#god help the levant

[finn-shitposts]

Girl help im slowly being drawn back into kpop....i cant do this again... im not strong enough.... it consumed so much of my time from 2017-2019.......

but i keep seeing skz in my youtube reccomended and the urge to just. Rewatch all their content and start doing kpop fanart again. PLus chens new songs dropping. GAh someone help

#oh and the fact i downloaded one of the superstar games #i wish i could access my old smtown superstar acc #but i cant illegally get it anymore on my new phone it wont do apks #and the games not available in the uk #so i had to get the boyz superstar #which: still good i love tbz #but i depsertaley wanna play my fave sm artists songs its not fair #T.T #in any case #minho still has my whole goddamn heart as does seungmin and WOAH theyve had way too many comebacks in the time i was gone #ive missed so much. god.. #i think last era i was alivw for was like #fuckin gone days??? levanter?? like pretty much 3 years ago now #anyway this is a cry for help #finn.txt

[kkami-writes]

devil's advocate — chapter four. cw. none wc. 1k + 6 SS

As the boys climb the stairs back to their dorms the first thing they notice is the obvious music that’s blaring past the walls of their apartment. It’s not terribly loud, but the closer they come to the door they can clearly hear God's menu practically vibrating against the walls. They open the door to see you, just lounging on the couch with your phone in your hand, head bobbing to the addicting beat. You don’t even notice their arrival until the door closes, turning to see the eight boys piling back into their dorm. 

You reach for the remote, lowering the music down until it’s basically background noise. They also notice that you’re no longer clad in the lingerie you had been summoned in, trading it for a cozy oversized hoodie and some shorts. 

“Hey!! Welcome home. You guys are pretty good honestly, I’m very impressed,” This brings smiles to their faces, somewhat pleased that you had liked their music. They say some quick greetings before dispersing to do their night routines. 

Jisung on the other hand, comes over and plops himself down next to you on the couch. You’re a little surprised as you turn to face him, a cute heart shaped smile on his face as he nudges you playfully. 

“What’s your favorite song?” He asks simply, looking at you expectantly. It has you thinking for a second as you go through the songs you listened to through your head.

“I’ve only just started going through your discography but, I think I’m drawn to Levanter. The lyrics are really powerful and I found the MV really interesting too,” 

“Nice, nice. By the way, what’s this plan of yours?” He tilts his head to the side cutely and it almost makes you wanna actually tell him but you wave him off instead. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough,” Jisung gives you a look. “It’s nothing bad. I promise,” It looks like he wants to continue to question you but a loud yawn interrupts him. You laugh softly as you go to pet his head but stopping, not sure if the male wanted to be touched. He seems to see your struggle so he simply moves his head to meet your hand, nuzzling into your palm and the sight nearly melts your heart. If you had a heart.

“Go to bed, it’s late. I’m sure you guys will be up early again,” He nods before slipping off the couch, leaving you to be alone in your thoughts again. You move to turn the music off completely now, sitting there as a silence overtakes the whole dorm, the boys settling down to sleep. Normally, it wasn’t hard to keep your mind empty, not much to really think about in hell anyway. So it feels weird to have your thoughts suddenly racing. You can’t help but think about how long you might end up with these boys.

You only have heard of contracts being signed with demons but beyond that you basically knew nothing, much less how to break said contract. It hurts your head to think about it, so instead you move towards the room the boys had provided for you, hoping that you could just sleep these thoughts off. 

The next morning is similar to the previous one, with you making seven cups of coffee and the boys running around to prepare for the day. Bangchan is once again the last one out the door and you wave goodbye to him, a slightly mischievous grin spread across your lips. 

“Bye! See you soon!” He’s all too distracted to really think about your word choice, quickly making his way down the stairs and into the awaiting vans to take him to schedules. 

It’s not until later that afternoon does he understand your words. 

They’re in the dance studio, going over some steps when a knock at the door interrupts them. Chan greets the older male who walks in. 

“Joon hyung, hello. What’s up?” Joon gestures for the kids to take a seat on the leather couch in the corner of the studio, all of them eagerly obliging in taking a much needed break. Joon was head of the production team for the kids, setting up filming times and future content for their youtube account. 

“So, let me start by letting you know that your manager Chun-Soo has quit,” At this, the boys are silent, confusion evident on their faces. They had just talked to their manager a few days ago, why had the man suddenly quit? “Something about winning the lottery? I’m not entirely sure. Of course, don’t worry. We had originally planned for your smaller managers to take turns to be in charge but pd-nim has already found you a replacement! On top of being your new head manager, they’ll be a live-in manager at your dorms. They’re in charge of making sure dorm life is comfortable, keeping an eye on your well being and health,” 

At this, panic fills them. Their eyes go wide as they exchange worried glances. A live-in manager? This was bad. Really bad. How were they going to explain the demon that was already taking residence in their dorm? 

“Miss Yn? You can come in,” Their heads snap up to stare at their producer, still in a state of shock. It’s you who walks in, dressed in a nice pants suit. The clack of your heels against the hard floor of the dance studio rings in their ears as they stare. They’re pretty sure it’s you, it looks just like you minus the pair of red horns and tail they had started to associate you with. Instead of the bright red eyes, they’re now a muted caramel brown, a clear glint of mischief in them. 

When you stop in front of the leather couch, you have to bite back the laugh you want to let out at their shell shocked faces. They’re openly gaping at you and you wished you could take a picture. 

“Hello. I’m YN, I'll be your new head manager starting today. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m looking forward to working with you boys,” You bow politely, sending them a cheeky grin and they can clearly see your sharp canines.

Devils advocate taglist (44/50) ⛤ send an ask or sign up here ⛤ @starssong98 @hannieslove @alnex05 @liknws @hyunelixbun @mixtape-racha @inlovewithallmusic @noellllslut @simp4myself @143lix @amararoseblog @smileykiddie08 @lolli4me @minhoie @soobery @sunnibearr @adorawritesalot @chlodavids @multishipperfangirl @tasteskz-sworld @stay-berry @chowmein69 @suebinn @yoonrimin @luvrhyune @elizalabs3 @estrella-2 @chaotic-world-of-the-j @realrintaro @surefornext @minhwa @0325tiny @tfshouldidohere @veryjeongintxtkid @hanjingin @thatoneperson1911 @slay-and-gay @princelingperfect @strawberryepie @yeetmehome @min-doesnt-know @dvn-hjs @shakalakaboomboo @skz-streamer @lovestayforev @the-simpy-simp @beautifulcolorgarden @foliea @studygirlmaxx @kpopsstuffs @highlydestiny @bangbangchan97 @lenilla15 @chocolate-scoups @prettymiye0n @mits-vi @tinka747

#stray kids #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids reactions #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagine #skz imagine #skz imagines #skz #skz fluff

[mazeofyeni]

(🔴) ... [ NOW PLAYING ] [SKZ LOG] Stray Kids : 어쩌다 촬영한 하루｜2023 STAYweeK !

"damn it." she whispered to herself , "kaia." chan sighed , knowing the camera definitely picked it up. "i left my head phones in the dorms." she stressed. "im forced to sit in the middle and i forget my head phones."

"you're the shortest , the shortest sit in the middle." she scoffed. "oppa , does that really matter , we're all short." hyunjin reached behind handing her the mic.

she set the mic up , putting it in her back pocket , as they drove off. "you can always drive." you shook her head. "not in this traffic , we'd never make it."

she rested her head on chan's shoulder , when changbin spoke up. "what should we eat?"

"for me , the fundamental." hyunjin said from the front seat. "bulgogi burger."

"chicken nuggets and fries." she said. "as expected our 3 year old kaia." she smiled as they pulled into the gas station , seungmin getting out to fill up the tank.

"should i get out and get a snack?" she debated with herself. "i think i have some in my bag , i should be fine." she decided. "there's probably some at the house." seungmin climbed back into the car. "i know, but you can't go wrong with more."

they pulled into the McDonald's drive through. "i want a mcflurry with my nuggets and fries." she said. "thank you."

she held the food bag in her hands , taking her nuggets out sitting the bag in between her legs , shoving fries into her mouth.

"you don't dip your fries in your ice cream?" chan asked her , she looked at him in disgust. "why would i do such a thing?" he laughed. "because it's good." she shook her in. "oh absolutely not."

once she was finished her fries , she ate seungmin's fries. "yah , you should've gotten two." he scolded , handing her the basket. "just eat them." she smiled like a child , he flicked her forehead.

she finished her food , leaning back fatigue clouding her senses. "kaia , ah cute." hyunjin watched her fall in and out sleep.

"don't fall asleep like that , you'll hurt your neck." changbin said , she leaned her head on seungmin's shoulder and she was somehow able to go to sleep amidst hyunjin and chan's mini concert.

their car was the first to arrive. "kaia." seungmin poked the girls cheek. "get up." he squished her cheek — she slowly opened her eyes. "you better not have drooled on my shirt." she scoffed tiredly. "i don't drool."

once they arrived to the villa she went into the room she'd be sleeping in , only to return to the livingroom where they were rolling dice to see who'd cook dinner.

"kaia come." changbin grabbed her arm , her eyes widen as she tried to figure out what was going on. "why why why." she was confused because they were laughing. "how'd i get caught in this , where are we going?" she followed him.

"we're gonna get the card , for karaoke. " he held her hand as they walked to the car. "ah okay."

they quickly retrieved the card , returning back to the house. "you dragged me out the house simply so you could get the card." she pouted sitting down. "it was dark." she scoffed. "she's just as scared of the dark as you are." she scoffed.

she helped cook dinner , while everyone sang in the livingroom , watching them all scream the lyrics to songs.

"should we start with gods menu?" hyunjin went through their old music videos. "let's watch our old ones." her eyes widen. "let's not do that." she said , not wanting to see her old self.

"kaia look." they all pointed the screen. "ah cute!" she hid her red face. "my hair is so much longer." she said. "your pink hair was nice , your baby face." she laughed. "stays say they miss my pink hair."

"gods menu is where we became stray kids." she nodded. "it was like a shift , a big one." she added.

"watching levanter is always hard for me." she said. "right , you weren't able to preform on stage." she nodded. "that's when you injured your back." han said.

"during practice of all things , i just wanted to do well , then i ended up over doing it , it was horrible." she remembered back.

"during our fanmeeting , we said our individual words , right?" changbin asked.

"i cried , i don't even know why." she laughed. "because you always cry." she nodded. "im and emotional person." she said. "i think it's because when we were rookies , it wasn't easy receiving love from stays , so now im always overwhelmed when i do." felix pinched her cheek. "ah cute!" she swatted his hand away.

after a really heartfelt conversation , they all cleaned up for the night , hanging out for the rest of the night.

"why'd you guys have to get so emotional." she pouted , sitting on the couch. "don't cry." felix patted her head. "im not."

she sat back , listening to them sing neverending story.

©️LUVYENI

#kaia (content) #fictional idol addition #fictional idol community #fictional idol oc #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop oc #stray kids 9th member #9th member of skz #skz 9th member #stray kids female addition #stray kids female member #skz female member #skz female addition #stray kids addition #9th member of stray kids #skz female oc #fictional kpop idol

[nevzatboyraz44]

A handful of orphans keep the dignity of 2 billion Muslims alive!!!

On the day of Badr, our Prophet (PBUH) looked at the polytheists and saw that they were a thousand people.

His companions were three hundred and thirteen people.

He immediately turned towards the qibla and raised his hands.

He began to pray to his Lord out loud:

"Oh my God!

Fulfill your promise to me!

Oh my God!

Grant me victory.

Oh my God!

For the sake of our Prophet, Sallallahu Aleyhi Vesellem, who prayed,

"If you destroy this community of the people of Islam, there will be no one left on earth to worship You!".

Grant your help to the men, youth, children and women who protect our first qibla.

Amen

#Palestine #Gaza🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

#gaza #palestine #sallallahualeyhivesellem #hzmuhammed #bedir savaşı #mekke #türkiye #doğa #travel photography #Allah #travel destinations #travel #manzara #view #dua #natural #europe #africa #Spotify

[gnostichor]

That Hopeful Alchemy

Eris stepped out into the evening air of the Tower, the warm mug of mulled cider in her hands a welcome bulwark against the rapidly cooling weather. Festival of the Lost had just begun, and something about those celebrations made it feel like it was always evening in the Tower. She walked in between paper lanterns and decorated gourds, effigies of reverence to the autumnal harvests and the spirits of those we have had to leave behind: the semiotics of change and time's stubborn procession.

Historically, Eris had found little of value in such pageantry; what could someone truly know of loss, she would assure herself, if they thought it transmutable by the exchange of confectionery and the carving of winter squash? This year, however, her steps were not quite as heavy, her glances less cutting. Her trials in the athenæum and the oubliette—just as they had peeled away the chitinous plates from her body—had served to abrade some of the more calloused edges of her preconceived notions about modern life in the City.

Where she had once seen frivolity and unearned levity, she began to see catharsis and a different sort of magic: that transmutative rending of a source of grief and sorrow not into a weapon designed to spread more of the same, but a scalpel to be turned on itself so that the flesh may heal. She had begun to appreciate and respect the poetry of that hopeful alchemy.

Out of the corner of her left-most eye, Eris saw a woman waving to her. An older woman. Eva Levante, she noted, the cheermonger. Eris took a sip from her mug and let the kind embrace of the rising steam give her the courage to approach the grinning woman.

"Hello, Eva." Eris said, doing her best to unflatten her affect. "As ever, the efforts you and the other citizens put into the decoration is commendable."

"Hello dear, and thank you," Eva replied, her impish smile never fading. "You're looking quite well, if you don't mind me saying." "I do not mind, and thank you—I am in fact feeling quite well. An auspicious symmetry."

Raising her hand to her mouth, Eva laughed quietly, but never dropped the mirthful grin.

"How can I help you, Eva?" Eris raised the mug to her lips, sipping. "So, been any Hive gods, lately?" Eva finally let out with a titter.

An awful sound emanated from Eris' mug: the sound of someone bursting into laughter as they are sipping hot mulled cider.

#eris morn #eva levante #festival of the lost #fotl #destiny fanfiction #destiny the game #destiny 2 #my writing

[lavenderbang]

The Legend of 3racha

Fantasy au! 3racha x reader

Genre(s): Fantasy au! (y’all are wanders who do various quests :)), Fluff, comfort, comedy (maybe???), adventurer/wander/bounty-hunter 3racha!

Warning(s): monsters, fighting (slight blood/injury), swearing, alcohol consumption, but that’s pretty much it though

W.C: 13.7k

Summary: You and your trio of misfits are known for taking a variety of quests and odd-jobs that require your skill set. What happens when you are requested for specifically to take down a monster near the dark woods?

A/N: I had this vision of 3racha as a party (in the dnd sense of the word) and I haven’t got it out of my brain since! This has taken quite a long time to come to fruition, but it's here now! Enjoy, and as usual, ignore any typos, my brain is dumb :)

2nd A/N: Okay so I had the idea to set this in the same universe as my Felix fantasy au (which you can find here) halfway through writing this. Its NOT necessary to read to understand this fic, but there will be references if you want to check it out! Now back to 3racha being a party :3

They own my heart I’m soft...

