#ship: under the snowy moonlight

[lostinfic]

Fic: Winter happens, like a secret

Cesare x Lucrezia | Rated E | 3k words

Summary: Cesare has been gone for many weeks, fighting in the Romagna after the Sforza’s downfall, but one snowy Christmas Eve, he returns home to Lucrezia. Has she forgiven him for killing Alfonso?

The box was wrapped in a handkerchief, tied together with a velvet ribbon. Rather than look inside the box, she unravelled the red ribbon and slipped it around her brother’s neck. He chuckled. “What are you doing?” “You are my present this year,” she said. She pulled on the ribbon lightly, coaxing him closer though he could easily resist it if he so wished. He didn’t resist.

Loosely based on the infamous Folgers commercial, but set in Renaissance-era Italy.

Read on Ao3 or under the cut ↓

Lucrezia woke up in the middle of the night, her light slumber disturbed by a change in the luminosity beyond her eyelids. The night sky seemed aglow behind the curtains. The fire had faded down to embers, and warmth had seeped out of the room. She slipped on a red, fur-lined robe and went to the window. Outside, snowflakes drifted down from the sky, draping the garden in white. It was so bright, moonlight seemed to emanate from the ground itself.  

She laughed, delighted by the snow, though the feeling in her heart was closer to melancholy than joy. 

Tiptoeing down the stairs, she made her way to the kitchen. The cook and servants had been hard at work preparing food for tomorrow’s Vigila di Natale feast. Lucrezia filled a pot with water, added mint, honey, orange peels, ginger and tea leaves to it, then hung it above the fire in the hearth. Djem had introduced her to tea, and she was pleased to find some Asian ships, trading in the port of Naples, carried the leaves even though few locals drank it. She stirred the simmering water with a wooden spoon, and delicious aromas rose from the pot. She could have woken up a maid to make it, but she wanted to be alone. Admiring the falling snow through the frosted window, she warmed her hands on the earthenware cup and sipped her tea. 

Inevitably, her thoughts turned to Cesare.

Lucrezia had spent the Novena— the nine days before Christmas— reflecting on the Bible, singing carols and praying in St. Peter’s. The Pope had commissioned a splendid Nativity scene, and boughs of evergreen perfumed the space with their scent so deeply associated with Christmas. The populace filled the basilica with joyous hymns and brightly coloured attires, unlike Lucrezia who wore her widow’s blacks and whose heart was too heavy to be lifted by music. Six months had passed since Alfonso’s death, regrets rather than grief filled her heart now. Soon, her father would seek to marry her off again. Though who would take her, when rumours of Cesare’s hand in murdering Alfonso circulated around Rome which in turn reignited the gossip of an incestuous relationship. Had anyone heard the prayers she whispered in her mind, it would only have added fuel to the fire: she prayed to rid herself of this sinful desire for her brother, prayed to hate him, but in the same second, she prayed for his safety, his return and his eternal love. She promised God a life of holy devotion yet longed for her brother’s presence and dreamt of his lips at her neck. 

Cesare had been gone for months now, on some mission for the Holy Father— punishment for killing Alfonso and ruining their shaky alliance with Naples. Since capturing Caterina Sforza and killing her son and both her cousins, he had made many enemies. Yet he still pursued control over the Romagna. She and her parents hadn’t heard of him in a long time. And it seemed to Lucrezia that half her mind and heart were with him, somewhere beyond Rome. She willed each of her breaths to fill his lungs and each beat of her heart to push blood through his veins. In her darkest moments, she worried he had died, or worse, travelled back to France, to spend the holidays with his new family.  

Still, she had made garlands of dried citrus slices to hang around the house and infuse her gloomy mood with merriment, for Giovanni’s sake. The scent of lemon and firewood filled their home. Cousin Adriana would arrive soon with her family, as well as cousins from Spain, seeking some favour from the Pope, no doubt. Would she be able to keep a smile on until Epiphany? 

Lucrezia sighed. She’d drank half her tea without savouring it. Snow fell in big, fluffy clumps now. 

A man on horseback came through the gates. The horse’s clip-clopping disturbed the silent night, and hoofprints marred the pristine snow. Fear clutched her guts— at this hour, he could only bring bad news. Sweat beaded down her spine as she imagined he would tell her Cesare had died. 

The man appeared in no hurry to deliver the news. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard and waited for the stable boy to stumble out. She recognized the familiar grace with which he jumped off his horse, but she dared not hope. At last, the man lowered his hood and looked up in the direction of her bedroom window. Moonlight highlighted dark curls, stubbled cheeks and green eyes. Her heart leapt in her chest. 

Lucrezia rushed towards the kitchen door and yanked it open just as he was reaching it. 

“Cesare!” his name came out with a cloud on her breath. 

She jumped in his arms, and he caught her as he had so many times before. His cold nose tip pressed against her neck and sent a shiver through her. The snowflakes dusting his hair melted against her flushed cheeks. Her other half was back, and her whole body sang with relief. 

Holding her up, he carried her in, kicking the door close behind them with his foot. He murmured her name and sagged against her, tension released from his shoulders. 

“Why are you slipping in during the night like a phantom?”  

She kept her voice down. She should have woken up her mother who worried about Cesare too, but she wanted a moment alone with her dear brother. 

“I could not wait any longer,” he said. 

He slipped his hands under her dressing gown. However, the minute his frozen fingertips met her waist, she squirmed away with a squeal. He laughed at her reaction.  

She loved his laughter, she had missed it. The way it came out of his throat in a burst of giggles, more high-pitched than expected, and how he would try to contain it, pressing his lips together but a smile always remained, like a mischievous kid.  

Lucrezia took his large hands and rubbed them between her small palms, blowing warm breath on his fingers.  

“I have missed those hands,” she said. 

“And I have missed that face.” 

They took comfort in repeating those words they had said years ago, as if they could have their innocence back. In that moment, they could pretend their relationship had not changed, that despite sharing a bed and killing Juan and Alfonso, they were the same boy and girl who had once reunited in a deserted Apolostic palace. 

He kissed her hands, though with some restraint. His hasty departure, not long after Alfonso’s death, had left some things unresolved between them.   

“I’m starving,” he announced. 

Lucrezia lit a candle as he surveyed the food laid out in the kitchen.  

“Ah, good food, at last,” he said, picking candied fruits and chestnuts from a silver plate. 

She pushed his hand away. “It’s for the feast tonight.” 

With a cheeky grin, he popped a few honey-coated pistachios in his mouth. She offered him some tea which he sipped gratefully. The stone floor was cold under her feet, so she hopped up on the wooden counter, pushing aside a bouquet of dried rosemary. As he drank and warmed himself, he kept stealing glances at her, studying her reaction to his return. 

To be honest, Lucrezia was ambivalent. Though she was beyond happy to see him safe and home, of that there was no doubt, she questioned what form their relationship would take now. She knew what her body craved, what her heart hoped, but her rational mind cautioned her against it.  

“I brought you something, sis, from far away.” 

He should have waited until the 25th, but he never could restrain himself when he had an opportunity to cheer her up. And this proof that he had been thinking about her while he was away could only bring a smile to her lips. 

The box was wrapped in a handkerchief, tied together with a length of velvet ribbon. Rather than look inside the box, she unravelled the red ribbon and slipped it around her brother’s neck. 

He chuckled. “What are you doing?” 

“You are my present this year,” she said. 

She pulled lightly on both ends of the ribbon, coaxing him closer, though he could easily resist if he so wished— he didn’t resist. He stepped closer, leaning on his hands, placed each side of her knees. Sitting up on the counter, she was almost the same height as him. Suddenly serious, they looked into each other’s eyes, and she knew all too well these moments of tense silence in which one of them had to do the right thing. Neither of them looked away. She held onto the ribbon, and he stared at her, steadfast, intense. Anticipation made warmth pool low in her stomach. 

She had tried taking a lover, but quickly grew bored of the affair. Cesare had ruined her for other men, it seemed— and wouldn’t he like to know that. 

“You were my present too,” he said, in a low voice. “The day Mother put you in my arms, I had never held anything so precious.” He touched the ends of her loose blond waves as if it were spun gold. “I knew, even as a boy, that I would do anything to protect you…” 

She realized then, this was about Alfonso. 

“Do you forgive me?” he asked. 

“We are Borgias, brother, we never forgive.”  

He squeezed his eyes shut, pained to hear those words as much as she was to have voiced them. 

“And so, I cannot forgive even myself,” she continued, finally saying aloud the thoughts that had plagued her but which she could not share with anyone, “for I also am to blame for my husband’s death.” 

Cesare rested his forehead against hers, shaking his head in disagreement. She ran her fingers through his hair and gripped a fistful of curls. 

“It is the truth,” she said. 

“It was my fault. I wielded the blade and I—” 

“Yes, you wielded the blade,” Lucrezia said, working open his leather doublet, stiff with cold, “but I wield your heart.” She slipped her hands inside, spreading them over his chest. “As you do mine.”  

Under her palms, his heart was beating so fast it threatened to escape his ribcage. He could not deny the truth of her words.  

“Peace, brother,” she murmured soothingly, caressing his chest. His skin was damp under the leather. 

He rubbed his nose against hers, slowly, eyes closed, with none of the usual playfulness. He didn’t try to kiss her but neither did he step away. She tasted his honey-sweet sigh across her mouth. 

“Lucrezia,” he whispered her name with such adoration, but tainted with pain and reluctance. 

Why try to resist the inevitable? Was there virtue in a half-hearted effort? 

“Make me yours again.” 

His chest rumbled with something like a growl.  

When she brushed her lips against his, he captured her mouth. He kissed her deeply, hands tightening in the heavy fabric of her robe.  

Though she had not forgiven him in words, it was a kiss of absolution. Ardent and tender and so full of love, tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. 

She loved him, always, in spite of everything. He had made her that way, with his gentleness and indulgence, with his jealousy and adoring gaze. She could not even hold it against him. She had blossomed in his light and always would seek it. Nothing else would do. No one else would do.  

They broke the kiss well before they’d had their fill. 

Cesare searched her face for a sign of reluctance or regret, but he found the opposite. There was still time for one of them to pull away— usually Cesare. Instead, his hand slid up her back, along her spine, to cup the nape of her neck. That touch always filled her with such a delicious haze. Even back when she was too innocent to understand what it kindled in her, she sought it, luxuriated in it. And just like that, God was sitting in the room with them again. Her chest swelled with elation and the top of her head tingled from a shower of invisible, yet tangible light which descended upon them, shielded them. And the silence, only broken by the crackling fire, became almost musical. 

She touched Cesare’s chin, and he smiled. 

“I’ve missed this,” he whispered before kissing her again. 

She parted her lips for him, welcomed his tongue, and spread her legs. 

Hips cradled between her thighs, he assailed her neck with ravenous kisses. In his hunger, he nearly ripped open her shift. Her dressing gown slipped from her shoulders. Her short nails raked down his abdomen, towards his belt.  

The cold draught in the room was no match for the fever overtaking them. She made quick work of his codpiece, and he tugged her to the edge of the counter.  

He pushed her shift up her thighs and, for a moment, seemed lost in the softness of her skin and marvelled at how small she was next to him.  

Slipping her hand inside his pants, Lucrezia spurred him back into action. He bucked his hips into her palm with a ragged moan and found her wet and wanting under her bedclothes.  

Cesare sought her gaze then entered her in one long, luxurious thrust. Pleasure knocked the breath from their lungs as they clung to each other.  

She used to think time and longing had embellished her memory of their lovemaking. Surely, it could not have been as amazing as she made it out to be in her mind. But it was. A miracle. Rapture. She could not doubt they were two halves of the same whole, meant to be together lest they withered apart. 

Already pleasure made her toes curl and her core clench with each thrust. 

“Oh, God!” she moaned, throwing her head back. 

“I don’t think God wants anything to do with this,” he joked. 

“Then he should not have made you so well-endowed.” 

He grinned, and she kissed him, wanting to taste his joy, to take it inside herself. 

Laughter and sighs of pleasure mingled as they moved together. 

Anyone could have walked in on them, embracing passionately in the kitchen, but they were too far gone to care. 

-

Out of breath and utterly satisfied, Lucrezia slumped down on the counter, “Happy Christmas,” she said.  

He smiled, gazing down at her, admiring her body where her shift clung to her sweat-damp skin. The ribbon still hung around his neck, and she used it to pull him down to her for a kiss. 

“I think I’d better not let you get used to having me on a leash,” he said as if that had not already been the case for years. 

He removed the ribbon from his neck and tied it in a bow around hers. 

“Beautiful,” he said. 

He was still in her, half-hard, her legs locked around his hips. There was a risk, she knew, that she might become pregnant. Would the Pope believe it was another Immaculate Conception if she said so? The thought amused her rather than scare her. 

After gathering food and wine, they headed upstairs to her bedroom. 

Cesare put another log in the fireplace and stirred the embers. He spared a moment to check on his godson, sleeping in the adjoining room. 

“Giovanni asked for you yesterday,” she said. 

“Perhaps that’s why I was in such a hurry to come back and rode through the night.” 

“Or is there another reason, perhaps?” 

She tilted her head with an impish smile. 

He hooked a finger under the ribbon at her throat and brought her lips to his. His kiss warmed her to her toes. 

“Will La Befana bring your son sweets or coal?” he asked. 

“Sweets, of course. He’s a angel.” She smiled proudly. 

“And tell me, my love, what will she bring me?” 

“We shall make our own sweetness, Cesare.” 

She picked a sweet from a plate and fed it to him. He sucked the sugar from her fingertips and peppered kisses down her wrist. In one swoop, he picked her up and carried her to bed. 

They cuddled under the covers, and talked of nothing important until the room was warm enough they could undress completely. Skin to skin, bodies entwined, they reaffirmed their bond and commitment to each other. 

It was one of the longest nights of the year, but the sun seemed to dawdle beyond the horizon just for them. 

In the morning, he would pretend his room was too cold without a fire or that he’d lost his way in the dark palazzo after weeks away. Outside, snow still blanketed Rome, it would melt in the daylight, but for now, it protected them with its silence and purity. 

#The Borgias #Cesare/Lucrezia #Cesare x Lucrezia #Borgiacest #lostinfic writes stuff #winter happens like a secret

[bumblesimagines]

