#she is serving the country but most importantly she is serving looks | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

runningfrom2am · 6 months

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Reader’s childhood friend gets dumped by Rafe, and then when the reader moves to town, they get back at Rafe, by breaking his heart.

thank you for this request ahhh i'm obsessed! (I've never seen john tucker must die but i hope this is along the right lines of what we were after lol.) i feel so bad ab hurting him :'(

anyway happy halloween guys!! i hope everyone has so much fun :))

rafe cameron must die - r.c.

pairing: rafe x fem!reader

wc: 3k

tags/warnings: toxic af reader, cheating, manipulation, swearing, read at your own discretion (but nothing else really that deep).

requests (currently closed- feel free to send whatever but it will be a while before I get to them!)

nav/masterlists

After your best friend showed up on your doorstep in New York with tears in her eyes and her favourite pillow under her arm, you knew you had to do something.

She had lived in New York most of her life, having only left you a few years before to move down to the Outer Banks with her family. You missed her dearly, but you hardly went a day without talking or a holiday without her coming home- that is, until she starting dating Rafe Cameron.

Over the last year your friend had fallen off your radar, not for a lack of you trying. But with her crying with her head in your lap, she confessed that she never meant to hurt you, but it was Rafe who had insisted that she didn't need her connections back home, and would roll his eyes when she mentioned anyone he didn't know personally. This got to the point where she just stopped, and made the mistake of listening to him when he drilled into her that you didn't even care if you couldn't be bothered to come visit. Luckily for you, while manipulative and abusive, Rafe also was careless- and your best friend told you he never even bothered to remember your name.

You dried her tears after days, shedding a fair few yourself upon hearing about how your friend's ex had treated her and how he broke up with her over text after no-call, no-showing their one-year anniversary date. You couldn't take it. You had to fix this somehow.

You had always been one for silent, secret revenge. Like spreading rumours about people who had done you wrong and never laying claim to the story, homie-hopping the friend group of a boy who refused to give you the respect of labeling your relationship, or even taking the liberty of sleeping with all of another girls ex-boyfriend's if she had given you one too many dirty looks. They didn't have to know about it in order for you to maintain your confidence- you knew what you did, and that was enough. This time, though, it wasn't you they had hurt. It was your best friend, the purest, kindest of souls who couldn't hurt a fly if you handed her the swatter and somehow held it still.

Rafe Cameron had to know the mistake he made by treating the wrong girl the wrong way, and you would make sure that he would. As you got off the ferry in Kildare with a suitcase in your hand, your mind was already reeling with every last thing you could do to him to make him feel what your best friend did- to hurt him the way he deserved. Rafe Cameron must die.

After scrubbing your social media's of any evidence of each other, your friend gave you the name of the country club he frequented. You had been quick to apply for every job they had open, and you landed one as a cart girl- it was perfect. You couldn't be more pleased with the position, you got to drive around on a drink cart in whatever short skirt you pleased, serving drinks and snacks to rich men who tipped generously and to most importantly, Rafe Cameron.

He had been intrigued from the first time he laid eyes on you. You were pretty, and seemingly so nice, and better yet; you were new in town. To him, you didn't know anything of him and his reputation, his drug habit, or his family name. He didn't know that you knew it all.

"Good morning Mr. Cameron." You smile, pulling up next to his tee-off point and quickly but casually stepping out of the cart. "Your usual today?"

"Come on, you can call me Rafe. My dad is 'Mr. Cameron'." Rafe chuckles, shaking his head at you and already digging for his wallet.

"That he is." You agree with a slight laugh, digging through your cooler to grab his favourite brand of beer and a shot. "First one is on me." You insist, holding the shot out for him as he looks up from where he was shuffling through the bills in his wallet.

"What's the occasion?" Rafe chuckles, furrowing his brow as he grabs the small glass from you.

"I don't know, it's always a good day when my favourite client is in early." You shrug, painting an innocent smile on your face.

"I'm your favourite, huh?" He smirks, accentuating the statement by taking the shot as you crack open his beer and hold it out to him to chase with.

"Of course you are." You hum, watching him as he trades the shot glass for the can in your hand.

"Well, that's funny, actually, because you're my favourite cart girl." Rafe smiles at you, and you return it, looking down and brushing your hair back out of your face.

"That's real sweet, thank you." You blush, fighting back the urge to scowl at how honestly fake he is. He's not this nice person he pretends to be- but he doesn't know that you aren't either. How long could the two of you play this game before one of you shows your cards? You're hoping that you get the chance to go first.

"You're welcome." Rafe smirks, nodding at you, reaching for his wallet again. God- he is so obnoxious you could vomit. "Here, this is a tip then if the drinks are free." He hands you a fifty, and you once again resist the urge to roll your eyes.

"Oh, wow, thank you." You smile sheepishly, taking it from him and tucking the bill into your bra.

"Don't worry about it." He smiles, leaning on his club as he watches you go to get back in the cart. "Hey, Y/N?"

Bingo.

You turn and put that smile back on, humming and tilting your head at him expectantly.

"Want to grab drinks after your shift? I know this great country club with a really cool bar."

Of course he wants to take you out to the club you work at- and to think that's funny, too? What a joke.

"Yeah! I would like that." You nod with a smile.

Your first few dates went... swimmingly. Perfectly to plan, anyway. Rafe would always pay, and you would always act a little nervous. You would wear sundresses- your friend said they were his favourite, and you played into his interests. You made a strong impression that you were one to be easily manipulated, and he was falling for it. Hard.

You were walking down the beach, hand in hand, taking the time to look at the beautiful view of the ocean while the boy next to you watched you intently, as if you were the only girl in the world. Right now, to him, you were. "Hey, Y/N, so I was thinking..."

"Oh, were you?" You tease, giggling as you raise an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I was," Rafe chuckles, gently swinging your hand. "I was thinking that maybe I'd like you to be my girlfriend, a more official thing. If you want, of course."

"Really?" You smile, chewing your bottom lip as you look up at him.

"Yeah, of course. You're really cool, and kind, and so beautiful, and I was just hoping you were feeling the same way I was." It was sweet, you can see how he roped in your friend so effortlessly.

"Aw, well, yes, I would love that, Rafe."

When you got back to your apartment that night, you were quick to text your friend and tell her he was all in. The plan was working out beautifully, and while she felt guilty, you reassured her that karma was on your side- and it would be the only justice he ever would face.

You spent the following month as Rafe's dream girl. Within three weeks of him asking you to be his girlfriend, he had told you he loved you over a shared bottle of wine on his yacht. You would be lying if you said you didn't enjoy this new lifestyle he was giving you, but you were much more excited by the idea of all of this blowing up in his face. You had considered the route of revenge porn, even going so far as to save some illicit pictures of him that you asked for, but even for you, that feels too far.

Safe to say, though, it's only a matter of a few months before he's all in, and you're all in with his friends, and thankfully, his family. He didn't get on with his sister, which worked out for you considering that her boyfriend, John B, was a pogue- and your overly possessive boyfriend had a wonderfully convenient distaste for pogues.

"Sarah! How are you? I didn't expect to see you here!" You smile, walking up to her and immediately pulling her in for a hug.

"Uh, at a boneyard party?" Sarah chuckles, hugging you back and looking over your shoulder at her friends, sharing a confused look with them.

"Well, yeah. I guess you're right." You giggle, pulling away and looking around at her friends. "These must be your friends! I've heard so much about you guys."

"Uh, yeah, everyone, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is John B, Kie, Pope, and JJ." She introduces you and you smile politely, giving them a small wave. "Y/N is Rafe's girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you." Pope says, but it sounds more like a question. It would be suspicious that Rafe's girlfriend would want anything to do with pogues.

"I just moved here a few months ago. I'm still trying to make friends and stuff." You shrug. "Really I've heard only good things about you guys."

Kie scoffs at this, bringing her cup up to her lips and shaking her head.

"What?" You giggle, furrowing your brow.

"As if Rafe would have anything nice to say about us." JJ agrees with his friend.

"Well, Rafe is... you know. Rafe."

"You could say that." John B says sarcastically and Sarah hits his shoulder.

"He's just... Actually, never mind. I shouldn't say that." You laugh it off, hoping one of them will take the bait.

They all look at each other, and a silent interaction takes place that you hope you're reading correctly. "Hey, can I grab you another drink?" JJ offers after a moment.

You nod and smile. "Yeah! Sounds good, I'm not drunk enough to be getting these shoes dirty like this. I still feel guilty about it." You laugh.

"Alright then! Tell me- have you ever done a shotgun before?"

The night progresses just as planned, with you getting sloppy drunk. Or, outwardly, sloppy drunk. You'd "accidentally" spilled over half of your drinks, gravitating closer and closer to JJ. He was cute anyways, and funny, and who were you to deny yourself the pleasure of being around someone you actually liked after months of faking it with Rafe?

You fire off a text to him, asking him to "pretty please" come pick you up from this party, and he replies within a minute promising he'd be there soon, and, the icing on the cake, that he loved you.

Now was most definitely the right time to get this whole thing over with.

"So, you were saying earlier about Rafe..." John B asks, leaning on Sarah's shoulder as she nudges him, shooting him a look that says 'don't be too obvious'.

"Oh! Well like I said, I probably shouldn't say..." You giggle, leaning into JJ's side more as he slots his arm around your waist to steady you.

"C'mon, Y/N/N, you can tell us. We won't tell a soul." JJ promises, squeezing you gently.

"Okay, well, In that case, he's kind of... weird, I guess? When we're alone he's just so clingy and whiney and kind of annoying." You slur out, giggling and covering your face. "I mean, I love him, but like, it's a lot."

You watch as their faces collectively light up, John B and JJ trying their best not to laugh. "And! And, you seriously can't tell anyone I told you this..." You cut them off, shaking your head and pretending to stumble a bit. "It's like... quite small. Honestly, I feel bad for him. The sex is so bad."

You laugh as everyone else does, already knowing you've lit the fire for a rumour to spread. Not that it was entirely true, but you figured it was a nice touch. Something for him to remember you by after you're back in New York and he's still fighting off the small dick allegations.

"That's... yeah that sucks." JJ laughs, running his hand down your back. "I have to tell you, though, no one's ever said that about me." He whispers the last part to you so no one else could hear, but you're sure they got the general idea.

You hum, taking another sip from your can as you turn in his arm. "Come with me to grab another drink?" You whisper back and he nods.

"Guys! We'll be back, just going to grab another drink." JJ explains, already leading you off.

"Don't tell anyone what I said about Rafe!" You laugh, pointing at them as you walk away, sure to be loud enough to draw looks from other kids scattered around.

"Come on, this way." You grab his hand and lead him away from where you stashed your drinks, up toward the road.

"Don't you want your drink?" JJ asks, confused as you turn to face him, shaking your can to demonstrate that it's still almost entirely full.

JJ chuckles, shaking his head. "What about your boyfriend?"

"What about him?" You say, stopping next to a tree, chewing on your lip as you look up at the boy in front of you.

"Nothing." JJ says quietly, shaking his head as you lean in, catching headlights approaching in your peripheral vision.

You pull JJ closer to you, his lips pressed to yours and you tangle your fingers in his hair as the lights get closer, brighter.

Rafe makes his way down the road, repeatedly trying to call you. No answer after your text, but he just sums it up to you being too drunk to make out what's on the screen. He loves it when you're drunk, you're giggly, and fun, and more relaxed than normal. It's not a side of you he sees often.

Rafe is beginning to think you're changing him, for the better. He's never loved someone so much, he fell fast and hard for a girl who was perfect for him. Soulmate was a word he swore he never believed in, that was until he got to know you.

When he caught a look at you in his headlights, making out with JJ fucking Maybank, he could swear his heart stopped. Typically he'd be angry- he's not a stranger to being cheated on, or doing the cheating, but with you, it was so different. He was more mature now. Apparently, maturity meant heartbreak.

"Y/N? Is that you?" Rafe calls out, getting out of the truck as JJ disappears back down to the beach. He already knew the answer.

"Rafe! Uh, hi!" You giggle nervously, deciding to play this out a little longer as he walks up to you.

"Who were you with?" He asks, stopping a few feet away as his voice cracks.

"Oh! Uhm, just a friend." You answer, keeping your distance.

"Oh, okay. Well, let's go, then. I'll get you home." He mumbles, a tear falling which he quickly wipes away as he turns to head back to the truck. Hopefully, the few seconds he isn't facing you are enough to compose himself.

"What, that's it?" You scoff, crossing your arms. The sudden sobriety in your voice caught him off-guard. "I really expected more from you, Rafe Cameron."

He turns, brow furrowed as he looks you over. Sober as ever, he's sure of it. "What?"

"What?" You mock him, rolling your eyes. "I'm disappointed. Honestly. Not even a screaming match?"

Rafe pauses for a moment, shaking his head slightly as if it would help him interpret the situation. "Y/N, I'm not going to fight with you. I'm going to pretend I didn't see what I'm pretty sure I just saw, and we're going to move on. Okay?"

"I'd rather not, actually." You reply, feet planted firmly where you stood. "Are you crying?" You ask, leaning in a little and squinting in the headlights to see better. "Oh, my, god. You are crying!"