You entered the tavern, kicking the mud off your riding boots and lowering the hood of your cape. It was gloomy outside today, cloudy and muggy with a drizzling of rain, but it was nothing you four couldn’t handle.

Four meaning the members of your little party, 3racha (Just go with it pls)

It was lead by Bang Chan, a strong, mysterious fellow who looked about as deadly as they come. He grew up alone in the northern mountains, learning everything there is to know about tracking and hunting. He could track anything, animal or beast. Despite his reclusive upbringing and outward appearance, Chan is a calm, and gentle soul; He manages everything (democratically of course), such as group funds, what jobs you’d be taking, where you’d move next, what the plan of attack was, etc. The three of you placed a lot of trust in Chan, which he received by never leading your group astray.

Then there was Seo Changbin, the proudest meathead around. Despite his shorter stature, he was easily the strongest on your team. He used to be a royal guard for the kingdom of Levanter when he fell in love with the royal apothecary. This was forbidden by the king, so Changbin was striped of his position and exiled from the kingdom. He has been on the road ever since, not having a definite place to call home. He is kind-hearted and loyal above all else, and wont hesitate to protect the rest of the group no matter what it takes. He also has a bit of a temper, but that makes it all the more fun for your team to tease him.

Han Jisung was the third, a foreign prince with a connection to medicinal magic. Jisung was lined up to be duke of the southwestern plains; he even was presented with a suitor, the princess to the southeastern sea kingdom Reve. However, not liking his destiny, he ran away, only to find his place with the group. He has an exceptional way of using charms and spells to heal. But don’t let the idea of a healer fool you; He is incredibly cheeky and playful, almost like a child. While his hyper personality has gotten you into trouble before, it also lifts the spirits of the rest of the group, which is always Jisung’s goal.

And that left you, (Y/N) (L/N). You used to be an apprentice to a great warlock; he taught you a fair bit of magic before you realized his only concern was himself. Eventually, when money ran short, he tried to sell you off to a brothel, but you managed to escape and find your place among the already established and well-known group of three. You were a powerful warlock now too, using every challenge to grow and cultivate your powers and reading up on spells when you could. You tried your best to help the boys as much as possible, as they became like a family to you and you cared for them very much.

“Thank god we are finally here.” Jisung shivered, blowing into his hands after entering the tavern, “It’s freezing.” The four of you looked around at the hustle and bustle of the tavern; joyous music, lots of chatter and laughter and the smell of warm food wafting into your nose.

“Go sit down over there, I’ll talk to the bar-hand.” Chan hummed, pointing to a table in the corner. You nodded, following where Chan had pointed and sat at the table.

“I wonder what she wants?” Changbin huffed out, digging the tip of his claymore into the wooden flooring. You had been summoned by letter by the duchess of central valley, told to go to the tavern on the northern border of the city of Miroh to receive further instruction. And who were you to ignore a request from a duchess? 

She was directly under the command of King and Queen Yang, the rulers of every city on the western half of the map. The central valley was a large dominion gifted to her by the king and queen; a summoning from her was not to be taken lightly...

“Not sure, but doubt it’s good.” Jisung speculated, folding his arms on the table and leaning his chin onto them, “I mean, why be so vague if it’s good?”

“Maybe it’s secret and she couldn’t write it over letter.” You suggested, trying to bring the energy of the boys up. Jisung mumbled anxiously and Changbin just scoffed, leaning back in his chair. You looked out the window and bit your lip nervously; it wasn’t like you were criminals, but (at least your’s and Jisung’s case) you were runaways... Maybe that had finally caught up to you? It stressed you out thinking of it, so you shook the thought from your head, laying your staff across your lap.

Soon Chan approached you and sat down in the chair beside you, folding his arms over his broad chest and leaning back on the back of the chair. His face was unreadable, mouth pulled into a line and eyes glancing around the tavern.

“So?” You asked, blinking nervously at Chan.

“We are to wait a bit longer, as the duchess hasn’t arrived yet.” Chan said flatly, earning a groan from the other two boys. A woman approached the table to take your orders; you knew her as the wife of the tavern owner Felix.

“We’ll have a round of ale for the table.” Chan said politely and nodded his head as she left. You and the other two boy perked up to this.

“I thought you said we couldn’t afford any extra expenses until our next job?” Jisung asked, tilting his head like a puppy who just heard its name.

“We can’t, but you guys look glum and could use a little something to cheer you up.” Chan explained with a soft smile. Changbin cracks a grin for what seems like the first time since arriving, and Jisung sits up, cheering at the idea of consuming something besides stale bread and water (which was all you could carry at the moment). You nudged Chan’s arm to get his attention and when you had it, you mouthed a silent ‘thank you’, which sweetened his smile to the point where his eyes turned into little crescents.

He ruffled your hair, before he said “So, what do you think the duchess wants?”

“Not sure.” Changbin sighs. Your drinks arrive and you swear nothing felt better than the warmth of alcohol dribbling down your throat. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Changbin continues, “Worse case scenario, she’s going to try and arrest us, but we’ll just have to fight our way out then.”

“Oh yeah? what if she brings thirty guards with her?” Chan quipped, amusement painted on his features.

“I’ll take them all on,” Changbin boasted, cracking his knuckles, “I would never let some silly duchess take you guys away.” Your heart melted at the notion, but it was soon interrupted by someone behind you clearing their throat.

“Silly, am I?” The duchess said, eyebrow raised. The four of you turned to see her standing there, accompanied by two guards who you thought could probably pick you up and throw you. Changbin’s face went red from embarrassment and Jisung stifled a laugh, coughing to cover it as Changbin kicked him under the table.

“Apologies, Good Lady of the Central Valley.” You quickly apologized, veering at Changbin, “My associate here seems to have had too much ale, as he’s become a bit foolish.” The duchess hummed, unimpressed.

“Excuse me, My Lady.” Chan said, bowing his head, “Why have you summoned us here?”

“We must talk in private,” She responded, before turning and calling over her shoulder, “Come this way.” You looked at Jisung (who looked just a unsure as you) and then Changbin, who mumbled out a ‘sorry’ from the previous incident. You rolled you eyes and looked to Chan, who simple shrugged and stood. You followed the duchess to the back room behind the bar. It was a small room, lined with barrels and crates of spare utensils and glasses.

“Close the door.” She instructed, to which you followed with a polite bow of your head. The four of you stood, staring at her intently before she cleared her throat again and straightened out her posture.

“I’ve never been fond of your folk.” She spat, grimacing like you were a plague, “Wanders do nothing beside bring mess to the places they visit.” Changbin opened his mouth to argue, but you grabbed his shoulder to stop him. You turned you attention back to the duchess, but placed your hand in his, squeezing it to hopefully calm the boy.

“They are brash and rude,” She said with a glare to Changbin. It made your blood boil, but you relaxed for the sake of a smooth interaction. She then glanced at the rest of your party, her face still sour, “Living in lawless lands before coming to my domain and thriving off the wealth of my people.”

“My Lady, I’m sure you have not summoned us here just to speak ill of our lifestyle.” Chan said, voice tight. You noticed the vein in his neck protruding and you realized he was just as angry as Changbin.

“You are correct.” She confirmed before sighing, pinching the bridge of her nose, “You see, my distaste aside, I have a job for you.” You blinked a couple times, not expecting her to offer you and the boys a quest.

“There have been reports of a large beast in the Dark Woods to the east that has been attacking my people. We have already lost a few commoners to this creature, and it keeps venturing more west. It is estimated that within a week, it would get as far as this city here.” The duchess explained, brushing her hair out of her face. Changbin’s hand tensed in yours, so you instinctively rubbed circles into it with your thumb.

“You want us to kill it, right?” Jisung interjected, to which the duchess nodded.

“Why not send your guards out to deal with it?” Chan asked, his tone slightly annoyed, which made you smirk. It was nice to see Chan subtly disrespecting the duchess.

“We already have.” She said, making your blood run cold, “They have never returned.”

“So you’re gonna send us cause we are disposable right?” Changbin grumbled, causing the duchess to roll her eyes at Changbin’s blatant disrespect.

“Because you’re useful.” She snapped back, “As much as I dislike your lifestyle, I am whiling to admit that you are more knowledgeable in the subject of monsters than my guards. As well as knowing the wild better too. “

“I would not ask you if I was not desperate, but alas, I care for my people.” The duchess finalized, sincerity in her tone, “Will you help by taking down the beast in the Dark Woods?”

The three of you look to Chan, who was deep in thought, staring at the floor. He tapped his foot lightly before looking back up at the duchess.

“We do not work for free, My Lady.” Chan said simply, crossing his arms over his chest, “What do you offer us in return?”

“I will pay you handsomely of course,” She answered, unwavering, “200 gold pieces for each of you to slay the beast and bring me it’s head.” Your eyes widened. That was quite a good price, as you’ve done much harder tasks for less, but Chan hummed nonchalantly.

“You’ll pay us half before we leave and half when we return.” Chan negotiated, tilting his head up to feel out the duchess’s desperation.

“I’ll pay a quarter now, and the rest when you bring me that monster’s head.” She said firmly, eyes sharp and scowl deep.

“A quarter now, the rest later, but you’ll fund our stay for the night at the inn upstairs.” Chan bartered, flashing her a grin, “We did travel all the way here, did we not, My Lady?” The duchess rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless.

“You will leave first thing in the morning, and I expect your return before the sun sets two weeks from now.” She explained, She exited the tavern, the two, large guards at her side once again. The evening was still chilly and cloudy, so you were glad you could sleep inside tonight; the duchess frowned at Changbin, who still had his hand in yours, “I also expect you to address me with respect the next time I see you.”

 Changbin bit back his anger, wanting nothing more than to rip her head off, but simple settled for narrowing his eyes at her and grumbling. In all honesty, you wouldn’t mind ripping her head off either; but you refrained, keeping a blank expression.

“Of course, My Lady.” Chan said politely, waving her off as she got into her carriage. It sped off down the muddy street, and once it disappeared from sight, Changbin finally let out a growl, kicking at the dirt.

“How dare she treat us like trash and then expect us to help her.” Changbin shouted, finally letting himself go after behaving in front of the duchess, “Did you see the way she looked at me like I was nothing but the pavement beneath her foot?! I just- AGH!”

“Its okay Binnie,” Jisung tried to sooth the elder boy, but letting his own aggression out, “I think she pissed all of us off with that sweet opening number about how we are scum.” Chan just let out a scoff and shook his head, before taking a deep breath.

“Lets just go to the inn and rest for tomorrow.” He suggested, patting Changbin on the back reassuringly, “at least she provided us somewhere to rest.” You still held onto Changbin’s hand, it felt almost natural at this point, but it was warm and tense; so you simply gave it one more squeeze and it seemed to relax him a bit.

You were given a room upstairs that was pretty nice. There was a fireplace along the wall and an exotic rug in front of it. Above the fireplace hung a world map. There was a chair in the corner and a matching stool, but the main thing about the room was the two double beds that looked to have wool and quilted blankets on it, making them look more comfortable than anything you’ve seen in a long time. Each was accompanied by a nightstand that held extra candles and holders for more light.

“I wanna sleep with (Y/N)!” Jisung shouted out quickly, flopping down on the closest bed with a wide smile.

“No! I want to!” Changbin argued, jumping onto the closest bed too and trying to push him off. The two of them bickered and fought back and forth for a moment, causing you to giggle at their antics.

“I’m going to go and bring up something to eat from the tavern,” Chan called out over the ruckus, before nodding towards the other boys with a smirk, “Watch them and make sure they don’t break anything, okay?” You chucked and nodded closing the door as Chan left, approaching the other bed and sitting on it. You began to take off your boots when you feel the bed dip on either side of you.

“(Y/N), please tell Changbin you’re sleeping with me tonight!” Jisung huffed, only for Changbin to shove his shoulder. Jisung frowned, but held onto your arm, “I wanna cuddle.”

“No way! (Y/N), tell Jisung you’re gonna sleep with me!” Changbin pouts, holding onto your other arm. You laugh at the two of them, shaking your head.

“Both of you, figure it out yourselves.” You sighed endearingly, “Either of you would make a nice furnace for me to sleep warm, so I don’t care.”

“I suggest we arm wrestle.” Changbin says matter-of-factly, much to Jisung’s disapproval.

“No, that’s not fair! You’d obviously win! We need to pick something fair...” Jisung pouted, holding onto your hand, “(Y/N), pick a number between 1 and 10!” 

Just then, there was a knock on the door, before it opened to reveal Chan standing with a tray; it had four plates of meat, potatoes and veggies on it which he brought for the four of you to eat. But the boys barely even spared him a glance.

“Yeah that’s fair, pick a number between 1 and 10.” Changbin agreed, “we’ll guess and whoever is closest gets share a bed with you.”

___________________________________________________

“Seven is the worst number. Nobody ever picks seven...” Jisung huffs, cheeks puffy with sleep and he pushed the blanket down to crawl under it.

“I know! It’s not fair...” Changbin groaned, sitting beside Jisung taking off his jacket to sleep, “Besides, Chan didn’t even care about where he slept! He shouldn’t have been allowed to guess.”

Chan simply snickered at the boys, who had been pouting and whining for almost thirty minutes about Chan winning the silly game.

“Fair is fair, he guessed the number I was thinking of.” You explained for the hundredth time, to which the other two boys let out a groan in agreement.

“Seven is stupid.” Jisung mumbled again, eyes closed and sleepiness evident in his voice, which made you smile. Changbin laid beside him, to which Jisung immediately turned and wrapped his arms around the older male. 

“Goodnight boys.” You called, to which Changbin and Jisung grunted, snuggling up together to get some warmth. It wasn’t long before you could hear the heavy breathing of them sleeping comfortably. You opened the blankets to crawl under the covers when you hear Chan putting his boots on.

“Where are you going?” You asked, staring at him from across the room. He was only illuminated by the fireplace; if you didn’t know any better, you’d find the man standing there almost scary.

“Going down to see if I can get some local information on the beast we are fighting.” He said simply, smiling softly at you, “I won’t be long, so get some rest.”

“Do you want me to come?” You asked starting to get out of bed only for Chan to stop you.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll be back, okay?” He said gently, and with that he left, closing the door behind him. You laid back down, closing your eyes and listening to the crackling of the fireplace and small snores from Jisung. But you couldn’t help but think of Chan and if he was safe; bad thoughts of him getting in trouble and you being asleep wandered through your head.

Sighing, you got up and opened one of the windows for some fresh air. You could hear the faint chattering of the tavern downstairs, which was good; you still went and cracked the door open just a bit to hear better. If Chan got into trouble, you wanted to know about it. Next, you lit the candle that was on the nightstand and grabbed your book of spells from your knapsack and brought it back to bed where you read it.

If you were to be awake, it was best to be productive, right?

You flipped through the pages, only yawning and rubbing your eyes occasionally. Most of the spells in the book you had mastered, as you’ve read this volume maybe a dozen times now. It was hard to practice a lot of them though, as they required a lot of open space and a subject to use them on.

