#when the servant values his own life over the lives of others?

[labyrynth]

okay so apparently this is the "quick and dirty" version, except that it's...a lot less quick than I intended.

Was Mo Xuanyu a threat to Jin Guangyao (and/or his position)?

No.

Why Not?

To his Position: Jin Guangshan brought mxy to Koi Tower after Jin Zixuan died to threaten jgy's newfound position as heir...except that jgs never legitimized him. Mxy's presence would be much more effective as a threat if he was legitimized, so why didn't jgs legitimize him? Most likely, he didn't want to piss off his wife (even more than she already was, anyway), but mxy's general lack of skill and...uncharismatic nature weren't exactly "ideal heir" material.

To Jin Guangyao himself: [i.e. reputation, safety, etc.] lack of will, mostly; according to Jin Ling, mxy basically idolized jgy. but also, lack of ability: if he had the ability to make himself seem like someone to take seriously, his situation with both the Jins and the Mo family would have been completely different.

Did Jin Guangyao perceive Mo Xuanyu to be a threat (to him and/or his position)?

No.

Why not?

He isn't stupid. He would know everything I mentioned above.

Jgy's upset at mxy's presence wasn't because mxy was a legitimate threat to jgy, but because Jin Guangshan, the father he had been working so tirelessly to try to earn the approval of was actively trying to undermine him and spite him. Who wouldn't be upset?

Did Jin Guangyao fabricate a story about sexual harassment as an excuse to get rid of Mo Xuanyu?

[canon-typical content warnings]

No.

(Aka, did Mo Xuanyu actually sexually harass Jin Guangyao? Probably. At the very least, he probably did something that looked a lot like it to an outsider.)

Why not?

Comes from MXY's Account: when mxy summoned wwx, he had written several notes that explained his situation. It's after reading mxy's own notes that wwx concludes that mxy was sent home for sexually harassing other men (ch2)

WWX dismisses this theory: when wwx witnesses the argument between jgy and qin su, he theorizes about what the letter might say, and considers the possibility that jgy may have played a part in mxy's removal; he dismisses the theory, concluding that mxy getting kicked out was most likely legitimate (ch47)

No need to remove MXY: mxy's presence alone isn't a substantial enough threat to warrant addressing, and he ceased to be a potential threat entirely when jgs died, with no path to legitimacy.

MXY has no grudge against JGY: If mxy had done nothing wrong, but was still disgraced and sent back to his abusive family, it stands to reason that he would hold a grudge against the person who slandered him and sent him back. Adding one more person to his vengeance list wouldn't cost him anything extra, but he's satisfied with just the Mo family. he doesn't appear to even make any mention of jgy in all of his notes. (wwx doesn't realize the person sexually harassed was jgy until ch47)

Not how JGY would handle a threat: if mxy was in possession of some piece of information that jgy didn't want him to know, there's no reason to just...send mxy home. the information is either consequential or inconsequential. if it's inconsequential, it isn't worth the hubbub of such a damning rumor (see next point), and if it's consequential, it isn't worth the risk of letting mxy wander around freely when he could keep him close (with mutual blackmail), imprisoned (a la sisi), or just kill him (we already know he's not a very good cultivator, and hey--accidents happen).

Not a rumor JGY would create: circulating a rumor that "the bastard son of a whore turned sect leader was involved in homosexual incest" when said bastard son of a whore IS actually involved in incest (albeit unintentionally) is just knocking on the devil's door. if he's making up a rumor, there's literally no reason to have it hit so close to home, especially if it's something as attention grabbing as "bastard son of a whore turned sect leader receives unwanted sexual advances from his own half-brother"

in conclusion:

headcanon whatever the fuck you want, but the way that the text currently is, Mo Xuanyu was never a threat to Jin Guangyao, Jin Guangyao never thought he was, and Mo Xuanyu wasn't just some hapless uwu gay baby that fell victim to eeevil Jin Guangyao's Power Hungry Plotting

sometimes...other people do bad things...and make mistakes...and it's because they're exercising their own agency.

Speculation Zone: I think mxy probably was trying to come onto jgy, and had been for a while, with jgy doing his best to gently rebuff his affections and keep things under wraps; he really Does Not need any more scrutiny or speculation about his character. Based on the way he reacts in the present (especially when he shows up at Koi Tower), I'm guessing it was probably Jin Ling who saw, probably panicked and ran away, and told the first person he saw...and the rest is history.

#mdzs talk #jgy tag #jin guangyao #mo xuanyu #jin guangshan #jgy and mxy have a complicated relationship #im getting really fucking tired of the self-proclaimed 'jgy fans' who unashamedly put bashing in the tags #and then insist that it's possible to 'love villains for their evilness' #like ok the problem here is that calling jgy 'evil' is missing so many points and is like. pretty classist? #nobody is saying that jgy didn't do bad things but calling JUST jgy evil or toxic or abusive or manipulative or whatever #just comes off as classist. #like you're perfectly fine with the degree of cruelty and wanton violence that everyone else in the book displays #but it's only a problem when...what? when the bastard son wants the power that should have been his to begin with? #when he tries to protect the honor of the mother his father only valued enough to fuck? #when the servant values his own life over the lives of others? #when the whoreson isn't willing to die for someone who wouldn't die for him? #when he kills a man who demanded his death for years? #also btw jgy's relationship with nmj is complex but jgy most certainly does not *abuse* nmj #nmj's supposed 'mental illness' does not give him a free pass for assault & literal attempted murder & i cannot believe i have to say this #jgy plays the literary role of villain but he is not *A* Villain. he's a ridiculously complex 3 dimensional character #and specifically...one that would have MINDED HIS OWN FUCKING BUSINESS if nie fucking huaisang hadn't tipped the boat over #huaisang caused the inciting incident and the rest of the plot AND is the one that provoked the 'antagonist' into action. conclusion? #nhs is the actual antagonist badabing bada boom. ive connected the dots. #(i do actually think there's a good case for this tho. jgy is remarkably passive until he's directly threatened with 'kill urself or die')

[lizzieheartsfanclub]

The most effective thing about Ever After High is that every student has their own personal struggle that adds another element to just how life-ruining the destiny system is.

Apple is so terrified of what will happen to her if she doesn’t follow her destiny, that she is willing to compromise everyone else’s happiness to make sure it happens. This disregard for other people is only encouraged by the influential adults in her life.

Ashlynn has to be a servant to an abusive family and live knowing that the ultimate end to her supposedly happy ending is dying to set the stage for her daughters traumatic backstory, starting the whole cycle over again with no chance for any of them to escape.

Blondie feels so pressured to fit in to a deeply classist/monarchist society and ashamed of her parentage that she constantly presents a fake version of herself to everyone she knows, even her best friends.

Briar has to spend her whole life waiting for the moment her destiny comes and she falls asleep for a century. She knows that when she’s woken up, she will be forced to marry a boy dozens of years younger than her who she’s never met and live knowing that everyone she ever loved is dead and gone, the very things that she watched cause her mother’s emotional breakdown.

Cedar’s father was so afraid of watching her repeat his mistakes that he overcorrected, making it impossible for her to ever learn lessons for herself. She is also forced to share incredibly personal details with anyone who asks her questions, and can’t be trusted by her friends with any of their secrets, and it’s all because of her father’s past trauma.

Cerise has to hide who she truly is and never gets to see her family together and happy despite the fact that her parents have potentially the most healthy and mutually beneficial marriage in the whole franchise.

Daring was groomed from birth for a destiny that ends up not actually being his at all, leaving him aimless, feeling as though he has no purpose and has wasted his entire life.

Darling is forbidden by patriarchy and destiny to become a knight, the only thing she really wants, and at which she would be better than both of her brothers. She has to hide who she is and what she loves from everyone she knows

Dexter lived his whole life never knowing what his destiny would be but also knowing that whatever it was he’d have to commit to it forever the moment he discovered it at Legacy Day.

Duchess has spent her whole life knowing that the story she’s commited to living out ends in tragedy for her, and then had to watch the very people she’s been jealous of for years because of their seemingly happy endings give up those endings, while Duchess, loyal and rule following Duchess, is still stuck with her tragedy.

Faybelle tries so hard to commit to what she sees at her destiny that she’s never had a real friend in her life. Even still, no one recognizes her for all that effort and all she’s given up to be a suitable villain. Everyone is more afraid of Raven, who doesn’t even want to be evil.

Hunter has to constantly go against his moral compass to fulfill his destined role as a Huntsman and to try and make his father proud of him.

Kitty has been taught over and over again to value her Mother’s approval over all else, even at the expense of her friends. Her destiny is to create mischief, but how much more mischief can a dissolving world take before it’s too much?

Lizzie finds it almost impossible to express love or care for anyone else due to her mothers excessive conditioning that’s nearly akin to brainwashing. The saddest thing might be that her mother is actually, in her own way, trying her best to prepare Lizzie for a world that will only ever see her one way—as a villain. Now she lives in Ever After, princess to a kingdom that might not even exist for much longer, having given up everything for a destiny that may soon be impossible.

Maddie is a refugee forced from her home into a world she barely understands at a tender age. But she cannot express any angst or negative feelings about this circumstance, because to do so would go against her character. She lives in a world obsessed with destiny and stories while not even knowing if she’ll ever be able to return home and live out her story.

Raven is judged by almost everyone around her for her mothers crimes, many of which were required of her by destiny in the first place. She is nearly forced to commit to becoming a tyrannical megalomaniac (and almost falls into it herself, several times) who would be sentenced to lifelong punishment and torture for committing acts that weren’t even her idea in the first place, and the one punishing her would have been the very girl who begged so often for her to stop being so difficult and just follow her destiny.

#ever after high #eah #cartoon #cartoons #mattel #apple white #ashlynn ella #blondie lockes #briar beauty #cedar wood #cerise hood #darling charming #dexter charming #daring charming #duchess swan #faybelle thorn #hunter huntsman #kitty cheshire #lizzie hearts #madeline hatter #raven queen

[potionpeddlerpatchy]

word count: ~18.2K

paring: God!Shinso x f!Nymph!Reader

warning(s):  dubcon, marking, slight impact play, somnophilia, oral (f!recieveing), creampie, gods as always being manipulative and cruel.

authors note: hello there, I know I promised this much sooner than it is being granted but as I am sure you can see by the word count, this kind of got away from me. This is actually a sequel to Plucked Flower! And when I was discussing with the lovely @/melodramaticmura about who would be which god, it seemed rather appropriate to have Shinso be the god of sleep. And well, I wanted to make a stand-alone fic of that, perhaps even make a series on it, but it was too tempting to have him steal away Sero's prized nymph so here we are. So please, let Shinso guide you into a peaceful slumber~ 🔮

A long time ago, Gods ruled the world.

Everything that the mortals could see, touch, and know were all controlled by the Gods who blessed them with their divine skills and talents. But, over time, the mortals became more dependent - more greedy - with their reliability on these seraphic creatures. As the demands of the mortals they created, and thus cared for, grew to be overwhelming and abundant, they knew they could not stay within their mortal plane any longer; for they were meant to be treated as divinities, not as servants.

And for once, in a rare moment of solidarity, the Gods worked alongside each other to create a home for which they could call their own; an empyrean realm that only they could have access to, which contained all the splendors known to man and even more. A dwelling where they can find peace and tranquility, and to be finally removed from the demands of the mortals; to finally have the undivided devotion they so craved. For it much easier for a mortal to obey the wishes of a God, if they came they came down to them in a beacon of light and gold.

Serve away they did, the mortals, tending to their temples and bringing forth gifts upon their alters; all the while they would lavish in their heavenly realm of gold and marble, to feast upon delicacies, to relish in the prosperity that the mortals provided to them, and indulge in one another; especially if that indulgence was at the expense of a mortal, to provide them with the vanity and sense of superiority they wished to continue to grasp onto.

Through all this splendor, however, it was easy to grow bored. Hanta, like most Gods, grew bored.

For a God could never cherish anything for too long. An immortal life always paired itself with dissatisfaction; for how could a God truly value anything if they did not have a finite time to have it? How could they enjoy splendor if they have not known poverty? How could they value life if they could not know death? And how could they appreciate anything, if all they wanted was more?

Living forever took the beauty of life away. All the love and heartbreak seemed so meaningless after a while when one could find no reason to hold onto it, that in time it could be replaced by a new adventure, a new thrill, and a new body to make claim to. Why keep something when you could easily abandon the old, and seek out something new? 

And despite the many claims he so sweetly whispered within your ear, the many reassurances and acclimations of love, Hanta finally grew bored of you.

You knew it was bound to happen; there truly was only so much a nymph can do to claim the interest of a God. You knew the thrill he found, the infatuation he grew of you, was within the chase of claiming you for himself; the cat-and-mouse game he so perfectly cast and you so perfectly played into was the thrill he wanted within that moment. 

Of course, there was the thrill after he caught you. How he laid you upon his bed day in and out and claimed his prize in any way he could; whether that be with sweet words, soft kisses, warm and gentle caresses, or have you on your knees to worship his aching cock, to then have it drag in and out of your tight hole as you scream his name for the heavens to hear.

It was to fill his ego, to have the most prized and beautiful creature to claim as his own. To have complete and utter control held over you, the utter and undiverted devotion that he pulled from you constantly as you obeyed and worshipped him however he pleased. To relish in, not only your body but the jealousy of the Gods around him as they grew envious of his little pet.

And once he lost interest, once his fellow Gods grew unbothered and uncaring of his treasures, he would find some other way to gain a boost to his ego; regardless of the feelings he may hurt along the way.

You had to give him credit though, it took him much longer for him to lose interest in you than what every other god that filled the heavenly realms, and even yourself, thought. Many said a few weeks, some said a few months, and you thought perhaps a year. Though it was hard to tell given the way time seemed to matter little the more you stayed there, how it moved so quickly and yet not at all at the same time, to say how long before he lost interest but it was certainly longer than a year.

It was gradual too. Slowly, but surely, he left you alone in that small portion of the heavens he carved out for you. What started with him parting from you earlier some mornings, thus leaving the giant bed he shared with you empty, turned into every morning as you would reach for him only to be met with cold silk and loneliness to sink to your heart. And soon, those daily visits he would give to you so diligently, to allow you some much-needed company as you staved away your boredom, soon started to wane. How he used to share his meals, his laughter and companionship, started to bore him and consequently, he began to leave you with small scraps that were left behind the day before as he neglected yet another meal, and as the weeks progressed, leaving you hungry altogether. 

Though despite all of this, he would still return to you at night; to lull you to sleep in his arms and whisper those sweet nothings into your ear until you fell into a blissful sleep. And it was when he stopped arriving in your bed at night that you knew he no longer cared for you. That those declarations of love were truly just empty words so he could use you as he saw fit, like many a god to a nymph before him. Now leaving you to try and find a semblance of peace all alone in a place you did not belong.

You had no other forms of company either for the other gods barely acknowledged you. Some were spiteful that you would tarnish their realm and way of life by simply existing there as if it was your fault you were placed there. Others tolerated you, though they preferred your silence, wanting merely to look at you and nothing else. Others… they wished to have you in more carnal ways; falsely putting on kind airs only to lure you into their trap - much like Hanta - though luckily none was able to do anything untoward before Hanta intervened; but now you knew not to trust them, and to avoid them altogether.

After Hanta abandoned you, you were left alone to fend for yourself. Granted the small piece of heaven that was made for you was beautiful, and gave you some semblance of peace knowing you would not be bothered here - to which you were eternally grateful to Hanta for such a gift - it left you more lonely than you had ever been in your life. Moreso than when you were cast out from your forest of birth by your fellow Anthousai and forced to find a home, and sisterhood, by yourself.

Because through those trials of loneliness and rejection, you did find a sister. One that loved you, that built a home with you, that kept you company in the best and most nurturing of ways; a companion you adored with your whole heart. And one you were tricked to abandon to come here. 

For as lonely as your life got, at least you had her. Here, you had nothing.

You thought of her often, and the memories you shared together, as you lay upon the clouds of gold and splendor alone and unwanted. Thoughts of her made your lonely days more bearable as you reminded yourself of a time when you were wanted, where you were loved, and where you felt happy and fulfilled as you remembered the bouts of laughter shared between the two of you.

Though Nymphs were ageless, they could die in the mortal realm or transform themselves into the nature they were born to nurture. But here? You had no such release, bound to live amongst the gods until the end of days. And as they progressed, you couldn’t help but worry about your sister; you were safe, but was she? Was she still around in your little home within the mountains? Or was she now gone, lost to the passage of time? 

Your worry grew tenfold when, one morning, you tried to remember her face and couldn’t. She was the only thing that tethered you to happiness in this cruel world you found yourself in; the only thing that brought you warmth as you were surrounded by coldness. Your heart could not help but sink with dread as you frantically tried to think of her face. You had to, for she was the reason your sanity was still intact. She was the reason your heart had not broken fully.

You couldn’t help but weep for weeks on end as you slowly realized you were forgetting her.

You knew you could not sit idly by and let this happen to you; to allow these cruel creatures to break your spirit out of amusement. You had to know, had to remember, for it was all you had left; and you were going to cling to it, to fight for it, for all eternity if you had to.

So you waited, with determination blazing your heart and mind, for the God - the man - who caused all of this. Knowing that at some point he will show up and grant you a visit. He would do so every now and then, seemingly almost out of obligation like an owner would for a pet they cared little for. You knew then, you could ask him for a favor.

~

It was hard to tell how long it had been, how long you had been waiting, but finally, the day had come when you were granted a visit from the winged God; the flapping of his wings signalling you, and thus filling your body with hope, as you heard him approach. Scrambling you got to your feet, unable to hide your excitement as you stood, as you waited with bated breath for him to appear.

Hanta brought with him a tray of food, many delicacies that the Gods would indulge in, ambrosia and wine, you were unsure if this was a way for him to apologize for leaving you for so long without a meal, but the proud smile he garnered on his face when he approached you was clear he felt like he was providing you with a gift.

And though you wished to scowl at him, wanting to allow him to know how unfair it was for him to leave you with little food and company, you knew you had to be your usual sweet self if it meant allowing you to get your way. 

You welcomed him with open arms, clinging to him tightly as you knew he loved for you to do, as you babbled sweetly on how much you missed him, nuzzling your face into his chest as a sign of utmost affection.

You could feel him chuckle before the deep and mirthful sound could fill your ears, as he brought a hand to pet your hair “I miss you too, my beautiful flower.”

His gentle petting of your hair turned into gentle tugging, clearly wanting to have your part so he may rest and enjoy the meal he brought; guiding you gently to do the same and he passed you a goblet of wine; deep purple in colour a far cry from the strawberry wine he used to give you.

You sipped it gently as you listened to him regale tales of what had befallen him while he was away, some excuse as to why he could not visit you before now, as he indulged in your quiet devotion. Though after a while, noticing your lack of enthusiasm or want to partake in the glorious meal, he grew a little concerned as he leaned over towards you to pet at your cheek.

“What is wrong, my sweet love?” Hanta asked of you, moving to push a few strands of hair away from your face “You do not seem yourself.”

You found yourself bashful over his sweet gesture, almost surprised that he still held some tenderness for you. With a timid smile, and huff of a laugh you shook your head “No, no, nothing is wrong.”

“I can tell when you are lying, love” Hanta smiled back, ducking his head to look properly at your face; finding your reaction to him filling his sense of pride. “So please, indulge me”

You took the line he was casting, knowing now would be the only time you could possibly have to pluck the courage to ask him; shyly looking back at him as you tried to find the words, forever grateful for his patience as he looks upon you with tender eyes as he waits for you to speak.

“I was just wondering…” You finally began, “Seeing as I have a few myself these past few nights, if… if you gods ever dream?”

Sero scoffed at you, finding your question as silly and innocent as you were, tone almost condescending as he leaned down closer, a hand continuously stroking your cheek. “Oh my dear, of course we don’t. A God has no need for such childish things as dreams, those are silly things we made for mortals to keep them happy.”

You cannot help yourself from turning your eyes downcast at his almost brutal condescension. Taking a moment to compose yourself before you batted your lashes up at him; your wide and sad eyes a weakness you knew to be his when it came to you, as you asked him again, “Hanta, surely there are times when they are needed, even for a God. If what you say is true, if gods have no need for dreams that mortals do, then there is still a need. Therefore there is a God who provides these, and thus can help another God if needed.” 

Hanta began to draw away from you, clearly figuring out where you were trying to lead the conversation. His eyes could not help but turn darker as jealousy began to cloud his vision of your wanting to seek out another god, as his grip upon your head grew tighter. “You want this God, is that it? The God that provides you these sweet dreams, you want him in your bed?”

You tried to shake your head as best you could, wincing at the slight pain he was now causing you, whimpering out weakly, “No, not at all! I only wish for you to warm my bed!” 

“Then why are you asking me about him?” Hanta could not stop his voice from turning dark, not at all enjoying the fact that you would want to seek another god for any reason; were you truly ungrateful over all that he had done for you that you would find it inadequate?

