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thespoonisvictory · 3 years

Note

Hamilton Hot Take: A Hamilton that kept in the deleted songs and workshop versions tell a superior story (So Broadway vs Off-Broadway version). And, no, I’m not just talking about Congratulations (although that one should’ve also been kept).

A significant part of Hamilton’s narrative focuses on the relationship between Burr and Hamilton. From the beginning, their ideologies and the way they get ahead are completely different. Burr keeps his true opinions and thoughts close to his chest. He never reveals anymore than what will make him most agreeable to others. His persona is one of inoffensively likable. Hamilton is quite the opposite. He is never indecisive, always shooting off his own opinions. He takes risks in order to grab at better opportunities, but often this leads him to gathering more enemies. And despite these differences, Hamilton and Burr remain good friends who have a lot of mutual respect (and envy) of one another.

Until the second act that is. And the second act is also unfortunately where things start getting cut and rewritten.

As the dsmp fandom would put it, Broadway A. Hamilton is made “smooth” compared to his original counterpart. He’s much calmer and more reasonable. He’s pride and short temper have been stripped away. And Burr, in comparison, is stripped of much of his more sympathetic traits. Aside from Dear Theodosisa (Reprise) and really any mention of his family being entirely cut, he’s made to be far more malicious and villainous in other songs, compared to their original lyrics.

Take for example, Schuyler Defeated. Both versions start on Eliza and Philip finding out about Eliza’s father being challenged for his seat in the senate. In the Broadway version, Eliza is very unconcerned with this development and she and Philip leave the song as quickly as they entered, happy to go and meet the new senator. The original, in contrast, starts out with a panicked Eliza, desperate to find Alexander because she knows exactly how he’ll take this. Hamilton’s characterization also vastly changes depending on the version. Broadway Hamilton is very calm, innocently asking about Burr’s change in party affiliation. Meanwhile, og Hamilton comes out swinging, already furious, he demands to know when Burr changed parties. Hamilton is far more personally offended in this version, framing Burr running against Schuyler as an attempt to “make a fool of [him],” compared to to the Broadway version where he seems more offended on behalf of his father-in-law. The only thing that stops Hamilton from doing anything stupid for what is essentially just running for senate AND not the personal attack Hamilton views it as, is Eliza and, later in the deleted song “Let It Go,” Washington talking him down from it.

Another example is the Broadway vs original versions of “Your Obedient Servant.” The Broadway version is undoubtedly framed in a deeply negative light. He is furious, unable to understand Hamilton’s support of Jefferson, viewing it as an attempt to keep him from winning, as something done to spite Burr specifically. Meanwhile, the original Burr is more calm in level headed in explaining his feelings. In both versions, Burd makes accusations towards Hamilton. In the original, he backs up his claims with a source in the form of a private letter sent in confidant, while Broadway Burr makes accusations of Hamilton calling him “amoral [and] a dangerous disgrace,” which is never said by Hamilton anywhere and has no basis. This combined with Burr already suggestion they can name a time and place I’d they have a disagreement, makes Burr come across as far more petty and eager to start a fight. Faced with accusation with no basis, Broadway Hamilton responds fairly reasonably, saying he would need to sight a specific source for him to be able to disavow those words, and provides his own list of disagreements with. Original Hamilton, however, is very flippant of the accusations, being incredibly petulant in denying Burr’s accusations, mocking the wording of them. And yes, while both Burr’s escalate the conversations to threats, the Hamilton’s responses show just how different these versions. Broadway Hamilton stands by what he says and defending himself by saying that everything he said is true and that Burr stands for nothing. Which is completely true, so Burr then challenging Hamilton to a duel makes Burr seem unreasonable and angry that Hamilton pointed out how his own ideology screwed him over. While original Hamilton makes the whole disagreement incredibly personal, for no reason, bringing up Burr’s dead wife to mock him. It’s only then that Burr challenges Hamilton to a duel, to which Hamilton agrees to almost immediately, showing how rash the original Hamilton is, compared to the Broadway version who thinks the challenge over for a few seconds before agreeing.