A few hours go by until the door opens quietly and your eyes snap up to see Chan standing in the doorway. The fireplace was all but embers at this hour, so you could barely make out his figure as he closed the door gently behind him as not to make noise.

“Hey Chan.” You mumbled, yawning. You felt at ease now that he was back and safe.

“Hey, why are you still awake?” he asked with a voice barely above a whisper, taking his boots and cloak off and coming over to the bed. By the light of your candle, you could see him much better now, eyes tired and a smile that showed off his dimples present on his face.

“Couldn’t sleep with you out by yourself, so I’m reading.” You said simply. Chan sat beside you and you scooted closer to him, placing your head on his shoulder.

“What are you reading?” He asked, although he already knew the answer. He leaned his head onto yours, squishing his cheek against it; he would often do this when you sat next to each other. Just his way to show affection you supposed.

“My spell book.” You hummed, glancing down at the pages. Chan wrapped and arm around your shoulder and pulled you even closer him, his big frame bringing comfort to you as you relaxed into him.

“You should rest now, you look sleepy.” He said, pulling the book from your lap only for you to grab onto it tightly.

“Let me finish this section first.” You said, to which Chan let go of the book, allowing you to pull it back into your lap, “It’s only a few pages. It wont take long.”

“I’ll stay up with you until you finish.” He said, and when you started to protest he shushed you, “It wont take long, right? So I’ll be sleeping in no time.” He chuckled deep in his chest and you smiled, enjoying being close to Chan. 

You went to reading, looking down at the ink-work on the pages. However, within minutes, Chan could hear your small snores and he smiled to himself at how cute you were. He slowly pulled the book from your grasp, reaching over to set it on the nightstand before blowing out the candle. He gently removed you from his shoulder to lay you down onto his chest, to which you naturally wrapped your arms around him. 

Chan felt his heart beat faster and his face grew warm, as he held you close to him. Secretly, he was really happy about winning your silly game, because it was comfortable and nice to have you in his arms while you rested.

“Night (Y/N).” He hummed contently, placing a kiss on your forehead and letting himself fall asleep too.

___________________________________________________

You woke up to a gentle shake of your shoulder, with the sun peeking right over the horizon and flooding into the room you were staying in.

“Come on (Y/N).” Jisung whispered, hand still on your shoulder, “We gotta get going now.” You groaned, pulling the soft blanket above your head. It had felt like you just fell asleep but it was already time to leave?

“(Y/N), the boys are already downstairs waiting for us,” Jisung reasoned; He tried to pull you up by grasping onto your shoulders, only for him to flop down and crush you with his weight when you refused to sit up.

“Just a bit longer, please.” You whined, taking your hands out from under the covers to hold onto Jisung tightly, not allowing him to stand up. He sighed, squeezing you gently as he relished in having you in his arms this morning because he couldn’t last night.

“As much as I appreciate this hug right now, we have to leave if we are gonna get to the Dark Woods and back on time.” He chuckled, patting your back and leaning you up, taking you with him.

You grumbled and let him go, wiping the sleep from your eyes.

“Besides, Changbin already packed up all your stuff for you this morning and put it by the door, so you just gotta get your shoes on.” Jisung explained, fixing your hair endearingly and nodding towards the door.

“Awful nice of him.” You mumbled sleepily, before getting out of bed and stretching your arms. You got your boots on and put on your knapsack, before finally grabbing your staff and opening the door. Jisung cooed at you for getting up, saying things like ‘good job’ and ‘I know you’re tired’ and you smiled at his thoughtfulness.

“Finally, sleeping beauty is awake!” Changbin teased when you came down the stairs. You rolled your eyes at him, used to his antics. Chan handed you an apple, saying breakfast was on the road today.

“Lets get going.” You agreed, biting into the apple, “lead the way, Tracker Man.” Chan smiled at the nickname, but nonetheless started the trek east. It was silent for the most part, aside from Jisung humming a tune and the crunch of your apple.

It wasn’t long until you finally got to the edge of the city when you finally made some conversation.

“So, do you guys know what kind of monster we are dealing with or..?” You asked, kicking at pebbles on the dirt road as you walked. 

“Well, from what I learned last night at the tavern,” Chan began, talking over his shoulder at you, “Rumor has it the beast is something big. I heard stories of it eating whole horses.”

“We already knew that, silly.” Jisung said matter-of-factly, earning a glare from the eldest, “The duchess said it was big.”

“Yeah but I didn’t think that big!” You complained, feeling a bit nervous about the nature of your opponent, “What else Chan?”

“I heard a story that one of the farmers warded it off with a torch, so maybe it’s afraid of fire?” Chan said, but you could hear the pout in his voice, “But I can’t know for sure how effective that is without knowing what kind of monster we are dealing with.”

“I don’t care what it is, I’ll kick it’s ass all the same.” Changbin said proudly, smirking while lacing his fingers together to stretch his arms out in front of him.

“That’s because you do the same thing for everything we fight: swing your claymore around and hope you don’t take one of our heads off.” Jisung teased, earning a scowl from Changbin, but it quickly changed into a tiny grin when you giggled along with the jokes.

“I do not!” Changbin half-whined half-giggled, nudging Jisung with his elbow, “I’ll have you all know, I’m very calculated and tactical when in battle.”

“Oh yeah? You ‘calculated’ hitting the tree and one of the big heavy branches falling on my foot while we were fighting a pack of goblins in the forests on the edge of NCity?” Chan asked in a playful tone, eyebrows raised as Changbin tried to defend himself.

“How was I supposed to know the branch would fall if I hit the tree! If anything, you should have just moved before it fell.” Changbin shouted, crossing his arms and lips pulled into a pout, “Besides, Jisung healed you up well and you were fine within an hour.”

“Not to mention, last I checked, you were the one to call for Changbin’s help that day anyways.” You said with a cheeky smile, before wrapping your arm around Changbin’s shoulders, “He was just trying to help, so don’t be so picky about it.”

“You wont be saying that when its your foot getting crushed by a stray swing of Changbin’s claymore.” Chan reasoned, huffing out a sigh, but smile gracing his face nonetheless.

_________________

After a rather uneventful week of travelling on foot, you finally reached the little village of Alsea the evening of your seventh day; it was a river-fishing village that bordered the Dark Woods. Chan thought it would be best to stay for the evening, get more information from locals about the monster, as well as be fully rested and regain the most strength for a battle.

“Alright, it’s best if we split up.” Chan suggested as you entered a crowded pub. The air smelled of mud and rainwater, as it was a hot spot for many of the local fisherman to visit after work.

“Me and Bin will go talk to some of the tougher looking fellows over there,” Chan explained, pointing to a corner where there seemed to be an arm wrestling competition going on, “You two should go ask the barkeep and see what they know. We’ll meet up in an hour or so and go to bed, alright?”

“Sounds good, c’mon (Y/N)!” Jisung said with a nod, pulling you in the direction of the bar. You waved over your shoulder at Chan and Changbin, before following Jisung through the crowded pub to make it to the bar. You hopped up on one of the stools, Jisung settling down beside you.

“Excuse me, Sir.” Jisung called to the bar-hand over the chatter and music of the loud pub. He was young, and handsome if you do say so yourself. He looked up at the two of you, putting down the rag he had been cleaning the bar with, “We’ll have an ale for me and a glass of wine for my partner here please.”

“Right away, Boss.” The bar-hand said with a nod, preparing the drinks before serving you both. He grinned at you, looking you up and down and making your face heat up a bit from the attention.

“Here you are.” He almost purred, sliding the glass towards you and handing Jisung the mug of ale he ordered, “Enjoy.”

Jisung frowned, grabbing his drink and taking a swig of it before scooting closer to you.

“This place is pretty busy,” You said sweetly, “Is every night like this?”

“Usually, but it’s much more busy when the snow comes around,” The bar-hand replied, “I guess folks are wanting to find a way to stay warm, and the atmosphere and alcohol help.” You hummed, taking a sip of your drink. The bar-hand eyed you closely, biting his lip bottom lip as you swallowed the drink. It made Jisung feel sick they way he was watching you.

“What brings a pretty individual like yourself into these parts? Alsea isn’t really a tourist spot.” The bar-hand asked, brushing his hair away from his face. Before you could answer, Jisung slung his arm around your waist and pulled you into him, causing you to let out a little squeak in surprise.

“We are actually on our honeymoon, isn’t that right, darling?” He replied in a passive aggressive tone, frowning at the man behind the bar before plastering a fake smile on his face.

You resisted the urge to chuckle at Jisung’s behavior, but nonetheless leaned closer to him and nodded. Playing pretend doesn’t hurt anyone, besides, its a fun idea for you to tease Jisung....

“Yes dearest, and what a lovely honeymoon it’s been! I thought we were going to get lost on the way here though, with all the detours you decided to take us on.” You laughed, trying to keep your voice even. You playfully hit Jisung’s leg, making him chuckle and look at you teasingly. Game on.

“I only took detours because I wanted to get here as fast as possible for my love. ” Jisung confessed(?) while dragging his hand along your waist, earning a sarcastic pout from you before he turned back to to the bar-hand, who looked a bit annoyed now, “And it was lucky I did because this is the only town before hitting the woods. We would have missed meeting this fine gentleman if not for my detours.”

“Well how sweet of you, dearest.” You sighed, downing your drink and placing a kiss on Jisung’s cheek. It quickly burned red and Jisung prayed he kept his expression at least a little bit under control. You smirked and turned to the bar-hand and smiled politely while you pushed your empty glass towards him, “We are headed out east through the Dark Woods. I heard it’s lovely this time of year.”

The bar-hand cleared his throat, regaining a bit of his composure before giving a fake smile at the two of you.

“Under normal circumstances, it is.” He confirmed, grabbing you glass and putting on the counter behind him, “But I wouldn’t recommend going there now. There is rumor of a monster that lurks there.”

“Oh really? What kind of monster?” Jisung asked boldly leaning on the bar and drinking from his glass. A bit of a direct question to ask the bar-hand, but at least it was useful.

“Nobody really knows.” The bar-hand replied, face serious and voice in a hushed tone and he leans closer to the two of you, “from what I’ve heard, it came down from the northern mountains, and its bigger than anything we’ve ever seen come from the woods.”

“do you know anyone who has actually seen it?” You probed, chewing nervously at your bottom lip as the bar-hand shook his head.

“Nobody who has gotten a good look at it has lived to tell about it.” The bar-hand replied solemnly, before sighing and brushing his hair away from his face once again.

The seriousness of this monster made your anxiety shoot through the roof. It was obvious by now this would be no easy feat to kill the beast, but the more you heard about it, the more it sounded impossible.

The atmosphere felt cold and you felt a sudden warm hand on yours. Turning to Jisung, you felt him squeeze your hand comfortingly as he smiled at the bar-hand.

“Well, maybe it’s best we don’t go through there for our honeymoon, Love.” Jisung teased, finally looking back at you with a gentle grin. He wrapped his arm around you once more, and you could feel your anxiety melt away, just for this moment.

“Well, I agree. The two of you should pick another route. Sorry you traveled here for your plans to be ruined, but better safe than sorry!” The bar-hand hummed. Jisung took some gold pieces out of his pocket to pay for your drinks, thanking the bar-hand.

The two of you hopped down off the stools, but Jisung didn’t let go of you. He held your waist firm and lead you towards the center of the tavern where it was cleared out to dance. A man was playing the fiddle and while a woman sang some folk song.

“Care to dance, Love?” Jisung asked, teasing smile on his face as he turned you to face him. You nodded and slipped you hand into his empty one and reached up to grasp at his shoulder. You began to sway around to the music, carefully avoiding others who also decided to come out and dance.

“You know, you played a very convincing jealous newlywed.” You chuckled, pulling Jisung closer to you so you could whisper in his ear, “I almost thought you were jealous for real.”

The two of you continued to dance, spinning and stepping around the space smoothly. Jisung let out a sarcastic laugh, rolling his eyes at you before leaning in to whisper to you.

“I was jealous.” He argued flatly, tightening his grip on you once again, “That stupid bar-hand was practically drooling on the counter looking at you. I didn’t like it.”

“Oh, you didn’t?” You scoffed playfully, shaking your head at him. He let his annoyance play just slightly on his face, causing you to smile, “I couldn’t tell.”

The song ended, and Jisung pulled away slightly. He still held onto your hand as he gazed at you with a slight grin on his face. He placed a quick kiss to you hand, thanking you for the dance. You let out a squeal of surprise at the action as you swatted at him with your other hand. You both laughed at each other, walking away from the dance floor as another song started.

“Let’s go find the other two knuckleheads.” You suggested, holding onto Jisung’s hand as you weaved through the crowd looking for your companions.

You approached the table at the back with a crowd formed around it, shouts and cheers heard just barely over all the other commotion of the pub. You pushed your way through to see what all the excitement was about; you couldn’t say you were surprised at what you found...

Sitting in one of the chairs was Changbin, who was locked in an intense arm wrestling match with one of the biggest fisherman you’ve ever seen. You let out a laugh when you see Changbin yawn before he effortlessly slams the fisherman’s hand down on the table. The crowd of men cheers as Changbin celebrated his victory.

“Why am I not surprised..” Jisung sighed, as you just patted his cheek soothingly and shoved your way to the table.

“Who’s next?” Changbin boasts, making a ‘come here’ motion with his hand, “Who dares challenge me?” When he caught sight of you, His expression lit up and he swatted at Chan, who stood behind his chair monitoring the whole ordeal. By the looks of it, he also seemed to be making bets on Changbin, as he was handed a small pouch by one of the fishermen. When Chan saw you, his expression mirrored Changbin’s as he smiled and waved you over.

Another man sat down across from Changbin, his arms the size of one of your legs; it was a mystery on how he even got into the building as he looked to be bigger than the doorway.

You and Jisung slinked your way over to where Chan stood, greeting him before looking at Changbin.

“Who invited Goliath?” Jisung asked in a hushed tone, swallowing as he gazed at the big man across from Changbin. 

Chan folded his arms across his chest and hummed. “I saw him earlier when we entered. I thought it was only a matter of time before he came to challenge Bin.”

Changbin sat unwavering, grasping hands with the beast of a man. He glanced up at you, to which you gave him a firm, but encouraging look. That seemed enough to give Changbin confidence, as he looked back at the man with determination.

“You guys seem to have been working hard at finding information out.” You mumbled sarcastically to Chan. The other fisherman were chattering, placing their bets as the two strong men prepared for their battle.

“We got a bit.” Chan protested, taking his eyes off of Changbin to look at the two of you, “But I’m starting to think this fisherman is our beast...”

You and Jisung chuckled at Chan’s joke, looking back to your friend to support him and cheer him on in this seemingly impossible feat. Changbin was the strongest person you knew! Surely this big scary man was no match for him!

______________________________

“I can’t believe it was over in three seconds!” Changbin whined as he flopped down on the bed, “my pride is more hurt than my arm!”