Though you were not wanting to engage in his wrath, you could not help but become a little elated over the fact that there was a God of Sleep; and Hanta knew of him. But if you ever wished to find him, to be allowed to move freely to do so, you would have to calm, and flatter, the God before you.

“Because I need aid with my dreams,” you whimpered out, eyes turning glassy as they begin to fill with tears - another weakness you knew Hanta to have and for you to exploit. And you almost wanted to smile, to drop the act, at how quickly it worked.

You could see his eyes soften, his grip loosening, as he scanned your face; his other hand coming up to cup your other cheek as he began to fawn over you in concern. “Why? Have you been plagued with nightmarish vision? Have they hurt you?”

You shook your head, though it clearly was not enough to reassure him as his hands continued to stroke your cheeks in a calming manner. You knew you had him in the palm of your hand, as you allowed a few tears to fall from your eyes.

“Then why do you need to seek the Sleep God, my love?” He asked, voice still gentle as he looked down upon you, wanting nothing more than to cease those tears from falling.

“So I can remember my sister!” You blubbered out, and though the tears were falsified before they became honest and true as you reminded yourself of your sister; how the thoughts of forgetting began to cause those tears to fall more freely and stain your delicate face.

“Please, I left her behind for my love for you was stronger. I cannot help but miss her, and if I cannot go to the mortal realm to see her, then I wish to dream of her.” You choked out, as you grabbed hold of his hand, kissing his palm to try and sweeten him and his ego further. “Please Hanta, if you love me as you claim to do, you will allow me this small gift.”

Who was he to refuse you? His good, and obedient nymph. He couldn’t, not when you looked at him so sorrowfully. With a nod of his head, he pulled you into his arms, shushing you as he kisses the crown of your head. 

“Do not cry, my love. I’ll take you to him.” 

~

Though the heavenly realm proved to be a gift above all else, it was not shared equally amongst those that built it. Those whose gifts were heavily tied to the mortals, that dealt with the macabre that their lives would bring, were looked down upon by those whose talents were more serene. It was easier, and more harmonious, to live amongst those that gave love and song than those who had to deal with death and sorrow.

So they were banished to a realm seldom visited unless a favour was needed; a realm filled with darkness that lacked the treasures from above; the Underworld.

Hanta kept you close as you made your way down into the depths of the depressive world, carrying you within his arms and tucking your head into his chest to spare you from the horrors that await a long journey such as this. Needing to protect you, his precious flower, from a dangerous place such as this realm proved to be; a venture no nymph should find herself in, but he was willing to do this for you to cease the sorrow that had befallen you. At times, you yourself couldn’t help but whimper as you clung even tighter to his tunic as the wails of lost souls made your heart stutter with fear.

Soon his wings fluttered to a stop, gingerly setting your feet upon the damp ground, before a cavern-like area. The dark obsidian that lay jagged, almost broken, surrounded the open entrance of the cave and made you question if you should enter, for it seemed far from hospitable. Nonetheless, Hanta pushed you forward, forcing you to take the first step towards what you desired; knowing that he would not be wanted within the rooms of these lands

“Go on, my love” Hanta smiled gently, easing your fear and reassuring you of any falsities your mind could conjure up. “He will not harm you, and I will stay right here should you need me.” 

With a tentative nod, you resigned yourself to your fate as you turned towards the lair before you. With a deep breath, your trembling feet began their stride toward the God who may be able to help you.

The corridor itself was long, lined with those jagged dark rocks and jewels, as you kept yourself small and away from it all as you continued down the winding passage; unsure if it would even allow you to find your way out of its seemingly endless path. A dim light, one of calming blue, rid you of any sense of hopelessness as you approached a room. The room was darker than what you were used to, but that calming blue hue filled the entirety of the space and allowed you to take in the surroundings.

It was more beautiful than you were expecting. An inverse of the pastel and gold that covered the heavenly realm, as dark marble and a silvery mist surrounded you; intricate furnishings with many a carving of stories long past deep within them. Despite the warnings, despite the claims otherwise, this place was not of ruin and decay, but rather of equal splendor that you have become accustomed to from the heavenly realm above.

In the center of all the strange but wonderful opulence sat a giant glass orb propped so beautifully atop of a pillar, woven so intricately like vines, of tourmaline. You couldn’t help but approach it, the alluring purple aura seemed to call out to you, reaching your delicate hand before you, nothing else crossed your mind that your desire to touch the orb's smooth surface.

“You’re a bold little one, aren’t you?” Hitoshi spoke, chuckling deeply as he took in your startled form. 

You jolted your body towards where you heard the God speak, and looked upon his figure that sat on a simple, but elegant, throne of silver; mere feet past the orb. You felt heat rush to your cheeks, flushing them in embarrassment for being so engrossed by a crystalline ball that you failed to notice him. Sheepishly you lowered yourself to your knees - tucking your head close to your chest - as you bowed deeply to him to showcase your respect.

“I apologize for my rude intrusion,” you whimpered, knowing how fickle and quick to anger most Gods were, and hoping your little oversight of his presence would not cause his wrath.  

“Rise,” He tells you, clear from his infliction that he finds boredom in your display of decorum, sitting more upright within his throne to regard your form with interested eyes. “And state your business here. For it is not every day a mortal like yourself so brazenly enters my domain.”

You nervously shift your weight from foot to foot, keeping your gaze downcast as you do as you are told; unable to not find his intense gaze unnerving. “I-I was hoping to seek your skills, to help me with a sorrowful plight I find myself enduring for I-!.” 

His low chuckle made your shoulders tense even further, as the flush that painted your face grew darker. He raised a hand to cease your babbling from continuing; perhaps he found you childish if the condescending shake of his head as he leaned closer to you, was anything to go by.

“I already know what you are here for, little one. Merely wanted to see you squirm in nervousness for a moment longer.” He began to explain. “I already know who you are and your plight; the sad reality of the God of Sleep is that I know every mortal’s dream, and must endure the burdens that come with it.” 

You can tell his words rung true, for as you finally gazed up at his handsome face you could see the dark circles that stained the skin under his eyes, his own sunken deep within his skull, you could tell he suffered the same nightmarish visions, the unease and sorrow, and the sleeplessness you, and the many mortals like you, may find.

“You wish to see your sister, for you are forgetting her,” Hitoshi continued, hand rubbing his forehead as he sighed, watching the elation come forth upon your face as you frantically nodded your head, knowing that now he must aid you in some fashion or else you would not leave him to be alone once more. 

He stood from his throne, his height more imposing than you thought it to be, to stalk his way over to you and the crystalline ball you stand beside; shrinking away from him, you allowed him to pass you with little fuss. With a wave of his hand, the orb filled with a cloud of dark purple smoke. He beckoned you closer to him once it did, and you watched as the smoke slowly cleared away the closer you found yourself to the God and his crystalline glass; soon revealing your sister’s slumbering face.

“She dreams of you often,” He stated, standing aside to allow you the chance to look upon the image without distraction. 

“She does?” You could not help but become overwhelmed with both joy and sorrow as you gazed upon her; elated to know she was still alive and dreamt of you. You just merely wished you could do the same. Tears formed in your eyes as you reached out a cautious hand to gently touch upon the smooth glass, to caress the image of her cheek. “It warms my heart to know that, thank you.”

Hitoshi allowed you a moment to stare, gaze looking upon you in question; pondering what he should do. Knowing of your current plight, one of abandonment and loneliness, he could not help but relate. He found a semblance of sympathy and empathy for the creature before him; for he too found seldom joy within the realm of the Underworld, being placed here and forgotten by the Gods that claimed to be his brothers. He could not help but wish to end your suffering, as well as his. He tried his hardest to garner a plan out of this small act of kindness he would give forth to you in your time of need.

“You certainly act brave,” he called out to you, tone more gentle than before, “but I know you wish to dream of her yourself though pride is stopping you from asking me such a favour. For the Gods that surround you only grant one if you provide something in return.”

He pauses, allowing you a moment to take in his words; speaking once more as he could tell your attention was back on him rather than your sister, watching as your brows furrowed in question, knowing he must speak carefully in order for his plan to work

“I can assure you that I wish nothing in return,” he stated plainly, as he moved to sit on his throne once more. “The end of your sorrowful anguish, to cease the added pain and suffering it causes me, will be payment enough. I only ask for you to visit me here, should you wish to take upon my offer, for it shall be easier for me to provide you with the dreams you want from my throne.”

His response took you by surprise, as you gazed upon him in shock, overwhelmed by his apparent kindness that you could not do anything for a moment but stand there frozen in place - much like the few marble statues that decorated his home.

“Does that suit you?” Hitoshi asked, a brow raised in question as he watched you with amusement.

You nodded your head in a rapid fashion as you scurried your way back to him; unable to stop yourself from taking hold of his hands and squeezing them as you knelt in a bow before him once again; “God of Sleep, truly I wish there were more words I could say and express to you my gratitude and thanks to your kindness, but alas I cannot, but please know from the bottom of my heart that I am so overjoyed to hear you speak those words….” You continued profusely babbling to him your thanks and you kept his hand tightly within yours. 

“Hitoshi, you may call me Hitoshi.” He simply smiled, finding your devotion towards him at that moment welcomed for it rarely happened, relishing in it for a moment longer before removing your hands from his. “I await our next visit, but for now it is time for you to depart.”

You nodded your head in understanding before you bowed your head to him once more in respect, then gingerly walked down the few steps from his throne and towards the long, jagged corridor of obsidian without another word or complaint. 

“I will send my trusted friend Tamaki to fetch you,” Hitoshi called out to you, a smirk playing on his lips. “So there will be no need to bother and bring Hanta back with you.”

~

Hitoshi was true to his word, another surprising moment for you within a land of selfish and deceiving Gods, for when you woke the next morning - alone once more in your vast bed of silk - you caught sight of a man standing within a dark wooden gondola, seemingly waiting for you. Clearly, there was no one else he could possibly be there for, as this small portion of the heavens was made for you, a portion that seldom had visitors. 

Slowly you rose, eyes straining to properly see him, though you knew he was here for you the man situated himself so far away from your slumbering form that you couldn’t help but have a twinge of doubt.

‘Was he perhaps timid?’

A strange notion, and trait, for a God to possess but the closer you approached him, in your barely covered form, the more you began to realize it was true. Another handsome face, as all Gods possess, though his pale skin and dark hair were a striking contrast to the bright flush that stained his face and pointed ears; clearly he was bashful over looking at you in such a state - his eyes never looked upon for more than a brief second before darting away.

“A-are you, Tamaki...?” You asked him, timidness within your own voice as you softly called out to him, trepidation filling your being as you continued to approach him; after all, you had been fooled before by false displays.

“Y-yes I am!” You could see his eyes snap up to you as he stood taller as if bringing forth his name meant bringing forth his station and thus made him want to stand with pride. “I am the Ferryman of the Underworld, I was sent here to get you.”

You watched as he paused, giving you one more look-over before averting his eyes again, letting out a small cough of discomfort over your barely covered body; a reaction you were not used to getting, though perhaps he too was guarded for the fear of unleashing the wrath of a fellow brother was not something he wished upon himself.

“...Though perhaps I should allow you to dress before bringing you before Hitoshi,” he finished, clutching tighter the giant wooden oar he carried and was using for support

Your face flushed in a similar red to the God before you as you nodded your head, perhaps it would have been wiser to dress before approaching the strange presence that entered your little domain, but curiosity always did get the better of you. You nodded your head politely before scurrying off to find suitable garb to wear.

You admired Tamaki’s patience, and his courteous nature for it took you far longer to find a dress that would keep you warm as you stayed in the cooler domain of the Underworld; after all, when Sero brought you here, dressing you in fine clothing was the least of his worries. Every time you looked over at the Ferryman, his eyes were never focused on you, but rather daydreaming as he gazed upon the soft pastel colours of clouds above.

You approached him again once ready, and the kind smile he cast as he gently helped guide you into his gondola put your racing heart at ease; you could not say with certainty that you could trust him, but as he allowed you to sit and get comfortable before slowly descending his vessel down towards the domain he called home you couldn’t help but think that maybe you could.

He was a wonderful guide as well as you made your way back into the treacherous waters and dark world that was the netherworld. His tone, and demeanor, always reassured your every need; from when your shoulders would tense as the gondola grew a little too close to the sides of a cavern, or how your hands would grasp the side of the vessel tightly as the descent moved a little too quickly, or when the screams of the wailing souls became almost unbearable causing you to cover your eyes - he would gently reassure your fears every time.

“Do not fret, fair nymph,” Tamaki’s soft voice rang out above the screeching souls that lay below you, effectively stealing your attention away from their pity. “They will pass in due time, they merely wish to make those suffer alongside them; once they see you will not befallen to their tricks, they will leave you be.”

“They will..?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, unable to properly hear yourself as you continued to try and close your hearing off to the cries of the lost souls, scooting yourself towards the middle of the gondola to avoid their reaching hands.

Yet he still heard you, as if the deafening keenings meant nothing to him, as he nodded his head; using his long oar to steer his vessel down a long stretch of water, away from that of the river Styx. “And do not fear them, as long you are in my care they will not harm you nor snatch you from my boat.”

Slowly the gondola came to a stop, the motion as smooth as the silvery water below, in front of a familiar obsidian cave - the entrance still as daunting and inhospitable as you remembered it being the day before, even if now you knew you were wanted within those walls. He helped guide you, with a courteous hand, up from your seat and out of the dark wooden craft he had grown accustomed to; only pulling his hand from your grasp, and thus support, once your feet were firmly planted on the ground before you. 

“Thank you, Tamaki,” You said, eyes gleaming with genuine sincerity as you gazed upon him, your hand taking his once more to give it a small squeeze of gratitude. You almost giggled when you noticed his cheeks began to flush once more, as his bashfulness took hold and caused him to turn away from you yet again and focus his attention elsewhere.

“I shall be here to guide you back once you are done,” he muttered, his voice never before sounding so small since you met him, as he tugged his hand from your grasp. “Now go. Hitoshi can become impatient if you make him wait too long.”

With a nod of your head, you turned to face the mouth of the cave, dread setting in once more as you swallowed thickly the anxiety that began to bubble up within you; praying that you had not caused the God of Sleep ire for taking so long to get to him as you made your first steps back to his throne.

The blue light guided you as before, calming the gnawing apprehension that made a purchase into your heart for you felt as if you were a lamb being led to slaughter despite the generosity and kindness you were shown merely moments before. Tamaki had said that he would not have harm be brought before you, therefore he would not lead you to harm. You were not a lamb being led to slaughter, as you so felt at that moment, by merely approaching and being within Hitoshi’s lair.

Just as you did before, with timid and apprehensive steps, you stepped through the threshold of silver smoke and jagged obsidian into the room he resided and called home; eyes downcast, feeling smaller than ever before, you took gingered steps to where he sat upon his pearly throne, kneeling before him as a mortal should before a God. His imposing figure, one that loomed over you, caused you to lower your bow further until your head laid upon the cool marble your feet once stood upon.

“Not as bold today, are we?” Hitoshi chuckled, releasing you with an unhurried motion of his hand, his eyes staying with your figure as you moved to stand before him.

He watched as you simply shook your head in response, gaze still downcast as if too nervous to meet his eye; a frown formed upon his lips in disappointment over your timid display, wishing for you to be more excited, more jubilant like you were in your last meeting. Though perhaps it was because of your actions yesterday that you felt the need to be more apprehensive of your every move, not wanting to accidentally offend or upset him.

Hitoshi hummed, finding your continued lack of response telling of his assumptions. He stood from his throne and gracefully sauntered down the few imposing steps before it, regarding you and your smaller form for a brief moment before he ushered you to follow him, to which you did so dutifully; to come before the crystalline ball and its swirling clouds of violet haze. 

Once more, when the smoke began to tire of its own billowing dance and wished to retire away, images of your sister arose causing you to sigh out in quiet joy and behold her sweet and slumbering form. 

“You may stay for as long as you wish,” Hitoshi whispered out, finding that if he were to speak louder he may spook you from the charming trance he had put you under, as he placed his hand upon the small of your back to guide you closer to where you truly wished to be.

He almost chuckled at how you merely nodded in response to his generosity, too engrossed with your sister to think of anything else; even the gracious God providing you such a spectacle. Perhaps if he was in a worse mood, he may have been offended, perhaps even telling you to leave. And yet, he found it rather amusing, endearing even. He could tell why you were plucked from the mortal realm and kept amongst the gods as a pretty rose to gaze upon for eternity - you were certainly an interesting creature, at least as far as he could tell.

“Enjoy it for as long as you may like,” he spoke again, settling down once more onto his throne, chin within his palm as he gazed at you wondering if your response would change. He chuckled to himself when he saw the small rise and nod of your head; clearly too enraptured still to even think of a single word.

Time was frozen still for you, at least that was how you saw it, when you gandered down upon your sister; eyes filled with warmth as your fingers delicately outlined her face with thoughts that raced through your mind. You wondered what she dreamt of, what the days ahead of her looked like, and if she remembered you. A faint smile painted your lips as you thought of all the possibilities that could befall upon her.

Though time at that moment was still for you, it still marched onward.

For Hitoshi, he watched you for hours. His chin never left his palm, as his eyes just softly gazed at your form; curiosity further seeped into his being the longer you stayed. He was almost disappointed when he had to have this little visit come to an end, something he could not help but find odd as no words were spoken between the pair of you. Yet he could feel he missed your presence already.

“The sun is about to rise, little one,” he called out as he sat more upright upon his throne, “which means your sister will wake, and thus we will no longer be able to see her in my crystalline orb.” 

“Has it really been that long?” You softly answered, voice barely above a whisper as your hand dropped from the item in question back to hang limply at your side.

“Afraid it has.” 

“Then I thank you kindly for allowing me such a prolonged gift as this,” You said, casting forth to him a smile of gratitude; though despite your efforts not, you could tell sadness seeped through. You bowed once more, kneeling upon the ground you had spent hours standing upon. “It was more than I could have hoped for.”

“You are welcome to come back here if you so choose,” He watched as you stood once more, an amused smile gracing his handsome face. “For you have been nothing but a quiet and respectful guest.”

“I-I can…?” You questioned, hands coming forth to clasp together nervously; wondering if his amusement was genuine due to your company or if he had a trick he wished to play and had accidentally shown his hand.

“I have not had a more peaceful rest since the millennia started.” He began, gracefully taking a pause so he may walk over to you. “If having you here to admire your sister means I can have more moments of levity like this, then I would be a fool to cast it aside.”

Hitoshi took your hand in his, bringing it forth to place a tender kiss upon the back of it before turning it over to place a small golden bell within your palm, before letting it go. 

“Should you ever wish to return, ring this bell twice. It shall signal to Tamaki that you will be in need of his services, and thus will return you here.”

It was the jubilation on your face, he could only assume, that was what made him wish to provide you this sanctuary in the first place. Your smile beamed forth a ray of light as you gazed up at him, clasping tightly the small gift he had provided to you close to your heart.

“Thank you!” You gushed, feet almost stumbling over themselves as you didn’t know if you wanted to go forth to him and take his hand to showcase your gratitude, or if you wanted to leave to ensure further rest for this God before you (as well as showcase your prize to Tamaki, the man the bell was tied to).

In the end, you chose to scamper away, your gratitude and declarations of thanks echoing within the long and winding hallway. Hitoshi merely shook his head, breathing a sigh of mirth as he returned to his throne; his mind raced with thoughts of you. He wondered if he would get to see more moments of your bubbling personality showcased to him, more so than the small snippet he was blessed with at that moment. 

Ultimately all of his thoughts led to one conclusion, that he hoped you would ring the bell very soon.

~

Despite your desire otherwise, it took you a little more than a fortnight to call upon Tamaki once more; not at all for the reason that you were no longer interested in visiting the Underworld once again and indulging in the gifts brought before you, but rather you would feel horrible if you were to summon a God such as he to take you to and fro on whatever whim you had. Knowing he had far more important tasks to uphold, not simply to take care of you.

Yet, Tamaki greeted you with that same kind smile, one that grew wider when you apologized for being such an inconvenience as you clambered into his boat. 

“Nonsense.” He chuckled, using his oar to steer his vessel. “Your company is a highlight to my day, a far better kind than the souls that screech for my attention. So you need not worry about calling me forth.”

“Is that so?” You hummed, leaning forward towards him with a smile, placing your chin in your palm.

“Yes.” His face flushed that familiar shade of red, yet his eyes remained on you - clearly less shy than before as he grew more accustomed to your presence. “So, call upon me whenever you wish, for I know Hitoshi would prefer if you did as well.”

His eyes then looked away from you to instead focus on successfully steering you to where you were to be; back to Hitoshi. You took the time to survey the surroundings, as it was clear the ride was to remain in silence until the end, taking into account all the small jewels and gems that littered the dark walls of the nether realm. A small glimmer of beauty and hope in an otherwise bleak and dreadful world as you continued your descent. 