And finally, “Ten Things, One Things,” really shows how far their friendship and understanding of each other has fallen off. Burr’s perspective shows how much he wants Hamilton to apologize and back down from the duel, only realizing at the 8th count that this is a serious duel, and Hamilton won’t be backing down. Meanwhile Hamilton goes into the duel considering the possibility they might die, but as the counting continues he becomes more and more convinced he and Burr will survive. He is specifically is assured of this by realizing it’s not in Burr’s political interests to kill him. While Hamilton scrutizes the area, Burr’s own fear and paranoia takes hold, convinced Hamilton will shoot, Burr resolves to kill Hamilton first, so his daughter will not orphaned. All the while, is so assured of his safety that he starts to think about going to back to his house to see Eliza awaken. Neither one of them are able to fathom the possibility of the other outside of the image they’ve created of each other. Hamilton cannot see a Burr that wouldn’t wait, and Burr cannot see a Hamilton who would throw away his shot.

Far more emphasize is placed on Hamilton’s violent anger in the original, while in the Broadway version this is lost and Burr is pained more as the unreasonable instigator in their deteriorating friendship, when the original makes it so much more complicated than that. Broadway is so much more Black and White in the story it tells, where the villain Burr shoots our hero Hamilton, rather than the far more interesting story of a friendship between two men based on mutual respect, admiration, and envy and how that friendship ultimately changed both until they could no longer understand each other and how that inability to see how the other had changed, led to their ultimate falling out in the form of final duel.

I’m not saying the workshop versions of songs are better musically (I know jack shit about music) but they make Hamilton’s characterization and relationship with Burr so much richer and that’s why the story they tell is so much better to me.

TLDR; Hamilton is less of bitch in the Broadway version and it makes me >:(

I hope this makes sense, I started to ramble

^^^

god damn this is so good idk what to do with this other than nod and tell you to run my blog for me

also- this reminds me of what happened to off broadway orpheus vs live broadway orpheos, bc ob!orpheus is a self confident bitch who was charismatic and funny and I like him so much, and b!orpheus is a awkward little rat creature who doesn't make as much sense both as a character and in the narrative. he got smoothed

#asks #spoon talks musicals #I could talk a lot about the orpheus comparison

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misscrawfords · 3 years

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For the AU mashup list: Neighbours and Not A Date for Edmund and Fanny of Mansfield Park?

Well, here's the Mansfield Park High School AU I never thought I'd be writing. And I'm afraid it's rather got away from me!

Edmund and Fanny have been next door neighbours all their life. Fanny's family being... well... numerous (to put it in the kindest way), Edmund's parents have been something like an aunt and uncle to her. Fanny has always adored him in that mindless way that children do until something comes to challenge the adoration. Edmund has always noticed her when she's been invisible to everyone else.

But then, final year of school, Edmund suddenly decides to do the school play. He's never been interested in drama before and frankly Fanny is surprised. But she nods and believes him when he explains at great length to her in the car as he's driving them home that he's interested in the obscure German play they've picked. He is doing German A Level after all. It's sort of plausible. If only it didn't sound like he was trying to persuade himself, not her.

So Fanny volunteers her services as backstage crew. She's never done drama either, getting up on the stage is her idea of hell (she thought it was Edmund's too but hey, it's fun to discover she doesn't know everything about him), but where Edmund goes, Fanny follows, two years younger and still in her school uniform, A Level choices not yet made, like a little ghostly shadow.

It's quickly clear that it wasn't the quality of the play that attracted Edmund. The play is literally the worst. And she's not really sure it's all that suitable for a school but Mrs. Grant, the Head of Drama, has never cared much for things being "suitable".

No, the attraction for Edmund is Mary Crawford. Prefect Mary. Music scholar Mary. Mary with the bright eyes and the peels of laughter. Mary who had once stood up for Fanny back when Fanny was in Year 9 and Mrs. Norris was picking on her again, so Fanny can't hate her much as she wants to.

Soon Fanny and Edmund's drives to and from school, previously the highlight of her day, are torture. She hears nothing but Mary, Mary, Mary. And then she's forced to watch them in rehearsals together after school, sitting high up in the auditorium, taking notes on props and lighting. She's pretending not to see them but even if she's hunched over her notepad, she can still hear them, the whispers indistinct as they bend their heads together over their scripts. Then Mary's laughter cuts through every other sound and pierces Fanny to the core.

