#he just never has to deal with any of the etiquette unless he has to meet with someone important about some artifact

[jekyllnahyena]

joining in with all the jedisonas, soooooooo here's JJ :D

#hes objectively very shit at being a jedi #but also pretty ok at it #he just never has to deal with any of the etiquette unless he has to meet with someone important about some artifact #J.J. #jedisona #ajekyllsart #funky zabrak dude be free!! #he doesnt always wear black btw but the apron is black so shit has to match

[ridhearts]

VAMP AU - basics ii.

The Savanaclaw Coven is a difficult one to get close to (and live to tell the tale). You’re free to try to satiate your curiosity - just pray they don’t try to satiate their thirst before you’re ready to leave.

CW: blood, death, stalking/hunting, religious imagery, dark/obsessive/possessive characters. this au is not NSFW, but it does deal with darker content and sometimes discusses sensuality and sensual topics. reader discretion is advised.

overview. ❧ heartslabyul. {savanaclaw.} octavinelle. scarabia. pomefiore. ignihyde. diasomnia.

The Savanaclaw Coven is one of the only covens where vampires prefer warm, sunny areas. There is no strong relationship between these vampires officially - their leader doesn’t seem to care about any of them, honestly - but there is an unspoken brotherhood between the members of the coven. They are overwhelmingly nocturnal, and simply like warm areas because they cannot stand that they are cold and like to lounge on sun-warmed rocks like lizards. The vampires usually can communicate with or control the animals in the area they live in or, in some instances, can shapeshift into an animal OTHER than a bat. Because of this close association with the wildlife, vampires of the Savanaclaw Coven prefer feeding off of humans over animals. Besides, humans taste better and they make for a far more interesting chase. 

Many can be satiated with a deal to be a renewable blood source for them…but you’ll never know if they intend to step back on their word not to drain you dry until it’s too late.

༻ ✞ ✟ ✞ ༺

Leona Kingscholar - Cold-Blooded Creature

Leona thinks everything is stupid. He’s immortal, and far stronger than any prey in his area, so what’s the point of exerting all that energy to hunt when he rarely needs it and can best anyone whenever he needs to? Humans are stupid, with their dumb little tales about evil creatures of the night and how they think they’d ever be able to land a hit with a wooden stake. Vampires are stupid, with their stuffy traditions and etiquette and outdated laws. Everything is stupid, so he’ll just sleep through it.

Leona is a true vampire, with a “biological” brother. Their father’s power has mysteriously gotten weaker and has been in hiding for centuries now. Leona’s brother found out about human family units and was rather enchanted, so he has his own wife and child (Leona thinks the idea was dumb, but he knows better than to say it out loud.)

Falena is the true head of the coven, but he stays within the vampire realm. Leona has always been regarded as lesser than his brother, both for his attitude and the fact that there is no real point to him existing unless his father was counting on Falena dying, which he wasn’t - so, seeing how miserable Leona was, sent him to be the main proxy for the Savanclaw coven. Falena secretly hopes to see a day where humans and vampires can exist in peace, and he’s constantly bothering Leona by asking how the humans are.

Leona is a solitary creature and never checks up on his coven members. He only ventures into the nearest human town when he needs to feed, and if he feels as though they need to be kept in check. Normally, this doesn’t happen - unless they start thinking that he can be bested.

It’s unlikely that he’ll ever find anything to be worth his time, least of all a human - so he thought before he met you. Don’t be alarmed if you suddenly have a very strange and persistent nocturnal shadow with unnaturally large teeth. Leona doesn’t plan on turning you without your consent, just messing around with you until he decides on something better. He does, however, think you’d be sweet to have around if you were begging him for another drink of some blood he stockpiled just for you…maybe you should consider becoming amenable to eternity by his side.

༻ ✞ ✟ ✞ ༺

Ruggie Bucchi - Odds of Survival

Ruggie is a turned vampire who was left to figure out hunting for himself shortly after his turning. He got enough, but he’s had to compensate for his magic and he’s a little underdeveloped because of his poor diet as a fledgling. Still, he’s one of the best hunters around, and an expert at blending in with a human crowd now.

He works with Leona, mainly to ensure that he’s always got a safe place to stay. Ruggie’s had to run from villages before who got a little too confident that they could slay him before. Besides, if Leona is the proxy for the coven head, maybe Leona could throw in a good word for him if he ever has to retreat to the vampire realm during a dark period.

Ruggie is almost like the Cater of the Savanaclaw coven, in that he has the hookup for “blood buddies” (although he didn’t give it a cutesy name like that). Having a good thing going is way less effort and way more reliable than having to hunt yourself. They’ll stop feeding on your pigs if you gather some friends and offer up your wrists every other month or so, yeah? The coven will keep the turnings down to a minimum IF there’s a solid blood supply in there for them. Come on, isn’t that a good deal?

He also winds up keeping track of who has kept up their end of the bargain and who thought they were smart enough to fall through. He can take out a few of these liars on his own, and he rarely even asks Leona. Ruggie figures that they’re disgracing the coven name and hurting Leona’s pride, so he wouldn’t mind if they were gone, right?

Life as a Savanclaw vampire is actually kind of lonely, and Ruggie sometimes wishes one, just one of the humans weren’t so afraid of him so he could…have a friend? He hasn’t thought that one through very well, but there’s a wistfulness that hits him when he looks at the town skyline for too long. So if you happen to come into his life, completely unaware of what he’s capable of…well, you’ll find out soon enough, because Ruggie will find himself wanting to keep you around forever. Forever forever.

༻ ✞ ✟ ✞ ༺

Jack Howl - Lost from the Pack

Jack is a true vampire, and he used to be part of one of the close-knit factions within the Savanaclaw coven. However, he got separated a long time ago, and just kept wandering around the first village he found. 

As one of the vampires that can shapeshift into an animal other than a bat, he winds up using this power quite a lot. He’s very big, which makes stealth kind of difficult, and people are much more belligerent about a hulking man following them than a big wolf. It’s much easier to follow them around when they think they can outsmart him like some dumb dog.

Jack hasn’t been in the vampire realm for a while. Since he was part of a close-knit pack, they tended to stay in the human realm where close relationships weren’t as taboo or strange as they are in the vampire realm. Still, he has no specific loyalty to humans. Even if he DID think they were charming and kind of cute (which he “doesn’t”), he’d still turn on them if another war were to break out (maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t. He hopes he doesn’t have to find out.)

Jack doesn’t expect to ever find his pack again - it’s been centuries since they’ve been gone. Still, he likes the idea of starting his own - he’d have to find more vampires, true, but that can wait until he convinces you, the human he’s grown inexplicably attached to, to let him turn you.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #ruggie bucchi x reader #jack howl x reader #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #twst imagines #twisted wonderland imagines #vamp au #savanaclaw vamp

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hey Jwb, how are you doing? Recently I was watching lavanya desi track and felt that Raizada's were making khushi over work unapologetically when there were whole lot of servants around they make her do all the household chores that's ain't part of the deal which is quiet unfair ,Also when lavanya was leaving rm khushi was the one carrying La's trolly as there are none to helpout.I'm not judging her helpfulness but what exactly does the writers want to portray khushi as?That she's gonna make it as bahu Or something?I also want to know when khushi was thrown out from rm by Arnav in brutal way Why did Anjali never told him about how ruthlessly she brought the 15 days contract thing to bring khushi to rm? But made the entire thing about brother sister bonding the next day?

Hi Anon,

Khushi was paid to teach 'traditional' Lucknowi etiquettes to Lavanya and to be honest a lot of traditionalism is rooted to patriarchy. Serving tea for the family, always ready to be of service for the husband's family, take everyone's permission to be doing something, etc.

And the irony is Arnav despises it, he believes he is perfectly capable of helping himself in a meal (he doesn't object if Anjali is serving food to him or feeding him out of love), he believes he's responsible for his clothing as any person should and he doesn't want anyone to stay hungry for him (as it's rooted in patriarchy to not eat unless the husband eats) and he definitely hates it when Lavanya takes his 'permission' to go to a party - Arnav is a liberal, all of these traditional etiquettes that Khushi is supposed to be teaching Lavanya is nothing but misogyny, deep rooted patriarchy and nothing of common sense.

(He probably watched his mother slave away for an ungrateful husband as well).

Now coming to Khushi taking Lavanya's luggage - this is a different dynamic. Ironically the closest person to Lavanaya in the household is Khushi and Khushi is Lavanya's only family in the house. She takes Lavanya's luggage as a right of a best-friend and almost sister (that's why she packs Payal's bags later in the show during Payal's marriage). There's something very wholesome and genuine in this.

Oh ugh, I hated that scene as well. Anjali manipulated Khushi! But Khushi was upset, after being thoroughly insulted by Arnav, that how dare Arnav insult his own sister?

It's one of the things that didn't just sit right with me. It could've been an easy fix - that Anjali could've been ashamed and decided to give Khushi a job elsewhere because this is indeed very shameful, but Khushi decides to take the job because she has no other option out of financial instability.

Khushi should've remained bitter with Anjali until Anjali would literally be a wall in front of Khushi to Arnav.

If Anjali slapped Arnav for calling Khushi a 'gold digger' and telling him that she brought Khushi to the house, she misused Khushi's financial condition as a desperate means to see some hope in this family but she is wrong because regardless Arnav has proved that she has failed as a person and is a stark reminder that their mother doesn't exist at all.

And if Arnav retaliated that yes, their mother doesn't exist so Anjali should stop trying to be one because she's forgetting she lives in Arnav's house- oof.

Now that would immediately earn Anjali's reputation in Khushi's eyes and understanding to Khushi just how broken this family unit is and the extent Anjali would go to bandaid this family together.

And it would explain why the next day would be of Arnav apologizing to his sister because he crossed all boundaries with his sister because she defended Khushi.

Best,

JWB

#ask #anon #about anjali #ipkknd

[eolewyn1010]

For the AU Ask Game: Super Hero AU for a fandom of your choice.

Belatedly! Five fun facts for a Super Hero AU of Tatort Stuttgart:

Nika literally can do a dozen things at once - without her ability to duplicate, the whole team would have collapsed long ago. And it's her choice to mainly use her powers to keep things running and organized; she has been part of the action a few times, but feels she's most effective at her office job. So if in this version Thorsten has one of his arrogant moments towards her as he sometimes had in the earlier episodes, he has to deal with the glares of several deeply implacable Nikas who know her value and are completely unwilling to defer to him.

Basti's and Julia's divorce happens way earlier and way more amicably. Having a husband that can ignore the laws of space to hunt criminals has been interesting, but it's also made the whole living-dangerously thing way more pressing, and with two children who may or may not yet turn out to be supers as well, Julia is too overtaxed to also start an affair on the side and simply tells Basti what's up: It's too much for her, this marriage thing doesn't work. She'd rather be a divorcee than a widow.

The former hasn't made Basti's and Thorsten's relationship a whole lot easier though. It's impossible to lie to Thorsten or even hide anything from him, which means Basti doesn't have any chance to disclose his feelings on his own time, and it's frankly frustrating. Basti is like: "Telepath etiquette, anyone??" And Thorsten is like: "We work together; it's a very good thing that I'm tuned to your thoughts! Why would you hide anything from me in the first place?" At which point Basti compares him to a surveillance state; it's a whole thing.

Thorsten's telepathy thing is also causing Frau Alvarez many problems - technically, a lot of intel Thorsten is privy to falls under unlawfully acquired information. So she gives him what for if the best he can offer is "I heard it in their thoughts". Thorsten and Basti sometimes quip that Alvarez also "has her ways" to acquire information, claiming she's able to supernaturally charm people into confessions, but the thing is: Alvarez is actually the Team Normal. Which most people on the outside don't know; they tend to think Nika's the normal one because, unless they do see several of her at once, she appears to be an unassuming jack-of-all-trades. The gorgeous, confident prosecutor who never loses a case, not a super? ...Yeah. She just is that cool.

Basti still crashes into a bit of a crisis via Maja's abduction, but 1st, the whole deal of Thorsten calling in the police when Basti asks him not to doesn't happen - it's the ultimate test of trust for them, and Thorsten does the complete opposite of canon in that he goes on one of his solo runs and tracks down Maja's kidnappers telepathically (and ends up as a hostage, pulling the plots of Preis des Lebens and Im gelobten Land into one). And 2nd, afterwards, it quickly becomes clear that substance abuse is really not an option if that means your portal-hopping goes haywire. So Basti actually has to deal with his shit. Granted, it's a bit easier when he's pissed at Thorsten not for betraying his trust, but just for getting himself into danger again. Business as usual, amirite?

If that sounds like I would use just about any excuse to kick canon events more into a shape I like? Yes. That's exactly what it is. I also think Thorsten angsting about how he's carrying the burden of the world is easy to justify when he can hear and feel all the world's thoughts around him.

#Tatort Stuttgart #ask thingie #thanks! #sorry that thought took a while to finish

[daughter-of-melpomene]

Pride and prejudice OCs you say....

Tell me everything 🤩

Your wish is my command, Layne my darling!! I hereby introduce you to the Kaur siblings, Ananya and Rohan!! (And I’m also gonna tag my beloved @oneirataxia-girl since I know she’s a fan of these babies. <3)

Now, Rohan is the older sibling and the next in like for his family’s title and small fortune. His and Ananya’s father is a baron of decent means, who met their mother on a trip to India shortly after he inherited the title from his own father and married her (and would have taken her last name if he could have, but settled for allowing his children to take it instead). Their family isn’t incredibly rich or important, somewhere between the Bennets and the Bingleys in terms of money, but they have a decent-sized estate and some good business contacts that Rohan has been trained to take over since he was only ten years old.

The thing is, though, that Rohan doesn’t want to take over the estate once he gets married - he’s never had a head for business or managing relationships. He’s a bookworm through and through, fascinated with history and the pursuit of knowledge itself, and he’d much rather be holed up in the estate’s library all day with his nose in any informational text he can get his hands on than dealing with a bunch of stodgy old nobleman. And as much as his father loves him and wishes he could let him fulfill his dream of being a historian, Rohan is his only son, and his sister has no more of a head for business than he does, so unless he manages to marry a woman capable of running the estate, it’s going to be up to Rohan to keep things going.

Rohan, understandably, is incredibly upset about the whole situation, especially because he doesn’t ever really intend to marry (due to the fact that he is not interested in women at all and is, unfortunately, not allowed to marry another man). But when his parents make the decision to move their estate to Hertfordshire, wanting a bit of a quieter life as they get older, Rohan finds the perfect solution in one Elizabeth Bennet. He and Lizzie become fast friends after meeting, bonded by their love of reading and knowledge in general, and it also doesn’t take Rohan long to notice that Lizzie and his little sister seem to be taking a particular interest in one another - the same kind of interest he and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy have been taking in each other at the same time. And as luck would have it, Ananya seems to get along splendidly with Mr. Darcy as well, despite their vastly different personalities.