"What are you laughing at? You cheated on me!" He defends, wiping his eyes rapidly as his voice shakes.

"Aw." You laugh, clutching your drink to your chest with a fake pout. "It really worked, didn't it?"

Rafe looks down at the ground now, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Tell me, how does it feel?" You ask. "I'd like to pass it on to a friend. I mean, she already knows, because you cheated on her. Then blamed her, and then hit her when she pointed the finger back at you. Oh, and that was after you ghosted her and broke up with her with a snapchat."

He just shakes his head again, chewing now on the side of his nail as tears continue to fall.

"Nothing? Not even a word?" You ask, waving your hand in his direction to grab his attention.

"I love you." He mutters, a weak attempt at regaining your favour.

This only succeeds in making you laugh. "So I win!" You drop your can so you can give yourself a round of applause.

"Rafe Cameron, I have never met someone as fake, and sick, and as cruel as you are." You recite, stepping closer with every word. "You are going to die alone. And you'll deserve it."

"You will too." Rafe counters, taking a deep breath. "You are just as cruel and sick as I am." He spits, regaining enough confidence to be angry. "What kind of person takes months out of their life to move to a new city just to fuck up someone else's life?"

"You don't even know the extent of what I did yet." You whisper, face to face with him now. "Go ahead. Hit me. I won't press charges. I won't need to."

His fists are clenched at his sides, jaw shut so tight his temples are starting to ache as angry tears continue to fall.

"You can't, can you?" You continue, taking a step back now, smiling and shaking your head. "You're pathetic, Rafe Cameron!" You call, turning and walking back down the path.

He watches you walk away, heartbroken as he huffs with anger. That's what he gets for changing. That's what he gets for trusting you.

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heliads · 8 months

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can you make a nikolai lantsov x reader?? i've been thinking about one where reader was one of sturmhond's crew as a tidemaker and they were together for a long time, but when nikolai became king, the two separated because royalty had done too much harm to r family and she didn't want to become one of them (besides her being Grisha). maybe after RoW they finally talk and get back together??

yesss pirate!reader x nikolai my beloved

masterlist

If Nikolai Lantsov were to regret anything in his life, anything at all, it would be how he handled her. It’s not that he regrets her, he wants to make that clear. He couldn’t if he tried, and Nikolai has tried many times to get over her, to find some flaw out of an improbability of perfection so he might not feel as achingly heartbroken as he always does.

But when Nikolai lies awake at night, unable to sleep despite a gilded bedroom and dozens of lush pillows and luxurious blankets, the worries troubling his mind are not of a country to run, nor the endless cycles of politics constantly reinventing new problems to crush his world beneath his boot. No, he thinks of one woman. He thinks of you.

Before Nikolai was the latest Lantsov king, before he was a homeward bound prince, he was a boy, and a boy who wanted to run. A much younger Nikolai in body and spirit had signed onto a pirate ship the second his guards turned their backs. It was a terrible decision for a golden prince to make, but the best choice for the bastard who never wanted to see another silver spoon again unless he was stealing it.

When Nikolai was a young man, he determined that he would be the captain of a ship, and a captain always needs a crew he can depend on to carry him through thick and thin. Nikolai sailed to countless foreign shores, finding friends and enemies in oceans sapphire and stormy, cerulean and calm. He wore dashing waistcoats and ruined them with the blood of slashed throats. He blockaded and benefitted small towns with equal joy.

And, most importantly of all, Nikolai found his first mate. It is a difficult thing, of course, choosing someone who could be your successor. If he picked someone a little too captivating, he ran the risk that they could depose him in a mutiny. If he gave that spot to someone the crew hated, though, his leadership would be undermined all the same.

He was just starting to think it would be impossible to find the right sort of figure, and then this young woman he’d never met before had simply walked up and asked for it. Technically, it wasn’t such an easy meeting as that. She had actually stolen one of the rowboats off of his ship while it was tied to their ship in the harbor with her abilities as a Tidemaker, then used the water to ferry her over to him.

From anyone else, Sturmhond would consider that a punishable offense. However, the privateer in him was also a politician, and one used to fronts and facades at that. Nikolai looked at the woman in front of him and realized that she wasn’t looking to use him as an avenue for a coup to captainship. She’d done her research and figured out that he was the best captain to serve under, and was simply ensuring that she made a good impression.

There is nothing Nikolai can appreciate like a fine display of showmanship, so he’d accepted her acceptance of his non-offer and told her to move her belongings into the first mate’s cabin that night. The crew woke up to a new member, and they took to her as readily as Nikolai himself.

After that, it was easy. Nikolai skimmed over frothy waves and he had someone by his side, a proper companion. He has liked his crew heartily all this time, but Y/N– he likes Y/N even more. Saints, he loves her. It takes him a while to realize that, but he does. Once that knowledge is common to him, the fact that he could have felt anything else is nothing short of absurd.

He’d given her his name a long time ago. Part of it, at least. They’d been on night guard together one shadowy twilight and she’d begged him for some sort of name she could use. Sturmhond, although great for inspiring fear and leadership as he saw fit, wasn’t personal enough for a friend, and Captain was too formal. Nikolai had witnessed many years of his father forcing everyone to refer to him as the king and nothing more. Never will he force a title on anyone.

So he’d said Nik, she could call him Nik, and that was more than good enough. It feels like cheating, a little, to have her bypass his real name and go straight to the familiar nickname. If anyone could do it, though, it would be her. Captains aren’t supposed to have favorites among their crew, but this is Y/N, and he loves her, so she calls him Nik, and he– he lets it happen.

All this truth, this love, and he never told her who he was. Not by choice. How could he? Y/N hated the monarchy, and so did he. The elder Lantsovs did not treat Grisha kindly, only tolerating them in the confines of the Little Palace. There was nothing Nikolai could do to protect them, to protect her, half as well in Os Alta as he could as Sturmhond, so he kept it a secret.

You could call that selfishness. You would be correct in doing so. Nikolai did not tell Y/N he was a prince because he was terrified of how she would push him away. In the end, there was nothing he could do to avoid that. The Darkling called on his help in capturing Alina Starkov, and Nikolai revealed that last ace in his sleeve the night before he was to dock in Ravka and personally escort the Sun Saint and her friends back to Os Alta.

He will never forget how Y/N had looked at him when she finally learned what he was, not as long as he shall live. He had asked her to come to his office, to lock the door so no one could hear. Y/N has been host to a great many of his secrets, good and bad and terrible, so she thought she could handle just one more.

She was wrong. Nikolai stood before her, and said, “I am the son of the king.”

She’d laughed, actually, but that had dried up when she realized he wasn’t joking. “No. You can’t be serious. All this time we’ve been out here, and you haven’t told me? You would have told me.”

Her eyes were desperate, pleading. Y/N L/N is one of the finest pirates Nikolai ever had the pleasure of meeting. He’s seen her go into no-luck gunfights with a grin on her face, and now she looks like all of her luck has finally run out. How awful, that he would be the one to finally crush her spirit underfoot.

“I knew you wouldn’t like it,” he tries to explain.

Y/N shakes her head. “No. I don’t like it when Tolya borrows my knives to slice fruit. I don’t like it when we stay in small towns too long. Nik, it’s not that I don’t like it that you’re a royal. It’s that you’ve betrayed me. You know how the Lantsov kings have treated Grisha, how they’ve treated anyone who isn’t an elite.”

It occurs to Nikolai that this might be how he loses her, in truth. “Y/N, please. We can change everything. Why do you think I came out here in the first place? I want to help Ravka. I want to help my people. Just come with me. We can do it together.”

She waves her hand dismissively. “No. I don’t want to be one of them.”

Not like he is, at least. Nikolai is endlessly, ineffably them, but she doesn’t have to be. She’s safe from them. From him. “Y/N. I love you, and I want you with me. Please, come to Os Alta with me.”

She turns to him abruptly, eyes violent. “No. That’s final, Nik.”

Ah. So it ends. And so Nikolai had gone to bed alone, heart a bitter mess of hurt, and he had disembarked from his ship with Alina and Mal and the rest. He had taken them to Os Alta, he had reclaimed his position on the throne, and all the while, he knew that he would never want anything in the world half as strongly as he just wanted her.

It’s funny, isn’t it? Nikolai is a king now, and despite all his reach and power, the one thing he desires most will never be in his grasp again. She will always be the sea’s, and, as of late, that means she will never be Nikolai’s. Nikolai is chained to the crown; he will never leave it, he can never leave it. Y/N will be out there on the storm-tossed waves forever, as wild as the night he met her, and that will cause him grief until the day that he dies.

Nikolai grows up and it gets no better. He watches friends lose themselves to war and misery. He wears the crown upon his head, and then, surrounded by the clamoring voices of those who wanted him gone, he relinquishes it. Nikolai had tried to do his best while he was in office, but, walking back from the meeting with a strangely light feeling upon his head and shoulders where a great burden no longer rests, he wonders if it had ever been enough.

No one can ever be enough for Ravka. This he has known since he was a child. He had tried, though. The trying should at least get him somewhere. Nikolai passes blind laps around the Great Palace, attempting to remember every garden and room before he leaves it. He’ll have to pack his bags at some point, move out and find somewhere else to call a home after so many years in this one place.

Zoya has already offered for him to stay here, albeit in a different room. He’s a valuable advisor thanks to all his years on the throne, and he’s still as good a diplomat as ever. Nikolai will probably take her up on it; he wants to help Ravka, and this seems like the best way to do it.

About a week later, Zoya knocks on the door of his new rooms before letting herself inside when he invites her in. She’s taking to her new royal title very well, even if this seems to include her stealing his tea far more times than is strictly proper.

This time, though, she isn’t here to stop and talk. Instead, Zoya hovers hesitantly at his door, and says, “There’s someone here to see you.”

Nikolai arches a brow. “I didn’t realize relinquishing my crown meant I got to have the Dragon Queen herself here to announce my visitors. Will you do this every time?”

Zoya laughs sarcastically, but her voice is still stilted when she adds on, “Just this time. She says she knows you. She was on your crew. First mate.”

Nikolai swears his heart stops in his chest. This is– no, it couldn’t be. He told Zoya about Y/N a long time ago. She’d asked why he hadn’t been more invested in finding a suitor and he’d admitted that he was pushing it off for as long as possible, knowing he couldn’t love unless it was her.

He nods a little frantically. “Alright. Where is she?”

“Here,” says a voice behind Zoya, and then the queen of Ravka is disappearing back down the hall and Nikolai is alone in a room with someone else and– and it’s Y/N, Y/N after so long, and he doesn’t really know how to think straight, let alone say anything at all.

She pauses over the threshold before finally going inside and shutting the door behind you. “I suppose I should be glad you’re speechless. Shows you still care, at least.”

“Of course I do,” Nikolai chokes out. “But– you do too? You’re here.”

She inclines her head, taking a seat on the chair opposite him. “I came as soon as I heard that you would no longer be king. I thought it would be hard. To lose this one last thing from your family.”

Nikolai frowns. “You hate my family.”

“I don’t hate you,” she says simply, “and even if they treated you harshly, they were still your blood. That means more than any of us want to admit, I think.”

Nikolai sighs. “You’ve always been the wise one, Y/N.”

She smiles at that. “Isn’t that why you hired me, Nik?”

The nickname again. His heart contracts painfully in his chest. “I should have told you,” he blurts out. “I should have told you everything.”

“I knew a lot,” she replies, “Enough to love you. I’m glad for every moment. There would have been fewer if you had told me sooner.”

Nikolai grimaces at the truth in that. “So you’re alright with me being a Lantsov now?”

She furrows her brow. “I heard some whispers that you aren’t entirely a Lantsov at all.”

He can’t really argue with that. “Who am I, then?”

“You’re Nik,” she tells him, “My Nik. My captain. And yes, my king, even if you’ve given over the throne. I always kept track of what you were doing during your reign. I was always proud of you.”

A bright burst of pride flares in his chest. “What do you advise I do now, if my reign is over?”

She stands, extends a hand to him. “We could always go back to a good time. The sea only gets bigger.”

Nikolai looks up at her, and he thinks– this is what he’s missed. Nikolai makes a fine king, but he has always missed adventure. He’ll have that now. And, when they both get old and tired, they can come back here, and continue making policies now that they’ve lived the lives of both the rich and the outlaw. It sounds wonderful to Nikolai.

He takes her hand. “Shall we go, then?”

She smiles. Radiant. He loves her just as much as he did at the start. “I think we shall.”

grishaverse tag list: @rogueanschel, @deadreaderssociety, @cameronsails, @mxltifxnd0m, @story-scribbler, @retvenkos, @mayfieldss, @eclliipsed, @gods-fools-heroes, @bl606dy, @auggie2000, @baju69, @crazyhearttragedy, @budugu, @aoi-targaryen

all tags list: @wordsarelife

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov imagines #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov oneshot #grishaverse #grishaverse imagines #grishaverse x reader #grishaverse oneshot #shadow and bone #shadow and bone imagines #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone oneshot #grishaverse nikolai #grishaverse nikolai imagines #grishaverse nikolai oneshot

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theemptyartdeco · 8 months

Text

Twin Tides (Nate Jacobs)

Summary:

Kaitlyn Arundel, a former prep school princess from New York City, was a pawn in her parents' war of a divorce, had a fire in her that was concealed by a facade of naivety and perfection.

