthur bid Merlin and Gaius goodbye and made his way to the royal table. His father nodded to him stiffly, and Arthur nodded back. Morgana grinned from Uther’s other size, and Arthur smiled at her. His father raised a hand and the room fell silent.

“We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora.” His father smiled and gestured for Lady Helen to start as he sat down.

Everyone sat with the king. Arthur saw Gaius sit with the other councillors, Merlin nowhere to be found. Arthur looked around, following his heartstring, until he spotted him standing at the edge of the room with the servants. He rose an eyebrow at him and got a raised eyebrow back. Arthur grinned and then very deliberately looked at his goblet, then at the spare wine pitcher on the table next to Merlin.

Merlin rolled his eyes, but grinned and grabbed the pitcher.

 Gold.

Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes again as Arthur downed his entire goblet, rudely ignoring the Lady Helen as she began to sing. Merlin slipped between two serving girls whispering to each other against the wall, dodged the suspicious gaze of a guard and finally made it to the royal table.

It was then that Merlin noticed something was wrong. He felt drowsy, even a little dizzy, where mere seconds ago he had been wide awake. A quick glance around the room showed him that he wasn’t the only one. Several people already looked like they were about to fall asleep, with one noble already face first in his bowl of soup.

Lady Helen’s song rose, and Merlin dropped the pitcher of wine he had been holding. He covered his ears, trying to block out the sound as much as he could. His magic spurred to action, driven by his fear, and the world went quiet. The silence was eerie, and was only made worst as cobwebs started to appear over the sleeping forms of everyone in the room.

From his position behind the royal table it was easy to see as Lady Helen strode forward. With a cold jolt of fear, Merlin realised her gaze was focused solely on Arthur. She raised her hand, and Merlin knew he would have to act fast if he wanted to stop whatever it was she was doing.

He looked around, needing something, anything, that could help him. His eyes darted over the chandelier and then back again. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated, thinking fall fall fall, before a snap filled the air and Merlin watched as the chandelier fell on the Lady Helen.

Arthur was the first to stir. Gradually, everyone woke up, looking around in confusion at the cobwebs now covering them. Merlin looked for Gaius and Gwen, made sure they were both unharmed, and then turned his attention back to Arthur. He had stood up, along with his father, and was staring at the crushed form of Lady Helen.

Merlin followed his gaze and his eyes widened in horror.

The crumpled form trapped under the chandelier was not the form of the lovely Lady Helen. Instead, Merlin recognised the face of the old woman from days before, the one that had sworn revenge against Uther for executing her son.

She hauled herself up, and Merlin caught the glint of a knife in her hands seconds before it was flying through the air, straight towards Arthur’s chest.

Merlin yelled, and time slowed around him. He didn’t hesitate. He ran to Arthur’s side, one eye on the knife slowly spinning forwards. Merlin grabbed Arthur around the shoulders and shoved, pushing them both down as time sped up again. Arthur’s arms snapped around him, and for a moment they both lay still.

Then Arthur was pushing him away and scrambling to his feet, and Merlin flailed as he too tried to stand. When he finally found his feet it was to find the entire room staring at him, including one King Uther Pendragon.

“You saved my boy’s life.” Uther said, full of disbelief like he couldn’t believe it despite having seen it himself.

“O-oh, well.” Merlin gulped, and tried not to glance at Arthur.

“Don’t be so modest.” Uther said, finally getting over his shock. “You shall be rewarded.”

Merlin shook his head, wishing he could just sink through the floor. “No, honestly, you don’t have to Your Highness.” This time, he couldn’t help the way his eyes fluttered to Arthur. “I had to do what I could to save the Prince.”

Uther shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. It made Merlin even more uncomfortable. “No, absolutely. This merits something quite special.”

Merlin fidgeted, and decided arguing with the king was probably not a good idea. “Well…”

“You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household.” Uther announced. “You shall be Prince Arthur’s manservant.”

Merlin blinked, and turned to Arthur. His soulmate’s shocked eyes met his, and for a moment Merlin was completely lost in their blue. Then Uther moved, and the room erupted into applause. Arthur clapped him on the back, hard, and Merlin almost landed on the ground again. Arthur laughed as he flailed, and steadied him with a hand to his arm. He squeezed quickly and let go, and then Uther was barking out orders and Merlin was swept away to help clean up the mess the sorceress had made.

 Red.

Arthur entered his room late that night, after hours of discussion with his father and the council members. His father had been furious that Mary Collins had managed to infiltrate the castle, and had wanted to make steps to prevent anything like it happening again.

Arthur had had to bite his tongue several times, knowing his father wouldn’t take his suggestion of stopping the persecution magic users very well.

Arthur closed the door to his rooms and sighed, slumping in place as the events of the day caught up with him. It took everything in him not to collapse and sleep where he stood. He swayed on his feet and grumbled as he headed towards the bed.

“What kind of a reward is being your manservant?”

Arthur smiled. “It’s a huge honour. Most servants have to spend years in service before they’re awarded such a position.”

Merlin grinned from his position on the floor by the fire. “Ah yes, it’s such an honour to wash your socks.”

Arthur laughed and dropped down beside him, hovering close but not touching. “And repair my armour, clean my boots-”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Yes, I get it.”

“-sweep my fireplace, exercise my dogs, muck out my stables-”

“What!” Merlin squeaked, and shoved his arm. “I am not doing that!”

Arthur laughed, and pulled Merlin into his arms. Merlin frowned for a second more, and then melted against him. Arthur sighed, content.

“I’m going to have to write to my mother about you.” Merlin mumbled. “And to Will.”

Arthur hummed, running his hand up and down Merlin’s back. “I can send them any letters the next time a messenger comes through. They’re in Ealdor, right?” Merlin nodded. “I’d like to visit one day. Meet them.”