Sometimes she isn't needed for rehearsal. She could go home at the normal time. Get the bus like she used to before Edmund passed his driving test. But she's too masochistic for that. She will sit at the back of the auditorium and nominally do her homework waiting for him to finish rehearsing, observing them over the top of the text book, waiting for another heart-sickening car ride home.

Mary looks up and notices her and her face splits into a grin and she waves. "Hey, Fanny!"

Fanny waves back weakly. Her eyes slide to Edmund. He has his hands shoved into his trouser pockets, slightly hunched, a rueful, half smile on his face as if he is trying to make himself smaller, not that he really needs to try too hard, next to Mary's brilliance and vitality.

Don't betray my secret, his expression seems to tell her, you're the only one who knows.

Oh, Edmund, you dear fool. What secret?

And so it goes on. They get closer. Fanny watches, hating every minute and unable to stop herself.

"I want to ask Mary out," says Edmund one day, driving down the dual carriageway after rehearsal, as if this was an original statement that should come as a surprise to Fanny.

"So ask her out," Fanny replies evenly as her heart flops and plummets through her stomach and into her knees and she feels like throwing up.

Edmund navigates a roundabout before replying.

"It's really hard. I don't have much experience in dating."

I know. You've always been with me.

He starts to ramble. "I've got to choose my timing because it should be at rehearsal but not when everyone else is around. If she says no, I don't want anyone else to see... I've got to make it something she'd like and she's so much more, I don't know, fancy than you and me, right, Fanny? I can't just take her to Starbucks. Maybe that independent place across the square, Parsonage's, but I have some memory she had a bad experience there... What do you think? And then what do I do about paying? I'd want to pay but perhaps she'd be offended because she's always talking about what a feminist she is and I want to respect that but will it seem like it's not a date if I don't volunteer to pay? I'm just not sure what the etiquette is."

The car has stopped and Edmund finally stops speaking. It takes Fanny a moment to register because she is staring hard out of the passenger window, her throat choked and her hands white as she clenches the pleats of her school skirt in her fists.

"I don't know, Edmund," she manages to say. "I've never been on a date either."

"Hey! You know," continues Edmund, seeming not to notice her tone, "if this does go well, we can double date. You can come with Mary's brother - you'd like him, he's very into Shakespeare."

"Isn't he already at uni?" protests Fanny. "I don't think that would be a very good idea... He's four years older than me." But she spoke very quietly and Edmund does not register her objections, too caught up in a rosy and romantic future.

"A double date would be a really good idea," he continues. "I get so nervous around Mary, I really don't know what to say - having you and Henry there would really help."

Fanny wonders in passing why Edmund is so set on dating someone who makes him so nervous he wants other people with him on the date but what does she know?

"Hey, Fanny, are you free now? You don't have homework?"

She does, but she shakes her head anyway.

"Let's go there now and get a coffee. Like a dry run."

Fanny swivels in her seat till she faces him competely. "You want to rehearse your date?"

He doesn't meet her eyes. "Yeah, is that weird? You could pretend to be Mary. Just so I can think through what to say without putting my foot in it."

"Oh! I can't do that! Edmund, I can't pretend to be Mary! We are so - so different."

He laughs. "Oh, I know that. I know you don't do acting. I just mean that you'd be there and you'd tell me if I'm saying anything stupid. You're always honest with me, Fanny."

He gives her that sweet, lop-sided smile and her heart contracts again. She can refuse him nothing. She shruggs awkwardly. "Well, I guess..."

He immediately turns the engine back on. "That's great! Come on, let's check out Parsonage's."

They are in silence for the drive back into town. Fanny's heart is pounding. She and Edmund may be best friends but they don't do things together. They ride to school together and they wave at each from their bedroom windows like the leads in Drive Me Crazy (Fanny used to think that similarity Meant Something but she knows better now) but they have their own friendship groups at school and apart from the school play they don't hang out together at school or go anywhere together at weekends.

But now they are going to a coffee shop together.