Under The Moonlight

Part 11

Request: Yes or No

~~~

Novgorod was what he expected and more. A fairly sized city protected by tall stone walls. Surrounding the exterior of the city sat ships on sleds, collecting snow as they waited to be used. (Y/N) noticed the tall buildings peeking out from beyond the walls with domes resting on top. Such an odd shape for a roof. Within the city were many merchants and traders, calling out offers and the services they provided.

(Y/N) stopped briefly, watching two men ride past him on a sled pulled by a bulky horse. Harald chuckled and patted his back before approaching one of the sellers and offering his silver ring in return for three bowls of broth. (Y/N) took the small wooden bowl into his hands and brought it to his face, letting the steam warm his face before he drank and chewed on the chunks of meat floating in the broth. 

"What are they doing?" Leif asked and (Y/N) turned to look at him, following his line of sight toward two men in front of an old wooden building. One of the men sat on the snowy ground, slumped over and looking half-dead. The other man stumbled about before leaning back against the building and sliding down to the ground, head limply going from side to side. 

"Opium," Harald answered, pitifully looking at the men and shaking his head. "They say its smoke enters your body and steals your soul." 

"Why would they do it?"

"To escape this Earth. To talk to the dead." Harald shrugged lightly, finishing his broth and using his sleeve to wipe the snow and remains off his lips. (Y/N) hummed lightly, drinking the last of his broth and turning around at the sound of loud cheering coming from a large perched tent behind them. Harald grinned widely and nodded toward it, eagerly walking forward. The brothers followed him inside and (Y/N) took note of the multiple shirtless sweaty men of varying ages hanging about. Many with bruises. Wooden beams for lanterns and seating areas had been built within the tent. Toward the back of the tent, perched on a wooden stage of sorts, sat a middle-aged man drinking from his goblet. In the middle was an open area where two men connected at the wrist by rope swung at each other, blood dripping down their skin and bruises littering their bodies. Some men walked around the seating areas with bowls, taking coins from the spectators. 

"That's him," Harald whispered to them, motioning to the middle-aged man (Y/N) had noticed minutes prior. Harald walked along the sidelines as the fight ended with one of the men roaring in victory. Before Harald could get to his uncle, two guards stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Frowning at them, Harald scoffed. "Let me by. I'm Prince Harald Sigurdsson. I'm here to see my uncle!" The guards refused to budge, even shoving Harald back when he got too close. 

A gong sounded off and (Y/N) looked back at the middle, noticing two new shirtless men fighting each other. Suddenly, Harald handed Leif his sword and rushed forward, kicking the man holding the other down. The second man scrambled to his feet and stood up, only for Harald to whirl around and punch him. Turning to face his surprised uncle, Harald spoke despite being swarmed by guards, "What this fight needs is a Viking named Prince Harald Sigurdsson of Norway, great-grandson of Harald Finehair and blood relative of the esteemed Yaroslav the Wise!"

"Stop!" Yaroslav ordered, standing from his seat. He stopped and squinted down at Harald, hooking his fingers into the belt around his waist and raising a brow. "Harald?"

Shoving away the guards, Harald panted and greeted him. "Uncle."

"Look at you... What has brought you to Novgorod?" Yaroslav questioned curiously, eyeing the worn clothes on his body. Harald looked far from princely with his long snow-covered beard and messy hair. Unlike his nephew, Yaroslav appeared well-put together. He wore black clothes with gold designs embroidered on them. He had short curly black hair that swooped delicately over his forehead and a neatly trimmed beard. From everything Harald had told them, Yaroslav was a reasonable and hospitable man.

"It's a long story, Uncle. One told better over food and drink." Harald responded and a large smirk spread across Yaroslav's face.

Everything afterward passed by in a blur. They were taken to the finest inn in the city and given rooms where they bathed and changed into fresh clothes before being taken to a brightly lit room. Many colors covered the walls and the fabrics the people wore were eye-catching. (Y/N) supposed when one lived in a barren land, it was only natural to want to stand out. They sat at a long table with other guests, though Harald sat near his uncle. They were served a lot of food and given wine to drink. Harald spoke with his uncle and another man while Leif listened in on their conversation and (Y/N) occupied himself with the food.

"Greenlanders!" Yaroslav called out to them and (Y/N) paused mid-chew, turning his head toward the ruler. Yarslav grinned at them. (Y/N) wondered if everyone related to Harald was so friendly. "They have language at the edge of the world, don't they?"

"Last time I was there," Leif responded as chatter at the table ceased and eyes turned to look at them curiously. (Y/N) swallowed down his food and licked his lips, glancing at Harald. The prince smiled at him encouragingly.

"And tell us, what is it like to live so removed from civilization?" 

"Greenland is quiet," Leif answered again and shrugged lightly. Yaroslav stared at him, slowly nodding as his gaze flickered between the brothers and then to Harald. Not a good enough reply to quench the ruler's curiosity. 

"Quiet, and...?"

"Gives you time to think about things. At night, we would watch the norðurljós. Colors of all the heavens would light up the sky." Leif smiled, looking across the table at his brother, gaze turning fond as he spoke. The woman beside Leif watched him with a warm smile. "We heard stories when we were younger that they were the reflections of the Valkyries' armor. (Y/N)'s mother had a different story, though. When the moon is low, and the sea is sleeping, you can hear the songr of the hvlar swimming at the bottom of the ocean. And then, all at once, they explode from the darkness. Mouths open wide enough to swallow ships." (Y/N) smiled. He could still remember when his mother sat them outside to watch the dancing lights in the sky while she told them the story.

"I hated Greenland when I lived there," Leif confessed with a grimace, gaze falling onto the table. "Now I miss it. I miss the people I knew there." 

"I understand that," Yaroslav said with a hint of longing in his voice. Reaching for his cup, he lifted it in the air and smiled widely. "Welcome to Novgorod, where, unfortunately, quiet does not exist." Laughter scattered across the table and the guests raised their cups in turn. (Y/N) sipped on his wine and returned to his food, finishing his plate, and then hearing Yaroslav raise his voice at Harald.

"I cannot risk upsetting him or his crazy father just so that you can fight for something you never had!" He shouted and Harald looked away from him with a frown, leaning back in his seat as silence fell over the table again. Never taking his green eyes off Harald, Yaroslav continued more calmly. "As I see it, beloved nephew, you have two options: return to Kattegat and swear fealty to Olaf-"

"No."

"-Or do what Vikings have always done. Reivent yourself." His words made Harald's brows furrow but an interest blossomed in his eyes. 

Once Yaroslav finished eating, the dinner was considered finally over and most quests excused themselves to their lodgings. (Y/N) bid his brother goodnight and headed to his own lodgings, looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed that wouldn't make his muscles ache. Pushing open the door and stepping inside, he couldn't bring himself to be surprised when he noticed Harald sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms on his knees. With his gaze on the floor, (Y/N) couldn't get a clear view of his face. (Y/N) closed the door and stepped further into the room, slipping his dagger off his waist and setting it down on a chair before walking closer to Harald. He gently began running his fingers through Harald's soft locks, feeling Harald nuzzle against him and sigh heavily.

"My uncle is well within his rights to refuse me in favor of Canute. He claims the southern river trade route is blocked by a group of brutal nomadics called Pechenegs. Trade is what keeps Novgorod flourishing. He cannot risk going to war with Canute and losing his northern trade." Harald explained quietly, arms slowly slithering around (Y/N). 

"What will you do then? Reinvent yourself?" 

"Yes." Harald tilted his head upward, pressing his chin against (Y/N)'s stomach. Chuckling when (Y/N) gave him a puzzled look, he explained. "I cannot keep expecting others to help me. I need to work for it. I just need to find something that will sell for a good price."

"And what will you do then?"

"I will gather an army and take Norway," Harald answered confidently and (Y/N) hummed softly, tucking a brown strand behind Harald's ear. Harald smiled lovingly, leaning into (Y/N)'s hand and pressing a fluttery kiss to his wrist. (Y/N) shifted slightly, pressing the front of his feet to his ankles and carefully slipping out of his boots. 

"I hope you have a proper plan this time, Harald. We do not need a repeat of Kattegat." (Y/N) murmured, shedding the first layer of clothes and stepping around the bed. Laying down, he moved under the many warm blankets and snuggled into the pillow, watching Harald take his boots off and get comfortable. 

"I know, my love." Harald reached out and tugged him closer, rubbing his hands against the fabric of (Y/N)'s tunic. 

"Harald, we should talk about what I said back in-"

"We've had a long day, love," Harald interrupted quietly, kissing his forehead and pulling him further against his chest. Resting his chin on top of his head, Harald stared forward at the dim lantern keeping the room lit as his mind desperately tried to scrub away the words that made his heart ache. He'd found a love that made him stronger. He couldn't lose that. Not after the betrayals from Canute and his own brother. "Get some rest."

                    ��        ➸       ➸       ➸       ➸       ➸

Stepping out into the cold, (Y/N) felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. For a split second, he could see the icy ocean in the distance and hear the roaring wind slipping between the sparse trees near their home. But those visions were replaced by bustling crowds and the sound of chatter. With a sigh, (Y/N) headed down a staircase, easily finding Harald amongst the crowd. He spoke with a man selling all sorts of furs. (Y/N)'s brows furrowed at the sight. 

"Sleep well?" His brother asked as he approached, voice gruff and slightly shakey. His head turned back in the direction of the old building where opium was given, gaze lingering on it for far longer than (Y/N)'s liking. Taking Leif's arm gently, he pulled Leif's attention off the building and onto him but Leif averted his eyes upon seeing the frown on (Y/N)'s face.

"Leif-"

"What is Harald up to?" Leif cleared his throat, tugging his arm free and quickening his pace to greet the prince. (Y/N)'s frown only deepened and he followed after him, eyeing the furs bundled up and scattered across the tables. Harald grinned widely when he spotted them, stepping away from the seller and extending his arms to either side of him.

"I have a new plan!" He declared, slinging his arms around their shoulders and bringing them closer to the tables. "I must fund my own army since Yaroslav will not back one for me. I intend to buy as many furs as possible here and sell them in Constantinople."

"And how do you plan to get there?" Leif questioned, looking at his brother and quirking a brow in question. (Y/N) only shrugged in response.

"I will worry about that detail tomorrow, my friend." Harald chuckled rather sheepishly, tightening his hold on the brothers again and dragging them away from the table and toward the large fighting ring tent. (Y/N) grimaced, hearing an eruption of cheers slip out from the tent. "Today, we must make money doing what we're good at." 

Just like the prior day, the tent had been packed with both spectators and fighters. The fighters all dressed similarly. They wore no armor and carried no weapons. The only article of clothing on them were loose pants, leaving the rest of their body exposed to their opponents. A quick way of painting one's body in purple and green. The next fighter had been the victorious one from the day before. He was a tall dark-skinned man with short dark hair braided back tightly against his skull. When he turned slightly under the lantern light, (Y/N) spotted the scars littering his body. He carried an air of confidence, searching the crowd for any fighter bold enough to step up to the challenge as another man, his partner most likely, stepped forward.

"Who wants to bet against Kaysan, the great African warrior?" His partner called out, cackling when no one stepped forward. Shorter than Kaysan and less muscled, the man had fair skin and big brown eyes filled with arrogance. His hair had been cut short and trimmed even shorter on the sides. He seemed particularly proud of Kaysan, exchanging smirks with him when the other fighters looked away. "No one wants to bet against Kaysan?"

When no fighters stepped up, the man looked toward one of his own, motioning for him to step forward. "Maybe some of you will bet against Kaysan now!"

"I'll bet against both of them!" (Y/N) blinked, head snapping in Harald's direction. The prince stepped forward, turning sideways to point back at Leif. (Y/N) scoffed softly. "Two against two."

"Harald," Leif called quietly, lightly shaking his head and glancing around as the crowd grew louder and tossed their coins into the bowls the collectors carried. 

"Come on," Harald breathed, walking toward them and clapping his hands over Leif's arms. "We need the money."

"You need the money." Leif chided and frowned. 

"We're not gonna fight for the entertainment of these people, Harald." (Y/N) told him, gaze hardening. Harald looked at him, taking in the disappointment on his face. Pursing his lips, Harald nodded and sighed, looking back toward the three men. 

"I have a better idea!" Harald called and approached Kaysan's partner, smirking at him. "If this man accepts my bet of 100 hryvnya, I'll fight against both of his fighters." Harald looked back at the brothers, meeting (Y/N)'s eyes. His lover shook his head at him but Harald ignored it, giving him a small smile instead and looking back at the man. Kaysan chuckled softly under his breath as Harald and his partner shook hands. Harald walked off to get dressed and Kaysan powdered his hands, rubbing them together and walking by the two brothers. 

"Don't worry," He smirked lazily. "I'll try not to kill your brother."

"I can't promise he'll return the favor," Leif murmured and Kaysan chuckled before strolling back toward the center. (Y/N) folded his arms over his chest, feeling every muscle in his body tense. The crowd shouted Kaysan's name and poured more coin into the bowls. If Kaysan had so many fans, it meant he fought pretty often. And won. Harald's carelessness would get him killed, (Y/N) just knew it would.

Harald returned and powdered his hands, looking at the brothers with a confident smile. When the gong sounded off, he reared up his fists and charged first, punching the second fighter in his stomach and then connecting his fist to Kaysan's jaw. Kaysan stumbled back from the hit and Harald turned, swinging at the second fighter who blocked most of his hits. Grabbing the man by the arms, Harald turned and threw him to the ground, causing Kaysan to trip over him. Taking advantage of the moment, Harald kicked Kaysan in the face and stepped back, waiting for the men to get back onto their feet. 

Kaysan stood first, snarling as he swung at Harald. Harald dodged and blocked, landing a hit on Kaysan's side before pressing his forearm to Kaysan's chest and pushing him back against a support beam. Kaysan swung at Harald's stomach and Harald grunted, baring his teeth and punching Kaysan's cheek. He turned in time to see the other fighter close to him and ducked before the punch could land. Harald grabbed the man's leg and tossed himself onto the ground, rolling over and forcing the man to fall back. As he moved to stand, Kaysan charged, kneeing him in the stomach. Harald fell back, grunting softly and quickly moving onto his hands and knees. Kaysan grabbed his long hair and pulled him up onto his feet, grasping the sides of Harald's face and bringing his head down while also bringing his own knee up. (Y/N) grimaced when Kaysan's knee connected to Harald's face. 

Breaking free of Kaysan's grip, Harald dodged the punches thrown by both fighters and caught Kaysan's forearm, tossing his leg up and nearly hitting Kaysan in the groin. He punched Kaysan's face again but before he could turn, the other fighter, wrapped his arms around his waist and heaved him up, tossing him down on the ground. The weight of Harald forced the fighter to fall as well and the two men took big gulps of air as they recovered from the fall. Once orientated again, Harald moved forward and got on top of the fighter but the fighter quickly rolled over, shoving Harald off of him and right next to Kaysan. Harald tried scrambling back but Kaysan loomed over him, large hands reaching for Harald's throat. (Y/N) wrapped his fingers around his necklace and winced, almost looking away when Harald was picked up by the throat and tossed back down on the ground. With that, the gong rang again, signaling the first round was over. Leif reached back, taking the cup of water someone offered him for Harald.

Harald staggered onto his feet, drenched in sweat. His hair stuck to his face and trickled down from his lips. Harald walked toward the brothers, panting heavily and chuckling breathlessly. "See what you're missing?" Harald laughed, taking the cup and drinking.

"You're gonna get yourself killed." (Y/N) muttered, running his thumb back and forth over the bones and listening to the hollers from the crowd. He didn't miss the way one spectator shouted for Harald's death.

Tugging at his own necklace, Harald's grin widened. "I've got my lucky charm." He reminded him, chugging back more of the water and cringing at the taste of metallic. Leif eyed the other two fighters as they drank and gathered themselves again.

"Watch the left of the big one. He's slow to defend." Leif quietly told him and Harald hummed, handing back the cup and taking in a big gulp of air before turning around and walking back toward the center. 

Once the gong sounded off, Kaysan attacked first and Harald dodged his first punch, only for Kaysan to throw another punch at him with his other arm and hit the side of his face. Harald notably staggered more, the exhaustion of the first match beginning to take hold. Luckily, Harald recovered quickly and dodged the next punch, rearing up and repeatedly punching Kaysan in the face before shoving him back to have some space when he backhanded the other fighter. He turned back to Kaysan and attempted to throw another punch but Kaysan blocked it and shot his arm forward, grabbing Harald by the throat again and sneering down at him. The other fighter came up behind Harald, repeating his move of wrapping his arms around him and tossing him to the ground, only this time he landed on Harald. With the man on his back, Harald elbowed his side only to get kicked down by Kaysan. The other fighter moved fully onto Harald's back and slipped his arm around Harald's neck, forcing his face up for Kaysan to kick. But Harald used his weight to push back against the fighter on him, rolling over and causing Kaysan to miss. Before he could land some hits on the smaller fighter, Kaysan kicked his side again, hitting him hard enough to force him away and onto his back. 

As Kaysan approached, Harald threw a punch at his groin and Kaysan instantly leaned over in pain, giving Harald a clear opportunity to punch his square on the nose. Kaysan fell back from the force and Harald rolled onto his belly but before he could get up the other fighter crawled toward him and grabbed his ankle. Harald easily kicked his face and got up, letting the two men gather themselves and stand. The other fighter moved first, stumbling forward with a bleeding nose. Harald wrapped his arm around the man and used it to hold himself up and kick Kaysan in the stomach with both feet. With his arms still around the fighter, he used his weight to turn and slam the man onto the ground. Getting on top of him, Harald punched him again and again until there was a sickening crack and Harald got off the heaving man. 

With his fighters losing, Kaysan's partner looked at his last fighter and motioned for him to get into the fight. (Y/N) glanced toward the man at the gong but he remained still, even as the new fighter grabbed Harald from behind and tossed him toward a support beam. With the fight turning into three vs one, Leif shed his coat as Kaysan got on top of Harald. Harald raised his arms up to block Kaysan's repetitive punches while the new fighter checked on the other man.

"Fuck!" (Y/N) hissed when Leif charged, tackling Kaysan off bloody and bruised Harald. He got a punch in before standing to face the third fighter and grabbing his arms. Leif shoved him back against a support beam, taking the side of his face and slamming it against the beam again. When the man fell to the floor, Leif wrapped his arms around his neck and rolled onto the floor so the man was on top of him. Wrapping his legs around the man's body, he squeezed his forearm around the man's neck, and then seemingly out of instinct, he snapped it. Kaysan and his partner quickly fled the tent, whether out of fear or not wanting to pay, (Y/N) couldn't tell nor force himself to care. Harald scrambled onto his feet and pulled Leif up.

"We won, Leif!" Harald laughed, holding Leif by the shoulders and lightly shaking him. Leif panted, breath going in and out in short bursts. His widened eyes stared down at the dead man at his feet and (Y/N) picked up Leif's coats, approaching them and handing them off. Leif slipped them on and quickly walked away, looking disoriented and panicked.

"(Y/N)-" Harald began, reaching out toward him but (Y/N) ripped his arm away when Harald's fingers grazed it. One would've thought Harald had burned him. Harald's throat tightened when (Y/N) didn't even look back at him as he walked away from him and exited the tent.

(Y/N) caught up to his brother, his heart cracking when Leif flinched. "Come, Leif." (Y/N) whispered, rubbing his hands against Leif's arms and guiding him back toward the inn. Leif's breathing slowly returned to normal but his gaze remained distant. Guilt clouded his eyes. (Y/N) headed toward Leif's room, opening the door and closing it behind them. 

"I... I killed a man." Leif breathed out, slumping down on his bed and burying his face in his hands.

"You saved Harald's life." (Y/N) pointed out softly, taking a seat beside his brother and rubbing circles along his back. But they both knew it hadn't been the act itself that had shaken Leif. It'd been the way he lost control of himself, just like their father did. For a man who spent most of his adulthood hoping to prove he wasn't like his father, flipping the switch so easily meant everything he worked toward was a mere mask. It meant a day would come when he'd fully lose himself to blind rage and bloodlust. 

Inhaling deeply, Leif pulled his hands away from his face and (Y/N) noticed the unshed tears in his eyes. "I did not need to kill him... it-it just happened so quickly-"

"I know, Leif." (Y/N) cooed, wrapping his arms around Leif's shoulders and pulling him close. Placing a hand on the side of Leif's face, (Y/N) kissed the top of his head and murmured soft comforts into his ear. He sat still on the bed, allowing his brother to weep for as long as he wanted. For months, Leif had been swallowing his grief and letting it eat him up inside. (Y/N) waited until Leif grew tired before letting him have a moment alone. 

Stepping out of Leif's room and heading toward his own, (Y/N) heard the distant clap of thunder. When he entered his room, he spotted Harald sitting on one of the chairs and tending to the countless bruises and cuts on his body. Harald gently dabbed at his skin with a piece of wet cloth, wiping away the dust and blood on his body. (Y/N) stared at him. No part of him wanted to help Harald with his injuries. 

"A friend of my uncle's has given us two thousand hryvnya to get him to Constantinople. I've already bought the furs. All we must do now is-"

"Leif killed a man for you... and you're talking about furs?" (Y/N) remained rooted in his spot by the door, watching Harald pause his movements and look up at him. Harald swallowed, squeezing blood and water from the cloth before setting it on the table and standing up. 

"I understand you're upset-"

"Upset? I'm exhausted, Harald. I've been away from home for almost a year, I've been forced into two wars, and my brother isn't well. You... You are so..." (Y/N) pressed his quivering lips together, tearing his eyes away from Harald and shakily exhaling. The disappointment and sadness washed away, becoming muddled with anger and exhaustion. A small chuckle escaped him. "You and your brother are the same, Harald. All you desire is power. You've spent your whole life wanting a throne that was never yours."

Clenching his jaw, Harald spoke, "My great-grandfather was Harald Finehair. My family has sat on the throne for many years. Olaf promised the throne would pass to me and it has been given to a boy instead. The throne belongs to my family, (Y/N). It does not belong to the son of an oathbreaker."

"It belongs to your family, yes. But not you. You were born too late. You never had a claim to it." (Y/N)'s tone turned icy and filled with irritation, teeth grinding together as his eyes shot back to look Harald in the face. The prince stared at him, disbelief settling on his face. "The throne would've been yours long ago if you had a proper claim."

"Not true."

"You think all this has happened for no reason? Canute's betrayal? Olaf's betrayal? Why else would the Gods stop you from sitting the throne? You were never meant to be king, Harald!" (Y/N) snapped abruptly and Harald flinched slightly, lips parting. His eyes flickered between (Y/N), his hands growing clammy and his throat tightened. Harald shook his head repetitively, collecting his shirt and coats. His gaze remained downcast when he walked forward, arm brushing against (Y/N)'s as he walked past him. The door slammed loudly behind him, nearly rattling the walls. (Y/N) felt himself deflate, staggering forward toward his bed and collapsing onto it. Curling into himself, he stared at the fireplace, listening to the fire crackle and the thunder grow closer. Pain and guilt flooded his veins like a wave. But he couldn't deny the trickle of relief.

#x reader #x you #x y/n #x male reader #vikings valhalla x male reader #vikings valhalla x you #vikings valhalla #vikings #Vikings valhalla x y/n #harald sigurdsson x reader #harald sigurdsson #harald sigurdsson x male reader #harald sigurdsson x you #Harald sigurdsson x y/n #leif eriksson

[colourstreakgryffin]