“So you don’t want me to massage your shoulder then?” Jisung asked teasingly, only for Changbin to grunt out a ‘no, please’. Jisung snickered, sitting down beside the dishearten man and began to gently rub his shoulder; an aura of blue coming up from his hands, causing Changbin to groan out in delight.

With the winnings from the bets on Changbin, Chan purchased a stay in the inn down the street. It wasn’t as nice as the tavern in Miroh, but it was much nicer than sleeping outside. Besides, you were going into the woods tomorrow to fight whatever this thing was, so it was best to get a good rest.

“Okay, so we know it’s big, it’s furry so probably mammalian, it’s prone to fire, and it’s supposedly from the north.” Chan hummed, tapping his chin lightly as he looked through one of his journals that he kept for monster information.

“Could it be a Worg?” You asked, looking up from a different journal of Chan’s to see him shake his head no.

“Worgs are usually bound to the plains, never up north or the forest.” He replied, flipping through the pages as he sat down on the other bed, frown on his face.

“Maybe it’s not from the north?” Jisung offered, turning to look at the two of you as he gently smoothed his hands offer Changbin’s shoulder, “I mean, it’s just rumored to be from the north.”

“I guess...” You hummed, closing the journal to hand it back to Chan as you yawned, “Whatever it is, we at least have a general idea of what it could look like and how we should attack it.”

“Yeah, we should rest up instead of worrying about whatever this mystery creature is.” Changbin suggested, voice muffled by the pillows. Jisung stood up, allowing Changbin to rise, “Besides, as long as we all have each other’s back, we can take on anything.”

“Like that fisherman you lost to?” Chan teased, causing Changbin to grunt, throwing a pillow at his companion. Jisung let out a laugh, earning a second pillow being thrown at his head.

“If I had all of your guys’ strength too, I could have won!” Changbin huffed, catching the pillow as Chan tossed it back to him and laying it under his head.

“I think that’s why we work so good together. We all have different strengths and we can depend of each other.” You said sincerely, going over to pick up the pillow at Jisung’s feet and bring it over to where Changbin laid.

“How endearing!” Jisung cooed before frowning, “I think I’m going to puke.” You chuckled, taking your jacket off and setting it on the chair beside the edge of the bed, pulling out the covers.

“Hang on, how come Bin get’s to sleep next to you!?” Jisung whined, coming over to your side and holding onto your hand.

“Because I slept next to Chan in the last inn and we got to play newlyweds earlier.” You replied with a grin; Jisung resembled a puppy in this moment, lip stuck out in a pout., “It’s Changbin’s turn.”

“And you had the audacity to shame us on how much information we were gathering...” Chan tutted, looking to Changbin as if to say ‘can you believe them?’. Jisung paid them no mind as he held onto your hand with both of his, almost pleading.

“Yeah, we’re newlyweds! Shouldn’t we sleep together?” Jisung bargained, “Besides, I hate sleeping with Chan! He drools and snores so loud!” Chan let out an offended protest as Changbin simple pushed Jisung away from the bed.

“(Y/N) said it’s my turn.” Changbin said matter-of-factly, causing Jisung to frown as Changbin slipped under the covers too. He laid on his back with a smug grin; an open invitation for you to lay on his broad chest.

“Next time.” You promised apologetically, blowing out the candle on you bedside table as Jisung sighed in defeat. He trudged over to Chan’s bed with a disappointed ‘fine’ falling from his lips

“Next time, I’ll just get us a room with one king sized bed and we can all sleep together if it’s going to be this big of a problem!” Chan scolded like a parent, opening up the covers for Jisung to crawl under.

“I’d rather eat one of Changbin’s sweaty socks than be trapped between all three of you.” You grimaced, causing the boys to chuckle. 

“Goodnight.” Chan called out, blowing out the candle and sliding down in the bed. Jisung latched onto him a bit too quickly for someone who “hated sleeping with Chan” in your opinion, but the two of them seemed to relax, as their forms sunk into the mattress.

You laid down, ready to sleep close to Changbin so he would keep you heated; he seemed like he still wanted to be playful, as he flipped over so his back was facing you, tugging all the blankets with him.

You lightly smacked his back before shifting so that you were flush against him. You tugged some of the blankets back over to you before you buried your face against his shoulder blades and draped an arm over his stomach to keep him close.

Changbin laced his hand over yours, keeping it in place as he relaxed into the bed, letting out a gentle sigh. He whispered out a ‘goodnight’ to you; you hummed in response, nuzzling into him. You then allowed yourself to fall asleep under the gentle thrumming of his heartbeat. 

_______________________________

Branches crackled under your boots as you trudged along; The canopies of the trees stretched far above your head, forming almost a roof that blocked sunlight due to haw thick the overgrowth was. but despite the lack of sunlight, much of the forest floor was overrun with many different species of flora.

“Ow! Son of a bitch...” Jisung mumbled, hitting the bramble he was standing in with his sword and instinctively bringing one of his hands up and shaking it. He picked out the thorn that seemingly was stuck into his finger and grumbled.

“Hey Chan, isn’t there another path that isn’t so.... poke-y?” Changbin asked, looking down at the bushes that came up to your waist.

Chan was leading you through the Dark Woods, following a seemingly invisible trail to your beast. The eldest turned back from his place at the front of the line, frowning at you all.

“Yeah, I’d assume so.” He answered simply before waving his long sword towards the bushels in front of him, “But based on these markings, this is the way the beast went. So I’m following that.”

“I can’t see anything?” Jisung huffed, his hand covered in a slight blue aura for only a moment before he shook it again to loosing his joints. 

“That’s because you’re not a tracker,” Chan replied, rolling his eyes, cutting more of a path in front of him and continuing on, “Now quit complaining and lets go.”

“Let me go right behind Chan,” You suggested, squeezing past Jisung; you whispered a simple spell into the top of your staff, causing it to start to smoke. You grabbed it three quarters of the way down, tipping the top into the bushes to burn the edges, creating a more clear path.

“That should be better.” You hummed in delight, sweeping your staff from side to side as you walked, careful not to linger in one place too long lest to light the whole forest on fire. The two boys behind you let out grunts in agreement and you continued the trek deeper into the woods.

It was calm for a while, with the four of you just listening to the stillness of the air and the sounds of you and Chan making a path before you finally decided to speak.

“Chan, if you’re following a track made by the beast, you must have some idea of what it is, right?” You asked, careful not to burn the ankles of the man in front of you as he stopped abruptly. 

He was quiet, looking out into the woods; you followed suit, dissolving your magic and silently coming closer to him, placing a timid hand on his shoulder as not to scare him. He didn’t move, eyes squinting to see farther into the distance.

Suddenly Chan crouched, whispering out a frantic “Get down!” at the three of you; you quickly comply, crouching low beneath the underbrush as your heart rate increased rapidly. Jisung and Changbin shuffle their way over to the two of you, close enough to hear their breathing as you all waited for Chan to explain anything that was going on.

That’s when you heard it; A distant thumping. It sounded like footsteps coming closer and closer to your party.

“Chan....” Jisung whimpered slightly, gripping the hilt of his sword, “What is that sound?”

The ground shook with each step the beast took; you tried to peak through the foliage to see what it was, but it was nowhere to be found. The footsteps seemed to be getting very close now, the crunching of branches loud as you could hear the beast. 

Chan looked pale, holding a shaky finger up to his lips to tell you all to be quiet. He slowly removed the black bow he carried to notch an arrow in it. Changbin prepared his claymore, gripping it tightly with both hands, his expression stone cold.

And then, the footsteps stopped.

The air was silent, the only sound you could hear was the rushing of blood in your ears and the breath of your party members. The once calming stillness of the woods had now bred a tense atmosphere, causing a sense of unease to wash over you all as the silence continued.

You shifted you weight with uncertainty, looking up and around to try and get even a glimpse in the right direction before your eyes fell on Chan, who was gazing at the three of you with a look of concern.

And then it happened in a flash

The bramble around you peeling back, a loud roar that causing a great ringing in your ears and Jisung flying up towards the sky helplessly in the grasp of this great beast, screaming and flailing around in distress.

It’s fur was snow white as it stood on two powerful legs; it was easily 10 feet tall, gnarled teeth and small eyes pulled into an aggressive expression as it roared out again, brown spit flying from its mouth. You gazed in horror as his grey meaty hand held Jisung by the ankle.

A Yeti.

Jisung!” You cried out, quick to stand and try to conjure a spell with your staff; But just as quickly as you reacted, the Yeti was faster, swatting you into a nearby tree with the back of it’s other flat hand, sending you tumbling down through the sharp branches while knocking the wind out of you and sending your staff flying.

Chan shot his arrow, landing it directly into the knuckle of the beast’s middle finger; it reacted by letting Jisung go, dropping him into the thick bushes below with a crunch. The yeti let out an anguished cry, balling its fist to crush Chan, but he leapt out of the way and helped Jisung stand.

Changbin quickly dove between it’s legs, slashing at it’s knees with his claymore. The beast turned and swatted at Changbin; it missed it’s mark, slamming it’s hand into a tree and sending one of the large branches down on the ground.

It grasped it’s newfound weapon and swung it around at the ground, nearly taking Chan’s head off if he would have held it just a bit higher.

“Chan, what is this thing?!” Changbin barked, ducking his head as the yeti swung his tree club at him, “and how to we beat it!!?”

“Yeti!” Chan shouted, notching another arrow and shooting it at the monster’s face; it was unfortunately blocked by the tree branch it weld, but not without the yeti bellowing at Chan and attempting to crush him with its foot. The oldest jumped out of the way, pushing Jisung down with him.

The beast threw its branch away, slamming it into another tree as it let out another booming roar and leaned forward, placing it’s knuckles on the ground in front of it.

You coughed, a groan of pain escaping your lips as you sat up and clutched your back; the pain was indescribable as it took the brunt of the impact, not to mention your skin was also cover in cuts from the sharp branches you fell through. Your vision was a blurry still from the initial impact, but once it cleared up a bit, you were able to see Changbin slicing once more at the yeti, getting a good cut in at its hip area. This small victory was short lived, as the beast reacted on instinct and swatted at him, sending him flying a few feet into the nearby bramble.

Chan was able to use this time to climb up into one of the trees and get a good angle on the yeti with his bow. He got one good hit in on the yeti’s shoulder before it caught sight of him and grabbed at his legs, pulling him from the tree and shaking his body until he dropped his weapon.

Jisung went to help Changbin, clutching his sword tightly as he ducked into the overgrowth and helping Changbin up; he seemed to recover fast, moving to stand at Jisung's side.

“This isn’t working!” Jisung cried out as he slashed at the yeti, trying to get it to drop Chan. The beast tried to kick at Jisung, but the healer dodged to the side in the last second before scrambling back to his feet.

“Fire!” Chan yelled, beating the yeti’s fingers with his fists as the beast flailed him about, much too distracted with trying to get Jisung, “yetis hate fire!”

You blinked rapidly, processing what Chan was shouting about.

Fire...

Fire!

You could make fire! all you needed was-

“My staff,” You mumbled, looking around frantically for the object. You pushed aside some bushes, crawling around on the ground searching for the one thing you needed to help your party.

You finally found it, laying ten feet away on some gnarled tree roots. It looked to be damaged; a big crack running along the length of it. But it would work for now.

You used it to stand tall, trying to ground yourself despite your state; you willed all the power you could into it, conjuring up a bright ball of white hot fire with one of the most advanced spells you knew. You weren’t sure how strong it would be, as you’d only performed this spell once and that was in your best condition and a fully functioning staff...

The ball grew, sending waves of heat outwards before you launched it into the yeti’s back, setting its white fur ablaze. It howled in pain, dropping Chan ungracefully and starting to slap its back to put the fire out.

Unfortunately for you, the raw power of that spell send burning embers down the crack in your staff, effectively breaking the tool for good as it slightly crumbled in your hand.

What now?

Shit! It was risky for any warlock to try and do a spell without a magic tool to direct their power.

But you had no other option as of now and you needed to help the boys.

“Fuck you!” You spat angrily as threw your broken staff to the side and picked up a branch that had fallen from one of the trees; using a different, less complicated spell, you shakily conjured a weak flame and lit the tip of the branch on fire. You then lunged forward with all your strength, using the branch like an inferno-covered spear to stab at the beast.

You continue to push it back, burning it’s grey skin until you reach Chan, allowing his to recover a bit and grab for his bow that he dropped earlier. He placed a gentle hand on the small of your back before moving to the side of you.

The other two boys had seemingly made fire, Changbin wielding a burning branch covered in foliage with Jisung behind him readying his weapon.

The beast roared swatting at both you and Changbin with it’s hands, however still trying to maintain a distance between it and the fire you held. It looked to be backing away from you as you closed in on it.

Chan slung his bow around his shoulder and unsheathed a longsword before shouting “I have an idea! I need (Y/N) and Changbin to focus the fire down to the undergrowth and make a perimeter. We can’t let it get away!”

You and Changbin exchanged a knowing look, nodding at Chan before you sprang into action. You dipped you flame covered branch down into the bushes and ran around to make a big circle. As you did this, Chan kept the yeti’s attention by swinging at it with his sword, Jisung coming to help the ranger by diving between its legs to appear next to Chan.

You finally met up with Changbin about 5 feet behind the beast, giving it very little room to maneuver without stepping in the fire.

“You look like shit.” Changbin exclaimed, seeing the state you were in with scratches and sweat covering your body.

“Thanks?!” You replied simply, tossing the broken branch into the already blazing inferno creating a perimeter.

Changbin unsheathed his claymore before calling out, “What now Chan?”

“Now we all close in and attack it with everything we have!” The eldest shouted, already starting to move in and stab at the yeti with his sword. Changbin let out a yell before rushing the beast, using both his hands to swing his large weapon at it’s waist. Jisung let out a shout too, using his sword to attack near the beast's legs.

You reached for the only weapon you carried, a dagger that sat on your hip.

But before you were able to charge, you felt a wave of pain wash over you from the center of you back; it spread like electricity all across your body, making you feel weak in the knees.

Your vision grew spotted, with the sounds and sights of your friends going in and out of focus.

Ah shit...

that stupid monster really did a number on you...

And with that high level spell on a broken staff, your body was spent.

Falling to the ground you try and stabilize yourself with your hands;

But it was no use as you slumped forward and pass out.

------

When you finally came to, the sky was dark and the only sound that filled your ears was the crackling of campfire and the soft humming of a folk-song.

You felt a strong pair of arms wrapped tenderly around your frame as you laid in the comfortable lap of one of your dearest companions.

"You should be resting." Changbin whispered, delicately brushing a stray hair from your face, "Although I'm thankful to see you have some life in you."

"What happened?" You mumbled, turning your head to look around. you seemed to be at a makeshift camp, with Jisung laying on a soft bedroll sleeping as still as humanly possible. In contrast, Chan was sat up against a tree, arms crossed and eyes shut, but seemingly asleep as well.

Your boys were safe, that's good.

You drew your attention back up to Changbin, who just stroked your upper arm comfortingly. His face has a few cuts on it and his shirt seemed to be torn, with quite a few massive bruises covering his arms.