It's not a date but when they walk into the coffee shop together and Edmund holds the door for her, she cannot help pretending to herself that it is. That this is what going on a date with Edmund would be like. They approach the counter. Edmund asks her what she wants and orders for her which feels like a very important thing. Perhaps Mary, president of the school's Feminism Soc, would have a lot to say about it, but to Fanny it just feels as if Edmund is taking care of her. She digs her purse out but Edmund waves it away and pays for both of them.

"I'll pay you back," she murmurs to him as she follows him to a table with only two chairs.

He waves it away again and protests that she's doing him a favour, not to worry about it.

A favour? Is that what she's doing?

They sit opposite each other. Edmund is relaxed, but she sits stiff and straight, her knees pressed together. Her eyes glance round the coffee shop.

She leans across the table. "People probably all think we're on a date right now," she hisses at him, half anxious, half proud.

He laughs with a bit of a scoff in it. "Wow, you really sound cut up about it; I'll try not to be offended! Anyway, we know it's not a date and who cares what anyone else thinks?"

True, but Fanny does care because if everyone else looks at them and thinks they are a couple then perhaps one day he will also think that. It is a justification of her fantasy and her hopeless hope.

She knows it is not a date.

But it is the best she is going to get.

#mansfield park #fanny price #edmund bertram #edmund x fanny #kind of #jane austen #fanfiction #rose writes #this got away from me but was immensely cathartic to write #who knew that high school mansfield park was what i needed in my life?

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wolf-and-bard · 3 years

Text

Proper Procedures for Wooing Witches

for @littoraly-art because you are amazing and I already said this, but I hope you have an awesome birthday <3

Pairing: Yennefer/Jaskier

Word Count: ~2.2k

Rating: T, some explicit language

„My darling Yennefer,“ Jaskier calls out as he swoops into his Oxenfurt apartment with a flat carton wedged under his arm. It already nicked the lavender mesh overlay of his newest doublet, but for once, he absolutely cannot be bothered by that. It’s too nice of a day. “Hello?” He kicks off his shoes.

High noon’s just gone by and Jaskier doesn’t expect Yen to be up yet – which means she will hex his ass if he wakes her. His giddiness outweighs his fears though, heart warming, as he takes in the cluttered entryway. Several pairs of shoes are strewn about, his and hers mixing on the ground. Yen’s all look like they could double as a lethal weapon and are some variation of black and white (though one pair is tinged brown from blood that crusts the bottom, he doesn’t want to know). It’s awfully domestic, a product of the temporary living situation they are in.

When Yen requested to use his rooms for a week or so, she explicitly asked for Jaskier not to be there, but, well, he is weak, he wants her, he couldn’t have stayed away if he tried. Yen’s been snippy from the moment he welcomed her with open arms and the prospect of sharing a bedroom, snippy to the point of grumpiness. That’s fair, Jaskier supposes. It’s also fair that she slips out at the most random times of day, coming back only when Jaskier’s gone to the academy for lectures or the pub for drinks with his colleagues. All fair and good. He catches her about once a day which is more than he can say for most of the year. Fair, yes. Nice, even though Yen is rarely, if at all, impressed with his affection for her. A bard can dream.

“Yenny,” he shouts again and whistles to himself as he slides through to the main room. To his surprise, she lounges at his dinner table by the window, one hand curled around a steaming mug, the other holding up one of his most beloved poetry collections (not only because he wrote several of the entries). Her hair falls in rich raven curls that cover her chest, barely concealed by the sheer black dressing gown she wears. It’s the only thing she wears, Jaskier notices, gulping heavily. Yen doesn’t look up from her reading, her lips are pursed and her tone clipped as she replies.

“For every time you call me that, bard, your balls will grow the tiniest fraction until, one day, they will explode, never to grow back.”

Jaskier considers it. Directs his attention downward. They do feel a bit strange, don’t they? But that’s only because he’s thinking about them. Right.

“I shall not be fooled,” Jaskier says, grinning. “But if you so insist, ‘beloved’ will do just as well. I brought you a gift.” Brushing past his dusty bookshelves and cluttered desk, he struts towards the table and drops the carton on it. It lands with a thud and swirls up more dust – how is it this dusty already, Jaskier could swear he cleaned the place, like, last month?