Though this time, after the boat had slowed to a stop, a visitor was there waiting for you. 

Hitoshi stood tall, making the daunting entrance of his lair seem small and almost meek. He approached the gondola with purposeful steps. His eyes glimmered with mirth as he nodded his head towards his old friend Tamaki before he bowed before you.

“As always, you have arrived safe and sound.” Hitoshi’s deep voice mumbled out, as he stood to his full height once more. “I am grateful to be able to have Tamki provide such a service.”

“As am I.” You managed to get out, voice meek, as you looked over at the ferryman in question. “He certainly puts me at ease and makes this descent more palatable.”

“Yes, well, I cannot argue with such a statement,” Hitoshi mumbled again before presenting his hand for you to take. “But a ride is not why you are here, now is it? Come along, little one, we cannot keep Tamaki from his duties any longer.”

You nodded your head, giving one last grateful smile towards the God who brought you here, before gingerly placing your hand upon his; finding Hitoshi’s gentle strength almost dizzying as he lifted you from the gondola with ease.

With practiced ease, surely muscle memory for him at this point, he guided you through the caverns towards his home; not at all bothered by the sharp stones that jutted from the walls or the rocky terrain as you were. You leaned into him often, finding his presence and body a needed support, as you tried to keep up with his quick pace.

You wished that the path toward his throne room would be more kind, less abrasive, and less aggressive toward those that wished to seek his help. But much like those gemstones hidden amongst the cavern walls of the Underworld, once you got through all the dread and unpleasantness, you were greeted with something wonderful. And the vast room he called his own always seemed to comfort you in some way whenever you entered it.

This time, when you passed through the haze of silver smoke that always permeated the air around his threshold, like a door to keep his privacy intact, you already found your sister’s slumber face illuminating the giant crystalline ball you had grown so fond of.

Hitoshi allowed you to break free from his hold of you to dart towards your sister, following after you at a much more leisurely pace. He could not blame you for your eagerness to see her, after all her slumbering form was a beauty to behold in and of itself, however he did wish he could hold you and your attention just a moment longer before it was diverted elsewhere.

Nevertheless, he had a plan today. One that he knew you would adore above all else, even more so than any gift the Love God had ever given you previously, or since you entered the realm of the Gods. Unhurried, he followed behind you, taking in the image of your admiring eyes for a moment longer before deciding to break the peaceful silence that had befallen.

“Do you wish to visit her?” He asked, placing his hand to the back of your neck to stroke the hair that laid there.

“More than anything…” You whispered, smiling fondly at the image before you, an action you had grown accustomed to doing. “However, such a wonder cannot happen, nor be granted to me while I am here.”

Hitoshi chuckled, an almost sinister grin forming upon his lips as he gazed down at you, lowering his head to whisper in your ear, “What if I told you that you could?”

He delighted in the way your body shivered at his action, the way your eyes finally were diverted from your sister and thus focused upon him; that he finally was the one to capture your whole attention.

“Can you?” You breathed out, having lost all the air within your lungs and body over his words; unable to breathe at not only the possibility of perhaps being able to hold your sister in your arms again, but the price it might cost for such a miracle.

“Dreams are an amusing thing, little one.” Hitoshi smiled, taking hold of your shoulders so you could face him fully. “A reality that is not fully our own, a realm in and of itself that is not beholden to the same rules as ours.”

He paused, and watched as your little brain tried to understand fully what he was saying. Finding it adorable when your brows furrowed together in concentration as you tried to put the pieces he was alluding to together. He brought his hand up to pat your head, stroking his palm down your hair soothingly as he continued.

“I can control that realm, a gift given to me by my mother.” He muttered those words, his smile growing wider as he saw your eyes light up in hope. “If you allow me your trust, to give forth your sleep to me, I shall be able to connect your dreams together and thus allow you a brief moment to be together again.”

It was almost comical to him how trusting you were, how you would so easily give up something so precious as the ability to command your own sleep to him. How you practically threw yourself into his arms, in both desperation and shock that such a gift could exist, as you quietly begged him for that chance.

“Please Hitoshi!” You said, hands clinging tightly to his tunic as you felt your eyes well with tears as your feelings overwhelmed you. “I beseech you, please, take me to her. I would ask nothing more of you, of your skills, gifts, or time, if you allowed me this. My anguish would cease being your burden if you allowed me to speak with her just this once.”

You turned your face away from him as you felt the warmth of your tears begin to stain your cheeks. Wanting to lessen your humiliation, you focused back on the image of your sister, and you asked him once more to take you to her, even if only for a brief moment.

Your naivety, your utter trust in him after all you had known and learned from the Gods, made Hitoshi’s smile grow even darker as mischievousness tainted it. You were so willing to eat from his palm, that you had no time to properly think if his intentions were pure. So blindsided by the love of your sister and desire to see her, you would do anything - even if it meant being at his mercy. 

He almost felt pity for you, such a sweet creature like yourself being taken advantage of by a more powerful being. 

Almost.

“Hush, little one,” he cooed, almost in condescension, as he pulled you against him once more to dry the tears that fell so freely from your eyes. “I would have not have offered such a gift if I had no intention of giving it to you.”

He continued to brush your tears away as he listened to you hiccup and sob, trying your best to form a response to him and his kindness but failing; shushing you once more as he pulled your head to rest against his chest, allowing you a moment of reprieve to calm yourself down.

“Now, now.” He began after silence had enveloped the pair of you for a breath. “Whenever you are ready, please lay yourself down in any place you deem comfortable within my home.”

He allowed you to pull away once more, watching as you sniffled and nodded your head, your hand wiping away the last of your tears as you looked about the abode. Deciding that his throne would be the most comfortable spot to choose if you were to lay down. However, you could not bring yourself to gain the courage to sit upon his throne. Instead, you chose to lean your body upright to sit comfortably against it, your head settled upon the arm of his chair to further ensure that you would slump over once sleep overtook you.

Hitoshi wanted patiently as you made your decision, finding your bold action to use his throne in some fashion entertaining, a refreshing outcome from your usual polite and timid nature. He approached you once it was made clear you were comfortable, kneeling down to your eye level as he brushed your hair away from your face.

“Close your eyes for me… there we are, that’s good,” he whispered out, eyes turning a pale silver, like the mist that surrounded his room, before he brought his hand up to your face. “Now, I must warn that you may feel nauseous once being thrust from one realm to the next, do your best to focus on where you are headed, for it will help, alright?”

You nodded your head in acknowledgment over his words, shifting one last time in a more comfortable position. “Alright.”

“Good, and do not fret, I will watch over you”

With that, his hand made contact with your brow as his power surged through your being. Your eyes rolled back into your skull, as you felt your consciousness being violently thrust from this plane, this realm of existence. You fought back the turning of your stomach, the urge to fetch up the bile that sat in your stomach, as you gripped tightly to your robes; to ground yourself into the reality you wished to be in most, a dream with your sister. Abruptly, your world and soul stopped moving, lurching you forward to fall into a soft and grassy field; a meadow that reminded you of when you used to run through and create flower crowns with your sister, a long time ago.

You turned, and turned, and turned, trying to find your bearings as well as anything of importance or familiarity within the giant landscape of flora you had been transported to. Your eyes tried their best to adjust to the bright light that had been thrust upon you from a sun that was nowhere in sight; but after all the disorientation that you had suffered, your mind eventually cleared. Gone was the haze that clouded it, and now you could finally spot, far in the distance, a sight that made your heart warm. Your old home.

You picked up your skirts with a watery smile, doing your best to hold back the tears of happiness that were about to fall, as you began to run towards it. Elated was how you felt for at last you made it back to the one place you felt joy within your long life. Back to the place where you felt love and adoration; back to her. 

When the rundown cabin, filled with trinkets and coin from travelers long past, became far more than a small speck on the horizon, your voice came to you. Shouting your sister’s name, screaming out your presence here, as you continued to sprint as quickly as you could to her.

You caught sight of her after a few calls of her name, her head poking out from the bedroom window you used to share. Your pace quickened, far past your own abilities but you found little use to care of the pain when the person you loved most was in view, as you called out even louder; an arm waving to allow her to notice you promptly. You became jubilant as the realization of who you were came across her face. You almost tripped over your own feet as laughter began to pour out of you, as you took in the actions of her throwing open the cabin door with abandon, her not bothering to care of any damage she caused, before she ran to meet you.

The embrace you shared with one another was so forceful and tight that it caused you both to fall to the ground, pain and soreness subsided by the sounds of each other's laughter over finally being together once more; to hold one another and feel whole again. Sobs soon mixed in with the laughter, tears of joy understandably shed, as you both clung onto each other tightly. You were the first to pull away, certain that she would not disappear once doing so, wanting to see her face fully for the first time after all these years.

“There you are,” you breathed out, pressing your forehead against her with a relieved sigh “Oh, how I missed you terribly! My thoughts while we were apart were only of you.”

“As were mine!” She huffed out a laugh, bringing forth her hand to dry the flowing tears from her eyes. “I have been dreaming the same dream for years, hoping that one day you would return back to me.”

“I’m sorry it took so long!” You sobbed, leaning into her to wrap your arms tightly around her, burying your face within her shoulder as you babbled out another apology; finding comfort as she gingerly played with your hair as she used to do whenever you were upset.

“There is no need to apologize, my dear sister.” She uttered, resting her head atop yours. “All that matters right now is that we are finally together. After so long, after so much time apart, we are together again.”

She felt more so than saw your head nod in agreement, taking yet another moment to bask in the warmth that was your glow (as you did the same) before she patted at your back, an action that caused you to pull away slightly. With a warm smile, she caressed your cheek, humming in delight when she felt the heated skin upon her fingertips as her eyes searched yours.

“Come with me,” she finally spoke, standing with an outstretched hand for you to take. “Let me bring you home.”

With an ecstatic nod of your head, you agreed. Tears formed in your eyes at the mere thought of entering the home you once shared with her again as you took hold of her hand, allowing her to pull you to your feet. Together you walked alongside each other, pulling on each other’s arms, as nostalgia washed through you both - like a warm blanket on a winter’s eve - as you remembered a time when this was the existence you lead.

Meanwhile, as you slept, Hitoshi dutifully watched over you; finding your slumbering face rather beautiful as you allowed him to keep guard. He wondered if you were also so trusting, so naive about the world and the nature of Gods. Surely you must be if a few simple words of affirmation by another would allow you to be swallowed up by him; to follow willingly into a world not your own. Even more so, trust a God like him, after staying in this unforgiving place for so long.

Regardless, he stroked your cheek with a fond smile, knowing that this would not be the last time he would see you, to relish in your serene beauty, and enjoy your company; already his mind had raced with the many ways he wished to spend it.

~

The Gods within the Underworld barely get any company, as the Gods in the realm above them would rather steer clear of their domain; a sense of haughtiness as they turn their noses up at the prospect of spending their precious time with Gods they deem lower than them.

Therefore it cannot be helped that Hitoshi grew rather fond of you so quickly; a meek and sweet little nymph like yourself was more than a welcomed guest in his domain. Truly he would do anything in his power to have you keep visiting him and wanting his company. And, being the naive little thing you were, you so easily gave him the control he needed to ensure you would come crawling back to him; the power to manipulate your dreams and sleep. 

He wasn’t going to be cruel, after all, he wanted you to trust him and to do so of your own free will. At first, he only took an hour or two of sleep away, a simple ploy set in action for whenever you arrived back to him, he was able to easily coerce you to stay even longer; to catch up on the rest you had missed. Of course, you did not mind in the slightest, for that merely meant allowing you the chance to spend more time with your sister in the small way you could.

Once you woke, you always repaid him in kind, indulging him further with your awakened company; answering his questions, both of simplicity (like the times you recalled what your favoured the most) and those of a more personal nature (like the many stories of your previous life within the mortal realm). As well, you allowed him to showcase to you more of his domain and home, taking his arm with little fuss as he regaled the histories of the items that surrounded you, explaining to you how everything worked within the Underworld; from the souls, Tamaki would bring through, to the decisions Shigraki would make to keep things in order, to his own duty of keeping mortals well rested so they may continue their devotion to the many Gods they adored.

At the end, before he set you free to leave with Tamaki, he would always find the small pleasure of kissing the back of your hand; heart thrilling as you would cast before him your sweet smile before bidding adieu. He longed for you to gaze at him so lovingly, to hold and keep that precious smile with him forever.

Though, after a while, your stays with him became less frequent. Hitoshi used to be blessed by your company almost every other day. Before he knew of it, those frequent days together dwindled down to merely a couple of visits every few weeks. Now? Now Hitoshi would be lucky if he got to enjoy your presence once a month. And the worst of it was, whenever you finally did show your pretty face, there never was an explanation as to why you were gone from him for so long. With a wave of your hand, you would brush it aside, as if starving him of your companionship was nothing to be of worry, as you approached his throne. 

Truly, when all was said and done, this was all your own doing. 

Hitoshi simply could not have you vanish like the silver mist that enveloped his throne, he doubted he could survive if you did. So, he just had to make things a little bit worse for you; to slowly deprive you of more and more sleep. And the times he would gift you with slumber, they would be filled with dreams unpleasant and cruel.

He just had to have you crawl back to him, to stay with him. He simply had to.

~

It wasn’t as if you did not want to visit Hitoshi, you wished with every fiber of your being that you could; you really did. You enjoyed the time spent with him, both he and Tamaki were very kind and always sought to make you comfortable - never to leave you bored or feeling unwanted. Unfortunately, someone else decided for you that visiting was no longer to be.

Hanta had a renewed interest in you just as you were starting to get comfortable within the God of Sleep’s domain; monopolizing your time more and more, almost unbearably so, with his presence and touch. As if he was making up for lost time, doing his best to renew the interest he once captured so easily. Though he claimed otherwise, you knew that his actions were simply made from jealousy; he wanted you to be his pet, whom he called upon at any moment, to give your utter devotion to. Now your devotion seemed to be turned elsewhere, and his pride simply could not have it. 

He couldn’t keep hold of you at all times; duties had to be done, and other men and women needed to be blessed by his presence and touch. Only then were you able to slip away from his hold to visit the Underworld. Though every time you entered, you felt more and more ashamed of who you were, about the marks that were left upon your skin, and the reasons you could not see Hitoshi more frequently. Embarrassment always filled your being when you felt the Sleep God’s eyes upon you, taking in your dishevelled and messy form, knowing you were a sore sight to see; and you could never find the strength to confide in him as to the reasons why.

You simply wished to forget all that transpired while away, even if for a moment.

That moment of levity would simply be that; a moment. For once you returned to the clouds above, Hanta would be waiting for you; wings twitching in agitation as the scowl upon his beautiful face would cause you to shrink in fear. Anger, agitation, would fill his being at your deliberate disobeying of his rule to stay where you were until he was to return; dragging you to the bed you shared. Though you tried to plead with him that it wasn’t nearly anything his mind could conjure up, that he need not be so harsh with you, it never sunk into him - merely falling onto deaf ears. Despite protesting thus, he would bend you at the waist, pinning you to the silk sheets so you could not move, or fight him, before he would fill you with his cock; ignoring your squeals of pain as he stretched you completely. To slap his hand upon your skin until your skin was red and raw as he teethed marked you with the last mementos of his lovemaking. Actions never ceased until your voice became hoarse from the pleasured screams, and your body became limp with his marks of strength; making it clear to any gods nearby that you were his.

After which, the vicious cycle would continue.

Moreover, to add insult to the injury you were currently plagued with, you could not find a sense of slumber; a moment of rest and the peace that paired with it. Oh, how you wished you did, you wished for a moment of sanctuary from the torture you were in, and yet it never came. Always just slipping past your fingertips, like mist in a dense fog. Hanta and his insatiability, much like when he first claimed you for his own, took from your body and sense of strength and repose needed to even sit up. It left you ragged and begging to melt into the clouds that surrounded you; chanting silently to the God realms away to grant you what you desired most. A reprieve from this world, no matter how small it was to be. But once you felt it ebb at the corners of your consciousness, Hanta would ultimately rouse you to continue his ravishings.

The fair few times you could allow yourself to sink into the inky abyss of slumber, your being finally being so worn down it had no choice but to relent to it, the dreams within it would be far more cruel than the fate currently abusing you. Dreams so conniving and hurtful, of fears locked so far away, that you not help but wake with tears in your eyes; whimpering and wailing sobs into the vastness of the heavens around you. With your cries growing more intense when you found your only comfort against all this pain and suffering was Hanta and his touch; one that would ultimately lead to salacious things.

You began to resent him. His voice, his touch, his presence even remotely near you. You wished he had never caught sight of you, never gave you all those gifts, and most important of all, never brought you here to the heavens. As the days passed you felt stuck in an endless cycle of hell, one seemingly by his own hand. You were once so exuberant, full of life and wonder, and now you could feel yourself wasting away into nothing. No longer able to skip and frolic into fields of flowers or clouds, your body was too weak; barely even able to lift your arm to grab hold of anything. Your eyes, ones that were bright and filled with wonder as they looked upon the many majesties of the world, could barely be forced to open; a stinging pain would follow as any glimmer of light would cause you pain. And your head. Your poor head that would read and listen to the stories of old, now suffered from severe throbbing pain as your mind pulsed against your skull - trying to free itself from the prison it found itself in.

You could not escape it, nor Hanta - especially after he had taken the golden bell gifted to you as his own. Your life seemed to be regaled to misery as you lived every waking moment in pain. You wished that death could find you and turn you into an everlasting rose, then be subjected to spend more time with him; the cause of all the suffering.

Hanta could sense it all too. The indignation that filled your very being and thus cast forth onto him. He became less patient with you, his temper flaring considerably as he found your irritability insufferable; finding your whining and aversion to his help a scornful cross he felt he had not deserved, not after all he had done for you. The rage within him would burn even brighter whenever you would implore him to allow you to see the God of Sleep, to ask for his aid in the matter that had been plaguing you instead of him. Bitterness filled him over being replaced by a God lesser than him; for being a fool to allow you the freedom to visit that domain and become dependent on someone other than him.

“Hanta, please!” You wept, palms coming to press against your eyes to relieve some of the unbearable pressure behind them. “I cannot keep going like this. Can’t you see that I am in pain? That I am suffering?”

You removed your hands from your eyes, your feeble attempt to try and soothe the pain found in your body futile, having them fall into your lap in defeat. You looked over at him, back turned to you, as he tried to ignore your wails once more in favour of sharpening the many golden arrows he possessed. 

“I thought you loved me!” You called out again, trying in vain once more to garner his attention, the declaration working as you saw his shoulders tense.

“I do love you.” Hanta began, turning to give a look of scorn when you tried to argue otherwise “But it is clear that your reliance on another God caused you this misery. If you stayed here, and allowed me to take care of you, you would not have found yourself in such a state.”

“Take care of me?” You huffed out a laugh in scorn, hands balling into fists over his claims “You left me here. Abandoned me once I no longer suited your fancy, with no food, drink, or company. Alone is a place where I did not belong! How could you blame me for wanting to be cared for!”

“You could have asked for more!” Hanta stood, his wings twitched as he did his best to control the fury bubbling within him “Have I not given you everything? Have I not provided you splendor that no other creature, mortal or otherwise, could have dreamed? Have I not carved out of the heavens a home for you? You are acting like a petulant child, one that has been so spoiled that they cannot find it within themselves to have an ounce of gratefulness or gratitude.”

You could not help yourself, could not fight the urge otherwise. How could he claim all those things about you, to compare you to a mollycoddled child, when he was the one that would abandon anything once he got bored. To pin the pain you are under as something of your own fault, and not bother to care about trying to lessen the burden.

“I hate you.”

The words slithered out in a vengeful hiss, marking them as true and honest as you looked away from him in scorn; finding yourself so disgusted by him that you wished not to acknowledge his presence. You had never said those words before, never been pushed to think that way of anyone, even the nymphs that casted you out. Yet, you felt the need to let that be known and you sat and seethed.

You did regret those words after you spoke them, finding a moment of levity as your mind cleared from the anger and pain it had been placed under. Though it was too late. A final straw had been broken, after weeks of being placed under the pressure of a bend, within Hanta.

He marched towards you, to where you sat so pitifully, to take hold of your arm; not bothering to care over the cry of pain he inflicted as he dragged you to your feet to follow him to the edge of the heavenly clouds that you called home. Bringing forth the golden bell from his tunic to hold it menacingly over the border that kept the Gods in the heavens, and the mortals within the earth.

“Apologize at once.” He demanded, tugging you even closer to him to cease your struggling against his hold “Say that you are sorry or I will drop it.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I had not meant to say! Please Hanta, believe me! I could never hate you! Don’t do this!” You begged, falling to your knees as you clung to his waist

But despite obeying, despite always doing what he said like the sweet-natured nymph you were, it did not matter. In a moment of vexation, a moment to showcase his power over you, Hanta still did not relent (as he always did to your cries) as his fingers let slip the golden bell. Allowing it to sink away for all eternity.