"We beat the beast, everything is okay. You fainted, but Jisung healed you up good." Changbin relayed in a hushed tone, gazing at you softly. You frown, weakly reaching your hand up to touch one of the scratches on his face.

"He didn't heal you?" You asked, voice trembling. Your arm felt heavy as Changbin grabbed your hand, placing a kiss on it and returning it to your side.

"Couldn't." Changbin replied simply, keeping a warm hold on your hand, "You were so badly injured he used up all his energy to heal you."

Changbin's voice shook slightly as he looked away. You could see the wetness of his eyes reflecting the light of the fire as he tried not to let out a tear.

"Hey, I'm okay." You whispered, squeezing his hand.

"I was scared we were going to lose you." Changbin admits, biting his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. You could hear the fear in his tone, which broke your heart. Using all the strength you could muster, you sit up, wincing ever so slightly at the ache in your back. You scoot closer to Changbin before you engulf him in a hug, holding onto him as if he would shatter.

"I know, but I'm alright now." You affirmed, reaching to gently stroke his hair as the usual barbarian let out a quiet sob into your shoulder. He carefully wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to sit in his lap. Changbin wanted to hold you as close as possible, worried you would be gone of he let you go.

You couldn't help but feel at ease in his grasp, melting into his touch as you tried to soothe him with hushes and adoring touches on his hair and back.

You both sat like this for a while, not a sound passing between the two of you besides Changbin's shaky breaths. When he finally did let you go, you placed a quick kiss on his cheek, right where a cut laid. Wordlessly, you kissed another, and then the other.

"There, all better." You joked with a cheesy grin. Changbin chuckled at you, before you cringed from another sudden wave of pain.

"You should rest." Changbin hummed, shifting so he sat up more straight, "I have to keep watch for a bit longer, but I want you to sleep right here with me, okay?"

He helped you lay back down in his lap before he reached for his blanket that was rolled up by his pack. He covered you lovingly with it, keeping his arms around you to make sure you were warm.

"We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow, so sleep well." Changbin wished. You hummed in response, closing your eyes and grasping onto the hem of the blanket.

"Sorry I wasn't much help fighting today. I'll be better tomorrow." You apologized, letting yourself relax in the safe embrace Changbin provided.

"Nonsense," Changbin reassured you, voice barely above a whisper, "You were brilliant today."

"Thanks Bin. Goodnight."

"Goodnight (Y/N)"

---------

"I can't believe you guy's were cuddling again." Jisung let out a huff, blue healing magic from his hands rubbing the bruises out of Changbin's skin.

"You were out cold too! You wouldn't have even known if (Y/N) slept beside you." Changbin argued, shaking his head at the healer and offering up his left arm for treatment.

"Even if he was awake, there was no way you were gonna let them go." Chan teased, turning to whisper to you, "He wouldn't leave your side from the moment you passed out. Not even while Jisung healed you."

"Knowing Changbin, I'm not surprised." You giggled, packing up your things relatively slowly; Your whole body still ached, but you were sure you'd be alright after a long rest, "I think its endearing how much of a big softie he is."

"Doesn't matter, it was my turn." Jisung grumbles under his breath. a pout played on his face as he finished up healing Changbin. The latter stood, saying a small thanks before he started to pack up his belongings.

Soon the four of you were all but ready to go. The fire was getting stomped out by Jisung, while Changbin made sure the monstrous yeti head was secured in a burlap sack.

You weren't entirely sure if the duchess meant it genuinely when she said she wanted its head, but better safe than sorry in your opinion. maybe she wanted to mount it as a trophy of the victory for her people? And if not, it would be entertaining to see her face when you brought it to her.

Changbin began the trek ahead, hoisting his things over his broad shoulders and making a move to go ahead and lead. You tried to tie the end of your bag to secure it, but you couldn't stop the trembling in your fingers enough to complete the fine motor skill. it frustrated you that you weren't back to your peak performance yet.

Jisung's healing can only do so much, especially when it came to magical damage; sure, your body was sore, but there was an underlying weakness that came from casting a spell without your staff. In the heat of the moment you didn't feel the toll due to adrenaline and being in survival mode.

A stick with no magical properties was better than casting a spell with nothing, but you would still pay the price for using such a common item with no embedded magic; weakness, fatigue, muscle spasms, and a whole plethora of other possible side effects was inevitable. Luckily it would fade as time went on, but it didn't make you feel any less of a burden now.

"Let me help you with that." Chan suggested warmly, crouching down and tying your bag closed quickly. You thanked him, moving to sling the bag over your shoulder as you stood. But before you could grab it, Chan lifted it and tossed it to Jisung, who gracefully caught it and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ready to go?" The healer hummed, smiling at you.

"I can carry my own bag." You huffed in annoyance; you began to walk over to Jisung to take it back when Chan grabbed your arm, stopping you in place.

"Nah, there is no way you're lugging that all the way back." Chan insisted, before nodding to Jisung with a grin, "Besides, Jisung strong. what's an extra couple pounds?"

"This feels like nothing to me!" Jisung piped up, adjusting it with ease on his shoulder.

"Fine." You replied, knowing it was better to pick your battles when it came to Chan when he made a decision.

"Great." The eldest responded, before turning around and patting his shoulder, "Now hop on so we can get going."

Oh... this was a battle to pick!

"What? No! I can walk just fine." You argued, patting Chan's shoulders. When he turned back around, a frown played on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest in classic Chan fashion.

"Really? Because you could barely even stand up on your own." Chan reasoned, tone firm before his eyes softened ever so slightly, "I'm sure you could walk the entire journey if we had all the time in the world. You're strong."

"But we don't." He finalized, turning around and crouching down, speaking over his shoulder, "We have to get a move on and we don't have time for you to lag behind so I'm going to carry you."

You groaned; mostly because you knew Chan was right, as per usual... You would slow the party down and you didn't have time for it if you were going to meet the duchess on time. The least you could do at this point is not hold everyone up.

"What's taking you so long? Quit smelling the flowers, we have places to be!" Changbin barked back at you three. You turned to Jisung, who shrugged and went on ahead.

You rolled your eyes and sighed, giving in and climbing onto to Chan's broad back. The man hummed, seemingly pleased by your dismay.

"If you get tired, tell me and I'll make sure I can keep up." You said, almost as a whisper because of how close you were to Chan's ear. He could feel your breath tickle his cheek ever so slight as you rested you head on his shoulder. You felt frail in his grasp, as he made note to try and be and gentle as possible while moving around.

"I won't get tired, don't worry." Chan reassured you, shifting your weight in his strong arms before beginning the long trek back to Miroh. His large hands provided sturdy support to your legs as as he walked, trying to catch up with the other two boys.

You would never admit it, but you were secretly a bit grateful for Chan, as you weren't sure if you truly were strong enough to make the journey without his help. And being secure in his hold, feeling the warmth of his body close the entire trip would definitely a plus, bringing you a sense of ease you couldn't describe.

--------

"I can't believe she's making us wait. I'm tired of hauling this smelly monster head around." Changbin complained, leaning back on his chair.

"You're lucky they let us bring that thing into the tavern." Jisung scoffed, kicking the Yeti's head lightly, "It reeks!"

"That's because it's rotting." Chan said matter-of-factly, shaking his head, "Did you guys expect it to smell like roses?"

"No, of course not!" Changbin said, annoyance ever present in his tone as you grimaced at the head, "I just didn't think it would be this bad!"

The boys continued to bicker back and forth about the head as you sat quietly, picking apart a scone that Felix had baked today. You had begun to regain a bit of strength along the journey, not feeling as sickly as you once were. You were almost certain that a good night's sleep in the inn upstairs would bring you right back to normal.

But you had to wait until the duchess arrived for you to collect your payment before you could do that. But of course she was late, as she didn't seem to care about your time; it was probably negligible in her eyes.

You ate the scone, washing it down with a entire mug of fresh fruit juice before she finally did arrive with two guards in tow. Long after the sun had set, like she agreed, but she showed up nonetheless. And when she did, you swatted at your companions to quit arguing on whether or not rotting head smelt worse is worse than Changbin's armpits.

Chan stood from his spot and bow to the duchess as she approached, "Good evening, My Lady."

"What is that awful smell!" She wrenched, scrunching her nose up and covering it with her wrist.

"The Beast's head, just as you requested, My Lady!" Jisung beamed, standing to bow as well before he presented the duchess with the grotesque thing. You watched as Changbin tried his hardest to keep himself from smiling at her expression.

"Well, I did say I wanted it's head didn't I..." The duchess huffed out, expression sour. with the wave of her hand, one of her guards takes a hold of it and takes it away, finally allowing you to breath fresh air again.

Right, well," The duchess hummed, clasping her hands together, "Might I say well done. My people are safe thanks to you, which is all that matters to me."

"We are also glad such a creature can't terrorize helpless folk, My Lady." Chan agreed, standing up straight with a graceful smale across his face.

"Yeah, super glad." Changbin grunted out, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, "anyways, I think it's time you paid us?"

The duchess scowled at Changbin who only smiled tantalizingly at her. "We did what you asked, My Lady." The title sounded patronizing coming out of the his mouth, but it was more so when accompanied by a haphazard nod that you could barely argue as a bow.

"It seems you still have yet to learn manners on all your travels." The duchess sighed, snapping her fingers quickly. The remaining guard pulls a bag out and places it on the table, "Thank you for your service to my kingdom."

With that, the duchess turned and walked away, practically stomping as she exited the tavern.

"Please doing business, My Lady!" Chan shouted after her before taking his seat again. Jisung followed suit, scraping his chair as he opened the bag, dumping the contents onto the table. He tucked the bag away after making sure all the pieces lied safely on the table in a pile.

"Splitting it up? Usually we pool everything together" Changbin asked, as Chan began to count the gold pieces.

The eldest nodded, jutting his head in your direction, "(Y/N) asked if we would this time." You nodded.

It was true, you had asked Chan if the earnings from this job could be split. It was pretty unusual for your group to split up earnings, as you were practically inseparable so you wouldn't make frivolous purchases outside a group setting. But this time, you felt you had a good reason for it.

"It's the most fair in my opinion." You explained, adjusting your bag in your lap, "I need a new staff and you should know that magical items cost a pretty penny. This way, it'll be a purchase that doesn't take away from your guys' funds, since you wouldn't use it anyways."

"That's very kind of you." Jisung said softly, touched at your thoughtfulness. He reached his hand over and held yours, squeezing it as a sort of thank you for your consideration. The moment didn't last long as Chan let out wry laugh.

"That crook, doesn't she have enough?" He scoffed under his breath before shaking his head and looking up at you all, "She scammed us."

"What?" You asked, looking down at the gold pieces; sure enough the piles were quite a bit smaller than expected.

"She only gave us half of what was promised," Chan stated sharply, half in disbelief and half in agitation, "and that's including what was given to use before we left."

"Last time we ever trust a high class cheat ever again!" Changbin growled, slaming his fist on the table. You could practically see the smoke billowing off him as he stood up furiously.

"It's alright, we still have enough to make ends meet." You reasoned, placing a delicate hand on Changbin's arm to calm him down. It does the trick, as he sits back down and folds his arms angrily.

"Yeah, but what about your staff? There is no way your portion will be enough for it..." Jisung said, shoulders slumping as he gazed at you apologetically.

"No, not even close." You sighed, standing and taking your share anyways, "but I'll just have to make do until I have enough. At least we have enough to put warm food in our bellies and a roof over our heads for a bit."

You tried hard to not sound so defeated; you weren't exactly sure how you would be able to practice magic without a magic embedded object to wield, but there was nothing you could do as of now. And truthfully, you had waited long enough for such a disappointment, you felt exhaustion catch up and felt more like something to deal with tomorrow.

Plastering a wistful smile on your face as you stretched your arms over your head. you placed your share in your bag before slinging it over your shoulder haphazardly.

"Where are you off to?" Chan asked, standing too.

"Bed." You said with a tired yawn, jutting your thumb in the direction of the staircase where the inn suites resided, "I'm still recovering, so I think a long rest in a comfy bed is exactly what I need."

"We'll come!" Changbin exclaimed, standing too; you shush him, and shake your head, quickly disagreeing.

"No, you guys should stay out and celebrate! don't pack it in on my behalf." You urged, smile finding its way onto your face as you looked at the three boys. You couldn't help but think about how much you adored them and how special your little family was. Sure, you got swindled, but at least everyone was alright. That's all that mattered to you.

"We defeated a huge beast and lived to tell about it! And we did get paid! Maybe not as much as we had hoped, but enough to have a few drinks and be merry." You encouraged, lips curling into catlike grin.

"(Y/N) right. There is no need to sulk on what we don't have when what we do have is wonderful company and good atmosphere." Chan agreed, cheerful expression slowly growing as he gazed back at you. He stood, grabbing a few gold pieces from his share and pointed to the bar, "First round is on me fellas!"

"Sure, why not!" Changbin agreed, collecting his share and placing it in his wallet.

"Enjoy the night. Be sure to come to bed when you're ready!" You cheered. Chan grinned, pulling you into a hug and placing a chaste kiss on your cheek before he whispered 'goodnight'. The ranger quickly slipped into the crowd, going to barkeep to get refreshments for his companions.

Changbin waved you over and placed a kiss on your other cheek, playfully telling you to dream of him. You agreed, barely able to contain the chuckles that bubbled up in your chest at Changbin's nature.

"Cheer up Jisung!" You laughed, poking the healer with your finger when he stayed slumped in his seat. A pout played on his face as you ruffled his hair, gazing up at you silently from his spot.

"The boys will keep you company, and if that fails, try the scone. perked me right up." You suggested, lightheartedness in your tone as you wave goodbye to the boys.

You scamper up the stairs, entering your usual room at the inn. You close the door behind you with a sigh, making quick work of lighting the fireplace and a few candles so you could see what you were doing as you prepared for bed. You took your boots off, followed by your jacket. You set them off to the side with your bag, trying to keep your things organized.

Just as you crawled into one of the beds, there was a soft knocking at the door. You hummed affirmatively, feeling too tired to get up and check for who it could be. Besides, it was most likely the tavern owners or one of the boys.

The latter was correct as Jisung opened the door, slipping inside before closing it behind him. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, much to your amusement.

"I thought I told you not to come to bed on my behalf!" You chuckled, sitting up and letting the covers pool around your waist.

"I didn't!" Jisung exclaimed defensively. He brushed his hair from his forehead as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, repeating his statement much softer now, "I didn't..."

"Then why are you here instead of celebrating, hm?"

"Because!" Jisung looked at the floor bashfully, biting his bottom lip before squeaking out, "it's my turn..."

You're only confused for a minute until you remember what he means. Snickering to yourself you open up the covers, fluffing up the pillow and pat the place beside you.

"Come on then," You invited, causing Jisung to grin joyously as he frantically starts taking off his shoes and jacket. In no time at all, all his outerwear is discarded and he practically leaps into the space beside you.

"Blow out the candle, would you?" You asked in a hushed tone, to which Jisung obliged, leaning away from you for only a moment to do what you asked. He snuggled up to you on his side so that you were facing one another before he wrapped one of his arms around your torso.