This whole turn of events leads Rohan to think of a (in his opinion, anyway) genius plan: he will marry Elizabeth and Ananya will marry Mr. Darcy. That way, he can leave the running of his family’s estate up to Lizzie, who has much more of a talent for running things than he does, Lizzie’s family will get a better life since Lizzie has married into nobility, and to top it all off, their little group of four will all be able to spend time with their respective lovers with little fear of having to keep a secret and absolutely no jealousy. It’s a bit of a crazy plan, he knows (and Darcy makes it very clear that he thinks so), but still a good one, and so the four of them go along with it. And so Rohan winds up married to his best friend while having nightly rendezvous with the man he loves and that his wife used to hate, while his beloved little sister does the same thing, just in reverse.

And speaking of little sister, let’s talk about Ananya!! She is a genuine ray of sunshine, almost always smiling and letting out the sweetest little giggle every time someone says something she finds funny. She is also decidedly her and Rohan’s mother’s favorite child, a fact which the woman would never admit and that Ananya would never hold over Rohan’s head, but it’s true nonetheless; for the most part, she has always been a perfect little proper lady who needed little training on matters of etiquette and manners, and her mother adores her for that.

But there is still that for the most part, and it lies in the fact that Ananya loves to get dirty in the garden. Despite the fact that her family does have a gardener on staff, she’s basically in charge of the garden both at their estate in the city and in Hertfordshire, and if anyone ever can’t find her in the house it’s a pretty safe bet that she can be found in the garden, soiling the knees of one of her day dresses with her hands shoved into the soil. It drives her mother just a little bit crazy, but she also doesn’t really do too much about it considering the floral arrangements Ananya puts together for the house always get positive comments from visitors.

Still, the countess always tells her daughter, she won’t be able to garden forever once she gets married - which Ananya doesn’t want to do, really, for very similar reasons to her older brother. When the family moves to Hertfordshire and she meets Lizzie Bennet, of course, she very much reconsiders that, and it breaks her heart every time she has to remind herself that she can never marry the person she truly loves.

Of course, Ananya then strikes up a truly unexpected friendship with Fitzwilliam Darcy - they are very much a sunshine/sunshine protector friendship - whose estate has an amazing garden, and Rohan eventually proposes his plan for he and Ananya to marry their friends and meet up with their lovers in secret. Ananya is head over heels in love with Lizzie, with her witty remarks and bright smiles that she seems to reserve specifically for Ananya, so of course she agrees to Rohan’s scheme and accepts Darcy’s proposal of marriage - especially because it will make her parents happy, and especially because Darcy agrees to give her full control over the estate’s garden and she enjoys proving her mother wrong that little bit.

Anyways, those are my two Pride & Prejudice babies!! I will make a proper intro post for them at some point, but for now feel free to ask more questions about them if you want to!!

#asks about my ocs #oc: ananya kaur #oc: rohan kaur

[funbonded]

Every night always , it never changes but we can make 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 happen .

[ ⋆ ] MUTUALS  ONLY  FUNTIME  FREDDY  OF  FIVE  NIGHT  AT  FREDDY’S  by  SAVBEAR  established  July  17th  2020   

I've been writing Funtime Freddy for over 3 years now and before following you should take note that this blog is;

Highly gorey &   highly selective , multiship , crossover friendly & oc   friendly .   18 + ABSOLUTELY NO MINORS !

Includes all cannon verses/variants/divergent/crossovers as well as a human verse

HUMAN V. FC: ALEX BRIGHTMAN AS BEETLEJUICE.

⋆ # 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃  ⋆

⚰️  OTHER BLOGS INCLUDE:  @moralpuppet​ , @ursadolls

affiliated with: @nanobawn​ , @faztastiic & @rockcoins​

CARRD .  PROMO / PROMO 2.  PLAYLIST . /tw: blood under readmore.

MINI BIO / go to my carrd for more. verses etc / tw death mention

Once created to entertain children and then reprogrammed to kill and harvest souls into remnant. Laughter engulfed by horrified screams. Days in the spotlight were no more. He has a distrust for humans and enjoys killing them.

He is not possessed. Funtime Freddy merely collects the souls of his victims to convert into remnant which he uses as a fuel to gain and maintain sentience.

Funtime Freddy  is an animatronic bear with pink/purple accents around his eyes. His patterning prompted him to insist on being referred to as a panda, specifically. Funtime Freddy, who now, after seeing through many pizzerias resides in his Funhouse in Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizza Plex. 

Using his chest cavity, Funfred  can provide an array of different ways to execute and maim. One in which includes a make-shift guillotine out of a sheet of metal within his chest cavity. In the absence of his hand puppet Funfred's right wrist slot is empty. No rabbit companion (unless interacting with an rper who writes Bonbon/Bonnet) and no hand.

Funfred being a panda is my own personal headcannon that has been a part of my portrayal since the very beginning.

DASH RULES check my carrd for more information

One. General Roleplay etiquette applies, be respectful & don't even think about interacting me if you're a proshipper, terf, or racist. Please note you have to be 18+ to interact with any of my blogs mostly do to gore. & no I do not RP smut. MUN IS NOT MUSE! Funfred has horrendous thoughts/opinions and beliefs that I do not condone.

I DO NOT SUPPORT SCOTT CAWTHON

Two. DNI/ I don't engage with people who are problematic or present problematic behaviour such as proshipping/pedophilia/ or you are a terf/ableist/racist/antisemitist or you show any kind of hate to anyone like that . If you see me interacting with someone problematic likely I haven't been informed yet and shall deal with it accordingly as soon as I am informed. I don't support anyone who does any of that nasty behavior and I never will and if you know you engage in such behaviors then please refrain from interacting with me. You're not welcome. Likewise don't bring drama onto my blog. If you see someone problematic here just message me privately. I won't be reblogging callouts.

Three.  FOLLOWING. I'm selective. If I haven't followed back please don't take it personally. If we are mutuals and you decide to unfollow then soft block please otherwise I will see you on my Dash and still think we are mutuals and I don't really want to have to browse a list of followers to check every time I go to interact.

Four.  VARIANTS I don't mind variants or to word it better people who play the same character as me JUST DON'T STEAL MY HEADCANNONS.

Five. TRIGGERS Warnings for you: This blog can be very gorey I also require you to be 18+ for this reason. Please do not follow if you're a minor. Gore , Death, Child murder

Six.  SHIPPING I prefer to ship Funfred with other animatronics/anthros/other robots/mechanical beings/cryptids no humans just a personal preference. Chemistry is a must! & I do not rp smut. 

NOTE ON AFFILIATIONS: the concept to me means that if you’re affiliated with my muse and mine is affiliated with yours that means I consider your portrayal my main and will most likely consider our cannons intertwined. I do not do exclusives as I understand everyone’s portrayals are unique and I am happy to see my friends interact with people who play the same muse/s as me and vice versa!

Likewise if you want to be affiliated and these terms don't suit you , please don't hesitate to speak to me I'm open to discussion always ! Same with shipping and other connections !

#[ ⋆ ] 𝙜𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 ! / 𝙤𝙤𝙘 . #⋆ 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 / 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 .

[farieshades]

What do you think about Arthurs characterisation and the fact that the show gives him layers and smarts yet he seems to be a royal prat and idiotic more times than not?

Outside Knowledge 

King Arthur is without question the greatest and most heroic figure in English mythology, and a vast medieval cycle of legend and semi-history is built around him. In many works he is a great warrior, never hesitating to lead his army and men into battle. He is an idealistic statesman who constructs many new and different laws. He is very christian in creation and very devoted to the well-being of the kingdom (and the entirety of the UK area of the time). However, in the BBC adaptation, as you have mentioned, he is a 'royal prat and idiotic.’ In some cases this works in humanizing an otherwise very impossible standerd that some (like Alfred Tennyson) authors write Arthur as. 

There are plenty of points where Arthur grows as a person throughout the show, however, when it suited the writers, those aspects vanish and are either relearned or just avoided for an episode or so. Our vision that we see is of a warrior, one who solves problems with conflict, evident from the very first episode. However, many of the problems the audience sees (that is, the things that Merlin is dealing with, we know we are missing plenty of months through episodes and years between seasons at times - times that may have shown a stronger Kingly look at Arthur rather than what the audience gets to see how Merlin sees his King), are subtle and manipulative, the type that won't be fought with swords and shields (something that Arthur has perfected of course, and his knights) but poisoned words and cunning remarks (something that Morgana perfected, and that Gwen and Merlin required to learn quickly).

BBC Merlin humanized Arthur, and I think, oddly enough, humanizing him makes this more a believable character. He gets angry and jealous, he can act silly and idiotic and make bad choices, and while the first season this feels very heavy, the more we see, the more it feels like a front. The snipes to Merlin are teasing, and Merlin is unafraid of doing the same back, so much so that when Merlin doesn't, it signifies something is wrong. 

Characterization

A lot of what drives Arthur, in the early seasons, is courtly behaviour. He feels there is a need to act in a certain way, go on hunts that become less and less as the series continues, be the best knight around (which is quickly squashed by Lancelot, but that's also very much accurate to the lore as well), and this all seems to change early on. Or, the "Wait-Until-My-Father-Hears-About-This" syndrom he had in the first few episodes vanishes very quickly when he sees injustice (namely our wonderful "I can't watch him die.//Then don't look" from The Poisoned Chalice). This Arthur, as opposed to many others, was also raised in royalty, he has known the finer things in life and not much else (unless on patrol). He is raised with servants, and having anything he needs and with not much manners. Then again, he probably wasn't close to any nursemaids and he's definitely not learning etiquette from his father outside of a 'don't-embarrass-me' teachings.

We don't get much of a look at royal (or otherwise) education of the time, but it's to be believed that Merlin learned from Hunith to read and write, suggesting a form of learning in the lower outer border cities which would imply a higher type in the cities. Thus it's likely Arthur had many tutors in many subjects, and while we could make educated guesses, all we really know is "I've been trained to kill since birth" suggesting from a young age that Arthur was being trained as a knight, possibly as young as 7 to begin (7 because this is the typical age that a boy would become a Page while one could become a Squire at 14... although I have no citation on this and am taking someones word at face value, although apparently google says there's currently classes for 5 year olds who want to train with lightsabers so who knows how ages work, I work with younguns and can definitelly see a 4 year old waving a branch around wildly, but maybe a 5 year old with the barest of bones of training... and i've gotten very off topic.). Theoretically, Arthur could have been also taught by Uther's honour guard from as soon as he could hold a sword, though 410-1066AD from when Rome leaves to when Saxons have control, all very unclear. I'd love anyone's knowledge on this!

Arthur is also emotionally stuntted, in my opinion, which doesn't help with the Prat thing, he doesn't express emotion well, and when he does its how he's been shown affection - playful roughhousing with knights - and he also doesn't use words well, especially in the beginning. This does change throughout, well the expressing things softly and kindly, the roughhousing remains in lesser extents. As King, he is a well respected one. His rule appears one of justice and mercy, as one can see with Kara's trial, and honour both in action and word is highly stressed.

#bbc merlin #merlin and arthur #the adventures of merlin #medieval #character study #analysis #alfred tennyson #arthurian lore

[thethistlegirlwrites]

1. which ocs are the most touch-starved?

2. which ocs are most likely to be caught eating cheese at 3 am?

3. which ocs can, and do, go days without sleeping?

7. which ocs would feel super out of place at a formal event? which ocs are completely fine with it?

11. which ocs have to be reminded to take breaks?

22. which ocs are most flexible? which ocs are least?

28. which ocs like coffee more than tea?

33. which ocs can speak multiple languages? how many can they speak?

34. which ocs are clumsiest? which ocs are graceful?

45. which ocs have the best intuition?

50. which ocs speak fluent sarcasm?

Thank you for these!

From this list

which ocs are the most touch-starved?

Will and Jim. Neither of their families are big on touchy-feely affection, but they both are, so they're always awkward about it. Matti is a little more touch-starved during the course of the story because he misses his family's generous affection, but overall, it's Will and Jim.

which ocs are most likely to be caught eating cheese at 3 am?

Will or Matti. Their sleep schedules are totally off kilter and especially after a shift, they're likely to be very hungry. It's more likely they'd be going after any meat in the fridge than cheese, but if that's all they can find, they'll take the protein and fats.

which ocs can, and do, go days without sleeping?

Lina would do it for a story, if she is on a stakeout or has some deadline to meet. She has been known to be fueled entirely by coffee and spite for some of her bigger expose articles.

Will used to try and stay awake in self defense after some of the scarier incidents of sleepwalking. He was so afraid of what he might have done or what might have gone wrong that he tried to stay awake just to avoid having it happen again, but eventually he stopped trying because that only made things even worse when he finally did fall asleep.

which ocs would feel super out of place at a formal event? which ocs are completely fine with it?

Matti would feel incredibly out of place at anything fancy; he gets easily overwhelmed by too much noise and crowds, and since he grew up on a small farm, he doesn't feel confident interacting with people in these settings. Lina is able to blend in, even if they're not really her thing. Jim's family was fairly socially prominent, so while he's not really a fan of formal events, he's probably the one who is most likely to remember all the etiquette. Will would have to be forcibly restrained from hiding under a table to avoid dealing with the whole situation.

which ocs have to be reminded to take breaks?

Basically all of them, for different reasons.

Lina can get so wrapped up in a story she forgets everything else, and coupling that with deadlines and the serious impact of the stories she writes, it can be hard to convince her to take some time off. She kept Oreo partly because she got attached but also partly because he reminds her to take time off and deal with real life, and take him for walks which forces her to reset.

Will is just trying to keep his family from being mad at him, and get through school and get a scholarship so he can finally be out from under their thumb, so he tends to tie up all his time with either being helpful around the house or going above and beyond on his homework.

Matti ends up having times where taking a break really doesn't come up as an option. Farming tends to be very literally 'make hay while the sun shines' and if they're rushing to get a crop in before bad weather, a break isn't really in the cards unless there's enough people to tag team. If things aren't so demanding, Matti's better about resting when he needs to, but there are times he doesn't think it's an option.

Jim is slowly learning to take breaks when he needs them for his leg. He tends to overcommit to things, and then feels obligated to do them all even when he really doesn't want to. And his family never really listened to him about his physical issues, since no doctor could ever find out what they were. They eventually assumed he was faking them to get out of doing things he didn't want to, and forced him to go along to events and parties to maintain the family image and keep people from talking about him. He's slowly learning that that's not healthy, and how to set his own boundaries for what he can and cannot manage.

which ocs are most flexible? which ocs are least?