Merlin pulled back, looking at him in surprise. “Really?”

Arthur shrugged. “You’re my soulmate. Is it really so strange that I want to meet your family?”

Merlin’s eyes shifted to the fire. “I suppose not.”

Arthur hesitated. “Unless you don’t want me to...?”

“No!” Merlin said quickly, then cringed. “I mean, of course I want you to meet them. Mother would love you. Will would be…” Merlin struggled for a moment. “Difficult, at first, but that’s because his father was killed because of a noble. He’s held a grudge against anyone of noble birth since.”

Arthur nodded, staring at the way the fire made Merlin look almost ethereal. “I would win him over. I’m not like other nobles.”

Merlin looked back to him, a smirk already in place. “No, you’re an even bigger prat than they are.”

Arthur spluttered as Merlin laughed. It was a beautiful sound, and Arthur would let him joke all he wanted if it meant he got to hear it. Without thinking Arthur reached up and cupped Merlin’s cheek in one hand. Merlin stopped laughing, and Arthur found himself enchanted by their deep blue.

“Arthur?” Merlin whispered.

“Is this okay?” He asked, because he had to be sure.

Merlin’s answering grin was blinding. “It’s more than okay.”

Arthur grinned, and then Merlin’s lips were on his, and for that moment the world was perfect.

///

Bonus: Merlin pulled back and laughed. “Is this another one of my manservant duties?” “Idiot.” Arthur grinned, and kissed him again.

 Thank you all so much for all the support you've given me and this story. All of the likes have meant the world to me. <3 See you all in the next one!

If you wish to support me, please consider donating to my PayPal.

[niktizzy]

*~feeling nostalgic for myspace surveys~* 

1) Sexuality?

Straight

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

This is probably a lame answer but, I think Gronk would be cool to hang with

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

So this is embarrassing, I don’t have any books upstairs yet 

4) What do you think about most?

Work, money, why do people make noise when their running away from a killer in a horror movie or run upstairs

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

“Aye can you order me 2 chicken tacos “

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends on my mood and what season it is lol

7) What’s your strangest talent?

I have a rather good green thumb

8) Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)

Girls are beautiful 

Boys are back in town

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not that I know of

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Probably a year or so, I really want to dive back into it though

11) Do you have any strange phobias?

I just like to have things clean and not cluttered but my car and room are a bit messy lol 

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

I have a hoop in my nose

13) What’s your religion?

I guess like a Christian? Idk, I have my own beliefs

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Working 

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind it 100% 

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Oof, at the moment, either Belmont or Trash Boat. All time has to be either Neck Deep or Blink

17) What was the last lie you told?

I’m fine

18) Do you believe in karma?

A B S O L U T L E Y 

19) What does your URL mean?

Nothing really, just my screen name, which is my wanna be rap name lol

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Very trusting is my weakness. My greatest strength is honestly keeping up walls and head strong

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

Michael B. Jordan

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Lol a lonnnnng time ago

23) How do you vent your anger?

I usually just bottle it up or I talk to my dad

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

I use to collect snow globs but now I seem to just collect house stuff lol. I want to start collecting dvds or like plants? Idk lol

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

I love talking on the phone tbh

26) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

So far, yes. I am proud of the person I have become but I’m still growing

27) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

VELCRO I HATE THAT SOUND. Waves crashing and thunderstorms are my go to sounds

28) What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if I never went to college and just got experience 

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Spirits and yes, absolutely 

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

My coffee and nothing I’m on my couch haha

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?

This amazing candle from yankee candle

32) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Toledo lol nah but really

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?

West Coast

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Thousand Below’s singer is hot af

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?

I have a multiple of ideals, we are born to die is one. The other is to go through life and learning and developing different ways to survive so in the next life, you have a better transition. But again, who knows  

36) Define Art.

Something you feel 

37) Do you believe in luck?

Yes

38) What’s the weather like right now?

FREEZING COLD

39) What time is it?

12:40pm

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

I do, when I was like 17. I was going 5mph, women ran a red light, boom

41) What was the last book you read?

The Amityville Horror

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Love it

43) Do you have any nicknames?

Nik

44) What was the last movie you saw?

Halloweentown

45) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Any of my broken bones lol

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Not really

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?

Finding horror movie posters lol

48) What’s your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual 

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

Oh yeah lol

50) Do you believe in magic?

I honestly do 

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Sadly I do

52) What is your astrological sign?

Libra

53) Do you save money or spend it?

Save it, I only go to work and pay bills and get food

54) What’s the last thing you purchased?

Groceries 

55) Love or lust?

We are all hoping for love and we usually get lust lol

56) In a relationship?

Nah

57) How many relationships have you had?

Real ones? A handful 

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nope lol

59) Where were you yesterday?

I was at work all day 

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Nope

61) Are you wearing socks right now?

No

62) What’s your favorite animal?

The hammer head shark

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I tried flirting, but I think just being relatable or being myself

64) Where is your best friend?

Lauren

65) Spit or swallow?(;

Neither

66) What is your heritage?

Native American and Irish 

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Sleeping, I was OUT

68) What do you think is Satan’s last name?

I feel like he doesn’t have one, it’s kind of like Cher 

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

No one else is going to do it lol

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I mean yeah, I think I’m pretty cool

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Grab the dog and take him to work with me, it’s like a doctors slip but you know, it’s a dog

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) I wouldn’t tell anyone

b) I would continue living but spend more time with people that matter and just make sure everything and everyone is taken care of

73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Love

74) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Gold Steps- Neck Deep or Faithfully- Journey

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

****

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

What makes things work is having similar interest. Most of my relationships were just awful because they were either wayyy into left field with my interest or didn’t even have the same ones all together. I think you need to be each others best friends, be able to be comfortable with each others company 

77) How can I win your heart?

Tacos, beer, horror movies, sports

78) Can insanity bring on more creativity?