Nate Jacobs is the king of the monsters that once haunted him, a master of control born from his own nightmares.

When their worlds collide, lines blur and reflections emerge, hinting that perhaps, they're not as different as they seem.

Materlist

Chapter 2 Calmness amidst the Storm | Kaitlyn

Warning: This chapter contains prejudice, strong pejorative language and internalized misogyny. (Both of them are deeply flawed characters, read at your own discretion.)

Kaitlyn Arundel belonged to everywhere but nowhere.

To the glamorous New York, to the exotic Beijing, to melancholic Vancouver, Kaitlyn came, breathed and lived. She didn’t mind the habitual change of scenery. Why would she ever? She adored the privilege of flying above the world, rainy wooden scent of the northwestern coast, the foreign and mysterious capital of an ancient civilization and the vibrancy and grandeur of the city where dreams were made of.

But finding herself in a Californian suburban town was something that had almost sent her over the edge of anger and despair.

“Sweet daughter, it doesn’t matter whether you are in New York or anywhere else. Diamond shines everywhere it travels to.”

“Don’t you blame it on me. It’s your father’s fault that I can’t afford your private tuitions and ballet training anymore.”

“I will be sending allowance on your card. Don’t you ever worry. It’s your mother I am punishing, not you.”

“Kaitlyn, I’ve looked into your profile, 4.2 GPA, outstanding volunteering experience. Keep your academic records as it is, you will get into college in no time.”

Getting to a college? Is the man fucking serious? I do not belong to some low life community college. I belong to an Ivy.

“Kaitlyn.”

“Ms. Arundel.”

“I’m sorry,” She adjusted her skirt, forcing the anger and tears down her throat by smiling gracefully, “Please go on.”

“As I was saying, I know transferring across half the country in the middle of your senior year may unsettling,” the principal continued, the appreciation in his voice now laced with a hint of impatience, “But I assure you, there is no need to be.”

“Thank you, Principal Hayes,” Kaitlyn nodded, putting a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing the discreetly ostensible round pearl earring, “To hear this from you offers me great relief.”

Relief my ass.

Every step Kaitlyn took toward the AP Calculus classroom, she felt as if she were Cersei Lannister in Games of Thrones, walking down atonement among stinking peasants of King’s Landing.

Some guys with their poorly arranged shirts smirked at her way, their lustful eyes gazing under her black skirt, while a group of girls whose laughter sounded like those horrendous traffic honking in downtown New York bumped the side of her shoulder, misplacing her expensive shirt.

She peeked back at the the group of girls. Fluorescent pants, their full breasts bouncing blatantly in their tops that served to enhance their youthful sexuality.

They would’ve been sent home, she scoffed, with a slight tilt of her brows, if only this was at the Trinity.

She sat herself in the corner of the first row instead of the centre where she wished to be. She liked attention. Especially the type of attention she receives effortlessly simply by dressing, walking and smiling they way she did. But something about placing in front of twenty ish hormonal teenagers unsettled her. Most importantly, the spot offered her opportunity to observe.

The teacher went on and on about the limit of a function, a notion she had leant in junior year, Kaitlyn’s gaze wandered subtly unnoticeably. One girl was the first of her subject of observation. The makeup on her face was smoky and bold, her winged eyeliner almost reached her brows. She, like almost other girl in East Highland High, wore a short tank top revealing her belly button and petite waist. Then, at least, her eyes finally landed on her breasts, again. They were plump, her round skin rubbed against each other and the rough texture of her top. They captured her attention uncontrollably.

She felt the sensation of her tight, black, push-up bra constraining her flesh like a 19th century corset.

But she loved Victorian corsets.

But it burnt, it hurt.

She returned her mind on the paper, but the image of their horrendous laughter and rude demeanour, the way their breasts bouncing freely and shamelessly played again and again.

Just as she breathed soothingly, preparing to drown herself in the world of mathematics once more, her eyes landed on Nate Jacobs.

Wearing a large blue hoodie, it was obvious in his eyes that his mind was filled with calculations beyond the math.

That night at the carnival, he touched her.

He dared to touch her.

“A lot of men would try to het their hands on a beautiful girl like you. You don’t want to find yourself in that kind of situation.”

Was that a threat?

Nate Jacobs was the image of an archetype she disdained: the arrogant jock, stupid and practically illiterate, actions dictated by sex hormones instead of the brain. Yet the way he spoke to her with the calm and charming mask he had worn , even later that night, the threatening way his gaze locked to that his girlfriend and the way he grabbed her for messing his pride…

For the first time in this dreadful school, Kaitlyn was excited. Among the hormonal driven teenagers, there was a wrestler.

An embodiment of physical strength and strategy.

To be frank, Nate Jacobs had occupied a portion of her mind. A disgust boiled in her stomach as Kaitlyn is recalled the unabashedly greedy look the faces of those pathletic and arrogant high school boys, but Nate Jacobs was everything she liked about men.

Kaitlyn Arundel had made a long mental checklist of the things she liked and disliked about men.

She liked white shirts, crisp and clean, but not the ones that hadn’t seen an iron in weeks.

She liked tall boys, but didn't mind the shorter ones as long as their bodies were in shape.

She hated unkempt appearances, but there was nothing on planet Earth she hated more than fat arms and a round belly.

She liked jeans, snug but not too tight.

She liked sweaters.

She liked confidence, but despised misplaced arrogance, the bluster without the backbone.

She never understood boys who wore makeup, felt it hid more than it showed.

It was one of the things she first noticed about Nate. His confidence didn't just show, it roared.

“Mr. Jacobs, please come with us.”

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Principal Hayes’ voice.

“Maddy fainted, and they found bruises on her neck,” a girl whispered to the person next to her.

“And they think that Nate did it!”

Kaitlyn immediately recalled the image of him dragging Maddy furiously away from the booth after she had called his mom the c word.

To Kaitlyn, the idea of Nate leaving those marks on Maddy wasn’t unsettling. If someone had humiliated her that publicly, she might not have drawn blood, but she'd certainly have sought revenge — maybe by obliterating her future.

An hour later.

“Ms. Arundel, do you consider Nate Jacobs to you a violent individual?”

“No, officer. Nate Jacobs is one of the few who had shown me kindness since my transition to a completely new environment. He is an honest, generous and kind person . I truly believe he wouldn’t do such a thing. He's just not that kind of person.”

Author’s note: after writing this chapter, I realized that her pov, perhaps, is more and disturbing and Nate pov chapters. Even I, the author, got a little disturbed while writing. I know there aren’t as much dramas in the these first two chapters, but I believe it’s essential to take the time to establish their worldviews and give a glimpse of their internal battles. Like Nate, there is a reason why Kaitlyn is the way she is. Her backstory will be explored. Thank you for reading!

Comment pls pls pls! Your comments mean everything to me!

Tag list: @dani-is-a-princess @wabi-sabi1090 @tember1

#euphoria #nate jacobs #nate jacobs x reader #nate jacobs fanfic #fanfic #rue bennett #nate jacobs x you #maddy perez #jules vaughn #jacob elordi

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gacha-incels · 3 months

Text

@frozenemus I want to eventually do a larger and much more researched post regarding misogynist men who are drawn to these types of games: socially, psychologically, financially and historically especially in South Korea. I don’t want to wait that long to reply here so I’ll let you know my thoughts so far which are by no means going to be a comprehensive look at everything.

Yes, I think these games pander to what this type of man already believes about women and this is why they will flock to them. The “gacha game” medium comforts him with the always-available cartoon woman who can literally be “won” (not through confusing things like treating them with respect but rather money),will never leave (until EoS), obeys all his orders (through gameplay), and always looks perfect (because she is drawn that way).

I believe these games and in effect all mainstream pop/entertainment media (among other things) serve to uphold the status quo in one way or another. This is not a phenomenon unique to gacha games themselves. Media like this can have a significant affect on its population, which is why you will see the US military finance so many films, tv shows and videogames. I don’t think any singular pop media can do something as drastic as completely change a population’s opinion regarding an issue, but rather it can flatter its audience by showing them an easy lie rather than confront an uncomfortable truth, which in turn serves to solidify certain concepts in a society. This media often reflects back onto the consumer a stereotype or dichotomy they feel safe with, which in turn creates a kind of feedback loop of comfortable falsity that becomes enshrined as truth. This can be something as seemingly benign as replacing an actual eagle’s cry with that of a hawk’s because that’s what the audience “expects to hear” or more sinisterly the “third world filter” used in many North American productions when showing scenes in a country viewers “expect” to be in poverty. There’s been a lot written within the past couple years regarding “copaganda” entertainment which exemplifies a lot of this type of thing. Similarly I believe it’s been studied that when in times of big changes or economy crashes, more sequel movies will be made and toy store aisles will have an extremely stark divide between “boy’s toys” and “girl’s toys”. It’s in part to comfort the society that fears the unknown future with both saccharine nostalgia and familiar dichotomies with clear and dividing gender roles to fit into. You don’t have to think or be worried- it’s all been decided already so just get in the box.

The medium of “gacha game” itself I believe is the first thing that should be considered- the first message conveyed to the consumer is what medium the “artist” chooses to tell their story. In a whole host of ways, interacting with a book is different than a play which is different than a movie, etc. You can find, for instance, older books where directors write about the need to recognize and utilize the unique facets of film to get meaning across rather than fall back on the familiar and easy stageplay of the theater. Off the top of my head, I think Tarkovsky, Cocteau and Maya Deren have written about it in their books, and a more contemporary book I especially liked was Doug Aitken’s “Broken Screen” interviews. Anyway you’ve probably read or heard of Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the massage”(message), it’s something I would like to elaborate on in a future post so I won’t get into it now. The most unique aspect of the “gacha game” is gambling and often spending large quantities of money for in-game anime style characters to play as/command. Like I said in the last post, these games ride or die on high spenders dropping cash to max these characters out. EVERYTHING about the game must cater to this consumer first and any “artistic intent” will be filtered through the expectations of these customers. None of the story beats or, more importantly, character designs can afford to offend the gacha gamer. Artistic intent and concepts are neutered simply by the medium itself- sorry but this is why I find it ridiculous to see so many people venerating Arknights and Limbus Company as making some incredibly progressive statements regarding capitalism or feminism. It is antithetical to the very medium with which they chose to tell their “stories”, especially when the companies can tell their incel playerbase “don’t worry, we fired that nasty female artist! this game is just fantasy, no need to think about real life atrocities or those hateful feminists.” This gives these men the ego boost they want and imbues them with a sense of power, especially over women who they frequently get fired. Even this is part of gacha games- the power these men get to control a real woman’s financial fate and to make a company publicly refer to feminism as a hate movement. What does this tell you about their intended audience? This is getting long so I’ll make another short post regarding some character design specifics. Hopefully this somewhat could answer your question lol

#gacha #limbus company #arknights #incels #feminism #fgo #r1999 #etc….#Gacha #gacha games #misogyny

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22ayla19 · 5 months

Text

Schneider x reader

Bulky men with muscles and biceps, as well as humor, are your favorite type in men. You had a soft spot for such men and especially for your employer, Schneider.

Your organization sent you to serve Flame, since they considered you a good mentor to Flame's newcomers. Well, you did your job, and that’s the main thing, no one bothered you about how to teach newcomers.

But how did you manage to meet Schneider in person without revealing your intentions of squeezing his biceps? Mystery of the century.

You were called to discuss the training plan for newcomers, and as a result, you met not only Supri there, but also Schneider. Looking at this stately and muscular man, you almost screamed with happiness, but still realizing that then they looked at you like a fool, you pushed aside your desires and behaved as professionally as possible.

Time passed, you taught beginners in the same way and they showed good results. One day, Schneider decided to look at the training process, which became a test for you. You need to be focused on the students, but here behind your soul there is a 2-meter-tall cabinet with bulging muscles.

“God, give me strength and patience not to give myself away red-handed.”

The training is over, Schneider praised everyone, including you. While everyone was leaving, he was discussing something with his student Roist. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that when you left, you forgot to take your diary.

"What a clumsy..."

Taking your diary, he wanted to return it to you with a reminder to be more careful.

- This is a diary, Mrs. Y/N.

- Do you know her, Roist?

- Not much, but she is a well-mannered lady and most importantly knows her place.

- Well, she must have been busy since she forgot her diary. I'll call you tomorrow and return it to her. Let him rest.

Roist considered the actions of the mentor to be countries, but did not attach any importance to this. You never know what the mentor was thinking about.

That evening, you couldn’t find your diary anywhere and was very worried that someone else would find it, because there was evidence that you were by no means a modest girl, which, unfortunately, Schneider already understood while reading your diary.

It’s not that he doesn’t like to delve into the personal belongings of a stranger, he’s just lazy, but for some reason this diary interested him terribly, so he learned the other side of a well-mannered girl. A minute of silence and awareness, and then loud laughter in the entire room where Schneider was.

- What a funny girl!

On the second day, Schneider called you to his place. You were worried, wondering why Schneider called you, but perhaps your soul left you when your diary showed the top 10.

- Why did you turn pale with fear? Are you afraid that someone will find out your little secrets?