Thunder and Hugs; NejiTama Fluffshot

(Just wanted to write about my favourite Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia ship, please don’t judge me or eat me alive)

Nejire whines softly under her breath, holding a mug of piping hot cocoa to her chest as her lengthy periwinkle hair wrapped around her waist firmly like cuddling arms. She hadn’t even been bothered to fix herself up, she felt like iron dumbbells were attached to each limb, it was suffocating

Nejire has been awake for a whole 106 minutes after being woken up by thunder. She can’t go back to sleep and it’s frustrating! Fear shot through her bloodstream at the sound of thunder crackling at random points each and everytime.

The beloved hot cocoa had most definitely spilled little puddles on the carpeted floor more than once, thankfully, not on the couch nor her beloved PJs!

Despite her brand new proposed position, a recognised student with the potential of becoming a highly talented persona in U.A. Only after a few days and she had won this title a lot quicker than she suspected! Even with her otherworldly strength, she had quite the childish fear she felt so embarrassed to merely think about

A fear of thunder

Silence overwhelmed her, slightly relieving her tense muscles. What would she have given for the thunder to disappear! Her heavy head slowly laid down on the cushioned armrest and eyes fluttered in a fight to stay open

Nejire, moments after silence and exhaustion taking over, suddenly shot up in fear from her dozing-off state, almost screaming outloud as she bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from waking up all the other first-years who were peacefully sleeping

Every a new strike of the mighty thunder violated her rather sensitive ears and made her body shook intensely. Her hands abandoned the reach for the hot cocoa and tightly clutched the cute cat plush in her lap instead

Her knees rose to met the back of the plush then her bundled body fell on the cushion in a side drop. She didn’t know how to get rid of her fear, she only knew she could wait through the rounds. Despite how tired she is, she tried her best to beat the fear so it didn’t beat her. Looking around the magnificent dorm building in hopes her heart will go back to regular speed

Down one of the many moonlight-lightened hallways, Tamaki yawned a soft kitten yawn, stretching out his arms with sleep still ingrained within his senses

He was exhausted but plagued with a classic case of inability to sleep after waking up all so randomly. Deciding to get up, Tamaki walked over to the dorm’s kitchen fridge with his eyes shut, opening the appliance slowly and fishing out the half-empty milk carton

A warm glass of milk sounds like a good idea to help put himself back to sleep. He did need a plentiful amount of sleep, a important assembly was to take place early in the morning the next day. Opening two of the spacious bottom cupboard of the dorm room’s big kitchen, he craned out a tall glass and placed it with a light clink on the counter

Tamaki carefully filled up the glass, watching the thick snowy liquid rise up high and high until the flat sheet merely shimmed against the edges of the glass’s rim. Turning around on a heel spin, he lazily threw open the fridge door, placed the carton back with little care and shut it as he twirled back to where his glass sat

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Tamaki leapt upwards in surprise of the horrified blaring scream his skin jolting for the skies. His hands crumbled into tight fists defensively, not knocking the just filled glass over. His instincts reacted quicker to prevent himself from making a mess he’d knew would be a hell to clean up

Who… who screamed? Is there somebody in danger? What happened? So many questions ran through his mind as he slowly, with his hands grazing the marble counter, manoeuvred around it to locate where the scream came from

Tamaki’s senses kicked into fight mode when he heard sobbing. Gentle feminine-like sobbing, it sounded helpless and scared. Somebody was in danger here, he was certain of it. He ran a hand down his side to his pyjama pant pocket for the packet Takoyaki he had prepared for any emergency

Yanking out the Takoyaki and stifling the noise of crinkling and ripping, the open tear let Tamaki fish out the food piece and swallow the small round ball down in one whole gulp. He may have to fight a villain, if the crying he hears belongs to a victim

Tamaki thought out what may be happening as he slowly walked up to the back of the comfy couch, not wanting to scare whoever may be there. The sound of the same sobbing hugged his ears and his heart dropped in empathy

Did a victim of a villain find their way into U.A? His question was answered when he noticed the visible colour of periwinkle blue from behind the tall back cushions

Nejire whined, covering her soaked red face and tired, sore eyes with her hands. Tamaki’s eyes blinged, he recognised her in a instant. The new girl with a quirk so unbelievably impressive, she was shot into potentially a extremely skilled student after a single training session! Sure, he and Mirio were the same but it still impressed him

She is not okay… what… should he ask her what’s wrong?

“Are… are you… okay?” Tamaki asked in a shy stutter, his voice soft but noticeable enough for her to hear, his hands tangled around each other behind his back as his head was lowered slightly. Thankfully, the thunder was silent so her shoulders jolted to sign that she heard him

Tamaki knew he couldn’t ignore the poor girl, he had to help her. Even if he felt far too nervous or unskilled enough to fix the issue, he’d be a cruel monster to leave her to deal with whatever issue that’s bothering her on her own

Sure, he did just waste his emergency Takoyaki but at this rate, he didn’t mind. A fellow student needed his help so he was happy to oblige in the best way he could

Nejire eventually lifted her head again after seconds of deep consideration, her hands raking off her cheeks as her glassy eyes glimmered in wonder at the person before her. Like a angel had just blessed her vision

The timid friend Togata-san had with him! He has a really cool quirk of big food accessories from what she seen! Nejire said to herself as she forced out a smile, stuffing the cat plush into the gap of the cushion and her hip. She didn’t want to seem helpless or weak, why should she worry somebody else with her own issue?

“O-of course! Sorry, I accidentally h-hit my foot, I’m okay!” Nejire lightly stuttered, hoping she sounded optimistic enough as she kept herself smiling and rubbed a spot in her foot as to fake trying to ease pain. Though, the hope to act out her stability crumbled on the spot when a very loud bang of thunder erupted, causing Nejire to scream quickly in pure shaken fear

Tamaki‘s brief surprise faded into a soft smile as his heart drowned in raw empathy. He had the same fear of thunder back as a child. Mirio helped him quite a lot to get over it but that doesn’t mean the thunder still isn’t as intimidating. He related to the fear very much, it disturbed his sleep more times then he can count

Tamaki took a deep breath after snapping free of his thoughts, his cheeks burning red in nervousness. This situation would be different if it was anybody else but it had to be the new beautiful girl? Tamaki didn’t have the gut to even look at the known pretty 1st year girls. How could he possibly comfort this one?!

Nejire whimpered outloud as the thunder died down in a long dragged out pace, pressing that rather colourful couch cushions into her face again to stifle her crying. She hated this so much, she was so tired. All she wanted was to be able to go back to sleep without being awoken by annoying scary noises!

Tamaki knew in that moment he had to help Nejire with the teachings Mirio gave him. How to get over the thunder quicker. Running a hand down his wrist from behind his built back, he pinched the skin to try ease himself and prepare. Nejire was occupied with trying to pcontrol her violently beating heart and growing whines that she gasped surprised at the feeling of the couch dipping with extra weight

Nejire lifted herself up from the couch, fingers splitting apart to look through the gap. She was curious to know what Tamaki had planned to do now. Though, she was quite shocked that he was able to talk to her, he seemed so shy that he hid away from her when she first met Mirio

“M-may… may I help?” Tamaki asked another question, shuffling closer very slightly as his heart went wild. Nejire was more than beautiful and it was kinda distracting to a point, his voice trailed as he examined her face. Smooth clean skin, big sparkling blue eyes, prominent long lashes and plump lips. This girl has model-level looks, it added another good quality to her already impressive resume

Tamaki swore his face exploded when her rosy lips curled into a gentle smile directed at him and her eyes glittered. “I-I’d love that b-but how?” Nejire asked in a bit more enthusiastic tone, pulling out her infamous cat plush and pressing it to her bust with her arms squeezing it in a snuggle trap. The one-sided hug helped make her feel a bit safer

“Mirio taught me the best way to get over the Thunder is to distract yourself, it won’t be so scary if you don’t focus on it. That’s what makes it so scary, waiting and waiting puts pressure and the suspense leaves you terrified when the strike does arrive” Nejire’s frightened heart flipped, her cheeks flamed in pleasure. She was very flattered at the young man’s consideration and her hands resisted the urge to cover her warm cheeks

Sure, lots of guys had approached her on her first day, though, most were hitting on her. For once, a guy who seemed to genuinely care for her and not see her as just a pretty face or a hot body. She couldn’t be more thankful as she bounced up to her knees and smiled genuinely

“That can work! What do you think we can do? A game? I have—“

Nejire screamed louder at the most powerful thunder strike so far, leaping at Tamaki and clinging onto his built torso. Tamaki, on the other hand, almost flung out of his skin a second time at the feeling of the young woman’s more dainty arms wrap around his waist and her breasts push against his sheathed abs

Her worried eyes locked over the open window, battered with heavy rain and light flashes of lightning blue fading into the pitch black night. This was simply the worst night for her ever, in her whole life!

Nejire stuffs her face into his shoulder with a annoyed saddened whine. “It’s so loud” Her words was muffled but Tamaki knew exactly what she said

Tamaki’s hands trembled intensely, could he…? He wouldn’t get in trouble for it, would he? After almost a whole minute of deep rushing consideration, he wrapped his arms around her back

Nejire was definitely surprised by the sudden touch but melted into the warmth, his built arms were soft and big, she gently untangled her arms and pulled them up to lay on his chest, face buried in his built torso. She absolutely loves hugs

“Thank you…” Nejire expressed her gratitude in a gentle voice that was muffled, she hopped over his thigh so she was sat inbetween Tamaki’s legs, she felt much more comfortable in this position

Tamaki blushed so heavy, he was certain all his blood was beating against his cheeks. His fingers drew meaningless patterns on her back, her long periwinkle blue hair wrapped around his forearm as if it was sentient

Her occasional sniffs died out as minutes stretched out. Her breathing was very gentle and her clutched fists loosened from it’s slightly tight squeeze. A new sudden strike of thunder bashed against the window but Nejire didn’t jump this time, she was falling asleep and tuned it out. All it took was a hug from a kind person she knew she liked to let go of her fear for once

Tamaki sighed in a mix of relief and anxiety, leaning his head back to start controlling his frantic heart but his eyes widened in shock at what stood behind them. Mirio smiled cheerfully, head hung forward to met eyes with his childhood best friend, his arms laid crossed on the back of the couch. The taller man smile grew bigger with pride, and joy lacing his expression

“Hello, ladiesman!” Mirio smirked in a slightly teasing sense, voice ever so softer than usual as Tamaki’s face burned strawberry red in embarrassment, his legs almost curled up to hide his face but he prevented the instincts so he didn’t wake up Nejire. Of course he had to get caught hugging the new girl by his best friend, who loved to push buttons

“I-I… n-no… I!” Tamaki stuttered helplessly, his hands rubbing a now sleeping Nejire’s head, he didn’t want to let go of her. She was having a wonderful sleep from how soft her breathing is and how her pretty eyelashes rested on her rosy cheeks

“It’s fine, Tama! I know that you like her! I won’t tell anybody!” Mirio cheered, covering his lips with his pointer and winked playfully. Tamaki sighed in defeat, craning his head back down to look at the cute, peacefully sleeping Nejire as he thought intently

This will be quite the hellish night

#boku no academia #my hero academia #mha fanfiction #mha fluff #romantic #NejiTama #amajiki tamaki #tamaki amajiki #hado nejire #nejire hado #togata mirio #mirio togata #Boku no hero academia #mha nejire #mha tamaki #tamaki x nejire #fanfic story #tamaneji #short story #romantic short story #the big three

[sirenofnightmares]

Chapter 1: The barista’s dreams

Gentle waves lapped against the Sandy shore. The poisonous scent of seaweed slithered up his nose. Chattering from the bustling crowd contrasted against The call of the scavenging seagulls. his sleeved arms rested on the cracked sandstone wall with a small sigh.

As he stared out into the distance. His mind pondered with curiosity as The sheer silhouette of ships seemed to disappear into the ghostly scenery. The gentle wind brushed past his wavy short brunette hair lifted in the gales as he sighed. Checking his ancient watch. "Shit..." he muttered under his voice.

He swiftly sorted out his apron, fixing his name tag. He hummed softly as he started to walk. Pushing through the crowds, he quickly trudged. The warm scent of baked goods combatted against the vile smell of seaweed. He moved closer, opening the pale white door of a small shack.

The warmth welcomed him, as a small bell rang with a gentle chirp. Tables and chairs were placed out in an orderly manner. Clinking of cups and cutlery filled the air. A young woman dressed in the same uniform waved at him. “Hello, Fletcher.” She chirped with a soft smile. He waved back, he walked slowly behind the wooden counter and started to check the stacking up orders. “You’re a little late.” She spoke. Fletcher rolled his eyes a little. “I know, the boss is gonna have a stick up his arse about it, Adele.” He chuckled. “Tell me about it.” She giggled. Her chocolate brown eyes stared back at him. “One coffee, please.” A small, mouse like voice squeaked. Adele turned her head softly. A old, ancient woman stood. She was dressed in the finest of pearls. Her curly, hair was a snowy white. She smiled.

“Of course, love.” Adele smiled, then she turned to get a cup. Fletcher wandered around, collecting empty and forgotten cups and plates off the scattered tables. He hummed softly, as he staggered into the kitchen. Filling up the lime green bowl with warm soapy water, he placed them in. Meanwhile She passed the porcelain cup which was filled to the brim with coffee to the withering old lady. “Thank you.” She spoke softly, her shaky arms trembled as she reached out for the cup, her necklace rattled As she gripped the handle, she hobbled off with a sweet, gentle smile.

The wise clock ticked softly, watching over. His striking eyes gazed over at the lapping waves from the window, his mind pondered, curiosity filled him. But then he was startled from the smash of porcelain. "Don't worry, I got it." She said softly before Fletcher nodded. "I may take a walk..." he replied, before heading out.

A gentle lullaby echoed against the thunder of the waves, it was soft and sweet yet hypnotic, he moved toward it as if he was entranced by it's sheer beauty. He stumbled toward the golden sand but then it stopped and he shook his head dismissively. He wandered past the now abandoned street, the glisten of the moonlight danced against the dancing waves.  The air was frosty as it burnt his nostrils.

#illustration #mythical beasts #blood #horror/fantasy #Minotaur #sirens #gay art #drow #elves #ocean #stories

[lenmatcha]

Xiao Yuliang related video recs from Bilibili!

P.S. 

If the live comments section is too distracting, you can turn it off by clicking a button on the bottom that looks like this:

Anyways, Enjoy

Xiao Yuliang edits:

【肖宇梁｜手书动画】to Rainco.小月亮，欢迎回来！ 【Xiao Yuliang| Animatic】to Rainco. Welcome back!

This artist spent only a month making this animatic. 

Check it out, it looks cool!

这TM才是一人千面的蛊王！【肖宇梁 · 欲向病娇感】 Man with a Thousand Faces 【Xiao Yuliang·Yandere-Themed Edits】

Compilation of magazine photoshoots

Very smexy

Highly recommend :)

Zhang Qiling edits:

旦脸武生① | 不靠后期剪辑直接就能打到这种程度！ | 肖宇梁 | 打戏花絮和训练视频混剪 | 周大侠 Fight Scene Behind the Scenes and Training Compilation

FIGHT SCENES

If you feel unsatisfied by how UN or Shahai had edited their fight scenes, watch this video, many fans say his behind the scenes stunts are more satisfying to watch than the final products.

Or you can just spend the time watching him doing flips and stuff

三次元漫画男们的高燃打戏视觉盛宴，进来爽一下【佐藤健/肖宇梁｜绯村剑心/张起灵】 【Sato Takeru/Xiao Yuliang| Himura Kenshin/Zhang Qiling】

A crossover between Ruroni Kenshin and Ultimate Note

both were known for being well-accepted live action adaptations and their impressive fight scenes

The transitions are really smooth, almost starting to see a resemblance between the two

Recommend for anybody who loves watching fight scenes with swords

显微镜看剧 | 肖宇梁 | 从瓶盖漏出的一些瞬间 & 一位百岁老人比较可爱的一些瞬间  Xiaoge Cute Moments Compilation

This is a baby xiaoge appreciation video

There are a total of 4 videos under the same title, they should show up in the recs

【张起灵|肖宇梁】雪山上那一幕回眸，在我心上烙下一道白月光啊 【Zhang Qiling| Xiao Yuliang】That Glance Upon the Snowy Mountains, Left a Ray of Pale Moonlight Upon My Heart

This video used one of my favorite songs when it comes to XYL edits

This was made before UN aired, he was already many ppl’s favorite ZQL even tho he only had minutes of screen time

【肖宇梁】带你沉浸式体验张起灵的百年孤独 Experience Zhang Qiling’s Hundred Years of Solitude

THE FEELS

There’s no lyrics in the music, so you don’t need to understand Mandarin to have the same experience

The video uploader recommend you to watch the video in full screen and turn off the comments for the full experience.

“你听说过藏海花的故事吗”【台词向|请笃信一个梦】 “Have You Heard of the Story of The Tibetan Sea Flower” 

Another one of my favorite songs, 请笃信一个梦， sang by Zhou Shen (周深）， some may recognize him for drama and donghua ost’s

Zhou Shen’s voice is incredible, but also the part there the child was singing, made me really think about xiaoge’s life and how NPSS said he is the most innocent character out of the DMBJ series

The lyrics are also surprisingly fitting. If you ship WX&ZQL, you might find the song heartwarming

Ship edits:

【邪瓶丨秦昊x肖宇梁】枕黄粱（互动剧情有！！！） 【Wu Xie x Zhang Qiling| Qin Hao x Xiao Yuliang】Zhen Huang Liang (Interactive routes!)

This edit is based off of a Xieping fic

Basically while ZQL was in the Bronze Gate, he subconsciously materialized another version of himself. 

The other “him” died after telling him to go home with Wu Xie. 

ZQL, feared that he is an imposter himself and that WX is going to find out, buried his other “self” in a stone-piled grave before meeting with WX.

ZQL went home with WX, trying to keep the materializing thing a secret, but one day the secret was exposed by Hei Xiazi, who found the buried body on Changbai Mountains.

If you’re watching from your computer, at the end of the video, you can choose different endings by clicking one of the buttons. 

【黑瞎子×张起灵】【黑瓶】||无问|| 为什么亲吻他的伤疤，却又不能带他回家 【Hei Xiazi x Zhang Qiling】||No Question|| Why You Kiss Him on His Scars, But Unable to Bring Him Home

The singer Mao Buyi was well know for his angsty songs

I’m surprised not that many ppl ship them now

These two had known each other many times before, although ZQL might have forgotten many of those memories. 

Every time xiaoge loses his memory, Hei Xiazi had to introduce himself again

Being the two characters with longer lifespan than the rest, they can keep each other company as time goes on.

Crack ships???:

“我集齐宝石，付出一切，只为砸开青铜门接你回家” I’ve Gathered All the Infinity Stones, Sacrificed Everything, Only to Bring You Home

Thanos x ZQL (yeah you read that correctly, it’s the Thanos from MCU)

ASDFGHJKL JUST WATCH IT

What terrifies me is that it has a coherent plot....

Never in my life did I expect to see Thanos and xiaoge in the same video...

肖宇梁 ●○ 失 忆 蝴 蝶丨爷孙就是最屌的 Xiao Yuliang· Amnesia Butterflies 

Zhang Qiling x Mi Ruo

Yes, it’s the two characters both played by XYL.

Fans always joked about how he looks different in every drama and almost like they’re played by different actors.

So here we are, a video edit of “What if Mi Ruo’s grandpa was actually Zhang Qiling”

Also, Mi Ruo and UN Wu Xie were both voiced by the same voice actor

#xiao yuliang #肖宇梁 #ultimate note #终极笔记 #dmbj #盗墓笔记 #zhang qiling #张起灵

[hello-yue-here]

About your atla ship songs, I have a couple of questions (sorry if my phrasing comes out wrong, english isn't my first language and I worry it might across as accidentally defensive): how did you end up with the choices for zukka, jetko and yuekka (note: I haven't seen the great comet, so feel free to obsess over it, I'm intrigued now and the hype is appreciated!)? Sidenote: I think the mailee choice is HILARIOUS and the tokka one just make me sad, I didn't expect to be attacked like this😭

kdjfha;s i love you im gonna obsess SO HARD over great comet now. you may regret this

this is gonna be so long so the rest is under the cut whoops

yuekka: no one else from great comet

where do i even begin. WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN

okay so background information on this show: it's based off of a 76 oages excerpt from war and peace and its centered around a woman named natasha (and this guy pierre but he's irrelevant to this song so we wont worry about him) and natasha's bethrothed is off fighting in the war right now. she hasn't seen him in a while but she is in love with him.

every single lyrics of this song SCREAMS yuekka to me. the innocence and purity of their love. the love at first sight. and even the melancholy ending just- i go apeshit for this song. i love this song so much. and denee benton's voice??? kljsdhflwksugf please listen to this song if you haven't already. listen to the whole show. your life will be changed forever.

onto the lyrics (i stg this is ab to be the whole song whoops)

"the moon"

THOSE ARE THE FIRST WORDS ON THE SONG. natasha and andre (her bethrothed) met underneath the moonlight. Sokka and Yue first spoke to eachother at night and always met each other for their most intimate moments under the moonlight. also yue is LITERALLY the moon so like: right of the bat with those two words it's yuekka.

"and i saw your eyes / and i saw your smile / and the world opened wide"

sokka fell in love with yue the moment he saw her in the canal. she literally enchanted this motherfucker. everything about her made his heart go crazy. and 'the world opened wide' to me is from yue's perspective. Yue had never left the north pole and sokka had seen a good chuck of the world at the point. He took her on appa, he told her about his adventures. he saw the world yue wished to see and you know damn well that Sokka would have done anything to give it to her.

"oh the moon /oh the snow in the moonlight / and your childlike eyes and your distant smile / ill never be this happy again / you and i and no one else"

natasha sings fondly about the moon and the snow, seeing as it was where she fell in love with andre. yue and sokka LITERALLY fell in love in the same place: in the snowy nothern water tribe under the light of the moon. childlike eyes: THEYRE CHILDREN!!! distant smile: this is where it gets a little sad. theyre both children with way too many duties during a world that has known nothing but war for the past century. they want to be happy but yeah, theyre smiles are distant and far away because happiness seems out of reach for them most of the time. i'll never be this happy again: the moments yue and sokka shared together were probably the happiest either of them ever were. they were able to ignore the war and the world in the moments they shared together. and with no one else. no one else would be able to give each other this sense of peace and happiness and love.

"joy and life inside our souls / and no body knows just you and me / it's our secret"

Yue and Sokka had to sneak out in secret at night to go and see each other. Yue and Sokka couldn't be together for real because Yue was already engaged, but they were literally in love so she decided to see him anyways in secret. kasdjfhklasjd im losing my mind over them at this point.

"this winer sky / how can anyone sleep / there was never such a night before / i feel like putting my arms around my knees / and squeezing tight as possible / and flying away"

these are my FAVORITE lines in the entire song. yue and sokka had never felt this strongly about anyone before and that's why they are so drawn to each other. they had never experienced love before and they wanted to hold onto it for as long as they could even though they knew they couldnt. Sokka takes yue up on appa and she is wistful and wishes she could live like he does every day: ie flying away. oh my god these two deserved so much better. so much fucking better.

now for the saddes part. the saddest fucking part.

"maybe he'll come today / maybe he came already / and he's sitting in the drawing room / and i simply forgot"

natasha misses andre so intensely at this point. when i first listened to this show and heard this song i was like "wait a min... is andre like... dead?" and im sure i wasnt the only person who assumed that this was why natasha felt so sad by the end of such a beautiful song. (spoiler alert andre is fine)

but this line really exemplifies how sad natasha is, and hints at the fact that andre may never come back. it implies that their relationship is doomed (at least in my opinion) and that's all yuekka. Sokka misses yue intensely when shes gone. Yue accepted her fate almost immediately but sokka was in denial. he thought there had to be another way. but in the end it wasn't meant to be. and sokka will go on, loving yue, wishing for her back, even though it's not possible.

fuck im gonna cry.

zukka: all i've ever known- hadestown

"i was alone so long / i didn't even know that i was lonely / out in the cold so long / i didnt even know that i was cold"

sokka is from the swt so theres where the cold comes in. also in the gaang (initially) it was just him katara and aang. and katara and aang were much closer to each other than sokka was with aang and the two of them were benders so sokka was kind of an outsider with the two of them. He also represses a lot of his emotions and feels the need to do everything himself so i do see a lot of loneliness in sokka. and the fact that so many people in his life have left him (his mom, yue, his dad, suki briefly, etc...) he is known to keep people at an arms length. i see a lot of loneliness in sokka.