Lina and Matti are the most flexible, at least in personalities. Lina has to be, to live on the road the way she does, and Matti is just naturally the sort of person to take things as they come and deal with them.

Physically, it's Lina and Will. Matti is usually sore and stiff from farm work, and Jim's leg issues mean he's not likely to be doing anything even remotely demanding that might make him regret it the next day. Lina has been known to squeeze herself into distressingly small/cramped spaces to get what she needs for a story, and Will has more than once fallen off his bike only to jump back up and keep going like nothing even happened.

which ocs like coffee more than tea?

As the only actual human of the group, Lina is the only one who can drink coffee (or any caffeinated beverage) without severe repercussions. Everyone else either gets super weird or is basically allergic to it.

which ocs can speak multiple languages? how many can they speak?

Matti and Will both speak fluent German, it's their first language that they learned at home from their families. Lina speaks a bit of French, Italian, and can read some Russian, and she can also seamlessly imitate a lot of regional and city accents to fit in in places she goes to work on an article.

which ocs are clumsiest? which ocs are graceful?

Matti is clumsy around people. He's used to his family not really caring if there are random collisions or close contact, so he's not good at personal space. He's good around farm equipment to avoid being burned by the iron, though.

Jim is clumsy partly because of his leg acting up sometimes. He's also pretty blind without his glasses so if he doesn't leave them somewhere he can grab them first thing in the morning, he'll have to bumble through the house looking for them.

Will has random spates of just straight up lack of coordination, which is how he burned his arm as a kid. He's usually pretty okay, but some days he just spazzes out completely for no reason he can explain.

Lina is definitely the most coordinated of the group. She's good at avoiding being seen if she wants to be, and can sneak into places without getting caught.

which ocs have the best intuition?

Matti has a great instinctive sense of danger, but Lina is definitely the one with the best sense about when people are hiding something or what their true intentions are.

which ocs speak fluent sarcasm?

Answered here!

#asks #scrapbook of the unexplained #jim mcbride #matti brinkerhoff #lina shaw #will bauer

[rrasado]

AY welcome back! Hope your having a great day and staying healthy! May i request a headcannon for demon! mc but they aren't your normal demon they are 👑royalty👑 like diavolo

(This is twst request so how do the twst boys react?)

Hell’s Monarch Who?

We gonna hella free style this djdndn, I’m gonna go with the Vices so Le go!-

I’m writing this before I go to bed so please excuse any typos djdjdjdh, I never expected anyone to even want my writing so this request honestly caught me off guard

When you’re of demon royalty:

Say that again but slowly

Oh you said it again- yoU ARE WHAT²?

Mans probably saw a lot already especially as a third year student of Heartslabyul. From flying table wear to gloating heads to a ritual party door mouse- but to think you are of Royal descent- no scratch that of deMONIC DESCENT-

Congrats this is the second time you’ve broke down his walls after Riddle’s Overblot.

He’s definitely gonna be a bit more precise with whatever food he makes for you from now on, probably discreetly console what type of extreme food you can even consume

Who knows? This might be a good learning experience for him in case a demon drops by the family bakery- yeah right he just got even more infatuated with you without even knowing.

...so you rich rich- no no fr you have demonic dough on you huh-

OK OK- but in all seriousness he’s gonna be a bit- scratch that expect him to be around you more a lot, whether to chat or to find an opportunity to leach off of u- he’s gonna take that time and go.

You aren’t the first inhuman Royal he’s had to deal with. But you’re definitely the first demonus species he’s ever even encountered. Hey gotta roll with life am I right-

No it’s not life that’s rolling it Ruggie rolling over to you from across the courtyard on your way to lunch.

All in all he’s gonna be curious on the shiny aspect of your lineage. He’s already seen what Leona has but how are demon royalty different in such aspect-

Hey if you feel it he can jokes about getting a position in your court or something-/j...unless-

And we all thought he couldn’t get anymore inquisitive.

You turn the hallway- oh hi Leech-senpai! You fall in line for an event- oh jade didn’t expect to see you here!

This man loves observing anything unusual to him. He hates anything predictable but seeing as he was from the depths of the sea a....you being of another realm and lineage is far from predictable in his book.

If Ruggie was always around then this man is always observing from afar. Unlike the hyena he takes a significantly more subtle approach when it comes to nitpicking someone as enigmatic as yourself.

Once the routine lengthens and he’s taken note of everything he can from afar, then and only then does he take a closer look.

He might invite you over to the lounge if the opportunity strikes him. Knowing jade he’ll make a way for said opportunity to come as naturally as you enticing him.

His mind says no but his body says yes.

Before you cackle let me elaborate- the initial response in his mental flow is to stay as frckin far away from you as possible. But his physical instincts tell him to stay by you.

Maybe it was due to how many times Kalim was put in danger. But if he knew anything...it’s too observe whats out of the norm as much as you can and think of a counter.

Oh dear Jamil you complete and utter fool, he mistakes being enthralled by your unique biology for wanting to observe you out of obligation as a protector to his ‘master’

He wants to see the world right? What the world can offer him from beyond the walls of the mansions and elegant vicinities he’s had to serve in. You give him a taste of that ngl.

In short the man might be a tad bit more open the more you two share what you knew about the high way of life. From both perspectives of course... with you from the top and him from the side.

And here we thought Ruggie and Jade were diligent.

This man redefined the word INTRIGUED- unlike jade he...never allows himself to be seen.

But also unlike jade he’s more lenient in approaching you, observing every single mannerism of your up close to nitpick whether your unique blood differentiates your etiquette to pure humans or whether your mannerisms are the result of only a royal’s poise.

The self proclaimed love hunter has always held Vil in high regard like the very Beautiful queen herself- but observing you gives him more of an idea of the difference between true royals and the acclaimed.

Everything you do everything you interact with- he finds an otherworldly sense in it, even just the way you converse with someone he senses that subdued aura of authority.

Beaut 100 all the way

Hyper bb does analyzations on the spot-

Is that why you come off on his sensors? Like you look like the others minus this ethereal charm you’ve always had but other than that. Wow you slipped from under his view, literally.

The dear is more curious than intrigued, he wants to know more but in a more kid sense (?). Imagine talking to a kid who’s never explored the world before- ye that.

Like I mean it’s not wrong since the world is your world and not only that but just like his big brother you are tied to Nobel duties, except...amplified-

OMG ARE YOU GONNA MARRY FOR DIPLOMATIC REASONS TO-

He remembers the many legends that hailed from the internet His brother. Which won’t take much to figure that they’re likely myths from the isle. Overall...pls be patient with him his reactors aren’t meant for royals from another realm.

Not...surprised? No wait scratch that- he isn’t as caught off guard as the others.

Man is probably as old as the campus/j. He’s seen his fair share of mystical things that go beyond the average wizard’s scope of specialty- but to think he’d be in the presence of demonic royalty?

Are you an heir? In line for the throne? Do you have any royal duties in need of attending despite being here in NRC? No the better question is how old are you-

On a more serious note. Lilia would most likely be intrigued by whatever difference there is with the monarchy of hell to the monarchy of the valley of thorns.

He’s no stranger to insults and racial discrimination, even his own race have been called demons at one point in history, whether he detested it or not was a secret. So you being an actual demon...perhaps you can enlighten this old soul?

Overall...You’d feel a lot more at ease with him. You’d feel like you’re talking to the ol palace advisers rather than a curious human. Ah...that’s to be expected.

#I apologize for any ooc #I #have no idea on what I just did dkdjdj #I never wrote legit headcanons for the twst boys before so this is..an experience #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twst writing #twst trey #twst ruggie #twst jade #twst jamil #twst rook #twst ortho #twst lilia #rras writes #rras’ inbox

[robininthelabyrinth]

Prompt - Nie Mingjue's temper is already not great at the Phoenix hunt, so when they haul out men and women, some who look a great deal more like frightened peasants than cultivators he snaps, this is not how you treat POWs, it turns into a riot/battle and Jiang Cheng has had enough of kowtowing to the Jin and he and the new Jiang sect members and Wei Wuxian all rally to Nie Mingjue, does anyone else? Where to the Lan fall? Was nie mingjue's snap directly at jgy or more in general?

ao3

Nie Mingjue was, probably for the first time in his life, tired of fighting.

He’d fought in secret against the Wen sect for years, thanklessly defending the other sects that had refused to even acknowledge Wen Ruohan’s actions for years on end, and yet it had not prepared him for the brutality that was open warfare, for the difficulty of being the general of the entire Sunshot Campaign, for the burden of knowing that so many lives depended on him and him alone. He’d fought battle after battle, won tremendous victories, and yet the last hope had seemed out of reach – he’d eventually resorted to a desperate stratagem that had gone wrong – he had been tortured, mocked, his men killed – and at the moment of when all seemed lost, he was saved.

Saved…only to realize that it was Meng Yao being credited with it, with being their spy, and Lan Xichen had not told him.

He’d limped back to his camp, but they’d chased after him, and the news of what Meng Yao had done got out – not really a surprise; given the man’s ambitions, if someone else hadn’t spread it he would have done it himself – and in the end, politics had meant that there really hadn’t been much of a choice about swearing sworn brotherhood with the two of them, binding them together in life and death, not unless he wanted to risk another war.

Nie Mingjue very, very much did not want another war.

He had still not fully recovered from his injuries by the time the Jin sect had set up a celebration in the Nightless City, with Jin Guangshan using Nie Mingjue’s refusal to take on any of Wen Ruohan’s ridiculous trappings as an excuse to all but name himself Chief Cultivator in the man’s place. Nie Mingjue knew he should have protested then, but he was tired, his sect in need of rebuilding – they had been the ones bearing the brunt of the war, as they always had, and the only reason they were not the worst off of the Great Sects was because of what the Wens had done to the Cloud Recesses and the Lotus Pier – and he’d never really wanted personal advancement, anyway.

After what had happened with his father, he’d had a lifetime’s worth of being promoted.

Besides, as part and parcel of their self-granted promotion, the Jin sect had promised to take care of the worst of the clean-up, including dealing with the prisoners of war, and that had seemed fine, even a good result. After spending half his life doing things for other people, Nie Mingjue would return home to focus on that which matter most to him, and for once someone else would take the lead in caring for the rest of the world.

It wasn’t like the Jin sect couldn’t afford a few more mouths to feed. 

It wasn’t like their coffers were anywhere near empty, or that they needed to rebuild; it wasn’t as though they’d ever stopped trade with Qishan or actually led in a major battle or - he should stop thinking about it before he became angry. 

He’d been angry for so long. It would be nice to stop for a while.

Of course, it felt as though he’d barely settled in back at home before he was being summoned for yet another celebration hosted by the Jin sect, this time at Phoenix Mountain. A hunt, no less, and it was so pointedly designed as the sort of thing that the Nie sect favored that it would have been impossible to turn down the invitation. Not to mention, the invitation had oh-so-casually mentioned that Jin Guangyao, his sworn brother, would be the one in charge of setting up the hunt, meaning that any disruption or failure cause damage not only to his own reputation but to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen’s, for having sworn with him.

Jin Guangshan would either have his day in the sun or a reason to tear everyone else down - a win-win situation for him, lose-lose for everyone else.

Fucking politics.

Still, there wasn’t anything for it. They had to go, so they went.

Nie Mingjue felt himself drifting back into that disconnected state that had allowed him to survive years of discussion conferences hosted by his father’s murderer. It was a strange sort of state, that allowed him to do the things he had to do to support his sect while feeling as though the world was separated from him by a window through which he watched everything happen. Anything that occurred beyond that window – all sounds and sights and even emotional reactions – was dulled or even muted; he could look Wen Ruohan right in the eye and think to himself of how much he longed to slaughter the man where he stood for his crimes, look at Jiang Fengmian smiling quite sincerely at Wen Ruohan and Lan Qiren bowing to him as if he was a man worthy of respect, as if they weren’t hypocrites that took Wen Ruohan’s money in trade and said apologetically that there wasn’t anything anyone could prove about Nie Mingjue’s father’s death, and yet, no matter how much he hated them all, his body would do nothing. 

He would drink tea, and nod, and he would not breach etiquette, he would not bring war down on his sect’s head, he would do nothing.

Sitting in a place of honor at Phoenix Mountain felt much the same: yet another burden to bear, a torment that he could only hope passed quickly.

(It wasn’t healthy, but then again, what was? His entire life was grist for the mill that was his sect’s well-being, shortened by excessive cultivation and stress and endless rage, and knowing it didn’t change anything.)

He saw in the corner of his eye the way his little brother’s eyes flickered to him and then frown – he’d never liked it when Nie Mingjue went quiet and passive, knowing how alien the feeling was to him, knowing through fellow-feeling what it felt like, though perhaps he was wondering why the state had come upon him now again when Wen Ruohan was already dead and gone, even though it had never really just been about Wen Ruohan. 

Perhaps because of that fellow-feeling, Nie Huaisang found a conversational interlude hat allowed him to slide over a little closer than politeness dictated, casually putting a hand on Nie Mingjue’s arm as if to beg for something. He knew that Nie Mingjue took comfort in the touch, in the reminder that with his saber at his side and his brother within arms’ reach, Nie Mingjue felt as thought he had everything he valued most in this rotten world close enough that he could try to protect it.

And then the Jin sect – using Jin Guangyao as their mouthpiece, though whether it was because of his skillful silver tongue or simply because they didn’t think he was worth anything more than that, only he would know – announced that they would kick off the hunt with some entertainment.

Nie Mingjue lifted his cup of tea to his lips, feeling pained, and his eyes briefly met with Lan Qiren’s across the hall, no longer in the place of the sect leader but slightly behind, his expression making clear that the same thought was on both their minds – anything but the prostitutes again.

(Surely Jin Guangyao had a bit more self-respect than that…?)

When a bunch of people in chains were marched out, Nie Mingjue had only enough presence of mind to be briefly relieved that the presence of mixed genders meant that they were probably not prostitutes – Lanling Jin abided by rules relating to birth gender and sexuality that seemed nearly as strict as the rules they were always criticizing Gusu Lan over, and according to them no one ever switched or was misaligned or deviated at all, which frankly seemed more than a little bizarre and unbelievable – and then uncomfortable because, well, they were in chains. Weren’t they supposed to be done with war?