- Well, the end will definitely come to me now if you say that you read my diary, but I think so.

- Ahahha! You're funny. Don't be afraid, no one will know about your secrets, only if you become my personal assistant.

- You decided to make fun of me?

- Maybe.

“If I refuse, it’s not a fact that my secret will be safe... I’ll have to agree...”

- I agree, but you also keep your word that you will keep the secret.

- Deal.

Well, at least your secret remained a secret, but being Schnauder's personal assistant might not be the best idea. Considering that he can blackmail you with your diary at any moment. But if you look at the situation from the other side, you now more often see the bulging muscles of a man who, as if out of spite, teases you with this.

#eleceed x reader #eleceed #schneider x reader

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tragedyofdevotion · 1 year

Text

Irony

Yandere Malleus x f! reader, implied Silver x f! reader

From Sebek's point of view

! Major Character Death!

Sebek is well-known for his loyalty and undying respect for his master. But can he really stay unmoving when losing his precious friends?

A soft melody lingers in the dark halls of the tower. It carries a tragic tone, which is born out of the grief, held by Her Majesty. Without anyone else to sympathize her, the human hums along the tune, the same way a nightingale would.

The Queen was once a caring and gentle young lady, smiling brightly and lending a hand to anyone and everyone who was in need of her help. But now, she is only a shadow of her former self, broken and hurt beyond repair. By numerous tragedies, she has been turned a lifeless doll, not seeing nor hearing anything, and not responding nor replying to anyone. Despite being the King’s loyal subject, the knight finds himself feeling sorry for her as she was one of his few friends in the past. It breaks his heart to see her, losing heart bit by bit each passing day.

More so, since he already had to let go of his other friend. Surely, that one was also a lowly human and always acted so somnolent. But he was a dependable comrade for him at critical times. Yet, at the time the white knight took his final breath, he looked at the other way without lifting a single finger.

“I had no choice.” It is the excuse he gives himself whenever regret and guilt try to eat his sanity away. As someone who had sworn his wholehearted devotion to his master, he could not possibly go against the orders. So, he did nothing when one of his friends lost his life and another lost her heart.

“Then, what should I have been done to prevent this outcome?”

He asks this to himself day after day, but even now he still cannot figure out the answer. If he learned something from the previous incidents, it was that there was nothing a mere knight like him could accomplish. He realized this, after experiencing one’s own powerlessness first-hand. Moreover, even if he did know the solution, it would be pointless for he was not capable of turning back time.

So, he clears his mind of the unnecessary thoughts and shakes his head violently. It is unbecoming for a knight from Briar Valley to be lost in thoughts on such an important day. He walks along the halls as he listens to your sorrowful musings.

When he reaches his destination, he looks up the door in front of him. It is a huge double door with briar roses crafted on the surface. The design is beautiful and impressive, native from the tales and myth of the Country. Each and every petal of the roses is as elegant as the fresh one, and sharp thorns cover all the surroundings of those roses in a protective manner. The decorations portray the very relationship between you and his master.

“Y/n-sama, I have come to escort you to the ceremony hall.”

The knight knocks on the door to announce you of his arrival. The door, responding to the bracelet from his wrist, lights up the decorations in a green light, and unlocks itself. This is due to the King’s magic present in the accessory, which serves as the key to the chamber. The fact that his master entrusted him with the crucial key indicated the amount of trust he held on the knight. Therefore, he cannot possibly betray his master’s trust, even if that means betraying his friends, his memories, and most importantly, his heart.

There is no response from inside of the room. Perhaps you do not hear him, drowned in your misery. Or if you do, you are ignoring him on purpose. The tower is deafeningly silent, apart from the song in the air which does not stop flowing.

Since there is no time to lose for such an important ceremony day, he opens the door without waiting for your response anymore. The room is pitch black, but he can make out your frail form near the window of the hall. You are wearing a dark green gown, which he figures is forced onto you by the maids in preparation for the ceremony. Turning your back away from him, you sings and sings, outstretching your hand to the faint stars twinkling on the moonless sky, through the iron bars guarding on the window.

He remembered the conversation he overheard in the old days.

“Grim, do you know? In our world, there is a saying that after people pass away, they become stars.”

What are you thinking about right now?

Maybe you are wishing for freedom towards your lover, the white knight, who was also his friend, who was slayed by the envy boiling in the dragon’s heart, and who has now become a star. Or maybe you are wishing to become a star yourself and stay by your lover’s side for ever and ever. If so, it would not be possible anymore after the ceremony, as it is one which would annihilate your mortality.

Haunted by all sorts of emotions, he could not contain himself anymore, and knelt behind you.

“I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.”

Like a mantra, he only repeats those words.

Finally, you stops singing and looks back at him. Your eyes hollow and unfeeling. After seeing his trembling form on the floor, you, too, kneel beside him. You hold his cheeks with both of your hands, and wipe away his tears. Then, you hug him gently. In the same manner a mother would soothe a child who has woken from a terrible nightmare, you pat his back slowly.

Even though you are but a little bird in a glided cage, you cares for someone like him.

He thought that you were only a shadow of your former self but how wrong he was. Even as a doll, they are all still present inside you, your loving warmth, your kind heart, your tender soul.

So, why must someone like you suffer like this?! What have you done to receive this kind of fate?!

In the dark chamber of the solitary tower, the chained maiden continues to console her dear friend who has betrayed her.

#twisted wonderland #twst #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst #twst imagines #twisted wonderland imagines #yandere malleus #yandere malleus x reader #yandere malleus draconia #yandere malleus draconia x you #malleus draconia #twisted wonderland silver #twisted wonderland silver x reader #malleus x y/n #malleus x you

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sfb123 · 1 year

Text

Christmas in Cordonia - Part 2

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Catch up here.

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Liam and Riley celebrate Eleanor's first Christmas.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,192

I am participating in @choicesflashfics holiday prompts. The prompt What's wrong? Do you not like your gift? will appear in bold below.

A/N: Thank you @txemrn, as always, for pre-reading!

“His majesty King Liam, her majesty Queen Riley, and her highness Princess Eleanor,” the herald announced as the ballroom doors opened.

Liam and Riley entered the room arm-in-arm with Riley carrying Eleanor on her opposite hip. The young princess took in the crowd that was clapping for her, and she began giggling and clapping back much to the delight of the attendees.

The royal family walked across the dancefloor to the stage. Liam stepped up first, extending his hand to guide Riley up the steps. They stood for a few moments posing for photos before Liam stepped up to the microphone.

“Good evening, everyone,” he began, “I would like to thank you for celebrating with us tonight.” Liam paused, turning to Riley and smiling when he saw Eleanor nestled into the crook of her neck. “This is certainly a milestone holiday for Cordonia, but most importantly, for my queen and myself as we celebrate Princess Eleanor’s first Christmas.

“It has been a difficult year, faced with many challenges. But we have come together as a country, and now we are stronger than ever.” The crowd applauded, and Liam stepped away from the microphone, signaling for Riley to step up.

“Tonight is not about treaties, or policies, or politics,” the queen began. “There will be plenty of time for all of that in the new year. Tonight we invite you to eat, drink, dance, and be merry. With that being said,” She continued. “I would like to invite my husband to join me in opening the dance floor for the evening.”

Riley stepped to the side of the stage where Regina was standing and handed Eleanor off to her. She then turned to her husband, taking his hand. The two stepped off the stage and into the center of the dancefloor. Once they had taken their positions, the band started playing “White Christmas”, and they began moving across the floor as the members of court looked on.

“You were perfect up there,” Liam beamed.

“I learn from the best,” she smirked at him, and he chuckled, pulling her closer.

As the evening progressed, everyone seemed to be having a great time. The atmosphere was much more laid back than a typical royal function, which is exactly what Liam and Riley had hoped for. When Riley first came to Cordonia, events like this were very rigid and formal. They still were, for the most part, but for Christmas, she wanted everyone to just relax and enjoy each other's company.

Riley used to spend Christmas Eve at her aunt’s house. It would be packed full of friends and family, and it was her favorite night of the year. They would all sit around laughing, eating, and telling stories. She knew that it wasn’t going to be exactly the same here, but she wanted to bring a little of that at-home Christmas spirit to the Cordonian court.

After making their rounds and sharing a few more dances, Liam and Riley invited their guests to sit down for dinner. As the first course was served, the ballroom doors flew open, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Merry Christmas, Cordonia!” The former crown prince announced as he entered the room. He was clad in his full royal regalia, and donned a headband that dangled a sprig of mistletoe over his head.

“Leo?” Liam said in disbelief, as he stood from his seat. “What are you doing here?”

“What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?” Leo jested as he approached his brother, extending his arms out for a hug.

Liam stepped forward, embracing his brother. “No, it’s perfect. I just didn’t expect to see you. I thought you were traveling.”

“I was,” he clapped Liam on his back before pulling away. “But I decided to surprise you. Besides, I couldn’t miss my niece’s first Christmas.”

Leo leaned down to Eleanor’s high chair, lifting her out and kissing her cheek. “First rule of Christmas, El, this is mistletoe.” He pointed to the small plant suspended over his head. “If you’re under it, you’re getting kissed.” He peppered kisses all over her face as she giggled in delight.

Once Leo had said the rest of his greetings, he settled into the newly set place beside his brother, and everyone tucked into their meals.

As the last of the plates were cleared, the guests began pairing up and making their way to the dance floor.

“Whelp,” Leo began as he stood from his seat. “I think it’s time to work off that meal by dancing with my favorite sister.” He bowed to Riley, who was still seated beside Liam.

Riley rolled her eyes as she took his hand. “Leo, I’m your only sister.”

“Semantics.” He shrugged before leading her out to the dance floor.

Riley and Leo glided effortlessly across the floor. “Look at that, you’ve still got it.”

“Pfft… it’s like riding a bike,” Leo said as he led her into a spin. “So, how are you holding up?”

“I’m fine. This royal function stuff is all old hat at this point.”

“Ri, that’s not what I meant,” Leo responded, dipping Riley with a flourish. “Liam mentioned you’ve been missing your family. I know you’re close with them.”

“Yeah,” Riley sighed. “I mean, I have to be okay, right? Besides, I’ve got my Cordonian family. It’s my daughter’s first Christmas. I’m not going to ruin that by being all Grinchey.”

Leo laughed, and twirled his sister-in-law once more. “That’s too bad; you look good in green.”

The pair turned their attention when they heard a throat clearing behind them.

“May I cut in?” Liam asked, smiling at his wife.

“Aww… little brother, I thought you’d never ask!” He stepped away from Riley and took Liam’s hand. “I’ll lead.”

Riley burst out laughing as Liam slapped his brother’s hands away. “Would you get off of me! I want to dance with my wife.”

Leo sighed playfully. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” He said as he wiped away a fake tear. “Excuse me while I go drink my pain.”

Liam chuckled as he pulled Riley close. “I’m glad Leo was able to make it for Christmas.”

“Me too.” She smiled up at her husband.

He could see the sadness in her eyes. “Riley…”

She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over, and shook her head quickly. “It’s fine, I’m good.” She looked around the room before looking back to Liam. “Hey, did you lose our kid?”

Liam leaned down, kissing her on the nose. “Nope.” His lips moved to hers, kissing her again. “Savannah was bringing Bartie up to the sitter, so I asked her to bring Eleanor as well.”

He smirked when Riley’s brow lifted in curiosity. “I thought we might be able to slip out for a bit,” he said, as his hand traced her curves, landing on the small of her back. “Perhaps take an evening stroll through the maze?”

“Would it be a true royal function if we didn’t?” She smiled.

Liam leaned down, kissing her softly on her lips once more. “True.” He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear. “Follow my lead.”

“Yes, my king.”