zuko's loneliness is a lot more obvious: he has literally been cast out and abandoned by everyone except iroh. and even then he still feels the need to be alone (remember zuko alone? thought so) these boys look after themselves and push others away and revel in their loneliness in order to keep themselves from getting hurt. at least in my opinion on canon and also some fanon because id be a liar if i said fanon didnt influence how i view ALL my ships (not just zukka)

"all ive ever known is how to hold my own / but now I wanna hold you too"

COME ONE MANNNN, they just wanna hold each other. theyre both very big protectors as well and kljhflkasdhg they wanna protect eachother like kljdhfl im gonna lose it rn.

"You take me in your arms / And suddenly there's sunlight all around me / Everything bright and warm / And shining like it never did before / And for a moment I forget / Just how dark and cold it gets"

SUNLIGHT SYMBOLISM. zuko is literally powered by the sun. i don't think i even NEED to elaborate on this one anymore lol. They find comfort in each other away from all of their trauma. when they're together nothing else matters and i personally love that for them. they both deserve love.

"I knew you before we met / And I don't even know you yet / All I know is your someone I have always known"

these two are extremely similar in canon. many parallels. older brothers overshadowed by their prodigy little sisters. longing to make their fathers proud (granted one dad is good and one is fuckin evil), both are pretty bad with emotions. both are seen protecting others before themselves (sokka protecting suki during the serpant's pass, sokka protecting toph on like multiple occassions, zuko protecting katara in the final agni kai), the list goes on. they know who the other is because they see themselves in the other person. they already know each other because they are each other (in a way, not entirely, but the similarities are strong in my opinion)

"I'm gonna hold you forever / The wind will never change on us / Long as we stay with each other / Then it will always be like this"

i just think this line is so cute and sweet (ignoring all the symbolism and foreshadowing that comes with the last line in the musical itself. im gonna pretend this is nothing but happy) and i think these boys deserve happiness so yeah. this song is zukka to me lol.

jetko: thrill of first love- falsettoes

if you've never listened to this song go an do it now. you will know INSTANTLY that it is jetko because of the dynamics alone. marvin and whizzer are pure jetko and i take no crticisms.

marvin and whizzer are both extremely stubborn, and they don't always get along, and they fight a lot, and they get mad at each other a lot, and they are both passionate as hell, and they will bring this passion into everything. they love each other that is without a doubt, but they arent perfect and they are once again stubborn and determined as fuck.

sound familiar? it's literally jetko.

the lyrics aren't what remind me of jetko, but the dynamic itself. the lyrics are too on the nose for a gay couple in 1970's america so that rlly cant apply to jetko all that much. but the way these two characters bounce off of each other and get annoyed with each other and argue with eachother reminds me of jetko. because let's be honest: these two are the most stubborn characters in the whole show. they will fight for what they believe and it will take literally everything to change their minds.

i love jetko but i think they would have petty arguments all the time and get aggravated by one another so easily. and this is even seen in canon: they work so fucking well together but they did not even HESITATE to fight one another after neither of them would give in and let the fight about whether jet was right or wrong about zuko being a firebender. like i cannot say it enough they are stubborn as fuck.

but underneath all that stubborn pettiness and bickering: marvin and whizzer still love each other. and jet and zuko would still love each other. because even though they are stubborn when it comes to arguments, they are even more stubborn and determined when it comes to each other. these two passionate motherfuckers are in love.

(now when i chose this song i decided to ignore the fact that this song literally spells out the fact that marvin and whizzer's relatinoship is doomed because they literally say passion dies. thats the difference between jetko and whizzer and marvin because i dont think passion dies. i chose this song strictly for the bickering lmao)

and i know you didnt ask about tokka but,,,,

i rlly wanna talk about the tokka one

so im going to

tokka: on my own- les mis

look. i KNOW this song is about unrequited love and i love tokka as a couple but,,, the unrequited love in this song just SCREAMS unrequited tokka to me so thats what i went with.

eponine is a girl who has neglectful parents who lives life by her own rules: toph. eponine is shown to be tough and confident and spunky to others but behind all of that she has emotions, she feels love, she hides her vulnerability so much: toph. she is in love with a guy she cant be with because he loves someone else: TOPH

eponine is toph to a t and toph is eponine to a t. this is not up for debate lmao

"without him i feel his arms around me"

toph is always seen grabbing onto someone (and its almost ALWAYS sokka) when she's somewhere where she can't use her feet to see. FEEL and ARMS cmon. look at it.

"and i know / i know that he is blind"

COME ON. IMAGINE TOPH SINGING THIS LINE. this line is already powerful enough in les mis but having toph, a blind character, sing it just makes the symbolism even deeper. toph sees the potential relationship they could have together. toph sees that sokka is oblivious to this. toph is not blind to the truth or the potention, but sokka is blind to her feelings. im about to lose my mind over this line.

"I love him / But every day I'm learning / All my life / I've only been pretending / Without me / His world will go on turning / A world that's full of happiness / That I have never known"

i need to sit down for a moment. toph grew up in a household where her parents did not understand her. she has learned to hide her true emotions and vulnerabilities from everyone. and its the fact that toph knows that she and sokka will never be together and the fact that she still loves him in spite of that is what makes this even more heartbreaking.

"but only on my own"

TOPH AND EPONINE SWEETIES I LOVE YOU

thank you for indulging my theatre kid nonsense. you are very sweet and kind and lovely and awesome and i hope you have a lovely day bestie :) <3

ask me why i think these songs go with these ships

#asks #liv is a theatre nerd #liv is an atla nerd #yuekka #zukka #jetko #tokka #ask me about my ship songs

[tahoswritingcorner]

Moonlight Relations (A Fluffy Shigaraki x Reader)

Ship: Shigaraki x Reader Purely just fluff, please enjoy :)

Washed out moonlight crept into the bar through the small gaps in the walls. Mice danced around the rain falling against the concrete, soaking their dirty coats and washing the day away from them. Tiny thumps carried around the almost empty room, caused from the boots that you were wearing, swinging lightly against the bar to not scuff the material. Elbows pressed against the top of the counter, a soft sight falling from your lips, head tilting a little to across the room. Slouched on top of the ragged, dirty couch within the shadows was the manic leader. Shoulders hunched over, crimson eyes reflecting the shine of the screen he was staring into, clicking quickly at the small device in delicate hands. You kept watching him quietly, admiring the soft view of the leader, that no one usually gets, before deciding to get up with a few bones popping. Crackles disturbed the zoned out leader, eyes snapping to meet the satisfying colour of your eyes. Rustling fabric, Tomura shifted his lanky legs up and into his chest, creating room for you to join him onto the couch. While subtle, the action carries a lot of care within them, the small show of the fact he wants you with him now, yet struggles communicating this. A soft smile falls onto your face, joining the childish leader onto the couch, shifting to be able to watch as he plays pokemon.

 Tomura enjoyed playing his games, however All for One did not like him wasting time, having to play for strategies. One of the earlier games he was given was Pokemon, in a way to build up how abilities to match specific pokemon to each other to create a powerful team - helping him when building the league up to create a well matched team that can cover each other especially when in a critical time. After creating the finalised team of the villains, he found pokemon to become a comfort game he plays to think of the league, of his success and of these bonds that confused and overwhelmed him with feelings that he hasn’t felt before, feelings that confuse him. 

With a slight head tip, your head fell against Tomura’s shoulder, feeling him tense a little but relaxing after a while. Over time, the moonlight drifted over the two bodies, Tomura’s hair shimmering snowy white under the soft light. You shift slightly closer to Tomu, his focus being pulled away slightly, crimson glancing at his beautiful partner next to him. Shifting a little, he leant onto you slightly, leaning his head onto your shoulder more now he was in more of an embrace. Delicate, deadly hands gently tugged your arms around him. Tomura liked the physical contact, but he hated to give any back. Hands drew back up to the small entertainment system, focus sinking back into the somewhat childish game. 

Flickering over to the hands on the device, you shift to pull him in properly, having Tomura settle between your legs. Soft hands trailed up to the messy blue locks, starting to comb through the knots carefully to not harshly tug the hair. Red turned lidded, clouded slightly as he relaxed into your chest, enjoying the warmth and affection. Not long after, Tomura folded the small system and placed it into one of his pockets. With a tip of his head into your hands, he relaxed, trusting you and wanting to enjoy the feeling. Still combing through, your hands worked delicately through his hair. Moonlight bathing the scene, watching the bit of affection they were able to share within the chaotic life of being constantly classified as a villain. 

Moths fluttered around the dim lights of the bar, dancing around the quiet shows of affection. Words never left either lips, rain echoing the empty space sometimes accompanied with the loud roar from the cars zooming past the seemingly abandoned lair. Eyes flickered to the deadly hands tucked into his chest, beautiful red eyes hidden from the world from behind his eyelids. Trailing down to the rough, calloused hands, you decide to reach their spare hand down, resting your palm over the back of his deadly hands. Crimson eyes snap open, hands quickly fleeing close again as they stare wildly at you. Panic calmed down after a while, but he kept up his tense body language as he turned to stare properly at you. “You...You can’t just go do that!” His voice crackling with slight distress, soon dropping to a more flat tone. “You know you can’t do that. It’s not safe, I’m not safe.” he continued, trailing into a slight mumble as he tried to pull himself away. Before you knew it, your hands reached out, managing to grasp a slight bit of the fabric on the back of the navy blue hoodie he was wearing. Stopping in his escape path, he glanced back over shoulder at you. Intense emotions swirled in those bright eyes you can’t help but fall into, noticing the panicked, smaller pupils. Tightening your grasp on his hoodie, you gently pull him down. Moths fluttered by the two again, soft brushes of their wings hidden under the sound of rain. Crimson glanced away for a second, focus shifted onto the small creatures that passed his view. You attempted again, however this time reached over slowly, making sure he knew of you being close to his hand. Eyes snapped back, fear and panic flowing back over him as he anxiously pulled his hands away from you. Eyes softening, not with pity but more from understanding why he was hesitant, you looked back down to his hands. Emotions clashed within Tomura; wanting to hold your hand desperately but fearful that you, his beautiful flower of life, would wither and crumble within his grasp- because of his grasp. Capturing his eyes, if only for just a second, you coaxed him to hold his hands out. “I have an idea Tomu, I want to try it out.” You spoke out to him coaxing his hands back out into the open. With a soft smile gracing your lips, you reach your hands out to reach his.

As the sun started to rise, the rays peaked within any gaps it could get through. As the sun leaked into the bar slightly, it shone over the two bodies sitting on the couch. Falling upon the two, the light slowly travelled over the connected hands. Pinkies were held out from both hands, looped around the other pinkie as the owners of the hands continued on what they were doing. You smile softly, happy that Tomura was comfortable with the pinkie holding. Your smile grows larger across your face knowingly, knowing this secret pinkie hold gesture will become very commonly used. Just as heroes have good and bad relationships, so do villains. They just need some extra steps along the way.

#shigaraki x reader #shigaraki #shigaraki fluff #mha shigaraki #boku no hero academia shigaraki #mha reader insert #villain reader #shigaraki fanfiction #shigaraki tomura #lov #bnha shigaraki #bnha x reader #bnha fanfiction #mha fluff #LOV fluff #shigaraki needs a hug #shigaraki deserves love #how do I tag #im new to tumblr #fanfiction #Taho's writing #Taho's shigaraki writing #villain x reader #pure fluff #only fluff #my heart #i think this is enough tags #im not sure #I'll learn one day

[igniting-quill]

korest (south korea x estonia)

Finding Solid Ground

Magical AU, early 1900s

Ship: Korest (South Korea x Estonia)

AN: 

If I was a better writer (and more efficient one) I swear I could have completed this. It started as a 1K, grew to 4K, and is still incomplete! Such a frustrating thing writing is. 

I am a college student taking difficult courses this semester, and to be honest a little burnt out from working on this… so unfortunately this WIP has been put on indefinite hiatus (don’t fret! I have ‘finished’ it with an ending, albeit a kind of bittersweet one. However, most of this piece has not been written and/or edited yet). For now, the story has multiple flaws: weak research, a lack of continuity, and a lack of meaningful scenes: it’s a first draft. However, I still think there’s lots of good parts in it too, plus I feel like I should respond to an ask that is like 5 months old by this point. I have peppered in Author’s Notes to supplement some of those weaknesses. The further into the piece, the more frequent AN’s will pop up. All AN’s will be inside “<” and “>” like <this>. It’s a tad cringey and reminiscent of early 2000s fic, but it’ll have to do. Anon and anyone else reading this, feel free to take what I wrote and continue it. Parts of the good in this that can get salvaged? I think it’s a rather interesting AU, and would be honored if people expanded on it. Just please make sure to credit me. 

I didn’t have great world building in my writing, so this is a brief introduction. The setting? Middle of nowhere Korea, early 1900s. I have blended elements of history and fantasy. The “magic” here can either be inherent (like magical powers people are born with) or learned (Like in Harry Potter where the people have to learn spells to actually do anything as a wizard/witch). Additionally, sort of like a hunger bar in Minecraft, “magic” can run out when the magic user is tired/famished/overusing spells. There are only a few people in this AU that have magical power. Think of it as I made the Hetalia cast have magic in place of their immortality.

TL;DR: Anon, I spent a whole lot of time on this to no avail. I think I ship Korest now though.

---

The first thing Eduard saw was a night sky. Moonlight streamed through soft clouds and stars peaked behind gaps. Beautiful.

But then, a cold wind whooshed past his ears and bit into his skin. He glanced down. Then, his eyes widened in shock. The trees looked like tiny, snow-covered bushes from up here. 

Teleport!

Nothing happened. Shoot. Why did his powers have to fail him now?

He flailed, his arms grasping at thin air as he plunged toward the earth and braced for impact.

“AGH!”

His right shoulder lit up in pain as it crashed into a branch. Crack. He hung there for a second, the branch swaying dangerously before it fell away from the trunk, dropping him lower. 

“Oof! Gah! Eouh! Tss!”

He was out of breath by the time he landed on the frost-sprinkled forest floor. He was dazed, soaking in what just happened. The leaves and snow softened the blow of the fall, but his shoulder still stung. It didn’t help that a bit of his blood was trickling out in the snow. His head throbbed dully. He propped himself up with his arms and his glasses fell off his face. 

Now the world was a blur, including the glasses themselves. He narrowed his eyes and brought the glasses up closer to his face. They were broken along the bridge, split into two halves. He brought the right lens closer. The glass had a crooked vertical gash running through it, ending with a broken rim. He picked them off the snowy ground and placed the pieces into his pocket. Slowly, gingerly, he stood up. He hobbled over to a tree and leaned against it. 

“Hello?” a voice asked in the distance. Eduard blinked, trying to keep his eyes open. He shifted his head to look toward the sound, but all he saw was a blurry forest and a faint glow far away. 

The last thing he remembered was the world turning to black.

---

Eduard drowsily opened his eyes to see a small room. He was in a bed with a thick comforter. It was dark, the windows showed a navy blue night outside. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a stranger walking over with a lit light source, eerily warm for being so small. That’s all Eduard could tell without his glasses. He touched his pocket, relief pouring in when he felt his eyewear. But he still felt tense. One thing was certain: this was an unfamiliar place, he had to get out of here. He tried to muster the energy to teleport, but his body stayed firmly in bed. His magic still wasn’t working it seemed.

“You’re awake.” The man noted, walking over to him.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“I’m Yong Soo.” The other man said. Eduard narrowed his eyes, trying to make out Yong Soo’s facial features. But it was still too blurry. “I found you passed out on the forest floor and thought to bring you home. But first, no weapons please. Empty your pockets.”

Yong Soo respected him enough not to ruffle through his things. Not that Eduard had anything to defend himself with anyways. Reluctantly, he decided to take out his broken glasses. The man took them and examined the pieces.

“You better not take my glasses for long.” The threat sounded empty, even to Eduard himself, but it felt better than nothing. Being in an unfamiliar place with his blurry vision was putting him on edge.

“Don’t worry about them,” Yong Soo flippantly responded. “Now, my turn: how did you end up in this forest in the middle of nowhere?”

That question stilled him. Eduard wondered how to logically explain falling out of the sky without the use of magic.

“I… don’t know. I didn’t mean to land here. And you still haven’t told me where I am.” 

Yong Soo gently placed his lantern on a nearby table. “We are kind of a new country. I do not know if you know about us, Mr. Sorcerer.”

“Sorcerer?”

“Magic user.” Yong Soo recited an incomprehensible (at least to Eduard) verse and waved his hand. The lantern slowly got brighter.

Eduard sucked in a gasp: that move was powerful. All he knew was transportation spells.

“I’m pretty sure it’s my fault you ended up here.” Yong Soo gestured with his hands, trying to describe his thoughts. “A sprinkle of magic and a bit of boredom, and… poof you’re here now. The spell I used attracts other ‘magic users’ like you and me. I was trying to get my brother, but looks like I can’t get to him for some reason” He sighed, as if he had something more to say but didn’t have the words. “Anyways, I am sorry for barging into your life. Hope that this somewhat makes up for your fall.”

Yong Soo grabbed ahold of Eduard’s hand. Lightly, he nudged Eduard’s fingers so that the palm of his hand would face up. With a flick of the wrist, he produced fully fixed glasses and laid them between Eduard’s thumb and pointer finger. 

“Woah...” Eduard whispered in disbelief, examining Yong Soo’s work. There were spells of all kinds, but he never saw one that ever smoothly put objects back together like this. He put his glasses on and looked at Yong Soo. His blurry vision became sharp. 

The clothes Yong Soo was wearing were so different from the stuff back home. Eduard didn’t have the vocabulary to describe them. He wore something akin to a dress, and the waistline was high, right under the chest. The top of the outfit had long sleeves that were wide, hanging down instead of staying tight around the wrist. He also held a thick book in one hand, part of it hidden under the sleeves.

The light from his lantern lit him up so that his pale beige skin contrasted with the darkness of the room. Dark brown eyes and ink black hair, a flyaway curl sticking out the side. An Eastern Asian man. There was a happy smirk on his face, one that triumphantly proclaimed that he succeeded in fixing the glasses.

“Just a simple little time reversal spell” He tapped on the edge of the frames for emphasis, and Eduard pushed his glasses back up with a huff. “Keep those safe, they’re expensive.”

“Now could you please tell me where on Earth I am? I know I’m not at home.”

“Korea. A bit ago we were Joseon. Now, what’s your name traveler?”

“Eduard.” he paused, trying to grasp everything that was happening. First things first: “How long has it been since I got knocked out?” 

“A few days.”

“Shoot.” Eduard sat up and got out from the covers, ignoring the sting from his right shoulder. “I’ve got to go. Back. You know. Before I got transported to this place.” He tried to muster up the energy to teleport out, but, ever frustratingly, his body still didn’t budge.

“Well. How do you even begin doing that?”

“If I could just…” Eduard concentrated, envisioning his home, and pulling himself mentally closer. But nothing happened. Eduard inwardly groaned.

“Okay there?”

“You don’t understand.” Eduard grumbled, trying to avoid worsening his wounds as he shuffled back under the covers. “Before I teleported, I was writing up this article. I’m part of a team attempting to get an Estonian newspaper off the ground. And well, it’s important to me for my article through… that sounds odd but let me put it this way. Though it may sound simple, it could propel us to become our sovereign nation! Independence, that’s something that has been a rarity. And with all the Russification going on, it’s been rough going.”

<Above probably needs development, I don’t know much about this topic and did minimal research> 

Eduard paused. “Wait a second, how the hell are you speaking Estonian?”

“When I saw that you were European,” Yong Soo showcased the thick book he was holding, “I used up my resources. I searched up a spell that would break a language barrier. Unfortunately, due to my own lack of language skills, I wasn’t able to understand that deciphers written words unfortunately. Then it would be easier to read this damn thing”

Eduard looked toward Yong Soo’s spell book. He recognized the Latin letters, but not the language of the script. “Now where’d you get this from?”

“I got it from a... ” He hesitated, “An acquaintance. From out East, Japan. And he got it from a British guy. My acquaintance is not on good terms with magic, even if he was once enthralled by it, and so I bought it from him.” 

Eduard heard rumors of a strong British sorcery. The spell should be pretty good.

Yong Soo kept going. “It was a good choice too. I have translated some spells in here and they are the only things keeping me from going bonkers. I isolated myself in the middle-of-no-where after all. Turns out it’s good to have a companion, even if that companion is a book.”

Eduard looked at the spell book, intrigued. “Since I can’t go back home anyways, should I test to see how well your spell holds up?

“Aren’t you already doing so? With, um, Estonian, right?”

“Well, if I *speak Russian you’ll understand me?*”

Yong Soo nodded. “Your accent changed a bit though.” 

“And, *if I stretch it… do you understand some broken German?*”

“I do.”

“How about-”

“Hold on. How do you know so many languages?”

Eduard frowned a bit, pausing to understand what Yong Soo was asking. “I’m a polyglot.”

“Yeah, I just so happen to be a polyglot too. But I learned about other languages out of necessity. I used to have a life of splendor, politics, and drama.” He pointed out the window. “I took a break from that by moving to a place with more trees instead of people. Right here. Now, what… ‘normal’ man would be that talented? There has got to be a driving factor.” 

Would it hurt to tell this Korean man about his life? If Eduard teleported out of here as soon as he could, it couldn’t do damage. “I told you earlier, I work for a newspaper. Using language, even other languages too, are my thing. At the same time, polyglots aren’t rare back home. I guess that’s what I get for being born into a place that got bulldozed over by neighboring powers continuously. The place gets pretty bi and multilingual. Other languages get impressed onto us.”

“By… ‘Us?’ You mean, ‘Estonians?’ Of a country that doesn’t exist?” 

“Yes.” Eduard said it with finality.

The Korean man seemed to be mulling over the words, unease spreading over his expression. “I wonder...” Yong Soo stopped abruptly. He walked over to a makeshift kitchen area. “I wonder if you like pickled, spicy food.” He beckoned Eduard to come over too.

“Pickled, yes. Spicy, no. Plus, I told you I have to go back home somehow, even if it is too late.”

Yong Soo looked at Eduard with a knowing glint in his eye. “If you could teleport back now, you would have already.”

“You’re not wrong.” Eduard gestured towards Yong Soo’s hands. “But, you also have a spellbook in your hands. If you really wanted to help, you would have given me a magic boost. I would have been on the way.”

Yong Soo frowned. “I don’t even think there’s a spell for a magic boost. I could be wrong though. I got this book very recently and only a few spells have been translated.”

“That means?”

“Considering the fact that you being here is the combination of both my magic power and yours, it seems like the way back is if I incorporate my magic with yours once more. Unless you can teleport for long distances, you’ll have to stay here with me.”

Eduard felt his heart plunge. They were quiet after that statement. 

<AN: Eduard has a hard time dealing with this new reality that he has to stay in an unfamiliar place. I didn’t give enough breathing room to write his experience with that.>

Yong Soo pointed toward a dish on the table. “I’ve got some cabbage-based kimchi. I have been living on this stuff for months here in the middle of nowhere.”