And then Jin Guangyao started announcing the rules of some sort of ridiculous archery contest that the younger generation would engage in, and for a moment that seemed almost a relief as well – as a sect leader, Nie Mingjue was excluded from the younger generation despite being only a few years older than the rest of them, and of course there was no point in expecting his brother to participate in any competition of martial skill, and so for a moment it seemed as though this could be another part of this torturous endless experience that he could just tune out.

Indeed, that he was obligated to tune out. No matter how idiotic it was, whatever it was, whatever he thought about it (and he wouldn’t like it, he knew he wouldn’t like it, he’d never liked anything Wen Ruohan – no, that Jin Guangshan, insofar as there was that much of a difference – he’d never liked anything Jin Guangshan had set up in nearly ten years of working together, and odds were good that he wouldn’t like this), Nie Mingjue still had to think first of his sect and the consequences of making a fuss, and that meant he didn’t. He didn’t want a war, and so he had to be polite, restrained, quiet, no matter what he thought.

It wasn’t that hard to simply pull back even further. Nie Mingjue had been suppressing righteousness in favor of etiquette at these horrible conferences for such a long time that it came naturally to him, the way all bad habits did.

Only this time he’d brought Nie Huaisang with him, which he’d always resisted before, and his brother’s hand tightened on his arm to the point of pain.

Nie Mingjue’s first thought, stupidly enough, was to be pleased by the discovery that Nie Huaisang actually had some arm muscle underneath all those prissy frills he favored. His second was concern that Nie Huaisang had suddenly taken ill – with admittedly a bit of hopefulness that perhaps it would be something they could use as an excuse to leave early, as long as it wasn’t that serious – but when he turned to look at him his brother didn’t seem sick.

He seemed – angry?

Not Huaisang, Nie Mingjue thought, heart abruptly seized with an ancient fear. He knew perfectly well what he’d gotten himself into when it came to the saber spirits, had accepted years ago that he would die young, die early, die horribly and alone with nothing but his rage, but that was not going to be Nie Huaisang’s fate, not if he had anything to say about it. 

The fear curdled in his chest, and it felt as though a crack appeared on the window that shielded him from all sensation, all pain and desperation forced far away.

No one was talking, other than Jin Guangyao droning on and on about whatever the new entertainment was – Nie Mingjue had stopped paying attention long ago – and so he couldn’t ask Nie Huaisang what was wrong, but he looked at him and furrowed his brow, trying to convey the question silence.

Nie Huaisang caught the glance and understood, and his mouth moved, shaping silent sounds – it’s an execution, they’re going to kill them –

What?

Baxia, lying by his side as she always did during these meetings, shifted a little, her rage nudging against Nie Mingjue’s mind as it always did – sometimes he thought she hated these meetings as much as he did, other times he was sure of it – and the crack in the window got a little wider, let in a little more light and color and sound, and Nie Mingjue found a thread of willpower to force himself to listen to what the entertainment Jin Guangyao was proposing actually was.

He replayed the words in his mind, turned to look at the people in chains – Wen sect, apparently, and though he couldn’t tell on sight whether they were civilians or cultivators, that didn’t matter. Not even criminals were executed like this, by standing at a distance and waiting to die, not even able to hope for an expert aiming to kill quickly and cleanly, but through a misplaced arrow that could strike them anywhere, cause them a lingering and painful death…this was supposed to be a game?

This was meant to be their entertainment?

The window between Nie Mingjue and the world shattered.

And suddenly all he felt was rage.

“What,” Nie Mingjue said, even as Jin Zixuan got up with a set expression on his face to accept a bow from his servant, “are you doing?”

Jin Zixuan paused, looking puzzled – and no surprise, since Nie Mingjue hadn’t said anything beyond the most mundane greetings when he first arrived. “Sect Leader Nie..?”

Nie Mingjue rose to his feet, his brother’s hand falling off of his arm as if he’d shaken him off like a dog. “What are you doing?” he demanded, louder this time. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Da-ge –” Jin Guangyao said, an obvious hint, a reminder of their relationship – Nie Mingjue was the one bound by it, the older brother responsible for setting a good example, and for all that Jin Guangyao was supposed to listen to him and follow his lead Nie Mingjue had never seen a hint that he’d ever planned to do so – but Nie Mingjue didn’t listen to him.

He was angry.

It felt good to be angry – a clean anger, a righteous anger, anger at injustice being perpetrated right before his eyes.

(Something so poisonous as rage shouldn’t feel this good.)

“This is an abomination,” he said, a touch of the battlefield in his voice so that it would be audible throughout the hall, would spread far and wide for all to hear. “Those are people you’re putting on the line.”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Jin Zixun, Jin Guangshan’s nephew, broke it with an abrupt laugh. “Sect Leader Nie,” he said, pretending to smile, “surely you don’t think so little of us to suggest that my cousin would miss –”

“I don’t care even if he does strike true,” Nie Mingjue snapped. “You do not play with the lives of men.”

“Hardly men,” a minor sect leader, closely affiliated with the Jin sect, said. Sect Leader Qin, if Nie Mingjue placed him right. “Perhaps you did not hear, Chifeng-zun –” It was always his title they used when they wanted to avoid calling him sect leader, when they were trying to make a point about how young and angry and foolish they thought he was. “– but those are Wen-dogs.”

“I don’t care who or what they are,” Nie Mingjue shouted, and now he had fallen back into his body, back into the battlefield, because this was a battlefield; it was only that he had allowed himself – through tiredness or shock or a desire for peace – to forget it for a moment. “Is this not a celebration of peace, the end of war? If they are criminals, sentence them; if they are condemned, execute them with a sword. Even a rabid beast deserves to be put down cleanly, not to be used as target practice by children for the entertainment of others!”

There was movement in the crowd, multiple people shifting from one side to the other, the audience abruptly uncomfortable when faced not only with a gory spectacle but their own complicity in it.

“Sect Leader Nie, calm yourself,” Jin Guangshan said. His voice was stern, irritatingly condescending – as if he thought that styling himself as Chief Cultivator gave him the right to act as if he were Nie Mingjue’s father. “You go too far for proper etiquette; will you not give any face to me, as your host? Naturally, if you have a complaint, I will hear it –”

“I don’t recall the moment I yielded to your authority in matters of ethics, Sect Leader Jin,” Nie Mingjue snapped. “Please, feel free to remind me – the last I recall it, you were the one begging me for assistance.”

“Sect Leader Nie!” Jin Guangshan shouted, rising to his feet with his face starting to purple.

Nie Mingjue saw the furious glance he sent at a frantic Jin Guangyao – control him already! – and it makes his own rage surge even higher. It was not that he didn’t know that his sworn brother was being used as leverage against him, but to have it shoved right into his face like that, to think that they thought that etiquette and brotherhood would be sufficient to make him complaisant – to allow Jin Guangyao to run roughshod over his morality – to think that it had nearly worked –

“Sect Leaders, please.” That was Lan Xichen, standing up as well, his hands outstretched. “Is this not meant to be a celebration of peace?”

For a moment, Nie Mingjue thought he was standing up for his sake, supporting him in decrying what was happening in front of them – something he despised as much as Nie Mingjue did, that much was obvious from his stance – but then his eyes flicked from Nie Mingjue to Jin Guangyao as well, silently beseeching Nie Mingjue to remember how his actions could hurt Jin Guangyao’s standing, and Nie Mingjue felt cold.

So much for brotherhood, it seemed. How much was he supposed to bear on behalf of Jin Guangyao without receiving anything in return?

He turned his face away.

If the Nie sect had to make this stand alone, so be it. Even if it meant war, war against the rest of the cultivation world, war that would be ruinous to his sect...

There was no choice. The Nie sect stood for refusing to tolerate evil; to do any less would be to throw off the traditions of his ancestors more wholly than Nie Huaisang’s refusal to train the saber had ever been. Even on a personal level, he had long criticized others who stood quiet when evil was happening, and he  would not let himself become the hypocrite that so many others had been. 

Nie Mingjue had never before willingly backed away from doing the right thing, the righteous thing, simply because it was hard to do – he would not start now.

“It seems strange that a celebration of peace would begin with death.” That was Jiang Cheng standing up as well, the fourth of the Great Sects. His sister had once been engaged to Jin Zixuan, and she had been invited to the hunt as Madame Jin’s special guest – popular thought had it that the Jin sect would snap her up soon enough, allying with the last remaining sect, and leaving anyone who opposed them to stand alone. But even if that was the plan, it hadn’t happened yet, and Jiang Cheng was putting his voice on Nie Mingjue’s side – Nie Mingjue would have to find a way to repay him for his support later. “Weren’t the Wen sect supposed to be resettled somewhere peaceful? Or was the news I received incorrect?”

“The innocent branch members and civilians were of course resettled,” Jin Guangyao said, and his smile was strained – or was it? Was it actual concern, or some sort of show? Nie Mingjue could never tell with him, not now that he knew how easily the snake changed its skin. “These however are war criminals, sentenced to execution in the manner of our choosing. I hope you all understand: their deaths are in no way comparable to their crimes –”

You would know, having participated in so many of them, Nie Mingjue thought, and levelled a glare at his youngest sworn brother to remind him of that fact. It briefly interrupted the smooth flow of words, making them catch in Jin Guangyao’s throat; at least he had that much shame.

“Can I see?” Nie Huaisang asked in the brief interval, his high voice just as carrying as Nie Mingjue’s shouting – all those music and singing lessons had clearly been worth something.

“See what?” Jin Zixun sneered, stepping forward – and interesting that it was him that did so, while Jin Zixuan, the heir, remained still and silent. His expression was frosty, but he hadn’t yet spoken up in his own father’s defense; hardly filial, but given such a father it was difficult to see what else he could do. “See their crimes? Do you want a list, or for us to drag out their victims to testify? Is this how little your Nie sect thinks of our Jin sect?”

A strong effort on Jin Zixun’s part – it put the burden on them to prove that these were not evildoers and criminals who deserved what was coming to them, made the issue their rudeness and lack of etiquette, made it seem as if they were the ones looking down on everyone.

But for all that Nie Mingjue despaired of Nie Huaisang’s skill at arms, he had never doubted his skill with words.

“You misunderstand me,” Nie Huaisang laughed nervously, hiding his face behind his fan in a gesture of shyness – he made it look as though he were being bullied by Jin Zixun, rather than debating him. “I just meant, well, they’re criminals, right? They must be truly impressive cultivators to fight against the brave soldiers of our Sunshot Campaign…could we see their strength?”

Nie Mingjue knew a cue when he heard one. “Such strength must be considerable to deserve such a fate,” he said scornfully. “Even Wen Ruohan, who killed hundreds, was merely cut down, rather than tormented in the same manner he tortured so many of our cultivators…Or do you think to emulate him in this manner as well?”

“How dare you?!” Jin Guangshan was florid with rage – as if rage would ever stop a Nie. “You come to my home and accuse me with no basis –”

“I do accuse you!” Nie Mingjue shouted, letting his voice trample down Jin Guangshan’s. “But by your own acts you are condemned, by your own callousness and indifference. So much Nie blood was shed to stop Wen Ruohan from running rampant over us all – I would die rather than have spent that blood to buy us nothing more than the same dominion in a different color!”

And then everyone was talking at once, shouting, yelling, and Nie Mingjue took the opportunity to turn on his heel and stride over to Lan Xichen, standing there looking lost. Lan Wangji was beside him, only a step behind, and he caught Nie Mingjue’s eyes as he came over and nodded – he, at least, was with Nie Mingjue in this, and his support gave Nie Mingjue more confidence in what he was about to do. What he had to do.

“Will you abide by your Lan sect’s values and stand with me in this?” he asked Lan Xichen in a low, clipped tone. “Or was my oath of brotherhood only worth the benefits it could get for Meng Yao?”

“Da-ge!” Lan Xichen exclaimed, looking horrified. “Don’t think that, please. Of course I stand with you in this – what they were planning for the Wen sect members goes beyond bad taste and into the horrific.”

He hadn’t meant it the way Nie Mingjue had taken it, then. It must have only been Jin Guangyao’s pleading looks that had led him to take a stand the wrong way, seeking peace and friendship over justice.

“One should not look away from righteousness simply because it would be easier,” Lan Wangji added smoothly, sounding almost as though he were agreeing with his brother and not subtly scolding him. He saluted Nie Mingjue. “You have our full support, regardless of who is on the other side.”

Nie Mingjue continued to look at Lan Xichen who hesitated – no doubt thinking of the tough position they’d just put Jin Guangyao into – but in the end he nodded.

That was fine. Okay, no, it wasn’t fine, but right now he needed Lan Xichen’s support, regardless of his level of enthusiasm; the rest could be dealt with later.

He turned again and went to Jiang Cheng – Wei Wuxian was there as well, having appeared at some point, and he was vociferously yelling at some minor sect leaders. In Nie Mingjue’s favor, at least.

“Sect Leader Nie,” Wei Wuxian said, turning to him before Nie Mingjue could say anything to Jiang Cheng – not that he really need to confirm his support, given the public display from earlier, but it was only polite to come convey his thanks. “There’s something else you should know. I’ve heard some things about the innocent members Wen sect that were supposedly ‘resettled’ – and what’s been happening to them…”

Nie Mingjue glanced at Jin Guangshan, still shouting, and did a quick calculation. “Take Lan Wangji and go check it out at once,” he ordered. “They were supposed to be resettled by the Qiongqi Path. If Sect Leader Jin has been treating these ones so cruelly as this…I’m willing to believe anything right now. But whatever it is, make sure it’s both of you that see it with your own eyes, to make it harder to doubt your words.”

Wei Wuxian saluted him and headed towards Lan Wangji without even seeking approval from his sect leader. Nie Mingjue abruptly felt awkward and looked at Jiang Cheng, but the other man nodded his agreement before he could apologize for commandeering Wei Wuxian as if the other man was still his subordinate.

“At least he listens to you,” Jiang Cheng said, a rueful smile on this face. “Can I convince you to talk some sense into him when all this is done..? I must admit I wasn’t expecting another war so soon.”

“I had hoped we wouldn’t see one for another generation,” Nie Mingjue admitted. “I still hope we can avoid it – it depends on how the smaller sects fall out, and how determined the Jin sect is to dominate the rest, rather than willing to accept equality. But no matter how it goes, we can’t turn our faces away from injustice.”

“Agreed,” Jiang Cheng said with a sigh. “I think we have the better of the argument, and hopefully it sways the rest of them. But have you considered what happens if we win?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sect Leader Jin has been setting himself up as Chief Cultivator. After something like this, even if there’s no actual fighting, that’ll be impossible. You need respect to lead. So who will it be?”

Nie Mingjue experienced a brief moment of horror at the thought of having to take it himself – but no. It was a reasonable solution, of course, but it would also taint the whole thing. It would make his decision to stand up into a tawdry political play, designed to increase his power, rather than a genuine outburst of offended principle.