"Comfy?" You whispered, to which Jisung replied simply with a 'mmhmm'. "I've been waiting two weeks to not have to sleep beside Sweaty Changbin or Drooling Chan." He sighed dreamily, showing off his gums with a bright smile. You cant help but find him cute as you chuckle at his antics, clutching his shirt as you tuck your hands in the little space between the two of you.

"Hey (Y/N)," Jisung murmered after a few moments. You could feel his breath on your face as he spoke, tickling your flushed cheeks.

"Yeah?" You mumbled, eyes shut as you relaxed into the comfy bed.

"I'm sorry about your staff."

"It's alright. I'll get a new one eventually."

"About that... Me and the boys decided tomorrow we'd go down to the shopping district and pool our earnings together to buy one for you."

Your eyes fluttered open to be face to face with Jisung. His eyes held a sense of fondness in them that touched your heart, "Why would you guys do that? That's not fair to the three of you at all." You asked simply.

"Because we love you." Jisung said, as if he had said it a million times before.

"You do?" You feel your heart race as a well of emotions begins to fill in your chest at the notion.

"Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you love us too?"

"Of course I do." You replied delicately.

Because it was true. How could you not love them?

Chan was the leader, kind and thoughtful without fail. He would always try and take care of you, putting your needs over his in any given situation. He always made sure you were comfortable, doing everything in his power to help achieve your happiness and safety. He grew up alone in the mountains, but would brave the elements ten times over if it meant he could do it with you.

Changbin acted tough and strong, but truthfully was the most doting and affectionate of all. He used his strength to protect you from any harm, but when you were, he was adamant about never leaving your side until you are better. He's fight for you no questions asked; He already had his love taken once when he was exiled, he would rather die than have it taken again.

Jisung, a once foreign prince who understood you more than anyone. He was bright and playful, like a dream in a world where you have to fight day in and day out. He would heal you not only with his cheerful nature, but also his natural ability; even to his own detriment sometimes. In his mind, his body could be broken and energy spent up, as long as he was able to see your smile again it was worth it a million times over.

They were your home. Your team.

Of course you loved them.

"I love you all more than you could ever know." You spoke breathlessly, hoping to somehow convey all the feelings stirring up inside you at this moment.

"Good, then it's settled." Jisung said gently. You could tell he was beaming from the way his pitch sounded before he placed a toothy kiss on your forehead, "Now rest up. Big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight Ji." You whispered, not being able to help the corners of your mouth quirking up.

Life as an adventurer was hard; braving the likes of monsters, the elements, and scamming duchesses. But as you laid in Jisung's warm embrace, thinking about all the things you loved about your boys, you knew everything would be just fine, as long as you had each other.

____________________________

A/N: Ending is kind of dodgy/corny cause I'm always awkward when it comes to writing endings, but I finally finished this piece !!! When I tell you it's been in the drafts for l i t e r a l y e a r s... But its done now so hooray! I hope you enjoyed it <3

Also if you're reading this and liked Felix And Your Tavern (the fic I mentioned at the beginning)... I do have a part 2 in my drafts as well, but it has references to this story in it and I wanted to publish this first. So stay tuned for that, as it's not quite ready yet!

#fluff #angst #kpop #stray kids #skz #3racha #fantasy au #bang chan #chan #seo changbin #changbin #han jisung #jisung #kpop fantasy au #skz fantasy au #3racha fantasy au #bang chan fantasy au #seo changbin fantasy au #han jisung fantasy au #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #3racha x reader #minho #hyunjin #felix #seungmin #jeongin

[hadeantaiga]

okay but if you can grasp that nuance then you can grasp the nuance of the Israeli government actively stealing land by way of violence is not necessarily the same as the actions of the people who have lived in the region since before Mandatory Palestine became the state of Israel while the latter still may be more or less complicit. and yes, living in northern North America that VERY much applies to me as well. the dividing line is race under Israeli rule, while Palestine was multicultural.

(also that's not even getting into how Israel by admission treats Ethiopian Jews. I want a homeland for all Jews, not one conditional upon forced sterilization.)

I admire your desire for peace, and I love that you are standing up for Jews and Judaism, but even as we agree on most other things I can't help but disagree on the point that Israel needs to continue to exist as it does, because what it is doing is antithetical to the core of all the faiths in the Levant and antithetical to the stated goal of a homeland for the Jewish people.

Yes, I literally said "much of the land in modern day Israel is stolen" - but most is not all, and insisting that all of the land of Israel is stolen, or that all Israelis live on stolen land is, quite frankly, a lie.

However, I agree that it is wrong for Israel to divide people based on race, and I said as much in my first response (when I said there needs to stop being a division of citizens based on being Palestinian or Israeli) and obviously that extends to every other race. Sterilization is literally an act of genocide.

However, I never said "Israel needs to continue to exist as it does", and I don't know why you're implying I did. I don't think Israel as it currently exists is a just state, I don't think it was formed justly, and I think it is involved in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. But I'm also not so arrogant a Westerner I think I get to say "this country doesn't deserve to exist because I don't like it".

What I said was "I do not get to make that decision because I don't live there". I also said that I don't know what the solution looks like, but that it is in the hands of the people who live there.

I think as Westerners we need to take our fingers out of the business of countries we don't live in and stop telling people there how they ought to live. We need to stop declaring that we know best what they need.

Do all Israeli Jews benefit from the system of oppression created in the modern state of Israel? Yeah, absolutely. But I believe that creating a hierarchy of Jews who are "more complicit" and those who are "less complicit" only fuels antisemitism, because antisemitic people don't see nuance: they see "one Israeli Jew is guilty, therefore all Israeli Jews are guilty". They openly say "there are no innocent Israelis", and through that, they justify the violence of Hamas.

Hamas believes all Israelis are "complicit" - and in Hamas' opinion, this means they are worthy of death. It is written into their charter. It is a core belief that they have a god-given mandate to kill as many Jews as they can because they consider all of them invaders. I have actually read their charter. It is the most violent, horrifying piece of antisemitic propaganda I've read recently.

I regularly call out Netenyahu, and the Israeli government, and the IDF for their actions. THEY must absolutely be held culpable for their actions. There are likely many more people who were or are actively involved in harm done to Palestinians who must see their day in court. There must be justice for Palestinians, for all that has been done to them since the 1940's. I absolutely do not stand with any Jew who believes in an ethnostate. I do not stand with those who are still actively stealing Palestinian land and homes.

But I also don't think they deserve to die.

[teecupangel]

Oh! Dear Goddess of this beautiful temple of teecups, your faithful servant begs for help. The rivers have dried up, the foot is not satiating completely and I can only ask for your blessing in... Desmond with Umar... that's it. I just cannot stop thinking about Desmond being with Umar and giving zero f*cks about Al Mualim. Also i just want to give you all of my kudos for your fics. Every new chapter always makes my day <3

Oh, my faithful enduring servant, my temple had to change location due to… god-related circumstances… as such, I have heard your prayers yet I have not been able to grant small blessings as my temple had taken quite a long journey to its new location.

My temple is still preparing the weekly wares to be peddled to the archives and thus, it seems that we will be unable to peddle our wares this week but, fear not, my faithful servants! For the festival this Saturday shall still commence!

Also, my temple is now ready to take in all kinds of travelers and journeymen!

First, I have answered an ask that ended up having UmaDes and UmaFahDes because that’s usually how we roll in this blog

So, since that ask above covers Desmond becoming Umar’s beau after Maud’s death, we’ll make an idea of Desmond being Umar’s beau before Umar met Maud.

The usual setup: Desmond gets transported into the past BUT this time Umar is the one to find him and Desmond freezes because he looks a bit like Altaïr but not really him?

Like, Desmond knows it’s not Altaïr but he also knows he knows who this man is supposed to be.

Anyway, Desmond realized who he is after he introduced himself as Umar, son of no one, and Desmond follows him to see the mentor because Umar saw him freerunning the rooftops of Acre (he was trying to understand why Acre looks a bit too different) and he thinks Desmond would make a great Assassin.

Desmond is surprised because Umar doesn’t take him to Masyaf.

No.

He takes him to Alamut.

Because the mentor he was about to meet was Ḥasan ʿAlā Zikrihi's-Salām, the mentor who ordered Rashid to go to Masyaf and create a branch of the Brotherhood to oversee Levant.

Desmond had traveled to 1160.

2 years before Al Mualim would travel to Masyaf and create the Levantine Brotherhood.

Unorganized Notes:

My headcanon is that Umar is in his mid-twenties when he had Altaïr because Altaïr is the youngest Assassin to be granted the rank of Master at the age of 24~25 but Umar was a Master Assassin when Altaïr was growing up ergo, Umar should at least be in his mid-twenties (and not yet a Master Assassin) when Altaïr was born.

Because of this, Umar had to be one of the Assassins trained in Alamut and went with Al Mualim to Masyaf.

Desmond impresses the current mentor that he becomes an Assassin in less than a year. At that point, Desmond is just thinking of undermining Al Mualim’s authority so he doesn’t become, well, Al Mualim when they get to Masyaf.

Unfortunately, the current mentor is more or less at odds with Al Mualim at this point. The Assassins in Alamut are thrown between being loyal to Al Mualim or to the mentor and Desmond could see why Al Mualim had been ordered to travel to Masyaf. The mentor was trying to stop an already brewing discord between the two factions that would most definitely end with a civil war to take the mentor title by force.

And Desmond gets pulled into this by becoming the mentor’s new favorite, effectively setting him to side with the mentor’s faction.

It doesn’t help that any interactions with Al Mualim (Rashid, his name is Rashi, Desmond, he’s not yet Al Mualim) are very… awkward. Rashid is trying to gain his trust, Desmond distrusts him from the get-go and yeah…

He and Umar do get along quite well. Too well, some might say. Really, close friends bordering on cross-starred lovers kind of scenario at this point.

Of course, an Al-Sayf must always suffer so Faheem as to watch these two idiots pretend to simply be friends and miss the mark by a kilometer and land square on actually in love, no doubt about it, we don’t wanna talk about it.

Desmond is unable to stop Rashid from being ordered to take Masyaf and he ignores the mentor’s orders to stay in Alamut, joining them instead.

Rashid was actually thinking that Desmond is a spy then… he hears the mentor and Desmond arguing that Desmond should remain in Alamut and he just thinks “Oh. He’s coming because of love.”

Cue Rashid trying to be supportive of what he believes to be Desmond’s grand romantic gesture. Desmond has no clue what he’s talking about. Rashid believes Desmond is pretending not to understand because it is the greatest open secret in all of Alamut. Desmond absolutely has no idea what Rashid is talking about.

They get to Masyaf, Desmond intentionally starts to become Rashid’s devil’s advocate that keeps him in check by questioning his every move and, Desmond didn’t plan it, but he became Rashid’s second-in-command… He’s just… “What. The. Fuck.”

During this time, Desmond and Umar do finally start a relationship. Faheem (who is part of the council so Desmond talks to him a lot) just stares at Desmond, thinking if he should tell the man that he’d been in a relationship with Umar for years now then decided that conversation would just give him a headache so no)

By the time, 1191 rolls in, Altaïr Ibn-Umar is born from a very supportive (like, Desmond is pretty sure she’s the one writing all those… can he call them fanfics? Did she just unintentionally create fanfics in 12th century Levant???) Maud as their surrogate because Desmond reaaaalllllllyy wants a child (he doesn’t necessarily? He just needs to make sure Altaïr is born? Who is he kidding? He wants to spoil Altaïr rotten) and she doesn’t die because Desmond managed to make Rashid believe that the health of his people is very, very important.

Oh. Masyaf still separates from Alamut because the mentor there is a bit of a dick but they have a more amicable relationship because people in Alamut still loves Desmond.

#… writing the goddess part #my brain just kept going #‘your body is a temple’ #and let’s be clear #i’m talking about my work table where i work and write #it also has a small altaïr shrine because i’m trash XD #wasn’t i supposed to be an alchemist in this idea??? #welp #guess i’m a goddess now #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: assassin's creed #no usual tags because #umades

[dwaekkistar]

Chapter IV

Jade's POV

        I woke up to my bed empty, any signs of Felix sleeping in my bed long gone. I pouted still half asleep before carefully getting out of my bed. I picked my phone up off my nightstand, seeing a notification that I had an event added to my schedule. Upon further inspection, I realized the event was that we had a music video shoot today. I softly sighed out of anxiety because I didn't expect a video shoot so soon. The thought of having to record a video that I knew the entire public was going to see whether I liked it or not scared the living daylights out of me. What would happen if I messed up during the shoot, would the fandom notice? Would they drag me and call me an incapable idol, talentless like all those people back in school expected me to be? Or worse would the company void my contract and kick me out? So many negative what-ifs spiraled through my brain, my anxiety rising with each second.

         I tried to take a few deep breaths, which did help a little before deciding to stretch. I then opened my door, only to be met with a very sleepy and grumpy Minho.

         "We have a video shoot for Levanter today. Don't make us late," he said with a strong glare before walking off. I stared at him in surprise, wondering where the attitude suddenly came from when he was so nice on our day off. I then made my way to the bathroom which was not in use. I assume because everyone was already up and ready, as I heard distinct chatter coming from where the kitchen was. I quickly head in and shower, brushing my teeth while I'm at it. I figured straightening my hair was definitely out of the question as I most likely didn't have the time. I quickly placed my pajamas used previously worn garments into my designated dirty laundry basket, before quickly heading back to my bedroom with a towel wrapped around my body hoping to god I didn't bump into the boys in this state. To my great luck, I avoided everyone, locking my bedroom door behind me. While searching for my undergarments, I got a text from Sua, telling me to just wear a simple tube top and black spandex-like shorts, as the stylist was gonna style me in clothing very quickly, and having to undress and redress was going to take up to much time that could be used to shoot more content for the MV.

         I opted out of wearing a standalone bra, for one of my tube tops that had a strapless bra built in. I wasn't one to have gigantic boobs, but they were about a decent size thanks to my mom's genes saving my dad's, and filled the top out pretty well. I'm pretty sure my body type though, especially the bottom half all came from my mom as everyone always made it necessary to point out that had an ass bigger than the average native Korean woman. I quickly pulled out one of my safety shorts and to keep things still publically decent I put an oversized graphic tee on. I then put on some socks and slipped on my vans before walking out of my room just as Sua texted me that she and jun arrived.

        I walked to the front door, completely ignoring all the guys as they said good morning to me, which caused them all to slightly frown except Minho, who gently scoffed in response. I opened the door allowing Sua and Jun in, both smiling at me and wishing me the best of luck behind the camera today. I kind of needed that as I had been ignoring the feeling all morning, and realized the entire time the feeling was settling in my tummy. Their smiles and pep talk immediately made the feeling disappear. Jun headed to the rest of the boys to talk before the shoot while Sua stayed next to me.

        "Well how have things been since I last saw you?" she said sweetly, as her energy radiated from her. "Do you like things in the dorm?"

        "I mean besides sharing the bathroom with like 8 guys," I softly chuckled as I handed her my phone, " I think I'm good. The constant chaos might take some time to get used to though."