Eduard walked over to the table, looking over the unfamiliar food. “What are... these?” He tapped on a small porcelain bowl filled with cooked white grains. Then he gestured to two evenly shaped straight sticks, each about the size of a rectangular-ish, thinner, flatter pen.

“A bowl of rice and chopsticks. Of course.” 

Eduard searched around. “You don’t have forks?”

Yong Soo looked up at Eduard and a tangible pause lingered in the air. “Ah. You don’t know how to use chopsticks, do you?”

Eduard crossed his arms. “Look, I appreciate this, but I can’t even eat the food you’re offering me.”

“Well,” Yong Soo took the chopsticks for himself, showcasing how they were used. “I could teach you.”

Eduard’s stomach growled, as if on cue. He sighed, grabbed the chopsticks, and looked up at Yong Soo. “Well then. I guess I’ll have to learn.”

“First of all, you're holding it wrong.” Yong Soo picked up his own pair and let Eduard see his hand. “You raise and lower the top chopstick. And then you can do this.” He grabbed a piece of the cabbage kimchi and lifted it over to his bowl of rice. 

Eduard fidgeted with his hand. He tried to ignore the feeling of embarrassment while trying to get a semblance of the position.

Yong Soo let go of his chopsticks and leaned forward. He guided Eduard’s hand to the right position. He backed up after he was satisfied. “Now try it. Move the chopstick above up and down.”

Eduard tried to focus on his shaky hands. He slowly nudged the chopstick up, but then the lower one clattered onto the table. Yong Soo smothered a giggle.

“Hey, hey now. I’m a beginner.”

“I know, I know.” Yong Soo smiled at Eduard and handed him the fallen chopstick. “Try again.”

Eduard eventually got the hang of the chopsticks. He tasted a bit of the food, gritting his teeth at the unfamiliar taste of kimchi.  

<AN: Yong Soo insisted it was a very common Korean staple, and concluded that Eduard just had a low spice tolerance for the red chili pepper.>

---

“You know what? I think I’ve rested for a couple of days, I should try a simple transportation trick. Transporting objects and people are my inherent abilities.”

“I say go for it.”

Eduard laid his chopsticks on the table and shook out his arms. Then, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the chopsticks, making sure to stay a bit away from them. “Come to me now…” 

The chopsticks vanished in a shower of sparkles. Eduard looked toward his hand expectantly. They didn’t appear. 

“Oof!”

A disgruntled Yong Soo pulled the chopsticks out of his hair. He handed them to Eduard. “They tumbled from the ceiling and ran into me.”

“Are you okay?” 

Yong Soo rubbed his head and then cracked up in laughter, “I don’t know about you, but I think you need to rest a bit more.” He tapped on the thick spellbook, “Maybe we can look through this together in the meantime.”

“Sounds fine by me.”

---

<AN: Brief continuity error below.>

“There’s something that’s been weighing on my mind Yong Soo. I normally travel short distances. How the hell will I get back home to Estonia?”

“You could make pit stops?”

“Not everyone is as hospitable as you, Yong Soo. Who knows what situation I could end up in.” He sighed, closing his eyes, taking off his glasses, and placing his head in his hand. “I've already been gone for awhile now. If I go back, I’ll get lost and be gone for good.”

Yong Soo looked up, at least that’s what Eduard could tell from his blurry vision, and stretched out his arms. “Well I am trying to work through this spell book to help you.”

“How are you translating it? Can you read English?”

“What do you mean?”

Eduard put his glasses back on and pointed at the spellbook. “The book’s in English, right? You said it was originally from a British sorcerer. I’m wondering if you can read it.”

“I can’t, not really well. But I did get my hands on this dictionary: English to Korean.” He lifted up a second, smaller book for Eduard to see. “I wrote a few notes for myself in the margins.” He pointed toward some notes on the sides. “English… is very different from what I know. Letters versus characters. It’s hard to decipher the text.” Yong Soo gave him a tired look, “You’re lucky, you know that? This dictionary was a really hard find. Without it you’d be stuck here with me until you walk to a port on foot and find a boat headed to Europe. The process is still extraordinarily slow, and I don’t know the vast majority of spells in here at all.” He looked back down to his book.

“Thank you for all this work you’re putting in for me. As a speaker of many European languages, maybe I could help?”

Yong Soo considered it and opened the spell book and the dictionary for Eduard to see. “Why not.”

<AN: they look over the spell book and determine which spells would be useful. This is a process that is tedious but rewarding.>

---

It was an abnormally warm winter night, so the two men decided to head outside and make a campfire. After all, it was brighter than a candlelit room with small windows. Out here, they had the stars and the moon too. Yong Soo clutched his spell book and wrote in the margins while Eduard semi-deciphered the word and matched it up in the dictionary. 

<AN: they get in a fight over something which gets somewhat physical, the dictionary (I was also considering the spell book?) slips into the campfire and burns up to a crisp. Imagine like a super comical, ‘keep the book up in the air like a volleyball’ shenanigans before it falls straight into the fire>

Eduard sat down, stunned. “I’ve solidified my own fate. I’m going to be stuck here forever. Shit.”

It was quiet except for the sound of a crackling fire. The two men started as the flames ate up the last of the pages.

“Maybe… maybe… how did you get that dictionary in the first place? What if we try that pathway again.”

Yong Soo mulled over the question before answering. “No that’s impossible. I got it through farway political connections.”

Eduard raised an eyebrow. “With a friend from Japan too?”

“Not friend. Acquaintance, and no it is not from him” He sighed and looked Eduard dead in the eye. “There’s no reason to hide the truth to you about it if we live in the middle of nowhere. Royalty: emperors and all. I used to work for them. Sort of. There’s a lot of things I can do with my inherent ability… I fixed your glasses with it. Mostly I fixed things there too: both physical and politically. In my free time I would make my own little inventions, tinkering with objects, and rewinding their physical state when I really messed up. But I was also a political advisor type. That’s where I really screwed up. Sadly my time spell doesn’t fix everything: it does not work well at all with organic matter for example. I left. I usually have some control over situations, with magic and all, but yet there I felt powerless. I feel like I ran away from it all.”

<AN: I wish I got more details as to what sort of role Yong Soo would play in an Emperor's palace. But I didn’t do my research and frankly don’t know what he would do.> 

<AN: This scene, where the two stare at this fire, is supposed to be a tender, shippable moment: people at their lowest bonding. Talk about YS’s background with Korean Royalty/government. YS’s fears are shown, he’s being vulnerable and talks a bit about his worries. Like Korea being smothered by its neighbors of China (Qing Empire) and Japan, at this point in history, leaning toward the latter. Eduard comforts him, and talks about his own life experience, like how Estonia doesn’t have that sweet sweet independence but it could come (ahem foreshadowing 1918). After the tender moment, with the power of teamwork, YS uses his time-manipulation-on-objects ability and Eduard uses his transportation ability to bring back the dictionary. The logistics behind it have something to do with the fire being extinguished, the ashes being clumped together, lots of back and forth, before they legit reverse a chemical reaction. They are tired out afterwards but satisfied dammit. >

---

<AN: There’s a scene in which they learn each other's languages. It’s cute, it’s quirky, and they bond. I’m in no place to implement this because I don’t know Korean or Estonian. A few more sessions of meeting up later, or maybe even in this section, they figure out a mix of spells that can get Eduard to go home.>

---

It was time.

The morning was quiet. Eduard looked out the window at the woods. The landscape was dusted with snowflakes. He wore his original clothes, no use of borrowing a hanbok now that he was heading back. Yong Soo joined him next to the window. He scooted closer till their shoulders touched. Despite how cold it was, Eduard felt warm.

“I can’t believe we did it.” He said, looking over to his Korean companion. “Thank you.”

“To think-” Yong Soo shifted, and Eduard turned to look. 

Yong Soo closed his eyes and leaned forward a tad, his bangs shifting to cover his face. 

“Okay there?”

“Yeah.” He sucked in a breath and composed himself. “Before you go…” He handed Eduard a piece of paper covered with beautiful strokes of black calligraphy.

“I haven’t learned these characters yet. What does it say?”

“My name. Three characters read from top to bottom.” He pointed to the very top. “Im,” to the middle, “Yong,” to the last, “Soo. 임.용.수.”

He pulled out another piece of paper for Eduard and a calligraphy pen. “Write your name down now.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to forget you.”

He looked Yong Soo in the eye, forlorn dark brown irises glancing back. He felt a sob rise in his chest and pushed it down. 

Eduard broke eye contact, and signed his full name on the blank sheet of paper. He handed it to Yong Soo. 

“Hold my hand, will you?”

He spread his fingers across the palm of Eduard’s hand. Yong Soo’s sleeve covered up their touch, but Eduard could feel their fingers lacing together. A solid grasp, and Eduard felt fulfilled and broken all at once. When he went home, could he ever feel this intact again?

“I don’t think I could forget you if I wanted to.”

“Write to me?” Eduard smiled despite the regret that he felt, swirling in his body. “I still need to learn that Korean.”

Despite his sad expression, Yong Soo broke into a smile. “Definitely.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” Yong Soo let go of Eduard’s hand and stood back, flipping through the spell book in preparation. “In a time where I felt distant from the rest of the world, you were my solid ground.”

“I’ll miss you,” Eduard whispered. He closed his eyes.

Before teleporting away, Eduard heard a faint murmur in response. “I’ll miss you too.”

---

Footnotes:

“An acquaintance. From Japan. And he got it from a British guy. My acquaintance is not on good terms with magic, even if he was once enthralled by it, and so I bought it from him.” 

I have long strayed from the Hetalia canon, but this is influenced by those episodes where hws Japan couldn’t see the magic-spirit-types in the hot springs but hws England could.

“At the same time, polyglots aren’t rare back home.“

I have no idea if this is true, but I would think it would be. At least in modern times, it seems as if there's some sort of forced bilingualism that people from small countries that deal with. In this case, for an educated man like Eduard, I think knowledge of other languages (Russian for example) would be very helpful.

“I wonder if you like pickled, spicy food.” He beckoned Eduard to come over too./“Pickled, yes. Spicy, no.”

I was going to have this be a whole bit. About culture comparison and stuff! Turns out, as someone who is neither Estonian or Korean with very little motivation to read through a wiki page, I didn’t have enough content to implement my idea.

“But I was also a political advisor type. That’s where I really screwed up. Sadly my time spell doesn’t fix everything: it does not work well at all with organic matter for example. I left. I usually have some control over situations, with magic and all, but yet there I felt powerless.”

His mess up refers assassination of Queen Min aka Empress Myeingseong. I’m debating whether to keep this part in at all because it’s rather horrible to add things in with little research yet I keep doing it.

Thank you to @/alfredtalia for giving me insight into Yong Soo’s name. If your interested, here’s the link to the post.

There’s probably more that I could write here. I’m fine with discussing unanswered questions about this fic thru tumblr asks.

Thank you for reading this long long post!

#hws korea #hws south korea #hws estonia #hws korest #korest #hetalia #hws #hetalia south korea #hetalia estonia #hetalia korest #hetalia fanfiction #my writing #hetalia au #thanks for asking! #For the rest of the asks if I have time I'll squeeze in small blurbs #finding solid ground

[kezibun]

Woodland get away

A self ship, self indulgent fic for my Anniversary with Red.

Part 2: Saturday.

The sun shone through the gap in the curtain stirring Red awake… or was it the delicious scent of food that filled the air that woke him? Either way he rubs his sockets and yawns. That's when he notices the empty space next to him. 

He doesn't have much time to think or wonder, though before she walks in with a tray of food. 

“Morning love.” She chimes. 

“Was this sweetheart?” He mumbles in his rough morning voice, stretching as he sits up.

“Breakfast in bed for my dearest husband.” She sits down next to him and plants a kiss on his cheekbone before placing the tray on his lap. “Pancakes and coffee for my love.” 

“You spoil me Doll.” 

“Happy Anniversary Red.” 

“Happy Anniversary Kezi.” 

He pulls her in for a quick kiss before he turns his attention to his food. 

“Thanks Sweetheart, almost looks as gorgeous as you.” 

She giggles. Such a sweet sound he could never get tired of.

“You’re welcome. I’ll just go get mine, real quick.”

She goes and gets her own tray of breakfast and sits on the bed beside him. They enjoy their meal together and have a little cuddle session before getting ready to go out. Kezi hadn't really made any plans, neither of them usually do the whole plans thing so it was time to head out and see what they could find to do.

The fresh cold morning air welcomes them. The whole forest is covered in a thick blanket of white, fluffy snow. 

Kezi beams as she walks out into the winter wonderland. It still baffles Red how excited she gets over the snow, though from the 3 years of living here he can kinda see why, it is pretty rare, that doesn’t make her fascination with it any less cute though, makes him think back at their brief time in the underground together… he couldn't understand why she wanted to play in the snow so badly, it was cute… but oh man was that whole ordeal a rollercoaster. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a giggle followed by a snowball to the face. 

“Oh no ya didn’t.” He chuckles.

“Oh I think I did.” She snickers.

And then a snow war broke out between them, Red was always a hard target to hit unless caught unaware, and he’s got amazing aim. She got a couple hits but if they were keeping score he definitely would have won. While they were playing in the snow already they of course had to make a little snowman, or well Kezi insisted making a little snow family so Snowbert wasn’t lonely. 

Then they made a quick warm up stop and got a bite to eat at one of the coffee shops dotted around, after that they set off into the snowy forest once more.

Red drags her over to the ice skating rink… it was almost as if he had this planned. They have a lot of fun skating, Kezi isn't the best on the ice, but Red is pretty confident and has her every step(?) of the way. Then Red leads her to a nice restaurant, Kezi was surprised to find out that Red was hiding a nice dress shirt under his jacket. She felt a tad under dressed now… that's not fair, but Red made sure she knows that if she wears that cute smile she has then she's always dressed for the occasion. 

After an amazing dinner they sit on a bench in the town surrounded by all the fairy lights that are neatly strewn around. It was starting to get dark now so Kezi broke out the glow sticks making necklaces and bracelets for them both. Red doesn't mind despite feeling slightly silly, it brings a smile to her face so it's worth it. 

"Beautiful." She giggles after putting the glow stick necklace around his neck. 

"Me? Wha? Na. Ya eyes must be broken." He chuckles.

"Na uh my eyes be fine, and Yes you. Lookie it matches your amazing eyelights." She pouts.

"You're so weird Kitten." 

"I know. So are you sometimes but that's why we're perfect for eachother." She leans up and kisses his forehead. "Oh I made you a prezzie." She uses her phone to get a little box out of her inventory. "Here." 

"Was this?"

"Open it silly and find out." 

He takes the box and opens it up. Inside is a golden pocket watch, a cool embossed pattern on it with Kezi and Red writing around it, on the back it says 104. Inside the clock face is black with red numbers. The whole thing has a magical shimmer to it. 

"Wow, really cool, ya made it yer self?"

"Yup, I had a little help from… well… myself. Oh and it's not just a pocket watch, it's like the protection keychain but fancier, a-also it's like a locket and you can put a picture in it. If you want." 

"That's amazing Sweetheart, I'll keep it close always. I got one question?"

"Yeah?" 

"What's 104 mean?"

"Oh well it's um…" her cheeks flush. "You see… you're red… which is the 1st colour of the rainbow and my colour is green which is 4th… and everyone knows a 'O' is a hug… soo…"

"Oh my freakin' stars Kezi. How are ya this freakin' cute?"

"I don't know."

"I got you some stuff too." He gets two boxes out of his inventory one is obviously her favourite chocolates and her face lights up at the sight of them. The other is a little box with a green bow on. He hands her the boxes. She carefully takes off the bow, takes off her hat and ties the bow into her hair with a smile.

"Beautiful." Red hums. "Now come on, open it."

She nods and opens the box. Inside is a snowglobe, the glass orb is sat on a mechanical looking box, inside the ball is a little white bunny sat on a patch of forget-me-nots. 

"It's so pretty thank you. And I'll definitely enjoy the chocolate." She chirps before kissing him quickly.

"Hey is also a night light, and this box has a secret puzzle compartment, I had a little help from my bro but I made sure it wasn't dangerous."

"Oh wow really!? That's even more awesome." She looks over it and finds a button that makes the whole thing glow a pretty green. "I'll be sure to solve the puzzle later ok?"

"Ye whenever ya wanna."

"I love you." She hums as she hugs him tightly.

"I love ya too hun bun." He hugs her back and scatters some little kisses over her face. "I have one more surprise for ya doll." 

"Really?"

They back their gifts into their inventories then Red takes Kezi by the hand leading her out of the little town. He stops by the lake.

"Wait here for me ok."

She nods and he kisses her forehead before disappearing.

She looks around… it's gotten really dark by now. To her left is a building of some kind, what she can't tell. To her right is more forest and behind her is the town… but in front of her is the beautiful lake, it glistens in the moonlight, the stars sparkling over the water.

On the water from behind the building comes a light… a lantern… on a little boat, then she sees a familiar glow as the boat fully reveals its self. It's a lovely little row boat with her skeleton sat in it rowing towards her. She can't help but "awwww" and giggle.

He stops at the end of a tiny pier. "Come on my lady." He becons. 

She scurries over and carefully sits in the boat with Reds help and he rows further into the lake.

"This is so romantic Red." She squeaks. "When did you plan all this?"

"Tbh not long before we left to go on holiday." He chuckles. "A certain bro of mine convinced me I had to do somethin' for ya today."

"Ye I can imagine Edge freaking out because we're improvising." She giggles.

"Ye. But the actual plan was all me, impressive right?" 

"Very, It's been amazing. Thank you."

Red soon stops the boat and the two of them admire the nights sky as usual, they chat and make up constellations and stories.

Red looks over to Kezi as she smiles up at the sky. She gasps.

"Shooting star!" 

He looks over to see the small light trail across the sky. They both make a wish each. Before smiling back at eachother.

"How'd I ever get a girl like you to like me??" He mumbles.

"How'd such a handsome, amazing skeleton ever fall in love with me?" She whispers back. "I love you so much." She sighs happily. 

He tilts her head up and leans in pressing his teeth against her lips, he pulls her closer, as close as he can in the little boat as she rests her hands on his chest, his hand tangling into her hair as he deepens the passionate kiss. He breaks the kiss but only for a second as he goes back for more. "I… love ya… too…"he mumbles against her lips. His soul quietly purrs out for her as she hums into the kiss. She wraps her arms around him as she enjoys the smooches.

He breaks the kiss. 

"Happy Anniversary Sweetheart." He purrs.

"H-happy Anniversary love." 

#self ship fic #self ship #self indulgent #red #red x kezi

[calpops]

veiled valor | masterlist

Notoriously known Captain Calum Hood was set to sail—ready to call anchor and cut into the ocean waves under moonlight—until a stranger happened along the deck of his ship. He used the night to try and barter for her story, more intrigued by the golden flecks in her eyes than the golden pendant she offered as payment for passage.

Copyright © 2020 calpops. All rights reserved. All written content for this original series is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format (translations included).

turning tides

A mysterious stranger happened along Captain Calum Hood’s ship; it was not the ruby pendant she offered as payment that earned her passage but golden flecks in desperate eyes and a need to flee that earned her keep.

worried winds

Unveiled secrets revealed a princess to the captain. A restless and untrustworthy crew stirred trouble for Calum’s authority and the princess’ identity—which he was hellbent to keep.

calmed commotion

An attempted mutiny and an injury unraveled stories of the past between princess and pirate.

safe stay

A conversation of trust with backs to the waves and an invitation to stay give Calum and Elodie answers.

familiar fear

A night at an inn with whispered secrets and danger around every corner led to a chase for life and death.

falling freedom

A run in with danger sparked desires and fears that came alive with the rock of the ship.

healing hearts

Cheated stories, a proposition to learn to read the stars and a building storm followed the ship as it set back out to the open ocean.

catching constellations

Blissful days with star and story riddled nights instilled longing into different worlds slowly becoming one.

snowy sorrows

A rival ship chased Calum and Elodie north; to a winter on land and with each other.

chasing chances

A cold night, an exchange and a bedridden princess make the small cabin start to feel like home.

last luck

Snowy days and a stray dog made winter pass by in a demure blur. Another proposition ensued; baking lessons from the princess to the pirate and combat lessons from the pirate to the princess happened as spring bloomed.

evening echoes

A masquerade ball and daring chances wound up in flames and fleeing.

hollowed hopes

Worst fears are realized in the form of an injury and an island that once was a haven turning to a danger.

endless edges

A passing ship, a stormy night and a hostage start to unravel pieces of the past and make decisions for the future. 

Blurbs

cold | hot | change | dance

Updated: April 6, 2021

#calum hood #calum hood fic #calum hood x oc #pirate au #veiled!valor #5sos fic #5 seconds of summer #5sos #5sos x oc #michael clifford #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #calum hood blurbs #5sos blurbs

[amarekv]

Ten songs I can’t stop listening to!

Thank you @bitoftaewithsugaandkookie for tagging meeeee 💜

I too am going to paste my favorite lyric from the songs :)

1. Someday, The Boy- Kim Feel

My dreams shatter into pieces like they’re running away. Like standing on a split road, I was just staring for a while. But when I heard the voice that pulled me.

2. We are Bulletproof: The Eternal- BTS

I will never stop again, for we are together here. Tell me your every story, tell me why you don’t stop this, tell me why you still walkin’ walkin’ with us...

3. Sweet Night- V

If you are too good to be true, and would it be alright if I pulled you closer. How could I know, one day I'd wake up feeling more, but I had already reached the shore, guess we were ships in the night, night, night.

4. Crystal Snow- BTS

I want to protect you one more time before tears run down your face, but crystal gets further from reach, the more I wish for it. Even after hundred years, I want to live with you. Can I be your one? There is no single star in this snowy sky, oh, someday, someday.

5. A Song Written Easily- Oneus

How do I describe this, a timeline of the moments we were in love. Like one scene two scenes of a movie, In the end a sad ending. Under the moonlight on a dark night, if I sleep deeply will I miss you again. If you think of me sometimes I’ll play this song for you...

6. Instagram- Dean

Lonely lonely so lonely, are things always this hard? No way no way, in this feed people are living in a different world from me

7. She's in the Rain- The Rose

She's in the rain, you wanna hurt yourself, I'll stay with you. You wanna make yourself go through the pain. It's better to be held than holding on we're in the rain

8. If the World Was Ending- JP Saxe ft. Julia Michaels

If the world was ending, you'd come over right? The sky'd be falling while I'd hold you tight. No, there wouldn't be a reason why we would even have to say goodbye

9. Crying Over You- Honne ft. RM and Beka

Yeah I'm gonna feel broken for a bit, life's gonna be a little bit shit Ohh, for at least the next week. We had our flaws I'll be the first to admit and we both struggled to commit Ohh, was it really that bleak?

10. Jasmine- DPR LIVE

You know I can paint the world sitting there in black and gold You're the perfect chemical I gotta test I gotta know. You know I'm no criminal but I could take your heart and go, You're the perfect chemical I gotta test I gotta gotta

This was fun!! :) I just tag few ppl but all of you can do~

@imsadstuff @me-evil-never @galaxywooyoung @eternal-sinner

#nivzos. exe

[tmarie82]

Solitude with You

Pairing: Liam x Olivia

Book: The Royal Romance (Book 3)

Word Count: ~1,200

Rating:  PG

Author’s Note:  I’m not going to lie, I’ve always shipped Liam and Olivia ... but it wasn’t until very recently that I felt like TRR has set it up for them to have an actual relationship (if you didn’t choose Liam as you LI, of course).  So now the inspiration is flowing and I have to regurgitate all these feels for you fine folks.  And what a better week to do it than for @clonedhayden‘s ChoicesCreates 65 theme “Non-Canon Couples???”  (Gotta get this in there before Pixelberry makes it canon 😉)

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this! xoxo 😘 - T

Please let me know if you would like to be added to my tag list.  You can find all of my fics here - MASTERLIST