All signs point to yes

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Putting myself before anyone else

80) What size shoes do you wear?

Depends on the shoe, most of the time 9.5

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

Believe with UFO’s on it

82) What is your favorite word?

Cowabunga 

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

A bloody mess that keeps you alive in your chest cavity 

84) What is a saying you say a lot?

Honestly, literally, fook, fuck, dude

85) What’s the last song you listened to?

I was listening to this playlist https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX3MU5XUozve7?si=SS24TA9sTG6L5bFZ8W_feQ

86) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

If you look in my closet it’s mostly black, gray, and maroon. I’m trying to like mustard but eh 

87) What is your current desktop picture?

Desert 

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Someone from my past

89) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Why do you were a mask every time you step out of your house?

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Keep the light on because it’s obviously a full moon and they live from the moon light and try to find an exit quietly 

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Jumper aka teleportation 

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

Warped tour 2011

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

No comment

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

OOOOF probably Winston McCall 

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Australia 

96) Do you have any relatives in jail?

Not that I know of

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?

Not that I remember

98) Ever been on a plane?

Yes only 2 times

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

STOP GIVING A FUCK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, MIND YA BUSINESS AND GRIND 

[thetravelerwrites]

The Bargain: Genus

Rating: Teen Relationships: Female Human x Male Demon/Elf Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Marriage, Demons, Elves, Princes, Princesses, Monster Boyfriend, Monster Husband, Monster Lover Words: 6901

Based on “The Princes” series of shorts written by tumblr user @your-monster-romance, with her permission. Read the Original Shorts Here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Previous Chapters: Prologue, Pallidus, Viribus Following Chapters: Gale (NSFW), Fawn (NSFW), Tyria (NSFW), Epilogue

The third brother, Genus, finally meets his betrothed, Gale. Gale rejects the planned wedding outright and is determined to escape, even if she has to ask her so-called future husband for help. Please reblog and leave feedback!

All Gale remembered was getting up from the garden table to look for her sisters, who were taking their sweet time returning to her birthday luncheon, when she stumbled out into the open meadow beyond the castle’s rose garden and fell after stubbing her toe against something solid.

Looking back, she saw that she had tripped over a glittering rose, pink and transparent, that appeared to have been sculpted from crystal. She had never seen anything like it before. It was the kind of thing that would be the jewel of any dragon’s treasure hoard or in a display case of a grand art collection. It looked incredibly out of place, standing straight up out of the ground surrounded by waving grass.

Thinking to show it to her father, who had been acting rather odd lately, she took hold of the seaglass-green stem and attempted to pull it up. It was anchored pretty solidly, so she yanked and ended up snapping the stem from whatever held it beneath the earth with a soft tink!

Then, it was like a small explosion went off all around her. The grass and flowers of the meadow kicked up and swirled around her so fast, it was if she were in a hurricane. She closed her eyes and shielded her face, certain she would open them again to find her gown shredded and cuts all over her skin, but when the deafening noise finally died away, she saw no such thing. She was completely unruffled.

“It’s you!” A voice called suddenly from across the long, dark hallway in which she found herself. A young… man… scurried up to her, dropping a tall stack of enormous books in his haste. He took her hand in both of his, exclaiming, “I can’t believe your finally here! I was giving up hope you’d ever come! I’m so happy to see you!”

“Unhand me! Who are you? What are you?” Gale shouted, her heart pounding, as she wrenched her hand from the grip of the shortish, grey skinned man. If he could be called a man.

He wore spectacles, seemingly an academic type judging by the ink smudges on his hands and the smell of old books that permeated from his skin and clothing. He had on a simple, plain white shirt and natural linen trousers, with his curly black hair hanging down his back in a messy braid. He was mostly clean and pressed, but had the slightly mussed-up, unkempt look of a person not overly concerned with their appearance.

He was rather stout but not muscular, and Gale suspected this was a fellow who spent most of his time sitting down. He was, in fact, rather squishy looking. Although, judging from the enormous stack of books he had been carrying, he possessed considerable strength.

Despite somehow looking like a history professor, his body was quite animalistic in nature. In place of feet, he had cloven hooves like a goat or a deer, and his legs were double jointed and covered in soft black fur from the reverse knee joint down. He had short antlers on his head and a thin tail swinging behind him. His head was just level with Gale’s, perhaps a hair shorter, but his antlers made him appear taller.

His ears were small but pointed and twitched slightly when he smiled. He could also apparently move them backwards and forwards, sticking them out or flattening them against his head like a small creature listening for predators. The whites and irises of his eyes were solid red with small black pupils as their only distinguishing characteristic. It was an odd juxtaposition of features.

He had rushed up to Gale before she had even had the chance to open her eyes, taking her hand and shaking it vigorously, going on about how please he was to finally see her in person as though they were lifelong penpals or some such. His enthusiasm was daunting, and the strangeness of his appearance did nothing to reassure her.

“My name is Genus, my Lady,” He said, bowing. “I’m so happy you’ve come! It’s truly an honor to meet you!” He was practically jumping up and down in excitement. She backed away from him in alarm.

“Gale!”

Gale turned and saw her sister Fawn dashing up, followed by an absolute giant of a man. The giant had similar features as this short, chubby man, except the taller of the two had solid black eyes, a darker skin tone, no tail, and ram’s horns rather than antlers. He trailed after Fawn, who was maybe three-fifths his height, like a lovesick puppy.

Fawn flung herself onto Gale, crying. “I’m so happy you’re here! We missed you so much!”

“What? We? What are you talking about?” Gale asked a little hysterically. “Where is here?”

Instead of answering, Fawn took the giant by the hand and pulled. He knelt down so that she could whisper in his ear. After listening for a moment, he nodded in agreement and she smiled at him, laying a hand on his right cheek and kissing the left. Reluctantly, he slipped out of her grasp, then stood and trotted off.