        "Ah, I can talk with Jun and see if we can have the company get something worked out with the bathroom situation," she said while chuckling along with me. I nodded in response, my brain immediately thinking about the shoot when I realized nobody had gone over the choreography with me, which made my anxiety come back tenfold. Is that part of why Minho was being so rude? maybe he thought I was gonna mess everything up. The weird feeling I had in my tummy returned and felt way much heavier than before. Sua then got a text message and she quickly read it before looking back up at me.

       "Uhm," she says calmly with a soft reassuring smile, "Jun says the reason why we're leaving so early today is because the boys need to go over the choreography with you."

       "oh.." I said feebly, my voice dripping with worry and anxiety, becoming even more anxious than I had ever been and my breathing becoming uneven. My body felt like it was violently shaking, although I'm sure to everyone else it looked like I was perfectly still. The last time I ever got this anxious was during my audition period for the company. It seemed like she noticed the worry in my voice so she quickly gestured for me to put my mask on and grabbed my hand as we left the dorm to head to the van.

         When we finally got to the van the driver automatically opened the door from his seat as I quickly headed into the farthest seat in the back, my anxiety constantly nagging at me as I tried to hold back tears. Sua followed in after and handed me a box of tissues she had in her bag insinuating that she wanted me to have them in case the tears building up at the corner of my eyes decided they did want to fall. I quickly take one and pat my eyes dry not wanting all the boys to see me so vulnerable, and it's bad enough I let Felix see me that way last night. The boys eventually came downstairs to the parking lot and filed into the van, confusingly looking around until they spotted me in the back. I'm sure my eyes were somewhat red and puffy even if I didn't give myself the chance to cry because I knew that was how bad my anxiety tended to become. They all sat in their usual seat in silence as Jun slipped in the back with me and Sua and the driver began to drive to the shoot location. I gently poked Sua and asked for my phone remembering I asked her to hold it as I had no pockets on my outfit. She carefully handed it to me, and I carefully grabbed it going to play some random games as I tried to take my mind off Minho's attitude and the anxiety for the shoot.

Small Time Skip

          The driver eventually reached the location which was a modern industrial-looking building, Jun and all the boys rushed out of the van to go in. Sua got out once the van was empty of the boys following Jun and I quietly followed behind them. Our bodyguard was quietly waiting for us at the door making sure we all carefully got in. Everyone then got into an elevator and went upstairs to what looked like a small dressing room with stylists already waiting in it. I quietly followed everyone inside pulling my mask off like everyone else, when a Stylist just as tall as me walked towards me gently grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the area where she and a few others were already set up. They pulled out this garment bag that contained various pieces of clothing and accessories in it prepping to dress me in. I tried to get a better look at it before when one of the stylists spoke up.

        "Hi, we're your stylist for the shoot, could you put this on for us so we can see if we need to make a quick alteration before we start makeup?" She said with an energetic smile.

"Yeah," I quickly nodded and responded grabbing the bag and pulling the clothing out as I stopped paying attention to my surroundings. It was a pair of brown jeans with a leather belt, a brown cropped shirt, a white/cream cropped sweater vest, a brown beret, platformed boots,  a necklace with a cross pendant, a black and silver bracelet, a channel bracelet, and pearl earrings. I quickly removed my graphic tee and current shoes and slipped everything on quickly, all the stylists smiling as everything seemed to perfectly to their liking. They then led me to a chair, one of the stylists swiftly pulling out a Flat iron. Had I known they wanted me to have straight hair for the shoot I would have done it myself, but that would have been a bad idea seeing as time wasn't on my side when I woke up. Minho and the words he said and the face he held replaying in my brain a few times when I shook myself out of it deciding to focus on what was currently taking place. It seems in about the few minutes I zoned out the hair stylist was almost done. She finished the last section of my hair when another stylist zoomed to my side and started applying light natural makeup. She began to finish up, carefully applying this soft pink lip tint before gesturing her hands away from the chair to let me know she was done. The hairstylist then came back and carefully placed the beret on my freshly straightened hair before applying a decent amount of hair spray.

     When I finally got out of the chair, my attention was brought back to the room, Changbin and Han were already done and sitting on a couch going through their phones as they waited for the others to finish. Changbin looked up from his phone to see I was done and softly smiled as he took my appearance in.

     "You look really cute Jade," He said with a soft chuckle, " I see they put you in platform boots...How does it feel being the shortest member of the group now."

     Han slapped Changbin's arm in laughter causing the other members to look over as some of their stylists fidgeted with the accessories of their outfit. All I could do was stare with my mouth agape in amazement at how boldly he said it. 'Two could play at that game' I quietly thought to myself. If he was gonna roast my height, then I would just have to use my baby face visuals to my advantage.

     "Meanie~," I said as I softly pouted with puppy eyes and tried to walk opposite the couch, but before I could even get anywhere someone grabbed a whole of my wrist.

"Noona, please don't ever do that again," Hyunjin said visibly cringing and furrowing his eyebrows as I turned around, realizing it was him holding my wrist, " I understand you're cute but that was so...no."

"Okay I won't do that again," I said as I softly giggled at his reaction. The other members minus Minho were smiling at me at our shenanigans and quickly joined in. We got deep into joking around when Minho harshly grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the dressing room, causing me to wince in pain. He pulled me to a small empty room before closing the door behind us and looking at me with a deep scowl.

"We're gonna go over your moves in the choreography," he said as he turned towards a wall and rested his phone against it playing a practice version of the song, " you're mostly going to be in the back since you joined very last minute... But you better get it right other I'm just going to request to have you removed from the group."

What actual hell was his problem? Why was he treating me like this, I softly furrowed my eyebrows as I stared at his back, but quickly changed my face deciding to put it behind me. I wasn't going to let Minho down my mood before the music video, it would just negatively affect my performance, and prove him right and everyone else right. The music started and he started demonstrating the dance moves that I was gonna be doing, and to his surprise, I was picking up on it very quickly and attentively following behind him. His eyes furrowed the more he continued to watch me as I followed him, doing the choreography with the same energy, mannerisms, and passion as he was. The song eventually came to an end as we finished the choreography.              "How did you get all of that down so quickly ?" Minho said softly as he furrowed his eyes in confusion.

       "Dude I know you didn't just ask someone who auditioned for a dance position..." I started sarcastically, "How they're able to keep up with a decently complex choreography.."

        He looked down at the floor, softly pouting, as he seemed to regret being so hard on me. I know he wanted our comeback to do good, but to act like that to me with no logical reason was uncalled for.

       "That my honestly my fault." he said sincerely with slight guilt as he stepped closer to me and gave me a soft hug, " I know Chan chose you to join the group, but he never told us your positioning in the group... we all just immediately assumed you were mainly a vocal position and I didn't want the music video to go bad.. I'm sorry. " I quietly accepted his apology by hugging him back just as tight before we left the room to join the rest of the boys. 

         Minho held my hands and quietly led us back to the managers and boys, and it was quite a feeling. I couldn't help but blush as he somehow managed to make me feel 180 from just a moment ago. The stylists swiftly stepped in front of me when we finally got back to everyone while Minho let go of my hand and headed to the others, double-checking that I still looked good before they ushered me to head to the set. When I walked closer to the boys, the director quickly instructed us that the specific set we were on was for the performance version and that some parts of the recording would be used in the main video.   We were then told to go to our marked starting positions, and upon reaching our spots the music was cued and the director yelled action. We passionately danced until the song was over, and relaxed a bit while the director and staff team at the shoot went over the footage.

       "That was a good take but I think I wanna do another one just in case." the director spoke out through the speaker. We all returned to our spots as before when the music started. Despite remaining in the back and barely being seen by the camera due to Felix being taller than me, I was still somewhat very happy because it oddly felt like I finally belonged somewhere. I know I barely knew most of the guys, but while we were going through the choreography once more for the camera I couldn't help but get this strong instinct that this was where I was meant to be, that these boys were who I was meant to spend the next few years of my life and hopefully more with.

      The directors congratulated us on the first part of the shoot, and then told us to get changed because we had to get ready for the acting part of our music video. All the boys began cheering in response as they were finally able to be unserious for the first time today, their usual chaotic energy exploding everywhere.

       The boys began playing and joking around as usual as we headed back to the dressing room. Han jumped on Changbin's back earning a loud help from the latter which made us all laugh and chuckle at his expense.

       "We barely got through a third of the shoot, and I already feel like I've been hit by a massive truck." Chan jokingly blurted out as he held his back with his right hand.

       "Chan hyung is an old man" Seungmin spit out in response with a chuckle causing everyone to laugh.

        "YAH I'M NOT OLD!" Chan yelled at him as he began to chase after the younger. They both ran back to the dressing room, Chan on Seungmin's tail. Suddenly Felix took it upon himself to slide under me and lift me onto his back essentially giving me a piggyback ride. We all continued joking with each other.         When we got to the dressing room finally, Seungmin was accepting defeat as he pleaded with our leader who was currently sitting on top of him. Our stylist soon followed in pulling out 2 more garment bags per each person in the group. They told us to pick out scene 1 outfit, and upon doing so I pulled out a garment back that contained a black and white blouse, skin-tight black leather pants, a different pair of black boots again, and a velvet choker. I quickly slid out of the outfit I had on, as Jeongin waddled over to me with pleading eyes.

       "Noona I can't see behind me to put the necklace on," he said pouting gently before turning red in the ears at the sight of me in just the small tube top and safety shorts, " the necklace keeps unclasping somehow."         "Aw, come here my little Innie, I'll help you," I said with a smile as I took the necklace from his hand and carefully put it on him. He turned around once more thanking me as he blushed even harder than he was a second ago and ran off across the room to one of the other members. I carefully and swiftly put on the leather pants with minor struggles as I had to do little hops to get it past my ass. However, once it was on- the fabric was super comfortable to move around in. I slid the blouse over my head and quickly went for the choker and clasped it around my neck carefully, not wanting to experience Baby Bread's distress from earlier. I chuckled to myself as I thought I would have to call him that from now on because he truly did resemble a human personification of bread.  I fixed my hair once more before putting the shoes on and walking towards Hyunjin, Minho, and Chan. They all lifted their heads to look at me as they heard me approaching, Hyun-jin and Minho watching attentively both biting their lips in slight shock at my outfit, when Chan spoke up.

     "The stylist seems to know what they're doing if they've got you walking around like that." he softly chuckled, his little dimple making a sudden appearance at the moment.

     "Chan! What does that mean?!" I said with a slight whine not appreciating his sudden flirtatious teasing. The boys all laughed at my response and I blushed heavily. Knowing how shy Chan was back when I was training, his boldness at the moment had genuinely caught me off guard. As the boys continued to laugh and joke about other things Jisung, Changbin, and the maknae line joined us. I sat in a corner near Chan as I was starting to feel somewhat self-conscious, and it seemed like Chan took notice of it. He turned towards me and gave me a soft gentle hug, squeezing me to give me extra reassurance.

     "Don't be so nervous cutie pie," he softly whispered in my ear, " you got this, I wouldn't have picked you if that wasn't the case you know." He gently rubbed my arm as he held me resting his head on top of mine as he continued to try to calm me down. I took in a deep inhale, catching a whiff of Chan's scent, noting he smelled strong of sweet fruits like strawberries and such which only added to his attempt at calming. It helped as I was able to get my thoughts back to normal. I took a quick look around the room, noticing that all that time some of the members shifted from talking to going on their phones, even the stylists and our managers were using theirs.

      A staff member eventually came in and told us the director was ready for us, so we all quickly headed out. If I was being honest, now that I've taken everything in, the boys all looked pretty hot in their current outfits. For some odd reason that gave me a big wave of reassurance, because if they looked hot, I must have looked hot as well. And that's when I noticed my and Chan were slightly matching as we both had stripped shirts on.

     "Channie," I said tenderly, tugging at his sleeve as I walked next to him. He looked down at me in response, "Did the stylist intend to make us match?" that's when he took a step back and assessed both our outfits. When he finally looked up, he wore a huge grin on his face.

      " I guess so," he said as he gently held my hand as we continued our way to the set.

       "Why are you two matching ?" Changbin said his eyebrows creasing in confusion once Chan and I caught up with everyone else.  The boys all turned to look at us upon his words, realizing he was indeed right about our outfits.

        "Did they do that on purpose?" Jisung added his voice taking on a mischievous tone, "Cause that would honestly explain Jade's ass in those pants."         Everyone including me groaned in response to Jisung's taunt, which earned him a thwack on the back of his head from Hyunjin. We honestly should have expected it from him sooner or later but we got our hopes up thinking maybe he would quit it for one day.

       The boys and I eventually got to our instructed spots and the rest of the shoot went by in a blur, as we constantly acted out scenes and changed outfits a few more times. I knew that being an idol was gonna be stressful, but I honestly didn't take into account this much work had gone into the outfits, all the small things that were usually taken for granted. We quietly finished up and headed back out of the building to go home.

#skz #stray kids #stray kids fic #straykids fanfic #9th member of skz #kpop fanfic #kpop #fanfic #female original character #skz x 9th member #skz x female reader #skz x female original character #straykids x original female chracter #fanfiction #cross posted on ao3 #cross posted on wattpad

[project-zorthania]

It's absolutely wild to me that HYTHAM is the one to help Eivor back on her feet and out of Valhalla when Odin tries to drag her down.

It could've been anyone, and yet the game shows us a man who couldn't be assed to fear Odin at all.

To everyone else, Hytham may as well have defied a god, but that meant shit all to a man from the Levant who travelled miles away from home and found family with Eivor and the people of Ravensthorpe.

He saw a friend in need, a friend who fought and bled beside him as they eradicated the templar order from England together.

To have envisioned him in that vulnerable of a dream state speaks volumes on how highly Eivor thinks of the man.

EDIT - I think this also ties in beautifully to his views about Basim in "The Golden City". I love Hytham, he is so fearless and earnest.

#hytham #eivor varinsdottir #their friendship means the world to me #ultimate brotp #also when she told odin that he was a fly buzzing around in her ear? #fucking *chefs kiss* #beautiful #i love eivor so much #bytham if you squint #Zor talks tgc

[angedemystere]

The chosen is the only version of the life of Jesus adaption to feature Greeks, Nabataeans and Syrophoenicians, which were other people groups that were living in the 1st century AD in the Near East. If you look at most life of Jesus films the other people groups, excluding the Jews, that are featured are obviously the Romans and maybe the samaritans. The samaritans are in the chosen as well.

Honestly this show is teaching me some history stuff I had no idea about. It's awesome! It's getting me to dip my toes into further research on the cultural landscape of the Levant in the 1st century.

What's especially interesting about both the show and the gospels is that Jesus is trying to focus most of his ministry towards the Jews, at least in the beginning, since the Messianic prophesies are from Jewish prophets and center the Jews and their role as God's chosen people. However, there's no avoiding the crossover into Gentile interactions, despite these other groups coming from different ideological backgrounds from the Jews or Samaritans. We see it with the Greco-Syrophoenician woman (as she's called in Mark's gospel; she's referred to as a Canaanite in Matthew's gospel) who asked Jesus to help her demon-possessed daughter. Despite Jesus challenging her to "first let the children have their fill," referring to the Jewish people, she persisted by saying, "Even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." He honored her faith in the face of the priority He was giving to the Jews and did as she asked.