*****

Permatag:

@3pawandme @busywoman @cariantha @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @gryffindordaughterofathena @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @i-am-only-here-for-sims-cc @imashybish @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @nikirennie87 @princessleac1 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn

TRR:

@21-wishes @ao719 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @lovingchoices14 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @the0afnan @tinkie1973

Liam:

@amandablink @cordonianprincess @custaroonie @jared2612 @xpandass420x @yourmajesty09 @zaffrenotes

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she-wolf09231982 · 1 year

Text

Chapter 1-Protégé

Summary: Howard Stark plucked you from boot camp to conduct his first female test subject using preserved blood samples taken from Captain America in place of the original Super Soldier Serum

Author Note: Character Intro, Steve Rogers x Female!Avenger reader, Captain America x Female!Avenger reader, Y/N, L/N=Wolf, Avengers, Marvel movie references, Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, Story takes place in 1953, Reader Avenger name She-Wolf, Military terminology, Post Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre Avengers

~~~~~~~~

Howard Stark is known for his brilliant and innovative mind. He was an inventor, engineer, businessman, and most importantly, a scientist. During World War II he helped perfect the Super Soldier serum that led to the beginning of Captain America with the help of a young man with the willingness to serve his country: Steve Rogers.

Since Howard Stark was indeed a scientist, testing theories and experimentation was what the man did best. He was curious to see if the same dosage of this special serum that was injected into Steve Rogers could also be used on a female with the same results. However, because the concentrated components of the serum nearly killed Steve during infusion and transformation, the effects on a female could be equally (if not more) fatal.

1953

Howard had decided to seek out a female subject to test his theory. He had been pitching the idea since legislation formally allowed women to join the military in 1948. As the Korean War ended, he was finally granted permission to proceed with his experiment. Howard headed to Texas to find his next volunteer at Lackland Air Force Base. That’s where he discovered you.

You enlisted in the Air Force and was close to completing your basic training. You had just finished a vigorous physical training course when you were approached by your training instructor (T.I.) to report to the common room in the women’s bay of the squadron. As you walk into the room covered in sweat and dust from head to toe, there stood Howard Stark writing out some sort of equation on the chalkboard. You waited patiently for him to address you but he remained at the board with his back turned to you.

“Sir, Trainee Wolf reports as ordered.” You announce.

“No need for formalities here, Miss Wolf.” Howard responded without turning around.

“Sir?” You asked.

Howard turned around and spoke to you, “Relax, young lady. I’m only here to chat with you.”

You eased your stance, and exhaled since you had been holding your breath.

“Have a seat.” Howard gestured at the chair across from the desk he stood on the opposite side from.

You obliged, but sat rigid in your seat uncertain and suspicious of this interaction. Howard sat in the chair at the desk opposite you like a teacher with a student.

“My name is Howard Stark. Have you heard of me?” He began.

“Yes sir.” You responded.

“That’s good. Then you must know what I’ve accomplished in my career?” He continued.

“I do, sir.” You kept your answers short and sweet.

You don’t know what this meeting is or what this man was up to but you weren’t letting your guard down.

Howard smirked as he studied you.

You remain stiff in your chair, waiting, staring back at him.

“Well, I’ll cut right to the chase.” He finally said standing up.

You watched him carefully as he walked around the desk.

“You’ve heard of Operation: Rebirth?” He asked.

“I have, sir. It was one of our lessons in class.” You explained.

“Then as you know, that’s how Private Steve Rogers became Captain America.” Howard paused…You waited.

“I came to Lackland to find a female subject to test the Super Soldier Serum on to see if the outcome would be the same. I have been observing your flight behind the scenes as you and your fellow pupils have been training. The other day I saw you, without hesitation, jump into a moat to rescue a teammate who slipped in on the obstacle course. Why?” He asked.

You look at him confused.

“Because she didn’t know how to swim, sir.” You said plainly.

“But it effected your final score when you crossed the finish line.” He added.

“Yes, but her safety is a priority. I can always start the race over. A human life doesn’t work the same way.” You justified.

Howard nodded in approval. He was impressed by your principles and sense of integrity. You were a breath of fresh air restoring his faith in humanity. Not to mention you were extremely fit physically and mentally. He saw you keep your cool while single handedly carrying the drowning female out of the water filled trench that day. You were perfect for this test.

“I would like for you to return with me to my lab so we can construct our first female super soldier.” Howard finally declared.

You averted your eyes to the floor, processing what he just said.

“Dr. Abraham Erskine originally generated this formula and speculated that the effects of the serum depended on the persons’ personality. Captain America being the prime example. Unfortunately, Dr. Erskine was murdered by a HYDRA spy and any remaining vials we had left of the initial formula were destroyed. We are only left with blood samples taken from Rogers in an attempt to recreate Erskine’s concoction.” He explained.

“You want to use me, sir?” You queried.

He nodded. You paused, then thought of another troubling question.

“Could this kill me?” You asked with slight strain in your voice.

“Well, the serum alone almost killed Rogers. Obviously, he survived. Not to mention, he was skinny and weakly at the time of infusion. You would be receiving vials of his blood intravenously through our Vita-Ray Chamber which emits wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the fluid’s effect on the body of the patient inside.” Howard tried to explain simply.

You look at him.

“So, my odds of survival are higher since the serum is basically diluted in Captain America’s blood?” You retranslated.

“That’s one theory.” He replied.

You narrow your eyes at him. He senses your skepticism, then continues.

“This is science. We test hypotheses without knowing the exact outcome. That’s why we have to test them…to see what outcome works.” He clarified.

“And how many theories have you tested?” You asked.

Howard hesitated. “You will be the first female subject.” He admitted.

Your eyes widened. It all seemed so risky, yet also an opportunity of a lifetime. To serve a greater good and make a difference. It was the whole reason you joined the military in the first place.

You take a deep breath then exhale.

“I’ll do it.” You decided out loud.

Howard was ecstatic. And it showed all over his face.

“Excellent! I’ll make arrangements with your commander immediately.” He crossed the room to the door exiting the room.

You remain in the chair, wondering if you made the right choice.

“You can do this.” You thought to yourself.

~~~~~~~~

Howard Stark brought you to New York where the Vita-Ray Chamber was located. He set you up with sleeping quarters on the compound where the experiment was to take place. This was a busy place.

As Mr. Stark gave you the grand tour, you noticed every person walking around was wearing a white lab coat and carrying clipboards. Multiple rooms with tons of glass beakers and tubes filled with different colored bubbling liquids. You swear you saw a huge glass ball with electricity pulsing through it. Looked like scenes from the Boris Karloff Frankenstein film you watched when you were a kid.

You look around wide eyed and awestruck, barely listening to Howard’s words.

He noticed how preoccupied your mind was and chuckled.

“I know this is quite overwhelming. All this buzzing around happening here. All I need you to worry about is maintaining your mental and physical health while you’re here. We will commence testing in a about a month or so after we’ve achieved and charted your initial physical examination to ensure your body is prepared for the infusion.” He explained.

“Yes sir, Mr. Stark.” You replied while nodding.

You both continue to walk through the building, your mind swirling with questions.

“Mr. Stark, do these people know why I’m here?” You ask.

“Of course.” He looked over at you. “You are the most popular topic circulating through the labs. I’ve been waiting for eight years to proceed with this project. You know, since we’ve lost Rogers in 1945.” He added.

“Right.” You remembered from your classroom lessons in basic what happened to Steve Rogers.

Crash landing an aircraft filled with HYDRA weaponry into the Arctic preventing mass casualties. A lot of your lectures stemmed from Steve Rogers/Captain America history as a matter of fact.

~~~~~~~~

You spent approximately six weeks preparing for the Vita-Ray Chamber. Your daily schedule consisted of three balanced meals, two-hour physical fitness routines with a personal trainer that increased with difficulty every week, marksmanship practices, and Special Operation lectures to enhance your combat skills. Howard Stark also ensured your schedule included at least eight hours a sleep every night. You never felt so healthy in your life.

The day has arrived for you to receive the serum. You were nervous, sitting on your bed, wearing what can only be described as a white pleated pajama set. Your hair neatly pulled back into a braid. You hear a knock at your door, then see Mr. Stark’s face appear.

“Ready?” He asked.

You nod, push up from the bed and join him in the hall. He sensed something weighed heavy on your mind.

“Having second thoughts?” He began.

“No, sir. But I do have a concern.” You reply.

“Go on?” He urged.

“In one of the lectures, my professor said you added a unique blend of preservatives to Captain America’s blood samples that I’m about to get.” You explained.

“I did.” He confirmed.

“Won’t that extra component effect the experiment somehow?” You question.

“It was necessary to add a stabilizer to the blood since it was unknown when we’d be able to conduct this experiment. The preservation ingredients are macrobiotic and were meticulously studied to ensure it wouldn’t tamper with the serum’s original basis.” Howard reassured.

“I see.” You say quietly.

He sees the concern wash over your face as you enter the elevator. Howard pressed the lower-level button, then folded his hands in front of him.

“I know you’re worried, Y/N. As the infusion is taking place, we will be closely monitoring your heart rate, oxygen levels, pulse, and blood pressure. If any of your vitals are even remotely irregular, we will abort the whole thing.” He clarified.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.” You say looking at him with a weak smile.

You finally reach the door to the lab containing the chamber. You let out a long exhale as the door slides open and a team of people in white lab coats all turn to meet your gaze.

Howard gave you a gentle nudge forward to cross the threshold.

A woman appeared from behind a machine meeting you and Mr. Stark in the center of the room. A brunette with a British accent and a confident friendly face.

“Agent Carter, glad you could make it!” Howard greeted her.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Howard.” She replied shaking his hand. She looked at you.

“Agent Margaret Carter,” she extended her hand to you, “but, my friends call me ‘Peggy.’” She said with a smile and a wink as you shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” You returned.

Peggy and Howard laughed.

“I appreciate the customs and courtesies, but please, Agent Carter or Peggy will suffice.” She clarified.

Peggy addressed Howard again.

“The Vita-Ray Chamber is prepped and ready. Whenever you’re ready.” She said placing her hand encouragingly on the side of your shoulder. She turned on her heel and joined one of the team members at one of many machines.

Howard faced you.

“It’s time, Y/N.” He stated.

You look to him, then at the sea of white lab coats in front of you. All of them staring at you, lined up on either side of the infusion machine, waiting for you to proceed onward to what could be a major success story, or a complete utter failure. You square yourself towards the chamber and take a deep breath.

“I’m ready.”

~~~~~~~~

#marvel #captain america #steve rogers #captain america x reader #howard stark #peggy carter #agent peggy carter #the avengers #marvel cinematic universe #marvel mcu #super soldier #air force #military #captain america x female reader #steve rogers x f!reader #steve rogers x female reader #captain america x you

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mickimagnum · 5 months

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On a gray Tuesday morning, a knock at the front door pulled Devin from her thoughts. She looked up from her omelet to see a stranger standing on the other side of the glass, peering back at her expectantly. With a sigh, she pushed away from the bar in the kitchen, strode toward the door, and slid it open.

"Can I help you?" Devin asked, her tone guarded. Who shows up unannounced before 9am, she thought?

The woman smiled, revealing her widely-gaped front-two teeth, "Hi, are you Devin Delaney?"

"Depends on who's asking."

"My name is Alex Moyer," the stranger replied, not missing a beat, "And I'm a producer of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise here in SimNation."

Devin cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Ms. Delaney. Can I come in? There's a very exciting opportunity that I want to talk to you about."

Devin considered the request for a moment before nodding and gesturing for Alex to coming inside. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

As the two took their seats on opposite sides of the dinning room table, Devin sized Alex up, wondering exactly what she wanted with her. Using Echo Valley Nectar as a sponsor instantly sprang to mind.

"So what is this exciting opportunity?" Devin asked.

Alex leaned forward on the table as a smile spread across her face, "Well, you see, Ms. Delaney, I'm here because we want you to be our next Bachelorette."

"You're joking."

The words tumbled out of Devin's mouth before she could stop them. On what planet would she fit in with the sparkling primadonnas of the Bachelorette world? Why would anyone want to watch a TV show about her, let alone be invested enough in her love life to do so? And most importantly, who in their right mind would want to go on national television to date her?

"I assure you, this is a serious proposal. We think you would be a fresh and interesting addition to our Bachelorette family. A hardworking, down-to-earth, country girl who struck out on her own and built a successful, thriving business from the ground up? People eat that kind of stuff up. All you're missing is a great love-story. Let us help you find Mr. Right while we film it. I guarantee it'll be a big hit. I bet your business will even see an increase, too."

"How did you even find out about me?" Devin asked, breezing past the pitch.

"Echo Valley Nectar was served at a Bachelor event recently and our VP was impressed and asked someone to look into the brand for sponsorship. One thing led to another, and we discovered you, the owner, and that you were single. He pivoted and decided you should be our next Bachelorette. And, as they say...the rest is history."

"I think he should reconsider and we could revisit the sponsorship idea, instead," Devin replied, "I mean, sure, I would love to meet someone. Get married, the whole thing. I've been single since...well, look, my life has always revolved around horses. But the thought of broadcasting my private life on TV? I'm just not comfortable with that."

"I get it. And it's a common objection. But, what we do is tasteful. And the show is formulaic, so it's not like we'll be invading your bedroom or anything. Besides, Devin, did I mention, we handpick contestants that we think will best match with you to give you the best chance of finding someone to really connect with? I know you're a busy woman. Let us create this once-in-a-lifetime experience especially for you, with single men matched to you, who are eager to date you. All we ask is that you let us film it in return. Besides, don't you want to be famous?"

"Perhaps a famous horse trainer," Devin replied coolly.

"Well, then let's use this as a stepping stone to get you there. What to do you say?"

Devin crossed her arms on the table, leaned forward, and regarded Alex a moment before answering, "Let me think about it."

Two Weeks Later:

Devin on the phone: "Ms. Moyer? Hi, It's Devin Delaney. I'm calling to let you know I've decided to do it. ...Yes. Watcher, help me, tell your VP I'm saying yes."

#devin delaney #devinsduderanch #alex moyer #echo valley ranch #chestnut ridge #sims 4 horse ranch #simblr #the sims 4 #sims community #ts4 #sims 4 story #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 screenshots #my sims #sims 4 bachelorette #sims 4 bachelorette challenge

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minato-division03 · 8 months

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Queen Card’s Thoughts on Okinawa Division

Ace Douglas

She set the photograph on the table in front of her and used her nail to slide the photo away from her. “Ace Douglas… age: mid-twenties, nationality: American… or more specifically, formerly resided in California. Son to the current American president, presents clear disdain for this country’s cultures and its people, but most importantly… a skeptic when it comes to magic. No matter.” She chuckled. “Your story isn’t remotely interesting… but it is rather informative… Vexing, you are, but that status that you possess allows you to pass through Chuhoku’s barriers despite being a man.” Queen Card leaned against her seat and folded her arms. Now what on earth is the United States doing… trying to ally with Japan…? Power? If that’s all that it is… is it possible that… Hmm… it certainly is plausible…”

Queen Card cackled. And that cackled slowly built up to a loud, hearty laughter.