You collapsed in a heap, fingers digging deeply into the cloud below you, as you wept and sobbed; despite the pounding in your head telling you to stop, you couldn’t. Your one saving grace, the one thing that brought a semblance of happiness to you in this realm was gone. And with that revelation came the doubt that you would ever see your sister again nor get a decent night’s rest until the end of time - or until your ultimate banishment from here, whenever that mercy may come.

You couldn’t help but kick and scream when you felt Hanta’s arm wrap around you as he picked you up from the ground. Using the last morsels of strength within you to try and fight him off and away, for his touch was the last thing you ever wanted upon your skin.

But what was the strength of a nymph when compared to a God? 

He laid you in bed, and though he tried to join you, to hold you close and whisper those sweet nothings in your ear as he knew you used to love, you kept pushing him away. Instead choosing to curl up into a tight ball and weep until sleep ultimately took your anguished form. All Hanta could do was watch as guilt gnawed at him - latching onto his soul like roots of a tree that took purchase into the earth - as he reaped what he had sown. 

~

The anguish you felt is what finally caught Hitoshi’s attention towards you and your ever-growing plight, for it had seeped through into your dreams when your body finally tired out from all it had been fighting. He could sense your pain, your sorrow, the distress that filled every ounce of your soul; it caused his breathing to labor as he could not help but panic over what had transpired. He rushed to look into his orb of dreams to search for you and to understand what had transpired for your soul to give up and to become on the verge of death; something impossible for a creature like you to do within the heavens.

You were always surprising him, weren’t you?

He wanted to find a semblance of admiration over you achieving such a feat, but all he could find was fear over the thought of losing you. Your blurry appropriation finally came forth to him within the haze of smoke so familiar to him, blurred lines turned clear as he turned more of his attention towards you; and subsequently, the memory you had gripped so tightly to. That of your precious gift, your golden bell, being taken away from you.

Histoshi wasted not another moment. Summoning forth Tamaki with urgency, as he began to move through his labyrinth hurriedly; meeting the other god at the riverbed to his home. Tamaki could tell from the distressed look within the other God's eyes, that something was amiss.

“Go gather the nymph.” Hitoshi instructed, voice hardened with ice as he tried to keep his composure “And bring her back here to me, as swiftly as you can”

“Has something happened?” The meeker God questioned, worry gathering within his heart as his eyes scanned Hitoshi’s features.

“Go and get her.” Hitoshi reiterated voice hissing at the accidental stalling his friend was causing. “And do so swiftly! Though, be wary of that Love God, for he is watching over her.” 

Without another word, or hesitancy otherwise, Tamaki nodded his head before hastily setting his vessel in motion. There was something wrong, for his oldest friend would not have treated him so coldly, would not be so fearful of a wasted moment. Something had happened to you, and Tamaki feared it was something awful.

Bravery was never something that came naturally to the ferryman, he was far too meek and worried of causing ire from his fellow brothers and sisters; especially those few that lived among him. He felt it course through him as he ascended to the heavens to retrieve you, determination settling within his heart as he made up his mind to bring you to the Underworld for good.

Tamaki was quiet when he approached your little piece of heaven; heading the advice to be wary to ensure a safe recovery of you. Though when he appeared, he found you surprisingly alone. You lay curled up like a baby bird in its nest upon your bed, but he knew it wouldn’t be for long. For the Love God was clearly only absent to gather your items of comfort, and with his powerful wings to swiftly guide him through the air, Tamaki knew it was only a matter of moments before he would return; there was no time to dawdle. 

Gently he scooped you into his arms, taking note to cradle your weak head gently against his chest, as he carried you to his gondola. Setting you upon the bench you so eagerly used to sit upon, he allowed you to rest as he took you back down to the Underworld; to your new home.

~

You awoke, mind filled with a disorienting haze as you tried to recall how you ended up blessed enough to find slumber. To garner a restful enough sleep and avoid the terrors your mind could come up whenever you were in that realm. However, that wonderment of how you could have become so blessed after so agonizingly long was drowned out by confusion as your brows furrowed as it tried to comprehend what this odd weight upon your body was.

It was familiar to you, like an old friend, one soothing and reassuring. Yet at the same time, it did not feel like something you knew. The hand that stroked your hair, and scratched gently upon your scalp in a manner so gentle, was not one that you knew. The arm that held you so tightly to a broad, lithe, chest did not feel at all similar to the one you cuddled up against night after night.

It wasn’t familiar to you, thus you could only assume that you were no longer in the arms of Hanta, but rather someone else. Now that you were in this hold, you were afraid you could never go back to what you were used to. How you preferred the more tender hold of the arms that embraced you, how they held you with your comfort in mind, not to keep you trapped; a hold that you could not help sink deeper within. Finding the soft tunic a welcomed reprieve to warm and bare skin as you clung to it.

Though despite your wanting to sink back into the inky abyss that was the realm of slumber, your mind did not allow it; far too concerned with whoever was holding you. Though it felt nice, something about it still did feel right. Your brows furrowed more so together as you began to push against the embrace, your tired eyes burning as they opened to gain clarity of your situation.

A frightful gasp left your lips as you looked upon a familiar pair of violet eyes, those accompanied by the almost charming dark circles of deprivation. Despite your best efforts to pull away from him, knowing just how irate Hanta would be if he were to catch you with him in such a manner, Hitoshi kept you in place; his arm tightly digging into your sides to keep you against him.

“Hush, and be still little one,” Histoshi shushed you, hand moving from your hair to stroke upon your cheek in a manner meant to calm you further. “Your body is still destitute of slumber, it cannot handle your struggles.”

You relented, body falling more limp within his hold, though you fought the urge to fall back into his chest; wanting answers to the racing questions that ran through your mind as they managed to take precedence over your want of sleep.

“How…. how did I get here?” You finally asked, voice cracking and sore from your wails just hours prior, as you kept your gaze downcast. “From what I can recall, I needed the bell you gifted me to summon Tamaki; one of the few that knew how to get to you”

“As you know,” he began with a sigh, tugging at the ends of your hair in an effort to get your pretty eyes to gaze back at him; disappointed that you wouldn’t relent and do so, “I can feel all the anguish that the mortals are beholden to as they sleep, you are no exception. I felt all your pain and suffering, and I could sense that you were unable to escape the grasp of the Love God. So, I figured the only course of action to end your distress that I could provide was to gather you myself so you may get the rest you sorely needed.”

He watched as you buried the palms of your hands into your eyes gently, trying in vain to allow your muddled mind to come to terms and piece together what he had just said. After a moment of silence, he pulled your hands back down to rest in your lap.

“Are you alright now?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper, as he watched you nod your head. Dissatisfied over your lack of response he placed his forefinger under your chin to force your head up to face him. “Are you sure?”

“Y-yes.” 

Your meek response was good enough to appease him as he let go of your face to instead pull you closer within his hold; his hand once more moving your head to place it against the crevice between his neck and shoulder. Hand once more absently played with your hair as he continued to soothe and strived to relax your body.

“Sleep, little one,” he mumbled into your brow, “Stay as you need so you may regain all that you lost. I promise to look over you.”

Instead of gratitude, instead of your body falling heed to his request, he felt your body shake as you silently sobbed. You wished you could allow yourself such a sweet reprieve, but you knew better now. Once you garnered enough strength to walk, you would have to be taken back to the heavens once all this was over. If not by the God before you, then by the God you have surely angered and left in a cold bed. You felt Hitoshi move your body to sit upright, his hands resting upon your heated cheeks as he attempted to dry them from your ever-falling tears. 

“Why are you upset, my darling one?” He asked, searching your eyes for a response, only to find you closing them and looking away.

“If I do stay, if I do as you ask of me and regain my strength and rest, it will not matter.” You blubbered, shaking your head to rid yourself of his grasp on your face.

“And why do you say that?”

“After I do, I will have to return back to Hanta. And I do not want to suffer the false hope that will befall me if I stay, for once I go back I will suffer as I had before. Sleepless and filled with horrid visions!”

Hitoshi did his best to hide the smile that was yearning to break free. He found he was grateful this one time that your glossy eyes would not look at him. Here you were, like a child, in his lap as you wept over the fear of another bad dream that may fall upon you again. It was clear your state of mind had been broken, that your resolve had been shattered, and now you were at the mercy of him and his plan; thus now he could finally strike. 

“Who has declared that you must go back?” He whispered as he kissed the crown of your head to soothe you further. “You could just stay here with me, you will never have to worry about sleep and nightmares again. And your sister, I’m sure she missed you.”

With the mention of your sister, you finally looked up at him, your sobbing quieted down as you hiccuped your response. “Y-you w-would let me stay...?”

“I would.” He nodded his affirmation alongside his words, ensuring you would believe him. “And you may visit your sister as often as your heart desires, to wander the Underworld and beholden to their treasures whenever you please. You would just have to keep me company whenever I request it.”

“And Hanta? W-what of him?”

“You would never have to worry about being taken away from him if you did not want. Wherever silver mist gathers, especially within the archways of this domain, he cannot enter nor breakthrough. He may charge his way here, but he will never be allowed to enter my throne.”

You took a moment to gaze upon the familiar archway you had walked through countless times, watching as the silver smoke twirled languishingly amongst itself as if it had a mind of its own. It brought back the memory of when you first came here, how Hanta pushed you to make the journey to the God of Sleep alone. It was not done to test your bravery, but rather for the reason Hitoshi claimed; he was not welcomed here and therefore could not follow you.

It all made sense why Hanata hated that you would visit Hitoshi, for he could not keep an eye on you. He could not control you and whatever you did while here.

Now you were presented with an offer. A tempting one that promised you everything you had been deprived of while you were up in the heavens; to be taken care of fully. To be able to enjoy the spoils found here, to sleep, and to see your sister. Your exhausted mind could not help but agree that his terms and conditions to be his companion within the Underworld was a far better offer than what you were granted within the Heavens.

“I’ll stay…” You murmured out, as you allowed your body to fall limp into his arms in acceptance. “...I’ll stay.”

“Good, now rest little one, you are safe now.”

Hitoshi was unable to cease holding back the triumphant smile that wished to come forth, relenting to it as it spread across his beautiful face in an almost sinister manner before he pressed a kiss to your forehead. He had won, and now he was hoping to reap the rewards he waited so patiently for; grinning more widely as he heard a whine slip passed your lips, the sound going straight to his cock as he shifted you within his lap.

“What is the matter now?” He muttered into your brow, pressing another kiss there as he watched you squirm.

“I can’t sleep...!” You murmured out, clearly exasperated over your mind telling you of desires that you wanted while your body continued to betray you.

“Never fear of things such as that my darling.” His kiss slowly descended down your face before they paused at your lips; brushing against them in a manner much like a butterfly’s kiss. “I can help you, you need only ask me to do so.”

“Please help me Hitoshi…” You breathed out as you clung to his tunic once more.

He knew you were ready to plead further to him, he could hear the hitch in your voice as you made an attempt to do so. But he could not wait any longer, not after all the work he placed into his efforts, nor after hearing you consent to him; even if he desired to hear you beg for him further. His lips pressed against you in a kiss he has waited far too long to enjoy.

But greed swiftly appeared and possessed him, taking his kisses from sweet and small - tiny pecks to showcase his love and adoration for you - to ones more consuming as he melded your lips into his; not caring about breathing more so the want to feel your lips against his. His hand came to hold your jaw in place, craning your neck upward so that he may deepen the kiss to his desire.

It was not harsh, nor hurried, as one would expect from being consumed by the throws of passion and lust; especially the kind that had been suppressed for so long. Hitoshi could not recall in most recent memory, or memory long passed, ever having a lover by his side. And now that he had you, now that he finally had you here, he wished to engulf you completely and enjoy what the Gods above have denied him.

His motions were languid as he continued to hold your lips against his, he relished in how pillowy they felt as he continued to suck and smack upon them; not bothering to care of your whimpers of discomfort over how lewd the sounds had become, or how the mixture of saliva would drip down your chin. He still refused to relent as he found himself possessed over you and this feeling of domination. He slipped forth his tongue into your pliant and sweet mouth; how he delighted in the way your strength left you and caused you to go limp within his hold. 

With the knowledge that you would not fight against him further, rather allowing yourself to succumb to him and his desires instead, his hands began to roam your body; no longer afraid of angering you and your possible attempts to fight otherwise.

You couldn't say that you did not enjoy it. 

The unhurried, leisurely manner in which Hitoshi was making love to you was a far cry from the throws of quickened and almost brutal passion that you had grown used to. Such a contrast made your head dizzy and lightheaded as you allowed the God before you to do as he pleased; yet uncertainty filled the distant corners of your mind, how the ebbed and flowed almost as a warning bell, as you wondered if your body was going pliant to his advances due to your own building want or if he somehow placed you in a dream-like trance.

Regardless, you still found yourself in bliss as your hands began to roam themselves; how they gripped and tugged at his tunic as you allowed your voice to be heard. The small noise of pleasure did nothing more than spur Hitoshi on as his lips began to drag from your own and down to your jaw. You felt a shiver run down your spine as you heard his groan of delight when your hands found purchase underneath his tunic. The contrast of your warm hands against his cool and bare chest was a wondrous thing, one that made the both of you flush deeper in heat.

Though, after a while, it was not enough. Your mind still pounded against your skull, a brutal reminder that you needed slumber, and despite Hitoshi’s claims that he could bring that forth to you, he had so far made ill on that promise.

“Hitoshi…” You whimpered out, voice strained as you found it difficult to even speak in your current state.

“Yes, my darling?” Hitoshi mumbled into the skin just below your jaw as he placed a kiss there to try and encourage you to speak more.

It did not work, all he was met with was your continuous stream of discomforted whimpers; the way your brows pinched and furrowed in displeasure was a clear sign to him that he must move faster if he wished to come true with his promise and grant you the sleep you requested.

He tugged at your dress, being mindful of how precious the silk must be for you and thus not wanting to ruin it. Using a tender hand to glide the fabric of your sleeves down your arms to your wrists to allow the material of your bodice to slip under your ribs; effectively it released your breasts and allowed him to gaze in hunger at your chest; his cock stirring as he watched your nipples harden when greeted with the cold air of his home.

He wasted no time, like a man possessed, to trail his lips over your newly exposed, supple flesh. The softness he found caused his cock to twitch harshly as he took the time to kiss up and down the valley between your breasts, as he inhaled the scent of your skin; committing it to memory should he never have the chance to have you like this once more. His dexterous hands began to roll and squeeze at your mounds, biting his lip as he watched the flesh shake in a tantalizing manner before he slipped one of your hardened nipples into his awaiting mouth; his tongue circling around it as he sucked gently upon it. 

Hitoshi wanted nothing more than to garner more noises of pleasure from you as he absently rocked his hips against yours, and groaned into your skin. His other hand undertook the task to play with your skirts, to work in a quickened manner while you were too preoccupied from his mouth to question him as he dragged them up and over your hips so he may have access to your most sacred place; your sweet cunt. 

His teeth, though blunt, left a stinging pain in their wake as he marred and nipped at your supple flesh. It caused your eyes to shoot open as you looked down upon him, his lavender eyes were filled with a lustful haze as they connected with yours; it made your body shudder in his hold as you whined at his cruel action. You could feel him smile upon your skin as he laved over your newly found mark with his tongue.

“Stay awake for just a little longer, my darling,” he cooed, nipping at your skin once more to hear you call out his name in that adorable whine he was starting to love. “That’s it, look at me, keep your eyes open and on me, alright?”

“I-it hurts…!” You jerked your body away from his pinching teeth, your mewl of displeasure following suit.

“Keep looking at me, and do not fall into the grips of dozing.” Hitoshi muttered, pressing a few kisses over the red marks he had given you. “And I promise you that it shall not hurt anymore.”

His deft fingers found your cunt,  spreading your folds open so he may be able to gently pet and coax out further pleasure from your body; to showcase to you that he meant as he said. His middle finger explored, dipping briefly into your leaking entrance, before slowly stroking your little bundle of nerves; groaning at how violently your hips bucked over his slow and deliberate act, how they seemed to follow his hand, greedy for more of his sinful touch. 

Despite his desires otherwise, how he wished to rub harshly upon your puffy clit to hear you wail and cry out for him as you became overwhelmed with ecstasy, he knew you were not restive enough for such a thing. As well, he wanted nothing more than to see your pretty eyes, half-lidded with lust for him, to stay focused upon him. 

He continued his tortuous petting, whispering his fingertips upon your clit but never pressed down before they swiftly moved to poke at your fluttering hole; all the while he smirked into your chest as heard your panting breath. A guttural groan left his parted lips as he finally relented and sunk a finger into you; relishing in your keen of pleasure as your hand came to tug upon his wild mane of violet locks.

You pulled him closer once he breached your weeping cunt, mewling quietly in delight at his skillful and gently petting; though you found that it wasn’t enough. The burning ache of need deep within your core was calling out for release, it heightened the pining to find slumber, as your hips moved against his hand in urgency for him to grant you something more. Your fingernails dug into the skin of his chest and dragged them down toward his hips; it left an angry trail of red in their wake, as your other hand tugged harshly on his mane once more. Calling out his name in a prolonged whine of frustration, not caring over this hiss of pain that sucked through his teeth.

“Getting impatient, are we?” Hitoshi growled, nipping at your neck to feel your yelp beneath his tongue.

“Y-you promised!” You wailed, hands moved to grip his shoulders as you felt his fingers spread within you.

“To not hurt you, indeed I did.” Hitoshi teased, leaning his head back to enjoy the blissful looks upon your face. “Do you not feel good, darling?”

“N-no!” You shook your head before you cried out his name, unable to finish your thought before being lost to the pleasure he brought forth.

“No?” He teased, slowing his fingers until they barely moved within you, chuckling at your bucking hips as you attempted to gain back the stimulation you craved. “Well, my darling, your body is telling me something different.”

If you were more awake, you would feel the heat of embarrassment taking over the flush of desire upon your skin, though at the moment you could not seem to care about decency; your desire to follow through and ultimately find and form of reprieve to your aching body.

“No, you promised to guide me to sleep.” You stuttered out, finally being able to find your voice now that his actions upon your body subsided. “And you’re prolonging that now.”

Hitoshi hummed, stifling another laugh over your petulant state, as his lips kissed upwards your neck and jaw before meeting their intended destination; kissing you languidly like before to placate your rigid state.

“Apologies,” he murmured, breath mingled with yours as he allowed you a chance to catch it. “I was merely just preparing you appropriately so you take my cock with ease. Though you are right; you have waited long enough.”

You squirmed at his words, finding a sense of awkwardness in how crude yet honest, not something you were yet used to from him, as you gripped tightly to the fabric at his shoulders when you felt his fingers leave your cunt; kissing your teeth in a quiet hiss as you feel yourself tighten around nothing.

“Go on now,” Hitoshi whispered, leaning so his back may sit flush against his silver throne, a smirk tugging at his lips. “If you so wish for relief so badly then you may take my cock out to have it.”

He admired the way you so timidly nodded your head at his request before your hands, one filled with trepidation, shook as they lowered to where they needed to be. He felt how gingerly you worked as you adjusted and shifted his robes to unbound his hardened member; he groaned in relief once he felt you delicately free his leaking cock.

If you were not so in need of him at the moment, he would ask you to stroke him; to pump your hand up and down his length until he guided you toward his own euphoria. He supposed he now had more than enough time for such salaciousness at a later date. Instead, he grabbed your waist as he pulled you to sit higher, hovering you over him as he properly aligned himself against your heated core.

Slowly, agonizingly so, he guided your hips downward to impale yourself on him; pressing his lips to yours to shush the aching whimpers that tumbled forth as you felt yourself being stretched to your limit by him; and though you had experience with Hanta, his cock was far thicker than you were ever used to. Hitoshi muttered your praises, telling you of how well you were doing as he slowly filled you full of him.

“You’re doing so well.” He groaned out, teeth gritted as his jaw clamped tightly shut as he did his best not to spill his load into you before he barely had begun to have his fun. “You’re so close, almost there my darling.”

He could tell why Hanta was so fond of you, so unwilling to let you venture off on your own and out of his sight. Your cunt was truly heavenly as it swallowed his cock greedily, already spasming and milking him for what he was worth. He let out a strangled breath, a mixture of a moan and a sigh, once you were fully seated; taking note of your discomfort once more, he rocked your hips back and forth in a lazy, slow, manner until your brows became unpinched and your huffs turned to sighs of pleasure.

“That’s it, good girl…” He sighed out once you took control and swayed your hips on your own, hands glided to your waist to help lift your hips to bounce upward upon him; showcasing to you the gentle rhythm he wanted you to ride him. 

“L-like this?” You asked, as you placed your hands in a more steady position upon his chest as you rolled your hips to glide him in and out of your heat; moaning alongside him when you hit a particularly tender spot within you.