“He’s going to get Tyria,” Fawn said. She glanced at Genus, who was shifting from foot to foot, with no small amount of sympathy. “We need to talk.”

After a moment or two, Tyria walked up on the arm of another impossible man, this one hauntingly thin and gaunt, with horns spiraling high out of the top of his head decorated with delicate silver chains. He was dressed very rich in green silk and emeralds at his neck and ears. His hair was long and black, and he walked with a graceful swagger. A bit haughty for Gale’s taste, but Tyria seemed quite taken with him. She fussed and picked at his tunic, and he smiled at her fondly.

The giant returned as well, reaching out for Fawn. Gale’s middle sister stepped into the safety of his embrace without hesitation, placing her hands on his chest, her eyes dewy as they looked up at him. He gazed down at her as if she were the only thing that deserved his attention.

Gale looked at both of her sisters as if they, too, had grown horns. “What is going on here? I feel like there’s a joke that everyone is in on except for me.”

“Not much of a joke, I’m afraid,” The tall, gaunt one said. His voice was quite musical. “Although I’m sure my father finds this all rather amusing. He always did have an odd sense of humor.”

“And your father is?”

“Zinzo, the Demon King.”

Gale’s head rocked back. “Uh… what exactly does the Demon King want with my sisters and me?”

Tyria and Fawn shared a look between them that made Gale very nervous.

“Now, you mustn’t get upset, Gale,” Tyria began.

“I’m already upset, Ty, just tell me what’s going on!”

Tyria took a deep breath and, with Fawn’s help, carefully explain the situation with the betrothal, trying their best to convey that the brothers were not in control of the situation and that Gale shouldn’t hold it against them.

“Are. You. Serious?” Gale said through gritted teeth as they concluded the explanation.

“I’m afraid so,” Fawn replied. “Father made the deal before he even knew he’d be having daughters, before he even married Mother. He thought, at the time, that he would never have to make good on his promise.”

“So… what? We’re literally just collateral for Suida? That’s the only reason we exist at all? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I know it’s hard to accept, Gale,” Tyria said. “It’s not ideal in any sense. Trust me, I was plenty angry at Father when I first arrived. But it’s really not so bad here once you get used to it.”

Gale massaged her temples, trying to wrap her head around the day’s events. Genus fidgeted and watched her apprehensively, with his brothers standing at his shoulders in support. Her sisters stood on either side, creating a wall of insanity she couldn’t penetrate.

“Well,” Gale said. “It was nice to meet you all. I’m leaving.”

Her sisters and the brothers exchanged uneasy looks.

“I’m afraid you can’t leave,” Genus said woefully.

“The hell I can’t,” Gale retorted. “I don’t really care what promises my father made, I don’t recall signing any contracts. I am an adult and I want to leave.”

“No, Gale, you don’t understand,” Tyria said. “None of us can leave, not even Zinzo’s sons. There’s a protective barrier around the kingdom that prevents anyone from entering and exiting without Zinzo’s permission.”

“Then take me to the Demon King and I’ll make him release us.”

Again, Fawn and Tyria exchanged glances.

“What?” Gale fairly snarled.

“Well…” Fawn said in a small voice. “I’m not sure what Tyria wants to do, but… I don’t want to leave.”

“Why?” Gale asked venomously.

“Well…” She said again, reaching back to take the giant’s hand in hers. “Just before you arrived, I agreed to marry Viribus.”

There was a joyous exclamation between the five of them, congratulating Fawn and her massive groom-to-be as they grinned sheepishly. Gale watched them in horror.

“You can’t be serious!” Gale said. “You’re really going to marry that monster?”

Viribus flinched, and Fawn’s eyes widened in offense.

“Gale!” Tyria said reproachfully. “This is a special day for Fawn and Viri. Don’t you dare spoil it for them.”

“Oh, my gods, am I the only sane one here?!” Gale shouted. “How can you both be all right with this? It’s ludicrous! We are not commodities to be bartered! We are people! Royalty! We have rights!”

“As royalty,” Tyria said, her voice shaking a little as she went to lay her hands on Fawn and Viribus’ arms. Fawn was visibly upset and Viribus was holding her with his head hanging. “We are servants of our people. Their safety and prosperity is our primary concern. Father made this deal with his people in mind, knowing he might have to make a terrible sacrifice. His methods may have been deplorable, but above all, he did it for his people, his country. We can aspire to do no greater than that.”

A faint half smile drifted across Pallidus’s face.

Gale shook her head. “You have either lost your mind or been brainwashed. Either way, I’m not sticking around long enough for either of those things to happen to me.” She addressed the tall man standing with Tyria. “Take me to your father. This nonsense ends now.”

She left Genus and Viribus, looking stricken, and a weeping Fawn behind her, not sparing a backwards glance.

Zinzo sat at his desk in the grand sitting room, reading a message from an outer province. He smiled as Tyria, Pallidus, and Gale entered the room.

“Well, well,” He said, standing. “It’s about time. I assume Fawn and Viribus have good news, if she has come at last.”

“We shall let them make the announcements at the appropriate time,” Pallidus said.

“Wise,” Zinzo replied. He turned his attention to Gale. “Now, I assume you have questions.”

“No, I don’t,” Gale replied a little hostilely. “I understand the situation well enough.”

“Ah. Well, that’s good. Tyria here need quite a lot of explanation and assurance. So, you--”

“I’m not here to make nice. I’m here to demand our release.”

Zinzo’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

“You’re holding us against our will. We’re hostages. There are laws against that sort of thing.”

“Perhaps in your kingdom. The rules are different here.”

“I don’t care what the rules are here. I’m telling you I’m not going to play your game with you. Let us leave.”

“Gale!” Tyria hissed warningly.

“No, Princess,” Zinzo said lazily. “This should be interesting.”