He might have proposed Lan Xichen as a compromise – he would have, even a shichen earlier. But after that display of weakness from earlier, however brief, he feared that it would somehow end up with Jin Guangyao (and Jin Guangshan behind him) pulling the strings from behind the scenes, using Lan virtue as a cover for their iniquity…no, that wouldn’t do at all.

The only other option was –

Well.

Nie Mingjue had thought to himself that he needed to do something to pay Jiang Cheng back for his support earlier, hadn’t he?

(And at worst, he’d owe him yet another favor.)

Nie Mingjue put his hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “You have my full support,” he said solemnly, and ignored the sudden look of panic on Jiang Cheng’s face. “Think it over before you say no.”

Being Chief Cultivator would do more to restore the Jiang sect to prosperity than anything else Jiang Cheng might do, and he’d put that together himself sooner or later even if the idea of that much responsibility had to be fairly terrible. But before they could decide things like that, they needed to win.

One more fight.

He could do that much.

#mdzs #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #jin guangyao #lan xichen #jin guangshan #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #my fic #my fics #roseunspindle #spectacle

[delightfulcrasher]

How was the Lord in his youth? Was he like any of his sons, or a combination of all of them? Was he forced to act "proper" at such a young age? Did he ever rebel? What were the repercussions if he did? Did Belmont inherit the prankster side through his father (like the Lord was speaking if his antics and it inspired Belmont) ? Is that why he was so strict after he got caught in one of the pranks?

I crave young Lord D content

Dimitrescu in his youth:

The young Lord, Albin Dimitrescu, grew up in the early 20th century. And being part of the esteemed house Dimitrescu, a lot was expected of him.

As it was his birth right to inherit the family name, he had to live, speak and breathe elegance. Even in his childhood he was given strict etiquette behavioural lessons.

I don’t think he would resent being part of the Dimitrescu bloodline, but he did resent the lack of freedom he had. Very little of what he did was his choice, and when he did go against the grain, there were punishments/’lessons’ to ensure he didn’t repeat the same mistake.

I like to think that he enjoyed horse riding. The grounds are big enough to give the races a run for their money, so there is plenty of space for him to practice. His parents were neither for or against it. But let’s just say his parents were less than trilled when they discovered he inherited the blood disease.

It was in the late 1930′s where Albin explored his love for jazz music, and together with the help of his friends at the gentleman's club, formed a touring group. Finally away from the pressures of the house, Albin started to loosen up a bit.

He was more carefree, enjoyable, and even pulled a few good hearted tricks on his fellow band members. It was short lived as he was dragged back to the castle due to the aftermath of the second World War.

Although not fond of his own parents, Albin still respects the heritage of the Dimitrescu household, and thus still wishes to retain its image. He does give his sons behavioural lessons but he is far more lenient than his parents ever were.

And yes, Belmont did get his prankster side from his father. Dimitrescu told his son about it one day, saying that making himself laugh took some of the pressures of his younger years, and Belmont sort of uses it in the same way (Apart from, you know, just taking pleasure in other peoples misfortunes.)

(I assume the same person asked this so I’ll answer them both here.)

See, the fun thing about making an au is you can decide how close you want it to be the the cannon material. If that’s how you wish to envision the younger version of Dimitrescu, go ahead there’s nothing stopping you.

It’s interesting to think that way. I don’t think Mirus would have a high tolerance for any funny business that gets in his way. He has to deal with the needless bickering of Dimitrescu and Heisenberg on a daily basis, but it doesn’t effect him directly, so he can just ignore it. But if anyone were to pull a prank on Mirus while he was working... He would show them terrors beyond that of human comprehension, assuring anyone who lived to see the next day to be stricken with fear.

Personally though, I’m trying to work as close to cannon as possible, with a few sprinkles of my own interpretations. So if I’m following the games lore, Dimitrescu doesn’t know Mirus until he was already an adult, meaning Mirus never saw Dimitrescu in his childhood (Unless again I am missing some massive piece of lore here and I’m very wrong.)

But it does make you wonder how the game will play out if all the Lords knew each other when they were younger. Would it effect the outcome of the game? Would their be childhood friendships that eventually fall apart? Who knows.

#mod answers #lord dimitrescu #resident evil 8 headcanons #Imagaging an average sized human dimitrescu is strange #hhhmmm but also on the pranking side of things now that I've given it a thought #I don't think dimitrescu is against any pranks that belmont plays as long as it doesn't effect him #mess with the staff go ahead #but not outside of the castle no sirree #you have the family name to uphold belmont!

[leviiattacks]

Two Faced | Chapter Ten

↳ levi ackerman, the very person who was about to kindly behead you by a surprising turn of events manages to become your loving husband? you would be elated if this was true love, but it’s all thanks to a mysterious magic spell that your life is spared, for now at least.

pairing :: duke!levi x duchess!reader genre :: royal au ??? (at this point idek) angst, fluff, slice of life etc ?? word count :: 4k author note :: haha.... wowww it's been long since i last updated. honestly my physical and mental health have just been horrible... that's about it, i lost a lot of motivation but if you're still reading i am very thankful and i will try to deliver the story well. i tried my best but writing whilst sick is very tiresome :-) tags :: @patience-is-here​ , @chwlogy​ , @a--nonymousse​ , @imkumichan​ 

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Keeping yourself cooped up within Levi's estate and never daring to step a foot outside should have been what you had done. Blackmailing him to keep you confined within the walls of your bedroom would be much better compared to the problem you have to resolve now. Perhaps if you had done so you wouldn't have collided face first into this muddle.

Jean fiddles with the ends of his button up, he doesn't take the chance to glance up at any of his superiors. He's either much too embarrassed or has nothing noteworthy to start off with.

Erwin chooses to call the shots seeing as neither you or the Viscount by your side wish to begin.

"You both understand why we're here. Correct me if I'm wrong?" The Commander looks between you, Jean and your unfortunate excuse of a husband. Suddenly it looks as if the gears and cogs in Jean's brain move without warning.

Offering a demure nod you expect for him to follow in your footsteps and do the same only he stands there looking between you and Levi.

"Wait...The two of you are? A couple?" Stunned isn't the word, Jean's completely flabbergasted.

"If you figured that out this late, I do not understand why Erwin sees you remotely fit for my team." Levi's beyond insulted at the fact he's only just understood the situation.

Jean, now more intimidated than ever before straightens his back and coughs clumsily, "Sorry." He murmurs chestnut eyes making contact with the hardwood floors.

The Commander's laced hands sit atop his desk, elegant fingers moving similar to honey on a spoon. He sighs not out of fatigue but pride. Whatever plan he's come up with has to be decent at the very least, his body language is telling you that much.

"We have a number of possibilities we can choose from. We owe that pleasure to Mr Kirstein here." Erwin offers him an almost cynical smile, you can't help but gulp thinking about how this is essentially your fault. With all the constant training sessions and team building tasks it makes sense for Jean to have completely forgot about your unspoken rule. Solely blaming him is incorrect.

Raising your arm above your head to intervene you make it known that you're aware of Levi shooting you a look of warning by returning it. It's best he knows you don't care for anyone's opinion let alone his.

"Permission to speak Commander?"

Your request is agreed to immediately with the wave of  Erwin's hand.

"It's my fault for not reminding Jean. I'll take the blame, I hadn't even told him the full story concerning me and Levi."

Levi doesn't enjoy your defense in the slightest. "I don't expect my wife to fling herself at other men and allow for them to snoop around gathering the details of our personal lives."

Scoffing you shield yourself with your arms over your chest.

"Oh dear husband. If you want to get personal do tell me where my family is?" It's an inside joke only Levi will be able to understand.

"If you call those people family your standards are disgustingly low."

"Maybe that explains why I settled for you."

Again, other's opinions are not at the forefront of your priority list. Regardless it's quite enjoyable pushing Levi further into a corner with that sentence. You see the internal struggle play out within him. Jaw clenched, hands balled together. He doesn't have an appropriate response

Jean bursts out unable to hold it in any longer, chest trembling with every quake of laughter that ripples through him you have to shove him with your elbow. For a Viscount his etiquette sure is nonexistent.

"My word, the two of you sound like..."

Levi stares at him most probably expecting something along the lines of "An old married couple."

But, no. It's nothing anyone in the room expects. That includes you.

"It's as if you're unhappy with each other..."

Not a noise is made after that. Jean isn't mistaken, your heart is miserable. You've never had many relationships to begin with, whether it be familial, romantic or platonic and for someone such as your husband to treat you the way he does - it feels futile having to navigate around the complexities. Even if he isn't really your husband it's disappointing to reflect on your marriage so suddenly.

Feeling your face droop a little you bite your bottom lip with your teeth. Hearing the truth from someone you barely expect to hear it from has an effect on you.

You're so caught up analyzing everything it takes you a minute to even register Levi grumbling and lunging forward pilfering the collar of Jean's shirt.

"Every day you prove to be more and more pathetic than I expect." Levi turns to look at you after that. His stare bores into you but he doesn't come off threatening, you assume his last remark is directed solely at Jean.

When he turns back only glaring at Jean now with even more tenacity than before. He's ready to snap but Erwin has clearly had enough of the unwanted altercation in his office.

"Enough. The both of you. This is most bothersome." At the Commander's orders Levi is silenced although it takes all of his resolve to do so.

Finally bothering you take a good look at Jean. He's calm in an incredibly out of character way.

Is this not the man who trembled in his boots the first time he and Levi came into contact? It's almost as if he seems pleased with himself for drawing out such a reaction from his Captain.

Erwin shuffles through stacks of paperwork on his desk. The man needs an assistant at this point. You doubt you could find anything in that haphazard pile. Edges of crumpled paper poke out uncomfortably and Erwin becomes increasingly annoyed when he can't locate what it is he's looking for.

Just as you're about to ask if he requires any assistance it seems he's found what he's been looking for, that's if his eyes are any indication of the relief he feels.

"This." He holds up the paper, all eyes in the room are trained on it. "Under normal circumstances would not have to become an option."

"But these aren't normal circumstances?" Jean's thoughtless question is irksome when the answer is so obviously staring him down in the face.

Nonetheless Erwin nods incapable of losing his cool over something so minor.

"Sign to confirm to my proposition."

The document he places onto the desk isn't what you imagine, you can practically feel the dread climb up your throat once you're done scanning it. Jean's full name placed right next to yours in bold lettering has your stomach lurching. You don't have to read the rest to understand the new circumstances you've landed into.

To make matters worse Erwin places two rings down right in front of the both of you.

A pot of boiling hot water is what you've been thrown in.

Are you supposed to be some sort of replacement for potatoes? What's Jean in this scenario? Carrots?

"It is troublesome to have the two of you put on an act to be involved with one another but I see it as our safest option." Erwin notices your parted lips and slacked jaw. "You need not worry this isn't a marriage contract, you're simply acting."

There's no path out of this pot, you and Jean will simply have to deal with the prospect of being boiled alive.

Ah, you forgot to mention who would act as the hot water but you're sure the suspect is obvious.

Even right now Levi's fury radiates off of him, it's unclear if he was given the details of the Commander's plan beforehand but if his furrowed brow and pursed lips are indicators of the truth he must have had no idea.

Your suspicions are confirmed to be correct once Levi reaches forward plucking the paper away, it just so happens he's snatched it away the very moment Jean leans in to get a closer look at it.

"I was never informed of this."

Erwin gives him a guarded smile. "Do you have any jurisdiction over what I think is best?" Is his freezing reply.

"Yes. When it concerns my wife and another man - Correction. I meant boy."

Jean's taken aback by the subtle jab and shamefacedly shoves his hands into his pockets.

You watch the scene go down with a perplexed look the entire time. Levi's frustration seems to be legitimate yet he has no logical reason for it to ever be present in the first place. Unless he has a plan which outperforms the one you've just been given he's doing this all for nothing.

"I assure you your wife is in safe hands so long as you stop interfering."

Levi's about to bark back until he catches your confusion. He's become aware of your tilted head and telling expression and only then does he silence himself permanently not before sighing deeply, muttering an expletive under his breath.

 "I’ll sign it.” That seems to be Jean’s indirect way of asking what your choice will be.

“I... will too.” Is your hesitant reply.

Levi only becomes avoidant after that. Half way through Erwin explaining how you and Jean have to look believable Levi just ups and leaves without a word. Perhaps you've hurt his pride but for what he's done to you it's a small price to pay and so you do nothing to make amends. He has no reason to feel uncomfortable, you aren't really his wife, you're essentially strangers. Does he even know your favourite colour? Your favourite food? Your favourite pastime?  

You doubt he does.

Jean and you are rather successful with your act. It feels pleasant having him brush your hair out of your face occasionally or lovingly place a hand on your forehead to check if you've come down with a fever. He laces his fingers with yours when others are around and when they aren't he lets the act go. It's satisfying having a cooperative partner.

Naturally Jean is still a tease, even now he makes the odd suggestive comment or two in passing but you can't say you hate it. In fact it excites you to think of a response that borders the edge of teasing and simple fun between friends.

The increasing openness between the two of you is enough for the cadets to deduce that he's most probably the noble man you wed in secrecy.

It's only been a few days since yours and Jean's newfound behaviour, thankfully you haven't been flooded with questions just yet. The higher ups sit nearby during breakfast, lunch and dinner keeping watch over the cadets. It leaves you able to eat and drink without having to handle the constant inquiring of your comrades.

However, you aren't as lucky today. A meeting's taking place and after yours and Jean's convincing act Erwin deems it safe enough to leave you unattended for a short while.

Of course it doesn't go according to plan because when you're involved when does anything ever go according to plan?

The cadets are flocked around your table at dinner as soon as they notice they've been left to their own devices. The opportunity to sit down without everyone invading your space is barely provided to you. Krista is sat to your right leaning into you rather animatedly, Annie has made herself at home sat across you which in itself is completely out of character and slightly unnerving, Annie never and you repeat never concerns herself with you.

"Why did you and Jean hide it?" Armin hovers over your shoulder as per usual. He can't be blamed for naturally being inquisitive and it does give you the opportunity to lay out the foundations of your plan. Now's your time to muster up one of your rehearsed responses.

"It would interfere with work." You respond immediately wanting to appear natural. Pondering on an answer for too long would raise suspicions.

Armin makes a sound of approval and shuffles into the seat next to Krista, that is until Ymir can be overheard telling him to move if he knows what's best for him.

"I have a question." Says a voice across the table, you don't have to look at the blonde parallel to you to know it's her.