“Fuck yes.” He groaned as he threw his head back for but a moment to relish fully in the euphoric feeling of your tight, dripping, hole.

His hands began to wander again as the slow and unhurried lovemaking progressed. Fingertips took hold and dug into your supple flesh anywhere he could, from the plush of your beautiful thighs, to pinching at your waist, to massaging and groping your breasts. Hitoshi had to distract himself from his more primal urges, to find a use for his body to ensure that his hips didn’t snap up into you. For he was aware of what your exhausted body needed, and that was not being rough.

You cried out sharply when you felt his hand make swift contact with your backside, your supple cheek radiating heat from the pain, as your eyes snapped back onto him; tears formed in your lashes as you blubbered out “what did I do wrong?”

Hitoshi did feel a little guilty, your sad eyes were not something he wished to see, but it was a far better cry than how they drooped just moments prior. His fingers brushed over the sore flesh, as he pressed more soft kisses to your jaw as a way of an apology; taking hold of it, in his other hand, after the peppering of affection

“Look at me, my flower.” He whispered, brows furrowing as he felt you tighten around him. “I need you to look at me, alright?”

You nodded in affirmation to his request with a sniffle, tears still formed upon your lash as you continued to rock your hips against his own; the pleasure overwhelmed you as repeatedly hit the small spongy button within you that made you feel dizzy. Matched that with the fabric of his tunic that caught your clit every time you moved made stars dance across your eyes. It caused you to ascend to your release far quicker than you ever thought possible, as your mewls and babbles of “more” filled the air.

He could tell you were close, given how your walls clamped sporadically around him while you gushed and leaked down onto his thighs. His quiet moans of pleasure melded with your own as he hugged your body tightly against his, as his hips bucked into your own; taking control over you in that primal manner he wished to suppress but could not any longer.

His grip tightened the harsher his hips snapped into you, his heavy cock bullying its way into you to perpetually hit that special spot that made you breathless and squirm within his hold. He was so close to letting go, but he could not do so before you, for he wished for nothing more than to feel your sweet cunt around him as you came.

Your eyes shut tightly as your body seized and gave into the surmounting pleasure and pressure in your core. You wailed out, as those waves crashed into you over and over; your eyes rolled back into your skull as white danced across your vision before you felt yourself go limp against him.

Hitoshi felt your breath against his nape as he held your shaking body against him as he continued to chase his own high. He could tell you were doing your best to stay awake, but how could you? After all, you had climbed a mountain of pleasure before jumping down from it, not even the most powerful of Gods could sway from exhaustion from something such as that.

Yet, despite being stuck between the realm of awake and napping, he could still feel your warm walls clenching in response to his bucking hips. With the knowledge that despite you not being awake you were still reacting to him, your body still obeyed him in some fashion, causing his teeth to clench as he hissed out a final breath before he spilled inside you; filling your pussy completely with his cum.

Hitoshi took a moment to hold your body flush against him as clambered down from his high; placing kisses upon your brow and temple in a prolonged manner to showcase to you his appreciation. He shifted your body to lay more comfortably against his chest once the mood suited him, staying buried deep inside you to ensure that when you woke you would still be filled with his cum, as his hands ran up and down your tired body in a soothing and loving manner.  

“There’s a good little flower,” Hitoshi muttered into your hair, pressing a final kiss to your crown, as he pulled you higher in his hold as he admired your sleeping form. “I’ll take much better care of you than he ever will.”

stay tuned for more~

#stay tuned for as there is one more part to this story~ #shinso x reader #hitoshi shinsou x reader #shinsou hitoshi x reader #hitoshi shinso x reader #shinso hitoshi #shinsou x reader smut #shinso smut #mha x reader #mha fanfic #my hero academia #bnha x reader #bnha fanfic #boku no hero academia #hitoshi shinsou x reader smut #shinsou x reader #🔮.the peddler brews #🔮.potion for shinso

[qiutls]

TNGDH 010

The first day of the Northern festival dawned.

It was noisy all over the place. I woke up early in the morning and sat up on the sawdust with uneven hair.

I'd love to sleep more, but I had a lot of work to do. First of all, it was necessary to increase the miracle value to further increase the duration time of "Summon."

I'm at a loss on how to fill up the remaining percent, but at least I know I can't fill them in this house filled with damn mealworms and crickets.

Yeah, let's go out.

It is also good to go out and grasp the atmosphere of the castle, and check what happens in < Heart of Winter > at this time. And if possible, I may change some of the events and slightly raise the miracle value.

I only have 30 minutes a day, I really need to use it well…

[ Should I use "Summon" now? (｡❛ᴗ❛｡) ]

'No!'

Not now, I don't have any clothes!

Ugh, but there's no better time to go out than now. It has only been 10 minutes since Kyle went to survey the castle for the festival. It would take an hour to complete one roundtrip.

If only there's other clothes available, except for the clothes the magicians picked up…

'Ah! That's right!'

Just then, a wonderful thought came to mind.

The space where Sen found me and chatted along with the other maids. It was the place where they do laundry. In other words, I can get the clothes that servants wore.

Let's just get one of out the pile. Even if it's a bit uncomfortable to know that someone has already worn it, it's way better than being naked.

You never know, I might be able to wear a sleek, and well-washed butler's uniform… Don't you think it'll look good on me?

I had a pleasant imagination in my own way before using "Summon" in the corner of the room.

[ Good luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ) ]

*

However, there was another problem that I've never anticipated.

"I've really lived…"

Originally, life was something you were supposed to know when you've actually lived once, but if you were going with this kind of development, you should at least give me a preview.

I sat with my legs spread out on the stone steps in the corner and put my elbows on my knees. And with an infinitely gloomy look on my face, I stared at the maid's uniform in amazement.

"….."

I should have expected, all the people gathered then were maids. There was no such thing as the butler's uniformed I imagined earlier. Shirts, vests, pants, and shoes are nowhere to be found.

The best I could find was an ankle-length black skirt and an ornamental white apron, and for now, it was the only clothes I could choose.

I screamed silently ruffling my hair with my hands, how can I walk around like this! What do you mean I have to wear maid clothes, I'm a man!

"What's the difference between this and running around naked!"

[ Do you want me to turn off "Summon"? ]

No, don't! That's not what I meant. On second thought, this is not that bad. It's warm and I can move freely, it's even a bit nice… Damn it.

"It's hard to make ends meet."

With this outfit, it's best not to be caught by maids. No, it's best not to be seen by anyone. Hey system, do you have any transparency skills? I'm going crazy here.

Even though I hated it, I had to move anyways. I only have half an hour a day, I need to make the most out of it. I shook myself and went downstairs.

"It would be nice if we could hold the banquet sooner."

"What kind of clothes will do you think His Highness will wear this time?"

"Do you think there'll be more people than last year?"

I tactfully intermingled with servants here and there and heard stories of this and that.

The Northern festival is held only once a year, and it lasts for a week starting from the day when the night is the longest that year. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the grandest even held at the Blake's estate.

The usually dull and cold Blake Castle was now animated and people kept bringing in food from the storage. You can see that the merchants also brought a full carriage. 'Indeed, a festival is a festival.'

The last memory of a festival I remember in my old life was drinking makgeolli at the university festival and suffering from a massive hangover the next day.

At that time, key information suddenly fell into my ears.

"I hope this year goes by without any problems…"

"That's what I'm saying, why am I so nervous? Last year, aristocrats who were in favor of the prince came and bothered me, but this time apparently, the prince himself will attend the banquet."

"Is the rumor really true?"

"Is the prince really coming personally here in the North?"

I crept up behind them with my ears perked up. Of course, I didn't forget to use the broom I got to pretend to sweep across the floor and move.

They went into the banquet hall, loaded with goods, and soon began to decorate the place with flowers and moved the tables around the central dance hall.

"I know right, when this land was a wasteland, he didn't care, even when his subjects asked for his help."

"But since Lord Kyle came, things have improved remarkably. Didn't they say, the reason why the prince never came even thought there was a festival here every year, is because of the bad relationship between brothers? Isn't that the famous story?"

"They sent him to die, but he didn't. Tsk. Tsk."

"Apparently, His Highness Belial will also come, along with the previous Serena, who's on bad terms with Duke Kyle. Their age difference is also…"

the one on bad terms with Kyle is Belial and not the previous Serena, which is a different Serena from Sen​

Oh yeah, this is the kind of gossip I want to hear.

'As expected, people who are preparing for the banquet, know the most.'

I should get closer to them, let's step around these servants who are contemplating what to do with the old chandelier, and try to hear more information…

"Woah! That scared me!"

Just in time, the worker who was complaining about the old and loose chandelier ring, turned around and our eyes met.

Wow, you have a really loud voice, thanks to you I was surprised and almost jumped.

"Wait a minute… I don't think I've seen you here before."

… Oh dear.

The skill "Summon" uses my original form and face. I don't know how the system brought my life's data into this world, because if I asked it would never shut up, but right now this person is seeing a face it has probably never seen before, a Korean's face.

In other words, it's a face that doesn't fit this world.

I turned around as naturally as possible and kept sweeping.

​Just be natural…

"Hey you!"

It felt like my joints were squeaking whenever I moved.

Indeed, I have zero talent for acting. During the school festival, I always played the role of a tree or a stone. Of course, I didn't want to play that role but for some reason, everyone left it up to me.

The man who looked at me suspiciously, tried to reach for me. But just before he reached my shoulder, I started to move.

I don't care about acting or anything, I just know if I get caught here, it's the end.

"Hey system, how many minutes are left for the skill?"

[ "Summon" will end in 7 minutes. ]

There's less than 10 minutes left.

I can just run until the skill ends.

"Isn't that, that guy?"

It's just your imagination. It can't be you'll know it's me from looking at the shoulders and the height right?

"I'm going crazy."

I only had those clothes to wear. What was I supposed to do in that situation, technically I'm a victim too.

"Wasn't it a few days ago, a guy sneaked into the Lord's study and event took his shirt?"

"Ho, is he that.."

"There, that brown haired guy, just stand there and don't move!"

Ah, I can't hear you. I can't hear anything.

I started fast, almost as if I were running. The soles of my feet felt so cold and numb, but I couldn't help it, there were only socks in the laundry room and no shoes.

'I feel so uncomfortable, I'll wash my hands and feet as soon as I get there.'

This time, after washing my feet, I'll turn the bowl over instead of leaving the dirty water inside, or else they won't change it to new water.

I left the banquet hall, climbed a floor, and fled frantically to the left corridor, it's been a long time since I threw away the broom I held.

'I should've worked out.'

I overestimated the physical strength of an office worker. But at least, I wasn't as weak as before since I rode a wheel desperately to become human.

Thump.

"… Ah!"

I bumped into someone as soon as I turned around the corner of the hallway. You're lucky I'm letting you off the hook today.

"Sorry-"

Obviously I was walking quite quickly but this person didn't even move a bit when we collided, yet I bounced back like a ball.

"Are you okay?"

His voice, low and grave, a voice I'm quite familiar with.

… That's right, it's a voice I hear everyday.

'I'm doomed.'

[ Kyle Jane Minehardt. The Great Duke of Blake. ]

I know. I know. You don't have to tell me.

I turned around and looked at him.

It hasn't even been seven minutes yet and it was weird to end the skill right in front of him. You said I'd be lucky enough to become human? Are you sure it's luck or bad luck?!

[ (◐▽◐);;; ]

'Fuck it.'

I started running away from Kyle and he started chasing me.

​His heavy boots banged on the floor and sounded loudly as he approached me. It was like a horror movie. I kept running like before, yet he was just walking. The distance between us gradually got less and less.

"Hey."

I don't know what to do. I'm never running away from him again. When I looked back secretly, his shadow was hanging around my feet.

'….. Crazy'

He's not the Duke of the North for no reason.

Now I really started to give my all into running. The ankle-long skirt started to get in the way, so I held them up with my hands to move my legs easily.

Ah, shit, I don't even have shoes. What kind of situation is this!

"Stop."

'I don't think I will.'

I gasped and tried to breathe in as much air as possible and squeezed out the last drop of my strength to ran further away. When Kyle saw I didn't listen to his orders, he also started following me quickly.

Why are his steps so big? If you're tall, you do everything bigger is that it? How can you make me feel this miserable?

Step. Step. Step.

The sound of bare feet running like crazy and the sound of boots irregularly stepping on the floor. I felt all the emotions I was bottling rise up as I continued to run on the cold floor.

Hey! Stop following me! It's time to give up.

[ "Summon" will end in 1 minute. ]

I shouldn't disappear suddenly today, and it should bring me back to the hamster house once the time is up…

he's talking about the hamster form

Before I knew it, Kyle was right behind me, at this rate, he'll catch up even before a minute passes.

I ran all the way here with the thought of being able to escape, but now it seems like I can't help it. But it seems like I have no choice but to wait for the skill to end and recall back to the hamster house.

Running straight down the corridor, I turned towards the stairs and went down the steps.

"Uh…"

​My body leaned forward greatly as I was about to fall when a large hard pulled my arm and causing me to sway back into the ground.

I turned around and saw the owner of the hand, I looked at Kyle with my eyes wide open. My heart was already falling down the stairs, yet my body was held in place with his hand.

"Who are you?"

I can't answer if you ask like that.

[ "Summon" will end in 10 seconds. ]

'It's almost time anyways.'

​You're right system, there's no such thing as bad luck.

I laughed and held onto Kyle's arm but still not straightening my tilted body. I wasn't intent on making a good impression. So, I spoke in a sarcastic tone.

Who am I? Me?

"I'm your companion-"

note that companion used here can mean a lot of things, can be friend, associate, partner or even lover, Soohyun was going to say "I'm your companionship hamster" but it got cut off XD

​Just then the 10 seconds was up and white light came out of my body. Kyle frowned at the blinding light that flashed before his eyes.

And the me that was covered in that light, became a hamster.

… Who was back in the hamster house.

―…….

I turned my head around and looked at the familiar sawdust and the transparent glass and the duke's study.

Hey, if you're gonna take me back! Take me back after I finished my words! How can you end it before I could say I was a companionship pet. A pet!

​I jumped in anger and threw myself on the floor. Great, now not only am I a clothes thief, I'm now a pervert who dresses as a woman and confessed to the Grand Duke.

― Squeak! [ Ahhh! ]

I think it's better to keep living as a hamster. Right? Right. Should I just live like this? That thought easily vanished as I saw the bowl full of mealworms.

Kyle's POV

The flash slowly died down and Kyle opened his eyes. His view was still blurred, perhaps because it was directly hit by the light earlier, but fortunately there was no difficulty in identifying the object in his hands.

The problem was, there was only clothes and the man who had just been in his hands was gone.

A unique face, and thin brown hair that have never appeared in this land. And such light weight, that he was able to hold the man with one hand.

All that disappeared in an instant and all that was left was the maid uniform that he was wearing.

"… Is he a magician?"

But when he disappeared, he didn't seem to chant any incantations. Rather, the last words he said before he disappeared was that he was my 'companion'.

Above all, I definitely saw him for the first time today, yet I felt a strange sense of familiarity. Even though no one I know has no hobby of dressing as a woman.

Kyle raised his eyebrows and picked up the clothes properly. Even when he said he was my companion, why did I just stay still and keep holding his arm.

"I'll find you…"

Even if what you said was just nonsense, I want to find you again.

T/N: this part of the novel is illustrated and made into a promo which you can find in the masterpage for this novel. tysm for everyone who's reading this! and thank you for all the likes, follow and ko-fis <3

novel ⠀✿⠀ next

#tngdh

[wutheringskies]

The Lans and Nies have no right to check and intrude between whatever is going on between Wei Wuxian, the Wen remnants and the Jins. Yet, they somehow have enough rights to go and witness the deaths of Wen Qing and Wen Ning with their clan disciples. And why were these two being killed? Because Jin Zixuan died by the hands of Wen Ning in an ambush set forth by the Jins upon Wei Wuxian, who was invited to Koi Tower by the Jins! So, it's definitely the Jin's matter, yet now you guys can come!

And what ends up happening? Somehow, Wen Ning who is being supported by Hanguang-jun loses control and ... kills Lans and Nies? Not the Jins! In the Jin palace! In an event orchestrated by the Jins! Death by a fierce corpse that the Jins should have prepared for! A whole ass cultivation sect? And a fierce corpse can go and kill whoever it wants?

But great!

Because you guys didn't ever go and check what the matter at Burial Mounds actually was like, because not your problem! Now, it has become your problem and you're forced to take part in the oath ceremony to go raze the Burial Mounds, and then you know, to defend himself, Wei Wuxian comes! And somehow it's his fault for "slaughtering." As if you guys weren't going along with the flow, not even questioning for a second why the smart Yiling Laozu would kill the people who could have stood up for him? And then what? You guys were present at the Oath Ceremony so more of you ended up dying, and now you have to go and take part in the slaughter of 50 innocent men and women and old people!!

Just because you were in positions of power, yet chose inaction. You got completely played! Naive.

Now, that's not enough yet.

Now, there's only two people who could've saved Nie Mingjue - Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing. But they're both already gone! Perhaps if Lan Wangji wasn't in seclusion, he would've stood up against the slaughter of all those minor clans who "tried to assassinate sect leader Jin"! But he is!

Now, Lan Xichen would rather shrug off both of his sworn brothers showing utmost hostility towards each other and increasing amounts of killing intent as a misunderstanding. He would think, oh he's being so nice and nuanced, understanding how people have to sometimes do bad things to maintain peace :((

Like, Lan Xichen's whole identity is built over avoiding conflict. When it comes to good and evil, there is no third side. How can you preach righteousness if you're not willing to carry the burden of morality? Sympathy doesn't equate to righteousness. Perhaps, if be wasn't a sect leader, he'd be good. But when you're a sect leader, being good isn't enough! Your inaction amounts to hundreds of lives.

Wei Wuxian perhaps has the most blood on his hands yet he values even the life of some useless servant, or some half-dead grandmother. You're all letting entire clans die to maintain a peaceful environment and you're thinking you're being righteous. If you have doubts then check them out!

Why are Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji so fated?

Well, firstly they've seen how "ugly" the other can get. Lan Wangjj knows that Wei Wuxian can turn up the heavens for righteousness, that he'll gladly walk through hell, if he could he would even offer up his own pieces of flesh. Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji cannot pretend things are okay when they're not. He is stubborn to no end with what he believes to be right, is willing to bear each and every consequence. He'd rather do what he thinks is right and accept the punishment later, whatever that will be.

In the face of truth, you can't hide, and you can't be prejudiced.

Wei Wuxian was hurt so much by Wen Chao, thrown into the Burial Mounds yet he brought the same surnamed Wens into Burial Mounds willingly to protect them! How can Nie Mingjue simply act on his hatred? In your righteousness to kill all evil, you started killing without exceptions and became the evil himself!

And why does Lan Xichen not have anything to say about Xue Yang? "Er-ge... this is what father wants." But Jin Guangshan is also a sect leader! Lan Xichen is also a sect leader!

I wonder what Lan Xichen said to Wangji after his visit to the Burial Mounds.

"Xiongzhang, there isn't an army but a child, the elderly, the women."

"Wangji. I understand. But Wei-gongzi has really upset the orthodox society now. It is no longer about the Wens. His cultivation is evil, and he holds the Tiger Seal... he even brought back Wen Ning's consciousness... you believe you know him..."

And boom, tell that to Jin Guangyao and three days later, everyone knows about Wen Ning. Props to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji for not holding grudges towards anyone and simply riding off to the sunset and even helping everyone who never tried to understand their true hearts.

Both of them are really blessed.

#lan xichen critical #nie mingjue critical #cultivation world bullshit #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #my thoughts #my meta #wangxian #my essays #lans and nies had it coming #ill write a more detailed meta #but for now #take this rant #justice is painful

[elderflowergin]

A little rant about MBC My Dearest, purity and men who weaponise it:

(Trigger warning: sexual assault, rape as a war crime)

Fusion sageuk or not, this world has some set rules around purity, even in the relatively loosey-goosey Neuggeunri, where women and men can and do commingle, chat and meet in groups. The last barbarian invasion hangs over them; the old ladies in Gil-chae’s hometown tell the girls that death is better than allowing the barbarians to touch you and that if they do, you should kill yourself for the sake of said purity. Death is preferable to lost purity in this time/place; that’s firmly established from the beginning of the show. (It’s reinforced midway when Injo’s court reports of women who jumped off cliffs into the sea at Ganghwa rather than be taken by barbarians, no doubt perceived not as an avoidance of pain and torture, but a praiseworthy act designed to retain and restore purity).

Gil-chae and Eun-ae have to grapple with this when Eun-ae is attacked by a barbarian. Eun-ae was violated and felt violated by what happened. They know what they are supposed to do, what the old ladies told them to do; and yet Gil-chae holds Eun-ae close and says, nothing happened. We were hurt and our clothes were torn because we rolled down a mountain. Nothing happened to us. She rewrote that story, in the face of everything that said Eun-ae didn’t deserve to live anymore. Consummate survival requires rewriting stories, even the ones that are the hardest to paper over.