Gale crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the king, who looked at her with a smug grin on his face.

“Tyria told me that when you made the deal with my father, the only son you had was Pallidus, and he was but a babe in swaddling.”

“That’s so,” Zinzo said.

“So how did you know you’d have two more sons? How did you know you’d need three brides?”

Zinzo quirked his head at her. “How do you think I knew?”

Gale looked him up and down with a scowl. “I think you’re a seer, or otherwise capable of divination.”

“Very astute,” Zinzo replied, to Tyria’s shock. Pallidus looked guilty but unsurprised.

“So you tricked my father into agreeing to your deal,” Gale said.

“No,” Zinzo replied calmly. “I merely used my foresight to my advantage. It’s a common tactical strategy. Both your father and I had a problem on our hands, so we made an exchange that was mutually beneficial. He just didn’t realize I knew more than he did about the matter. That doesn’t make it a trick. If anything, it could be argued he was attempting to take advantage of me, he just couldn’t see the entire picture.”

“Even if that’s true, I still doesn’t mean I’ll agree to it, and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

“Perhaps so,” Zinzo said. “But you should try anyway.”

Gale frowned and huffed. “Use your foresight. Does this ploy work out for you?”

Zinzo grinned wickedly. “Spoilers.”

Genus was waiting for them anxiously when they came out of Zinzo’s sitting room. Fawn and Viribus were absent.

“I’ll take you to your room,” He said.

“No,” Gale said coldly. “Tyria will.”

He lowered his eyes. “Very well.”

Tyria glared at Gale and put a comforting hand on Genus’s shoulder as she passed. “I’ll come to the library later,” She said to Pallidus, who nodded, putting an arm around Genus and leading him away. As if he was the one who needed assurance.

Gale stomped down the hallway with her arms folded forbiddingly over her chest. Tyria sighed in annoyance.

“You’re being quite unreasonable,” Tyria said.

“I’m being unreasonable?” Gale retorted. “Have you actually gone insane? How can you expect me to just be all right with this?”

“I don’t, Gale,” Tyria said irritatedly. “But I do expect you to be polite. Genus has seen your your every possible need. He’s a good man, if a little quiet. He loves books just as much as we do. You should let him show you the library. It’s breathtaking.”

“I would rather gouge out my own eyes,” Gale grumbled.

Tyria rolled her eyes. “Well, the least you can do is apologize to Fawn and Viribus. They’re both very upset. You ruined their announcement.”

“Sure, I’ll get right on that,” Gale replied sarcastically.

Tyria grabbed Gale by the shoulders and stopped her roughly. “That’s enough. I understand you’re angry, but that’s no reason to take it out on people who have no control over your circumstances and are trying to make the best of this situation.”

Gale shook her off. “You’re not Mother. Stop telling me what I should do and how I should feel.”

Tyria shook her head in disappointment and agitation. “This is your room,” She said, motioning to a door with constellations carved into it. “It’s next to Fawn’s, and mine is the next door down. Maybe you should spend some time alone and think about things.”

“It’s not going to change my mind,” Gale said stubbornly. “I’m going to get out of here. It’s only a matter of time. And if I have to leave without you, I will.”

Tyria’s jaw worked in frustration. She opened her mouth to vent at Gale, thought the better of it, and said instead: “Dinner is in an hour. You will be there.”

She turned on her heel and walked away.

During dinner, Gale refused to sit with Genus, instead sitting in the seat next to Tyria ordinarily reserved for Pallidus. Tyria huffed in aggravation, but assured Pallidus it would only be for the evening.

“We’ll see about that,” Gale said obstinately. Tyria growled and didn’t speak to Gale for the remainder of the meal.

After the main course had been served, Viribus and Fawn stood, announcing their engagement to the delight of everyone in the room. The best wine in the castle was cracked open and a celebration was conducted. Gale sat in silence, refusing to participate. The table collectively ignored her.

That evening, she went to her room without speaking to anyone and plopped down on her new bed, groaning in frustration. What was wrong with the people here? What was wrong with her sisters? Was it something in the water?

She stared at the ceiling, her gaze unfocused on the mural of the night sky meticulously painted above her. Her thoughts chased themselves round and round, consuming her to the point where it took her several seconds to see the hidden wonder of the mural. Furrowing her brow, she peered at the ceiling through narrowed eyes.

“How did they pull this off?” She breathed in astonishment. After examining the mural closely for what felt like hours, she fell into an uneasy sleep, determined to asked about it in the morning.

She woke late the next morning, nearly missing breakfast. She refrained from speaking during the meal, resolving to seek out the person who made the mural and ask them directly.

After eating, her sisters and the princes disappeared, leaving her to wander on her own. Eventually, she made her way to the library. She had no idea where it was, but she always seemed to feel a pull toward any large collection of books in any place. She just naturally gravitated to spaces of learning and wisdom.

Once there, she reached out and grasped the handle, but before she could turn it, she heard her sisters talking with Genus and the other men behind the closed door. She leaned against the door and listened to the voices within.

“She hates me!” Genus cried, his voice muffled as though his head were in his hands.

“That’s not true, Gene,” Tyria said. “She doesn’t know you yet. She scared and confused and angry. I know how she feels. It’s exactly how I felt when I first got here. You were the one to finally change my mind and got me to talk to Pallidus. Remember that?”

Genus didn’t answer.

“Don’t worry, brother,” Fawn said. “Just give her time. She’s a willful girl, she always has been. You know that.”

Genus sighed. “Yes, I know. It’s one of the things I like about her. She’s never been afraid to speak her mind. I’ve always envied that.”

Fawn scoffed. “It’s not so much that she isn’t afraid as it is she doesn’t know when to keep her trap shut.”