~~~~~~~~~~

Liam exited the ballroom, fists clenched, searching for the nearest exit.  He was fuming after his interaction with Madeleine, her underhanded insults and reminders that Emma had chosen his best friend over him.  She was a petty, arrogant woman, he knew that ...  and she would always hold a grudge that he had cast their engagement aside at the first opportunity he had.  As if he could have ever actually gone through with that sham of a marriage with a heartless woman anyway.  

His eyes surveyed down one end of the hallway and then to the other, where he noticed a set of ornate double doors leading outside somewhere.  Somewhere, anywhere ... he just needed some air.  He walked briskly toward the exit and pushed one heavy door open, immediately met by a harsh gust of frigid air as he escaped.

He felt the sting of cold against his cheeks as he observed his surroundings.  He had exited onto the terrace which opened up to the gardens.  The once-lush and green landscape were now cast in shadows across the stark white snow.  Given his current state of mind, Liam welcomed the desolate loneliness.  

He meandered aimlessly across the promenade, no trace of life except for the footsteps he left behind him.  He could hear the faint sound of music echoing from the ballroom through the stone of the estate, reminding him where he was supposed to be.  As Liam rounded a corner of the building, he stumbled upon another set of footprints in the snow leading from the nearest exit into the darkness.   His first instinct was alarm, but he soon released a sigh of relief as he followed the delicate prints to the lithe figure leaning against the railing.  She stood in solitude, gleaming under the moonlight, the faint crimson hue cast by the light across her hair making her unmistakable.  Olivia.  

Olivia turned at the sound of his feet crunching in the snow, a look of annoyance spread across her face until she recognized her intruder.  She released her hands from clutching the snowy banister, still wearing nothing but her red sequined gown in the wintry night.

“Shouldn’t the Duchess be inside hosting her own ball?”  Liam asked facetiously.

“Yes, she should ... as well as the King should know better than to play hooky from a royal event.”  She quipped back, arching an eyebrow in his direction.

“Well played.”  Liam chuckled as he settled in next to her, resting his forearms on top of the snowy railing.  “I wonder if I’ll ever get used to hearing that.  The King ...” his voice dropped off as his mind wandered.  “I hear the King and I think of my Father, you know.”

“I know.”  Olivia placed one hand on top of his forearm, continuing to look out across the vast night sky.  They stood there in silence for several minutes, enjoying the comfortable companionship as they stared out at the horizon.  Finally Olivia looked down to Liam beside her, squeezing her hand against his arm.  “How are you doing, Liam?  Really?”

“Hmmph.”  Liam looked down at his hands, carefully tracing once thumb across the other.  “You know, the only other person to ask me that recently is Emma.  And I don’t feel like I can really talk with her ...”

“Because of Drake.”  She finished for him, looking back up to the sky as she raised her hand to his shoulder.  “I get it.”  She didn’t go any further.  Because how do you tell the person grieving beside you that everything they’re feeling, you feel too ... for them?

Liam inhaled deeply, then released a long breath of white mist into the night air.  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Drake ... and for Emma.  I just- “

”Your heart breaks a little every time you see them together?”  Olivia offered solemnly.  

Liam looked up at her face, moonbeams bouncing off her porcelain skin as she stared into the night sky.  “Yeah ... something along those lines.”  His voice faded and he looked back up at the stars.  “But what about you ... are you seriously entertaining marriage prospects like your aunt says?”  He quirked his head to look back over at her, an expression of curiousity spread across his face.

“I know it’s my duty as a Nevrakis to marry and continue the lineage.  For Lythikos and for Cordonia.”  She sighed deeply.  “I’ve just never thought myself the marrying type.  Not the fairytale marriage, at least.  A marriage of the state is far less exciting.”  She shivered as the wind swirled around them, goosebumps forming across her arms.

“Here, you’re cold.”  Liam started removing his jacket, but she pressed a hand against his chest to stop him.

“Please ... I’m a Nevrakis.  A little cold won’t kill me.”  A faint smile spread across her lips.

Liam paused for a moment at her interruption, then proceeded with disrobing and wrapped his navy military jacket around her shoulders. “I know you’re strong, Liv.  But it’s okay to let people in, too.”  He rubbed his hands over his jacket along her upper arms, his blue eyes boring into hers.  “You know, I've seen a change in you lately.  A glimpse of the carefree girl I knew when we were children, before ...” Liam paused and looked down, unwilling to finish his sentence.  “Anyway, I like this version of you ... and I hope to see more of her from now on.”  Olivia opened her mouth, searching for a snarky response ... but was rendered speechless.  She stared back at him, wishing that she could just remain frozen in this moment forever.  

She was snapped out of her entranced state as a strong wind gust pushed against her, unexpectedly knocking her off balance.  “Ahem ... I really should get back.”  

“Alright.”   Liam said, eyes gaze never leaving hers.  She removed his jacket carefully and placed it in his hands.  As she turned to leave, he gripped her by the elbow and pulled her back to face him.  “Olivia, I know you’re a strong, independent woman and have never needed anyone’s shoulder to cry upon ...”  he peered intently into her deep emerald eyes, willing her to listen.  “But I hope you know I’m always here.  That I want to be here.”  

Olivia’s breath hitched at the intensity of his statement, seemingly friendly yet wrought with underlying emotion.  Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared back at him.  “I ... I appreciate that Liam.”  She steadied her breathing as she pulled her arm away, her flesh still tingling from the contact.  “If you’ll please excuse me.”  She turned in a hurry, hiding her flushed cheeks as she scurried back inside to the ballroom.

Liam stood there under the moonlight holding his jacket in his hands, the feeling of blood pumping through his veins as he regarded Olivia walking away.  As the door shut behind her, he turned his face once again to the sky and lingered to enjoy one more brief moment of seclusion.  The air was still as the first snowflakes fell, the quiet natural melody mixing with the sounds of the orchestra inside.  He looked up to the stars one final time, a sense of renewal and hope spread throughout his body.  Just as Olivia had changed, so had he ... and perhaps at last their stars were finally aligning.

END

~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging: @simplyaiden-blog @mfackenthal @lizeboredom @walkerismychoice @boneandfur @laniquelove @choices-fanatic @diamond-dreamland @mariamatsuo @the-everlasting-dream @client327 @kamybelen-blog @butindeed @enmchoices @drakelover78 @kamilah-sayeed-xoxo @parkerattano @asprankle @innerpostmentality @jadedpixiescribbles @crookedslimecreatorpasta @choiceswreckedme @debramcg1106 @mymandrake @alesana45 @flynnomalleys @eileendannie @diavolosprincess

#liam x olivia #the royal romance #king liam #olivia nevrakis #choicescreates #choicescreates65 #tmarie82 fanfic

[ikesenmotonari]

Pirate AU headcanons OwO

Yum, a spicy Pirate AU for the lovely boys! god i love them

im in love with this. lets go. first im going to spice this up.

behold, your pirate lords

Kings of the Seas

☠ Nobunaga Oda: The Demon King… of the seven seas. Some say he’s a sea god inside a human body. He rules with a mighty fleet, noble and strong with a giant hawk under his control that plucks sailors right off the deck. It’s hellish to go up against him. His crew is quite formidable and consists of rather curious individuals. Nobunaga isn’t one to be trifled with - he’s serious and self-centered with confidence that is well-deserved. He goes out to claim and rule over whatever land he sees fit.

☠ Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Nobunaga’s stubbornly loyal quartermaster. He supervises the crew whenever Nobunaga isn’t around. Hideyoshi is a good man who knows every inch of the ship like the back of his hand. He seems outwardly charming and calm, but it seems like the Oda forces’ first mate rubs him the wrong way.

☠ Mitsuhide Akechi, the sneaky first mate. He was a merman with the tail of a sea snake, captured from the ocean when he was young and forced to walk on two legs since. He is Nobunaga’s second-in-command placed before the quartermaster, and Hideyoshi has problems with this because of the negative rumors that follow the mysterious man. With his silver tongue and battle expertise, he is a wonderful ally and a ruthless opponent. It is said he and Nobunaga grew up as childhood rivals of some sort.

☠ Mitsunari Ishida, the oblivious sailing master. He takes over the wheel for most days out on sea, and is quite a strategic battler himself. He seems to idolize most of the other crewmembers on the ship, especially their surgeon. Unfortunately, Mitsunari’s quite scatterbrained and his role as a sailing master takes a toll on his minimalist sleeping pattern!

☠ Ieyasu Tokugawa, the ship’s gruff surgeon. Annoyed often by Mitsunari, he takes solace in his time alone belowdeck. He acts like a scientist, recording what new species they may come across on their adventures. He’s a very valuable person - surgeons on ships were essential for the crewmates, so he understands and carries out his role just fine. Although some crewmates say his prickly attitude needs some work.

☠ Masamune Date, the master gunner. Fitting for a typical pirate, the boastful man sports an eyepatch and, as his role suggests, takes care of the firepower on Nobunaga’s ship. He loves a good fight, and even moreso winning one. A while back he managed to sneak a tiger cub onto the ship and raise it - now it’s his most loyal friend. Ieyasu says it’s kind of sad.

☠ Sasuke Sarutobi, the serious scientist. Accused of performing witchcraft (it’s just astrophysics you heathens), he ran away from those who sought to kill him and instead was taken in by the Ice King himself. For a while he worked diligently as his ship’s surgeon, but since then has climbed up a few ranks and gained trust with the royal, acting like a counsel for him to relay information with.

☠ Kenshin Uesugi, the ice king and captain of a fleet that come from the distant and snowy north - explaining the furs and heavy, flowing clothes he usually wears. He’s bloodthirsty and cruel, willing to do anything for a good fight against Nobunaga Oda. Recently he has allied with Shingen, the captain of another fleet, to fulfill his lust for war that coats his cold, cursed heart.

☠ Shingen Takeda, the fiery Tiger Captain of a fleet and allied with Kenshin. He’s a confident, smug man, somewhat easy-going for the captain of such a large army. As much as he loves to tease and play around with women or merfolk, he also itches for revenge against Nobunaga and strategically allied with him for such reasons. He and Kenshin share a fragile rivalry, but in the meantime they seem casual with each other.

☠ Yukimura Sanada, Shingen’s (bullied) first mate. He’s loyal but unafraid to speak his mind, and often Shingen gets on his nerves for being the overbearing father-like captain he is. Yukimura is a bit young for a first mate, but his skills with commanding the ship and handling weaponry is beyond people - he’s really good and Shingen praises him as a prodigy.

☠ Kennyo, the ocean’s warlock. Most of his magic comes from the sheer power of the sea - the closer he gets to it, the stronger he becomes, but more out-of-control his magic gets. He stays closed off within a tropical forest, isolated as he plots his revenge on Nobunaga. Shrouded in mystery, people say that his gaping scar is a curse from the Demon King himself. As curious as it is, he’s very attached to a feline familiar named Mike that he saved from Nobunaga’s ship. He managed to sneak on once.

☠ Mori Motonari, the undead terror. Cursed by a sea witch when he was abusing his living form, he now roams the seas as an immortal with a lust for power and wealth. It is said he used to be a young noble and his ill behaviour got him in some deep trouble. Whatever it is, he’s a huge threat out on the water with his massive fleet of pirates and scoundrels. He looks like a normal human being until under direct moonlight, when his bones are seen through translucent skin. Maybe he’ll die if he learns his lesson, but so far, it looks like he hasn’t learned a thing…

#lou makes headcanons #ikemen sengoku #ikesen #cybird #otome game #ikesen au #i hope u like because UNF I LOVED THIS #kings of the seas

[autolovecraft]

Barzai was learned in the lore of earth's gods, or of the other gods.

They are grown stern, having no higher peak whereto to flee at the coming of men. Often the gods of earth, and suffer no man to tell that he hath looked upon them. Moreover, to this day the people of Ulthar and Nir and Hatheg fear eclipses, and pray by night when pale vapors hide the summit and the moon. It was he who wisely advised the burgesses of Ulthar when they passed their remarkable law against the slaying of cats, and who first told the young priest Atal, who was his disciple.

I shall see the dancing forms of the gods, the gods of earth who spurn the sight of man! So thick were the vapors that the way was hard, and though Atal followed at last, he could scarce see the gray shape of Barzai on the dim slope above in the clouded moonlight. The wisdom of Barzai hath made him greater than earth's gods, and against his will their spells and barriers are as naught; Barzai will behold the gods, and listened hard for certain sounds, but Atal felt the chill of the vapors and the awe of the night, and feared much. At last! Lesser peaks they once inhabited; but ever the men from the plains would scale the slopes of rock and snow, driving the gods to higher and higher toward the roof of the world; then they camped to wait for the clouding of the moon.

The other gods!

Barzai began to climb higher and beckon eagerly, it was long before Atal would follow.

Then he heard Barzai's voice grow shriller and louder: The mist is very thin, and the climbers found it hard to breathe; but still they toiled up and up, marveling at the strangeness of the scene and thrilling at the thought of what would happen on the summit under a clear moon.

The light is dimmer and the gods loved Hatheg-Kla, for the gods are wont to travel, and wise cotters have legends that keep them from certain high peaks at night when it is cloudy, for the gods are not lenient as of old. Hei! It was he who wisely advised the burgesses of Ulthar when they passed their remarkable law against the slaying of cats, and who first told the young priest Atal, who was his disciple. Barzai and Atal often slipped and fell as they hewed and plodded upward with staves and axes. And now Atal, slipping dizzily up over inconceivable steeps, heard in the dark a loathsome laughing, mixed with such a cry as no man else ever heard save in the Phlegethon of unrelatable nightmares; a cry wherein reverberated the horror and anguish of a haunted lifetime packed into one atrocious moment: The other gods! The gods of the outer hells that guard the feeble gods of earth! Men have felt the tears of the gods on white-capped Thurai, though they have thought it rain; and have heard the gods. The mists are thin and the moon casts shadows on the slope; the voices of earth's gods, and against his will their spells and barriers are as naught; Barzai will behold the gods of earth! Barzai was learned in the seven cryptical books of earth, I am falling into the sky! Atop. Banzai and Atal went out of Atal's sight, scaling a hideous cliff that seemed to bulge outward and block the path for any climber not inspired of earth's gods. I am plunging … Hei! For three days they climbed higher and higher mountains till now only the last remains.

Sometimes when earth's gods are homesick they visit in the still of the night, and feared much. The moon's light flickers, as earth's gods dance against it; I shall see the gods dancing wildly on Hatheg-Kla at any time, and deadly to climb it by night when pale vapors hide the mountain-top and the moon; but Barzai heeded them not when he came from neighboring Ulthar with the young priest Atal where it is that black cats go at midnight on St.

And now Atal, slipping dizzily up over inconceivable steeps, heard in the dark a loathsome laughing, mixed with such a cry as no man else ever heard save in the Phlegethon of unrelatable nightmares; a cry wherein reverberated the horror and anguish of a haunted lifetime packed into one atrocious moment: The other gods! At last! Hatheg-Kla, for the screams of the frightened gods have turned to laughter, and the gods loved Hatheg-Kla in their ships of clouds, casting pale vapors over the slopes as they dance reminiscently on the summit under a clear moon. There is unknown magic on Hatheg-Kla at any time, and deadly to climb it by night when pale vapors hide the mountain-top and the moon; but Barzai heeded them not when he came from neighboring Ulthar with the young priest Atal where it is that black cats go at midnight on St. So thick were the vapors that the way was steeper than ever, the upward path was now grown fearsomely easy, and the gods loved Hatheg-Kla is far in the stony desert despite the prayers of peasants, and talked of earth's gods.

The wisdom of Barzai hath made him greater than earth's gods, and against his will their spells and barriers are as naught; Barzai will behold the gods of earth, and familiar with the Pnakotic Manuscripts which were too ancient to be read. Hei!

The light is dimmer and the gods loved Hatheg-Kla at any time, and deadly to climb it by night when pale vapors hide the mountain-top and the moon. Atal often slipped and fell as they hewed and plodded upward with staves and axes. When they left their older peaks they took with them all signs of themselves; save once, it is said, when they left a carven image on the face of the mountain without sight of earth's gods. For a long hour the watchers gazed, whilst the vapors swirled and the screen of clouds grew thicker and more restless. And now Atal, slipping dizzily up over inconceivable steeps, heard in the dark a loathsome laughing, mixed with such a cry as no man else ever heard save in the Phlegethon of unrelatable nightmares; a cry wherein reverberated the horror and anguish of a haunted lifetime packed into one atrocious moment: The other gods! So thick were the vapors that the way was steeper than ever, the upward path was now grown fearsomely easy, and the slopes of ice shoot up endlessly into the black heavens whither I am plunging … Hei!

Barzai the Wise, and the moon shone down cold through the thin mournful mist around the silent pinnacle. It is well for men that they know not of Kadath in the cold waste where no man treads, and are grown stern, and where once they dwelt, and weep softly as they try to play in the olden way, as they did when earth was new and men not given to the climbing of inaccessible places. And now Atal, slipping dizzily up over inconceivable steeps, heard in the dark a loathsome laughing, mixed with such a cry as no man else ever heard save in the Phlegethon of unrelatable nightmares; a cry wherein reverberated the horror and anguish of a haunted lifetime packed into one atrocious moment: The other gods! And now Atal, slipping dizzily up over inconceivable steeps, heard in the dark a loathsome laughing, mixed with such a cry as no man else ever heard save in the Phlegethon of unrelatable nightmares; a cry wherein reverberated the horror and anguish of a haunted lifetime packed into one atrocious moment: The other gods! Later it grew cold and snowy; and Barzai and Atal often slipped and fell as they hewed and plodded upward with staves and axes. There is unknown magic on Hatheg-Kla! The other gods! Thick and majestic they sailed, slowly and deliberately onward; ranging themselves round the peak high above the watchers, and hiding the moon and the summit from view. At last! Then through the high mists he heard the voice of Barzai shouting wildly in delight: I have heard earth's gods singing in revelry on Hatheg-Kla in the youth of the world.

Lesser peaks they once inhabited; but ever the men from the plains would scale the slopes of ice shoot up endlessly into the black heavens whither I am plunging … Hei! … Go back … Do not see! Many days they traveled, and from afar saw lofty Hatheg-Kla with his aureole of mournful mist.

Yet when the men of Ulthar and Nir and Hatheg crushed their fears and scaled that haunted steep by day in search of Barzai the Wise, and the villagers tell of how he went up a mountain on the night of the full moon, Barzai saw some dense clouds far to the north, and stayed up with Atal to watch them draw near. It was he who wisely advised the burgesses of Ulthar when they passed their remarkable law against the slaying of cats, and who first told the young priest Atal, who was his disciple.

On the thirteenth day they reached the mountain's lonely base, and Atal spoke of his fears. Atal went out of Hatheg into the stony desert beyond Hatheg, for which it is named, and rises like a rock statue in a silent temple. Lesser peaks they once inhabited; but ever the men from the plains would scale the slopes of ice shoot up endlessly into the black heavens whither I am plunging … Hei! The vengeance of the infinite abysses … That cursed, that damnable pit … Merciful gods of earth; a man deeply learned in the seven cryptical books of earth, and familiar with the Pnakotic Manuscripts of distant and frozen Lomar. In Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, once dwelt an old man avid to behold the gods, the secret gods, the proud gods, the secret gods, the gods of earth, I am falling into the sky! Atal would follow. Atal was safe on the lower snows of the mountain which they called Ngranek. Barzai the Wise, they found graven in the naked stone of the summit a curious and cyclopean symbol fifty cubits wide, as if the laws of earth were bowing to greater laws; for though the way was steeper than ever, the upward path was now grown fearsomely easy, and the bulging cliff and litten sky he felt fears more shocking than any he had known before. When they left their older peaks they took with them all signs of themselves; save once, it is said, when they left a carven image on the face of the mountain which they called Ngranek. And as he scrambled on toward the bulging cliff and scanning it for footholds.

On the thirteenth day they reached the mountain's lonely base, and Atal spoke of his fears. And the symbol was like to one that learned men have discerned in those frightful parts of the Pnakotic Manuscripts of distant and frozen Lomar.

#H.P. Lovecraft #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains #1933 #The Other Gods #The Other Gods week

[adella-the-romantic-blog]

Get To Know Me (even tho literally no one asked lol)

*PERSONAL DETAILS

Nicknames? Kirbs, mostly. My coworkers at an old job called me Kirbstomp, which birthed the name that I use for literally everything. My family calls me Sue because they thing that “Kirby Sue” is a better southern name for me. Where do you live? lol south Louisiana kill me pls What’s your age? 24 Hair color? Black Eye color? Brown Height? 5′2 on a good day Date of Birth? November 16th What’s your star sign? I’m the truest Scorpio you’ve ever met hello Element? Water How many siblings? Two half siblings How many pets? I have 4 dogs (Harley, Gizmo, Bandit, and Kokomo), two of which technically live with my parents, and a corn snake named Peach Obsessions? Pokemon, Disney, snakes, slime (don’t u fuckin judge me it’s so cool) Bad habits? Drinking until I pass out does that count really? Phobias? Falling, the void

*ABOUT YOU

What makes you happy? Rainy days, 50 First Dates, spending time with any other human ever What really irritates you? Hot air, water left on the edge of the sink, spending too much time with any other human ever What makes you sad? pft everything hi i’m depressed What makes you angry? People who slow down too much while trying to turn, living in the south, Trump’s America What makes you scared? Under cooked chicken, when a friend doesn’t text me that they made it home, Trump’s America (see I did the thing again) Who is your best friend? Julie, who I met through the last Disney rp I was in on Tumblr, Alex, who I met through this Disney rp on Tumblr, and Wade, who I met through Ms. Roxie’s pre-k class.  Ever broken a bone? Yes, broke my tailbone playing softball. What was the last CD you bought? Christ, um... maybe... Paramore? Brand New Eyes?  What was the last book you read? It’s Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini Who was the last person you spoke to? Like spoke-spoke? My mom. Texted was my friend Becca. What was the last thing you ate? Mushroom rice What was the last thing you drank? Uh idk some V-8 stuff that tastes like the gummy watermelon Lifesavers What’s the best thing you’ve ever bought? My gaming computer, probably. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever bought? My gaming computer, probably. What’s the best thing you’ve ever been given? A house. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever been given? My mom likes to believe that she’s good at picking out clothes to give me for Christmas. She isn’t. What are your future goals? My current goal is to make it out of Louisiana in one piece. One step at a time. Describe your bedroom? Woo okay. It’s like a small apartment. I have a fenced in yard where Harley and Gizmo can run and play and not get lost in the woods, and a covered, wooden porch with a table and chairs where I keep my crystals laid out so that they can be in the moonlight as much as possible. There’s fairy lights strung up around in the rafters of the porch roof. The door opens into my room, to the left is my bed in the corner with grey sheets, a black comforter with a gold mandala inlay, and a giant Maui TsumTsum that I cuddle with at night. There’s a star map tapestry on the wall next to my bed, and in front of the bed is my TV stand. There’s a basket in the corner that holds all of my records and a small table that holds my record player (Fleetwood Mac Live is on the player now). Next to my closet door there is a small terrarium hung that holds some sand and a succulent, and the same goes for th terrarium hung next to my window. I’ve framed concert posters of the Beatles and Elvis (fight me) across from my bookshelf. Who do you consider the most beautiful woman in the world? Well, I mean *unrolls mile long scroll* have you got time to talk about our lord and savior Idina Menzel? If not there’s Karen Gillan and Natalie Dormer and Elizabeth Gillies and Who do you consider the most handsome man in the world? Maybe... idk maybe Ryan Reynolds? Favorite thing to do on a hot summers day? Swim so that I don’t feel like my skin is melting off Favorite thing to do on a snowy winters day? PLAY IN THE SNOW GIVE ME THE CHILLY GOODNESS If you were granted 3 wishes, what would they be? A better life for my dad, the money and willpower to make something of myself, so much money. If you could go back in time to see or change something, when would it be and what would you do? Wow um... there are so many things I’d go back and change honestly lmao What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up? Is it cold yet? or Please don’t let it be 9:30 yet. Do you believe in the after-life? EhhhHHHHHHHHH???????? Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? I honestly have no idea What’s the funniest joke you’ve ever been told? “It’s just a phase.” *aggressively turns Pokemon music up* Any hidden talents? Does telepathy count? I can kind of sing too? Dream job? Zookeeper Who is your hero? Honestly Idina Menzel Describe yourself in 3 words: Loyal, charismatic, lazy

*FAVORITES

Favorite color? Pink Favorite number? 3 Favorite animal? Snake Favorite sport (to play)? Volleyball Favorite sport (to watch)? Football, baseball, volleyball Favorite Show(s)? Golden Girls, Steven Universe Favorite movies? Aladdin, 50 First Dates Favorite band? Paramore, Fleetwood Mac Favorite song? Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston Favorite room in the house? My bedroom Favorite food? Pizza Favorite drink? Bahama Mama Favorite place? Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth, TX Favorite cartoon character? Garnet on SU, Princess Jasmine Favorite day of the week? Thursday Favorite day of the year? Halloween and my birthday Favorite season? Fall Favorite Holiday? Halloween Favorite girls name? Kalista Favorite boys name? Emery Favorite country? England Favorite smell? Coconut Favorite sound? Rain Favorite accent? British Favorite Ships (in or our of BDRP)? Pft mine (I think Octoclam might be my favorite don’t tell the others or Alex) Favorite Fandoms? Critical Role, Steven Universe

*PREFERENCES

Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi Pen or Pencil? Pen Day or Night? Night Cat or Dog? Both? Both are good. Summer or Winter? Winter T.V. or Radio? Radio Brains or Beauty? whY THE FUCK I CAN’T HAVE BOTH I say both Cup or Mug? Mug Tea or Coffee? Also both Gold or Silver? Silver, but like gold is cool too Brush or Comb? Pft neither City or Country? City Early or Late riser? Late Blond or Brunette? Brunette Scary or Romantic movies? Scary Board or Computer games? Um how dare you I need both Half full or Half empty? Depends on the day Happy and poor or Sad and rich? Happy and poor Glasses or Contacts? Glasses Flowers or Chocolates? Flowers Love or Money? Love Hugs or Kisses? UM both but like kisses if I had to choose

And now, pictures that you didn’t ask for.

#bdrptask

[tennesonrhames]

Finale: Sea Wolf Part 10

The climb from the summit of the mountain was arduous. I'd walked across barren desert, scaled sheer cliffs, and descended into pits in the world you thought would never end. Even with all of the darkest corners of the lands I'd visited, almost nothing compared to the biting cold of the snowy peaks in Highmountain. Whenever the wind picked up it brought with it a thousand shards of razor glass that seemed to want to dice my skin and leather alike. Each flake was another reminder, and with every hit I took another step deeper into the blankets of ivory. The cold had a way of piercing through you faster, and more completely than any blade I'd ever been stuck with. ____________________________________

I felt every inch of it under me as my claws sunk deeper into the bitter snow. It was like I could feel every single needling piece of it, but I kept my eyes forward even as I barreled through the thickest drift. Powery white exploded in front of me, and I watched the moonlight reflect off the flakes of snow as I ran after them. I didn't know who they were but I knew that I was hungry, and when I caught the scent of their blood I didn't wait. The pack behind me was busy with another few, too slow to get away from our attack as we circled them and closed in for the kill. The leader was behind me, a few yards back but catching up quickly. If I wanted something decent from my catch I had to at least bring it down before He got to it. ____________________________________

I banished the memory and stumbled a bit as the winds picked up. It felt like a titans fist had slapped my body aside as I hit a tree, my feet giving out from under me. Everything was ice, and I could hardly keep the powder from frosting over my beard as I slumped against the bark. My fingers, feeling like stiff gears gone without oil for ages brushed over the bark. The ridges in the wood felt almost familiar, even if I could hardly feel it as I slowly froze. My eyes moved and studied claw marks dug into the tree, some of the bark stripped clear from some massive beast that'd marked it up. Too big to be a wolf it must have been a bear at one point that came wandering through. ____________________________________

They circled around a small cluster of trees, temporarily blocking my sight of them as I kept pursuit. My claw dug into the bark, and I felt every inch of the wood splinter and die as I forced my body to turn around it. Every muscle in my arm screamed at me from the strain, my momentum wanting me to go one way while my hunger willed me another. I left little more than shattered wood, and tossed dirt in my wake as my feet dug into the soil. They were slow close I could smell the blood in their veins, and almost see the wild look in their eyes. The distance between us gradually closed, and I felt the thrill overtake my senses as I closed in. I was almost at that moment, almost to that point when they were about to realize they'd failed to escape. I always relished that moment just before I- ____________________________________

"Dammit, FOCUS."

I couldn't keep my thoughts straight as I slogged through the snow. By some divine providence the winds abated if but slightly and I was able to force my boots deeper into the thick of it. Had I had more sense I'd have stuck to the warmer lowlands, crossed through a valley until I found a river and followed it. Something in me told me this was the way to go, and despite all odds I pressed forward. My boots were soaked through and I could feel the frigid cold reaching my feet. There was little worry of losing the limbs, even amidst the cold this bitter my body kept itself warm above that freezing point. How long that would last I fought to keep my thoughts from, even as I saw a flattened valley up near the top of the path. It was nestled in the crux just between the two tallest peaks of the mountains, where the hoof prints had aimed me toward. ____________________________________

I could hear the huddle whimpers as they drew closer together. While I would have relished being able to pick them off, one at a time as they staggered away from their herd they'd bunched up. They swung their limbs, wild and dangerous eyes watching their every move. I sniffed the air, and the low rumble in my chest and in my gut chilled their blood. They froze in place, their eyes affixed to me just before He broke through the other side. Whatever hopes they had for escape or a fight dwindled to naught, and as we circled I began to plot my path through them. I didn't relish the idea of sharing the kill or the meat, but at least with Him here it'd be easier. That was when I saw the boy. Boy? It was just the youngest of the group. The herd. He looked scared, a bruise under his left eye as he watched me. I saw a hand obscure his face and a man...one of the older ones, stood between us. He looked like the boy though his face was lined and scarred, and his face was dusted by a russet beard.

"No." I heard him say. ____________________________________

It had to be the cold getting to me, I thought, as I came to a stop beside another tree. The snow was a bit thinner hear but it still reached up to my knees, and I felt like I was back on the shoreline sloffing through the water to try and get away from the carnage of our wreck. For a few moments I wondered if others had made it off the ship to saftey, had perhaps washed up elsewhere along the coast. There weren't enough bodies on the shore to account for all of them, but after hours of searching I neither heard, smelled, nor saw any sign of others survivors. I couldn't worry what fate they'd met when I had to worry on my own. So I kept moving, kept my heart beating and my blood warm as best I could. Another gust of wind felt like it moved straight through me and my arms crossed over my chest. I had to go, had to keep moving towards...wherever. _____________________________________

His voice stopped me cold. I froze mid step, a claw poised in the air towards them and we met each others gaze. I saw his eyes flinch, confusion mixed in with the terror as we studied one another. When I heard Him growl and move towards me my palm touched to the dirt. Without looking away I moved another step closer towards the man.

"No..."

Again I stopped and found myself arguing against my own thoughts. Something about this was so familiar, but I couldn't place it in my head. Why did the boy matter, why did the father matter. Hunger was all that mattered, and they were the first kill we'd seen in months worth the risk. Another step and I saw a flash of light in his hand. The light glinted off the flat of a blade, a hunting knife and I found my eyes drawn to it without thinking. Another step.

"NO!" ____________________________________

If I didn't make it somewhere, someplace soon I worried that my own thoughts might keep me down. It was getting harder to take another step and I could feel my body growing chilled. The shivering began shortly after when I found myself on another incline. Biting snow blasted my cheek and I had to keep a hand at the brim of my hat to keep the damn thing from flying off. Another step, and another just to keep me going. I kept telling myself it'd be just over the next rise, just around the next bend, and I'd see what I needed. A fire would have been a godsend in that moment, even if I had to go a week without a meel or water I'd have given my left arm for just a bit of warmth. ____________________________________

He shoved the blade towards me, swinging it in the air like he would bring me down with it. I had to give the man credit that he lacked the fear the others had drowned in. My hands...my claws twitched and dug into the dirt beneath me as we just stared. I saw the way his hand trembled, shielding what had to be his son from the danger, from the monster, from me. Another growl, this time at my ear as He argued against my hesitation. The wince creased my eyes, and for a second I just stood there with a claw reaching towards them suspended in mid-air.

"Rrrrun."

My voice was harsh, deeper than a canyon's reaches, and fighting the beast that choked on the foreign sound. The sound startled all of them, and I saw a look pass in the man's eyes from fear to that sort of feeble awe you feel when something beyond comprehension is put in front of you. I looked up at him, hunched over and ready to have leapt into the midst of them to begin tearing cloth and flesh alike to ready the kill, but now I waited. My eyes darted down the path behind them and away from the danger, away from the monster, away from me. ____________________________________

My hands dove into the snow, almost buried up to my elbows as I finally began to lose ground with my own willpower. I collapsed forward onto my hands and knees and felt the snow drifting in through my fingers, up my sleeves, and against my bare skin. It was funny how something so cold could feel like it burned you up from the outside. Breath spilled out of me in a hiss and colored the air in front of me in a powdery white like the snow itself. I filled my lungs with the frozen air, and gripped snow and dirt into my hands as I struggled to stand once again. That was when I saw it, a small post just about twenty feet away from me. It looked like a totem, the wood old and carved with various faces stacked atop one another, with a sing wing extended towards something down the path ahead. It was perhaps the greatest thing I'd seen in my entire life. ____________________________________

For a few seconds that stretched into eternity none of us moved. The humans in front of me, too scared to move before shifted. A foot, a turn of a body, and the way their heads glanced between them before they looked towards the path. Only the boy and the man kept their eyes on me and Him. I thought it was smart, the way they trembled but refused to take their eyes away from the threat in front of them. Still brandishing the knife I saw the mans other arm move, and start to usher the boy away. That was when I heard Him take a step towards them and his growl set fire to the air. Every one of them froze again mid-step, and I made a choice that'd change everything. I'll never forget the way they all seemed to move in slow motion, their legs and arms drifting through the air as they dug their feet to the soil. How each and every piece of sand and leaf flew through the air, fluttering to the ground in their wake. I can still remember the way my lungs filled with air, and burst a sound that both thrilled and scared me to this day.

"RUN!"

And I'll never forget the look of shock on His face when I dug my hand into his throat. He had tried to take a step to follow after them, refusing to acknowledge my betrayal in light of a meal. When I saw his body at the corner of my sight I moved, and I was just quick enough to catch him. The sensation was familiar, the results the same, even if now my skin was lined by fur and inches of corded muscle that moved like an animal. I recalled each detail as another of these lumbering beasts fell in the same way when I plunged a sharp edge into their neck, even if the knife had now been replaced by my own claws. I could see the moonlight glint off their surface just before they pierced the skin, and slipped underneath to the soft veins.

His yelp was short and pitiful, barely a whimper as I forced with every inch of strength deeper into his throat. I felt bone, could see the way my hand jerked and sent my claws through the back of his neck, and then I clenched my fist. A choking sound, a twist of my hand, and then the snap was all it took to leave him lifeless on the ground before me. I watched his body twitch as his tongue fell out the side of his mouth, eyes that had been wild in hunger now glazing as the last beats of his heart began to fade away. Blood soaked my arm from the tip of a claw to my elbow, and the fur that was black was stained a deep maroon now. It felt warm against my skin, and the scent filled my nose as I breathed in my first good kill in months. I didn't expect to, but I'd found the worthy game I'd been after all along and I ate well that night. ____________________________________

I barely managed to stumble forward the last fifty feet over a small ridge, the slope of the hill slight as could be but feeling like another mountain. Every muscle burned and froze at the same time, and it seemed like any moment the world would come crashing down. Perhaps that was why I didn't see them at first, lumbering and towering above me by almost two feet. Their massive hooves dug craters into the snow with every step, and when they finally came to a halt in front of me the Tauren levelled their spears with my chest. My hands, trembling and bearing frost rose up when they began to speak. Their broken Common was hard to discern, and even now I can hardly remember what they said. I recall my voice, even if the words are a faint mystery now and soon enough they led me slowly back towards their camp.

I could see the points of tents and the trails of smoke from fires scattered around the small area with tauren and other peoples mulling about. Each one slowly turned to regard me with wary stares, unsure and fearful of the stranger who'd appeared along the very edge of a blizzard. While stormclouds gathered somewhere behind me, rising up to challenge the towering peaks I saw movement in front of me. Before I could even react I was knocked off my feet, and my back struck the snow and earth beneath me with a heavy thud. My hat was lost to the wind, and I felt something press down on me hard. Instinctively my hands gripped whatever it was in my stupor, but a familiar feeling in my hands and a smell unique to a particular Warg filled my nose. Duchess.

"How..."

My voice was harsh and ragged, gutteral in its sound but I gripped the fur of the wolf atop me and buried my face in her side even as she licked my cheek like it was a prime rack of rib. Her whimpers and cries of joy filled my hears, and I almost missed the quiet take of breath from nearby. Her steps had been so light on the snow I didn't even hear her approach, but I heard her voice like a clear bell through the air. The second I heard it I stopped, and shoved Duchess from atop me to look at the frail woman standing a few paces away.

"Tenneson..."

Even as I struggled to get to my feet again, and took in what I thought had to be a hallucination in front of me the tears in her eyes told me different, and I felt my feet carrying me towards her.

"Georgie..."

Aaaaaaaand with that the Sea Wolf series is finally done. This has been an absolute treat, but a somewhat harrowing challenge getting through this beast. Started months ago, and despite life throwing curveballs I finally got it done. And I’m happy with it, which I haven’t always gotten to feel about my writing. I hope any and all of you that have read it enjoyed it, and can tell you for sure that there will be more in the future. Now I can write other stuff for other characters...all too many of them.

#Series #Sea Wolf #Finale #Part 10 #Ongoing #FINALLY FRIGGIN DONE #Tenneson #Georgie #RP #Story #My Writing #OC #Worgen #Hunter #Warcraft #WoW #Alliance #Wyrmrest Accord #Wyrmrest #wyrmrest rp #Wyrmrest roleplay