Because it appears again in Hanyang, in relative peacetime, when Eun-ae feels she cannot accept Yeon-jun’s proposal, because even if Gil-chae rewrote that story, it’s harder to reconfigure shame when it’s under the skin, when it’s attached to the thing that makes you valuable as a woman. Yeon-jun may never know what it took for his future wife to survive, and that ignorance too, is a privilege. But Eun-ae knows, and perceives her value differently now than before. It’s Gil-chae who persuades her again, who reminds her that they rewrote this story together, two women who survived against all odds.

In this postwar, still somewhat vulnerable time, the possibility is high that there are assault survivors around, just as there are women who may have had to sell their bodies to feed their families, or broken any number of rules around purity for survival. It’s foreseeable that women survivors have been through or seen unimaginable things happen to other women, to their friends and have experienced it themselves. I’m not saying this to undersell the general trauma of war on men - just to say that war crimes hurt women in a very different, very intensely long-lasting way* as compared to theatres of war and fighting.

All of this to say: it didn’t take Jang Hyeon very long to go from “you’re not as pure as you think you are for loving a taken man” a few episodes ago to “you couldn’t live without a man for a day? If you were going to give it away you might as well come to me at least once.” I am truly horrified that he pretty much gets away with it; Gil-chae moves with the punch and gets in a hit of her own, but that’s a bone-chilling thing to tell a woman, any woman. It would be a terrible thing to say to a woman now, let alone in a time when that mattered so much to women, let alone in a time and place where it was forcibly taken from so many women, many of whom died so it wouldn’t be.

This callous attitude continues later when she’s run away with him and they’re in a room for the night. She tentatively asks about marriage, saying that it would be hard for her, since she’s almost a married woman, and people would consider her “used”. (Her fiancé later tells Yeon-jun that he is permitted to kill his partner and the adulterous lover, so this isn’t a gossip without consequence.) In essence, Gil-chae put her life on the line for a man who still says “Husband, no. I am your servant and my body is yours”, a promise that carries little substantive meaning in their world. Marriage isn’t a luxury good that she’s asking for as a whim. It’s what protects Gil-chae and her family from harm; it’s what will allow her sister to find a suitable match later on.)

Jang Hyeon is shown from the start as a man of his own ideas, someone who who doesn’t truck with traditional Joseon morality. He can and does reinvent rules for himself, and clearly doesn’t think that much of notions of purity, but he’s fine using them against Gil-chae.

Yes, Jang Hyeon saved her life during the war, but Jang Hyeon also had the choice of participating or not, the luxury of stepping back if he so chose. Gil-chae had no such luxury, no such choice, an open target on the run. He no doubt understands that the barbarians are raping women, that to survive as a woman is fraught, that sex has become fraught. To use purity to attack a woman he claims to love, to reduce her momentarily the way those old women did - to express his anger by lashing out in this way, in a way calculated to hurt, to violently pierce at the foundation of what it means to be a woman in this time and place is a cruelty that is hard to countenance. It’s telling that his anger at her leads him there, that it escalated with all that time, because he knows that’s what hurts. He knows it’s valuable, knows it hurts when he strikes at it, and yet will do little to protect it for her. I don’t know if there’s any amount of growth that will change this, whether it’s something he can change at all.

There are many upsetting things about this episode, but Gil-chae’s choice to stay at the end is the least upsetting part of it, and the most conceivable, intelligent choice she could have made in the face of a man who - in her perspective - can only offer her fervent words and a feverish gaze, things that will not feed her family or protect her reputation, her business or her heart.

#*there is literature out there on this topic #in case anyone wants to read about rape as a war crime #but i wanted to put that in context #as well as his statements #okay off to daydream about the modern au fixit #mbc my dearest #my dearest #eta: the term should be rape as a weapon of war #although it is also a war crime #as more recent definitions of it go #gin text posts

[kiruamon]

Cursed Princes AU

Once upon a time, there lived two princes in a kingdom, one as beautiful as the other. One was as cheerful and radiant as the sun. The other as quiet and beautiful as the moon. But as the years passed, a darkness settled over the hearts of the two princes. Blinded by their own vanity, they began to play with the feelings of those around them as if they were their toys. Toys of which they soon grew tired and replaced them with the next one. When one of the foolish toys confessed their love to one of them, their favorite game began. They loved to find out how quickly they could make the heart of their brother's toy waver and win it over, only to drop it carelessly afterwards. For many years the game continued as they lined up one broken heart after another. They believed whoever would one day stand at their side would have to be just as perfect, beautiful and clever as they were. But as it is always the case in such stories, their actions were followed by a severe consequence. After breaking the heart of a young human girl, a frail old woman appeared the next day in the halls of the princes' father, the king. The king, who always treated his people wisely and with justice, listened to the old woman, who had come to him with a warning. A warning that if the princes continued to walk the path they had taken so far, they would soon find the ugly shadows that lay on their hearts revealed for all to see. The princes merely laughed at the old hag's words and dismissed it as an empty threat. Not suspecting that their once so wonderful shapes would become nothing more than a distant memory.

About the curse:

The effects of the curse are directly linked with their hearts. The more egotistical, snobby, and insensitive they are towards others, the more the curse affects their appearance. As a result, if they learned to open their hearts for others again and become truly kind and so on, they would return to their original appearance.

Y/N part in this:

And then there's you. You have been working at the court as a servant for two years. Your uncle got you this job through some connections. Most of the time you are busy cleaning or helping out wherever you are needed. Cleaning out stables, helping to peel potatoes in the kitchen, carrying boxes from A to B… Doesn't matter. You do it all without a single complain. The only thing you are not entrusted with is taking care of guests or the nobles living in the castle. Not because they wouldn't trust you to do it, but because of the visible burn scars on your face. People are worried that it might make the guests uncomfortable or that silly rumors about mistreatment of the servants might start. That's why you're usually more in the background. Annoying, but it can't be helped. At least you are able to move around the castle relatively freely, and that's something. After all, you promised to come back. Admittedly, you didn't think at the time that you would have to become a servant to do so. But since the fire that not only took away your parents, but also turned your life completely upside down, almost nothing had been easy anymore. However, when you heard the rumors about the princes' strange behavior, you had hoped that it was really nothing more than silly talk. It seemed impossible to you that the lovely boys of the past would be capable of such behavior. And you still remember well how much fun you had as children during that one week of the great feast at the castle twelve years ago. And that even though you were only a human. Just the child of merchants who had been allowed to set up a stall in the palace courtyard. And yet somehow it just clicked between you all and you three gave each other a promise. They also gave you something when you parted. A pendant that you wear on a band around your neck. The royal crest is carved into the gemstone on it. For you, the sentimental value attached to the pendant is far greater than anything else. However, you know that it is smarter not to wear such a thing openly, so you always keep it hidden under your clothes.

Probably your old promise is the reason why you are still here after two years instead of looking for a job somewhere in the city and leaving the past and the castle behind. Because you can't understand how the two princes could change so much. You're pretty sure they don't know who you are to this day. Not to mention that most of the time they don't take any notice of you anyway and if they do… let's say you don't feel like listening to more stupid comments when they do happen to take notice of your existence.

And then the day comes when the curse hits Sun and Moon. You have only heard what some of the guards and other servants in the castle tell each other about it. The rumors are vague at best, and you constantly hear different things regarding the effects of the curse. The only thing that is clear is that the princes suddenly won't come out of their chambers and won't let any of the servants see them. You would like to ask about them. To know how they are doing. Two months pass in which you don't get to see them at all. And then everything seems to happen at once. During your cleaning duty in one of the large halls, the pendant slips over your shirt, one of the guards notices it and becomes aware of it, because he recognizes the royal crest on it. Immediately you are accused of being a thief and have the great misfortune or rather the luck to be brought before the king, who first listens to the guards before he also allows you to explain yourself. You do not hope that he will believe you, but what can you do besides telling the truth? That you received the pendant many years ago from the two princes themselves. That it was a parting gift from them to you. You don't tell him the reasons for your return to the castle or mention the promise you made to the princes. And you deny the question whether you told the princes about your shared past. You are not sure what is going on in the king's mind as he stares at you in silence for a while, thinking about your fate. But then he nods and orders the guards to let you go. He knows that you are telling him the truth. After all, he himself asked his sons about the whereabouts of the pendant many years ago. And unlike you, he also knows the significance of the pendant that his sons gave away at such a young age. However, he remains silent about these things, and yet, to your amazement, asks if you would be willing to assist the princes as their personal servant. The turn of events surprises you a little, but hesitantly you agree. Perhaps this will finally bring you closer to the truth about why they have changed so much. The king, at least, seems pleased with your agreement, but asks you and the guards to keep quiet about the pendant. Even from the princes themselves. This doesn't strike you as a problem. So you agree and from then on begins a rather difficult time with two unbearable jerks in which you regret more than once to have agreed to serve them.

_

I will tag sketches for this au with cursed princes au.

#cursed princes au #fnaf au #fnaf #fnaf moon #fnaf sun #fnaf y/n #moon x y/n #sun x y/n #dca x y/n #dca #fnaf dca #daycare attendant #fnaf daycare attendant #Wanted an au where Sun and Moon start of as jerks and get more humble/nicer over time. #also different Y/N from my usual stories #To lazy to write an actual story for this #some art/sketches will follow #Animatronics and Humans living together in this country. #Royal family consists of animatronics.

[aquarii-if]

The gods of Aquarii and Chronos have ruled for billions of years. (Psst! You can take this quiz to find out which god parent you should choose!)

Delano, The God of Time- Delano is the father of all the gods and goddesses, except for Celeste, who is his granddaughter. Nobody knows how Delano came to be, it's just accepted that one day he appeared on Aquarii and decided to create the Mitans. Delano is beloved by the Mitans for his laid-back personality, and being one of the only gods who can actually take a joke. For some reason, Delano decided to give his demigod children clocks for pupils. The hands actually move. Being a father of ten other gods, and a grandfather, Delano is pretty much the perfect dad. He's supportive and caring, but strict when he needs to be. Delano values independence, so he expects his children to be able to complete tasks and challenge themselves without his help, but he'll still be there to protect them if they find themselves in a situation where they can't save themselves. He wants them to be strong, but also smart, don't overexert yourself.

Aquila, The Goddess of Water- Aquila is the eldest of all the gods and goddesses. Delano decided that Aquarii needed a planet, and used a couple of meteors with H2O in them to create a planet entirely made of water. The ocean then began to create a large whirlpool, and Delano used this whirlpool to create Aquila. Aquila is known to be very unpredictable, which causes Aquarii's oceans to be quite dangerous. At one point of the day, the water may be calm and gentle, but in a single instance, it can turn aggressive and furious. However, Aquila is known to be a very kind and supportive mother, so long as her children remain respectful to her. Similarly to how a single wave can throw a surfer off balance, one disrespectful move toward Aquila, and her child can be sent into a world of punishment. Aquila likes to turn her children's pupils into the ocean, their eyes tend to be dark blue with waves gently moving across the water, and you can even see the white seafoam in their eyes.

Mahina, The Goddess of Death- It's quite strange to see that the goddess of death came before the goddess of life, but Mahina has always liked to make her own rules. While Delano was distracted and attempting to create another planet in Aquarii, he wasn't able to stop a meteor from coming in and destroying the planet he created for Aquila. As the waters of the planet completely burned over and the planet exploded, a woman appeared. She giggled at the destruction and demanded that Delano do it again. Originally, Mahina was the goddess of misfortune, but she later switched her position to be the goddess of death when Alula created Mitans. Mahina is an impatient, selfish, and overall terrible person to be around, but she's even worse than her own children. She's known to be quite neglectful and abusive towards them and mostly sees them as weapons and servants to her cause rather than actual people. If they show even a hint of emotion in her presence, she writes them off as weak and practically abandons them until she finds another use for them. Children of Mahina tend to have small black cracks in their skin, and their scleras and pupils are turned completely black.

Aurora, The Goddess of Love and Beauty- Similarly to Mahina, many find it strange that the goddess of love came before the goddess of life. But even gods can feel love and want to be beautiful. Originally, the gods did not have bodies, they were just atoms floating around through space. Delano wanted to feel the ocean, so he decided to attempt to create a form that could feel. His first form can only be described as monstrous, but it was his, and he thought it was beautiful. These emotions caused Aurora to form, and she complimented Delano's form and caused Delano to experience love toward himself. Aurora is known to be an excitable and happy goddess, she adores the Mitans and wants them all to live long lives full of love and beauty. She doesn't believe there is such thing as 'ugly', and can find beauty in practically anything. She's also known to be quite a good mother to her children but can be a bit of a pushover as well.

Alula, The Goddess of Life- It didn't take long for the four gods before Alula began to feel lonely. Delano decided he wanted to create a species that weren't gods, but a species he could take care of. These feelings caused Alula to appear, and she said that she could help him. She caused some islands to appear from under the waves and began to grow trees and other plants on these islands, before she used the land, the water, and the stars to create the Mitans. Similarly to Aurora, Alula cares deeply for her Mitans. She does her best to keep the galaxy healthy and alive and takes care of the Mitans to make sure they live long healthy lives. However, she does have a bias towards her children, who she tends to spoil with an abundance of food and herbs for them to stay alive longer than the average Mitan. But she doesn't do this for nothing, she expects that her children use their powers to help others, and she's known to offer harsh punishments to her children who use their powers for evil.

Ida, The Goddess of Wisdom and Curiosity- Of course, Mitans wouldn't have lasted long without some kind of intelligence, but Delano also wanted them to be independent. He had the Mitans become curious creatures and encouraged them to explore the world to satiate these curiosities. While the Mitans were searching through a forest and discovering the other forms of life there, Ida came and guided them to a clearing that was the perfect land to begin building a civilization. Ida is stoic and withdrawn, preferring to keep to herself. She's not very interactive with Mitans or the other gods, but she is still known to be helpful when it comes to the evolution of Mitans. She's been a great asset to Mitan space travel. Ida is not the most emotionally supportive parent when it comes to her children, but she isn't against emotion like Mahina is, she just isn't good at comforting people. She's quite supportive of her children's personal endeavors and will help lead them on the right path of whatever they wish to accomplish. She believes there are many different forms of intelligence, and whether her children want to be scientists, artists, or warriors, she's right there by their side.

Cielo, The God of Creativity- The Mitans quickly grew bored with the geometric shapes of the world and the many mathematical problems they had to solve just to make a tent. They had creative abilities and wanted a way to demonstrate them. Delano gave them the idea of using the tree sap they used to make syrup and glue to make something they could write on and to use the charcoal for fire as a writing utensil. The Mitans began writing many stories, creating music, and even drawing on this newfound invention. As they did, they heard some music playing from the forest, and there they found Cielo, playing a tune using a stick he carved into a flute. Cielo is a very carefree god who prefers to have fun and play with Mitans rather than attempt to rule over them. Out of the twelve, Cielo is the favorite. Cielo's children tend to have healing powers and can heal others just by playing a simple tune. Cielo encourages his children to be kind and to dream big, along with doing everything they can to achieve these dreams.

Sirius, The God of War- It wasn't long before the Mitans began to see their differences. Originally, these differences were welcomed and encouraged. The Mitans used their differences to further civilization and evolution. But of course, different people tend to butt heads all the time, and that's exactly what happened with the Mitans. Two groups of Mitans began to fight more and more, and eventually, they began to get physical. Another group of Mitans stopped them before anyone got hurt, but they suddenly heard loud clapping. When they turned, Sirius was sitting nearby, encouraging them to keep going. When Sirius was younger, he encouraged Mitans to fight more and even stated that differences shouldn't be welcomed and should be challenged, because everyone should strive to be normal. But over time, he matured and realized that he actually didn't want them to fight. He doesn't encourage peace, though, and he believes that sometimes people have to fight to get along and that fighting can actually help you learn more about someone. Sirius loves his children but has high expectations for them. He expects them to be strong and stick up for themselves, however, he's still kind to his children who lack self-esteem, and he tries to help them build their confidence. Still, he doesn't like slackers or self-pity, he always expects his children to strive to be better.

Anatole, The God of Seasons- At the beginning of Aquarii, the weather was known to be a disaster. Control of the weather was shared between Aquila, Alula, Delano, and Sirius. All four have very conflicting personalities and opinions, which caused them to fight using the weather. Aquila didn't see anything wrong with it raining all the time, while Alula didn't want it to rain because the Mitans couldn't build their civilizations and couldn't protect themselves from her hurricanes. Sirius also didn't like the rain because he couldn't make it hot enough, while Delano didn't want the weather to be too rainy or too sunny, just calm. Alula then would argue that it wasn't challenging enough for the Mitans to just have calm weather all of the time. The excessive change of the weather every day was so intense that the four accidentally caused a flood. When the flood was over, Anatole was protecting the Mitans and a rainbow appeared over their small village. Anatole used to adore the Mitans, the same way Cielo and Alula did. But a couple thousand years ago, he randomly disappeared, and nobody has seen him since. The only reason the Mitans even know he's still alive is because their weather is still normal and predictable, which means Sirius, Aquila, Delano, and Alula still don't have control of it. Anatole has never had any demigod children, so nobody really knows how he would treat them, or even what kind of powers they would have.

Soleil, The God of Emotion- Technically speaking, Soleil and Anatole are twins. Just seconds after the gods and Mitans saw Anatole, Soleil appeared from behind him. Originally, Soleil didn't have a purpose, as his godhood wasn't very obvious when he first appeared. But Delano thought his reactions to things like artwork, the Mitans fighting, the Mitans falling in love, and his extreme empathy towards others were unusual. So Delano appointed him as the god of emotion, and he fit into his role perfectly. Soleil is very hard to predict, one minute he's happy and joyful and bringing hope and love to Aquarii, and the next he's pissed off and causing the gods and the Mitans to fight and wreak havoc on one another. Nobody really knows what makes Soleil mad and what makes him happy, because of this, he's not well-liked among the Mitans or the gods. He's known to be very calm around his children and his brother, Anatole, though. But he's quite controlling, and a lot of Soleil's children tend to be dependent on him, and quite spoiled, or they grow up to resent him and develop a desperate need to be independent.

Donati, The God of Fortune and Wealth- As Mitan civilizations grew bigger and bigger, they began running out of food for everyone, and had to begin splitting it. But they quickly realized they couldn't split everything equally, so they needed a way to differentiate who deserved the bigger pieces. Delano then grabbed some gold from underground and shaped it into a thin circle. The Mitans were unsure of how they were supposed to ration these coins when Donati appeared. He had the Mitans fetch more gold and make more coins, before explaining to them that the best way to ration them is to give more to the ones who work harder than others or have a more important job. Of course, the way money is rationed now in Aquarii is much different than Donati originally intended it to be. It's no shock that Donati loves money and expensive things, and out of all the gods, he's the easiest to please. Just drop an expensive gold piece of jewelry in front of his temple, and you're set for life. Donati is a nice father, so long as you're actually worth something to him. All of his children so far have been nepo babies, Donati doesn't like having children with poor people, or anyone who isn't famous. Donati loves spoiling his children, and he has a hard time saying no when they ask him for something, even if he knows he shouldn't be so lenient with them. Overall, Donati's children are pretty blessed.

Celeste, The Goddess of Consequences- Celeste was originally a demigod, a daughter of Aquila. But Aquila adored her so much and believed Celeste was so powerful that she couldn't bear to send Celeste down to Mahina, and when Celeste died, Aquila took her body up to the god's domain and ascended her to godhood. During her mortal life, Celeste took vengeance on a man after her mortal mother was harmed by him. He came and murdered her in the middle of the night, and Celeste trained for years and did every piece of detective work she could to find him. Once she did, she tortured and brutally murdered him, before doing the same to countless others who committed similar crimes. When Celeste ascended, she became the goddess of consequences, swearing to take revenge on those who did evil. Celeste has a very neutral opinion of gods and Mitans as a whole, believing that whether someone is good or bad is up to the individual, not the species. Celeste has no soft spot nor practices any kind of favoritism for her children, she believes that they are just as capable of bad deeds as anyone else and that they deserve equal punishment. She's not mean to them, though, but she's not the most present mother either.

#aquarii #gods #delano #aquila #mahina #aurora #alula #ida #cielo #sirius #anatole #soleil #donati #celeste

[mksbigg3stfan]

Ling's life before FMA started is pretty vague, but there's things we can assume based on China's influence on the creation of Xing. FMA takes place in the early 20th century, probably sround 1910s to 1930s. The country Xing was based on, China, was at that time a revolt by a group of revolutionaries against the Qing Dynasty. The imperial system was ended, and put in its place was the Republic of China.

However, FMA follows a history where the Dynasty continued. So, what exactly is the Imperial system?