Chances are low that it might be the case… but there’s still that sliver of a chance…! “How amusing!”

Evelyn Rose

“Evelyn Rose, age: mid-twenties, occupation: model and actress, nationality: American…” Queen Card tilted her head to the side and stared into Evelyn’s eyes. “West coast, as well, and by the looks of it, significant other to Ambassador Ace Douglas. Hmm… This one happens to appear at my performances every time I appear at Eagle’s Nest. She’s quite enthusiastic each and every time.” Queen Card threw the photo onto the table.

“How unbelievably dull. Not interesting in the slightest. Although…” the corner of her glossy mulberry lips curled into a devious smirk. “That purity of yours and that connection you have to that ambassador may prove to be a little fun… when the time comes… Very well, then!”

Rashaad Young

"Ah, this man… Rashaad Young, age: thirty, nationality: Puerto Rican, a former gang member now a bartender residing in Okinawa… This man may have turned his back on the criminal world, however, there are some things you just cannot hide. Not from the Queen. Now, I’m not exactly fond of performing in bars or clubs. I much prefer theaters or resorts. Regardless, Eagle’s Nest is rather extraordinary and makes an exception. And besides, he sells information to my dear assistant, who then returns to me. He offers the information I need, I return with a spectacle. It all works out, no?”

Liberty Guild

“You don’t suppose any one of them could have knowledge of…” She fanned out the photos to get a good look at all three members at once. She clicked her tongue. “From the looks of it, no, most likely not… A pity, it is.” With a chuckle, ripped the photographs up. “And that is why it is so splendid, for now…”

She watched as the shredded photos slowly floated back onto the table.

“You may not be of much help to me for the time being, but worry not… Perhaps once I obtain that glory I very much deserve, the three of you will have your uses for me. When the time is right, I shall then reveal all to them. Look forward to it, my subjects! There is no greater honor than to serve your Queen…”

#hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic oc #hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic arb #hypmic arb #okinawa division #liberty guild #ace douglas #evelyn rose #rashaad young #minato division #r.i.p märchen #queen card

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torturcdpoet · 1 month

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☆ –– (nilsu berfin aktas, she/her, cis woman) who is alara yilmaz anyways? ew. you don’t know about her, we’ll bet you want to. they’re feeling 26 and taking aerial silk classes feels like a perfect night to them. rumor has it they’re impulsive and careless because they care, but they’re also bold and genuine in the best way. she works to make a little money as a yoga instructor & bartender for east side. they’ve rented a place on cornelia street in the form of woodvale apartment 203. you're on your own kid (muse a) & call it what you want (muse b) is the song they could dance to the beat of forevermore.

important links: full stats (under co). pinterest.

⸺ ⠀ * ⠀ the ⠀quick ⠀ stats ⠀ !

full name: alara emel yalmiz.

birthplace: istanbul, türkiye.

birthdate: august 15th.

gender: cis woman.

sexuality: hopelessly bisexual.

alignment: chaotic good.

personality type: efsp (the entertainer).

⸺ ⠀ * ⠀ the ⠀key ⠀ facts ⠀ !

the youngest (and most definitely wildest) child of the yilmaz family, alara's parents knew that no matter how hard they tried — and boy, did they try — to keep their baby at home, she'd leave the nest the very first chance she got.

she fulfilled that prophecy by leaving home in her early 20s and starting the first of her travels. she slowly but surely made her way through the mediterranean, taking the time to enjoy each country, the cuisine, and, most importantly, the people.

after a brief trip back home (her mother insisted), she was off to europe and then the states.

the plan — mostly because she practically never had a real plan — was not to stay in new york, but alara fell in love with the city. by the time she had to leave, she felt like she saw nothing; there was so much left to experience, she came right back as soon as she could and never left.

she lived in hostels almost exclusively for years so this stability she's found is weird and sorta new while also being comfortingly familiar. in the motley crew living in apartment 203 she's really found a second family in a new country and she thinks that is pretty cool.

you can catch her every tuesday and wednesday morning teaching her hot yoga classes. thursday-saturday nights she's behind the bar at east side.

⸺ ⠀ * ⠀ the ⠀trivia ⠀ !

living in hostels and traveling a lot requires packing light and alara never really had the opportunity to acquire a lot of possessions. one thing that she always kept with her, though, was her mother's cezve. ask alara and she'll tell you it's the only way to make coffee.

that cezve is still around and is getting used every single morning. if you want good turkish coffee, you know where to go. just, ya know, text first — have some decorum.

she wears an evil eye charm bracelet 24/7. bad energy will never catch her slipping.

alara has a beloved ridiculous t-shirt collection. don't be alarmed if you catch her running around cornelia street with 'i heart sluts' or 'born to serve cunt, forced to work for minimum wage' across her chest.

ashamed (sort of) to admit that she has gotten in trouble with her boss at east side more than once for dealing with rowdy customers instead of just calling security. in her defense, it's not a conscious decision. like most things, it's just her going on instinct.

her first month officially living in the city, she tended bar at an event luann de lesseps attended. the selfie they got together is still alara's profile picture on every social media site she has.

she is always looking for something new and fun and exciting to do. her latest adventure has been taking aerial silk classes and she is obsessed. she's basically doing all the cool yoga poses she already knows... but, like, up in the air and on fabric.

she may be in a different country but she keeps in contact with her family. they talk on zoom every sunday at 4pm türkiye time. they'd never been able to have a schedule like that before — it's one of the benefits of her having settled down, her family just wishes it was closer to home.

#cornelia.intro

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clover1412 · 2 months

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and it felt like forever

will i finish the rest of the esuka week prompts? who knows

~ ♡ ~

Isuka grew up on the castle grounds. Being the ward of the captain of the royal guard meant she lived with him in the castle. Despite her proximity to royalty, she was never one of them. Her adoptive father's closeness to the king he served had meant she received some privileges - schooling, clothes, and training. But there was a line between her and the princess, the world reminded her of it constantly.

Her world was incomparable to the life of the boy she would eventually fall for.

Ace was a prince, despite it being through adoption, he was just as important as the ‘real’ prince. He was kind, beautiful and more importantly out of reach.

Each year, the kingdom threw a banquet for his birthday and Isuka would attend with the royal family of her country. Her adoptive father had to stay close to the king, so there was no reason to leave her alone.

She hid away most of the time, finding solace in the castle's library in the week-long period they stayed. Often because she was too scared about what the other royal kids would think of her. She stumbled across the prince a couple of times in a corner of the garden where she sometimes sat to read in peace, huddled beneath a giant coat and mittens. He was apparently escaping people who spoke badly of his father.

~ ♡ ~

She looked up, startled, a loud rustling noise making its way towards her, she hid behind the book hoping not to be told off by some grown-up. A kind old man had told her it was okay to use it.

‘Stupid people!’ A yell. The person sounded younger than she thought, so she looked up. It was a boy, he looked to be her age, his freckles had faded with the winter cold, but they were just visible. He regarded her with the same shock she did with him.

‘Who’re you?’

‘Isuka,’ she replied, hoping he would pry further.

‘Oh,’ he sniffed and she realised his eyes were red like he had been crying, ‘I’m Ace.’

‘Like the prince?’ She scrambled to stand up and bow to him.

‘You don’t have to do that, it’s not like I’m a real prince anyway.’

She looked up at him, ‘what?’

‘You know I’ve never seen you before, which royal family are you from?’

‘Oh no I’m not a royal, but I’m the ward of Knight Draw, the King of Oykot’s personal protection,’ she was proud of him.

‘Oh, is it your first time here?’

‘No, I’ve been coming here for the past five years,’ ever since she had been adopted five years ago.

‘Oh,’ it was the prince’s 12th birthday, and five years is a long time. ‘Are you not close with the princess?’

‘We get along fine, we are inseparable,’ she imitated the Queen’s tone. When they were home it was true, they loved each other like sisters would. Medora knew how Isuka hated royal events, and even defended her when Draw would scold her for hiding away. So when they had to travel to other nations Medora would cover for her as she spent the week hiding. Unlike her Medora adored social events, and most of all the attention of other people.

‘So you hate those royal brats too?’

‘Technically you’re a royal brat too,’ she replied without thinking, when she realised what she had done she slapped a finger over her mouth.

To her surprise he burst out laughing instead, ‘technically you would be correct, my country believes so, but the other kids seem to hate me.’

‘Why would they hate you?’ She sat back down, patting the seat next to her.

He took the invitation, sitting down next to her. ‘They think I don’t deserve to be a prince,’ he continued when he saw her confused look, ‘my father was a criminal, but the king took pity on my mum when he was executed.’

‘Well if your country accepts you that’s really all you need right?’

‘Ah, well, other countries need to like me to be king.’

‘Oh,’ Isuka’s face was red, she hadn’t learnt much about international politics yet, Medora had been learning for years.

‘Luffy and Sabo don’t want to be king. Luffy, the youngest, just wants to travel the world and have fun. Sabo, the middle one, wants to lead in a different way, he wants to focus on the common people.’

Isuka listened in amazement, he was the same age as her but already had a greater understanding of the world. He was considering her brothers’ feelings and taking on such a big burden. ‘But what do you want to be?’

‘I haven’t thought about it.’

‘Well,’ she smiled at him and the slight blush on his face deepened, ‘you have lots of time.’

‘Yeah I guess I do,’ he smiled back at her.

For the rest of the week, he spent as much time as he could with her, laughing like actual kids, without the weight of the world on them.

When it was time for her to leave, he hugged her goodbye, whispering about how he was excited to see her again.

~ ♡ ~

For the next two years, they saw each other at royal events. Medora made sure to tease her about it every single time she caught them together and if what Ace said was true his brothers were the same.

He sent a present on her birthday and they wrote letters for the rest of the year. She was starting to think royal events weren’t so bad when he was next to her, like Medora he didn’t care what the adults thought of her, even if the kids would say things.

~ ♡ ~

On his 15th he eagerly awaited her arrival and when the carriage from Oykot he watched the princess, her governess and ladies-in-waiting step out. Isuka was nowhere to be found.

When he caught the princess’s eyes she shook her head slightly and he smiled back in gratitude.

He found out the exact reason later. Draw had been a traitor, and Isuka had barely stopped a plot to poison the king. The king was in critical condition, and the queen did not want to leave his side as he recovered from the poisoning. Ace thought that Medora was strong for coming by herself, and her best friend was not there to support her.

Isuka had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Medora had tried to talk her out of the room every day for two weeks since the incident. Even the mention of seeing Ace hasn’t convinced her to get out.

Ace tried to enjoy his birthday festivities but nothing seemed the same. Her presence made everything better. He found solace in the company of his brothers, they did their best to cheer him up. Even though their attempts often worked, not long after he went back to feeling empty.

When Medora was leaving, he pressed a note into her hand, ‘please give this to her.’

‘I’ll try,’ she reassured him with a smile.

~ ♡ ~

It would be another year before he saw her again. It was his 16th birthday and he was greeting guests as they stepped out of their carriages when he caught sight of that vermilion bob he hadn’t seen in nearly two years.

He must’ve looked absolutely silly, his mouth open wide as she stepped out. She looked different, older, more serious. There was a blade at her hip, her outfit more fitting for a knight than a young lady.

Their eyes met briefly and he smiled but she simply looked away. He was confused at her attitude but chalked it up to the awkwardness of being older. He hoped that they would get a chance to catch up later.

~ ♡ ~

Unlike before, Isuka stayed beside her princess. It was impossible to get her alone. She was always surrounded, by the princess, the princess’s ladies-in-waiting, by other security. He hoped to at least make eye contact, for her to smile at him so the world could go back to what it was, but by the end of the first night he was convinced that she was avoiding him.

He was honestly confused, had he done something to annoy her? Was she mad at him? If so he wanted to apologise, he just wanted his friend back.

It had been an awful week for him. Of course, the food was good and the company great, but her bright red hair simply wouldn’t leave his eyesight. Constantly reminding him that for some reason they weren’t the same anymore.

On the third day he had given in, walking up to her when she was alone with the princess.

‘Medora,’ he nodded and she nodded back, glancing over to Isuka to see her reaction, but the girl had an indecipherable expression on her face. He straightened his shoulders and mustered up the courage to ask, ‘may I speak with Lady Isuka alone?’ He didn’t know why he was being so formal - this was the girl who’d thrown a snowball at him for calling her beautiful.

‘Of course, I was planning on heading back to my room,’ she looked at Isuka who was going to protest at leaving her alone, ‘my ladies-in-waiting will be with me. There is no need to worry,’ she reassured Isuka with a smile before patting her on the back and leaving the pair alone.

Isuka didn’t meet his eyes and since she clearly didn’t plan on speaking first he did, ‘you never replied to my letter. You know I thought maybe you had died and they just weren’t telling me the truth.’

‘What do you want, your highness?’

‘You,’ she looked at him with shock, ‘I want to back to the way we were.’

‘That would be highly improper, your highness, you should focus our attention on girls who are right for you.’

‘And who would that be?’ He asked, annoyance building in his tone.

‘That’s not my place to say.’

‘Why are you doing this Isuka? Why are you pushing me away.’

‘I think it would be better for us to stick to our own worlds.’

He watched as Isuka walked away, helplessly staring at her retreating figure.

It wasn't until the fifth day that he found out why Isuka had changed. Medora had been alone in a corridor when Ace had stumbled across her. She grabbed him and pulled him into a corner.

‘Shush Isuka can't see us together. She would kill me if she knew what I was going to tell you .’

She spent the next hour explaining what had happened since he had seen her last. Apparently, when Medora had been here on his 15th birthday she’d talked to the king and queen and insisted on joining the royal knights. She trained hard enough to become her personal knight in the shortest time possible and was the youngest royal knight ever. She had thrown herself into work over the guilt she had felt. Apparently, she had felt betrayed that she trusted Draw for so long when he had been the one to kill her parents because they tried to expose him and only adopted her so that he could win the favour of the king. She felt like she had played a part in his cruel plan and wanted to work in order to make things better. The king and queen had initially refused, placing none of the blame on her, she was a victim too. She had been very convincing.

‘But why would she ignore me?’

‘I think maybe she feels like she needs to keep her distance, she can’t be with you and doesn’t want to hurt you further.’

‘I don’t care about that, who told her that.’

‘I don’t know, she usually doesn’t care about what people say about her, but whoever it was really got under her skin.’

He buried his face in his hands, despite being one of the smartest people he knew she was so dumb sometimes.

So when it was time for them to leave, he waited and grabbed Isuka’s hand as she tried to get in. He handed her a note and waited for her to take it from him. She looked puzzled and in a sort of half daze accepted the letter. He helped her up into the carriage and watched as they left.

On her way home Isuka opened the letter, trying her best to conceal the contents from Medora who sat next to her.

Isuka,

It has come to my attention that you’ve been ignoring me for my sake. Well, I have to say that it’s a load of rubbish and will continue to bother you until you reply.

Waiting eagerly for your reply, Your fire fist

She smiled fondly at his use of the nickname she made for him, and then immediately stopped when she noticed Medora smirking at her.

‘He won’t be receiving a reply any time soon.’

‘That’s not going to stop him.’

‘He can try his best.’

~ ♡ ~

Isuka,

Hoping this is actually going to be read and not immediately burned. Will you be attending my brothers’ banquets?

Your wonderful and amazing Ace

P.s. please reply

~ ♡ ~

My dear Isuka,

I am going to take your silence as a yes every time I ask a question. If you don’t want me assuming weird things you should really reply.

Your dear Ace

~ ♡ ~

Oh wonderful and gorgeous lady Isuka,

Since the party is next week I shall be assuming your attendance and will be awaiting your arrival

The extremely hot Ace

~ ♡ ~

He did indeed see her at both his brothers’ banquets in which he spent the whole affair sending her notes. Paying little royal brats with sweets to give them to her. sometimes a small gift would be sent instead of a note, a flower or a piece of jewellery. The flowers she kept in her notebook, going to preserve them and the jewellery stored away safely.

~ ♡ ~

My beautiful and splendid Isuka, whose hair shines too bright sometimes,

Will you be my girlfriend?

Your stunning now boyfriend Ace

~ ♡ ~

To my breathtaking, charming, dazzling, extremely good sword-fighter girlfriend,

Happy birthday, I hope you like your present. Bet you were wishing for a kiss right?

Ace

~ ♡ ~

He would not stop sending more letters with longer and more ridiculous lines. She couldn’t reply of course having been ignoring him for close to a year now.

She definitely couldn’t let anyone know that she kept those letters in her box, tucked safely next to her other treasures. She loved his handwriting, the scrawling way he wrote her name. She read them again and again, hearing his voice talking to her softly.

She was falling for him and she found herself minding less and less as she received more and more letters.

The words Draw had said to her as they dragged him to his execution faded slowly in her memory.

~ ♡ ~

When she saw him next he was turning 17. This time she let him pull her into a hug, ‘I hope you plan on listening to me now.’

‘Yeah, I missed your stupid voice.’

‘Why do you always do this,’ he pulled back.

‘Do what?’ she stared up at him with innocent eyes. He was taller now, and definitely had way more muscles compared to the last time she had hugged him.

‘Insult me,’ he was pouting now and she resisted the urge to poke one of his freckled cheeks.

‘Get a room the both of you!’ Medora shouted from the stairs.

Isuka pulled away from him so fast, the blush on her cheeks spreading to her ears.

Ace chuckled, looking back at her ‘so technically I did just assume we were dating, your answer is yes right?’

She smiled sort of deviously and for a second he was worried. So when she kissed him on the cheek and whispered a yes into his ear, he froze and she used the opportunity to sprint up the stairs to join Medora.

~ ♡ ~

#ace x isuka #ensign isuka #isuka #portgas d ace #one piece #fanfic #writing #monkey d. luffy #sabo #au fantasy #light angst #fluff #knight x prince #oc

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jackiequick · 1 year

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More SHIELD Agents OCs

Cadence Patton as Alyssa Sabrina Coleman

-> Full Name: Alyssa ‘Sabrina’ Wilson-Coleman

-> Height: 5’4

-> Age: 26

-> Relationship Status: Single

-> Family: Mother dead, Father alive, Brother and Sister Sarah alive as well. Her big brother being none other than Sam Wilson aka The Falcon turned Captain America ;)

-> Personally: She is a total sweetheart, loud mouth doesn’t always know when to show up, kind and understanding, has patience, a bit flirty and free. Respectful, if your a man or woman who served the country you best believe she will salute you and even call the person by their rank if you like. She can be a wildcard at times but she’s very much a homebody at heart. Most importantly family oriented! The Wilson family loves family and their huge cookouts

- Alyssa from a young age looked up to her big brother and sister, wanting to be just like them! So she did, joining them on their adventure around town and becoming a bit of a fighter. Sam wanted to make sure both of his sister knew how to throw a punch or two, hell even hold a gun to someone’s face properly! As much as Alyssa liked to fight, she was a kind soul at heart and a baker. Making the best breakfasts and such who can find in the neighborhood.

- So in result she took those skills to become a Chef for the military kitchens, knowing the good men and woman who served this country deserved a good home cooked style meal whenever they can. Her dream job was and will always to actually start a Bed & Breakfast though! This skill as a chef for more than 5 years or less taught her the skills to be kind, patient and more caring than ever but her time was up. And she moved on, soon after Sam stepped into becoming a fellow veteran of this country (later on The Falcon ofc).

- She spend some time in Washington DC 2014 and moved back home to Delacroix, Louisiana, where their family operated a fishing business run by Sarah. Alyssa and Sarah grew closer together over the years, she helped raise the family business and deal with her two nephews. Until one day, Sam called her in wanting to give the opportunity to join SHIELD. She was hesitant about the idea but did so anyway.

- She was very hesitant to take a part-time job at SHIELD knowing what she might or might not like being there. But Sam encouraged her to try it out and so she did! Turned out Alyssa enjoyed becoming near The Avengers and other Agents of SHIELD very much, feeling like a home within this community. Now she’s training to work assistant trainer at SHIELD keeping all the files in check for the rookies, cooking meals for every Avenger and agent, and going on missions whenever possible.

Emily Bett Richards as Stephenie June Stuart

-> Full Name: Stephenie J. Stuart Foster

-> Age: 22

-> Height: 5’5

-> Relationship Status: Single

-> Family: Father dead, mother alive, and no siblings that she knows of ;) Or maybe you met them already?

-> Personality: A bit of a punk. She’s a slow learner but can be very lazy, smart in her own way, she’s fast and quiet like a mouse, kind and gentle.

- She grew up in Star City but with her mother’s work life being hectic and off the rails she moved around a lot and eventually landed in Washington DC where she stay there for most of her life. She was a bit of a punk kid but still very feminine and girly in many ways. A sweet gentle girl to be honest as her glasses always slipped off her face sometimes. She was slow but very smart within certain area, Stephenie is very quick with a computer fast fingers to type away!

- Stephenie grew up loving tech and comfortable life behind a desktop computer in general, staying inside. So she wasn’t much of an outdoorsy person however she loved the park and dressing up, but mainly stayed at home in her sweats coding and creating stuff hands on. However that got her in trouble with the authorities as she tried hacking into plenty of school systems changing all the grades and exposing the teachers behind them for their lies with her friends at the time, she was considered fine but her boyfriend ended up in prison.

- Realizing the concern and upsetting results of her ways, she decided she wanted to do something more good but not end up in jail for it. Changing her dark brown almost black hair into a dirty Barbie blonde, wearing contact lenses instead of her glasses, removing some her piercings and her switching her dark clothes into more lighter shades. Hell the Stephenie started even using her middle name, June instead. She is applied to SHIELD ACADEMY to become a junior technician and make a few friends.

- Soon enough people discovered who she was related to siblings wise, but not even she knew about her sister’s full involvement still had a strong existence in SHIELD or the future of The Avengers. Can you blame her? They lived across the country and in different cities so they never crossed paths too much. However stayed very close with calls and weekends getaways!

Tags: @t-nd-rfoot @mcbident @raphroseybeanpie @msrochelleromanofffelton @gaminggirlsstuff @mandylove1000 @eagerforthesky @terry-perry @daughter-of-melpomene @blackheart-beauty @rooster-84 @yetanotherwells and etc

#marvel oc #mcu ocs #agents of shield #the falcon #the falcon and the winter soldier #thor movies #jane foster #sam wilson #captain america and the winter soldier #candice patton #emily bett rickards #marvel x oc #agents of shield oc #oc #agents of shield au

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tssbelivet · 2 years

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Bring Me Home, Shaw

During a writing sprint with two friends I wrote a little modern AU Carson x Greta. This is the first time I wrote fanfic so posting this is a little out of my comfort zone, but here goes! Let me know what you think :)

She had been sweeping the floor of her apartment for hours on end now, but still felt dirty. Thinking about how she was going to break the news to family, her friends, but most importantly her husband of five years. Her high school sweetheart, the man she would regularly describe to others as warm bread with butter - because that was exactly what he was. Nice. Comfortable. Safe.

But now, everything felt different, suddenly. She had just returned from Chicago. In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, there had been a big event around Baker Field Park. A little mock-up of the tryouts, hundreds of women from all over the country running around, having a catch, trying to hit a homer. On her way there she felt pretty lost, but excited, too. She hadn’t told Charlie about this little adventure. He was away on a business trip and did not have so much time to talk on the phone. On her way to the train station she had bumped into one of the women from church group. They hosted monthly meetings and on the very day of her leaving for Chicago, she had been responsible for bringing the pie. Well, that didn’t happen.

Instead, she stumbled out of the train at Union Station, ready to relive the spirit of the early AAGPBL. On her way to the event location, she spotted a pair that was clearly heading in the same direction. One of them was short, with a friendly face and by the looks of it, a very firm handshake. The other one was tall, elegant, with luscious red locks and a hint of mystery around her. Carson was intrigued, but quickly snapped out of her thoughts as the shorter one started to shout at her.

“Hey, are you following us?” Carson was trying to not be too awkward, looking around and nodding her head. “No, no, I was just looking at these… these books here.”

The tall girl grinned and watched her. Carson felt like she was being hit by a spear as the woman was giving her curious looks. Again, she shook off the feeling and tried to regain her composure.

“Aw, Jo, just let her join us! She looks like she’s kind.” Carson looked at the woman and felt her face reddening upon meeting her eyes. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and followed the two.

As they entered the event, all three of them were a bit overwhelmed. Around them, as far as they could look, there were women of all shapes and sizes. They all nodded in unison as a singer in the background uttered the words “this might be the best day of your life”.

Carson felt a warmth spreading from her heart into her throat and far beyond that. Being surrounded by other women that loved baseball was just the greatest feeling. And then there was this mysterious, beautiful tall woman next to her, whose name was still unknown to her.

Carson set aside her broom and placed herself in the middle of the large yellow sofa she had convinced Charlie to buy. She closed her eyes and smiled as she recounted those first moments with Greta. She felt so uneasy, but so comfortable at the same time. She could not put a finger on the emotions running through her body, making her head spin and hands tremble a little as she was putting her baseball glove on.

After the big event, Jo invited Carson to join her and Greta for dinner. They went to a nice little restaurant where they served delicious chicken. It somehow reminded Carson of the time she went to grab a pizza with Charlie after they just got together. They had been sitting in a small booth, feeling a bit elated and nervous. To keep her mind from wandering off, Carson had tried to make conversation and started babbling about the miniature tower of Pisa that was standing on one of the shelves in the pizza place.

As the three of them exited the restaurant, Greta tapped Carson on the arm.

“How are you feeling after today?” She was looking at her with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Are you tired or do you want to join us for a drink?”

Carson felt a sudden wave of happiness wash over her at the prospect of spending more time in the proximity of Greta.