She was clearly still angry at Gale. Gale felt a twinge of guilt, but not enough to convince her to apologize. She stood by what she said. For Fawn to marry that hulking giant was just absurd, as absurd as it was for Tyria to marry that prissy dandy, or for her to marry that short, excitable bookworm.

Gale heard the rumble of the large man muttering, possibly comforting Fawn, but she couldn’t make out his words. There was a lull in the conversation, during which Gale knocked on the door. It opened, revealing Genus’s pale, surprised face.

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “I… I didn’t expect to see you. Please come in. You don’t need to knock, you know. It’s a public library. Anyone in the palace is permitted to use it.”

“Then you should keep the door open,” Gale said.

Genus blushed and flung the door wide. “Would you like to come in?”

“No, I had a question.” Gale could see his brothers and her sisters looking at the pair of them with matching hopeful expressions. She scowled at them.

“The mural of a star map that’s painted above my bed. The constellations, they’re correct down to the spacing. How did you do that? Who painted it?”

“Oh, Viribus did,” Genus said, motioning back at the giant, who smiled tentatively. “He’s a very talented artist, even though he’d never admit it. I mapped it out for him, though.”

“How did you manage that if you’ve never seen the night sky for yourself?” Gale asked.

“I have star charts.” He pointed at the desk. “They’re a few centuries old, but they worked well enough.”

“A star chart from three hundred years ago would be different than the current sky map,” Gale said skeptically.

“Yes, that’s true,” He said. “I used grafts and calculations to determine how much they would have shifted and based the resulting positions on my equations. I’m pleased to learn my math was correct.”

“That’s… impressive.” Gale had to admit, it was. “And labor intensive. It must have taken weeks to plot it out correctly. Not to mention the patience involved in mapping it out above your head. Why did you go to so much trouble?”

“For you,” Genus said simply. “I wanted to do something nice for you. I know you love astronomy and have your own observatory at home. I regret that I cannot give you an observatory, so I did the closest thing I could think of. Did you like it?”

It was Gale’s turn to blush. “I… yes, it’s very lovely. And factual, which is the important thing.”

Genus laughed, a gentle, boyish sound. “I thought you’d approve. Viribus wanted to take artistic license with it, make it a bit grander, but I figured you would appreciate the accuracy.”

“You were right,” Gale said begrudgingly. “Are you interested in astronomy, as well?”

“Oh, extremely. I’ve always wanted to see the sky. It’s my dearest wish.”

“So why don’t you just go out?” Gale asked bluntly.

“I can’t leave,” Genus said, shaking his head. “Father would never permit it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s dangerous for us on the surface world. He worries for our safety.”

“But if you--”

“Gale,” Tyria said sharply. “Let it go.”

Gale scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. I just wanted to ask about the mural.” She turned on her heel and stormed off.

“Wait!” She heard Genus called. She didn’t stop walking but she did slow down enough to allow him to catch up with her, his hooves clacking noisily against the dark marble floor.

“I nearly forgot,” Genus said, reaching into his satchel and retrieving a wrapped gift. “Happy birthday.”

Gale, surprised, took it hesitantly, carefully tugging the item inside from it’s paper wrapping. It was a book on elvish astronomy.

“Elves have different constellations that humans, did you know? This book has a list of them as well as how to identify them and the elvish names for the stars in each one.”

“Wow,” Gale said. “I always assumed the constellations were universal.”

Genus laughed. “Yes. Humans tend to do that.”

Gale looked up at Genus’s smiling face and was struck by how… genuine he seemed, despite his odd appearance. Like it had never once occurred to him to tell a lie in all his life. He had a childlike openness about his demeanor that, she hated to admit, was intriguing. His default state of being was curiosity.

“Thanks,” Gale said. “For the book. It’s nice.”

Genus grinned and bowed. “Well, I’ll leave you be for now. I know this is hard for you; I don’t want to make you feel any more trapped than you already do.” He turned to go back to the library, calling over his shoulder, “But please, should you need anything, don’t hesitate to send for me. I’d be happy to assist you.”

“Thank you,” She replied. He waved a hand and disappeared back into the library.

“She liked the book! She actually talked to me!” He told the others excitedly. The purity of the happiness in his voice made her blush return. All right. So maybe her sisters weren’t as crazy as she first thought.

It didn’t matter. Having nice jailers didn’t make this place any less of a prison. She was still determined to escape.

Gale spent every waking moment over the next couple of weeks in the library, pouring over books about the Demon Kingdom of Cavernae. As it’s name would suggest, the vast majority of it existed in caverns and caves deep beneath the earth and that only a tiny portion of it was present on the surface. Gale had often wondered why, in the entire history of the Cavernae Empire, the reigning monarch had never tried to conquer another kingdom, but reading the history of the Demons, Gale realized it was because they didn’t need to.

Cavernae was everywhere. It spanned the whole continent, underneath the feet of all the kingdoms and countries. It was a few hundred feet at it’s shallowest, and over seven miles down at it’s deepest. It never ended. Gale didn’t know how to feel about the fact that there was a kingdom full of people underneath her own all this time that she never knew about.

Genus was often in the library with her. At first, he merely smiled when he saw Gale and left her alone, unless she asked him to help her, which he was happy to do. He found her books on any subject she could think of, seemingly pleased that she had taken interest his home. He proved to be a treasure trove of useful information about it and more often then not, she turned to him with her questions rather than a book.

She had been careful, asking pointedly vague questions in hopes of gleaning the information she needed to make her escape without arousing suspicion. He didn’t seem to notice, prattling on willingly about the barrier, where the portals were, where they currently were in relation to your castle in Suida. Gale were surprised to learn that the palace was actually straddling the line between Suida and Gale’s grandfather’s empire.