Chinese society was split into five categories, or classes, which were Nobility and the "four occupations." The highest class was Shi, or the gentry, then the Nong, farmers, Gong, craftspeople, and Shang, the Merchants.

Farmers were the base of China's economy and viewed as vital to their country. They provided cotton, food, and silk, along with many other consumeable goods. A large portion of the food they harvested went to Landlords, local Nobles, or was given out to the empire itself. Farming communities produced goods needed by the government, and if not, they were conscripted for public projects.

As a result of the massive area and amount of people, direct rule from the Emperor was not possible. The Emperor relied on civil servants to carry out his orders, most of which were members of the gentry. What was important to this class was literacy, since the Chinese government basically ran on paperwork. Both the nobles and Shi did not perform manual labor but could become painters and poets.

Laws and punishments were harsh to maintain power for the upper classes. A crime could lead to a criminal's entire family being executed. Their society was based on Confucian Principles, so it was the people in power's duty to lead the people well. ("While people should obey their rulers, the rulers should work to benefit their people."). The family structure was meant to have each member treat all the others with a mutual respect for their contributions to the family.

That same ideal applied to the family, where male heads were supposed to "govern wisely," and the rest of the house should obey. Women were expected to be subservient, and there had been only one female empress. Noble women were often involved with power struggles, but they worked mostly out of sight.

Because of these values, the more powerful a man was, the more likely he was to have many concubines besides his wife.

(Now I can talk about one of my favorite guys....😼😼😼)

Ling was probably one of the many sons caused by the Emperor having many concubines. Since he was probably an imperial concubine's son, Ling most likely had a very isolated life where he was forever fighting for his father's approval. Noble, or gentry classes, are filled with much cutthroat, inner fighting, where Ling's half siblings almost absolutely had attempts made on his life by assassins or tried to destroy his reputation.

At first, Ling seems to be laid back and carefree, but he actually takes his position as a prince very seriously. He tells Mei Chang that when he becomes Emperor, he is going to reunite their families and protect them. Ling has prioritized Lan Fan's and Ed's lives over his own, despite Ed having a lower status than him and Lan Fan being his body guard.

He is absolutely prepared to die for his cause. For his whole life, he has been completely aware that any one of his many half siblings could take his place, undo all his progress, and send him back to nothing.

The drive that he has led him through the desert, making the long, grueling joirney to Amestris. Since the people of Amestris don't know of his social status, he is able to act like a normal kid his age for once and become friends with Ed.

If anything is wrong, please let me know !!! ( ﾟεﾟ；)

Sources:

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/chinese-rev#:~:text=In%10October%20of%201911%2C%20a.and%20ending%20the%20imperial%20system

https://www.unm.edu/~toh/china/age-of-empire.html#:~text=Tye%20Structure%20of%20Empire.%2C%20and%20shang%20(merchants)

#ling yao #ling fma #fma 03 #fmab #fma ling #xing fma #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fullmetal alchemist

[thatanimewriter]

Hello! If you could, could you write up some Sebastian Michaelis x Fem! Darling angst? Perhaps he was away from her for a mission and missed when she had passed away due to a long term illness and is in denial when the servants tell him that it's been a few days since her passing. Thank you in advance !! ♡

failure

➳ character/s: sebastian michaelis

➳ warnings: swearing, death, violence, angst

➳ word count: 1.1k

➳ notes: thanks for requesting anon! there’s kind of a long backstory, sorry for that??

sebastian hated the idea of leaving you for any longer than he had to be. your sickness fluctuated constantly and he had no idea when you’d die. the only comfort he had in your situation was that you wanted to die in his arms, and he promised to make that happen for you, but he knew his priority was ciel and he knew that he had to assist the brat in investigating this travelling circus.

even if that meant being absent in your final moment.

he left your care to the other servants, and though he didn’t trust them to take care of your health, he trusted them to keep you from harm should this mission go to shit. the usually free-spirited servants kept their guard up while sebastian and ciel were gone, both because they were scared of disappointing him and they valued your life greatly.

the morning sebastian left, he stayed by your bedside, conversing casually to bring you ease. he memorised the small smile that graced your lips and the warm gaze you held when you were together. tracing the curve of your jaw and caressing your cheek with his thumb, he leaned down to give you a final kiss before he left, melting into the feeling of your lips on his. pulling away, he pulled the sheets up to your shoulders, fixing the blankets and smoothing them out. pristine and neat, just like you deserved. what he didn’t know was that he wouldn’t get the opportunity to do that again.

the servants surrounded your bed in silence, lizzy’s heartbroken sobs filling the silence and causing everyone’s throats to tighten, tears welling in their eyes as they tried to hold back their own cries. hours passed of them sitting in your room, glancing at your dead body that looked so much like you were just sleeping. they waited, just in case you might wake up, but it was bard who had to break it to them.

‘she’s dead, guys. we need to move her to the cellar,’ he said, sadness laced through his tone.

‘what do we tell sebastian?’ finny asked meekly.

‘we’ll figure it out... eventually,’ mey-rin responded. silently, bard went to get a stretcher, and soon after, tanaka ushered lizzy to her room, it was getting late and even with your death weighing heavily on their hearts, they knew they needed to move on as best they could.

though the peace you’d passed in was soon disturbed by a group of circus members trying to infiltrate the phantomhive manor. lizzy was asleep and you were resting in the cellar, a sheet covering your body to protect it from other conditions as best it could.

the servants gathered together, discussing a game plan they’d had planned and prepared ever since sebastian and ciel left for their investigation. mey-rin’s keen eye allowed time for this discussion and nothing was necessary to be said aloud. they all knew what to do.

and they weren’t going to back down until each circus member’s blood was spilled and their lives were lost. perhaps they would’ve had a shred of mercy if they hadn’t intruded on the day of your death. perhaps they wouldn’t have gone for the kill every time, firing bullets through the skulls of those with stunted growth, sending grown men triple their size through a brick wall and staining it red or burning the flesh of murderers alive.

but they had the audacity to disturb your soul. and it would be a disservice to both you and sebastian if they left any survivors.

after the mission was over and sebastian and ciel returned to the manor, the damage was suspected, but the sombre looks across all of their faces told another story. mey-rin’s glasses sat on top of her head, finny’s eyes were downturned and filled with tears, and bard was the most representative of a war soldier than they had seen him in a long time.

‘what happened?’ ciel demanded, the usual stern expression on his face did nothing to scare them for once.

‘young master...’ finny began, voice shaking and fists clenched. bard put a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezing it to let him know it’s ok.

‘we killed the circus troupe, young master,’ bard began, staring into the captivating blue eye of his lord. ‘but [name] died the morning they arrived.’

the moment your name escaped his lips, they broke down. mey-rin’s knees buckled and finny joined her to pull her into a hug, sitting in their sorrow together, while bard clenched his teeth as tears streamed down his face. 

ciel’s eyes widened, looking towards sebastian. he never really cared about his butler’s feelings, but this was the one thing that made him apprehensive for the demon’s reaction.

‘this isn’t a funny joke,’ sebastian said passive aggressively. he knew it was entirely possible you had died, but he refused to believe it. the servants continued to cry, some hysterical, some not, but it was tanaka who made eye contact with the red-eyed butler and sadly shook his head, a single tear rolling down his face. ‘take me to her.’

bard nodded silently, turning to lead the young master and his butler through the manor and into the cellar. sebastian’s face was stone cold, ready to unleash hell if this was an elaborate prank, but remained quiet as they descended the stairwell.

‘we kept her here to make sure she was safe,’ bard said, taking the sheet off and folding it neatly, leaving it beside your cold body. ‘take your time.’ as sebastian and ciel stood, frozen to the spot at the sight of your corpse, the chef pat sebastian’s shoulder twice as he walked away, implying that he understood what he was going through and that he would be there for support.

the tall butler remained glued to the floor as ciel said his goodbye. he stared blankly until the young boy left, respecting his time alone with his long-time partner. numbly walking forward, he knelt beside you, taking your limp hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of your hand.

leaning forward, he rested his head on your chest, still holding your hand between his. the only thing on his mind was spoken quietly with a noticeable strain on his voice. and then he lost it.

visceral sobs escaped his throat and his chest heaved as he repeated the same words over and over again as if it would change anything, but it was always met with the echo of his own cries.

‘i’m so sorry i failed to be there. please come back.’

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #sebastian michaelis #black butler x reader #kuroshitsuji x reader #sebastian michaelis x reader #black butler imagines #kuroshitsuji imagines #sebastian michaelis imagines

[hayleythesugarbowl]

Hey, would you consider writing headcanons for Thomas Barrow if he had a teen sister reader? Similar to the being friends with one. Maybe about their home lives before Thomas was employed at Downton, their relationship, when Thomas went to war, and if (when old enough) sister reader joins her brother at works at Downton.

Also, loved the Thomas Barrow series! It was so sweet and very well written 😁

Would really appreciate it! Don’t worry if not! Xx

thomas barrow & teen!sister!reader headcanons

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • thomas barrow masterlist ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

a/n: thank you so much for this request!! thomas is actually my roman empire and I love writing for him. I’m currently in s2 in my rewatch and I’m in love with him all over again. anyways I’m so glad you liked my thomas series that makes me so happy and i hope you enjoy this too <3 also I don’t usually add cuts for my headcanons but these ended up being rather long so read them after the cut !! 🍒💋

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

being thomas’s teen sister would include…

ok so…

thomas definitely read to you when you were to little to read on your own

he once scared you so much that you were sure you were going to get eaten by the monster in the wardrobe 

and he had to sleep with you in your room for a week after that

as you got older he became so freaking protective of you 

he would take the blame for your mistakes

and secretly pass you all his desserts

he would tell you everything that he wouldn’t tell anyone else

like how he wasn’t interested in any of the girls in your village

when he went off to work at downtown you cried for days 

and he looked away as he left so you couldn’t tell that so did he

he would write to you every week 

so much so that—

“fancy that, thomas has a sweetheart”

“well there’d be a first, no he’s writing to that sister he’s so fond of”

“oh leave off, o’brien, i can write to whoever i like”

he would try to hide his troubles from you in his letters but you could always tell that something was the matter

when you got the news that he had to go to war, you couldn’t eat or sleep for weeks not knowing what was happening to him 

and amongst his prayers to live every night he prayed you were safe at home 

when he was taken off the front lines and sent to be a medic at the hospital you were so relieved that you convinced your parents to let you go visit him

you gave him the biggest hug of his life and he didn’t let you go

when you became old enough and expressed your interest thomas got you a job at downton as a maid

he probably got some other maid fired in order to do it but we just won’t talk about that 

anyways once you got there he made it his job to teach you everything you’d need to know 

and make sure you were taken care of

all of the other servants loved you from the moment they met you

mostly because thomas is a different person when you’re around 

“i’m sure thomas’ll find some way to scheme his way out of it and make me look like the fool”

“not anymore, he’s gone soft now hasn’t he? what with that sister of his around. rubs off on him, i reckon”

you become close friends with Anna 

and, when she begins working there, Baxter, who you’ve known since you were a kid

you two definitely complain about and tease Thomas much to his dismay

he’s totally walked in on you telling a story about him from childhood and had to endure teasing for weeks 

“…and his britches just ripped right down the center.”

he always, after much pestering on your part, confides in you about everything 

(jimmy, his job, richard, guy) 

and values your ‘young, bright opinions’

you made him mittens once and he wears them whenever he can 

even though they ‘itch like the devil’

one time one of the footmen showed interest in you and thomas went full older brother mode on him 

and you assured him you you didn’t need his protection 

until he jilted you and you let thomas give him a piece of his mind and hold you while you cried 

you read the papers together and you love hearing his commentary on everything going on in the world

if something’s bothering you he’ll get it out of you one way or another 

“go on, (y/n), you can tell your brother thomas”

and he actually gives really good advice

he recognizes how he doesn’t know how he’d go on without you sometimes

and how even when no one was there for him you were 

thomas just cares for you so much 

and (even though he’d never admit it) loves you more than anyone or anything else in this world 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you enjoyed this!! have a lovely day babes <3🩰🪐

#thomas barrow x reader #thomas barrow x teen!sister!reader #thomas barrow #downton abbey #downton abbey x reader #x reader #reader insert #fanfiction #fanfic #headcanon

[kagekitsuneoflight]

Actually there is a very good reason why Gilgamesh hates Shirou. And it’s not a “I’m an arrogant bastard. I don’t need a reason to hate this boy trying to claw his way to my level.”

In Fate/Extra CCC, we get to have Gilgamesh as our servant. He’s exactly the nightmare you imagine him to be. He makes fun of you for being poor. He genuinely starts to cry when he sees the state of the player character’s (named Hakuno) wallet. He will follow your commands, but if you screw up in commanding him, he will make sure you know it. He’s the highest maintenance bitch to exist. Entertain him Hakuno. Go on. Struggle. Fight for your right to live. He’ll kill you if you mess up. He’ll strip down naked to prove a point.

Yet despite Hakuno objectively being more useless than Shirou, being an AI who only just gained personhood, who was supposed to be deleted and die… Gilgamesh’s sacrifices 90% of his treasury to save them! He gives up 90% of all of humanity’s treasures!! For an AI who can only do a handful of spells granted by a mystic code!!! Who’s just figuring out this who personhood thing!!! Even Shirou at the start of his series could do more than this computer program.

Fate/Extra CCC gives us this important insight to Gilgamesh. He values people who are true to themselves. No matter how weak or useless, he adores seeing a genuine person, who does not hide who they are.

Tokiomi bent over backwards to please Gilgamesh in a way he thought that Gilgamesh would want, to be the person he thought Gilgamesh would like, even if it was not who Tokiomi truly was. So of course Gilgamesh was insufferable. He hates being bossed around and you SHOULD be respectful to him. But Tokiomi dealt with a bored Gilgamesh who sought his entertainment elsewhere, because he knew that Tokiomi wasn’t being genuine. Kotomine, on the other hand, just needed a gentle push to finally embrace who he truly was, and Gilgamesh was amused watching Kotomine. But even then, he never truly held Gilgamesh’s favor. Because Kotomine couldn’t grow. Gilgamesh sacrifices nothing of value for Kotomine.

Kotomine never got to learn about Gilgamesh’s Thrilling Splash Time, the all-weather indoor water park he had once planned out. It’s Hakuno! He whines that he wants to swim, and they suggest the school pool, and Gilgamesh is mildly offended at the suggestion, calling it a ‘seedy water tank’. And then proceeds to spend an unspecified, but not a short time, explaining just how amazing his Thrilling Splash Time is.

So how does this tie into Shirou? Well, it’s simple. Gilgamesh says as much. Shirou is a Faker. He based his entire identity around fulfilling his dead adoptive father’s dream. To be a Hero of Justice. He’s snarky and rude in his mind, but outwardly he’s that friendly classmate you have. Sure you’re not exactly best friends, but if you’re in a spot of trouble, he’s definitely someone who could help. He’s good at archery, but it’s not something he likes. People can argue that he doesn’t really have a hobby outside of cooking. Everything is about becoming a Hero of Justice.

But he does truly care about people! In the VN, he was ready to kill Shinji when he found out Shinji was the one putting all their classmates in danger by stealing their life force after all. But we’ve seen how he will put his borrowed dream over his relationships when it really matters.

Shirou’s projection ability also REALLY hammers this point down. He can copy any weapon he sees, with a few exceptions. He steals and borrows and uses them. And truthfully, he never gets permission. He never asks. He’s never asked. Just like with his dream, he takes those legendary weapons and makes them his own, though he was never asked to. He never asked for them.

Gilgamesh sees Shirou for what he is. He’s taken bits and pieces of others and stuffed it within himself with hardly an effort to make it his own. And to Gilgamesh, this it’s infuriating. He loves when humans are themselves and honest and to see this boy with a stolen dream wielding stolen legends, stolen pride (because keep in mind. A Noble Phantasm is a symbol of a hero’s pride), he cannot help but be infuriated. Who was this boy, this faker, who dares claim to be a Hero of Justice when it is not even his own dream?!

As the King of Heroes, the First Hero, he absolutely cannot let this stand! He, Gilgamesh, is allowed to use those symbols of pride as projectiles. He is the King of those owners of pride. It is within his rights. Yet.

He never truly uses another’s Noble Phantasm, does he? He doesn’t grasp their pride and use it as his own.

Shirou does.

#fate stay night #fate stay series #fate ubw #gilgamesh fate #shirou emiya #shut up kage #archer is only sliiiiightly better because he’s at least self aware about it #is this coherent? do you get what I’m saying here. #Gilgamesh is a deep and nuanced character (blorbo status complicated) #he’s more than just arrogant powerful bastard he’s an arrogant powerful bastard with the capacity to care

[grewlikefancyflowers]

Hello,

Can you please elaborate on Wei Changze's and Wei Wuxian's position in the Jiang sect?? Wei Changze is always said to be a servant to the Jiang sect but wasnt he also a cultivator? Was he not a disciple of the jiang sect? Further wwx is always said to be a "son of a servant" or a "servant" sometimes. YZY indirectly calls him a servant(chapter 51) and so does JGS (chapter 71). Does that mean the disciples of the sect are considered as servants to the leader and his family??

So, what we are told canonically is that WCZ is JFM's 'most loyal servant' and his 'old friend' (ch. 56, 29). I don't think it outright states he was a cultivator? Though he did die on a nighthunt, Mianmian's non-cultivator husband also nighthunts with her, I don't know if we can assume anything from that. [Edit: nvm that, it says he and CSSR were cultivation partners] WCZ was also free to leave the Jiang Clan and live his own life seemingly without backlash.

About WWX we are told that he is the head disciple, his father was a servant but WWX is not. Despite that, some regard him as a servant anyway, though JFM is angered by YZY referring to WWX as such (ch.51). He was also not allowed the leave the Jiang Clan without backlash due to JC regarding this as a wrongdoing against him (ch.73, 87, 103).

Out of WWX and WCZ it seems as if the one who was a servant held in some ways more privilege than the one who was head disciple. This highlights something that has been on my mind for a while, discussions within fandom on this have largely not addressed or missed the nuanced and often contrary ways in which privilege and discrimination functions (both irl and in MDZS).

Those lack status and privilege by birth are entirely subject to the whim of others in gaining it.

This is how you end up with situations like JYL peeling lotus seeds for WWX, because she sees him as a brother and likes to do nice things for him, while YZY becomes infuriated that JYL is behaving as if she's 'somebody's servant' (ch.51), finding it demeaning because to YZY WWX is not a family member nor anyone of value. To her, he is a servant, she refers to him as such and treats him as such (ch.51, 56, 57, Lotus Seed Pod). And this is one of the few things that JFM (who typically avoids conflict) becomes angry at her over (ch.51), to him WWX is the son of a friend who he valued greatly. JFM treats him well, teaches him to cultivate, hinders (some of) YZY's treatment of him. So, if not for JFM, & YZY had her way, what would WWX be within Lotus Pier? Nothing more than a servant. And if JFM had wanted to, he could have simply taken WWX in as a servant. If JFM had seen fit, both WWX and his father could have never done anything more than sweep floors and fetch tea.

When WWX attends the Cloud Recesses lectures, we're told that the reason he makes such quick friends with the young masters of other clans is because they all know that despite WWX's father being a servant, JFM, his sect leader, treats him like a son. So they follow his example and treat WWX as they would treat all the other clan heirs present, looking past his parentage only because they're young and don't care about such things (ch.13).

Strangely, the respect and privilege WWX had seems to disappear under JC's leadership. WWX's cultivation did play some role in this, though the reason for backlash against him was in large part due to how it threatened jianghu hierarchy — they were fearful of him & what he represented. So, this was their motivation for wanting to bring him down, but this wasn't exactly what enabled them to do so. JGY actually summarised pretty neatly how JC's contributed to this.

Fortunately for everyone, you [JC] didn’t seem to have a terrific relationship with your shi-xiong. [...] Sect Leader Jiang, if only you had been nicer to your shi-xiong in public, given the impression that your bonds were unbreakably tight, making the others feel that they were no room to exploit between you two'

When JFM treated WWX well, others followed suit, when JC openly treated WWX bady, now everyone else was allowed to as well! We can also see this in how JC awards WWX no recognition for basically having won the SSC and revived the Jiang Sect for him. Even JGS officially adopted JGY for his contribution to the SSC, giving him status and protection. JC gave WWX nothing.

On Phoenix Mountain, when people call WWX a son of a servant, JYL doesn't even bother trying to argue against it with something like 'what's wrong with servants,' her defense of him is 'A-Xian is a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he’s as close as a brother is to me. Calling him the ‘son of a servant’—I’m sorry, but I won’t accept this. [...] Madam, A-Xian is my younger brother. Him being humiliated by others, to me, isn’t just a small matter.”'

It's not 'don't treat people like this' it's 'you can't treat a member of my clan, someone I see as a brother like this,' and this is the only thing that could possibly work. All these people care about is status and birthright, the only way a person who doesn't have these things innately could gain any respect in their eyes is if they're awarded it by someone who already has those privileges.