She was a bit unsure whether Jo might have regretted asking her to join for dinner, though. Carson believed to have seen a glint of jealousy in the friendly woman’s eyes.

It might be because the two were best friends and Greta was telling Carson rather outrageous and personal stories, even though they had basically just met.

Or was there more behind it?

#a league of their own #carson shaw #greta gill #carson x greta #fanfiction #aloto fic

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merryfortune · 1 year

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The Frog Prince

Written for Multiamory March 2023

Day 22: Bonding

Title: The Frog Prince

Ship: Saviorshipping | Ryoken/Spectre/Yusaku

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,669

Tags: Alternate Universe - The Frog Prince/Fairy Tale

Once upon a time… there was a prince who did not do very much.

Why should he? He was a prince, after all, born to the lap of luxury, born into a world that did not know war or famine. Contentedness spread far and wide. But he was still a prince.

And princes were expected to do things. The sort of things that made for good publicity for the royal family, such as participating in the lawmaking process or make appearances at orphanages to look kind-hearted by playing with underprivileged children. This prince, however, had no such desires to appear even vaguely in public, let alone political.

This prince’s name was Yusaku and Prince Yusaku was a very lazy young man, to the chagrin of his mother the Queen, to his royal bodyguard Shoichi, and even his personal jester, Ai. He simply had a listless personality, he would claim. He would prefer to keep to himself in his room sleeping than do anything else, be it civic minded or otherwise.

And so, his bodyguard and jester had a marvellous idea together on how to put some pep in their prince’s step.

“Hail, Queen,” Shoichi began, “I have an idea for our predicament.”

“We have an idea.” Ai piped up, miffed that he would be excluded from such prestigious planning. Irony totally lost on him since Prince Yusaku was entirely unaware that such plans existed as he was currently lazing his bedchambers rather than sitting with his Mother in the parlour where they took audience.

Queen listened intently and gave blessing to the pair’s plan. It would only be for a week. Less than, even. It’s not like there were any pressing engagements young Prince Yusaku needed to attend and were there any, it was not as if Prince Yusaku was likely to attend, let alone in a lively manner so begone with him and the others, she supposed.

Maybe some fresh air would be good for him. So long as an eye was kept on him. It was dreadful what had happened to that Prince from the Kingdom of Hanoi. Just up and disappeared. No body was found, no news to follow.

Prince Yusaku meanwhile was not as blase about this like his mother was. He was entirely uninterested in going out into the big, wide world and doing even the most minimal of efforts like camping at one of their more neglected castles in the furthest wing of the kingdom.

The forests around here were dense and evergreen in shine, hail, or snow. The weather itself was pleasant and balmy however. The trek to getting this far out into the country was tedious with all the parading and having to say hello to people of all stations. It really tired and exhausted Prince Yusaku who was given some time to rejuvenate in one of the dusty rooms of the castle.

He could completely understand why this particular dwelling of theirs had fallen to the wayside. The castle was unfashionable by today’s standards, or more importantly his Mother’s. It was just a touch too far from civilisation to be properly connected to trade routes and merchants. Not enough folk in the village to staff it when there were more practical and immediate ways of earning money than serving the upper class here who used it as an infrequent holiday home.

Still, for the time being, Prince Yusaku enjoyed some time to himself… for a few precious hours. Once it turned to the next day, his retainers Ai and Shoichi were all over him like the bedbugs in the linen which was already here - and he had refused to use.

Bombastic and bawdy, Ai and Shoichi took him into the forest for some fishing of all things. Prince Yusaku was dragged along like a rag doll behind his two good men, forced to carry things like the fishing rods and bait, even the lunch they had brought for a picnic. His poor, weak noodle arms could not take holding one of these things, let alone all of them.

Prince Yusaku was more than excited to finally have to put them down because as it would turn out, fishing was an entirely suitable pursuit for him. Just sitting and staring at the water. Perfect. He would pretend to get a bite here and there but really he was just sleeping with his eyes open.

The water of the lake was pristine as it reflected the sun and sky above. The surrounds were large and tranquil. The lake itself, and all its contents like the fish and molluscs, werekingdom property, technically, so there were no pesky intruders. There was sure to be a fine or similar to be inflicted were someone not with royal blessing and permission were to use it. Assuming they were caught or dobbed on.

As they fished, Ai and Shoichi made small talk. Yusaku vaguely listened in.

“Did anyone else feel like the lodgings were weirdly… lived in? Despite being abandoned so long? Like the kettle in the kitchen and some of the pots and pans. Way cleaner and more used than I was expecting.”

No, Prince Yusaku did not notice that. He yawned to himself. At least to show he was listening and that he was reacting, even if he was terribly bored by it.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Ai agreed, nodding his head, “it was surprisingly tidy in the banquet hall, too. As though someone had gone through to make sure all the chairs were lined up but a couple seemed more used than others. If that makes any sense.”

Ai and Shoichi hummed thoughtfully. Very strange, very odd. Or at least that’s what they thought.

“Maybe the Castle is haunted.” Ai suggested.

“By one of Yusaku’s ancestors, perhaps?” Shoichi snickered.

“I’m going to go for a walk, if you don’t mind. Just around the circumference of the lake.” Prince Yusaku announced. “I simply can’t lose precious braincells with your bizarre speculation. There are no such things as ghosts.” He huffed.

Ai and Shoichi gasped. They never thought they would have seen the day. Let alone so early! Their Prince Yusaku was… doing something? Of his own volition? Heaven forbid, so surely. And the dramatics that ensued from them both just convinced Prince Yusaku that as nice as sitting was, he would much prefer to get away from them. Just for a little bit, he would still be within eyesight of them both as he got up and began his walk around the lake.

The weather continued to be pleasant the further away from the bottom of the lake, where the dock was, Prince Yusaku was pleased to discover. The mud underfoot was not too soft nor too mushy that he was prone to sinking in it. Distantly a lovely and cool wind blew gently. He could hear it in the treetops that rustled, too, same with birdsong and the chitter of squirrels or other, woodland creatures.

Not to think about his future or anything but Prince Yusaku could see himself retiring here one day. That would surely be nice. He just had to get to the age of retirement. The age of which was arbitrary at best considering there had been members in his family tree who had come into their position as king or queen before they left the nursemaid’s tit and those who had retired when they had been beheaded who were barely older than he was now.

Prince Yusaku continued to wander. Just slowly following the round curve of the lake. Just listening to the birds and the squirrels and the cicadas, too. It was all very peaceful and from across the lake, it occurred to Prince Yusaku how far he had walked. He wondered how long it had taken him. Ai and Shoichi from across the lake were so very small on his horizon now. He wondered if he looked the same to them.

He thought about waving to them but they were having a grand time fishing. He watched as they reeled in something of a large size, water flicking up and Prince Yusaku smiled. They were having fun and that’s all that mattered.

He looked away for just a moment and something caught his eye in amongst the trees. A flash of white. He blinked. Prince Yusaku did not believe in ghosts but he did believe in intruders and trespassers.

He took one step closer and he saw that person. Not upright, not trying to walk away but merely trying to escape into the undergrowth, crawling on the ground like a worm. In suffering. Muted grunts and groans.

Prince Yusaku hurried his pace as he tried to find this person in the long grass and shrubs. He put his knee down to their side.

“Are you okay?” Prince Yusaku asked.

He was past the threshold of the forest with this person. A young man in servile clothes akin to that of Ai and Shoichi’s but the fashion of white with hints of silver, yellow, and red: another country. The one which bordered on this very forest, actually. Prince Yusaku licked his lips as he tried to get information from this person as he held his chest.

“D-Don’t worry about me.” he said. “It's my Master I’m - we - should be more worried about.” His voice was strained as he dealt with whatever affliction of his chest which had him agonised so.

“Your Master?” Prince Yusaku echoed.

“We were attacked by a witch,” he said. “Th-This witch put a curse on us both. We’ve been doing, argh-” He screamed in pain, he tried to still himself but in this wounding, his legs thrashed involuntarily.

Prince Yusaku flinched.

“We’ve been surviving as best we can until we can remedy this curse but alas.” this man continued to speak through gritted teeth and a sheen of sweat.

Prince Yusaku's heart hammered in his chest. He was really not the person who should have encountered this wounded man and his missing master. Ai or better yet, Shoichi, would have been much better. They weren’t too far, however.

“Let me get you to my henchmen, they can help.” Prince Yusaku said.

“No.” the man spat. “The witch told us that this curse-” he yelled again in pain, his fingers raking through his chest and under the white of his blouse, Prince Yusaku noticed he had something underneath which jutted out, it looked almost like a strip of iron but surely he had to be mistaken. “A kiss from a royal is the only way.”

Prince Yusaku had to bite his tongue before he let out a very loud and very rude “Huh?” in response.

“Master Ryoken! Where are you?!” this man yelled at the top of his lungs.

Loud enough to make birds fly away, for squirrels to scatter, and for a frog to jump closer to him. To atop his shoulder, even. He didn’t seem to mind, in fact he smiled. His eyes were blurry as he turned his head but his expression softened. The frog was unusually coloured: white with lilac stripes.

“Master Ryoken, thank goodness…” the man murmured and then he turned his gaze unto Prince Yusaku again. “This is… This is my Master Ryoken, transformed by the witch’s curse and I. My heart is bound in iron, too. I - I fear my heart cannot go on much longer with this bondage and this grief. Oh, please, gods, save my Master Ryoken.”

“I’m… My name is Prince Yusaku of the Sol Kingdom. Allow me to help.” Prince Yusaku declared.

“My word,” the servant gasped, “truly fortune smiles upon me.”

He near fainted promptly after. Unable to hold himself up much longer, he let go his chest and his body went limp against the trunk of the tree. The frog on his shoulder pawed pitifully at his sweaty, pale face. As though with real and genuine concern, not like a pet but no… Prince Yusaku had to be rational. He was anthropomorphising this frog.

All in all, Prince Yusaku wasn’t sure how much he believed this servant and that his master was a frog transmogrified but Prince Yusaku did believe that this man was severely hurt. Possibly made delusion or otherwise delirious by the very real affliction upon his body. But maybe if he indulged this alleged witch’s curse’s remedy, he could gain his trust and get him to safety.

Prince Yusaku reached for the frog and scooped it up off the man’s shoulder. The servant watched with a tear glimmering his eye and a loose, wonky smile as he held his breath in abated hope.

Prince Yusaku was certain, to himself at least, to disappoint. Nevertheless, he brought the frog closer to his mouth and kissed it on its own. The frog was soft and slimy, Prince Yusaku almost gagged but there was no time to ruminate on the taste of rising bile and other displeasures as the most impossible and marvellous thing happened. A miracle occurred.

From out of his hands, the weight of the frog grew heavier until Prince Yusaku let go. A bright, blue and white light erupted from the frog. In this burst, the silhouette of the critter changed from that of a frog, to that of a human who stood tall above him.

The frog smiled and then brought himself down to one knee, he placed his hand over his heart in the utmost gratitude unto Prince Yusaku. Who could only stare and gape like a beached fish.

“What in the world…?” he breathed.

“Thank you, Prince Yusaku of Sol for breaking my curse, I am glad that Spectre was able to find you in our time of need.” he said, his head bowed low, his gaze just slightly towards his servant, Spectre, who had yet to regain strength but was grinning in mad and wild delight that his master’s humanity had been restored. “I am Prince Ryoken of Hanoi, it is good to make your official acquaintance.”

“Yes, the same.” Prince Yusaku replied. Still very much in shock.

Prince Ryoken got up and he offered his hand to his servant. Weakly, Spectre raised his hand and was able to place it in Prince Ryoken’s awaiting palm. At the moment of such contact, as Prince Ryoken pulled his servant up, the bonds of Spectre’s heart crumbled. The outline of them beneath his shirt disappeared as he was pulled up - and into a kiss.

Prince Yusaku blushed, averting his gaze. He would hate to intrude but his presence did not seem to impede the apparent lovers. Not when Prince Ryoken turned his head and offered his other hand to Prince Yusaku.

“Please,” he said, “allow us to properly introduce ourselves. We have been using your family’s facilities here as Spectre could not bear to bring me back to my kingdom in my sorry state as a frog. Thank you for the hospitality, I hope we did not infringe.”

Prince Yusaku couldn’t believe that the dithering between Ai and Shoichi had, in actuality, been astute observations. Their castle had been in use. He accepted Prince Ryoken’s hand, pulled up into a three-way embrace.

“We should celebrate my return to good health, no?” Prince Ryoken asked.

“I would like that immensely.” Spectre said.

“Then allow me to bring you back to my castle, as proper guests.” Prince Yusaku offered, knowing full well he would have to do things like entertain and host were he to.

Yet, somehow, for the first time ever, the lazy prince did feel obligated to at least try and be social and perform regal duties of figuring out inter-kingdom relations. And also how he was going to explain to his retainers that he had gone out for a walk and come back with a seeming lover and concubine. The former of which had just ceased being a frog.

Oh goody, Prince Yusaku was certain, Ai and Shoichi were going to love this tall tale but at least it was one with a happy ending.

#multiamorymarch2023 #yugioh vrains #saviorshipping #ryoken kogami #fujiki yusaku #spectre (vrains)#kogami ryoken #yusaku fujiki #writing tag #the frog prince

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