Finally, he gave Gale the information she was after. There was a portal in the palace. He told her that Viribus used it to bring materials from the outside world, and that it only opened at certain times, during the full moon and the new moon. Those were the only days Viribus was permitted to go out, and even then, he was to be no longer than thirty minutes. It was unguarded because it didn’t need to be; everyone in Cavernae knew the risks when it came to the outside world, and none of them were willing to risk their safety or the Demon King’s ire.

But Gale wasn’t a demon, and she wasn’t answerable to Zinzo.

She waited for the perfect moment. She couldn’t go when Viribus did; he’d catch her and bring her back. She learned he sometimes did errand running for the palace because of his immense size. Fawn would often accompany him to the markets outside of the palace. She was apparently beloved by the people there, and they delighted in seeing her out, so their visits were often, sometimes bringing Tyria and Pallidus with them. The only time Viribus missing his outing to the surface world was on days when he had been to the markets with Fawn.

Gale began to subtly plant the idea of going to the surface with Genus in his mind so that he could see the stars. She tried her best to insist that it would he for his benefit, not hers. At first, he was complete opposed to the idea, not wanting to anger his father, but also concerned about what could happen to him up there.

After a few months of incessant hounding, he began to soften. When he finally agreed, she did your best to hide your triumphant smile.

The next full moon, Viribus and Fawn had been out at the markets all day and were exhausted, going to bed right after dinner. This it it, Gale thought. This is my chance.

That night, she had talked Genus into meeting her in the library and he would lead her to the portal room. She decided not to take anything with her for fear that Genus would become suspicious, but her eyes fell on the book Genus had given her for her birthday and found she couldn’t leave it. She tucked it into her dress, trying her best to conceal it, and ran to the library.

“I don’t feel good about this,” Genus whispered, trying his best to move quietly, though his hooves made that impossible. It was very early in the morning, though, so most everyone in the palace was sleeping.

“Don’t worry,” Gale said reassuringly. “We’ll just pop our heads out and come right back.”

“But we don’t know where the portal will empty out,” he said a little desperately. “What if we stumble into some poor fellow’s garden? We’ll give him a fright.”

“It’s the middle of the night, Gene, any sensible person would be sleeping,” Gale replied.

“The implication being that we aren’t sensible?”

She grinned at him cheekily as they hurried down the corridor. She stopped in front of the large door. There was a strange looking lock on it.

“You won’t be able to open it,” He said, putting one of his fingers over his razor sharp canines and biting down. Blood immediately welled from it. “This lock only responds to the blood of the royal family.”

He dripped a drop or two of blood into a tiny reservoir at the lock’s base, and the filaments that extended out of it to hold the door shut retracted. He pulled the handle, and the door swing open.

There up on a dais, was a glittering doorway formed of branches and vines, similar in color to the rose bushes in the underground garden. In the middle was a bright, swirling light, and beyond was a forest.

“Come on!” She urged him, grabbing his hand. He groaned in reluctance, but allowed himself to be pulled forward. Standing before the portal, he hesitated, and Gale found herself unable to shift him.

“What’s wrong?”

He stared into the portal at the forest outside. “I’ve never been surface side before. I’m… nervous. We really shouldn’t be doing this.”

“When are you going to get another chance, Genus? Come on, we’ll just go in and out. Ten minutes, I promise.”

He grimaced at her and swallowed.

Gale took his hand again. “Come on, Gene. You know you want to see the stars.”

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, knocking his spectacles askance. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Her grin widened and she started forward into the barrier. This time, he stepped forward with her. When he opened his eyes again, they had passed through and were standing in the forest they had seen reflected in the portal.

He opened his eyes and stared around them at the tall trees. “I’ve never seen real trees before! They’re everywhere!”

“It gets better,” Gale promised. “Ready to see the sky?”

For the first time that day, he forgot his misgivings and grinned at her in excitement.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Gale took his hand and led him to where she saw the trees begin to thin out, and with a few seconds, they were standing in an open meadow, flowers everywhere in the ankle-high grass. He stared down at them all with a joyful expression.

“There are so many!” He said happily.

“Genus,” Gale said, laughing. “Look up.”

He did, and the smile faded into wide-eyed, open-mouthed wonder.

They couldn’t have picked a better night for this. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the stars shone as bright and clear as if they were fireflies in a jar, winking and glittering above them. The dark blues and purples swirled overhead, painting a picture more beautiful than any mortal hand could produce.

“Gods below,” He breathed. “The books do them no justice.” He reached up, hand spread, as if to touch them. “What miracles. What treasures.”

Gale watched him, a soft smile on her face. His open awe was more than a little endearing in a painfully naive way. It almost hurt to look directly at him, so she turned away to stare down at the horizon and froze in shock.

There, just beyond the meadow, was a castle. She recognized the spires, the towers, the observatory on the roof. The rose garden. Tyria’s rose garden.

This was Gale’s castle. She was home.

Her heart began to beat as if trying to propel itself out her her chest. She turned to look at Genus, who was still captivated by the night sky and not paying attention. She could run now. She doubted he’d be able to catch her, not on this terrain.

Just as she had turned slowly and lifted her foot to sprint, she heard Genus say, “They’re disappearing.”

She turned back to look, and he had a frown on his face.

“What’s happening?” He asked in confusion, looking around you. His gaze focused on the crest of a nearby hill and he stopped, his eyes widening with apprehension. “Oh.”

She followed his gaze and saw that the sky on the horizon was turning blue and brightening. Dawn was coming.

He began to back away toward the safety of the woods. “I shouldn’t stay out. The sun is dangerous.”

“Maybe not,” She said, grabbing his arm to keep him from retreating. “You’re half elf, aren’t you? Fawn said it might be possible that you didn’t inherit the sun allergy, like other demons have. You could be perfectly safe out here.”

“But…” He said, still trying to pull away, though Gale held him fast. “But I… Father said…”

“Don’t you want to see the sunrise?” Gale insisted.