As of season 3, The Chosen hasn't portrayed this incident, but this theme that faith rather than the right lineage brings God's salvation is already present. Just watch the scene in Nazareth where Jesus cites Elijah and Elisha each helping a Gentile because of the desperate faith the Gentiles portrayed. Exploring these rich cultural interactions during that time helps us better appreciate both the pressure Jewish people faced to uphold their unique identity and the reality that Jesus's ministry, while prioritizing the Jews, also affected and even included Gentiles of many ethnic backgrounds. I can't wait to see more.

#the chosen #the chosen series #the chosen tv series #bible

[fulane-de-tal]

حببتي

give me love and araq and a bottle of wine

maybe paper or a phone

let me tell you of horrible things and of the wonder of

imagine self containedness and love

imagine finding yourself in the other

idfc who the other may be

jews and christians. a muslim woman

we’re sitting in a room really living really living

another room a different room. with my friend a hijabi a palestinian woman in a color coordinated outfit and khalid is in the back eating mehshi on his phone and hassan is smoking outside but alarabiyya news is on in the background or it’s that one sheikh with the volume

off and the two ouds in their bags above the mantel and the love of humans and the human generosity and i wanted to hug you and ask you to tell me of every loose pebble in the town where you grew up but i couldn’t and to my

friend the word home means ramallah at night when the lights are only ones left in 2008 and the houses become layl become night and dark and this rich thick waterthin darkness becomes all you are

i want you to tell me what that means to you

i want hou to tell me about each family you know abouthow my friend has relatives in my own home neighborhood about how if i go to the mosque (if i wear a hijab and follow through on what i told you, john, if i do what i should have done) and ask i will find her distant cousins and find her and help her create what home means for her (does home mean a small village left in 1927 does home mean thursday does home

mean a robins egg couch and all three major abrahamic religions and half the levant sitting in a room half crying half joyful about you and you and you and you and your found-out family? does home mean a place you can’t go to anymore?)

what about someone with a last name that doesnt exist that is immediately foreign depsite it whose mind is clogged abd fuzzy sentimental with araq whose hands are fat who needs people to feel real what will you do with her????????? god help me i want love not even like that i want things i know are impossible i want so badly want has become the foundation of my being please for the love of god cure me of thie eant and give me a good want a whole want a want for home a want for a name not this desperate want for self containment i cant do that anymore !!! give me a name god!!! give me a name that fits without a millimeter or atom or cell of strangeness

give me a bame that feeks right and send your righteous People to their home and give bring about peace because i cant take this anymore man thank you and hang tight and rock steady and surf well and ride the wave until it breaks thousand and tiny pieces stay safe and keep love and lose not hope friend for it is all we can have at the end and end and end of days now and forever may we not lose hope ameen

#je parle #teal green my love and adaq #araq

[arthurdrakoni]

Flag of Buddhist India

This is the flag of Buddhist India. It comes from a world where Buddhism remained the dominate religion of India. It began during the reign of Ashoka the Great. As in our world, Ashoka converted to Buddhism after spending much of his life as a warlord who united much of India. Unlike our world, however, Ashoka formalized the relationship between the Sangha and the secular government. Ashoka’s system can be thought of as similar to the role the Catholic Church played in Medieval Europe in our world. Buddhist monasteries received funding via taxes, and the monks often involved themselves in the affairs of the state.   Another result of Ashoka’s reforms was that the Maurya Empire lasted several centuries longer than it did in our world. The empire covered almost all of the Indian Subcontinent, and its continued existence lead to a sense of Pan-Indian identity. In fact, the Maurya Empire would come to hold the same cultural significance in India as the Roman Empire does in the West, and the Han Dynasty does in China. All future Indian empires would, to varying degrees, attempt to emulate the glories of the Maurya Empire.   The changes resulting from Ashoka’s reforms ultimately meant that Vedantic Hinduism never came to be. However, life for the average Indian didn’t really change all that much under Buddhism. Most people continued to worship the same local gods they always had. The old traditions mixed freely with the new. For example, you might go to the Buddhist temple to pray for enlightenment and contemplate philosophy. However, if your child got sick, you would pray to whoever the local healer deity happened to be. The caste system never came to be, but there was a still a strict social hierarchy within Indian society.   In time, several Buddhist monks began to study the natural world, and developed natural philosophy of a sort. This led to several discoveries and innovation, the most significant of which was the discovery of gunpowder. India went on several campaigns of expansion. Several of these were nominally to spread Buddhism, but in practice, were really about expanding India’s political and cultural power. India conquered Persia, and even managed to push as far west as Egypt and the Levant. However, holding these lands proved harder. The empire shrank to only the Indian Subcontinent in a little over 100 years. However, this brief period of expansion did lead to Buddhism spreading further. Iran follows a combination of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, and Central Asia is majority Buddhist. Southeast Asia is also majority Buddhist. It also helps that Islam was never found in this world.  Buddhist remain a significant minority in the Near East. Unfortunately, there have also been numerous conflicts between Buddhists and Christians in these lands. Buddhism never made major in-roads in Europe, barring a few minor communities in the Balkans. There were some Buddhist communities in Spain and Southern France, but they were whipped-out by Christian forces. Unlike our world, most Westerners do not stereotype Buddhists as being pacifists. In fact, due to a misunderstanding about Buddhist belief in reincarnation, many Christians stereotyped Buddhists as being violent, and having an incredibly cavalier attitude towards human life. However, during this world’s equivalent of the Enlightenment, several European scholars began to re-examine and reevaluate Buddhism. Though, they also often viewed it through a heavily Orientalist lens. The flag is orange and maroon in reference to the colors of Buddhist monk robes. The white is to offset the orange and maroon. The Wheel of Samsara, also known as the Wheel of Rebirth, is displayed prominently in the center of the flag.

Link to the original flag on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2023/05/flag-of-buddhist-india.html?m=1

#alternate history #Flags #Flag #Buddhist India #Flag of Buddhist India #Buddhism India #Buddhism #India #vexillology #alternate history flags #alternate history flag #Ashoka the Great #Maurya Empire #Mauryan Empire #alt history

[sag-dab-sar]

Deity Dagan

Originally a god of West Semitic speakers from the Levant, but worshipped widely throughout the Near East, including Mesopotamia.

Deity of grain, as well as its cultivation and storage. Indeed, the common word for "grain" in Ugaritic and Hebrew is dagan. According to one Sumerian tradition and to the much later Philo of Byblos, Dagan invented the plow. In the north, he was sometimes identified with Adad. Thus, he may have had some of the characteristics of a storm god. In one tradition his wife was Ishara, in another Salas, usually wife of Adad. Salas was originally a goddess of the Hurrians. Dagan also had netherworld connections. According to an Assyrian composition, he was a judge of the dead in the lower world, serving with Nergal and Misa-ru(m), the god of justice. A tradition going back at least to the fourth century BCE identified Dagan as a fish god, but it is almost certainly incorrect, presumably having been based upon a false etymology that interpreted the element "Dag" in Dagan as deriving from the Hebrew word dag "fish."

The earliest mentions of him come from texts that indicate that, in Early Dynastic times, Dagan was worshipped at Ebla. Dagan was taken into the Sumerian pantheon quite early as a minor god in the circle of Enlil at Nip-pur. Kings of the Old Akkadian peri-od, including Sargon and Narām-Sin, credited much of their success as conquerors to Dagan. Sargon recorded that he "prostrated (himself in prayer before Dagan in Tutul [sic]" (Oppen-heim, ANET: 268). At the same time, he gave to the god a large area of the country he had just conquered, including Mari, Ebla, and larmuti in western Syria. A number of letters from the Mari archives, dated mainly to the reign of Zimri-Lim, record that Dagãn was a source of divine revela-tion. The letters reported prophetic dreams, a number of which came from Dagan, conveyed by his prophets and ecstatics. In his law code, Hammu-rapi credits Dagan with helping him subdue settlements along the Euphrates.

The Assyrian king Samsi-Adad I commissioned a temple for him at Terqa, upstream from Mari, where funeral rites for the Mari Dynasty took place.

In the Old Babylonian period, kings of the Amorites erected temples for Dagan at Isin and Ur. In the Anzû(m) myth, Dagan was favorably coupled with Anu(m). At Ugarit Dagan was closely associated with, if not equated to, the supreme god El/I(u). Although he is mentioned in the mythic compositions of Ugarit as the father of the storm god Ba'lu/ Had(d)ad, Dagan plays only a very minor role. His popularity is indicated by his importance in offering and god lists, one of which places him third, after the two chief gods and before the active and powerful god Ba'lu/ Had(d)ad. Dagan is attested in Ugaritic theophoric names. In Ugaritic texts the god is often referred to as "Dagan of Tuttul." It might also be the case that one of the two major temples of the city of Ugarit was dedicated to him, and he might there have been identified with the chief god I(u) / El.

Festivals for Dagãn took place at Ter-ga and Tuttul, both of which were cult centers of the god. He was certainly worshipped at Ebla and also at Mari.

At Mari, in Old Babylonian times, he appears as fourth deity on a god list; that is, he was very important. He was venerated also at Emar. There a "Sacred Marriage" ritual between Dagan and the goddess Nin-kur was celebrated.

At the same city, a festival was held in honor of "Dagan-Lord-of-the-Cattle," at which the herds of cattle and prob. ably sheep were blessed.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Dagan was the national god of the Philistines. I Samuel:5-6 tells of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines. It was customary in the Ancient Near East for the conquerors to carry off the deity statues of the conquered to mark the surrender not only of the people, but also of their deities.

So the Philistines took the Ark, the symbol of the god of the Israelites, into the temple of Dagan at Ashdod. Since the Israelites had no statues of their deity, the much revered Ark was an obvious substitute. In this way, the Philistines marked the submission of the Israelite god to Dagan. However, on the next day, the people of Ashdod found the statue of Dagan lying face down in front of the Ark. The following day the same thing happened except that the head and hands of Dagan's statue lay broken on the temple threshold. This biblical account seems to be an etiology for a practice of the priests of the temple of Dagan at Ashdod, for it states that for this reason it is the custom of the priests of Dagan not to tread on the threshold as they enter the temple of Dagan. The best-known of the biblical stories that mention Dagan is in Judges 16, the tale of Samson and Delilah. After Delilah arranged for the Philistines of Gaza to capture Samson, they blinded him, shackled him, and made him a slave at a mill. During a festival to Dagan, the Philistines took Samson to be exhibited in Dagan's temple, where thou sands of Philistines had gathered for the celebrations. After praying to the Israelite god, the now long haired Samson got back his old strength. By pushing against two central pillars, he brought the temple crashing down on himself and on more Philistines than he had killed in his whole lifetime of killing Philistines.

— From a Handbook to Ancient Near Eastern Gods & Goddesses by Frayne & Stuckey page 67-69

#pagan #polytheism #levpag #philistines #israelites #canaanites #assyrians #1 samuel #tanakh #mesopotamians #dagan #dagan deity #deity #god #quote #sumerian polytheism #levant #ancient near east #landof2rivers #quote pile #put this in text for someone so thought id post it #eblaite #ebla

[nameless-brand]

Pinned Post:

Sato / 18 / she/her. I have moved on past an MS paint icon to a photo of myself.

Owner of an enterprise originating from New Jersey trying to get said company settled into where the Nameless City used to be, now called Gotham.

First thing that greeted me was some ugly Gothic tower from a big-shot company planted right where I died.

Rude.

Anyway, it's been an utter pain in the butt.

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OOC:

Sato finally gets her own Tunglr blog. Only took the timeline to break to do so. This is the "A Lilium At the End of the World " timeline!

She's the only one that remembers the "Dream's Descent" timeline, given her identity as < Myriad Lights >.

The Dream doesn't exist here because in their first confrontation / the Dream's betrayal, Sato sacrifices her Spark of Godhood to banish it for good. She dies afterwards but not before she manages to set up contingences.

As a result, there's quite a few changes in the new timeline.

No gods, no masters.

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Law

No password.

Common decency applies. Don’t do something that you wouldn’t appreciate being done to yourself. We’re all here to have fun.

No sexual NSFW things here or any of my other blogs. Not really my thing.

Multi-fandom and crossover friendly. OC Friendly. 

I am Hika / Lilac. I am an adult!

If you need things tagged, please tell me so I can do so. I will try to preemptively tag for common triggers, but I can’t account for everything.

Given this is an in-character blog, most posts will be short. However, face-to-face will likely be multi-para length.

As I'm double-downing on the Gotham setting, Sato will not know Bruce Wayne is Batman and in fact will be highly resistant to the idea. To her, it's like hearing Elon Musk declaring he's Batman (not to mention other rich people claiming to know or assist the superhero). She doesn't particularly care about supervillainry and superheroism beyond it hurting her bottom line as she's a mostly normal person now.

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Name: Sato

Moniker: koi, Myriad Lights

Age: 18

Pronouns: She/her

Personality: Determined, she's always been determined. Sure, she's a bit of a ditz and a blabbermouth - okay, more than a bit, but she's always been sincere. Her desires, her dealings with people, her affection.

She still thinks people can be better and be happy, so long as they have the environment to do so.

Problem is she's living in a world in late-stage capitalism, where companies, now giant insatiable organisms of their own, try and grow uncontrollably with no one to check and balance them out. It was like that in the prior world too, but it was so much worse here.

Of course, she already has a lot going on like trying to find her friend who is off god knows where, not to mention the others who are probably living very different lives in this new timeline. And now she has to tackle an enormous societal problem that encompasses the world?

Well, she'd know Levant would want her to do it. And the other factor is that she maaaaay have accidentally blown herself up in a fit of fury against the Dream, so she isn't really a Goddess anymore. But she could still accumulate Faith - and with it, she'll be able to do something to help save Levant when the opportunity reveals itself.

Furthermore, she needs to find the rest of the Nameless Church somehow. Find Lillian - or is it Chi again - especially - Lev would want that. She suspects Mirielle and Sasha escaped the timeline. Well, she knows. She had to literally push Mirielle out of the timeline before she strained it further trying to save her.

In any case, the best way to achieve her goals was to make a massive company on her own - money and resources to find the Nameless Church and Faith to gain the power to find Levant. She knows what major stocks will get big - she also knows all the market trends like Crypto and NFTs - and knows what to avoid too like Mt. Gox and Enron. And while she's at it, she'll be doing something about that rampant capitalism destroying people's lives thing.

If she can't kill it from the outside (without inciting mass deaths anyway), she could try to do it from the inside instead. No, she doesn't have a plan. She doesn't even know how to run a company, but she can learn.

What better way to gather Faith is to have a whole bunch of people grateful to you for providing a decent livelihood in this world?

Appearance:

#my only picture of sato is a sketch of her in Levant's jacket asffaf #Visibly Lawful Good #More Chaotic Neutral with a side of breaking society and watching it go out in a controlled burn.