This is why discussions about WWX being 'a privileged young master of a great sect', though not necessarily incorrect, miss the point so badly. It doesn't matter how much privilege he had (or has), all of it was subject to the whims of others, never truly his. It could be taken away just as easily as it could be given. Everything he had was dependent on goodwill and generosity, and on him behaving as those who bestowed it wanted him to behave.

#mdzs meta #mdzs #this is why its not presented as a 'win' at the end of the story when people start respectfully calling him 'xiansheng' and 'yiling laozu' #instead of wei ying and other insulting terms (ch.86)

[princesssarisa]

The first of the Love Like Salt tales in Cinderella Tales From Around the World come from Italy, Germany, and Sweden.

We start with seven versions from Italy:

**One version, La Sendraroeula, is basically a perfect cross between Love Like Salt, Donkeyskin, and a conventional Cinderella. After the youngest princess says she loves her father like salt, the king orders a servant to kill her and bring back her heart, but the servant kills a sheep instead, then gives the princess a donkey skin wear as a disguise. She then meets a group of good witches, who give her a magic wand and a nut: whenever she taps the wand with the nut, her wishes will be granted, although the magic only lasts until midnight. Some time later, her father finds her in the woods while hunting, doesn't recognize her in the donkey skin, and takes her home with him out of pity. Thus she becomes a scullery maid in her own father's castle, under the gaze of her own two sisters. Then Carnival arrives, the older sisters attend three balls at a neighboring kingdom's palace, and the heroine goes too in magic finery. The prince falls in love with her, on the third night she runs out at midnight and loses a shoe... and you can guess the rest.

**In most of the Italian versions, the older sisters declare that they love their father "like bread" and "like wine." To some of us, these comparisons might seem just as "undaughterly" as "like salt," but the king accepts them, because bread is essential to life, and in Italian culture the same is considered nearly true for wine. In other versions, though, the sisters are more effusive and say they love their father "better than my eyes" and "better than my heart."

**The Italian versions also tend to have the king order his daughter killed, but a few have him just banish her. In one, The Value of Salt, he doesn't send her away at all, but just resolves to never see her again and has her live alone in a separate wing of the castle.

***The latter tale doesn't have a Cinderella/Donkeyskin-style plot or a love interest for the heroine, since the princess never leaves home or loses her status. One day she just orders the cook to make a supper without salt for her father, and this teaches him his lesson.

**Several Italian versions have the heroine disguise herself as an old woman when she goes to work at the other palace. In one, she meets a fairy who gives her a wand that lets her actually turn herself into an old woman. In another, more gruesomely, her faithful nurse buys the skin of an old woman who just died and has her wear it as a disguise. Either way, she goes to work in the kitchen or in the poultry-yard, but every night in her room she takes off her disguise, and eventually the prince sees her true beauty through the keyhole, a la Donkeyskin.

**In some versions, the heroine says she loves her father "like water and salt" – not only evoking the thing that gives food its flavor, but the thing most important to sustaining life.

**Another version, The Story of the Candlestick, is a "princess hides in a hollow object" variant, and unusually, her mother is still alive and helpful. When the king orders his daughter killed for saying she loves him like salt, the queen protects her by hiding her in a giant candlestick and selling it. The candlestick ends up in a prince's dining room, the princess secretly comes out and eats the prince's food every night before he gets home, etc.

**In yet another version, instead of having the king ask his daughters how much they love them, he sets out on a journey, and of course, asks his daughters what they'd like him to bring back. The older two sisters ask for clothing, of course, but the youngest asks for salt. The wicked sisters then convince their father that she plans to over-salt his food and make it taste terrible, so in a fit of extreme pettiness he banishes her. But when they finally reunite, she reveals that she only wanted the salt to make food taste good.

**Still another variant, The King of France, doesn't have a "love like salt" opening at all, but instead mirrors the Bible story of Joseph and his brothers. The princess has a dream that someday she'll become a great queen and that her father will bow down before her. To prevent this, her jealous father orders a servant to kill her, but he lets her go. A magician in the forest takes her in as his foster child, and the rest of the story is like Donkeyskin. The book only describes this story as a footnote rather than sharing it in full, because technically it's not a Love Like Salt tale, just similar.

*There are just two German versions, one long, one short.

**The longer tale is a lesser-known Brothers Grimm tale, The Goose Girl at the Well. (Not to be confused with the more famous, entirely different tale of The Goose Girl.) This story is a very unusual Love Like Salt variant, not least because the princess isn't the viewpoint character, nor does the Love Like Salt motif appear until the middle of the story, in a flashback to three years earlier. An old woman, rumored to be a witch, and her ugly daughter live in a solitary cottage in a the mountains, tending geese. One day a handsome young count enters the forest, meets the old woman, and kindly carries her heavy bundle for her: as they walk along it grows heavier and heavier, but the woman won't let him rest until they reach the cottage. Then to reward him for his hard work and kindness, she gives him a little book carved out of emerald. The count then travels to a royal palace, where he meets the king and queen and shows them the emerald book. When the queen opens it, revealing a pearl inside, she faints, then tells her family's backstory to the count. The king and queen had three daughters, and the youngest was the most beautiful, who wept pearls and jewels instead of tears. One day, to determine his daughters' inheritances, the king asked each one how much she loved him: the older two said "like the sweetest sugar" and "like my prettiest dress," but the youngest said "like salt," and for this the king banished her with only a sack of salt as her inheritance. Soon afterward he regretted his rash act and searched for her, but the princess was never found and has been missing for three years. Yet the pearl inside the emerald book looks just like one of the princess's tears. The count tells the king and queen about the old woman and the three of them set off to find her cottage again. As it turns out, the old woman's "daughter" is really the princess, disguised in a magical ugly skin. At night when the moon shines, she takes off the skin to reveal her true beauty and wash herself at the well near the cottage. When the count arrives, he sees her do so and falls in love. The king and queen soon follow and reunite with their daughter, the old woman vanishes, and the cottage transforms into a palace, where the count and the princess live happily ever after. The narrator remarks that the old woman was probably a "wise woman" (i.e. a fairy), who most likely gave the princess her gift of shedding pearl and jewel tears when she was born– a gift that "doesn't happen nowadays, or else the poor would soon become rich."

**The shorter German variant, As Dear as Salt, is another version that doesn't have a Donkeyskin element, or a romance, or even have the princess be banished. It simply says that the king is angry when his only daughter says she loves him "like salt," but a short time later, when he gives a grand feast, the princess tells the cook to serve all the food without salt, and this teaches the king his lesson.

*The one Swedish variant is called Salt and Bread. In this version, the princess's wicked older half-sisters slander her to their father out of jealousy and make him doubt her love for him, which inspires his fateful love test. The older two claim to love him "as God in heaven" and "as my life," and when the youngest says "as salt and bread," the king has her stripped naked and left in the forest to die. But a different kingdom's younger king finds her there, takes her home to his castle, falls in love with her, and marries her. After the princess (now queen) and her father reunite in the end, the old king has the two half-sisters left naked in the forest, and the narrator cheekily says "It has never been told that a king came and married them."

**It's interesting that this princess likens her father's value to bread as well as salt, meaning that he's "the staff of life" to her, and yet her father takes it as an insult because bread is so common. It contrasts with the Italian versions where one of the older sisters says she loves her father like bread, and he approves because he realizes it means she can't live without him.

Next we'll look at the versions from Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow, @themousefromfantasyland

#cinderella #love like salt #fairy tale #variations #cinderella tales from around the world #heidi ann heiner #tw: murder mention

[wearepaladin]

Sending much love to you. It’s always a joy when I see your blog become active again and I love seeing your posts. I hope you’re keeping well

It has been a while since I’ve talked about it or asked you questions in regards to Zagähk- the Goliath oath of the ancients Paladin being played in the campaign I’m running - much has happened and both the player and I are super pleased with his character growth and the things he’s undergone. He’s gone through trials I will detail a bit more below, and come out stronger, more confident, capable, and “has begun to embody the spirit of a great tree- not only shading and protecting others from the harsh storms of evil, but also altering the world around himself to manifest and environment of kindness and growth.”

Having come so far and experienced so much I find myself unsure where to direct Zagähk - what awaits him? How do I challenge him? The party is pretty varied in their moral stances- and there are story beats coming up that will likely bring characters into contention (though maybe not- they endlessly surprise me) Zagähk has undergone Proabably the most personal growth as we head into the second half of the campaign.

So, how do I keep my paladin invested in the story, and continue to make his story interesting, even though he has achieved much and experienced a satisfying level of character growth?

Context:

Zagähk has been through a lot- discovering his god Mirandi was not a true god, being forsaken by her but choosing to turn away from her himself in order to protect the people close to him even as an Oathbreaker.

Wielding powers foreign and sickening to him he fought the embodiment of an Elder Evil seeking to smash one timeline into into another, preventing that evil from gaining a foothold and at the same time learning the origins of Mirandi and her compatriots- the Seven Bonds of Throm Zar.

He connected to the soul of the Veilborn Septarch that has ridden within him since childhood, and that Septarch taught him to embrace the inexorable power of change, and to use it as his own.

He caught the attention of a new god, Resha, the goddess of balance, and swore an oath to become her champion in service of the worlds natural places, his friends and to stand against the existential threats of the Elder Evils hunt his party.

He died, facing down the servants of the Worm Hunger in their plot to obtain an artifact of the Veilborn hidden within an elven Archive. And the Veilborn soul was lost forever to give Zagähk the chance to live again.

He healed the mother tree in the elven city, and is grappling with his reality as no longer having dual souls within him. Standing between his fears and his hopes he is facing the future, ready to fight for what’s important to him

Could have sworn I answered this. Thank you for sharing your work and the continuation of the story.

I can empathize a great deal with it honestly. That lul when you finish one part of your life, and the wind lacks guidance on where to go next.

Frustrating as they are, Lulls have their uses. If nothing else; there is value in introspection. In my case, it led me to realize I was ready to try out a new career in voice overs/audio narration that I’ve been sort of quietly thinking about for years; but now I’m saving money to really buy equipment and training for it and I’m excited to really get into.

Sorry, I’ve made this about me, but I think the same lesson applies. A bit of quiet thought can reveal answers and that has a value all its own.

[linkspooky]

Hello! I Just discovered your blog and you did a lot of interesting work on jjk(I want to fully read your Fanfictions soon!) Since you did a lot of work on jjk side characters I wanted to ask how did you come to the characterization of the secondary/background characters especially the members of Zen'in family and If you had any tips about writing them. I'm plotting a Fanfiction with them as the main villains(except Maki and Mai that are "positive" characters) but I'm a bit scared to make them ooc.

Thank you! If you do end up reading my fics soon let me know what you think and leave a comment. As for the Zen'in, Gege killed them a little too fast before we could ever really learn what the Zen'in family was like in story, so I can describe my process for writing them if that helps!

There are inspiration I took from other media when expanding upon the Zen'in Family dynamic, the first is the Washuu Family from Tokyo Ghoul. In the manga Tokyo Ghoul the Washuu are an extremely rich and traditional patriarchal family who are also the heads of the CCG or Commission of Counter Ghoul the government sponsored organization that hunts down ghouls. Basically, they fight ghouls like the Zen'in Fight curses, but ghouls are sentient with human emotions so they're an even more brutal and unsavory family.

Over the course of the story we learn the Washu isn't just the main house, there are several branch families who are all considered a part of the "Washuu." The house in order to maintain their power commits the ultimate taboo of arranging marriages, some of them even consanguineous marriages in order to breed for stronger child soldiers to fight ghouls. These children were then raised in a place called the "Sunlit Garden" solely for the purpose of becoming ghoul investigators when they were over. However, only the really good ones got to join the CCG, the rest of them had to be secret agents only working in the shadows. They also, as a curse only got to live short lives.

So, you can see the parallels with the Zen'in Family right away.

"If you're not a Zen'in then you're not a sorcerer, if you're not a sorcerer then you're not even human."

If you're a member of the Zen'in Clan you basically have no choice to be a sorcerer, according to Mai the other option is being treated like a household servant, which also implies women are seen as second class citizens who are only there to support the home if they don't become sorcerers.

Which means just like the Washuu, if you're born into the Zen'in you are going to be a child soldier, you'll be sent to Jujutsu High with little choice for the direction in your life. The Zen'in are also the most militarized of the three families. It's one of the few things Gege emphasizes about them in extra-canon materials.

"The Zen'in Family: Sorcerers who place an emphasis on ability above all else. They will even oppress their own family and relatives. They hold a self-righteous and old-fashioned ideology but their battle strength is high: they construct their unique battle organization in order to support the Jujutsu World."

Here we have more parallels to the Washuu, they are basically producing sorcerers / child soldiers to support the Jujutsu World the same way the Washuu creates ghoul investigators. There's also a very regimented caste system, only the best of the best get to be actual sorcerers, those without cursed techniques get shoved down to the bottom while the elite serve in the Hei with Naoya. The Zen'in also value inherited technique above all else, which is why they cast out people like Maki and Mai and yet elevate Megumi who's a complete stranger to clan head. This is an extrapolation but considering that Naoya makes offhand combats about marrying his cousins, then arranged marriages to produce children with better cursed techniques is probably a thing too.

The only reason I draw long comparison between the Washuu and the Zen'in though is because they are both families that basically exist to produce sorcerers / ghoul investigators and raise them up. All of their power and privilege in their society is given to them because of their ability to do this. All prestige in the clan comes from sorcerer technique and ability, which is why if you're not a sorcerer you're not even human. You weren't born as a child to be loved, you're born to be useful to the family.

The Zen'in is a place for raising sorcerers not children, which is why it's such an extremely loveless environment. Men marry women to take care of the household and raise up children, men only pay attention to their children who are sorcerers, children are all raised with the expectation of being a sorcerer or they're failing their parents. The Washuu and the Sunlit Garden particular have a theme that it's such a toxic environment that every single person who's raised there is poisoned. Everyone. There are no exceptions. No matter how kind or soft a person you are, if you are raised from birth to be a child soldier and shown no real empathy or love you're not going to be able to function as a person. There are characters who actually rebel against the Washuu, but they're still very much showing signs of the environment they were raised in, they're still toxic, violent and use power to get what they want.

Which is why whenever writing the Zen'in I used the maxim "There are no good Zen'in" which means no matter how good-intentioned they are, even if they have more sympathetic traits, no one can come out of the Zen'in unscathed. Y

Yes, even Maki. Remember, she murdered a whole bunch of people. She recreates the violence of her clan the same way everyone else in the clan does, even when she's trying to break that cycle she repeats it.

The exception would be Mai who never wanted to be a Zen'in in the first place and only wanted to a normal life, but Mai can be toxic in her own way. She's codependent, she blames others, she's incredibly self-loathing and dysfunctional and in canon in the end she chooses to kill herself. So the one example we have of an "innocent" Zen'in literally dies and is consumed by the whole clan.

Now, this is the part of the post where I'm going to blow your mind, a character doesn't have to be good or even redeemable to be a good character. They just need to be complex. The biggest problem of Gege's characterization of the Zen'in is not that they're all irredeemable people, but that they're irredeemable and one-note.

Ogi wants to kill his daughters to become clan-head. Jinichi was apparently Toji's brother, has a face scar, and wanted to go along with that plan. In extra-canon materials it's mentioned that most of Jinichi's direct subordinates think he's a nicer guy than Naoya.

Naoya's the most complex character out of the bunch, and he works as a good example to outline how you can make a character complex while having them be completely unsavory. Naoya, despite being spoiled is as tragically a product of his environment as much as any other Zen'in is. As I outlined above no one comes out of the Zen'in untouched, if you're raised in an incredibly insular clan with no access to the outside world, and every male figure around you is a misogynist then you're going to turn into a misogynist too. You are educated and taught to behave by the adults around you in your life.

Naoya is really the ultimate foil to Maki in that they are both the ultimate products of the Zen'in Clan toxicity, it's just Naoya was the golden child of the entire clan and Maki was the scapegoat. It's obvious Naoya's upbringing has ruined his entire personality and made him the embodiment of entitlement. One thing I like to say is that Naoya acts like Gojo, but he doesn't have the swag or charisma to back it up so while Gojo gets away with it Naoya continually gets his ass kicked. But in that sense Gojo is also the person who he is because he was spoiled and the golden boy of the Gojo clan.

Let's look at who Gojo is. Emotionally stunted. Incredibly lonely. Thinks no one can connect to him because no one is strong / good enough. Despises the sorcery world and the clan system. Full of barely restrained anger that comes out in fights. Isn't particularly liked by the people around him but they all still need him. Has no life outside of being a sorcerer.

Naoya has all these qualities too he's just an asshole so the audience is less inclined to sympathize with him. Think about Naoya this way, he despises everyone around him, his own family, his fellow sorcerers, he has no friends and no connections to other people. He openly mocks everything and laughs and constantly makes quips like "my brothers should just hang themselves and die" but a person so full of hatred isn't really enjoying their life. He wants to become clan-head beause he thinks he's entitled to that position and he's been told since birth that it's his... but why does he even want it? He hates the Zen'in, he knows their full of shit for looking down on Toji, he hates the other sorcerers around him. He follows and repeats the toxic Zen'in Ideology despite knowing that it's bad for him, but why?

Naoya becomes a very nihilistic character in that light, there's no love or happiness in his life, there's nothing he likes, he just believes in his elitism because that's all he has. He's the perfect Zen'in set to inherit the clan but he's nothing else, he's nihil as a person, he has no identity outside of being a sorcerer and he doesn't even seem to really like anything.

He longs to be as powerful as Toji and Gojo, but once again why? Does he think being able to look down on everyone from above would at least liberate him from the toxic cesspool he was raised in? Would that validate him somehow because he derives no real enjoyment from life?

While not sympathetic a person like that is pitiable. It's impossible not to feel bad for someone miserable, even if that person is the architect of their own misery. Anyway, you can draw a lot out of a character even Naoya who's basic role in the story is just "Naoya always talks shit and then immediately gets his ass kicked."

As for the rest of the clan, like I said they have no canon material so it's basically impossible to write them as out of character. They have no characters in canon.

For Jinichi I chose to focus on his relationship with Toji, because it would serve as a good parallel to Mai and Maki. My idea was to show Toji and Jinichi actually caring about each other as rothers to show how the Zen'in can ruin relationships even when there is love. The Zen'in Clan is a poisoned earth, everything that grows in that garden is poison so even loving sibling relationships are poisoned.

Jinichi can care about his brother, he can be much nicer to him than their father, but eventually their father's mistreatment of Toji and their father pitting them against each other is going to drive a wedge in their relationship no matter what. As much as they want to be they can't be a proper family, because the Zen'in Clan aren't a family they're a bunch of soldiers.

Which again parallels to Maki and Mai who love each other clearly, but are inevitably driven apart by their family circumstances. All the love in the world doesn't make a difference for the both of them because number one they are pitted against each other by the clan and outside environment and number two they are two different people coping with their trauma in different ways.

For Toji and Jinichi, and then Maki and Mai I chose to basically show that these are two twins who are inevitably unable to have functional sibling relationships with each other despite the love they might have because despite being twins they are not the same person. They are inevitably two different people reacting in different ways and therefore they're driven apart by it.

Ogi is the last one I gave any real characterization in my fic, by not actually giving him characterization at all. That makes sense I promise just let me explain.

Ogi's the kind of man who is willing to murder his own daughters for what he thinks is a shot at getting him clan head. These are children he's spent sixteen years of his life raising, and he has no hesitation whatsoever in doing that. Sure, Jinichi goes along with it but those aren't his kids so he's at least got a reason for being impersonal.

What kind of person can do that?

Well my idea was that Ogi's just not really much of a person to begin with. At least Naoya is grappling with inner turmoil and negative emotions whereas Ogi just seems to only care about his standing in the clan and his desire for clan head.

He probably never formed an attachment to his daughters, so he handed them off to his wife to raise. He probably didn't want daughters and twins on top of that in the first place, but when they turned out to both be worthless as sorcerers he probably stopped regarding them as his children whatsoever.

So everything in Ogi's life is just about playing a role in his clan. His marriage is probably arranged, and one where he has all the power in the house considering how Matsuko is scared into just going along with his plans. He only had children out of obligation to produce more heirs to raise up as sorcerers, and those failed so they're not even his children anymore. He doesn't have anything he wants, besides his desire for clan leadership but only because he believed he was unfairly passed over.

He's someone who perfectly fits the role of a traditional man of the Zen'in, but he's absolutely nothing else. He's got no personality, no motivations beyond ascending the ranks, he's just a cog more or less. Which is why in the end he's not even that important or complex a character, Maki just kills him in an instant because he's a nobody.

Those are the ideas I came up with in fleshing out the Zen'in as a household, I hope that helped you even a little bit, anon!

#nobody dies au #askspookies #zen'in family #zenin family #naoya zenin #naoya zeni'n