Yen licks her finger to turn the page which makes Jaskier laugh out loud. He rounds the table to glance over her shoulder, but immediately has to retch. There, catching Yen’s precise attention, is Valdo’s vomit-inducing sonnet about his first time taking a tumble with what Jaskier assumes was a professional. It has to be, no self-respecting person would bed the man free of his coin. Jaskier makes a mental note to spread another rumour about Valdo and various sexual diseases, then plucks the book from her hands and lets it drop to the table. She sighs softly under her breath and allows him to put a hand on her shoulder. Is that… does she lean into him? The tiniest bit? Oh, dear.

“That better not be a dress,” Yen says, reaching out. Her fingertips trace the edge of the carton as if she’s in deep debate on whether to pop it open. This is a game they’ve been playing excessively, him bringing her gifts, her making a show of whether to accept them or not. On the few occasions that Yen invites him for a drink or gives the acoustic properties of his lute a small magical boost, Jaskier fails to reciprocate her cool attitude. He’s too in love to feign indifference and it’s not like she would believe him either.

“If we’re using dress in terms of the precise cut it implies then no, no dress,” he replies, thumb rubbing her skin through the slippery material of the gown mostly to work through the tightness in his throat. It hurts sometimes because this farce makes him think she doesn’t want him. Hell, most things Yen does are aimed at making him think she doesn’t want him. But then there are fractions of admittance like this, like when her gravity shifts towards him or he finds her in his rooms, barely dressed, that make him think there might be more there. Jaskier simply has to practice patience.

“Julian, do I seem like a woman easily impressed with shallow gifts of clothes? In case you hadn’t noticed, I have a very particular style.”

“Oh, I noticed. Trust me, Yenny, you are very much one of a kind,” he replies, mesmerized by her fingers dancing on the cardboard. She loses no time in jabbing back.

“And yet you revert to common courting techniques? That’s pathetic and you know it.”

“Bold of you to assume I am courting you.”

“Bold of you to claim you are not. If I remember correctly, the last time Geralt was with us you got drunk off your ass and asked him for his permission to woo me. Which was sweet but not at all his place to allow. Then you continued to exert yourself into my life on every possible occasion with flowers and picnics and awful love songs. How else am I going to interpret all this?” Yen asks, craning her neck to look up at him from under dark lashes. Gods, she is gorgeous.

“Touché. But do not think I would waste the efforts of my best tailor on just anyone. This is advanced courting, dear.”

“I fail to see its distinguishing qualities.”

“The difference is that these clothes are hardly a gift and more a means to an end.” Jaskier winks which has her eyes narrow, fall back to the carton.

“You want to take me somewhere” Yen asks and, of course, she untangles his intentions immediately.

“Not just somewhere. My cousin’s forwarded me an invitation to a ball put on by some countryside nobleman or other. His work keeps him in Kerack so I’m to go in his stead. That is to say, I’d hoped you would go dancing with me.”

Yen looks up once more and Jaskier starts a little. He will never get used to the vibrance of her violet eyes, how they see through him. Once, she said it took no effort at all to pick at his thoughts, that she always feels as though he’s screaming them right at her. So, he does.

Please, he thinks, mouth twitching into a soft smile. Please, just this once. It would mean the world to me.

Yen huffs a small laugh and shakes her head, then draws the box towards her. Inside, she finds a slim-cut blouse made from the finest black cotton in the city, complete with white lace trim down the front and flaring out at the cuffs and collar. With it, Jaskier had the tailor make a white corset belt and a pair of deep black pants that have applications of the same lace. It would look precarious, almost edgy, on anyone else, but on Yen… the thought alone makes Jaskier’s chest tighten with adoration.

“Jules, this is beautiful,” Yen murmurs as her fingers trace the line of the seams on the blouse. Jaskier puts his other hand to her shoulder and holds on for dear life as his ear twitches. Was that? Did she just? Oh, how he itches to make a quip about the nickname. Because it’s funny, yes, but it also gives him palpitations. He feels like a lovesick puppy trying to befriend a wild cat. Which also means that any violation of trust can ruin what they have. It’s just so fucking precious, this whole affair, and if he were on the outside of it, he would squeal in delight and write a whole novel about it. He still might.