“Of course I do,” Genus whined. “But…”

“Stay,” Gale said. “Stay and see. Isn’t a couple of little blisters worth a once in a lifetime experience?”

He grimaced, his eyes darting to the horizon, where the sky was progressively getting brighter, and back to Gale's face several times. “Gale… I don’t know about this…”

“Look,” Gale said, taking his hands in hers and pulling him close. “I won’t force you to stay if you’re determined to go back, but you know as well as I that this may be the only chance you have of seeing this. Do you really want to pass it up?”

His brow furrowed and he looked back and forth between the sky and her eyes.

“You’ll stay with me?” He asked.

“Yes, I will.” She said, surprising herself by realizing she was actually being sincere.

“You promise?”

“Of course. Do you trust me?”

He narrowed his eyes at her but responded with a slow, “Yes.”

She squeezed his hands reassuringly. “Then trust me.”

He puffed an explosive breath out through his pursed lips and nodded. Looking once more at the crest of the hill, where a golden light was beginning to form, he faced her and closed his eyes, waiting.

In a few moments, the sun began to break over the hill, sending light and shadows across the sleepy meadow and over the two of them. Gale paid close attention to Genus’s skin, looking for any sign of puckering or burning. When the sun was a quarter of the way up, she realized he was indeed immune.

Smiling, she squeezed his hands again.

“Genus, open your eyes. It’s safe.”

He did, looking in the direction of the sunlight, and inhaled a long gasp. The sun had painted the sky in blues and golds and reds. The rays filtered over the trees, casting long, lazy patterns over the fields. A gentle breeze blew through the grass and flowers, making the shadows and light dance together, like birds on water. It was breathtaking, even for Gale, who had seen her fair share of lovely mornings.

“The colors,” He said reverently, staring out over the field and crouching, as if the force of the beauty he was witnessing was preventing him from standing upright.

Looking at him, staring at the sunlight with the eyes of someone brand new to the world, she felt a stab of guilt. This was such a simple pleasure, one any person who lived on the surface would be privileged to from birth, but for Genus and his brothers, a joy that was out of reach. There was nothing fair about that. No more than being abducted and forced into an arranged marriage had been.

That’s when she realized, she couldn’t leave. Genus was just as trapped as she was. She had to help him and her brothers. There must be a way to free them as well as her sisters. She would find a way.

Gale looked distantly at her home, feeling as if her heart was being pulled in two directions, and sighed deeply. “We should go. Our absence will be noticed,” She said reluctantly.

“What?” Genus said, standing back up and looking at her with a frown on his face. “But… aren’t you going home?” He motioned at the castle looming darkly in the light of the rising sun.

Gale’s heart leapt into her throat. “I… wha… What do you mean?” Gale stuttered.

Genus let out his breath in a mirthless huff. “Gods, you must really think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

She shook her head, unable to speak.

“You think I don’t know who’s castle that is? I’ve looked at it every day my whole life. I know it backwards and forwards. You think I didn’t notice it when we came out of the forest? I’m surprised you didn’t just take off running as soon as we got here.”

“Genus, I…”

“Did you think I didn’t realize what you were trying to do, asking all those questions about the portal? I knew you were trying to escape. You said you would on day one and I never believed you had just given it up. I knew you’d find a way.” He nodded his head toward the castle. “So get going.”

Gale shook her head in disbelief. “Why did you help me, if you knew?”

“Because I love you, Gale,” He said simply, as if it should have been obvious. “I’ve always loved you. I just want you to be happy. If you can’t be happy in Cavernae, then that’s not where you’re meant to be. You should go where you happiest, even if that’s not with me. And hey, I figured if I helped you, at the very least I’d get to see the stars.”

Gale’s throat tightened. She could feel tears coming to her eyes. “But your father…”

“Oh, don’t you worry about him,” Genus said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll talk to him. He can be reasonable at times. I’m sure he won’t like it much, but I’ll smooth it out. Don’t worry.”

“Genus,” she said, tears beginning to fall. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” He said gently, cupping her cheek with his hand and wiping the tears away with his thumb. “Just be safe. Be happy. For me.”

A stone lodged itself in her heart. She stepped close and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His arms went around her waist and squeezed, his nose buried in her hair, breathing in deeply. He was so warm, she found, and she enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her back, his thumbs rubbing softly. She loved how he smelled, like books and leather and ink. His kindness and selflessness broke her heart. She knew that doing this for her could cost him dearly. The idea of him paying any price for helping her made her ill.

Though he made no effort to step away, he said, “You should go. I have to get back to the palace. The portal will be closing soon.” His hand tangled itself in her curls.

Taking a breath, Gale replied, “You’re right. We should get back.”

He did step back at that, narrowing his eyes at her, his hands stilled on her waist and hair. “But, aren’t you going home?” he repeated.

“Yes, I am,” She said. “With you.”

He continued to frown with confusion, opening his mouth to speak but no sound came out.

Gale took his face in her hands, pulled him toward her, and kissed his lips. He immediately kissed back, as if hungry for it, his hands putting themselves on her hips and drawing her as close as possible. When she pulled away, she wasn’t the only one with tears in their eyes.

“Are you sure?” He asked her, his forehead resting on hers and his hands gliding up her back.

“Yes,” She replied. “Let’s go home.”

He gave a watery laugh of relief. Gale took his hand and led him back to the portal. He cast a wistful glance back at the brightening sky and followed.

Before stepping into it, Gale stopped short and looked back through the trees for one last glimpse of her family home, knowing she may never see it again. She bid a silent apology to her mother, father, and brother, hoping that they were all right and that they’d understand.

Genus squeezed her fingers gently, not wanting to rush her but reminding her the portal would be closing presently.

She turned back to him and smiled, laying a kiss on his cheek to make him grin, his sharp teeth flashing in the sunlight. Together, they traveled back through the veil into Cavernae. The portal sealed itself just seconds later.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist