#something more memorable that really says 'this is the throne of an emperor'

[t-u-i-t-c]

they put all the money into the shadow line suits, so they gave him a mediocre throne 😔

#could've done better is all i'm saying... #something more memorable that really says 'this is the throne of an emperor' #toqger lb #super sentai lb #umbrella.thoughts #umbrella.posts #i prefer gorgeous suits but i think the inagery would have been iconic if the throne was more stylized #*imagery

[donutloverxo]

A Royal Scandal 3

Modern Royal King!Steve au

(Image from Pinterest)

cowritten with @lizzygal​

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Summary - Modern ruler, His Majesty King Steven G Rogers, is on a quest to make his long term secret relationship the real thing. He is a man in love and wants his lover and partner to be his queen.

Warnings - Smut (m/f), dub con/non con, sex tape, scandals, mentions of past domestic abuse, soft dark Steve, possessive Steve, spanking, power imbalance, mentions of previous domestic abuse, somnophilia.

Pairing - King!Steve x reader

Word count - 7k

Story masterlist

Sometimes Steven forgot that you weren’t that much younger than him. He forgot about a lot of things when it was only the two of you. You did that to him. You made him forget things that everyone else reminded him of constantly, intentional and not.

Early that morning was no different.

Long before his alarm went off, Steve found himself on his side watching you sleep. Feeling in every way equal to you, like there was not this huge ocean of things that he did not have in common with you, opposed to what the two of you shared.

Obviously, he was the son of kings and tyrants while you were the daughter of immigrants and a blue-collar family. You’d grown up in a house full of love and kindness and acceptance, he had not. You’d ended your teenage years going to college and then travelling and ending up here, where you chose to stay and work and travel and live a life that Steve could only dream of, his own had never been his own and never would be.

You had dreams and hopes, little things like aspirations. He didn’t.

Steve’s life was dictated by things like duty and obligations, expectations. Yours was not.

Maybe that was why he’d been so drawn to you?

Compared to all the royals around Europe and titled individuals, politicians, even old families, none of them interested him even a fraction of the amount that you interested him. To Steve you were exotic. You were a fascinating creature who might as well have come from Mars.

He couldn’t even say what it was or why.

For so long it had felt right to be alone. Considering the blood of monsters ran through his veins, Steve had been uninterested in any sort of companionship more than a brief encounter at a private location.

For Christ’s sake, he refused to sleep in the bedroom that his father had slept in.

Upon assuming the throne, he’d selected to take up older quarters in an unused part of the palace living complex. As if to ensure he was as far away from the rooms that his father and grandfather and great-grandfather had slept. Choosing to sleep in a bed untainted by any of those men, stored from when his land was ruled by an emperor. Hoping with the hopes of a young king that it would save him from their madness.

Beside him, you slept so peacefully, trustingly.

Steve had never brought anyone into his private apartment. Nor had his bed seen any carnal action since it’d gone into storage. Until you. He’d simply never been so inclined.

A rough sound from the growth on his cheek rubbing against his pillow. A pleasant reminder of that night that felt so long ago, yet also like only yesterday.

He’d had a beard back then he remembered.

A full bushy one.

One that had made you laugh softly at, roll your eyes and still manage to pull off an acceptable bow when you greeted him that late night.

“They beat Canada then Your Majesty?” You had inquired with good nature, setting down a whole stack of papers and folders onto the very modern conference table in a big room that could fit two dozen, more if the people were standing.

He’d beamed.

Steve remembered he’d been in a particularly good mood that night. Even if he was working late on the education push into the outer regions of his kingdom. A good amount was still very rural, many simple villages that lived as they had fifty or more years ago. Many parts of his kingdom were still deeply rooted in the past.

“Indeed. Eleven to four.”

He was beaming. Beaming! You were pretty sure you could see molars. It made you shake your head and begin to sort out all your work into piles to go over. Not that you’d ever admit to secretly being caught up in the hype of the team being so close to gold at the Winter Olympics. “So then the beard stays?”

“You of all people,” he admonished, coming over to help you. Picking up the well-marked up maps you’d spent hours annotating.

Making you roll your eyes.

On he went though, obviously needing to drive home the seriousness of this matter. “The beard stays until we win gold. Next we play Norway. I don’t think it needs to be said that we cannot risk it.”

He was serious. Really serious. If that full glorious beard was any indication.

More focused on the organizing task yourself.

Sorting your work by region, pile by pile, each had taken much work and effort and negotiation, endless phone calls and trips and emails to each area to get them to work not only with you, but one another. It was like herding cats. It had taken you months to get this all sorted out for Steve to see. His ideas weren’t even ready to be implemented. This was just the pre-gaming, the leadup, the work in preparation. You weren’t even on Step One. You were on Step Zero.

“Now that I know, I’ll be sure to grow a beard next Winter Olympics.”

And then you were rewarded with a rich hearty laugh from your king.

Well not your king, as you weren’t a citizen of this country. But you still liked to think of him as your king.

Watching you sleep was something he’d never tire of. Never get enough of. It was a luxury that he didn’t realize he wanted day in out.

The ability to wake up with you tangled up in blankets. Curled back against his front. Hogging pillows as you did. Allowing Steve to run his fingers up and down your bare thigh, along the curves of your body. Letting him lean forward to press his lips to your shoulder and see the peaceful rest of your face in his slowly lightening bedroom. Every last inch of you here for him.

Hungry.

That was what it was, he was hungry for you. Like a big bear that woke from hibernation after a long winter. At times he felt such a way. Never having felt this way about anyone prior.

In his own time, he slipped his fingers down along the round of your ass underneath the flesh of your hip. Warm. Soft. Smooth. Neither of you had left the bed since the late night bath in his tub.

Further down Steve allowed his fingers to trail.

Memorizing every last second to get him through his day. From how you felt pressed against the front of him, how your back moved against his chest with every steady breath you took. The way your legs tangled in his buttery sheets with his own, how the soft cheeks of your bottom pressed against his alert groin.

Most definitely though, how your skin tasted and felt beneath his mouth. Smelling like yourself from all your favorite bath products kept in his bathroom.

You’d smelled so good that night too.

You always smelled good.

It was something that he had noticed but hadn’t given any real thought to.

It seemed to be a mix of perfume and body lotion or cream. Cause Steve found the flowery smell would linger after you walked by in the way that perfume did, infusing the air and making his brain scream out that you were near. But also, when you shook his hand, it always had that sweet fresh clean smell afterwards.

Now, whenever Steve smelled it, all he could think about was you.

Those smells danced around him. Making the late hour bearable. Making the fact that the offices were empty but for the two of you, when you both should have been home in bed, not matter.

“Ok…” you were talking to him, pointing out places on the massive map that was his nation. Arms crossed. Legs spread. Standing beside you as you informed him with tones that indicated your happiness, your displeasure as well as your utter irritation. “…so I managed to get in touch with every Education Department in all nine of your territories.”

Though you were not looking at him, Steve nodded, laser focused on this project he’d tasked you with months ago.

“All of the department heads are on board with your desired overhaul to completely modernize the entire system. Unfortunately, they told me that I had to call all the district heads for all forty-six provinces to get their agreed participation too.”

Your tone went from pleased with yourself then skeptical and then annoyed.

You turned your head to look at him. “Which is what I spent the last three months doing. It was something of a thing.”

Steve could only imagine.

He was quiet though so you could go on. More than pleased with how well you worked in this position. He’d originally been skeptical with your being a foreigner. How dedicated would you be to a job in a country that was not your own? One hundred percent as it turned out.

Your hands flattened out dramatically on the table. Outrage surged from you. “I’m still waiting on two appointees because their predecessors apparently died during harvest season and no one could be bothered to replace the position. I literally had to fly out to the outer reaches of civilization to find this out. Cause all the government offices are closed during harvest season, fyi. But they’re literally filling the positions now.”

Such was the challenge of having a large kingdom with one foot in the future and one in the past. Such things led to the difficultly of keeping a Chief of Staff.

Steve’s previous Chief of Staff had come highly recommended and lasted a little over a month.

Whether it was from a lack of dedication, the obvious frustrations of the job or maybe he simply had not wanted to jump on a plane and fly six hours then ride by car five hours to remote areas in order to complete his work. Steve could not be sure. All he knew for sure was he’d keep you as long as humanly possible.

In his eyes, you were a saint.

“What’s with the question mark?”

Making you look to see which question mark you’d marked on the map full of stickers and marks and tabs. Hours had been spent working on the damn thing.

Seeing which question mark in question made your nose scrunch. “Oh…them, they refuse to even answer my calls until they are allowed to take their traditional name for their province. Which is way above my pay grade. Someone else is going to have to deal with them. I tried.”

Ah, Steve nodded, that was far from surprising. The far outer regions were notoriously independent or rebellious, depending on your stance.

He would deal with them accordingly. Not how his father did, but in his own way.

Steve’s attention was drawn to two nearby provinces. Each had a frowny face sticker. Without asking, he merely pointed.

A noise of pure disgusted frustration came from deep in your throat. Making you stand and look to him, brandishing your hands in all directions. “I tried my best with them. I really did. Both of those provinces absolutely refuse to take part in anything if the other is involved. Apparently, they’re still salty at one another over something that happened in fourteen-seventy-three and refer to me as the foreign she-devil. So…good luck with them Your Majesty.”

Soundly you slept.

Comfortable. Safe. At peace.

Making him feel like a true man. A provider able to care for you, protect you, satisfy you. As if he were stripped down to what nature intended. Instead of what society had dictated for you both.

Reaching down to that heavenly place between the V in your thighs, Steve pushed his fingers further to find your softness slippery, your skin slick with viscous arousal. In pushing his finger up further, running it around the edge of your slit to where the gateway to your body was hidden, he found you heavily aroused. Coating his fingers with a thick fluid that promised you would be able to take him now. Oozing into the cervices between his fingers and smearing thickly down his palm and over the back of his hand.

Unable to help himself, he brought his hand out from between your legs in order to look at your arousal. Merely the sight made his balls clench in eager anticipation. Tasting the bodily excretions had his hips moving against yours on their own.

A noise came from you. Though you were far from waking. Always one to enjoy your sleep.

On his tongue you were heady, ripe. Tasting like sin. Steve licked his fingers. Eyes closed so he could savor the taste, how you clung to his tongue and were thick, like a burst of brandy swirling with his saliva.

Awakened now from his deep sleep. Ravenous like a beast of the forest. He pressed a lingering kiss to your shoulder. Making you mumble. Making you wiggle in your sleep, causing you to reach your arm out for a pillow to pull close. Hooking your leg up higher too. Becoming more comfortable in the bed in addition to opening yourself up more to your king. As if your body had connected to his on a level your mind was unaware and encouraged him to take you.

Down he peered. Strands of hair fell across his forehead at the harsh angle. A soft lightening of the sun through drapes he never closed last night allowed the sight of moisture. Folds of bare skin sheened up at him. Tempting him with that webbing of goo that promised him you were ready.

Taking himself in hand, he caught sight of your name curled over his side. Reminding him of your absolute possession over him. Sending his hand low to pull his foreskin back in order to feed this hunger of you that consumed him.

Your signature was all swoops and swirls.

Recognizable above anyone else’s writing he came across on a daily basis.

All over paper and on the maps. In little corners. Highlighted. In different color pens. On stickie notes. Written on napkins or on the back of random pieces of paper.

At the time, he’d had no idea how far gone he really was.

Not even when he watched you take note after note with a purple inked pen, your hand flowing across paper like a swimmer cutting through the water. Taking down his every word, every command.

A incredibly distinctive feeling of being full woke you up from your glorious sleep, in a very singular sort of way that could be from only one thing. Only one thing on earth felt like that when waking you up.

Pulling you out of a warm blissful sleep only to wake you with the exquisite feeling of being stretched open, pushed into, filled up. Making your fingers clench bedding or pillows or whatever they could grab.

A low breathy moan came from you in the time between you were woken and awake, your face burrowing in a pillow was followed by a soft profanity. Weight slowly covered you. Weight pinned you down to the bed a little at a time. Skin and sheets and soft dustings of hair rubbed against you.

Only when you had fully woken did you feel pubes brush against your cheeks. A light tap of scrotum bumped you too.

Long arms wrapped around you. Wet lips mouthed along the curve of your neck.

This was a far superior way to wake up. Compared to your apartment, in bed alone, to your neighbors loud shrilling alarm clock through your paper-thin wall.

Groaning out at the feel of His Majesty’s cock stuffed safely up in your secret garden. You found yourself whining at Steve at whatever time it was in the early morning. “…fuuuuck…what’d I say about doing that…” A swivel, nay, a swivel with a pop of his pelvis followed, making you see stars, gasp deeply as if you’d been stabbed in the lungs and then add on for God and Country. “…My King…shit, My King…oh shit, My King.”

Though it may have been said in jest, his tone was hot enough to scald. “If memory serves me correctly…” another deep push of thick hips shoved you forward into the pillows. “…you say, not in my ass unless I’m awake.”

Stars.

So many bright and colorful stars.

Mmm.

Yes, that was something you had told him on many occasions and it still held very true. If Steve was going to put anything in your ass, forget that thing he claimed was a dick, you needed to be fully awake so you could both physically and emotionally prepare yourself.

Nothing at all could have prepared you for the drastic turn your life was about to take that night.

Nothing.

Everything had been so normal. It was so regular. Like many a long night working late hours at the palace before. Hours had been spent going over all your hard work contacting each and every head in each education department per province, as well as per territory. In addition to the national department of education, preparing to prep them for what the king wanted.

Like any other late night, Steve helped you put all of your paperwork back in the correct order you had it in. Like every other time, he requested a palace car take you to your apartment. Granted the apartment you shared with your best friend was walking distance away. It was late and simply not safe and you found were touched that Steve would think about your well-being.

For a king, he wasn’t that bad. When it was the two of you anyway.

Looks aside, which he had in spades, he could be very funny in a sarcastic sort of way. He was very well read and intelligent, quick on his feet. Although people seemed to think of him a certain type of way based on his father and his own kingship at a young age, when he really was his own person.

You’d noticed he had a definite interest in the classical masters and had on rare occasion seen him sketch out something on a flight or during a less than stimulating event. He had an artistic ability that would never come to anything due to his role.

His strong sense of duty paired with a disgusting moral obligation pretty much guaranteed his life would be spent in service to his country. Period.

You could see why people thought he was hot. The man had been blessed by the genetic gods. Plus he was a king. Who didn’t grow up dreaming about being a princess? Or think about a literal Prince Charming from fairy tales?

Having now had the benefit of working in a real life palace. You knew the realities of that fantasy.

You had two pages of notes that could attest to the reality of your childhood Disney Princess movies.

Reality was always so different.

Not for the first time, you found yourself repeating yourself. “…and let me say one more time. Thank you so much for talking with my parents. I know it was only ten minutes, but, I know how busy you are and it just completely topped off their visit. My mother has been telling everyone about how she met the king. You even have my father cheering for the hockey team.”

A smile came over Steve’s face that was real.

It wasn’t one of his practiced smiles. It was an actual smile. You could tell because it reached his eyes.

“Well,” Steve answered you with a shrug, sounding genuinely pleased even if he also sounded tired and like he wanted nothing more than to go off to his living quarters in the palace and crash into bed, before he had to get up to start a new day. Helping you stack the last of your papers up. “Anything to convert a soul to hockey. Technically, it is his team too.” And because he could not help himself, Steve added on, “Even if his grandparents fled from here for a cushy life in the west.”

Up your hand flew to your chest.

Your jaw dropped in mock pain. “Ouch, Sir! That one was painful.”

His smile grew at your over-the-top reaction.

Still though, he dipped his head and you noticed there was a little blush on his cheeks above where that magnificent beard grew. Chagrined, he quickly followed up with, “I apologize. That was a cheap shot.”

In a physical sort of way that his people were known to interact, personal space be damned, Steve reached over to touch your arm apologetically. Not something he did frequently. Although he had done it a handful of times. The press of his mouth to your cheek was new. The little kiss was brand new. Steve’s lips were gentle on your skin. His beard tickled your face.

Never in your life had your heart pounded as violently in your chest as it did at that gesture. Quickly, your head turned. Though you did not move back or say anything. Instead, you found yourself staring at Steve. Looking into those pools of blue that were looking at you with the same amount of surprise that you felt. His lips were right there, right there.

Blood roared in your ears, your heart pounded faster and faster and faster.

He kissed you.

Did he really though?

Was it a kiss or was it a kiss?

For a moment in time, you leaned in. Leaned closer. Leaned till you almost touched him because that was what your body wanted to do. Until you remembered that Steve was a king. A KING. Remembering that made your head command your body to lean backwards a bit. Allowing you to see that he had leant in to meet you.

He’d leaned closer to kiss you.

What were you doing? What in the hell were you doing? You had no business doing this, no business at all messing around with Steve.

Fingers moved along your arm, tracing up the back of it softly. That simple touch made goosebumps break out over your skin. It made your breath hitch. Your hands began to shake so you grabbed the fabric of your skirt.

However, you made no move to step away from Steve. Nor did he make any sort of move to step away from you.

Another attempt at a kiss was not made.

Fingers touched your face instead. Steve was close enough to you that you felt his legs brush yours. You felt his breath against your face. Fingertips ran across the swell of your cheekbone, down over your lips, tracing the bridge of your nose in what felt like a desire to memorize your face.

Steve was gentle. His fingertips felt like feathers on your skin. He made you shake like a leaf in terror because you wanted him to touch you more. You wanted to be touched. You wanted to feel his hands on you and the soft glide of his thumb along the line of your jaw was painfully insufficient.

Without thinking, you reached up with your hands until you remembered that he was the king.

Were you allowed to touch the king? You weren’t sure. He was touching you and it was fabulous but were you allowed to do the same? You wanted to. You so deeply wanted to. You just were not sure what was allowed in this situation. It had not exactly been covered in the Royal Protocol Guidebook you had.

Then came Steve’s voice. Harsh. Gravelly. Desperate.

“Touch me. It’s ok. I want you to.”

For only a heartbeat or two you remained still, observing him, making sure. Only after that did you reach up with your hands to cover his wrists. Rub along the fabric of his button-up shirt. In doing so, you not only felt the strength in his well-muscled wrists, or how warm the silky fabric was, but, you could feel him tremble. He was shaking about as much as you were.

A rush of air surged from his lungs as if you had burnt him.

Curious, you turned your head so you could place a single kiss on the inside of his hand touching your face, right at the base of his thumb. In doing so, you ripped a noise from deep within him. A noise that was both pained while also infused with wanting.

“This is ok?”

“Yes,” he croaked out, as if he were terrified you would stop.

Never would you have ever imagined he would be so responsive. Almost touch starved it felt.

Sometimes, Steve still felt as if he were a little touch starved to you. Sometimes it felt like he’d gone his entire life without having that physical connection between two people. As complicated of a man as he was with as complicated of a life as he had, you at times forgot that he was still a human being with human being needs that were essential to thriving.

And it wasn’t like you were complaining.

Far from it.

Not after the orgasm you just had, not from on top of him either. Lounged across the front of him. Loose limbed. Languid down to your marrow. Peppering the damp skin of his neck with slow wet kisses and scrapes of teeth. Long drags of your tongue collected drops of salt that tasted of him. Lazily. Heart to heart. Stomach to stomach.

There really were worse ways to wake up.

Like, for instance, in your apartment taking cold showers cause the building’s water heater was ancient. That wasn’t fun at all and usually had you shivering and hurrying through an icy shower. Straight up not a good time.

This? This was soooo much better.

Feeling Steve’s long legs wrapped up in your own, paired with his softening member filling you by virtue of sheer size not letting himself just pop out…this was a much better way to wake up. Far superior in every way.

Not that you were willing to waste precious time like this luxuriating in post-coital bliss. No, no. A burning question was hot on your mind that kept popping up after last night. After all, you were a modern woman and this was a serious relationship. You had every right to ask this question at any time you wanted. Even now. As your boyfriend, the king, fondled your breasts in his hands with such intensity that you would have thought he’d just broken out of Alcatraz after a decade of no nookie. Not that you were in the least bit complaining. Not one bit.

“Am I going to have to quit my job?”

It was something of a concern.

You loved your job. You loved working with Steve. You loved your life as it was and a big part of you suspected becoming queen would mean big changes.

Not that you lifted your head from his neck, or ceased your trek down towards his collarbone. Trail of your kisses never slowing or stopping. No hint of any sort of disruption came. Not for a moment or two. Not till your ravenous boyfriend squeezed your breasts possessively. Thumbed your nipples and finally opened his eyes, as if it were the biggest chore on earth.

His voice was rough. His tone felt like hot gooey honey that just got everywhere. “No…not yet…”

Leading you to make a noise. A pop followed when your mouth left the dark spot you’d been sucking on nearly at his collarbone. What with your name already etched on him. What else could you leave in a display of ownership over him? “Nothing else to add My King?” For added emphasis, perhaps you gave you vaginal muscles a clench knowing what that did to him.

A grunt came from beneath you.

Wrapped up in yours, Steve’s legs clenched in response to what you did. White teeth sank into his upper lip and you absolutely thrived at the sight and feel of him arching up against you, shifting around beneath you at the way your body squeezed him.

Those hands left your breasts only to reach down, run over your waist as they had so many times before, leading you to grab them. Snatch then right up. Press them down into the mattress over Steve’s head. Since the man was far larger than you, this sent you leaning downwards and ever closer to his face. “Steve? I asked you a question.”

How easy it would have been for him to get free. Yet, he seemed content where he found himself. Still wedged within you. Warm in bed. Body a sea of a complex cocktail of chemicals after physically releasing into you. A far better way to wake up than alone in a massive bed. Or worse, to his mother jabbing at him to urgently tell him something that was not urgent at all.

Feeling your breasts press against his chest. Lightly brushing over his skin, your nipples little points that sparked a definite interest in his dick.

God did he want you to be his queen.

“Not yet,” Steve ground out, nearly close to being overwhelmed by you. Each and every word was enunciated to utter perfection, as if it took all of his concentration and effort to get them out. “I’ll have the palace leave your name out of the official statement today. We can go slow. Ease you into things…ease you out of your job…” and to reward him for such a thoughtful statement, you clenched around him once more.

However, it seemed, there was more and even though his eyes rolled up into his head at the feel of your core squeezing his not entirely soft organ, he pushed on with the determination of his ancestors. Grunting. Arching back into the bed as the pillows had all wound up on the floor. Perfect teeth clenched together. “M-my people…will…love you…too.”

So, it was entirely possible, that you were feeling all kinds of powerful watching him writhe beneath you. Knowing exactly what sort of repercussions this could have to your morning. Which was still progressing on time. It was entirely possible that you may have intentionally pushed your own pelvis against his to reseat yourself.

“Oh yeah? How can you be so sure? You saw what happened with those two over in England. And that prince isn’t even next in line to the throne.”

Perhaps it was the seriousness of the direction in which your conversation had taken, Steve remained beneath you. Taking no action, even though you could quite literally feel his dick grow more interested in what your hips were doing.

A panted out, “…fuck…” escaped from him, before he opened his eyes to look at you seriously, if not also a little heatedly. “Quit obsessing over them. The King of Jordan married for love. Queen Rania was a commoner. If you must, focus on them.”

Sudden movement found you falling off Steve and onto the bed, shoved onto your back and in a flash, he was on top of you again. Over you. Hovering. Though he’d escaped out of your body, you could feel the king’s most delicious semi, slick from your previous copulation, squish between you both.

Admitting on an exhale, “Forgot about them.”

“Everyone does.” He agreed, surveying down, taking in the sight of you. “My country appreciates you. They’re fond of you. You’re in all the papers and they’ve given you a nickname.”

And that. That. Nearly killed the mood.

It sent your eyebrows together dubiously so.

Everytime you were in the press it was when your skirt had been blown up on a windy day, or if you’d accidentally gotten food on your shirt. Or that time a baby goat pooped on your shoes. Or when you’d tripped and fallen off a dock into a lake. Who could forget that time you’d accidentally called the Prime Minister of Canada a ‘moose fucking cannibal’ when you’d still been getting the hang of the language, your first year on the job?

You’d been affectionately dubbed, ‘the King’s Foreign Devil’ and it had stuck.

Hell, you still got asked about your thoughts on the Canadian Prime Minister whenever a member of the press was around.

“Most the time, you have a higher approval rating than I do,” he added. Much to the consternation of Maria Hill in PR. “Trust me. There is nothing my country loves more than a hard-working loyal servant of the people who talks shit about western leaders.”

Mood totally killed, you seethed and not for the first time, “That was an accident! I was trying to call him Canada’s Disney Prince.”

***

The note had been hand delivered to the palace and was now crumbled into a ball in the Queen Mother’s bedroom as she stormed off, once more, that early morning in a fury of rose satin and silk. Her perfume clouded around her, drifting behind her, much like the wake of a boat cutting through the water.

Thick carpets silenced her heels. Doors opened for her as she neared them, allowing her to not need to slow her step even for a second. Not a single moment wasted as she made her way through the private living quarters of the palace.

Down hallways and around corners, over to the rooms that her grown son had selected as his own.

It would have been so much easier if he would have just taken the rooms that his father had lived in.

Although, with the horrific memories attached to those rooms, how could she blame him when he elected not to? She had her own private rooms. The dead kings rooms were locked up tight and still not used. Abandoned like so much he’d done, started and accomplished in his life.

Upon coming to her only child’s rooms, those doors were held open for her and on she pressed on. Sailing through his rooms, one after another, until she got closer to his bedroom and could hear his shower which was the direction she headed.

A brief glance was made at the mess that was his bed.

A roll of her eyes was followed by a shake of her head.

Some things males never grew out of it seemed.

“Steven!” She called out in warning, should he be in the bathroom about to come out in the nude. Which was the last thing she wanted to see.

Not only was his bed a mess but his clothes from yesterday were all over the floor.

She had every intention of telling him that he needed to straighten up this mess before the cleaning staff came in his room. The last thing she wanted was for them to think he was messy and then tell their families and friends when they went home that the king had a messy bedroom and word would get out that her son was a slob. Ugh. No. She’d make sure that he straightened up.

Speaking of the devil.

As his shower ran, Steve peered out of the bathroom with a wet head. A midnight blue towel was wrapped around his waist. A toothbrush was in his hand. To Sarah, it was very clear that her grown son had not shaved yet either.

Seeing him in such a state that morning along with his messy room and the fact the shower was going wasting water. It did not make her mood any more agreeable.

Though her son was taller than her and considerably more muscular, she never feared him.

She knew he would never hurt her like his father had so many times. Towards the end, Steve had even defended her from his father’s physical attacks. Those days. They had been dark. Horrible. Terrible. When she noticed that her husband had begun to carry a knife to protect himself from his son. Well. What was she supposed to do?

Attacking her was one thing. Being violent towards her was one thing. There were some things that she learned to tolerate. It was unescapable. Their son though. To take a knife to their son? Her son? Sarah would never allow such a thing.

She was queen at the time.

It was not so difficult to get the drug that she put in her husband’s evening nightcap. She’d used all of it. Thrown the vial away the next day when she went to rouse the king as she did every morning, only to find him dead in his chair. Fireplace having long gone out. Slumped down. Cold. The coroner had said it was a heart attack. Exactly as she’d been told the drug would work. He’d been buried with no one the wiser. Not even Steve.

“Yes mother?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You are not growing another beard. Last time you looked like some man that lives up in the mountains in a tiny shack.”

Just as her own father once did, Steve’s eyebrows rose in surprise and question.

No. That was not why she was here.

Sarah had a higher calling that morning and straightening her slim shoulders, she so informed him. “Hope and Janet are here in the city. They’ve come for a surprise visit and will arrive at the palace within the hour.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed at her in response to her information.

It was horrifying. It was outrageous. It was not what he wanted to hear that morning one bit. Not at all. Not one single bit.

Hope and Janet?

Those were two names he never wanted to hear with the additional words being, ‘on their way’. No. Just no.

All he could say that was remotely civil, after what the then Princess Hope van Dyne had done, came out in something of a tone. “I don’t want to see either of them. If you want to see them, that’s your choice. Keep them away from me.”

Considering what the now Duchess Hope had spewed to every reporter, journalist and whomever with a platform…Sarah was a little surprised that Steve was being so kind.

She’d expected a bit more of a reaction from her son.

Could she be holding a bigger grudge against her one-time closest friend’s daughter? After what had happened, Queen Janet van Dyne had become somewhat distant. Which was not surprising. Hope had not broken the engagement gracefully. Nor had she been anything less than opinionated afterwards.

“I suspect she is in trouble,” Sarah confessed. “Why else would they come here? Considering everything that Hope has said over the years.”

Steam continued to seep through the cracked door.

Sarah was about to say something about the shower. Steve was wasting a considerable amount of hot water. She herself was leading the Go Green Initiative in the country and as she stated constantly, it all began at home.

“Mother, don’t take this the wrong way, but, I wouldn’t shit in Hope’s mouth if she was starving.”

Ah.

Perhaps she’d been too quick to judge Steve’s current opinion on the wayward duchess?

Pondering his statement, Sarah found herself looking for any way to come back with a counter when she noticed that the shower turned off. Which was odd. Shower’s didn’t turn themselves off.

What was even more peculiar, Steve reached back behind himself to shut his bathroom door.

It clicked.

Like a light going off.

How could she not have noticed? How could it not have been obvious?

Blue eyes that were a little softer than her son’s narrowed. “You aren’t alone.”

Silence.

Quiet.

Her pink lips opened in surprised. A question hovered on her tongue.

“No mother.”

“But…”

“Mother,” he implored as only a son could. “Not now. She would not want the first time she officially meets you to be when you’re dressed for the day and she is not.”

And though her son’s words were true. They were right. They were exactly what she would have wanted him to say and because she had raised him well, she was even proud that he had made such a quick decision. It wasn’t fair.

Sarah wanted to find out who you were. She wanted to meet the woman that her son was involved with. Was that so wrong? Sarah wanted to meet the woman that her son was considering marrying. There was so much she wanted to say to you, so much to teach you, so much she wanted to learn about you. Perhaps her desperation showed because her son reached out to place a hand on her elbow.

“If you can chase Hope and Janet away, we could have lunch together. The three of us. If not, dinner? Or even tomorrow. I’m not doing anything with Hope under this roof. Not after she referred to our country as a third world plus hellhole full of war criminals and superstitious backwoods heathens.”

Ah, so he did remember.

Those words had been seared into her memory as well. Sometimes Sarah wondered, as Steve had never really given much indication that he cared one way or the other what Hope had said. It was only after she began to speak unflatteringly about their people that he grew irritated, much like herself.

Although, what irritated Sarah more, was the quiet that came from the royal house of van Dyne and Pym a few countries over. Never once had Janet spoke up. Never had Janet said anything about her daughters outrageous remarks or behavior. Nor had she apologized.

Knowing her son, Sarah knew that he would never court anyone who was not kind or compassionate. Steve would never pick a Hope as his queen.

Up came a hand that bore a lovely ring decorated with fresh water pearls from their own waters. “I’ll have them gone before lunch and then we will all sit down together so I can finally meet her.”

#steve rogers x reader #chris evans x reader #steve x reader #captain america x reader #steve rogers x you #marvel x reader #avengers x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n

[indigo]

what i read in january

i read 19 books in january!! really good month for me, my third month i read 19 books since i started reading again in may 2020. (record is 20 books last january)

binti by nnedi okorafor - 4/5, on audio. an afrofuturist novella that follows binti, a young woman from the himba tribe. the himba are a visible ethnic minority, and very isolationist. she is the first person from her tribe to attend the interstellar, multi-species oomza uni. however, on the trip to oomza, the ship from earth is attacked by the meduse, an alien race with a blood feud with the kush, the dominant human ethnic group. binti attempts diplomacy with them in order to survive. the short novella establishes binti as a memorable character, and thoroughly explores the meduse, who are imaginatively alien. robin miles is also a great reader!!

the return of fitzroy angursell by victoria goddard - 3/5, ebook. the first novel in a spin-off series of goddard’s epic the hands of the emperor is enjoyable, but doesn’t live up to hands for me. i think i enjoy goddard’s writing in the first person less than in the third. it’s a little hard to talk about this book without spoiling the plot of hands, but the worldbuilding was still very cool, but i just wasn’t as invested in the characters this time. i still enjoyed the book, but probably would not have liked it as much without having liked hands.

ariadne by jennifer saint - 4/5, on audio. saint is operating in a similar niche to madeline miller writing feminist retellings of greek myths. her debut novel is a retelling of ariadne, who helped theseus slay the minotaur. although the nature of the tale made the plot a little unwieldy, i enjoyed saint’s writing a lot, which created a very immersive experience on audio.

nightbitch by rachel yoder - 2/5, print. i was kind of disappointed with this debut tbh, i was hoping for something a little more gross, with a little more horror. i didn’t felt like it had anything very original to say about american motherhood? the book recognizes that its a horror for very privileged women, and its way of handling that felt quite clumsy. however, it was sometimes funny, and sometimes gross, so not a 1/5 read for me personally.

carmilla by j. sheridan le fanu - 3/5, on audio. had a little bit of a vampire moment this month, i guess. obviously a classic f/f vampire horror story, which i enjoyed. like a lot of novels from the 1800s the writing kind of drifts around, which is something i’ve never particularly enjoyed. however, it definitely had a good creepy factor as well as the lovely inherent homo-eroticism of vampires. quick read and worth it if you like vampires and gay stuff, i guess. (as long as you’re okay with the gay being part of the horror.)

do you dream of terra-two? by temi oh - 3/5, ebook. a science fiction YA debut that follows the story of six teenagers who are trained from a very young age to lead a ship to colonize a habitable planet, a voyage that will take several decades. the teens attended a rigorous, abusive prep school and were the cream of the crop, but it turns out school actually did not prepare them for the mission at all. when its good its great, but it has a tendency to meander that i got a little bored with.

sula by toni morrison - 3/5, on audio. my first toni morrison, but i hope to read more in the future. this is definitely a truly great novel, but my ratings are subjective, not objective. it is brutal and i intermittently wanted to cry for the characters and wanted to shake them.

the jasmine throne by tasha suri - 4/5, ebook. this novel is the first of an indian-inspired high fantasy series. i really enjoyed the intricate politics at work here, but found the constant POV jumps, especially at the start of the book, a little confusing. it would be nicer to have maybe started with the two protagonists POVs and then introduced the other POVs after the characters appeared in the protagonist’s POVs. however, i really liked the worldbuilding and the magic system. once i was oriented in the POVs i enjoyed it.

home (binti #2) by nnedi okorafor - 3/5, on audio. the sequel to binti follows binti returning home to visit her family for the first time after sneaking away from home to attend oomza uni, and how that act of defiance affected her relationship with them, and her connection to her heritage. great world building, but for whatever reason i just wasn’t as invested in home as i was in binti.

a dowry of blood by s.t. gibson - 4/5, on audio. a retelling of the brides of dracula told from the pov of constanta, the story recounts her life and abusive relationship with dracula, who is only referred to as “you”. an excellent vampire story story with beautiful, lush writing.

boy parts by eliza clark - 4/5, ebook. a horror novel following a photographer who takes erotic pictures of average/”ugly” men. she is very manipulative and has a delusional self-image, and goes completely off the deep end when she receives an amazing opportunity to exhibit her work in a prestigious showing. hilarious and gross. had a great time. i guess its what i wanted from nightbitch, in a way. lmao.

anthropocene rag by alexander c. irvine - 1/5, ebook. idk, it was jsut too ambitious for what it was. some of the writing was cool, but for the most part i didn’t enjoy it, and the characters didn’t get enough screen time for me to like them. basically was confused the whole time, only finished it cuz it was short. maybe i’m just too stupid for it. idk.

a wizard of earthsea by ursula k. le guin - 3/5, on audio. cool story building, and while i liked the protagonist, i didn’t really get invested in any other characters, unfortunately. i think listening on audio may have been a mistake with this one, maybe i just like le guin better in print.

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon - 4/5, ebook. a cool story, but i kind of thought maybe a little overwritten? the politics in it and the worldbuilding were both cool, but not my favorite ever. i would’ve liked to spend more time in the priory then in inys, personally. it took like 300 pages to get into the story, but once i was there i was there for the ride.

transgender history: the roots of today’s revolution by susan stryker - 5/5, ebook. a really great book about the history of transgender people in the united states. i felt like it did a good job focusing on many different sides of the movement, but because its quite short it doesn’t really go in depth on most things. i got a good list of stuff to read in the future from this book. i really liked the excerpts and asides included in the book.

the seas by samantha hunt - 3/5, ebook. a literary novel taking place in the 2000s, nebulously set in rural maine, about a young girl who develops an obsession with an older man and is also convinced she is a mermaid. really interesting writing, does not glamorize the age-gap relationship, but not anything exceptional, imo.

dawn by octavia e. butler (xenogenesis/lilith’s brood #1) - 4/5, ebook. a sci-fi novel following lilith, a woman who survived humanity’s nuclear apocalypse after being rescued by an alien race called the oankali. the oankali survive by genetically merging with other lifeforms, and are enamored with humanity. it’s a difficult book dealing with themes of coercion and power, but i found it compulsively readable. i purchased #2 & #3 the next day when i saw them at the bookstore. not 5/5 because unfortunately it shows its age in its cisheteronormativity, but i really loved it otherwise.

adulthood rites by octavia e. butler (xenogenesis/lilith’s brood #2) - the sequel to dawn taking place several decades later, follows one of lilith’s half-human half-oankali children, who is abducted and spends over a year living with the sterilized humans who are resisting the oankali. i liked how this book deals with the consequences of the conflict of dawn a lot, and found the resolution satisfying.

imago by octavia e. butler (xenogenesis/lilith’s brood #3) - the final book in the trilogy, follows the pov of another of lilith’s children, the first human/oankali ooloi (canonical third gender). this book has a thoroughly alien perspective that was super interesting, and i found the conclusion to the series satisfying overall.

#book reviews

[orsuliya]

I think many of us were wondering why Daddy Wang seemed so very eager to be rid of Auntie Xu, weren't we? It turns out that the answer was right there in the open this entire time. The only catch? You have to use any subs but Chinazone's.

After Awu's (un)fortunate fall in episode 4 she falls unconscious; Princess Jinmin keeps watch over her daughter. At one point Auntie Xu informs her mistress that Daddy Wang came by not that long ago while Jinruo herself was asleep. Going by Chinazone subs this short exchange is not at all memorable and for good reason. Let's see...

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Lord has just been here.

Jinruo: After all these years, you still call him the Lord. He doesn't like to be called as the royal position. Do not call him the Lord.

Auntie Xu: Yes. I remember.

How perfectly innocent, don't you think? Surely this 'Lord' title cannot be that bad. If it were otherwise, would Princess Jinmin dole out only the mildest of rebukes, even as Auntie Xu's sheepish smile tells us it's far from the first time this issue has been brought up? Auntie Xu did nothing wrong; Daddy Wang's dislike of this mode of address must be one of his many peccadilloes and nothing but.

Meanwhile, Viki subs give us this lovely conversation:

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Prince Consort came just now.

Jinruo: It's been so many years now, yet you still call him "Prince Consort". He dislikes being addressed by these titles of the royal family. Don't call him "Prince Consort" anymore.

Auntie Xu: Yes, I shall remember.

"Prince Consort", huh? That's strange and somewhat passive-aggressive. Could it be that for more than twenty years Auntie Xu has only ever acknowledged Daddy Wang as Jinruo's husband? Her Princess' Consort -> Prince Consort. Yikes! But fair enough; she became Jinruo's attendant well before her marriage to Daddy Wang, so if that's the way she wants to differentiate herself from other Wang servants, more power to her. Still awkward, but it's hardly an offense worthy of capital punishment, right?

Well, Fireflame subs say something very different:

Auntie Xu: Принцесса, только что приходил зять Императора.

Jinruo: Столько лет прошло, а ты все еще зовешь его зятем Императора. Он очень не любит, когда его называют, отталкиваясь от императорского имени. Не зови его так.

Auntie Xu: Хорошо, я запомнила.

...which roughly translates into...

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Emperor's brother-in-law came by a moment ago.

Jinruo: So many years have passed and you still call him the Emperor's brother-in-law. He really doesn't like being titled using the Emperor's name. Don't call him that.

Auntie Xu: Very well, I will remember.

Mind you, Imperial Brother-in-Law is a legitimate title and a very lofty one at that. Seeing as that's the case I strongly suspect that FSG Fireflame - as always - got the closest to the original. Technically speaking, Auntie Xu is not doing anything wrong... or is she? Daddy Wang has good reason for having issues with his place in the imperial family; I'd think Auntie Xu should know everything there is to know about Concubine Han's death and if not, then isn't Jinruo supposed to feel all contrite about that tragic event to this very day?

Great job baiting Daddy Wang by reminding him of the price he had to pay for his lofty title! Moreover, had Concubine Han never existed in the first place, Wang Lin would still have more that enough reason to abhor this particular mode of address. It's not like he hasn't proven his worth outside of his role as Jinruo's husband. Imperial Brother-In-Law probably trumps a mere Duke, but does it trump Prime Minister (Minister of the Right, Grand Chancellor, whatever you choose name his position)? I'm not that sure. Even if it does, it would still jar to hear daily that one's status depends solely on one's relationship to the Emperor... when the Emperor in question got the throne only thanks to Daddy (or Granddaddy?) Wang's considerable assistance.

Our lovely Auntie Xu kept calling him by a title he actively dislikes. For. More. Than. Twenty. Years. Perhaps not all the time, but don't tell me it didn't slip out on a regular basis. And on purpose, going by that placating smile of hers. And now imagine... If this is the level of respect she accorded him while living under his roof, what other little acts of spiteful bitchiness might she have come up with?

P.S. If anyone can tell us more about how this conversation comes over in Chinese, well, that would be just swell!

P.P.S. Thank you for providing such an excellent explanation in the comments below, @krispyllamasweets!

#the rebel princess #was Daddy Wang a saint? not reallly #a martyr on the other hand... #a martyr in his own home I tell you! #Xiao Qi doesn't know his own luck #imagine Auntie Xu in Ningshuo #sneering at him and his soldiers day and night #I shudder to even think of it #THE Wang was not good enough #so what chance stands our poor Dawang

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 天官赐福 Tiān Guān Cì Fú (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Summary:

The most beloved Crown Prince, pride of the Kingdom of Xianle with abundance of talents and achievements, Xie Lian, ascended to Heaven and became a martial god at the young age of 17 on the path to fulfill his dream "to save the common people".

Three years after his ascension, he saw his kingdom beginning to decline and in order to save his beloved country, Xie Lian defied the rules of Heaven and descended back to the mortal realm. Nevertheless, instead of saving them, his interference ended up accelerating the fall of Xianle, annihilating the once prosperous nation under the war of rebellion and a mysterious, horrifying plague.

The people who once praised and worshipped him day and night now condemned him, his devotees left him, they burnt his temples and divine statues, and Xie Lian himself was ultimately banished from the Heaven.

He ascended for the second time a short while later, but was banished once more very soon after. Since then, he lived among the mortals - surviving by collecting junks as he was now branded as the "God of Misfortune", the "Scrap Collecting Immortal".

800 years later, Xie Lian ascended again for the third time. Though having neither temples nor devotees, he accepted his responsibility as a martial god and carried on with his duties until one day, there came a certain, incidental encounter with a mysterious youth clad in red.

STORY: 7/10

TGCF overall is an (almost) complete, satisfying read with well-written twists and development.

Unlike the two previous MXTX's novels, the main pairing here (HuaLian) did not have to go through complicated misunderstandings and is a beautiful representation of love and devotion. Of course, this means there is a lack of conflict between them, but considering all the trials and tribulations the characters have gone through, this lack of conflict feels like a relieving fresh spring amidst the painful and exhausting journey throughout the entire five books.

The best and my most favorite plot twist is the Earth Master Ming Yi having been dead for a while, and the "Ming Yi" we know turns out to be the Black Water Submerging Boats, He Xuan. I'm the kind of person who always suspects characters, but even my furthest suspicion was "only" him being the Reverend of Empty Words, not He Xuan.

Truthfully, prior to reading this novel, I've seen Shi Qingxuan's "MING-XIONG, I'M SORRY x9999" post before without context, and I thought Ming Yi was going to die a tragic death because of Shi Qingxuan. Turns out it's kind of the opposite, huh? Nice one, really.

I also like how each character's "end" feels satisfying. Especially for the villains, they didn't necessarily have to die some tragic, vengeful death, but was provided with an ending that perfectly fits their background story and deeds. For example, in most stories, a character like Xuan Ji would be most likely be given some well-deserved punishment as her death, given everything she's done. But no, in the end she was given a reality check and was finally able to let go of her hundreds of years grudge. And then Qi Rong - I will talk more about him later on in the "Character" section.

One part I really love is the Extra Chapter about the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The chapter itself overall is mostly nonsensical and chaotic, but it was just so touching when HuaLian created a "Little Hua Cheng" statue to accompany Xie Lian's "Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods" statue, especially when this Little Hua Cheng statue gave Crown Prince Xie Lian statue a flower, and then Crown Prince Xie Lian received it, lifted him up and carried him in his arms. This one was maybe a bit biased because as much as I love the current HuaLian, I have a special soft spot for the young Xie Lian carrying, cradling the little Hua Cheng back then in the past. ;v;

Though, with all due respect, I must say that TGCF is actually below my expectation.

The biggest issue I have with TGCF is... What is Xie Lian's motivation? What drives him to move forward in the story? What is even the whole story's purpose?

I'm not quite sure how to word this properly, but let me give some examples.

When you read Harry Potter, you know immediately that Voldemort is the bad guy and he must be defeated.

When you read the Lord of the Rings, you know immediately that the One Ring must be destroyed to prevent Sauron from regaining his power.

Or, in MXTX previous works...

In SVSSS, it was clear since the beginning that Shen Yuan's mission is to fix the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" if he wants to survive.

In MDZS, it was clear that Wei Wuxian, together with Lan Wangji's, needs to unravel the mystery behind that fierce left arm. All of their past stories and WangXian getting together in the end are just something they discovered along the way, not the initial "motivation" that drives the character to move forward.

What about TGCF? The Xie Lian who ascended for the third time actually looks like he just wants to go along with the flow, carrying out his duties day by day with responsibility. When Bai Wuxiang later, later, later on appeared to haunt him again, it didn't seem like Xie Lian has any ambition to hunt him down or exact a revenge, just that he wanted to forget about Bai Wuxiang and never recall anything about him ever again. The main character looks like he's not being driven by anything, just...carrying on where the plot takes him? It's just missions after missions and whatever huge things happening in between is just something they accidentally passed by along the way.

At this point, the only purpose of the story I can think of is bringing Hua Cheng and Xie Lian together. The romance is great, I have no complain. But if it's just that, no need to jammed-pack 250+ chapters just to make two people getting together?

Speaking of which, I also think that the way new characters keep being introduced all the way to almost the final showdown of the story feels info dump-ish, because the background story needs to be dropped there along with the characters, but then most of these characters fade away immediately after.

For example, the previous Civil God before Ling Wen, who looks like he’s going to pose some real trouble, but then was easily defeated and was never mentioned again afterwards. And this is especially true for He Xuan; after such a huge arc where he committed such extreme things, after that he was barely mentioned again, even having his “strong impression” leveled down by the joke about him being the poorest Calamity and owing lots of debts to Hua Cheng.

Basically what makes TGCF a long story is because there are too many stories about the side characters in addition to the main characters that are dumped out of the blue instead of slowly being revealed along the way.

Though, I love how the story gradually unravels the "Four Famous Tales" because initially, I thought it wasn't something crucial, and I wished they could've done this for other characters, too.

There is a little bit of plot holes here and there, as in who actually cut open Jian Lan/Lan Chang's baby and made it a ghost, and for what? Even if it turned out that she just met a bad guy or nobody important, at least provide an explanation in one paragraph? Especially because important side characters like Feng Xin and Mu Qing are involved here, so I'm pretty sure us readers need some explanation.

And more importantly, how can Jun Wu become the Emperor martial god? There's no mention about him ascending, only that he annihilated a dynasty of gods before sitting on the throne of the Great Martial Hall. But how can he, like, emitted god-like aura and not some evil aura? Is it because he used to be a god? But he's a ghost? Explanation where???

The gags and comedies are pretty fun, but honestly, the more I read, the more they ruin the atmosphere and suspense, added with the uncalled PDA between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian even during the most important moments. Honestly, I was bored the fuck out of my life from the moment they start fighting Jun Wu with those divine gundams, and only start gaining interest again much later on when Hua Cheng dissipated into butterflies.

Not saying the story's bad. Just... It's not up to my expectation... Characters being inserted here and there with a bunch of background story, gags and a show of PDA being flaunted during crucial moments. And when Mei Nianqing started telling the truth about the Kingdom of Wuyong, that's just plain info dump right there, seriously...

CHARACTERS: 7/10

Interesting characters, but only a few bore a lasting impression on me. Other than the main characters, which are Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, the only side characters (minus Bai Wuxiang as the main villain) who left quite some impression on me were probably just Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

Pei Ming is okay, at least he is still memorable until the end, and his character improved, too.

He Xuan, after having been introduced with such extreme, after his arc is over, was easily forgotten just like that.

Mei Nianqing, is borderline Deus Ex-Machina with a huge chunk of info dump that could solve everything, then he stopped being useful for the rest of the story.

Shi Qingxuan... Honestly, he's almost annoying, too noisy. I don’t hate him (and I kind of like him initially), but the way his character was being handled and presented post-Black Water arc feels disappointingly lazy and he was just there to make the party more merry.

Xie Lian himself, as the protagonist, how do I say this... This is maybe due to the translator's writing style (not MXTX’s fault), but whenever he screams in all capslock, it feels too extreme and borderline OOC? Of course, the original novel written in hanzi couldn't have included capslock.

What's great about him, though, is that despite all he'd gone through, he can still retain a pure heart and could not be swayed to be evil, just as he himself said "Body in the abyss, heart in paradise".

Now Hua Cheng, he is overall a super interesting character and I personally love this type of male characters. But he seriously is way too OP, almost like the original Luo Binghe (Bing-ge) a.k.a. too ideal, too perfect, no flaws, always capable of easily finding a way out in every single peril. I only forgive him for being like this because he dissipated into butterflies at the end of the battle with Jun Wu, making me think "oh, finally he's actually not invincible".

Still, his devotion to Xie Lian is very well written, very well presented, and his "I am forever your most devoted believer" is just downright the most powerful line in the whole story.

Now I promised to talk about Qi Rong, yeah? I haven't the slightest idea why it is even necessary to have Qi Rong as the Night-touring Green Lantern. I mean, yes he is there to make up the number of the Four Great Calamities, but that was for the characters who live in that world. As the novel's reader, I don't see any particularly important roles there for Qi Rong other than being an annoying meme fodder despite his actually pretty-cool first foreshadowing and appearance? Even his issue with Lang Qianqiu does not seem to give that much impact on the overall story, it could've just passed simply being explained in several pages.

Though I'd say he's got the best character development compared to others. Instead of dying as some hateful villain, the way he ended up deciding to protect Guzi at the cost of his own life can already be expected from miles away, but still bittersweet and touching nonetheless - how this crazed, mental person could still love when being presented with such pure, innocent feelings to the point that he acknowledged Guzi as a his own son.

By the way, E Ming and Ruoye are cute, I take no criticism.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 8/10

I can't really describe this with words, but MXTX's overall writing technique has greatly improved since MDZS.

It feels more "solid" to read instead of scattered here and there.

The info distribution has improved (fewer info dump compared to before), the story's no longer switching between past and present all of a sudden.

Description of characters and environment are sufficient, the plot is progressing steadily.

Several issues I have with this aspect though, the Prologue being ten pages is just way too long, I don't think I need that much information being stuffed right to my face right from the beginning.

There are excessive use of "Turns out..." every single time an explanation is going to come.

"Xie Lian didn't know whether he should cry or laugh" is honestly has been used probably more than 50 times just in the last two books. Although I'm reading a translation, I'm pretty sure the original Chinese version is being repetitive with this phrase, as well, because the translators couldn't just whip up any other phrase from thin air and put it in someone else's novel.

Almost half of scene transition is always caused by some sudden, external disturbance like "All of a sudden they heard someone's coming", "All of a sudden X visits their room", etc.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.3/10

Worth to read, satisfying overall. The main pairing's love story is just so well written and sweet. As long as you can withstand the violence and gore, though. 😂

TGCF highlights perhaps one of the ugliest natures of mankind: Being nice to someone as long as they're beneficial, and immediately throwing them away once the benefit was no more.

Once that person does not seem to be beneficial anymore, everyone would leave them instantly, even turning on them and start spitting on them without even trying to understand the reason why said person "stopped being beneficial".

Both as a Crown Prince and a martial god, Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong were praised, revered, worshipped by the citizens of Xianle and Wuyong respectively. Because they were always helping, always fulfilling the people's wishes. But how easily it was for those very same people to turn on Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong when they encountered misfortunes, completely turning a blind eye to the laborious effort both characters have been putting to save them from annihilation, even if it was visible in broad daylight.

It is also worth to note another trait of mankind that this story underlines: To always find a scapegoat or blame others for one's own misfortune and failure - be it another human being, another group of people, the government, even the gods - after having taking their generosity for granted.

Which is why I think the true villain of the story is not Bai Wuxiang, but those citizens of the ancient Wuyong who were now nothing more than resentful spirits eternally burning within the lava of Tonglu Mountain - a well deserved punishment after what they did to their Crown Prince.

#Tian Guan Ci Fu #TGCF #Heaven Officials Blessing #HuaLian #Xie Lian #Hua Cheng #Review #Danmei #MXTX #Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

[avwrites4ever]

Fantasy Setting Idea - Classic Japan (Heian Period)

It’s a New Year! And what better way to start it off than gush about something I love! I hope you will enjoy it too, and get excited, because I’m bursting with ideas!

I’ve even gushed about this to people at my work, the poor things. That’s how excited I am.

I just love discovering new writing ideas and hoping someone will do something wonderful with them. It doesn’t have to be me. Just someone.

So.

The Heian Period.

Also known as the Golden Age of Japan.

I think it’d make a fascinating base for a fantasy setting. So would ancient Korea, if the movie Ramage taught me anything.

*NOTE: This isn’t a history lesson. I’m just examining broad strokes of certain elements of culture & setting which I think would lend themselves to a fascinating fantasy story.

(Although there is a History of Japan in 5 minutes video at the end.)

Fun Fact:

The Tale of Genji, written during this time period, is probably

the world’s 1st novel.

The 1st novel. Ever.

Written by a court lady in Heian Japan, no less. She is known as Murasaki Shikibu, but that’s a nickname (her real name is unknown.)

Chiefly, I’ll quote from Royall Tyler’s intro to his translation of The Tale of Genji.

And if I can find my copy of The Pillow Book, written by Sei Shonagon, I’ll include that too. (Please don’t confuse with the film of the same name, which is not the same AT ALL.)

Here’s a summary of The Pillow Book:

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-pillow-book-of-sei-shnagon/9780231073370

*Not sure if this is the best translation, I just like the summary.

*Note: Translations are tricky, & often if you don’t like a translated text, it might be because the translation is bad, and not actually the fault of the original work! Please keep that in mind while reading.

The Tale of Genji & The Pillow Book are both primary sources, by the way, meaning they were written by people who were actually living in the Heian Period!

(And both ladies were rivals of each other, which I find hilarious, considering I like both of their works.)

They’re not dry & boring either. Far from it. (I mean obviously, or I wouldn’t recommend them.)

I recommend The Pillow Book first. If you have a good translation, while reading, you’ll learn about how life was during the time, which will make reading The Tale of Genji easier since, being a novel, Genji assumes you live in the Heian Period and so know all about it (the inside jokes, the word play, the burns, everything.)

I also find Sei Shonagon a fascinating person. Very funny & clever. She journals like I do, only less randomly. She’s very interested in the world around her & all its funny, heartwarming, or baffling moments.

If not for the barriers of time & language which, funny enough, translation has more or less broken, I feel as we’d have some great conversations.

I love how real people in history are both very relatable & very different from us.

I mention these 2 because it was chiefly while reading the intro to Royall’s translation of Genji that I got the idea for this post. Though I was already fascinated by Heian Japan while reading The Pillow Book.

Though, if anyone is interested, I first became intrigued by Japan’s history while reading Rurouni Kenshin. Considering it’s a manga, consisting of pictures & text, you might start there.

(Though Rurouni Kenshin is set shortly after the Meji Restoration, which I believe is something like the start of Japan’s modern period, since samurai are in decline. But don’t quote me, I could be wrong.)

Anyway.

Also, Tumblr apparently doesn’t know what the Heian Period is, so few pictures here will be actually of the Heian Period, and doubtful if they’re accurate.

Actually, I’m using this as an excuse to put in pictures of Toshiro Mifune & old Japanese black & white films & pretty landscapes & cats & anime, because I can.

So! What about Heian Japan so intrigues my writerly brain?

Lots of things, naturally,

Certainly a fantasy world based around the Heian Period will be different from your typical western Medieval-esque fantasy settings which are so popular.

Yes, I’m brilliant, no one would ever have guessed that.

(Though speaking of Medieval-esque fantasy research has taught me those, such as Game of Thrones, to give a popular example, are actually closer to reflecting the Early Modern Period.)

See this link for better argument by someone more researched than me:

https://acoup.blog/2019/05/28/new-acquisitions-not-how-it-was-game-of-thrones-and-the-middle-ages-part-i/

https://acoup.blog/2020/12/04/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-i-barbarian-couture/

I mean yes, I was surprised too that a person who claims to do their research apparently hasn’t, but here we are.

Speaking of which, take everything I say with a grain of salt, because I know nothing. Nothing!

By which I mean, I am not an expert about the Heian Period, or even Japanese history. For example, a lot of what I’m talking about will involve the perspective of court nobles & rich people, since those were both the characters in the primary sources & were what the authors were themselves.

I’d love to read a story where the main characters & people involved are peasants in the Heian Period. (And who stay peasants, & aren’t secretly royal or noble.)

I’m only suggesting this as a way to expand your mind beyond fantasy settings which have been done before.

I hope too that I’m not advocating cultural appropriation either (an easy trap to fall into.) If you think I am, let me know!

Now that’s all out of the way, here’s some specifics about what I love about the Heian Period:

It’s a Hidden & Secret World Insubstantial as a Dream, Structured by Social Manners & Rank

What struck me right away while reading The Pillow Book & The Tale of Genji is how closed their worlds are. Noble women especially lived in a world of curtains, panels, blinds, and  paper, silk, or bamboo screens, and walled gardens. People speak to each other not only through these divides, but also through messengers / servants.

What connects all these things are how fragile they are.

As Royall writes in his introduction to The Tale of Genji, even in courtship, (pg. xix):

“He cannot see her, and he may have no idea what she looks like. He will not normally see her even if she speaks to him in her own voice, since she will still be in another room, behind a blind and a curtain, and the curtain will remain even if she allows him into the room where she is.”

Seeing another person is very intimate. This makes it very easy to build up mystery and intrigue of a person before you actually meet them. Catching a glimpse of them or a snatch of their voice, or the hem of a sleeve from under a screen can be electrifying. Especially of a gentleman to a lady, or vice versa, because of all those blinds and screens and so forth. Royall mentions this in the introduction to his translation of The Tale of Genji. 

“If he then takes it upon himself to brush her curtain aside and go straight to her, he will by that gesture alone have claimed something close to the final intimacy.” (Introduction, pg. xix.)

What prevents him, of course, is a combination of good manners & reputation. Royall writes, “Good manners maintained a proper distance, which amounted to unholding the accepted social order.” Loss of reputation could mean loss of friends and entertainment and wealth, even exile. Having other people to talk to or play games or music with was essential.

Introducing ghosts, shape-shifters, and uncertain magic to such a setting is only to be expected. (There is a ghost in The Tale of Genji.) 

Also note that then & now personal names were seldom used, & especially not in public unless by someone intimate with you (such as a family member or old friend) or the person was extremely rude. Instead, people were referred to by their rank and title or last name, or even the place where they came from. Some were even referred to by a number, for example, First Princess (Onna Ichi no Miya.)

Notes or letters were vital within such a formal social structure. Even more vital than text messages are today. For in notes, especially poetry, someone could speak from the heart. So much that even the type of paper used was important. For example, most romantic notes were written on thin, colored paper, often kept in the front fold of a robe. They could also be scented and contain a branch from a tree or flowers.

And of course, clever word play and innuendos were all the rage. People were also expected to memorize poetry, and judged if their poetry or writing wasn’t up to standard.

Anyone who loves words would excel here. Think of all the possibilities! Secret lover’s notes, inside jokes between friends, sick burns between enemies or rivals. Plots to overthrow the Emperor could happen in plain sight. Throw some curses and magic to the mix and see what happens. Having some sort of mystery would also work well.

Hope you enjoyed this & makes you excited about creating a unique, rich, fascinating fantasy world.

Or really any part of Japan’s history, which roughly goes like this:

Obviously, if any of this intrigues you, & you want to use Classic Japan as a setting, you’ll need to do research. And I mean it. Or I will hunt down some rusty spoons.

I’m serious though. The reason why I’m writing this post is, hopefully, other people can also learn about Heian Japan, or more of Japan’s rich, beautiful, bloody history. Share the wonder with others, so the wonder won’t be lost or forgotten.

And in doing so, discover the wonder at being able to laugh at jokes made by someone who doesn’t even speak the same language as you, doesn’t even live in the same time or place . . .

It’s truly amazing. People are more alike than we know. And amazingly different. Reading manga & learning about Japan (and other countries) has been & is such a glorious experience. I understand myself & other people better.

It’s opened up the world.

#story ideas #the tale of genji #japan #fantasy #think about it #writing

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Behind the Fic: TW:OPT - Chapter 110 - 112

Three notes in one because, other than some name trivia, I have nothing to say for these filler training camp chapter.

WARNING: This will contain a bit of spoiler for the newest chapters of my fan fiction, Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure. 

Chapter 110: Extreme Banquet!

There isn’t that much thing to say about this chapter really.

Kalim’s parade is inspired by Prince Ali sequence in the animated movie and his SSR Dorm Uniform story.

Chapter 111: Follow in My Footsteps, Shoe by Shoe!

This chapter and the next's format are inspired by Ride 34 of Cardfight Vanguard, which my favorite anime of all time (my childhood and still makes me smile rewatching it).

The title is a lyric from Learn to Do It from Anastasia.

There’s a HARDSTOP LUCAS’ 6 x 3 reference here.

Switching up a bit, we have the physical training before the cooking, which is more similar to Azul’s training later. And since Kalim is not in hypnotic mode, I imagine he’s more laid back and has a small get-together activity before bed, like a pillow fight, telling a scary story, or in this chapter case, fireworks.

Kalim is not stupid academically. Jamil teaches him and I believe his father at least teaches him too since he's the heir of the family. And being from a family of merchants, I'm sure he's good, if not better than Jamil in mathematic and economy. From how I see it, Kalim is more of a kinetic learner, like me, where you have to do something when you're studying (I personally prefer to rewrite my notes to memorize). So I can imagine his dad taking him to his office and teach him to count some treasure and trading profit.

Also, I can imagine Kalim will have sibling rivalry. Though whether it reached Mahabharata Pandavas vs Kauravas siblings rivalry, I have no idea. (I want to put more Mahabharata reference, but I don't know the full story, okay)

Okay, renaming the Scarabia NPC. I tried some variations from India and the Middle East since Aladdin is inspired by them. Also changing up their hairstyle and giving them eye color based on the characters from Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic because 1001 Nights has a big influence on it.

Scarabia Boy A: Ashoka Nigam His first name is named after Ashoka the Great, an Indian emperor of Maurya Dynasty, considered to be one of India's greatest emperors. His last name is named after Siddharth Nigam, the actor who played young Prince Ashoka in the 2015 Indian historical drama serial, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat (English: The Great Emperor Ashoka). His hairstyle is based on Alibaba Saluja while his green eye color comes from Scheherazade from Magi. (Originally, he would also have Alibaba’s gold eyes, but Chandra took it first)

Scarabia Boy B: Chandra Asmoro Bangun Named after the two characters from the Panji tales, a cycle of Javanese stories, centered around the legendary prince of the same name from East Java, Indonesia. The characters are Prince Panji Asmoro Bangun and Princess Chandra Kirana from the tale of Chanda Kirana or the tales of Dewi Anggraeni. His hairstyle is based on Aladdin while his gold eye color comes from Sinbad from Magi.

Scarabia Boy C: Yudhi Bhardwaj His first name is named after Yudhishthira from the Hindu epic Mahabarata, the first among the five Pandavas, ruled Indraprastha and later Hastinapur. His last name is named after Rohit Bhardwaj, the actor who played Yudhishthira in the 2013 Indian mythological television series, Mahabharat. His hairstyle is based on Ren Hakuryuu while his eye color comes from Ren Kouha from Magi.

Scarabia Boy D: Mustafa Günsür His first name is named after Şehzade Mustafa, the first son of Sultan Süleyman (Suleiman the Magnificent) and Mahidevran Sultan and the first heir to the Ottoman throne. His last name is named after Mehmet Günsür, one of the three actors who played Şehzade Mustafa in the Turkish historical fiction television series, Muhteşem Yüzyıl (English: The Magnificent Century). His hairstyle is based on Morgiana while his eye color comes from Jafar from Magi.

I’m giving so many things for NPCs who probably won’t appear again. Then again I like to make my story unnecessarily packed.

The battle is loosely based on Kingdom Hearts’ Birth By Sleep Terra’s Experiment 221 Boss Fight, because I can’t really think of any Pokemon vs humans battle. Disappointing battle scene is disappointing.

Chapter 112: Once You Find Your Center, You Are Sure to Win!

The title of is from Mulan’s ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’.

This chapter is supposed to be one with the last chapter, but because I have no clue how to do training camp (Break & Gosh still haunts me), the cooking section is moved to this chapter.

In addition, a video call with Heartslabyul. The names were inspired by Shadowhope’s comment on AO3. Riddle and Deuce’s nickname is especially. I’m so sorry for Trey’s nickname though, I was thinking of ‘Dessert Dad’ but then ‘Sugar Daddy’ came to mind and I can’t stop laughing despite how out of context it is. Cater’s name is a spin from ‘Caw Caw Motherfucker’

The conversation between Jonah and Jamil mostly to giving a base for the later confrontation. Planting the seed of doubt.

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland fanfiction #twisted wonderland fanfic #twisted wonderland fic #twst fanfic #twst fic #behind the fic: tw:opt #twisted-wonderland: our precious treasure #jonah argentum (my oc) #kalim al asim #jamil viper #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc

[wetalkinboutbooks]

Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri

Summary:  The fate of an empire rests in the hands of a young woman with magical blood and nothing left to lose, and an outcast prince determined to save his family at any cost, in this "dark, melodious, and memorable" new fantasy (Library Journal, starred review) from the author of the award-winning Empire of Sand.

The Ambhan Empire is crumbling. A terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon. The only hope for peace lies in the mysterious realm of ash, where mortals can find what they seek in the echoes of their ancestors' dreams. But to walk there requires a steep price.

Arwa is determined to make the journey. Widowed by a brutal massacre, she's pledged service to the royal family and will see that pledge through to the end. She never expected to be joined by Zahir, the disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden magic in a desperate bid to save those he loves.

Together, they'll walk the bloody path of their shared past. And it will call into question everything they've ever believed...including whether the Empire is worth saving at all. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings:  

 → Geena:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 → Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Overall: Realm of Ash is a great follow-up to Empire of Sand, where we follow Arwa who was introduced briefly in Empire of Sand. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in the first half which sets the pacing a bit slow but picks up quickly once the characters go through big revelations. The characters and their motivations draw you in, and overall it was a good read!

~Check out our spoiler Full Review Below

A QUICK SUMMARY: 

So, this book picks up twelve years later from where we last visited this world in Empire of Sand. In this book, we are following the story of a once minor character, Mehr’s little sister, Arwa. Arwa has grown and married and been widowed when we meet her again. She is on her way to a widows hermitage where she is to live out the rest of her days in mourning, after losing her husband. 

Since the Maha’s death, this world had descended into chaos. The daiva, aka, eternal spirits, aka CHILDREN OF THE GODS, have been wreaking a bit of havoc on the world. If you remember, the Maha was manipulating the dreams of the Gods to favour the kingdom. When he was defeated, those dreams had begun to take their natural course. With dreams come nightmares. And those nightmares have taken form. BUT. The daiva protect their own blood, which is the Amrithi people. Arwa is half Amrithi, but she isn’t sure if the daiva are there to protect or hurt her. In addition, her mother (aka stepmom) raises her believing that Amrithi are cursed and savages, and essentially taught her to hate herself. 

In the widow’s hermitage, she meets an influential widow, Gulshera, and realizes she has connections to the imperial family and because Arwa doesn’t care about anything she offers herself up as a tool to the royals. So, Gulshera takes Arwa to serve under Princess Jihan, we’re subjected to court politics and meet Prince Zahir, aka a bastard. Together, Arwa and Zahir work together to find the Maha in the Realm of Ash (essentially a spirit world) so they can unlock a way to save the empire from ruin. Princess Jihan turns around and essentially implies that she sent Arwa to Zahir to ‘PLEASE’ him in an INTIMATE fashion. Arwa doesn’t take it and gets mad but Zahir isn’t here for it and it’s smooth sailing again. 

During a trip into the Realm of Ash Arwa realizes the truth behind her Amrithi blood and the Maha’s crimes and shares it with Zahir. They both struggle, Arwa being staunchly anti-empire and Zahir trying to do something to prove his worth to his sister. When the emperor dies, he names Zahir as the Maha’s heir and Jihan’s older brother Prince Akhtar as Emperor. A few murders later, a different Emperor sits on the throne and Zahir has a bounty on his head. Zahir and Arwa use the aid of a secret women’s society Zahir’s mom was a part of to escape to where the Maha was stationed to find the secret to the empire’s success, discovering cursed towns, ghosts from their pasts, and their feelings for one another. 

The Good:

→ Zahir

Kae:  So ZAHIR! I love him. He is as kind as a kitten. As sweet as an apple pie. But because he is a bastard, he is hidden away in tombs that were converted to be his rooms. There, he does research on how to restore peace and order to the Empire. He knows his days are numbered, being the bastard son of the Emperor, so he is essentially doing research to bargain his own life. Besides that, he genuinely likes learning and spent the majority of his days doing that anyway before he was banished to the tombs to live in secret. 

When we first meet Zahir, he is studying by candlelight in his rooms. Arwa finds a bit of power in him not noticing her, and takes the time to watch him for a moment. She thinks he’s handsome with his ‘pretty face’ and sharp, slender form. She’s like “damn he’s kinda hot�� but I'm a widow… I’m not allowed to think boys are hot anymore.” But alas, she thinks he handsome. So they assess each other for a moment and agree to be apprentice and teacher.. Zahir gives Arwa poems and books to read that will help her better understand about the Realm of Ash and what he is working on. 

Geena: Arwa wears a veil for 90% of the book because such is the way of the widow, so she makes a point to stare at Zahir through her veil because she knows he can’t see her checking him out. And this boy turns around and hands her poetry, the more we learn about the nocturnal prince the more you realize he’s such a Soft Boi™ who loves literature and wants to desperately prove that his life has worth. His mother was killed because she tried to give the Emperor some advice, and the Empire of Ambha drinks the ‘women aren’t shit’ juice so she was labelled a traitor and murdered. Zahir only survives because Princess Jihan loves him, and as a legitimate spoiled princess she has to be pampered. Zahir has the ability to study and work with magic, because his mother was part of a secret women’s society that did so and it was passed onto him, so he’s been tasked with figuring out a way to stop the Empire’s decline ever since the Maha died. 

His character made me sad a little bit, because he feels like he should have died with his mother to some extent. And Jihan has led him to believe that his life being worth something depends solely on the fact if he can find the Maha’s spirit and save the empire. He’s treated like trash by everyone else because he’s a bastard and into witchcraft, even Arwa thinks he’s a weirdo in the beginning. But he’s such a kind-hearted soul?? Who btw respects women, when Arwa accuses him of tryna sleep with her, Zahir is like “MA’AM, I RESPECT YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART IDK WHAT SHIT MY SISTERS BEEN DRINKING BUT I WOULD NEVER!” well, he’s less dramatic than that but yea he suggests laying out rules so they don’t cross the apprentice/teacher dynamic. Also, during one trip into the Realm of Ash and Arwa’s veil comes off and she literally snaps at him to not look at her face (bc it is not the widow way) he straight up doesn’t look at her face ever for a good portion of the book after that skfjdf.  

Kae: YEH HE JUST LOOKS AT HER HANDS. SOFTIE. I LOVE HIM. 

Geena: Hand fetish IM JOKING… BUT SNDKFJDNST THAT’S ALL I COULD IMAGINE.. Arwa was like “Man, my veils off but this boy is still looking at my HANDS” 

The Bad:

→ Gulshera and the Royals

Kae: Gulshera! Ohh, she made me mad at the end. But like, I get it, ya know? So Gulshera, our bow-wielding widow, was Princess Jihan’s nursemaid and confidant. So when Gulshera finds out Arwa is Amrithi (because Arwa got caught trying to rid the Hermitage of daiva) she basically goes to Arwa like “You know you gotta get up outta here right? You can’t stay here, shawty.” But she gives Arwa the option of possibly going to the Empire and devoting herself to the Princess and her cause for solving the Empires bad luck. So Arwa goes, meets Zahir, yada yada yada. 

Gulshera asks Arwa very vague questions about what she’s doing but doesn’t exactly want to know what Arwa is doing. She just a lil nosey. So after a while, the Emperor dies and the named prince is killed by his brother. Zahir is next and he and Arwa escape. Eventually, they are found in the desert where Gulshera shoots the shit out of Arwa’s shoulder. It’s such a bad blow that Arwa is pretty much bleeding out. I was like, yo what the FUCK GULSHERA. 

Geena: YEA LIKE SHE PRETENDS TO BE HER ALLY AND CARE FOR HER BUT TURNS AROUND AND IS LIKE “SORRY BABES IMPERIALISM ALWAYS WINS” 

Kae: AND THAT’S THE TEA BAYBEEEEEE. IT was such bullshit. But again, I get it. Gulshera is like “It’s either me or you… And I raised the princess so imma do what she says and also I knew her longer soooo…. Bye Arwa. This will haunt me for the rest of my days… but it be like that.” 

Geena: Kae covered Gulshera really well! But yea she was a stank old lady in the end, like you’re essentially the reason Arwa is where she is but you’re acting like you had nothing to do with anything. BUT N E WAYS, I’m gonna talk about Princess Jihan a lil bit because she annoyed me too. She was privileged and used Arwa like a ragdoll, actually not even just Arwa but her brother she claimed to love too. Jihan really guilt-tripped the FUCK out of Zahir being all “Did I save you from nothing? Do I deal with other’s scrutiny for nothing? Prove your worth to me brother, prove that I’ve placed my love in the right man” and I was like……  bitch…. She might have been a princess but she was the queen of emotional manipulation. Also, she claimed to be for the women but essentially told Arwa that one of her jobs was to fuck Zahir and like…. Hello….. What is wrong with you. 

OH AND ANOTHER THING… when it’s revealed that the Maha used Amrithi people to shape the Empire’s success, and Zahir confronts Jihan about this she’s like “Yea, and?” like she saw no problem in using a group of people and villainizing them in the same breath…  Imperialism is a hell of a drug 

The Ugly:  

→ The Nightmare

Kae: So the Nightmare was truly… A nightmare. 

When we first learn about how Arwa became a widow, we learn about an incident that took place at a military base called Darez Fort. Darez Fort is where Arwa stayed with her husband, Kamran. We learn some soldiers come back with what they think is a Daiva, trapped in a little cage/crate thing. When they open it up, it appears to be a childlike creature. But it soon reveals a face of white bone and attacks everyone in the fort. The Nightmare makes the men turn on each other as well and it’s quite literally a blood bath. Everyone is dead. The maids, the cooks, the soldiers, and Kamran. All killed. BUT THERE IS A DAIVA THERE. It’s Arwa’s litter guardian angel. She knows her blood protects her, so in a panic, she makes this big ass cut on her arm and surrounds herself with her blood. The Daiva protects her from the Nightmare and she is the only survivor of Darez Fort. 

The Nightmare leaves a sense of fear in Arwa that literally makes her shake. She can kind of sense when it’s near. So on her journey with Zahir and a guards woman named Eshara, they end up at another fort for a rest. Some soldiers are ordered by this mean ass general to stay inside the fort because they aren’t allowed to leave. This is when Arwa gets that chilling sense of fear as she did in Darez Fort. SOME EVIL SHIT IS AFOOT. 

Geena: Yesss, the nightmares are like anti-daiva essentially. I really liked their concept and how they factored in with the worldbuilding. What makes them terrifying is that the Maha spent how many centuries fending off nightmares by using Amrithi, but suddenly without him to control how gods dream, nightmares are flooding the empire. Arwa manages to defeat the nightmares by unlocking the memories of her past ancestors from the Realm of Ash and crudely dancing a rite that locks nightmares in cages. Along with Zahir, Arwa figures out that nightmares consider themselves some sort of god and love to be worshipped. Both Zahir and Arwa decide that the empire can rot, and the nightmares can do what they want but they’ll teach anyone with amrithi blood to dance the rite and worship the nightmares to prevent any more massacres like Darez Fort.

→ Maha

Geena: God….. This stankass wrinkly-ass bitchboy really sunk his claws so deep into the Ambhan people that after he died, he was thought to be a martyr. Like 12 years after his death and people still worship him, and mourn his death? Mehr and Amun went through so much to end his reign of terror yet the empire continued to worship him. I’m sure they didn’t have the time or power to go around and spread the truth behind the Maha’s work but good LORD was it grating to read people missing that disgusting man. But thinking back on it, even if Amun and Mehr had exposed him… would people have believed an Amrithi couple that killed their beloved Maha? They probably would’ve killed them instead :(

Though, this was an interesting detail that Tasha Suri included. That, despite the evil being defeated, people will refuse to acknowledge it as evil and continue to point fingers at marginalized people for the problems caused by the evil being. 

The Awesome:

→ Arwa and Mehr

Kae: If y’all could see me now, you would see me doing a little dance because BIIIIITCH. I WAS LIVIIIIING SOLELY FOR MEHR AND ARWA TO MEET UP AGAIN. EVERY PAGE I WAS LIKE “is Arwa gonna talk about Mehr? Does she miss her sister?” AND SHE DID SOMETIMES AND I LOVED IT. AND THEN ARWA SAID SHE WAS TOLD HER SISTER HAD DIED AND I WAS LIKE NOOOOO. SHE IS ALIVE, ARWA. SHE IS ALIIIIVE. 

So when Arwa was in the Realm of Ash, she had seen Mehr and was SHOOK. Because you can only see dead relatives in the Real of Ash. So she actively avoided Mehr in the Realm because it hurt too much to see her there. It just confirmed that her sister was dead. And even I was confused because I was like “Ummm, Tasha… I know you didn’t kill off my girl after she done went through all that shit.” So I started thinking…. Because in the Realm of Ash, you saw the dead as grey ash. Shadows. But she saw Mehr in colour and full of life. So I had this theory that since Mehr has Amata (Amrithi spiritual magic closer to the ancestors) that she was seeing Mehr in the realm because of how close Mehr’s amata was so the ancestors and daiva. 

GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT BITCH? MEEEEEE. I CALLED THAT SHIT. IT’S MY SUPERPOWER. So like, as Arwa is dying from that arrow bitchass GUlshera shot her with, she ventures into the Realm and see’s Mehr again. She calls out to her, and Mehr sees her. She promises to find her. 

When Zahir and Arwa escape from his sister’s claws, the daiva take them out into the desert. Mehr eventually finds them and brings them back to her home. When Arwa wakes up, she is greeted by Mehr bandaging her up. They cry and hug. I CRY BECAUSE I’M SO DAMN HAPPY. I LOVE A GOOD REUNION. MEHR LOVED ARWA SO MUCH AND ARWA LOVED MEHR. AND THEY WERE SEPERATED AND HADN’T EVEN KNOWN THE OTHER WAS STILL ALIVE. AND THERE THEY WERE. TOGETHER. AND ALIVE AND HUGGING AND CRYING. It was beautiful. I was like, ugly crying. So thank you, Tasha. Thank you for writing that scene so well because it was happy and emotional and they both deserved to see each other again. It will go down as one of my top 5 reunion scenes. 

I’d also like to say, unrelated to Mehr-- That Awra and Zahir did admit their love for each other and kissed. And Zahir was Arwa’s, and Arwa was Zahir’s, though they made it clear that they belonged to no one. They belonged to each other. And their love was so soft and built on mutual respect. They were both very lonely and longed for one another, but never pursued because Arwa didn’t want to break the honour code of the “widows way” or whatever, and Zahir didn’t want to disrespect her. BUT THEIR MINDS. THEY LOVED EACH OTHER. So they both finally gave in. And it was lovely. 

Geena: ugghh yess, Arwa and Zahir’s relationship was based on mutual respect and love (just like Mehr and Amun!). In both instances, people forced them together but it was only through their own agency that they fell in love with one another, and support each other wholeheartedly. 

ALSO, THE REUNION KSJNFKSJF I had a suspicion that Mehr was alive too based on everything that Kae mentioned too! So, when Mehr says to Arwa that she’ll come for her I sCREAMED!!!! I loved it so much, them crying in each other’s arms… Arwa seeing Mehr’s own kid… LIKE HELLO??? 

Kae: AND TASH SAID HER AND AMUN COULDN’T HAVE KIDS BECAUSE OF THE RITES SO I WAS SHOOK AND HAPPY AND OMG. literally SCREAMING. 

Geena: YEA I REMEMBER THAT, BUT THEN I ALSO REMEMBERED YOUR THEORY! Where the Maha had said that people that danced the rite couldn’t have children because he tried to impregnate amrithi women he enslaved but it didn’t work… and Kae you’d said it was probably because he was shooting dust and YOU WERE RIGHT!!!

Kae: IT’S MY SUPERPOWER. IM TELLING YOU. I CAN GUESS THE SHIT OUT OF SHIT. 

Geena: KJDSFNKSDJF I LOVE YOUR SUPERPOWER!!! My only complaint was that we didn’t get a longer scene with Mehr/Amun and Arwa/Zahir bonding :( I wanted mooorreee… other than that it was everything! 

Conclusion

Geena: TO CONCLUDE! Tasha Suri didn’t disappoint with this sequel… and it’s so easy to write a shitty sequel but she was like nAH WE’RE NOT ABOUT THAT LIFE. And we loved it! There was a slow start as we read Arwa struggling with her internalized hate, but after she realized that she came from a people who have survived in Ambha in the face of adversity the book sped up real fast. The romance was so soft and wholesome and everything that we want in a relationship, Tasha knows EXACTLY what she’s doing when she’s writing romance. I don’t trust anyone else with a romance this soft, and I cannot wait to read her upcoming series that feature a wlw couple.  

Kae: GEENA SAID IT ALL. Tasha knows how to write a romance. I love soft boi’s that will also murder a man for you if need me. LIKE YAAAS HE’S SENSITIVE AND RESPECTS ME AND WILL BEAT SOMEONE'S ASS FOR ME. WE LOVE TO SEE IT. Honestly though, overall, this was such a stunning sequel. Because Geena and I have read some sequels that were…. How to say this nicely… fucking terrible. Tasha is a phenomenal writer and I know her upcoming series will be great too! This book was full of lessons. One being, SELF HATRED IS FUCKING TRASH. SO LOVE YOURSELF AND YOUR RICH BACKGROUND. BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL LOOK DOWN ON YOU  FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU COMF FROM SOMETIMES, AND YOU JUST GOTTA SAY FUCK ‘EM AND KEEP IT MOVING. 

Geena: JKSNFKJSNDSKJF YAAAS, ALSO IK IT WAS BRIEF BUT LIKE DAMN… TASHA REALLY WENT HARD WITH THE AMRITHI IN THIS BOOK AND HOOBOY… Like the insights into past ancestors? And the fact that there are so many mixed Amrithi people that have been forced to hide their heritage… once again…  I M P E R I A L I S M and G E N O C I D E… this series covered it pretty well… PLEASE READ AND SUPPORT TASHA 

#realm of ash #tasha suri #book review #booklr #book blogging #book blogger #books #reading

[baronfulmen]

Untangling Palpatine

Today's exercise is trying to figure out what Palpatine was doing between Episode 6 and Episode 9, and whether or not there's some way the shit we see can make sense.

We start our plot reconstruction at the end of Episode 6, when Vader throws Palpatine down random Death Star shaft #45,641.  There's that burst of energy that appears to be Palpatine being disintegrated, but clearly that's not the case so let's say his force lightning just caused some component on the wall of the shaft to explode.

So Palpatine hits the bottom, fall softened somewhat by a force push but not so much that he's unharmed.  He breaks a lot of bones, plus he once again lightninged himself which seems to be a problem he's got.  Some maintenance worker sees him and flips, calls some other guys in and they get him to safety.  Right at this point the whole place is about to blow, but they get him to an escape pod or something.

So he's alive, and the movie is over.  Anakin has not really brought balance to the force, so I guess that prophesy is a bust - but then I don't know it was confirmed to be specifically about him anyway.  Maybe that was about Kylo or Rey or something.  The Empire doesn't cease to exist right away, but it's not doing great.  It could use some leadership.  Leadership like, say, the Emperor.  But no, he for some reason would rather let the empire fracture and fall into chaos - maybe that was a little too close for comfort, and he wants to lay low until the heat dies down some.

But he can't completely let things go, so he pulls out the old clone vats and makes some pseudo-emperors.  Because that was always a thing he could do, I guess.  He names one Snoke, and one Sloke, and one Skoke, and one Billy just to mix things up.  He sends them to each part of the splintering empire and most of them get killed and that's fine.  He salvages a few areas, and the biggest group turns into the First Order.  And he uses the force to control Snoke - it's not clear how sentient Snoke is when the Emperor isn't pulling his strings, but let's say he's mostly a figurehead and has very little intelligence or initiative of his own.

But meanwhile this body is getting pretty ragged, and his kid (that we've never heard of) has run off and married some girl and knocked her up.  Okay, well that's fine, maybe the kid will be force sensitive or something and he can use that.  It's... not clear why this needs to happen.  His own son is not a person of any interest, presumably the force skipped a generation.  There are other force sensitives out there, does blood relation matter so much?  If it does, is there a reason he can't use a clone?  Also, can he just have more kids himself?

Even if the force lightning has rendered him sterile, wouldn't he want to kidnap his living son and use him as a breeder?  But no, even though for some vague (possibly religious) reasons he wants to use a relative he decides he doesn't care about his kid.  He has the entire might of the first order plus a few million other remaining Empire soldiers at his disposal but he wants this mission to have the personal touch so he sends just one guy to go get his son, his daughter in law, and his granddaughter.

He could give the guy his coordinates - he already has a whole fleet of ships flying to and from the "secret" Sith planet day and night working on production of the planet-killing Star Destroyers, plus all the support personnel, etc. but instead he wants this guy to use one of the two Sith Wayfinders.  One is somewhere in a forest in a box for some reason, the movie never explains that, but the other was right by his throne room in the second Death Star.

So Palpatine force-projects over there, floats around as a ghost, confirms that the throne room survived surprisingly intact and the wayfinder is sitting there in his secret closet.  Cool.  He floats over to the coast, picks a spot at random, memorizes the shape of the wreckage from there, and then commissions a knife.  Why?  Style, that's why.  He writes some coordinates on there - in Sith, obviously - although he doesn't make the coordinates very specific so it's down to luck if the guy will stand at the correct part of the coast for the shape of the blade to line up.

Then he sends the knife to the guy, so the guy can use it to get to the wayfinder and use the wayfinder to get to the planet where the millions of Empire people already live while they build the mega-fleet.  Not overcomplicated at all.

The guy goes, grabs the Emperor's son and daughter in law, ignores the child chasing after them yelling "mamma, don't go!" because surely that's irrelevant, and then briefly and ineffectually questions them before stabbing them to death with the map-knife.  He could go back and look around for the child but it's been a long day and he doesn't want to. Instead, he goes to some other random planet, parks in the middle of the desert, falls into a patch of beads that somehow drops him into a tunnel without letting the beads through, and then he gets eaten by a snake.

Palpatine knows the guy has never returned, but he doesn't send anyone else to check out Jakku or go get the wayfinder or anything.  It's fine.  Everything is fine.  He didn't care that much anyway, and he's already decided that he would rather manipulate Han and Leia's kid who is almost old enough to start training.  Thankfully, despite being surrounded by powerful force sensitive people who love him nobody notices Palpatine reaching across space to mess with the kid.  He does this as Snoke, and sometimes as Vader just for giggles.  Anakin's force ghost thankfully never appears to the kid, that would have fucked up everything.

Eventually he gets Ben to do the privileged white teenager thing and shoot up his school, and brings him into the First Order.  Thankfully, Luke responds by retiring and not fighting the remains of the empire in any way or making any effort to clean up his mess.  This opens the way to really ramp up the First Order, which the opening crawl of Episode 7 implies has just become serious AFTER Luke took off even though with the scope and power they have that's not really possible.  Whatever, we'll say this is the time they start gaining back the ground that was lost in some areas.

So we're at the start of the first of the new movies, Episode 7.  Even though by now Palpatine must already have the Star-Destroyer sized Death Star guns designed, he still has the First Order build the Starkiller Base which is maybe not the best use of resources.  But it works, and in one shot blows up all the goodguys apparently.  Just like that, as the next movie makes clear, the First Order is the main power in the galaxy and the new republic is back to being a tiny group of plucky rebels.

All that's left is the cleanup, but Palpatine doesn't reveal himself or his millions of troops and gigantic fleet of Star Destroyers that must be at least partly completed by now.  He's still holding out for some perfect moment.  Then the Starkiller base gets blown to hell, and there's someone that seems to be a new Jedi.  He orders her killed - does he know this is his granddaughter?  Unclear.  Certainly he keeps ordering her killed after he knows, but it's possible he doesn't find out who she is until... I don't know, until she's close to his Snoke Puppet.

Either way, he tries to get Kylo to kill her.  Luke shows back up, then dies which is what the First Order wanted anyway.  The rebel forces are down to like twelve people, although between episodes 8 and 9 their numbers somehow swell a bit.  It doesn't matter, things are great and it's all over but the party planning.  The fleet of planet-killing Star Destroyers are done, but he buries them underground so that he can have a cool dramatic reveal.  Snoke is dead, and Kylo wants to take over the First Order, but he figures that's easy enough to deal with.

How?  Why, by sending a voicemail to the galaxy as a whole yelling at them.  It's... a roundabout way of doing things to be sure.  He could have just appeared to Kylo, or sent in a Snoke clone (Spoke is almost ready, just needs to be pulled from the vat), or sent the voicemail just to the First Order, or a million other things.  But nah, he tells everyone he's alive at once and then waits for Kylo to hunt him down.  Then he tells Kylo he's Snoke and pretended to be Vader and whatever else, and he dramatically raises all the star destroyers from the ground, but he doesn't deploy them.

The First Order is cool with all this.  It's probably strange for them to find out he was somehow secretly Snoke or in charge of Snoke or whatever, but fine.  And they probably wonder why he didn't bring in the enormous fleet of star destroyers before, and who the millions of people manning them are, but... fine.  Whatever.  It still means they won.  At this point he has told Kylo to kill Rey again, and also revealed who she is.  "Hey, go kill my granddaughter.  Thanks!"

He gets bored at some point and sends out one of the Star Destroyers, blows up a planet.  This star destroyer isn't explicitly accounted for later.  Just saying.  Then he sits back, and he waits for the next thing to happen passively.  He senses, presumably, when Rey is coming.  He certainly is aware when she enters the system, and he must know that she could be bringing the remains of the resistance down on him.  This would be a great time to launch all the star destroyers.

Nah.

So Rey walks in, and he tells her that he WANTED her to come even though he had been sending people to kill her this whole time.  He convinces her that he wants her to kill him and become the new Big Bad Sith - this is super clumsy if it's true, but if it's bullshit it's not a bad idea.  So let's give him some credit and say he never wanted her to kill him and it was reverse psychology - kill me, please, this is my plan!

Kylo shows up too, somehow.  Wait.  Rey stole his ship, right?  Whatever, he called an Uber.  Anyway, he's there and Palps tries to have him killed but that doesn't work.  Then they're both there in front of him and he remembers that he can suck the life out of them.  He couldn't do that to the Snokes Crew, but here's the pick me up he needed.  And then he chucks Kylo down a bottomless shaft because that always works, and... well, okay, it didn't work when Vader threw him down one.  But surely this time it will.  And then he tries to kill Rey.

In the past when he tried to use force lightning on someone with a light saber it went really badly.  This happened several times, but it's his go-to move.  Sure, he could pick up Rey and bash her into a wall until she's paste or something but no!  Force lightning is sooooo cool!  I mean, he's strong enough now that he can, somehow, use force lightning to target every single enemy ship in the sky without looking so killing Rey is no big deal.

Just like those other times, though, she blocks it with the light saber.  It's doing the feedback thing some, and she looks super intense like she's going to try something.  He could just stop the lightning and do that force smash thing.  But but but... force lightning!  So he keeps going.  She blasts him, somehow, and he keeps going, and she does it again and he... explodes.

Huh.

It kinda seems like if he had done anything differently he would have won, and like every part of his plan was needlessly overcomplicated.  It seems like he had the power and resources to take over the entire galaxy at any moment and yet remained invisible enacting redundant or contradictory plans until the last minute.

So, can it work?  Is there a story that makes the revelations of Episode 9 fit into the rest of the story?  Kinda!  But it's super, super stupid.

#tros #the rise of skywalker #star wars #episode ix #emperor palpatine

[shewhowantsmouseears]

The Little Peach, Chapter One

Notes: Big thanks to my wonderful editor, Drucilla!

So two notes about this upcoming story, one good and one not so good

The good : This is a tribute to all the manga and anime that influenced me growing up, and the culture that continues to inspire me to this very day.

The not so good : Donald's not going to be the fun, loving guy we know him to be just yet. It's a little thing called character development. If you can't wait around for that, I suggest you don't read. Plenty of other stories out there.

With that out of the way, I hope those of you who do stick around enjoy this story of family, friendship, and folktales!

Story Summary: Momotaro meets Inch High Samurai meets Disney!

In Japan of old, a mysterious child is found by a lonely couple. When he grows up, he still hasn't "grown up" - he forever remains the size of a peach pit. Determined to change his size, and his father's opinion of him, Mickey sets out on a journey to retrieve the Lucky Hammer - a legendary weapon capable of changing anyone's height.

With weird sidekicks, a beautiful princess, and the onslaught of Oni, Mickey and his father will learn that the only size that matters is the size of one's heart.

Pride has many different meanings to many different people, and it has been said that it goes before a fall. Donald Duck believed that so long as you kept a fair balance between pride and humility, you couldn't go wrong. Thus he was striven to find pride, and subsequent humility, in all he did. For instance, he was very proud of the work he was doing as late night began to drift over the quaint farm land, his hands filthy with dirt and sweat dripping off his feathers. Why, look at all of the seeds he was able to plant and all of the fresh vegetables he had pulled from the earth! He'd kept count, and he was certain he'd done three times the work compared to the rest of the farmhands.

Then again, as humility told him, most of them had gone home hours ago, so it was a rather unfair comparison. The only reason he hadn't been booted home yet was because the farm belonged to his grandmother, but judging by the faint footsteps nearby, that limit was being reached too. Still, he continued to dig in the dirt, even as he felt his elder looming over him.

“Good evening, oba-san,” he said without lifting his head, hoping the more polite he was, the more patient she'd be with him. “We had a very fine crop today! Those carrots looked so good, I was tempted to take a bite the moment I pulled them out! You're going to make a fortune at market.”

“Go home, Donald.”

“And did you see the size of those leeks? You could build a house with those suckers! The gods must be answering your prayers ten times over.”

“Go home, Donald.”

“Did I mention how huge your peppers have gotten? I swear, one was the size of my – WAK!” A slight jolt of pain from his rear made him stand to attention, glaring deeply at his grandmother who held one of his former tail-feathers between her fingers. “That's a fine way to treat one of the greatest samurai in the land, and your own grandson to boot!”

“Oh, don't you pull that nonsense with me, young man,” she huffed, not intimidated in the least. “You were one of the greatest...a year ago. Then you went and got yourself injured. Now you're just a shameless husband who refuses to comfort his own wife!”

Though the insult was well-deserved, it stung all the same. “You don't have to live with her,” he grumbled, removing the basket from his back and setting it down on the ground. “Look, I've been trying to help, but nothing I say gets through to her! And I hurt plenty too, you just don't see me going all to pieces about it. Just because I'm not blubbering doesn't mean I'm not grieving in my own way.”

Grandma inhaled and exhaled deeply through her nostrils, but her expression began to soften. “I am sorry, Donald,” she said, more gentle than before. “I don't mean to snap at you, honestly I don't. It's... so easy to feel helpless, when you can't do anything to help your own family. But you do need to be there for her, blubbering and all.” However, she knew from experience that guilt alone wouldn't always do the trick, so fortunately she had extra help this time. “I didn't come here just to rattle your chains... I got this in the mail today... it was meant for you, and wound up in mine by mistake. I didn't know when was the best time to tell you.” She held out a small folded letter, the small rips showing the great distance it had traveled.

Donald raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Tell me what?” He unfolded the letter and began to read quietly, his eyes widening at the news. He glanced at Grandma as if to confirm its accuracy, even though he knew she had no way of knowing, and read the letter again. “Criminy... I knew it was bad, but... When I had to leave the castle, I wasn't too upset at first, you know? Because things seemed to be going all right. The Emperor and the Oni King were settling on peaceful terms, the war was nearly over, didn't seem like they'd need my protection anymore. Now...” He sadly shook his head, folding the letter and tucking it into his robes.

“It won't be long until the entire village finds out. You just got the head-start by courtesy, I reckon. And you need to tell Daisy.”

“Fine, fine, fine.” It was clear he was only delaying the inevitable. With one last heavy sigh, he kissed his grandmother on the cheek, and bade her goodnight, promising to be at the farm bright and early the next morning. As he started the long trek home, he tried to think of a way to tell Daisy the bad news without making her panic – although given how difficult it was to get a word in edgewise nowadays, he wondered if she'd even have the strength to panic. Not that panicking would do anyone any good now.

The former Oni King had been overthrown, his entire family slaughtered, and a new man sat at the throne, one who intended to take over all of Japan. The Emperor's men had driven him and his army away, and the old war had started anew. The peaceful life the villagers had known would cease to be someday, and they would have to be on their guard from those dangerous creatures.  They could grow to be twenty feet tall, with the strength of thirty normal-sized men, so even a battle against just one of them was dangerous. Every fight Donald had against them was a harrowing experience at death's door, and even now, they still knew so little about the Oni. Yet despite all this, Donald was still way more reluctant to see his wife than to encounter the Oni again.

The Emperor's family had been amazingly kind to him, paying him much more than a year's salary when he had been forced to retire. Because of this, he could afford to have a large, luxurious home by the stream, as at the time, he planned to fill it with children alongside his darling bride. He stood in front of the wooden door, and summoned his courage. Slowly, he began to slide it open.

“I'm home-”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHIWANNABABYYYYYYIT'SNOTFAIIIIIIIIIRWAAAAAAAH-”

Donald promptly slid the door shut, and rubbed his temples. Really, why should tonight have been any different? Drawing his hand down his face, he opened the door again, sliding his sandals off to the side. His wife's wailing was incredibly loud, and the size of the empty house allowed it to echo and increase in volume, so it was like living with ten screaming wives. He moved through the house to find Daisy, though he knew where she was, and where she'd been every day since the local medicine man had delivered the devastating news.

There she slumped over the table, bottles of empty sake rolling around her, as she slapped her hand to the wooden surface over and over again. “I WANNA BABY I WANNA BABY I WANNA BAAAAABYYYYY!” She wailed and wailed again, her face streaming with endless tears. Somehow despite her blurry vision she managed to see Donald, and pointed an accusing finger at him. “HOW COME YOUR SISTER GETS TO HAVE THREE AT ONCE, BUT I CAN'T EVEN HAVE OOOOOOONE?!”

“I know, I know.” He had her rants and ravings memorized by heart now. He walked up behind her and then sat down to hug her around the waist. “Come on, you're going to make yourself sick. Let's get you to bed.”

“I DON'T WANNA GO TO BED, I WANNA BABY!” She slammed her fists onto the table. “I'M ALREADY SICK! THAT AWFUL MAN SAID MY BODY CAN'T MAKE BABIES! I WANNA BE A MOMMY!” Learning that had been agonizing months ago, and it was agonizing now, and it appeared Daisy would never be over this fact. But as Donald counted the bottles on the table, he found with depressing relief that at this stage of her fits, she would eventually lose her strength and pass out.

He nuzzled his beak to her hair, tenderly grooming her as she'd failed to take care of herself for many days now. “When was the last time you ate anything? You're going to be nauseous with all that booze in your belly and not a bit of dinner in you.”

“I don't want dinner.” On cue, Daisy's screaming began to lose its power, though she hadn't stopped crying. “It's not fair...I want to dress a cute little girl in kimonos, I want a sweet little boy to help me with chores...I want to teach them the ways of the world, and hear them call me mama, and play with them, and love them! Why do I have all this love in my heart if I have no one to give it to? It's not faiiir...”

In a way, this was worse than her screams, if only because Donald understood this agony all too well. He too wanted a living piece of his and Daisy's unity, a bouncing boy on his knee, a girl to tuck into bed and wish sweet dreams. This house was so empty now, and each passing day it made the two of them feel more and more lonely. “I'm going to get you something to eat,” he said after a kiss to the cheek. “Even better, I'll get you some peaches. Your favorite food.” He wasn't sure if anyone would be open at this time of night, but he was desperate to find some ray of happiness for his wife, no matter how small.

“Okay,” her mumble was small and pathetic, a sliver of the powerful woman he'd fallen head over heels for. She made no effort to get up or clean herself, instead spelling out potential baby names in the spilled sake. Donald barely made out a “Mi” and maybe a “key”. He gave her another tender kiss before leaving her side and exiting the house. He knew that he should tell her about the contents of the letter, but he couldn't bear the thought of hurting her more than she was already suffering. A good husband was supposed to be able to keep his wife safe and happy, and it looked like he was unable to do either. What pride was to be found here?

He was ready to march into the village and knock on every door to find a fresh supply of peaches, when a familiar color caught the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw, to his great surprise, a single peach floating in the stream. He stared at it for a few seconds longer, amazed at the sheer coincidence. Was this perhaps a sign from the gods that things were not as hopeless as they seemed? Or were they throwing a starving dog a chewed up bone? Either way, he decided not to miss his chance, and quickly dashed to the stream, plucking the fruit out of the water. There appeared to be a thin line pressed to one side, and Donald dismissed it as a result of imperfect growth.

Pleased, he returned to the inside. Daisy groggily lifted her head. “I thought you were gunna get me some peaches.”

“Some soul abandoned theirs,” Donald replied, heading to the kitchen. “Stay right there, I'll cut you a nice big slice.” He picked up a kitchen knife, and held up the peach, gazing thoughtfully at it. He would have loved to teach his children how to use a sword, the way his own father taught him. Though Donald had a bad temper and could be clumsy, his parents loved him and his sister without question, and his childhood was a fond one. To think he'd never recreate such an experience... it pained him deeply, and he was so certain he had been meant to be a father. He knew that no matter kind of child he had, he would have also loved them without question, without exception, and would have done anything for their happiness.

“I wish I had a child,” he said quietly, “Even if they were no bigger than a peach pit.”

He flipped the knife in his hands – though it had been some time since he was a seasoned warrior, his skills with the blade were still unmatched. He sliced the entire peace in half with one clean strike, and admired his handiwork for a brief second. Placing the knife aside, he pulled off the top half of the peach -

And stopped dead in his tracks.

Daisy, for her part, was growing impatient. “Donald, what's taking so long?” Frustrated, she wobbly stood up to her feet and made way to the kitchen. Donald was frozen solid, one hand in the air holding half of the peach, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. “You didn't cut yourself, did you?” It felt silly to ask, since she too knew of Donald's fantastic skills with any sharp object. Even so, he didn't answer her, nor did he appear to hear her in the first place. “Is it rotten? Is there a worm in it?” Yet Donald wasn't so squeamish as to be so deeply affected by gross aspects of nature, and Daisy finally looked at the other half of the peach in Donald's other hand.

She too stopped dead in her tracks.

A long moment of silence stretched out between them, even as they turned their heads to look at each other, quietly confirming that their partner was indeed seeing the exact same thing they were seeing. They then slowly looked back at the peach, where, lying where a pit was supposed to be, was a small baby boy, a black-furred mouse that was enjoying a good nap while sucking his thumb.

“It's a baby,” Daisy finally said, the words feeling dumb off her tongue.

“It can't be,” Donald countered, despite seeing the evidence in front of his face.

The tiny thing twitched, and then began to yawn, deciding now was a good time as any to get up. He couldn't have been more than a month old, if they had to guess. He opened his eyes, blinking back at the giant strangers, and smiled, letting out a happy giggle as his tiny hands reached out.

That giggle was all it took to sober Daisy up. “It is a baby!” She squealed, and then she reached forward, gently trying to scoop him up in her fingers. “Hellooo, aren't you a delight!”

Donald dropped both sides of the peaches, letting them splatter to the floor – the baby was already in Daisy's palm and enjoying the stay. “What are you doing?!” He squawked, flailing and pointing at the thing in his wife's hand. “You – don't touch that, you don't know where it's been!”

“It's been in a peach, of course.” Daisy cradled the child in one hand, using her other to lovingly smooth down the mouse's fur, and the baby laughed from the accidental tickle. “He is a bit sticky, we should give him a bath. Don't you worry now, we're going to get you all cleaned up.”

“We?” Donald repeated, still expecting to wake up from this hallucination. “Who is this we?”

“Who else would I mean?” Daisy said with a bit of tsking. “Donald, don't you see? This is a gift from the gods, our prayers have finally been answered!”

“A gift!” Donald's infamous temper began to rise up and show its ugly head. “Oh sure, when I pray to be a millionaire, that goes unanswered, but this is what they listen to? You must more drunk than usual – that isn't a gift, it's a curse! Look at it!”

“Stop calling him it!” Daisy began to move around the table, trying to find a good place to bathe the baby in. “He's a boy, and now he's our boy. Ah, here we go!” She took a small wooden bowl from the cupboard and placed the child inside. He made no fuss about the delivery, and never stopped smiling up at Daisy. “A perfect fit. Aren't you cute? Mama will take good care of you.”

“You are not its – his – whatever's Mama!” Donald grabbed Daisy by the arm, forcing her to look at him. “Be reasonable! That thing could die just by rolling off the counter or one of us sitting on it! It can't be a real child, and we can't take care of it!”

Donald had married Daisy for many reasons, and one of those reasons was that she was as strong as he was. As such, Daisy had no issue suddenly snatching his wrist and twisting his arm back. “Donald Fauntleroy Duck, if you take this child from me, the Oni will seem like angels compared what I'll do to you.” She kept twisting and twisting until Donald was sure it'd pop out of its socket at any given second. “Do we have an understanding?”

Donald make a pained “eee” sound while crumbling to his knees that Daisy took as an affirmative. “Good. I'm glad we had this talk.” She released his arm and then turned back to the child who blinked up at her in confusion. “Awww, it's okay! Mama was just having a tiny disagreement. But it's okay! Mama will never ever let anything happen to you.” She reached into the cup to fondly stroke the child's big black ear, and he wound up giggling again. “Mama will always take care of you.”

Donald rose back to his feet, rubbing his aching arm. He watched Daisy coo over the baby, and his anger grew even hotter. A gift? That was supposed to be the answer to their grief? A baby they couldn't hold, who'd be in danger every passing second, who could never lift even a cup or play around with other children? It was unnatural, and unfair, and his fingers rolled up into fists. For the first time, he had found something he could take no pride in.

“You may be its mother,” he growled, and began to storm off. “But that will never be my son!”

Daisy glanced at the direction Donald had marched off to, and her face began to fall. For all her fawning, she didn't want to do this alone. Why couldn't Donald be as happy as she was? The size would be a problem, yes, but what child didn't come with its own unique set of problems? That was part of living, a part of life itself. As if able to pick up on her sadness, the baby began to make a distressed noise, moving his little arms. Daisy quickly turned her attention back to him, shushing as she stroked his face. “It's okay, it's okay...he'll come around, I know he will. He's just stubborn, that's all. One day, he'll accept you...we just have to be patient, don't we?”

Yes, he would be like any child, and like any child, he needed a name. “I have been waiting for so long to give this name away... and now, I can finally call it. You will always be our darling little Mickey.”

#disney #fanfic #the little peach #mickey mouse #donald duck #daisy duck

[basicsofislam]

THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) : Dihyatul-Kalbi (r.a.)

Hz. Dihya was from Madinah. His real name was "Dihya bin Khalifa". However, he was famous for his name "Dihyatul-Kalbi". He was the person with the most beautiful face among the Companions. Gabriel (Jibril) came to the Prophet disguised as Dihya several times. When the Companions saw him, they could not tell whether he was Dihya or Jibril.

Dihya was engaged in trade. Before he became a Muslim, he loved the Messenger of Allah and would bring him a present whenever he came to visit him. However, the Prophet would say to him, "If you really want me to be pleased, be a Muslim and get rid of the fire of Hell." He invited him to Islam.

It was after the Battle of Badr. Jibril gave the Prophet the good news that Dihya would be a Muslim. Soon, Dihya arrived. The Prophet took off his cardigan and gave it to Dihya so that he would sit on it to compliment him.  Dihya took the cardigan, kissed it, folded and put it on his head. Then, he became a Muslim by uttering kalima ash-shahada.

From then on, Dihya joined all of the battles with the Prophet. In the 7th year of the Migration, the Prophet sent him as an envoy to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. He invited this emperor to Islam. Dihya had the letter of invitation from the Prophet with him.

Dihya had already traveled to foreign countries several times before; so, he knew how to act in other countries very well. He was conscious of the importance of the duty given to him and he knew that he had to be very careful. It was up to him for many people to become Muslims or to reject Islam. For this reason, he had to act cautiously.

After a long and exhausting journey, Hz. Dihya arrived in Jerusalem, where the emperor lived. The people of Jerusalem gave him some advice before entering into the presence of the emperor: "As soon as you enter into the presence of the emperor and see him, prostrate before him and do not lift your head until he gives you permission."

Dihya prostrated only before Allah after he became a Muslim. It was impossible for him to prostrate before anyone except Him. "I can never do this! I will not prostrate before anyone but Allah. They said that the emperor would not accept his letter if he did not do so but Dihya did not agree to do it. Thereupon, they gave him the following advice: "Put your letter on the throne of the emperor. When the emperor takes the letter, he will call the owner of the letter." Hz. Dihya accepted it. He said, "It is all right." He did as they advised him. After a while, the emperor took the letter. When he saw that it was in Arabic, he summoned a translator and had it read. Then he called Abu Sufyan, who was there at that time, to his presence. He asked him several questions about the Prophet. Abu Sufyan had not become a Muslim at that time. However, he answered all of he questions of the emperor correctly. He stated the following regarding the issue later:

“By Allah! If I had not feared that my friends would talk about my lies outside I would definitely have told lies about him.”

After each answer he received to his questions, Heraclius said, "Prophets are like this." He definitely believed that the person who sent the letter was "the last prophet".

When Dihya saw that the heart of Heraclius warmed toward Islam, he became hopeful. He asked him to accept Islam. He knew the way of conveying the message well. Besides, the Messenger of Allah had appointed him due to his ability. He said:

"The one who sent me to you is better than you. Listen to my words humbly. Accept the advice given to you. If you do so, you will understand the advice. If you do not accept the advice, you will not be just."

Then he asked, "Did the Messiah Jesus pray?" The emperor said, "Yes." Dihya said, "Then, I invite you to believe in Allah, to whom the Messiah prayed. I invite you to believe in Allah, who created and governed the heavens and the earth before the Messiah was born of his mother. I invite you to believe in the illiterate Prophet, whose advent Moses and Jesus announced and gave glad tidings of his coming. If you know something regarding the issue and want to attain bliss in the world and the hereafter, remember them. Otherwise, you will lose your bliss in the hereafter. You will remain in the darkness of polytheism and denial in the world. Know it very well that Allah, who is your Lord, destroys dictators and changes boons."

Heraclius believed in the Prophet but he could not declare his belief because he was afraid that he would lose his reign. He expressed this with the following words:

“May Allah give you goodness and make you attain His mercy! I know well that the person who sent you here is a prophet sent by Allah. We were already waiting for him to come. We found his name and attributes written in our books. However, I fear from Greeks about my life! If I were sure of my people, I would follow him and serve him by enduring all kinds of difficulties. Go to Daghatir now. He is one of the greatest Christian scholars. Invite him to Islam.”

The Prophet had already written a letter addressing Usquf Daghatir. Dihya went to Daghatir without losing time. He gave the letter of the Prophet to Daghatir. The Prophet invited Daghatir to Islam in his letter and stated the following:

“Peace be upon those who believe! There is no doubt that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the spirit and word of Allah that He blew into Mary. I believe in Allah and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes and that given to Moses and Jesus and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no difference among them. We believe that all of them are prophets. We are Muslims who obey Allah’s orders. May peace be upon the guided ones!”[6]

Usquf Daghatir was a scholar and the chief bishop of Byzantium. He learned from his books that the last prophet would emerge; and he read his attributes. As soon as he read the letter, he believed without hesitation by saying, "I swear by Allah that your master is the prophet sent by Allah. We knew his name and his attributes." Then, he entered a room, took off his black clothes and put on a white garment. There was no room left for black clothes and black thoughts any more. It was necessary to wear white clothes and have bright ideas.

The bishop retired into his house and did not come out. Dihya did not leave him alone; he visited the bishop frequently. The chief bishop called "Usquf Daghatir" did not attend the service in the church that Sunday. In the meantime, the people became aware of this change in the bishop.

The angry and bigoted Greeks surrounded the bishop's house, urging him to address them by shouting with furiously and violently. However, Usquf Daghatir was no longer their bishop; he was a member of the ummah of the Prophet of the end of time. He was probably having his last talk with his close friends, Dihyatul-Kalbi.

Usquf gave the letter that he had written to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to Dihya:  

"Take this letter, go to our master and give him my regards. Tell him that I have witnessed that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I have believed in him; I have affirmed him, and I am subject to him. However, as you see, these people are denying this. Tell him exactly what you saw."

The angry crowd on the outside understood that Daghatir was talking to Dihya. They yelled:

"Either he will come out or we will come in. We have seen the change in you since this Arab came and we do not like you."

After sending Dihya, Usquf Daghatir appeared before the people wearing white clothes and holding his staff. He did not have any fear. Maybe he knew that he would be killed and martyred. However, it was no longer important. For, he became a member of the ummah of the Prophet of the end of time. He addressed the people as follows:

"O Greek congregation! We received a letter from Ahmad, the Prophet. He invites us to believe in Allah. I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Ahmad is His slave and Messenger."

The people attacked him all together like an arrow leaving the bow. And they did not leave that blessed man before martyring him. After that, Hz. Dihya went back to the emperor. He told him about the situation. The emperor said, "Did I not tell you that I fear them about our lives? I swear that Daghatir was more respectable than me in their eye." Then, he gave Dihya a lot of gifts and sent him.

On the way back to Madinah, Dihya was attacked by highwaymen. They grabbed everything that he had. Dihya entered Madinah empty-handed. He entered into the presence of the Messenger of Allah immediately. He told him everything that had happened. He gave the letter of the Greek emperor to him. The Prophet read the letter and said,

"He will rule his country for a while. Their sultanate will continue as long as my letter is with them."

The emperor also understood that the continuation of his sultanate depended on that letter. He wrapped the letter of the Messenger of Allah in atlas silk and placed it in a pipe made of gold. He willed that those who came after keep it. Indeed, it happened like that. When the letter disappeared, this dynasty lost its sultanate.

Hz. Dihya continued to be in the service of the Messenger of Allah after that. After the death of the Prophet, he served Allah and His Messenger during the era of the Four Caliphs. He participated in the Expedition of Syria during the caliphate of Hz. Abu Bakr. He took part in the Battle of Yarmuq during the caliphate of Hz. Umar. He fought heroically. He settled there after the conquest of Damascus. He died during the caliphate of Muawiya in 50 H.

The Emperor Heraclius wrote a letter to the Prophet (pbuh) after Dihya left. He sent a person who was reliable and who was known as "Tanuhi" to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and made him the following offer:

"Take this letter to that person. Listen to his words carefully. Memorize the words about three things that he will tell you. These are the three things: Will he mention the letter that he sent me? Will he remember the night when he reads my letter? Does he have anything that will make you suspicious on his back?"

Tanuhi took the letter of the emperor and set off. After a journey that took months, he found the Messenger of Allah in Tabuk. The Messenger of Allah was talking to his Companions at that time near some water. He went over to the Messenger of Allah and gave the letter of Heraclius to him; then, he sat down. Then, the following conversation took place between them:

“Who are you?”

“I am Tanuhi.”

“Are a member of the religion of Hanif, the religion of your ancestor Ibrahim?”

“I am an envoy of a nation and I belong to the religion of that nation. I will not abandon their religion unless I return to the nation that I represent.”

"Tanuhi brother! Allah guides whom He wishes to the right path. I wrote a letter to your emperor. He did not answer it."

Tanuhi realized that the Messenger of Allah had responded to one of the three things the emperor had asked him when he heard these words. He took an arrow out of his quiver and made a note on the sheath of his sword.  

Then, the Messenger of Allah took the letter that came from the emperor from his breast, gave it to Muawiya, who was sitting on his left, and asked him to read it. The emperor wrote the following in his letter:  

"You are calling me to a vast Paradise that was prepared for pious people and that covers the earth and the sky. Where is Hell? "

The Messenger of Allah replied:

"O my Allah! Where is night when it is daytime? "

With this statement, the Messenger of Allah mentioned the second issue that Heraclius asked. Tanuhi wrote this down immediately on the sheath of his sword.  

After the reading of the letter was finished, the Messenger of Allah gave Tanuhi to Hz. Uthman, who would entertain him. While they were about to leave, the Messenger of Allah called: "O Tanuhi! Come here." The Messenger of Allah took off the garment on his back and showed him the seal of prophethood, which was between his two shoulder blades by saying, "Here is what you were asked about." Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) answered the three questions that the king had asked. Tanuhi went to the emperor and told him about what had happened.

Taking strength from what Tanuhi told him, Heraclius summoned the notables of Byzantium in his palace in Homs. He had all the doors shut and addressed them as follows:

"O notables of the Greek Land! Do you want to attain salvation, reach perfection and remain in the places that you have all the time? If so, come and be subject to this prophet."

The bigoted Greeks who heard these words began to growl and yell as if they were animals. They ran to the doors. In a sad and depressed manner, Heraclius ordered them to be taken to his presence again. He saw their hatred and gave up his hope that they might believe. The anxiety of ​​protecting his sultanate and life prevented him from declaring his belief. He addressed the notables of the Greeks that gathered again as follows:  

"I uttered the words that you heard a few minutes ago to see that whether you are adherent and loyal to your religion or not. I see that you are really adherent to your religion and be pleased with it."

Heraclius could not mention the Prophet and Islam again to the people around him.

#allah #god #islam #muslim #quran #convert #revert #revert islam #convert islam #muslim revert #muslim ocnvert #islam help #help #reverthelp #reverthelp team #prayer #pray #salah #dua #hijabi #hijab #muslimah #reminder #religion #mohammad #new muslim ocnvert #convert to islam #how to convert islam

[asklordcaptaincastronova]

I spent the night watch on the bridge. We were holding orbit, nothing down on Grace could threaten us and one of the Halos had needed a last minute repair, delaying our “invasion” for another few days.  I watched the planet through the great bridge windows, observing the storms swirling patterns, trying not to think of Captain Manecke. It’s been over 20 years Amadeus the aggravating voice in my brain whispered. I sipped my recaff, and the implanted cogitator whirred. 

Remember

There I was 30 odd years ago. There’s less metal, the memorance eye the only obvious implant. I’m the uniform of a dynasty Lieutenant, freshly promoted. The hair and beard are shorter, and the only piece of jewelry is a signet ring. 

“Ah the new Master-at-Arms,” said the voice. And there she was. Klara Lise, my uncle’s Seneschal. A former administratium bookkeeper tithed to us 10 year prior, she’d been promoted rapidly after revealing her predecessor's embezzlement. She’d taken to the role with gusto, brown cloth robes replaced with mesh and crystal finery. Her one concession to her former life had been she kept her chestnut hair collar length.

“Madam Seneschal. Magos. Madam Navigator. Confessor. Uncle.” I nodded to each one in turn. 

“My boy,” my uncle gleamed. He was still himself them. just under two meters tall, black beard braided with gems, with a emerald and encarmine grapplehawk on his shoulder. “Welcome, welcome to the Ship’s council. Let no one say you have no earned your place here. Your gallant defense against the corsair’s boarding was magnificent. Mordecai would be proud of you, and may he find peace with the Emperor.”

“It was nothing Uncle. Every one of your officers would have done the”

“Poppycock. You shot an Eldar corsair’s head off while crossing blades with it and you took command of the armsmen when everyone else was in a panic. Why in all my years...”

My uncle’s shade continued, waxing eloquently while I was trying my hardest not to stare at Klara. Within 2 weeks we were spending our off hours together, going over the ships books as I was reforming the armsmen. a short time after that, things began to blossom. Rendezvous in the arboretum, working dinners at odd hours in the officer’s mess.

 I had been nervous of course, I was fully briefed on dynastic issues before I’d ever set a foot off Spectoris, and I was second in line for the Warrant. The issue of marriage would have been impossible, doubly so after my father’s death. She had been smart, witty, an excellent swordswoman, erudite, all the virtues written in novels. I learned more math and skulduggery from our encounters than all my time with my tutors.

When my uncle became more and more erratic, Klara had been the one calling in debts, squeezing thrones, selling off redundancies so he could finance his “demicrusades”. When the Magos began voicing concerns, he came to her. A few weeks later, I was in, followed by our Navigator. If there was one person my uncle had trusted before his change, it had been her. 

She went to him, bringing a copy of the ledger, when there was nothing left to sell. I never found out if she made it. We found her the next day, a crossbow bolt in her back. Witchfinder Rendalo became the new Seneschal, and that night came Magos Hessman, seething with rage, to seek me out. The next week our Navigator, Elizabeth Ionseye, sent for me, echoing Hessman.  Klara had been the straw that broke the Mukaali’s back. My love had died trying to save us, and we forged our pact in her honor.

I hadn’t really bothered with romantic entanglements since. But something about the Guard Captain had clicked something on with me. Was it the grey, new against the usual riot of color? Was it simple loneliness? I snorted. Had Hessman performed some sort of upgrade on my mechanical heart?

The void, as usual, held no answers. But assuming we all survived this mission, maybe I will try to get to know Neila Manecke better. It couldn’t hurt. 

#40kOCWeek #Rogue Trader #Longpost #effort post #I have no idea what I'm doing

[aion-rsa]

Monster Hunter’s History of Absolutely Ridiculous Weapons

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The release of Monster Hunter Rise is rightfully being celebrated for many reasons, but one of the best things about the release of any new Monster Hunter game is the chance to explore their extensive collections of ridiculous weapons.

While there’s really no such thing as a “practical” Monster Hunter weapon (this is a franchise that loves to go far over the top), there’s a special class of weapons in this series that’s on another level in terms of absurdity. These weapons aren’t just giant creations that defy the laws of physics en route to conquering the most feared beasts in the world: they’re often quite silly.

From pizzas to teddy bears, these are just some of the most ridiculous weapons in Monster Hunter history.

Tigrex Tank

Monster Hunter’s bowguns are generally pretty cool, but the weapon class was rarely cooler than in Monster Hunter Freedom 2 when we got our hands on the Tigrex Tank.

This design is really the epitome of what makes these absurd Monster Hunter weapons so memorable. No matter how big and ancient a monster is, you’re never going to be that scared of it so long as you’re able to ride into battle with a tank strapped to your back. Is it the best weapon in the game? Maybe not, but how are you ever going to replace that feeling?

Glutton’s Tools

The Monster Hunter series has a strange history of food-based weapons (just you wait), but few are as memorable as the Glutton’s Tools. 

Yes, going into battle with a tank on your back sends a message, but what must a monster be thinking when they see a warrior standing in front of them wielding a fork and knife? Here’s this thing that’s a fraction of their size that is so confident that they’ll be eating them soon that they brought their own utensils. What an undeniable power move. 

Sharq Attaq

Monster Hunter weapons designed to resemble giant monsters are nothing new, but there’s just something about this lance that stands out. 

Maybe it’s the Jaws-like looks, but I think it has something more to do with the narrative this weapon suggests. Not only did you hunt and kill a whole ass shark, but you are so proud of that accomplishment (rightfully so), but you have elected to have it stuffed and weaponized. I don’t even know how this thing actually hurts larger monsters, though I imagine the confusion of being hit by a shark offers a unique kind of pain. 

Bamboo Birdsbane

A piece of bamboo doesn’t initially feel like the most intimidating weapon in the Monster Hunter universe. However, you have to realize that this isn’t just a melee weapon; it’s a gunlance that fires projectiles. 

How does that work? Nobody really seems to know for sure, but that’s kind of what’s great about this weapon. It lets you buy into the idea that whatever is causing this bamboo to fire lethal rounds with an explosive force so powerful that it can topple a beast the size of a skyscraper must be substantial enough to trust in battle without having to answer all these pesky logistical questions. 

Ham of Hams

The Ham of Hams is the only Monster Hunter weapon that is bold enough to ask the question “How much does it hurt to get hit with a giant chunk of ham?”

I’m guessing it hurts worse than being slapped with a fish, but is it more painful than biting into an especially stale baguette? I can only suspect that the density of the bone adds a little something to the force, but does the toughness of the creature you cooked factor into the damage? The world may never know these answers, but we still recognize the splendor of the Ham of Hams. 

Pizza Wheel

This final form Charge Blade reminds us that anything can be a weapon in the Monster Hunter universe if you put enough thought into it.

I don’t know if the cat ears give this pizza extra power, but I must say that it makes more sense to use a pizza in a fight than to prepare for a fight with a pizza as the latter just leads to a long nap, more than a few beers, and feelings of regret over the realization you did, in fact, eat the whole thing.

The Gun Hammer

Anyone can shoot at a monster, but it takes a true professional to craft a hammer in the shape of a revolver chamber and take that into battle.

This massive weapon comes complete with an explosive finish that is perfect for the refined hunter who likes the idea of using a gun but prefers to get in close and really get to know their prey before they swing a multi-ton blunt instrument of destruction at them. 

Emperor’s Speech

I don’t even know where to start with this one. While many hunting horn weapons are modeled after instruments, this one is designed to resemble a royal pig riding atop a throne. 

The implication with this one seems to be that this pig’s voice (perhaps even just his words) is so commanding that it can help topple the largest beasts. He’s the kind of leader we need in these trying times, and he’s clearly also not afraid to throw his entire self at a monster in order to get the job done.

Teddy Bear Hammer

I’m not sure if this Teddy Bear weapon would make a shortlist of the strangest Monster Hunter weapons on the basis of its looks alone, but this one most certainly makes the cut by virtue of its abilities.

See, this weapon actually casts a sleeping effect on its prey. That means it’s not just killing them so much as it’s rocking them to sleep with a gentle lullaby. That’s not just adorable; it’s the kind of thing Disney bases entire movies around when they’re not delaying Black Widow again.

Fist of Fury

Again, First of Fury isn’t the most absurd weapon in the grand scope of this franchise, but I love the story that this hammer tells. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Because Monster Hunter won’t just let you beat monsters down with your bare hands (at least not often enough), the wielder of this weapon is essentially saying “Well, if I’m forced to use a weapon, it’s going to be in the shape of a giant, stone fist.” That’s the kind of fair compromise you wouldn’t expect from someone who walks around beating up legendary creatures with a rock on a stick. 

The post Monster Hunter’s History of Absolutely Ridiculous Weapons appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3sovcLq

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[siarven]

My OCs!

Sierra Craye

From: Monster

Sierra is nine years old, very sassy, often grumpy, and she’s befriended the monster under her bed. It keeps annoying her and she keeps annoying it back, it’s like she just got another sibling she never wanted. If anyone hurts it though they’ll have to deal with her, and nobody wants that.

Ava Elyssa Nichols

From: Dreams and Shadows

Ava is eight and her life revolves around Ben, her older brother, since her parents are both very bad at taking care of their children (they’ve got their reasons, still doesn’t help anyone though). Now Ben is gone, though, and Ava has no idea how to cope with that. Ava is afraid of the darkness and the monsters it holds, and she loves the family cat Amber with all her heart. I have a lot of plans for her ;)

Benjamin Alec “Ben” Nichols

From: Dreams and Shadows

Ben is twelve and the whole reason why his family hasn’t broken apart yet. He didn’t really have much of a childhood because he instead takes care of his sister, depressed father, and science-obsessed mother all the while excelling in school because he thinks that people expect that of him. And now he’s dying, more or less. Basically, he just needs a break.

Kiyera Sy

From: Dreams and Shadows

She’s fifty-seven and has given up on life after losing both her lover and her son. The only thing that#s keeping her going is taking care of the city’s abandoned pets and the carrier pigeons. She moved to Merreadon some twenty years ago. Before that she spent most of her life as a pirate queen fighting the very empire she now lives in (and despises, more and more). She sort of adopts both Ava and Ben halfway through the story.

Fiyare

From: Dreams and Shadows

Fiyare is probably five hundred years old, or older. She was once human before becoming a Guardian. She’s assigned to the Nichols family, and kind of failing at protecting them. It’s not really her fault, but she still feels like it is.

Azrae

From: Dreams and Shadows

A Natah (godlike being in the destruction category); God of Death, basically. They protects the Fallen and makes sure that they find their way. They’re on the nonbinary spectrum and prefer they/them/their or she/her. Ava can channel their powers. They basically helped raise Iuri even though they never asked for it, Iuri just chose them.  Azrare doesn’t understand what Iuri likes about them so much but since they loves Iuri (in the family sort of way... or is it?) they don’t question it. Azrae spent thousands of years in perpetual loneliness, not even really realizing that they were lonely, until Iuri decided to be adopted by them. And that was that.

Iuri

From: Dreams and Shadows

A Nanaël (godlike being in the creation category); Lady of Fire. She’s basically everyone’s favourite, exuberant, happy, upbeat. Nobody understands why she chose Azrae of all people, the gloomiest gloom to ever gloom. But since they’re both happy that’s all that matters. Ava can channel her powers.

Mikaën

From: Dreams and Shadows

A Nanaël (creation); Lord of Order. He’s the leader of the Nanaël but has sort of given up in reent years since every child he’s chosen during the last 300 years was either taken or killed by the Asim (the sort of magic-users). Ben can channel his powers, and he only chose Ben because Fiyare told him so and he trusts her.

Luzire

From: Dreams and Shadows

A Natah (Destruction), Lady of Chaos. She strongly dislikes being forced into roles she hasn’t chosen herself. She’s also completely bonkers and wants to destroy the universe. Ben can channel her powers. She’s been imprisoned since she brought on the last apocalypse. She’s not quite as imprisoned as everyone seems to think she is but she is still in there and hasn’t yet found out how to escape. Alasayr is her right-hand-man because she’s not powerful enough to contact her other friends allies.  

Alasayr

From: Dreams and Shadows

A once-human, now demon, who’s responsible for all the problems, or at least most of them. He’s Luzire’s right hand.

Ilien

From: Firewings/Feuervogel

He’s the Mist Rider, a mythical demon slayer. He’s very old, not quite six hundred years old (since the story takes place over a couple of years I’ll leave it at that). He hates his brother with all his soul, hates the demons, loves his dead little sister more than anything else, feels responsible for everything and loves Lirhin, his adoptive daughter, the way any father would. He does a lot of wonderful things but just as many horrible ones, for reasons only he himself knows. I’ve carried him around for roughly three years before I started writing firewings. He’s my problematic son and I love him.

Lirhin

From: Firewings

Adoptive daughter of Ilien. Her parents are dead and Ilien saved her. She’s very rebellious, makes a lot of mistakes, rights many wrongs and is overall a very active person. I love her as much as I love Ilien, but I can’t talk too much about her because most of it is the story anyways.

Jouka

From: firewings

Oh, Jouka, my boy! I’d almost forgotten you… damnit, now I want to write firewings again. Jouka is basically the most trustworthy, calm, amazing person ever, and he’s chosen problematic fav Lirhin as his project. He can also heal. Of course, he has his demons, too, but who doesn’t? Definitely a cinnamon roll :D

Alienor

From: Firewings

Oh, Alienor… She’s Jouka’s younger sister and can talk to animals, she’s also really good with languages and runes and so on.

Jeanna

From: Firewings

From timid girl to badass warrior rebel queen… I love her. She lost her mother and older sister when she was very young, and after finding out about a few things runs away to find herself a better home. Also she hates Lirhin very passionately. She’s a very tough from the outside and it might take years to get close to her but once you’re there she’s totally a softie. She doesn’t care if you like her and she’s mean to everybody, get used to it. If you’re her friend she’ll protect you from everyone, though. She’s also very bi.

Razouk

From: Firewings

He has the problem that everyone around him manipulates him, and that he’s probably not strong enough to withstand all of them because if everyone does it that’s pretty hard. He also has the problem that he’ll never be as good as his sister, at least not in the eyes of his master, whom he tries to please always and in any way possible. Too bad if you don’t even really know who your master actually is.

Arrick and Meena

From: Firewings

The crown prince and princess. They’re fighting to keep the country together while their father lets everything fall apart. Live is hard but they’re harder, and they’re also working harder.

Rheon

From: Firewings

He cares very deeply about his people, being City lord of a larger city… only problem: The King doesn’t do anything and everything gets worse and worse. What could be better than a little rebellion to put things right?

Skye/Lucifer (I’ll change her name when I get back to this writing project… at first the story took place on earth, when it was only Lucifer. Now that it’s another world entirely her name makes little sense.)

From: Morning Star

Lucifer Reborn, only she has no idea. She’s sixteen, typical teenage rebellion phase, sassy, aggressive, quickly angered, impulsive and sometimes even manipulative – but at the same time incredibly kind, and generous if she thinks you deserve it. Only problem: She’s the daughter of two preachers whose church is based on the vilification of Lucifer, and she’s spent most of her life knowing that something is deeply wrong with her but has no idea what. So, basically everyone who hates Lucifer knows who she is, why she has no idea at all, just very bad self esteem and a cynical personality. She’s aro-ace.

Meera

From: Morning Star

Skye’s mother. She just wants her daughter’s best and has no idea (how could she) what she’s actually doing to her. She’s kind of bad at letting go and accepting that Skye has to find her own path. She’s also one of the leaders of the rebellion, but not the mind – she’s the heart, the one who keeps everyone human, who’ll have to make sure that this rebellion doesn’t end up making everything worse than it was before.

Okazaki

From: Morning Star

My baby… he’s the psychic, the dream-boy, the only one who can save Alun – the only one who can save God. Only problem: He’s the shyest person that has ever been and is so deeply afraid of people that it’ll take everything he has to do this. He’s also very broken, deep down, lived in an orphanage most of his life and is currently the apprentice to a cartographer because he’s excellent at drawing and memorizing things. He has to learn that he can be the active one for once, too, not just let everything happening to him without putting up any sort of resistance. He’ll find a lot of great friends really soon though.

Echo

From; Morning Star

Skye’s childhood friend, and, like his name says, he sometimes thinks that he’s just Skye’s echo, too. He spends most of his time protecting Skye from her (often bad) choices and standing by her side. Only, he has to realize that he’s his own person, too, and that he deserves happiness as well. He quickly finds the perfect best friend in Okazaki thought!

Harmony

From: Morning Star

He’s a war leader. Great name for a war leader, right? Only, the name is kind of fitting, because while Harmony is an excellent warrior he also has so much heart. He might be the only one who can save Rayden from himself, and thousands of lives. He has a very dark secret, and he’s very gay. He’s the knight in shining armour, basically, the saviour, the hero with a heart of gold.

Rayden

From: Morning Star

Rayden is the Emperor’s only surviving son and heir to the throne. He’s also really, really horrible, but he wasn’t always that way. He’s a monster and he knows it, and he knows that his choices and those of his father led him here. He thinks that he’s irredeemable and maybe would be in the eyes of everyone else. Only, there’s also Harmony, and Harmony believes in him.

Willow

From: Morning Star

Willow is in her eighties or so, the Healer from Skye’s home village. She raised Meera, Skye’s mother, and is basically the only one (apart from maybe Echo) that Skye trusts completely, with everything. She helps Meera, and Skye, and is generally incredibly generous and warm and calming and helpful. She’s also very broken, deep down.

Icarus

From: Morning Star

He chose the name himself after feeling like he didn’t deserve his old one. The most broken of them all, incredibly old, immortal, and the only one whose mind didn’t break completely during Lucifer’s torture. He takes care of her other victims, and he hates lucifer with a burning passion for what she did to them, and to him. He’s the only one with a sense of self. He’s waited for Lucifer’s return since a few thousand years, but now that she’s back he has to see that Skye isn’t Lucifer. That she any help she can get, especially since every single one of Lucifer’s enemies knows who she is, while she doesn’t. The only way to find release for himself and for the Others is to help Skye save herself, after all.

Hawk

From: Morning Star

Roughly 250 years old. Mischievous, playful, always up for a prank. He needs to realize that sometimes you need to take responsibility to achieve anything in life. He might need to help Lucifer, and Cassandra.

Cassandra

From: Morning Star

Lucifer’s childhood friend. Roughly two and a half million years old. She’s the one who has to re-unite the Icari and the Oresh (similar to angels/demons) before they tear each other apart in the worst war the world has ever seen. She needs to realize that she has to do that, not Lucifer, even if she’s still very nostalgic. She’ll never forgive herself for not saving Lucifer, even though she really tried. Hard. She’s also bi. 

Kieran

From: Morning Star

Lucifer’s childhood friend. Roughtly two and a half million years old. Looks like he’s twenty-seven. He loved Lucifer, once, and blames basically everyone else for what happened to her. Most of all God. He’s very broken, and very lost, and though he thinks that what he does is for the best it really isn’t. Someone stop him, please…

Oh man, so many characters. And these are only three projects! I’ll add Icicle Soul, Burning Skies and Sky Citadel later, I think…Also not all those characters have stuff in their tags yet. I’m working on that :)

#siarven writes #my writing #my ocs #dreamshadow #firewings #morningstar #sierrasmonster #i won't tag my ocs in here bc there are too many so whatever #thank you for reading #long post

[leah-jeffries]

I know that The Broke and The Bookish are taking a break from their Top Ten Tuesday prompts, so I'll go ahead and wing it until they return! Top Ten Tuesday is a feature originated by TBATB that features a list of whatever fits the prompt for that week. Since it's start, so many bloggers have taken part and shared their own lists. So if you have your own Top Ten feature, we would love to read it. For this week, we'll be doing Top Ten OTPs. 

In no particular order:

Elias Veturius/Laia of Serra from Sabaa Tahir's Ember Quartet Even as I write out their names, my heart is in so much pain because I love them too much. I have not shipped this hard since SHADOW AND BONE and that is saying something. There is just something about Elias and Laia's relationship that just hits all the good parts of my emotional psyche. Or maybe it's because the writing for these books are so flippin' superb that the romance is automatically amazing. Obviously, their relationship is not at the forefront of these books, but there is enough to tease me to curling up into a ball after I've finished a new book. I love that they come from different places, but have so much in common. And I appreciate that they have endured so much on their own and do not rely on each other, but they do strengthen one another. Now that their paths have become so different at the end of A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT, I know that I will be destroyed by any moments that they sure in subsequent books. 

Malyen Oretsev/Alina Starkov from Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone Talk about original OTPs...I know that this will be controversial for some people because of course, the other side of things is Alina and the Darkling and who doesn't love being seduced by the Darkling? -swoons- I will admit that I enjoy Alina/The Darkling as much as everyone else but at the end of the day, I think my heart lies with Mal and Alina because they get a bittersweet ending and it just made my heart ache at how melancholy things became for both of them and yet, they always had one another. I know that Mal has had his flaws and probably doesn't deserve Alina, but good gosh, their chemistry was lovely for me. I know that some other people didn't see it - they saw more steam from Alina and the Darkling, but there was an innocence and a tenderness to Mal and Alina's friendship and relationship that made me fall in love with them as a couple. Man, when RUIN AND RISING came out and I read it, I was just so freaking happy. I am glad that they got a semblance of a happy ending.

Cress Darnell/Carswell Throne from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles CRESSWELL gives me life. I seriously love the dynamic of Cress/Thorne because they make each other better without all the drama. Plus they're so cute together with all of Thorne's quippy lines and Cress just doing what she does best, which is be a badass computer wizard.

Kate Harker/August Flynn from Victoria Schwab's Monsters of Verity Kate and August were a surprise for me. Their relationship was very much in the backdrop of the Monsters of Verity plot and for very good cause. There was just so much that needed to be told about their worlds and I really appreciated the little moments of intimacy and tenderness they shared with one another. I'm sure there are people who have said they have no chemistry or are nothing more than friends, but when two characters are pitted in a conflict that these two are, it's so very hard for me not to ship them. I think they were both poetically and tragically written and to show their vulnerabilities to one another just leaves me wanting. How can I not ship a couple that is like that? Kestrel Trajan/Arin from Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy Do you know that when someone is playing a stringed instrument in some classical piece and then there's that epic crescendo and then the single bouncing pluck of the bow against the string that echos? I feel like that perfectly describes Kestrel and Arin for me. I think they have such a theatrical and dramatic way about them, but yet their romance is so subtle and lovely as it developed throughout the trilogy. Both of them came from very similar beginnings but Arin did not remain in the same place that Kestrel was born into and despite a war breaking between them, they were still able to come together by the end. And oh my gosh, how can you not love a couple that giggles about playing piano and singing together? It's just such a wonderful thought. 

Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows Duology I remember a brief time when Kaz and Inej suffocated me with the turmoil of their angsty relationship, especially after what happened in Six of Crows. I just wanted them to be together, these tough little children, and squish them against my chest. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR? I just wanted them to have their happy endings with a butt ton of kruge and the Barrel at their beckoning AS KING AND QUEEN. Plus, like all couples, they had some amazing dialogue exchanges that ripped me to pieces. 

Feyre Acheron/Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses Series They were my first ever steam couple and damn, they got me going. -fans self- I feel like Maas is really known for being able to write intimate scenes with her characters (see THRONE OF GLASS) and when Rhysand and Feyre had their first meeting, I remember all the steam and sparks that rose from their interaction. And it just built from there. And I think it can be safely said how much people loved A COURT OF MIST AND FURY, considering how central their relationship was in the story. They were just so memorable to me and it didn't hurt that he oozed the sex appeal. -heart eyes-

Lara Jean Song/Peter Kavinsky from Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy Talk about the epitome of a contemporary romance. I remember how much I fell in love with TATBILB and how there was Asian representation in the MC and obviously, Peter Kavinsky. I don't know what it was about him besides the fact that he was a big ol' geeky teddy bear underneath his air of popularity. I feel like he just represented that typical popular boy that all the girls, ALLLL THE GIRLS, had a crush on when they were in high school. I love how he was with Kitty and their father. And I love how they both helped each other grow into the better parts of themselves. 

Linh Cinder and Emperor Kaito from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles Well, I feel like a Cinderella retelling is self explanatory if we're talking about Cinder and Kai. Marissa Meyer could have made their relationship full of stinky cheese and cliche, but she definitely did justice to her original characters. I loved watching Cinder kick butt with her brain and Kai with his diplomacy when dealing with the enemy. Their relationship was not something that I would call topsy-turvy or dramatic, but it did just have an ease about it that made me rather happy. Plus, how could you say no to Cinderella and her prince? Geez. 

Lara Jean Song/Peter Kavinsky from Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy Talk about the epitome of a contemporary romance. I remember how much I fell in love with TATBILB and how there was Asian representation in the MC and obviously, Peter Kavinsky. I don't know what it was about him besides the fact that he was a big ol' geeky teddy bear underneath his air of popularity. I feel like he just represented that typical popular boy that all the girls, ALLLL THE GIRLS, had a crush on when they were in high school. I love how he was with Kitty and their father. And I love how they both helped each other grow into the better parts of themselves. 

Lila Bard/Kell Maresh from V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic OH THIS IS THE EPITOME OF SLOW BURNS. I find it incredibly astonishing and awing when an author can completely immerse her readers in the story enough that when romance happens that it is just a sweet treat of a surprise. I found that in Schwab's writing pattern and I seriously applaud her for it - if I were to ever aspire to write like someone, it would be her. I loved the development that she put into both Lila and Kell and how they seem to be the complete opposite of one another. They exist as such strong characters and together, they're just as good, but at the same time, I could feel that they were one another's weaknesses as well but not in the way that's traditional. If an enemy were to use one of them against the other, I think it would just drive them harder, but around each other specifically...it's like that quote from Richelle Mead - "Ah, those two. In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.' I don't think any words were ever truer than these when talking about Kell and Lila.

#top ten tuesday #books #yalit #the ember quartet #sabaa tahir #leigh bardugo #shadow and bone #victoria schwab #monsters of verity #marie rutkoski #the winner's curse #six of crows #a court of thorns and roses #sarah j. maas #marissa meyer #the lunar chronicles #v.e. schwab #shades of magic #penguin random house #penguinteen #tor books #macmillan #epicreads #fiercereads #bloomsbury #jenny han #to all the boys i've loved before #simonteen #rivetedlit #Simon and Schuster

[promptoargentumsgirlfriend]

Runaway Royalty (Chapter 1?) - Prompto x OC

@self-insertlove

And here we have the Royalty AU prompt!

Now, some of you might be wondering about the (Chapter 1?) up there, and that’s because while I intended for this to be a one-shot, I do have some ideas and left this open-ended in the case that people find this interesting and want to see it continue! So let me know if you want to see more! I had a different royalty related AU I wanted to do as a project, but I can always do this instead if people prefer it.

If you can’t tell, I got a bit out of hand with this one, but it’s only because I had so much fun writing it!

Words: 3625

This was total bullshit.

Katia knew that being the next in line to the Lucian throne wasn't easy, living the life of a princess wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But hearing this? This was completely different. They'd lost the war with Nifelhiem, and were now being forced to sign a peace treaty. Not only were they losing all land that was not the capital city, but the deal required her to get married to their prince, some guy she didn't even know and didn't want to. She had already assumed he'd be just like his father Emperor Aldercapt, a man hungry for power and control. While the idea of marriage had never crossed her mind, she certainly didn't want to be married to someone like that.

But being who she was, she didn't have a choice in the matter. It was for the good of the Kingdom, that's what her father had said anyway. So here she was, stuck in the car with her entourage, on her way to Altissa to meet her soon-to-be husband. "Just so you all know, I am not happy about this." she pouted as she stared out at the landscape passing by her.

"Yes Katia, you've made that exceedingly clear by this point." Ignis, her royal adviser since she was three, responded.

"Honestly, you couldn't make that any more clear if you tried." Gladiolus, her personal bodyguard and trainer, added on.

"I mean, you're acting like this is the end of the world or something, Kat." Noctis, her best friend since high school, chimed in.

Katia turned to the backseat where he was casually resting, probably trying to fall asleep no doubt. "That's easy for you to say, you're not the one getting married here," she said. "So tell me again why we know next to nothing about my betrothed again?"

"Aldercapt's son isn't out in the public eye," Ignis explained, almost as if he'd memorized this information before hand. She wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. "It is known that he exists, but it would seem that Aldercapt has sheltered him and does not let him leave the castle. He's so isolated that finding out anything about him is an exercise in futility. All that could be found is that he is around your age. Everything else is just rumors."

For a brief moment, Katia felt sorry for him. His life was the complete opposite of hers. Her father had allowed her to live her life, even sending her to a public school instead of some fancy private place. But this guy didn't have any freedom. She couldn't imagine what that was like.

"We don't even have a name?" Gladio asked.

"I'm afraid not." Ignis said.

"Well that sure is helpful." Noctis remarked.

"I'll say. How are we even supposed to know who he is when we get there?" Katia asked, her sour attitude returning.

"Nifelhiem's chancellor will be with him. He will be waiting for us and will be our key to meeting the prince in person," Ignis answered. "And Katia, at least pretend to be nice to him."

"I can't make any promises, sorry." Katia said.

The car pulled in to Galdin Quay, their only stop before getting on the boat to Altissia. "Finally, I thought we'd never make it!" Noctis said as the group stepped out. "Mind if we chill out for a little while? I need to stretch my legs before I have to sit on a boat for who knows how long." Katia had to suppress a smile. Thank the Six Noctis was here, she was running out of reasons to stall the trip any more than they had. She didn't care if Noctis was making shit up or telling the truth, she'd be happy with just an hour of freedom.

"He's got a point. No reason to jump on the boat straight away after all." Gladio added.

Ignis sighed. "I suppose we can wait here for a while. I should check the boat schedule anyway so we know when to leave. We'll meet back here in an hour. Until then, feel free to explore, but don't leave the resort." He glared over at Katia in particular.

"Oh come on, Iggy. Like I'm gonna try to sneak away by myself without any way to get back home," she said. "Anyway, see you guys in an hour!" Without waiting to hear another word, she ran off towards the beach, hoping to relax with her hour of freedom in hand.

However, fate had a different idea in store for her. Upon separating herself from the guys and thinking about what to do first, she felt her arm being grabbed and turned her head to see some random guy holding on to her. "Hey! Sorry, no time to explain! I need you to come with me!"

Before she could object, she found herself randomly being dragged away by this strange guy. They kept running until they reached the dock, hiding under it as the guy tried to catch his breath. "Who the hell are you, and why did you just drag me underneath the dock?" Katia asked.

The looked at her with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that," he tried to apologize. Now that they weren't running, Katia could make out what he looked like. He had messy blond hair, styled in a way that reminded her of a chocobo, his blue eyes seemed to reflect an air of innocence, which was only enhanced by the freckles littered around the bridge of his nose. He was actually adorable, but she had to shake those thoughts out of her head. She was about to get married soon, she couldn't be hooking up with some random guy at a time like this no matter how cute he was. "I was just in a hurry to find someone and you were the first person I spotted."

"Why were you in such a rush?" Katia asked, trying not to stare at his face.

"It's a long story," the young man responded. "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you. Let's just say I'm hiding from someone who's following me."

"Alright, fair enough. I'm not gonna force it out of you," Katia said. "What's your name though, I kinda need to know that."

"The name's Prompto. Prompto...Argentum! Yeah, that's it," he introduced himself. It almost seemed like he was trying to think of something in that moment, but it wasn't worth prying into. "What about you?"

Katia froze. She was technically supposed to be incognito right now, but she was terrible at coming up with a fake name. That and this guy seemed trustworthy. She had no idea why, she'd only known him for five seconds, but this Prompto probably wouldn't tell anyone who she was. But she had to make sure. "Okay, don't go telling anyone this though," Before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "I'm Katia."

It only took a second for it to click in Prompto's head and he looked at her with surprise. "Wait, you mean Katia Lucis Ferrum, don't you?!" he asked.

"Yep! That's me!" she said. "Princess of Lucis, heiress to the throne, and a bargaining chip."

--------------------------------

Prompto seemed to be at a loss for words, only able to stare forward at the cute girl he had grabbed by chance. Out of all the people he had to run into, it just had to be his fiance. Or rather, that's what the lie was.

Being Emperor Aldercapt's son, Prompto knew what was really going on. The peace treaty was a farce, the marriage a sham. It was all an excuse to attack Insomnia, steal the Crystal, and eliminate the line of Lucis. His father had never planned to make peace, all he wanted was the crystal. But Prompto wanted no part in this plan, so he escaped Nifelhiem in the hopes of sending a warning of some sort. In hindsight, he hadn't really thought his plan through all that much, so now he had just been running as far as he could. But he never expected to meet the princess in person, especially not like this. This could be a good thing though, he just had to see where this encounter went.

"Anyway, um, w-what are you doing here in Galdin?" he asked, praying to the Six he didn't sound too flustered or suspicious. The last thing he wanted right not was to scare her away.

"I'm heading to Altissia, or at least I'm supposed to," Katia explained. "Then I'm gonna get married."

"Oh yeah, because of the peace treaty, right?" Prompto asked, receiving a nod from the princess. "You don't sound too happy about it though."

"You got that right, I'm not," Katia said. "I don't even know a thing about the guy I'm supposed to marry! But knowing my luck, he'll probably end up being a total jackass."

"What makes you say that?" Prompto asked, nervous to hear her answer.

"I...I don't know..." Katia mumbled. "I guess I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, if that makes any sense. I mean, a sheltered prince who's never left Nifelhiem? How am I supposed to feel about that? There's no information about him, and I'm just supposed to accept that he's gonna be my husband? That doesn't sound fair to me. I didn't ask to be the heiress after all," She suddenly stopped in the middle of her rant. "Oh Six, I'm sorry, I just started rambling on to you and you didn't even ask and-"

Prompto stopped her by suddenly grabbing her hand. He wasn't even sure why he did it, he just felt worried about her. He wouldn't lie, the things she said concerning him hurt, but he couldn't really blame her. He had been sheltered, never allowed to leave his estate and kept away from the world. No one knew what he was like, her assumptions weren't without reason. But he couldn't just straight up tell her who he was, could he?

"I get how you feel, it isn't fair," he said. "But think about how he feels about all this. You think he enjoys being locked up like a caged bird, only to be told he has to marry someone he doesn't know either? You're both just pieces in the Empire's game, forced into this crappy position where neither of you can win."

"Hey, are you alright? Your hands are shaking," Prompto looked down and just as she'd said, his hands had started to shake without him even noticing. He hadn't realized just how this whole false marriage thing was making him feel until now. "Prompto, is there-"

"Well then, now that that matter is settled, I should get back to my search." A voice from above drawled out. Prompto's eyes widened and he quickly placed his hand over Katia's mouth. As she was about to attempt to speak through his hand, he brought his finger to his mouth, silently telling her to be quiet. He knew that voice far too well, and just hearing it directly above him was enough to send shivers down his spine. He knew he was being followed ever since he'd escaped Nifelhiem, but he didn't realize his pursuer was Chancellor Izunia.

His footsteps echoed above them, as if he was pacing. "This really is quite troublesome," he mused. "How can this marriage continue without the beloved prince? It surely won't do for the princess and her entourage to arrive in Altissia if her betrothed isn't waiting for her," Prompto could feel his heartbeat racing. If he said too much, his cover would be blown, and who knew what Katia would do then? "No matter, he couldn't have gone too far. If he's not here in Galdin Quay, then I'm certain that he's close by. It's not like he has a means of transportation anymore. Perhaps he's on his way to Insomnia? In that case, I'll just run into him on my way there. Either way, Prince Prompto will not escape my sights for much longer." Ardyn chuckled to himself and walked away, until his laughter and his footsteps could no longer be heard by either of the royals.

Prompto panicked internally. That was exactly what he didn't want to hear from the Chancellor. Now Katia knew who he was, and it wasn't likely she would take it very well. He let go of her mouth, watching as she backed away from him. Just as he thought, she looked confused and hurt. "Prompto, who was that?" she asked. Well, no point in keeping quiet at this point.

"His name is Ardyn Izunia. He's the person I'm running from."

"Izunia? You mean Chancellor Izunia?"

"Yeah."

"And he said Prince Prompto, right? As in your name?"

"...Yeah, he meant me."

"What the... What's going on here?"

"Katia please, let me explain!" He had to tell her the truth, well, as much of the truth as he could. Hitting her with all of his father's plans probably wouldn't go over well with her. "It's true, I'm Prince Prompto Aldercapt, but you have to listen to me! Everything I said earlier is true! I don't want to be part of this marriage either! Not that it has anything to do with you, you seem like a nice and fun person to be around! But I've had no say in how I've gotten to live my life, I don't want to follow in my father's footsteps! I didn't want this life either! That's why I escaped, that's why I came here, I wanted to get as far away from Nifelhiem as possible and live a normal life! I'm sorry I lied, but I didn't know what else to do! I-"

"Woah, Prompto, calm down! You're crying!" Just like before, Prompto hadn't even realized he'd started crying until Katia told him and he wiped his face to find the warm tears falling from his eyes. He noticed that she didn't look upset anymore, it seemed more like she was worried. "It's not your fault, I'm not mad at you," she explained. "It's obvious that neither of us want to be in this situation, and you're definitely not the person I assumed you'd be. You seem to be a nice guy, and I wouldn't mind being your friend. But I'm not sure what we're going to do since I'm supposed to be going to Altissia to get married to you, and instead you're right here. And if what that Ardyn guy said is true, you can't really go anywhere either. We're kinda stuck."

She was right, going to Altissia was pointless now and she couldn't go back to Insomnia. It'd take a miracle for them to find a way out of this awkward position.

"You know Kat, it's not right for you to try and hook up with someone when you're about to get married." A voice Prompto didn't recognize snapped them both out of their thoughts. Standing outside was a young man with black hair and blue eyes, a smirk on his face as he looked over both of them.

"Dammit Noct, that's not what I was doing!" Katia shouted.

"Whatever you say. I won't tell anyone. Anyway, Ignis says that the boats aren't running right now. This reporter said he'd be willing to get us there if we got some rare stones for him, but Ignis wants your opinion on things. So wrap it up and get your ass back to the car before he actually shows some emotion, alright?"

"Okay then, be there in a sec," Katia sighed, as the young man walked away. "Well this just keeps getting more and more interesting."

"It's true, the boats aren't running right now," Prompto said. "Best case scenario, this reporter guy won't be able to get you out of here until tomorrow." And tomorrow would probably be when Insomnia's fall would happen.

"I can live with that," Katia said. The two of them got out from underneath the dock and started walking back to the car. Prompto wasn't sure why he was following her, but she hadn't objected so he didn't say anything. "Hey! I just had an idea!" she suddenly said. She turned around to face him. "Do you know how to fight at all?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Prompto said, he pulled out a gun he'd been keeping in a side holster. "I mean, I was trained in using firearms, but I don't think I'm very good with them."

"That'll work! I'm sure that's good enough!"

"Why do you ask?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to come with me!"

"Huh? But why?"

"Well, you can't stay here. Ardyn's going to realize sooner or later that you're probably still here and will probably force you back. And you can't leave on your own without transportation. But we have a car, and I'm sure you'll fit with the rest of the guys! I mean, we're gonna have to get married eventually, might as well take this chance of freedom to get to know each other."

"But what about when we get to Altissia?"

"We'll worry about that later. Like you said, it'll be at least until tomorrow before we can get there and that's if this guy can pull through for us. Besides, Ardyn can't look for you in Altissia if he's over here, so it's a win-win in my book!"

Prompto wasn't sure he really understood her reasoning, but it wasn't as if she was wrong. Besides, as terrible as it was to think about, they wouldn't even go to Altissia tomorrow if his fathers plan went through. So perhaps rolling with this weird plan would benefit them. "Alright, makes sense to me I guess!"

The pair made it to the car. Prompto saw not only the black-haired guy from before, but a large buff man with tattoos and a man wearing glasses as well. The man with glasses looked over at them, a raised eyebrow the only change in his stern expression. "Katia, who is this?" he asked. This guy was probably Ignis.

"His name's Prompto," Katia explained. "I ran into him on the beach and he said he wants to help us."

"Really now? And what's in it for him?" The burly man asked, his arms crossed. Prompto made a mental note that this guy was not to be messed with.

"Nothing. I just told him about the danger we've been getting into and he offered his services as a sharpshooter." Katia lied.

"He does have a gun on him," The black-haired guy, who Prompto remembered had been called "Noct", pointed out. "A guy like that might be useful, especially since I doubt those stones we have to find are gonna be easy to get."

Ignis sighed. "Katia, you know I dislike it when you lie to me. What is the real reason this Prompto wants to join us?"

"Damn, can't hide anything from you I guess," Katia admitted. "Prompto's running from someone and he doesn't have anywhere to go. He didn't do anything wrong, but he'll be in big trouble if he's caught. I can't stand here and do nothing, it wouldn't be right. I figure that if we take him with us to Altissia, maybe he'd be safer there. Please Ignis, can't he come with us?" Well, she wasn't exactly lying, but it wasn't the truth either.

"You gotta stop putting your heart on your sleeve like that. People'll take advantage of you like that." The buff man said.

"But isn't compassion key in being a good ruler?" Noct asked.

"Yeah, but Kat has this problem where she feels bad about everyone and wants to help them, even when she can't," The buff man stated. "She cares too much to the point that it's a flaw."

"No one asked you, Gladio." Katia said.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if he came with us," Ignis finally spoke after spending his time thinking things over. "It's not as if he'd be traveling long, just until Altissia, correct?"

"Yeah, I'll get out of your hair then!" Prompto said, figuring that he should at least say something. If Katia kept talking for him than it was bound to look suspicious.

"So it's settled then! Prompto's coming with us! Now let's get those stones or whatever!" Katia said.

"Someone's in a better mood." Gladio said.

"I'm pretty sure I know why." Noct said, the smirk returning again. Katia punched him in the arm.

"No you don't Noct, just get in the car." Katia said.

Before they joined the others, Prompto took hold of her hand. "So when are we gonna tell them who I really am?" he asked in a whisper.

"I guess when they realize we're not gonna find the prince," Katia whispered. "Gladio might be a bit pissed, but I'm sure they'll understand."

"...Thank you again for doing this."

"No problem. Now let's go, we don't want them to get suspicious."

The two royals got in the car, and the group left to find the stones. Prompto felt a pang of guilt in his chest, but it was too late. The lie had already gotten to the point where it was. And it wasn't like he could tell them the fact that he knew the Empire's plans. He looked over at Katia, who was smiling in her set next to him. He couldn't deny it, she looked adorable. He began to wish that they were supposed to be married, he didn't think he'd mind if it was her. But it just wasn't meant to be. He knew it better than anyone.

The car drove off, the five unaware of what lied in store in their future.

#FFXV #Prompto Argentum #Prompto #Prompto x OC #Silver and Iron #Self ship #Self Insert #Self-Insert Week