For once Annie’s initiated a conversation with you, she’s not particularly great at keeping her intentions discreet. Maybe she doesn’t care if you can tell what she’s up to? But if that’s the case her plan isn’t all that foolproof, there's no way you're to let any details slip away.

Sharply inhaling waiting for what it is she has to say you find that her sentence never comes. Instead she shakes her head and murmurs a "Never mind.". You don't even have the time to ask her to stick around, she's already rose from her seat taking her unfinished plate of food with her, you let her go assuming she feels unwell.

"So how'd you two meet? Jean already told me earlier but I'd like to hear your side." Reiner's taken Annie's empty seat and his gaze is unwavering. The trap they've set up is a clever one. Surveying the hall for Bertholdt you know he has to be observing too. The two never operate alone.

You suddenly hate Reiner. For whatever reason he and his trio are endlessly obsessed with you, they've caught onto something that's for sure but you don't know what it is and now they've completely ensnared you with a backhanded trick. There's no way out of this, you have no idea what it is Jean said to Reiner, the chances of you providing the exact same answer are slim to none.

"My memory is really fuzzy, I don't think Jean gave off much of a first impression so I've forgot." Your horrible excuse doesn't fly by, everyone simultaneously narrows their eyes in disbelief. What you've said isn't convincing at all.

Husband and Wife yet you've forgot how the two of you met?

Fidgeting with the ring adorning your finger the cool metal isn't doing a great job at alleviating the pressure of the situation.

"Jean said the two of you hit it off almost instantly. Who's being dishonest?"

Reiner's either lying to catch you out or he's saying the God honest truth and right now all you can do is hope and pray for a miracle to sweep you off your feet. Mikasa and Jean still aren't within view. At this point you're hoping for Levi to save you, it doesn't matter how so long as you escape unscathed.

"Hey, I think we're just making her anxious with all the questions." Armin is quick to side with you, deep down you know he only does so due to the respect he holds for his Commander. You thank the Heaven's for Erwin's admirable smile and commendable leadership, it seems to be the only reason Armin believes you and Jean.

"Or she's lying." Reiner's resting his head in one of his palms, he's still boring holes right into your frame.

Your eye twitches, this is all unnecessary and uncalled for, whatever it is Reiner wants out of you it better be worthwhile.

He still eggs you on. "You walked out of the Captain's quarters. I saw you."

Standing up and leaning forward you plant your feet to the ground as firmly as you can you.

"And if she did what's it to you?"

Fighting the urge to sigh in relief you've never been happier to hear Jean's voice but something's off. His breathing sounds heavy - like he fought his way to get inside. Turning only then do you notice Mikasa standing by him. She looks equally as exhausted. There's been some sort of a struggle.

"You think it was funny getting Annie to guard the door?" He heaves and runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"And you think hiding secrets from the rest of us is any better?" Reiner's adamant there's information that the both of you are hiding, he's not wrong but that doesn't change that he's challenging you unprovoked without a reasonable motive.

"We're hiding nothing." Unlike you Jean is sure of his words, he's confident speaking up and he seems to be able to pull off the role of a protective husband perfectly.

“I came out of the Captain’s quarters because he had access to hot water. He said I could use his shower. That’s all it was.”

Reiner quirks an eyebrow upwards and is pleased with your answer. God you’ve said something incriminating haven’t you? It's not incriminating per se but it's without doubt malleable and easy to twist.

“Jean, you were okay with your wife doing that at the dead of night?” Reiner's still leading the interrogation.

“I was the one who suggested it.”

“I don’t believe you’re a couple." If it were Reiner who said that you wouldn't care much, after all it's pretty clear he never believed it but to your displeasure it isn't him who's spoken. Ymir's lopsided grin is all knowing and you're beginning to lose your footing in this argument any second now if any more people start to side against you.

If Ymir disagrees that almost certainly means Krista has her qualms about you too, you've observed beforehand that Ymir tends to speak for Krista on occasion. This happens to be one of those times.

Krista timidly raises her hand and Ymir gives her an approving nod encouraging her to speak.

"I don't like the conflict going on but it is suspicious..."

"Why have I only ever seen you two hold hands?" She asks.

Ymir slings her arm over Krista's shoulder affectionately. "Yeah, I tell Krista I'll marry her every day of the week."

Mikasa mumbles something unintelligible, Ymir gives her a look of warning but Mikasa doesn't seem to care. Instead she repeats what she has to say loud and clear.

"Stick to only speaking when Krista is involved."

Krista holds Ymir by her arm so she doesn't get up, she knows how she gets when she's been provoked. Even if Krista has her suspicions it isn't worth Ymir gaining a permanent penalty point on her record.

Thankfully Armin cuts in. "There's no solid evidence to show they're lying and even if they are the Commander's most probably told them to. Don't you think there's a reason? Leave it be if that's the case. I trust him with our lives."

"We have a right to know." Annie's returned and insists to keep this back and forth going.

Just as you're about to fire back Jean takes a hold of your waist, you look down and seeing his large hands planted securely around your frame has your stomach bubbling with anticipation.

"What are you— "

And then he kisses you, he doesn't ask and instinctively your arms move to whack his chest but you stop yourself in time. You realize it's for the sake of your plan not falling through and so you gently place your hands on his shoulders attempting to ground yourself. It becomes increasingly difficult when you sink deeper into the kiss than you'd like to admit. Blood rushes to the tips of your ears and the thumping of your heartbeat makes it difficult to articulate any thoughts, all you really know is that you like this, whatever this is.

Jean's hands don't feel like they were made to rest against your back, they feel slightly out of place as if he's a key and you're an unmatched lock. In spite of that the circles he comfortingly rubs into the sides of your waist are appreciated, you almost forget you're in a room full of people until you're flooded by cold air.

You've been dragged off of Jean and something in the pit of your stomach has you wishing Levi isn't responsible for the interruption.

To your relief it's just Hange, they're glowing in mischief, the grin on their face shows they aren't mad. They might even find this entertaining.

"Well I be damned... maybe they weren't bluffing?" Connie's been persuaded by the looks of it and Krista's busy whispering to Ymir, you hear the faint sound of the word "Romantic" escape her lips, she's equally as convinced as Connie.

Hange smacks your back light-heartedly and looks to the door for a second. "We leave ya' both for a while and you decide to give everyone a show?"

Erwin's stood by the doorway with a humorous smile playing at his lips, Levi however is anything but amused, he glares at you with murderous eyes, he looks like he's ready to end your life then and there but you know he won't dare do so and for a second you feel braver than you ever have before. Without much thought you grab onto Jean's forearm.

"Me and my husband will get going now!" You allow your gaze to loiter when you get to Reiner. He grunts an apology and you're oh so tempted to ask him to repeat himself but you'd rather not instigate anything.

With that said and done you and Jean leave after giving the performance of your lives.

Slowly but gradually the sky outside becomes dark.

The will to sleep left your body long ago. It's by pure luck that you even manage to catch three hours of rest. Training is the only available distraction and dying out in battle isn't favourable by any means, your boredom may as well be used resourcefully - Strapping yourself up in your ODM gear is the best option.

A quarter way through your warm up you can sense a presence behind you, the leaves rustle and the wind feels noticeably quieter. You'd bother to turn around to see who's intruded but Levi's snuck close enough for you to be able to smell his perfume from where you're stood.

"Feel disrespected? Embarrassed even?" You jab at him knowing it'll rile him up, you don't face him not wanting to give him the pleasure of seeing your face.

"Watch your mouth." he warns sharply.

Rolling your eyes you go about your business, it stays that way for a few minutes. All the while Levi stares at you darting from tree to tree, his scrutinizing gaze scalding you repeatedly.

"Y/N!" He yells at the top of his lungs.

For some unknown reason you automatically stop and lower yourself to the ground

"I have something to tell you." Comes his tense follow up. A finger of his latches onto one of the leather straps on your back.

You can't believe he's still denying the undeniable.

"You can wait till tomorrow. I'll be going to bed."

Levi doesn't seem to care for your cold response and proceeds with no warning.

"I'm jealous." His voice shakes. The grip he has on your harness doesn't let up. With your back turned to him you're still somehow able to detect the very obvious crack of pain.

Levi, jealous?

Gritting your teeth together you feel deceived.

How much longer will you have to tolerate Levi's push and pull?

“May I ask, what he is to you, my love?”

Your breathing grows heavy, tensing up you're completely shocked by the term of endearment that falls from his lips. You haven't heard it for so long, Levi sounds eerily different.

You hate to admit it but a flicker of foolish hope lights in your chest.

"Levi why would you ask— "

"Why don't you call me Lev anymore?" He whispers sounding strangled. You can't take it anymore and hesitantly look his way.

His eyes are filled with tears "I'm sorry my love, I don't know what went wrong." you falter for a second not knowing what to think.

At that moment the flicker becomes a flame.

The man who stands right before you is meant to be dead, never to be seen again. By all accounts this should be impossible, but Lev has always been a fighter.

Bitterness stings your heart, the wounds you've collected are still fresh but despite your body's protests you don't flinch when he gently takes a hold of your wrist, bringing it closer to his mouth.

"Lev...? Is that really you...?" You ask desperately.

The warm kiss he presses against your pulse point provides you with the answer you've been longing for.

#levi #levi ackerman #leviiattacks #aot #snk #attack on titan levi #attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #levi x y/n #levi x reader #aot fanfiction #aot headcanons #duke levi #levi smut #levi fluff #levi angst #levi fanfiction #levi ackerman imagines #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman headcanons #aot imagines #levi ackerman fanfic

[mldrgrl]

Broken things 3/24

by: mldrgrl Rating: varies by chapter, rated R overall  See Chapter 1 for summary and notes

Melvin is out the door as soon as Mulder is in eyesight of the ranch house.  He can see the older man step out onto the porch and then stand a little taller and pull the tails of his vest taut.

“Am I wrong, or does my nose detect the makings of noon dinner on the stove?” Mulder calls.

“With the size of that nose, you’re probably smelling what’s cooking in Fort Worth,” Melvin answers back.

Mulder chuckles and brings Blondie to a stop in front of the house.  He motions for Katherine’s bag and then takes her hand while she gathers her skirts and brings her leg over the side of the horse.  He holds her about the waist to help her down and she pitches forward slightly and ends up pressed close to him.  He eases her to her feet and keeps his arm around her for maybe a bit too long, but it feels nice to him to have her there.

“Who’s this marvelous young lady you brung to us?” Melvin asks, and the moment is broken.

“She’s called Katherine,” Mulder answers.  “Send Trevor on out to put up Blondie, I’d like to bring our guest in and introduce her.  Set another plate for dinner.”

“Trevor,” Melvin calls over his shoulder.  He takes a small hop down from the porch and reaches for Katherine’s hand.  “Melvin Frohike at your service.  Welcome to Broke In, lovely lady.”

“The name of the ranch,” Mulder explains to Katherine.  “Alright, settle down, old man.  You act as though you haven’t seen a pretty woman before.”  He kicks Melvin lightly in the seat of his pants just as the young ranch hand that he had requested be sent out appears on the porch with a napkin tucked into his shirt.  “Trevor, excuse me for interrupting your dinner, could you please put Blondie up?”

“Yes, Sir.”  The boy takes the lead from Mulder and takes the horse away.

“Alright, come in, come in,” Mulder says.

Melvin scurries down the dogtrot ahead of Mulder and Katherine.  “You boys make yourselves presentable, we got a lady in the house,” he calls.

There’s a scraping of chairs and utensils.  Richard and Jimmy jump to their feet, wiping their mouths on their napkins.  Jesse stays sitting, slurping from his bowl until he looks up and then jumps up as well, spilling stew on the table and dribbling on his chin.  

Mulder removes his hat as they move down the broad hall and hangs it on a peg just outside the door of the dining area.  He hangs Katherine’s sack there beside his hat and guides her into the room ahead of him.

“Boys,” he says.  “This is Katherine.  She’ll be joining us for dinner and then accompanying me into town.  Katherine, that blonde beanpole over there to the left is Richard, and then we have Jimmy beside him and the creature without any table manners is his brother Jesse.”

“Ma’am,” they all murmur.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Katherine answers.  

“Go ahead and sit yourself here,” Mulder says, pulling out the chair at the head of the table for her.  After she sits, the rest of the men do as well, glancing at her and each other as though they’re searching for the proper etiquette to resume their meal.  Melvin is already ladling out a bowl of stew for her and he passes it to her along with a spoon and a napkin.

“Some lemonade, Madam?” Melvin asks.  “We got cold tea or coffee too if’n you have druthers.”

“The lemonade would be fine, thank you.”

As Mulder dishes out his own dinner, he observes there’s a slight tremor in Katherine’s hand when she picks up her spoon.  He also notices that her breathing is slightly labored, coming short and fast from parted lips.  It hadn’t occurred to him before, but with nothing in that sod house, this might be her first meal in some time.

“Melvin, do you think we might still have a tin of soda crackers in one of those cupboards?” he asks.

“I reckon we sure might.”  The little man hops up from the table and begins to search the cabinets.  He returns triumphant with a tin which he hands off to Mulder.  Mulder opens it and then passes it across the table to Katherine.

“Stew might be a little heavy for this time of day unless you’ve been laboring,” Mulder says.  “The crackers will soak up the broth nicely though.”

“Thank you,” she answers, with a nod, taking the tin from him.

Normally, the boys rush through noon dinner, eager to get back to their chores and the horses, but they eat slowly.  Jesse even attempts to hold a spoon, which Mulder has never seen him do before.  Trevor returns and has to squeeze his way into a place at the bench seating beside Richard and Jimmy.  Melvin dominates the conversation with business chatter, giving Mulder a run down on what some of the horses have been up to all morning.  

One by one, Jesse, Richard, Jimmy, and then finally Trevor excuse themselves to continue their work.  Each man brings his bowl and cup to a wash basin near the stove and they nod politely to Katherine before they leave.  Mulder asks Trevor to please hitch up the Tilbury to go into town shortly.  Melvin gets up to start cleaning dishes and Katherine quickly rises as well.

“I can help,” she says.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Melvin answers, waving his napkin at her.  “You are our guest of honor, my dear, and you won’t lift a finger.”

“Don’t you worry about him,” Mulder says, wiping his mouth before he rises from his seat.  “Let me show you the place before we leave.”

She looks to Melvin.  “If you’re sure I can’t help.”

“You go on with Mulder.”

“Well, now, you’ve seen our kitchen and dining area, let’s come back through the dogtrot and I’ll show you the rooms.”

“The dogtrot?”

“That’s what we call this open hall here.  We keep the front door open most days and the back door as well.  It’s good for circulation.  In case you hadn’t noticed, it can reach the same temperature as hellfire out here on the coldest summer day.  This helps with the heat.”

“That’s quite clever.”

“I thought so as well.  Now this first door on the left is where I sleep.  And this one here to the right will be yours, if you decide to stay on.”

“Mine?”

“It’s a guest room right now.  Occasionally there’s a need for people that travel through for business dealings with me to have a place to stay.”

“I can’t take that, then.  I could easily just take a bit of space in the kitchen.  If I stay on, that is.”

“You will do no such thing.”  Mulder opens the door to the room.  “It’s not much but the necessities right now but you can make it up however you like.”

Sensing a protest coming, Mulder moves them on to the last room, across from the kitchen and dining area.  He has saved the best for last in the hopes of impressing her.  He pauses with his hand on the knob.

“This is the washroom,” he says.

↭

She’s feeling overwhelmed.  Mulder has just shown her a room, in the house, which holds a copper and wooden bathing tub and an indoor pump and stove for heating water.  He tries to explain a system of pipes and wells and how they work, but he gives up and tells her he actually doesn’t have a clue how it really operates, just that it does.  The boys, he says, don’t trust it, and prefer to go into town for a Saturday night bath and shave.  Not only that, in the back of the room there’s a closet which is really a privy.  She’s never seen anything like it.

After they leave the washroom, the tour of the ranch continues out of the back door.  A rather large water tower stands some yards away.  To the east of the main house is a bunkhouse the ranch hands share and to the west of the house is a barn, stables, and a corral.  She’s surprised to learn that there are more than just horses kept here.  In fact there are chickens, two cows, several hogs and a handful of suckling pigs, some sheep, two goats, and a black and white herding dog called Queenie.

“We call her that because she thinks she runs the place,” Mulder says.

“Mulder!” Richard calls from the barn door.  “Trevor says you want the carriage hitched up.  You want the hackney since Faithful Jenny needs to break in the new shoe?”

“That’s fine,” Mulder tells him.  Richard tips his hat in acknowledgment and disappears back into the barn.

“How many horses do you have here?” Katherine asks.

“Right now, fifteen.  Six of them should be leaving us by the month’s end and then I’ll be bringing back more to replace them.”

“What do you do with them?”

“Take care of the ones that need taking care of.  For the others, break them, train them up.  Sell them.  Board them at times.”

“I can see why you prefer the land I was on.  Why you’d want it.”

“You can?”

“It’s flatter.  More prairie grass.  And full access to the creek.”

“All true.”

Richard and Trevor interrupt the conversation by bringing the carriage out with a horse the color of mahogany and a black mane.  All four of the horse’s legs are snow white and it has a white diamond just above the nose.  She almost gasps it’s such a breathtaking creature.

“That’s the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen,” she says.

“You like her?”

“She’s so...majestic.”

“That is precisely why she earned the name Lady.  Let’s go get your bag and then we’ll head on into town.”

He insists she borrow a leather valise to use instead of her burlap sack and she transfers her meager possessions into the case.  He carries the bag for her out to the carriage and ties it to a shelf just under the seat.  He helps her up and once she’s settled, he and Richard unfold an accordion top to shade them from the sun.

The carriage rides a little smoother than a wagon.  It bounces a bit and moves fast.  She’s only been to town one time and she’s unfamiliar with the road.  The land is so vast and it all looks the same.  She can’t believe she had been considering walking to Fort Worth.  She would never make it if she tried.

“You know all there is to know about me,” Mulder says.  “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

“I’m sure I don’t know all that there is.”

“Everything important, I would say.”

Her palms begin to sweat and she hides her hands in the folds of her skirt.  If she tells him everything about herself, he might change his mind about everything.  He might not be so kind to her.  She doesn’t feel right about deceiving such a nice man, but there are things she must withhold for now.  At least until she’s absolutely certain he would not look at her differently or think less of her.

“I’m not very interesting,” she says.

“You said you’re from Virginia.  Whereabouts?”

“Norfolk.”

“What’s your family name?”

She hesitates for a beat to decide if it’s too much.  “O’Brien,” she finally answers.  It’s a half-truth.  The O’Brien are her mother’s people.  

“Irish?  Did your people immigrate from the famine?”

“I don’t know.”

“Brothers or sisters?”

“I told you before, there’s no one.”

“Yes, you did tell me.”

He doesn’t ask her any more questions and she feels a bit ashamed of herself for rebuffing him.  She takes a few surreptitious glances at him to see if he might be affronted, but he appears to be passively concentrating on driving the carriage.

“Would you like to try?” he asks.

“Try what?”

“Driving the carriage.”

“This carriage?”

He laughs.  “I don’t see another out here.  You can’t do any damage, here, take the lines.”

“Oh, no, I…”

“Sure you can.”  He pulls the carriage to a stop and then passes the lines over to her.  “You’re driving from the right, so with your left hand, just lay the strap down over your index finger and hold it down with your thumb.”

“Alright.”  She does as he asks and then looks to him for further instruction.

“And now slide this strap between the third and fourth fingers of your right hand, like so.”

“Like this?”

“Perfect.  I’m going to slide the whip into the grip of your right hand here and you’ll keep it angled with the natural tilt of your wrist.  Now, you just tickle Lady’s back lightly and tell her to walk.��

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.  This road is pretty straight so there shouldn’t be any worries.  If she acts up, I’m right here.  And if your arms tire, let me know.”

“Alright.”  Her heart quickens a bit so she can feel it thump against her chest and she sits up straighter in the seat.

“Keep the lines slack as well, just like you’re doing now.”

“Okay.”  She turns her wrist a little so that the tassel that dangles from the end of the whip lightly touches the horse’s back.  “Lady, walk now, please.”

Mulder laughs and she smiles broadly when the horse starts to walk forward.  Her grip on the lines feels awkward and unnatural and it takes more effort than she thought it would to keep them slack and light.  Her back and shoulders are soon sore, but she does not want to give up the control that quickly.  Maybe ten minutes pass before she tires to the point that her arms grow heavy.

“I think I need to stop now,” she says.

“Put a bit of pressure on the lines, very slowly.”

“Whoa,” she says, but the horse does not stop.

“Whoa, Lady,” Mulder calls, and he covers Katherine’s hands with his own, adding the appropriate amount of pressure to bring her to a stop.  

His hands linger and her heart quickens again.  She wants more of something in that moment that she can’t understand or describe.  She imagines turning her palms up to him and letting her fingers slide into his.  She imagines pressing a little closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.  She imagines him putting his arm around her.  She imagines a peace that she’s never even experienced before.

His hands move off of hers and she gives him control of the lines and sits back, rubbing her hands over each other to work out a little of the soreness in her wrists.  He starts the carriage forward again and announces that they should be in town shortly.

#i wrote this #broken things #chapter 3 #au #msr

[backalley-requests]

The Proposal | Chapter One

The Proposal Masterlist

Summary: The Proposal™ au, where Ivar gets swept away in a lie about a fake engagement to stay in the country and needs to convince everyone (including his family) that he’s genuinely engaged to a woman he works with

Warnings: use of the word cripple, mild swearing

Word Count: 1,967

With two cups of coffee in hand and a binder under your left arm, you exited the elevator. It was a delicate balancing act and you already managed to drop the binder once... five blocks from here. Admittedly, the coffees were far more important than that.

“Good morning, Y/N!”

Your head spun around to greet your coworker, a grin on your face. “Well good morning, Paola.” Work was always more pleasant before the boss came in. You walked over and sat upon her desk, enjoying the few minutes of chatter everybody engaged in. It wouldn’t last much longer.

“Did you enjoy your date this weekend,” Paola asked as she looked up on you.

You gave an over dramatic groan and rolled your eyes. “I’d rather not be reminded of it. All he did was talk about his exes. Look, here’s some solid advice, Polly. When a guy says all his exes are crazy he’s probably the problem.”

Granted, you still went out with him to begin with. It was a testament to your own bad taste. “What a shame,” Paola huffed as she leaned back in her seat. “I made a bet earlier with Kara that you’d really hit it off with him.”

“I’ll consider that your karma for making bets about my love life then,” you teased.

The building settled into small talk. You talked more about past relationships and Paola encouraged you to find someone. She was currently engaged, and you figured she wanted someone to relate to her.

“The Tyrant has entered the building!”

A quick warning call from the cubical closest to the elevator. All chatter immediately stopped and people rushed to their desks and pretended to be busy on sight. You hoped off of your friend’s desk and picked your stuff up again. “I’ll talk to you later,” you winked at her.

Right on cue the sound of heavy steps and a cane came from the elevator and out stepped your boss. Ivar Lothbrok. He wore a permanent scowl on his face as he walked by, straight to his office.

When you first got transferred to the department you had been excited to finally get to work with him. The man was handsome as hell. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, tall. He looked like a dream. His accent didn’t help either. Your dreams had prepared you for some steamy forbidden love office romance, and instead you woke up to the realization that the man was the closest thing to a psychopath you ever met.

As Ivar headed to his office you immediately followed. You knocked twice on the door and entered as usual. “Good morning, Mr. Lothbrok,” you grinned. He didn’t glance up from his desk, his eyes buried in paperwork.

“Set it down on the desk.”

You placed the coffee on his desk and left. There was a routine to things. He stopped being as angry with you even if he was never friendly. You were probably the only person in the office who didn’t get yelled at anymore. Any anger on your end was hidden behind locked lips.

On your way out the door you bumped into Trevor Taylor, the man not bothering to mind his steps as he stormed into the office. You didn’t bother looking back and whistled. It was difficult to hide your amusement. Every so often people came in, screamed obscenities, and got dragged away by security.

—

“You’re firing me!” The voice boomed through the office and every worker immediately stopped. “You can’t fire me, you need me!”

Ivar didn’t glance up, ignoring the postering.

“And you can’t even look at me,” Trevor shook his head. “What are you? Deaf now too? Answer me!” His hands slammed down on the desk.

“Don’t you think an outburst like this is exactly why you’re getting fired?” Ivar’s blue eyed remained frozen. Normally he wouldn’t hesitate to get into a shouting match, say something to make the man cry and watch him leave. The difference today was that Trevor Taylor desired attention so badly that to deny him was more satisfying. Trevor worked himself up to a breaking point. “You should pack your things before we throw them out, Trevor.”

“I’m invaluable to this company. You know that. You’re bluffing.”

“You’re a bad worker. You turn things in late and underperform in everything you do.” The words easily slipped out as Ivar flipped through a file.

“I’m not getting fired from a guy who can’t even chase me down a flight of stairs.”

Those words got to Ivar. The man had had it coming for a while now. “The only reason you lasted this long is that everyone pitied you after your wife slept with your brother. But I didn’t. And I still don’t.” He closed the file and stared up at Trevor.

“You crippled fuck!” Trevor grabbed the coffee and squeezed until it burst open across Ivar’s face and down his suit.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Ivar stood up, grabbing his cane as tightly as he could; thankful the coffee didn’t drip down to his braces. It took everything to avoid throwing something at the man, but he couldn’t deal with another lawsuit like that. “Security,” he called out.

__

Two men came in and Trevor was dragged out kicking and screaming. Everyone in the office watched with great intent. Ivar came out of his office next, drenched in coffee and thankful he preferred cold drinks.

You eyed him and hesitated for a moment before you decided he might need help, even if he didn’t want it. You got up and followed behind him, grabbing the spare coffee.

You found him just inside a private bathroom. The door wasn’t locked and you entered as if you weren’t straight up entering a bathroom.

“I take it that was another successful firing,” you teased to lighten up the mood. He glanced back, his stare shot daggers into your soul. “He had it coming. I don’t think anyone’s taking his side.” You had heard the words being shouted. It hadn’t taken long for Trevor to bring up the man’s legs a few extra times before security arrived times. He had done it in private many times before.

Ivar took off his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. Your eyes couldn’t stop themselves as they stared down his chest. You bit your bottom lip and pried your eyes away. “I don’t care what they think.”

You knew he did. It was your job to know everything about him. You hated him half the time but there was no way Ivar was as evil as he portrayed. “You can have my coffee,” you placed it on the sink counter next to him.

He grabbed it and took a sip. A moment later he eyed you with amusement. “And I’m assuming it’s not a coincidence we have the same taste in coffee.”

“I’m clumsy. Plus, I had a feeling Trevor wasn't about to respond well to being fired,” you admitted sheepishly.

“I should have you fired for ass kissing.”

“What—“, you blinked in surprise.

“Grab my spare from the office.” He didn’t elaborate and sent you on an errand. “And then take these to the cleaners.” He handed you the stained close.

You nodded your head and left.

—

“What do you mean my visa is revoked?” Ivar demanded as he sat before his superiors in his office. “I’m supposed to get my citizenship by Friday?”

“You violated the terms of agreement. You left the country.”

“I went to Quebec! It’s hardly outside the US! And mind you, it was for this company.” Ivar was angry now, this whole thing was ridiculous. “Look— I’ll just reapply again and figure it out all. In the meantime I can relocate back to Europe for a little while.”

“We can’t have you employed here if you aren’t a citizen or have a visa.” The man before Ivar admitted, “and the process is going to take over a year.”

“So what are you saying?”

Ivar already knew the answer, but he needed to hear them say it.

“Unless you can find a way to legally stay here you can’t work for the company.”

Ivar laughed, “you don’t have anyone else even half as qualified as me.”

“Trevor Taylor.”

“I just fired the guy, he doesn’t even work here,” Ivar scoffed. His hands crossed over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. This whole ordeal was ridiculous. Why was he even putting up with this?

“Well I’m sure he’s looking for a new job then.”

Ivar remained silent for a moment, his brain worked fast to find some sort of loophole. He couldn’t just go back home unemployed to his family.

The sound of the office door opening pulled him from his thoughts. He turned his head and saw you there, anger swelling up inside him. You had came to bring back his dry cleaning. Ivar was on edge and anything would set him over expect—

“Actually this won’t be a problem at all,” Ivar stood up and he walked over to you and placed his free arm over your shoulders, confusion clear on your face. “Because we’re getting married.”

“You are?”

You were frozen, unsure of what you walked in on.

“Exactly. We didn’t want to spoil the whole thing, office etiquette and stuff. But it’s true, we’re madly in love. And since we’re getting married I’ll be staying in the US just fine,” Ivar said.

“I get it, we’ve all had an office romance or two. So long as you get it approved I don’t see a problem with it.” The man said. It was clear he was also looking for any plausible excuse to keep Ivar around. Despite the fearsome reputation, Ivar was great for the company.

The two men exchanged goodbyes while you remained dazed, but rather than question things while Ivar’s boss was in the room you waited until the man left.

“I’m not marrying you.”

“Yes, you are.”

“What just happened?”

“That trip to Quebec cost me my visa. If I don’t have one I can’t stay.” Ivar said so simply, moving back behind his desk.

“I’m forgetting the part where this is my problem?” Considering the fact that Ivar was suddenly pairing you off as engaged you figured you deserved to sit in the chair as you argued with him.

Ivar paused for a moment, the gears turning in his head. “Trevor will replace me if I go. He hates you as much as me right now, so unless you don’t want to be out of a job I suggest you agree. It’s only three years. We don’t even have to live together.”

The whole idea sounded ridiculous but in some aspects he was right. You’d lose your job. You spent far too many souless years working here and the idea of starting over was terrifying. “Well— what if I actually wanted to get married?”

“It’ll take a lot longer than three years for you to convince anyone to marry you,” Ivar said simply as he went back to his work. The deal was sealed in his mind.

You struggled to formulate a response. “Fine. But I get a promotion.”

His blue eyes found yours. “And why would I do that, Y/N?”

You blinked in response. It should’ve been obvious why. “I— well I’m the reason you’re keeping your job. You owe me too. That’s three years of my life for your benefit.”

The offer was made and he was forced to think. “Fine.” His hands were tied and he hated it. “Do you want anything else”, annoyance was evident in his tone.

“A proposal.”

“What?”

“A proper one.”

Ivar’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t care for the idea and admittedly a part of him wasn’t sure he could. He couldn’t get down on one knee. “I’m not doing that.”

A moment of silence passed before you gave up. “Fine. But at least say it. Like you mean it.” You were being petty but it was the least this guy could do.

He took a deep breath and stared at you with intent. “Y/N—“ Ivar stopped himself and paused.

“Do you not know my last name?”

There was more silence as you both eyed each other.

“Will you just marry me.” Ivar concealed any embarrassment he felt over the situation. He appeared tense and a little angry. This was a better proposal than you expected from him, all things considered.

“Yes.”

#ivar x reader #ivar the boneless x reader #the proposal #Vikings #I’m not like— good at writing but I like it #so... #bare with me

[bonnini]

ANYWAY if you’re a character in the Hyperversum trilogy and your name is “Guillaume” you have to accept that your main purpose in the saga is to deal with an endless stream of stressful bullshit and have your patience tested on a daily basis here’s proof lol:

1. My beloved, my precious Guillaume de Ponthieu, the ultimate meticulous planner, trying to keep his life free from nonsense and utterly failing at it because of external factors. The name of all these external factors is of course IAN MAAYRKAS like... Guillaume's baby brother cannot be trusted to stay put for five seconds without having someone attempt to assassinate, kidnap (hi Geoffrey lol) or maim him jdjdjddjdjsjsjk and the one who Ian always ends up involving in this nonsense is Guillaume who literally has not been able to catch a break since the day he first met him? He just spends his days either worried sick about his younger brother or running around + using his resources in order to fix the dangerous shit Ian always ends up tangled in. Ian and Guillaume’s relationship is literally just:

Guillaume loves Ian SO SO MUCH (we'll discuss this in a different post tho) but man being the oldest Ponthieu brother sure is tiring :'')

2. Guillaume de Sancerre LIKE why is it that in the Hyperversum literary universe counts named "Guillaume" always end up having a younger brother who is the cause of all their anxiety attacks lmao??? Like imagine being Etienne de Sancerre's older brother for a second: this man is physically incapable of sitting still for more than 4.5 seconds, never shuts up, says what he thinks with absolutely no filter in any situation, used to sneak out of his castle as a teen, thinks a fight is the best way to tackle any problem, has no regard for etiquette, cannot be trusted to avoid opening his mouth to make stupid and rushed remarks even in front of the king of France DOES ANYONE REMEMBER about that time Etienne spent the entire Ian+Lavaur versus Gant audience in Séour practically vibrating on his chair right next to Philippe Auguste looking like this:

waiting for the right moment to voice his support for Ian and THE SECOND he tried to open his mouth the king immediately cut him off with a deadpan "monsieur de Sancerre you will not be allowed to speak unless you have some actual proof against Gant, if you just want to talk about how your friend must be right because you love him and believe him then please shut up" hdshsjsjsjdndndbdbdndnd my man Philippe just KNEW Etienne was about to say something ridiculous right there in front of everyone JUST IMAGINE Guillaume's reaction if he had been there lol??? Please tell me you remember about how hard Guillaume was facepalming the first time Etienne ever spoke to Ian, that scene is just Etienne being his fratboy self without a care in the world and Guillaume, angry crying and screaming inside, doing his best to prevent him from being inappropriate with Ian and the other nobles?

in this house we love and appreciate Guillaume the Sancerre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that man is basically a saint.

3. William Long Sword!!! Count of Salisbury!!!!! He's Guillaume number three and he shares so many traits with Guillaume the Ponthieu??? Middle aged man: check. Experienced warrior: check. Very powerful, very close to the king: check (ok Guillaume is actually super loyal to his king but you get the idea). Skilled politician: check. Very used to having the upper hand during the unfolding of any political confrontation: check. Had his life turned upside down by Ian in the span of a few minutes: CHECK. USED TO LIVE A BULLSHIT-FREE LIFE BEFORE MEETING IAN AND DANIEL:CHECK.

Salisbury literally has not known peace since the day he first met Ian and Daniel, and the few days he had to spend in Dunchester waiting for news from Ian and trying to keep Daniel from getting himself hanged were the most stressful of his entire life? this man had at least four consecutive heart attacks during Daniel's honestly hysterical conversation with King John bdbdbssjsjkf

Salisbury: ok sir Freeland all you have to do is stand behind me and be silent I will handle this please just stay put. please

Daniel: ok

Also Daniel fifteen seconds later @ king John, who is currently busy having the time of his life sending people to the gallows: hi :)

Salisbury:

In conclusion: 

All Hyperversum Guillaumes are valid and I love every single one of them 

#This is just the beginning of my guillaumeposting you have been warned lol #Guillaume de Ponthieu and William Long Sword I love you guys so so so so so so much I'm going to make so many memes about the two of you #hyperversum #i apologize in advance to my followers for all the hyperversum posts that im going to spam this summer lol #you can blacklist the tag if you want to

[robininthelabyrinth]

AU where the Wei Wuxian who returns from the Burial Mounds has already had his mind so affected by the resentful energies that he's forgotten - many, many things. He remembers who tried to kill him, so lashes out against the Wens, but everything else? Not so much...

There was something quite freeing about not having much of a memory, in Wei Wuxian’s view; it wasn’t his fault that no one else seemed to agree with him.

It made things very simple. If he liked someone, he liked them; if he didn’t, he didn’t – he didn’t have to worry about how they might have interacted before, or what their history was like, or who they might be. He could just feel what he felt, and act accordingly.

Take the one in purple with the poisonous tongue, who scolded him in public and wept over him in private; Wei Wuxian liked him very much. So what if he couldn’t remember his name, no matter how many times he repeated it?

If he had a memory, he might have resented the way the man ignored his wishes and demanded desperately that he work on a cure to undo the damage the Burial Mounds had caused; as it was, he was able to simply see it as a gesture of love by someone who only knew how to show affection and never how to speak of it.

He liked the girl who made him soup, too. She made him feel safe and small in the best of ways; he’d remember just enough of manners to make sure they were alone before he asked her if she was his mother – it turned out she was as young as she looked, and not younger due to cultivation, and so it was impossible. A pity, in his view, and he told her as much; she’d been sad but also flattered.

She’d patiently explained a few times over what their relationship actually was; from that point on, he tried very hard to remember to call her shijie, and most of the time he even managed to remember it.

So there were two people he liked.

Turned out there weren’t many more than that. The ones in white-and-red – he didn’t like them.

That was something of an understatement, actually.

He loathed them.

It made killing them and denying them the dignity of having an intact corpse, turning their bodies into his puppets, into something that was not only useful, but enjoyable.

The man in purple scolded him about that, too, but maybe not as hard as he seemed to think he should.

Those ones were the easy ones: the rest were a little more tricky, since he largely felt nothing at all about them – as a favor to the two he liked, he didn’t make a move against them unless they provoked him, which they sometimes did, but even when he did take action it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t as though they weren’t all willing to trade a few dead allies in exchange for his power.

Good, bad, indifferent – that was his life now.

Nice, clean, simple.

There was only one problem.

At first he’d thought the one in white was the one in purple’s friend – they spent an awful lot of time huddled together trying to think of ways to cure him – but eventually it’d been explained to him that they weren’t. In fact, the one in purple said that the one in white had previously hated him.

Wei Wuxian didn’t like that.

He had no idea why he didn’t like that, but he didn’t.

“You’re not allowed to hate me,��� he told the one in white, cornering him one day and poking him in the chest. “You’re not. You need to like me. You understand? You can’t dislike me.”

The one in white blinked. He had very long eyelashes, and pretty golden irises beneath them. “I don’t dislike Wei Ying,” he said.

“Good,” Wei Wuxian said, satisfied. And then, because he was feeling mischievous, he said, “Your forehead ribbon is crooked,” and laughed when the man immediately reached out to fix it.

He laughed an awful lot when he was around the man in white. He wasn’t sure why, since the man himself seemed to have no sense of humor at all, and barely any more ability to carry a conversation, but the man in purple seemed to think it was a good sign – apparently he’d always done that.

Personally, Wei Wuxian thought it was suspicious.

He laughed around the man in white, he felt bad when he thought the other man didn’t like him, he constantly felt the need to be near him, to tease him, merely seeing him made him lick his lips and taste the phantom impression of sweet wine, and yet no one else seemed to think they were on good terms –

It was really very obvious what was going on.

Even someone with no memory could figure it out.

He snuck up on the man in white late one night when he was off patrolling unnecessarily, as if all their sentries wouldn’t do the job; personally, Wei Wuxian would wager that the man in white just liked to be alone.

“I know, you know,” he said conversationally, and the man in white – totally unsurprised to see him, another mark of evidence in favor of Wei Wuxian’s theory – turned to look at him. “There’s no need to keep hiding it.”

“Hiding what?” the man in white asked, stoic as always.

Wei Wuxian laughed and wrapped his arms around his neck; the other man stiffened, but that was fine – Wei Wuxian reached over and placed the other man’s arms around his body, and yes, it was just as he’d thought; a perfect fit.

“I know we were lovers,” he said, and laughed again when the man in white’s ears turned bright red immediately. “It’s pretty obvious, you know.”

“Wei Ying –”

“Ah, ah, don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone. The way everyone thinks we can’t stand each other – we were clearly hiding it from them for some reason, probably politics, I think I’m very happy that I can’t remember politics – and even if I think it’s stupid, I won’t embarrass you by revealing it. But there’s no real reason we can’t keep on carrying on in private, right?”

“Wei Ying –”

“It’s my memory, isn’t it?” Wei Wuxian sighed dramatically. “You’re so stubborn. So what if I’ve lost my memory? I’m still me. The purest form of me, in fact, untroubled by all that mess…I’m still capable of thought, and I’m an adult, and I’m consenting. You should take me to bed.”

“Wei Ying!”

“Or do I take you to bed?” Wei Wuxian squinted at him. “Do we switch? I did some research, you know, once I figured it out – the cultivator in green, with the fan, has a truly marvelous collection, I hadn’t even known some of that was possible – and it seems – mmmm!”

The man in white had covered his mouth very firmly.

Wei Wuxian struggled for a bit, and the other man’s other arm tighten around him, and oh, yes, they were definitely lovers and he was definitely the one being bedded; he would rather like it if the man went a little further, maybe tossed him down on the ground – or oooh, maybe against a tree, that would be exciting, they’d done that on the fourth page of the book he’d looked over –

“Wei Ying, listen to me,” the man in white said, then jerked away his hand in a panic when Wei Wuxian licked his palm.

“I’m listening,” he said lazily. “Go on. What’re your conditions? Whatever they are, I’ll meet them.”

The man in white had been about to say something, but suddenly hesitated.

“Well?” Wei Wuxian prodded. “You want this as much as I do. I can tell.”

He rocked his hips forward suggestively, and smirked when the red started spreading from those ears into those cheeks.

“You will meet my conditions?” the man in white finally said, and yes, Wei Wuxian was going to get laid!

He had no memory of whether or not he’d done it before, but he was very enthusiastic about the idea.

“Whatever you like,” he said recklessly.

The man in white pressed his lips together for a moment, clearly weighing his options, and finally he said, “Very well.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Hit me.”

“Put your full effort into regaining your memory,” the man in white said, and Wei Wuxian’s smile disappeared.

“That’s not fair!”

“You haven’t been trying,” the man in white continued ruthlessly, and he’s not wrong; Wei Wuxian’s been nodding rather than waste effort disagreeing. “If you tried, you would succeed.”

Wei Wuxian pulled back just enough to study the man in white’s expression. “And if I do manage to get my memory back?”

The man in white looked awkward, but determined. “I will – do as you said.”

“Oh no,” Wei Wuxian said. “No deal. Uh-uh. You think I’m going to trade what might be weeks of work for a mere roll in the sheets? Absolutely not. You’re going to need to up your offer.”

The man in white frowned.

“I want to go public,” Wei Wuxian said, and grinned at the way the man’s eyes widened. “I don’t like the thought of sneaking around and not telling my family – my shijie, my…you know, the purple one, him – they should know. I want them to. You want me to put my full effort into getting my memory back? Fine. Then I want you in my bed all the time, not just when we can do it in secret.”

The man in white seemed to be thinking very hard about something.

Wei Wuxian waited.

Eventually, the man in white nodded, and Wei Wuxian beamed.

“Very well,” he said, and his voice was oddly shaky; the thought of going public must really be frightening to him. Good thing he had Wei Wuxian by his side; Wei Wuxian wasn’t scared of anything. “If you successfully regain your memory, I will go to Sect Leader Jiang and ask for your hand in marriage.”

Wei Wuxian hadn’t actually meant marriage, only publicity, but of course a stickler for etiquette like Lan – like Lan Zh- – like – like the man in white, well, of course he’d insist on doing things the right way.

That was fine by Wei Wuxian.

“And when we’re married, we’ll sleep together every day,” he added, feeling especially daring. “You hear me? Every day.”

The man in white nodded. “Every day.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Well then,” he said, feeling quite smug at having wrapped things up so nicely. His past and future self-with-memories was going to just have to thank him for doing what he’d clearly been too much of a coward to do before. “I guess I’d better get to work.”

#mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #my fic #my fics #in which future WWX regrets ALL OF HIS CHOICES FOREVER #well maybe not ALL of them #oneiriad