“I’m glad you like it. And it will look absolutely stunning on you. You will look stunning in it. Ah, not implying that you don’t usually look stunning. What I am saying is, the other attendees will be stunned.”

“You’re ridiculous… and stupid too. Are you certain you want to take me to the ball? I’m not exactly popular with the local nobility.”

“Quite the tragedy,” Jaskier says and because he feels daring, he bends down and kisses the top of her head. Then, he saunters over to the stove, pours himself a mug of tea and takes the seat next to her. “And yes, I am certain. In fact, there is nothing I’d love more. Let the people talk.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Yen says on another sigh. “Not about what they say or think or do.”

“Which is part of what makes you so damn sexy.”

Yen rolls her eyes and folds the clothes back into the carton.

“These are lovely, but I will not wear them to the dance,” Yen says. Which means she will go with him at least. It’s not enough, Jaskier is dying to see her wear what he picked out, dying to show the world that such a brilliant woman would choose to spend the evening with him. Most of all, he wants to make her happy. “Trust me on this. You have a reputation to worry about and bringing me along already risks that. Bringing me along in that can and will mess with your career.”

“Trust me, when I say that it won’t matter. I’m already famous and folk love to gossip about famous people. Probably more than they love my songs. I could imagine worse truths to be spread about me. Besides, didn’t you just say you don’t care what people think about you? Why then would you worry about what people think about me?”

"Well I never," she says, but her lips soften into a smile and her hand rises to fiddle with her pendant. Jaskier gently pries it off and brings her knuckles to his lips.

"I don't care either," he whispers. "I just want to go dancing with you."

"I'll portal to my rooms in Kaedwen and get one of my old dresses.” Her face is all smiles, but an edge has stolen into her voice which makes her sound forlorn, sad even, and her eyes flicker over to the folded clothes in the box. Jaskier’s throat tightens.

"Why are you so stubborn? It’s obvious you want to wear them. You don’t need to start giving a fuck now.”

"I'm trying to do something for you here, Julian. I don't usually go out of my way to attend stuck-up parties with peacocks such as yourself."

“Please,” Jaskier says. He still holds her hands in both of his and because he has no shame, and because this really does mean the world to him, he sinks off his chair and onto his knees before her legs. Yen’s eyes widen a fraction. “For me.”

-----

They dance. Oh, how they dance. Jaskier always considered himself a great dancer, he has music in his veins and has flirted and whirled his way through every ball room and banquet hall on the Continent, and it’s clear that Yen is no stranger to this art either. They are exuberant, relentless, they laugh and pirouette and demand their ground, much to the detriment of those with lesser skills. The lack of a dress doesn’t subtract from their flair, if anything, it allows for a broader range of motion

"The only way we could draw more eyes is if we'd brought Geralt along,” Yen giggles. Fuck. She’s so carefree it brings tears to Jaskier’s eyes.

"Gods no," he laughs. "He would ruin all the fun with his growling and brooding. If you're looking for more attention however..."

"Jules-"

Jaskier twirls her and, in that motion, catches her around the waist and dips her low, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips which are parted on a yelp. Before he can tug her up again, her hands come forward to cup his face and she presses into him, grins into the kiss.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous,” she whispers.

“Admit it,” Jaskier drawls as he brings her back upright and they fall into an easy basic waltz, closer to each other than the dance strictly necessitates. “You love me.”

“That is awfully presumptuous of you.” But she laughs, and kisses his cheek, and Jaskier thinks that maybe one day, she will. “Don’t bet on it, bard.”

#the witcher #witcher #jaskier #yennefer #yennefer of vengerberg #yennefer x jaskier #yenskier #I'll reblog with ao3 link later #ficlet #my writing #fluff

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the-slasher-files · 3 years

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LITTLE RED

INCLUDES ANDREI KULOKOVA x XAVIERA LAH-MO

Happy Valentines day! (well day before lol) Since I cannot seem to get enough of this couple, it is time for a one-shot with them! Xaviera isn’t all so innocent anymore after they’ve been together for a while and Andrei gets a little treat when he comes home... hope you enjoy!🔪💕

Xaviera Lah-Mo belongs to @horrorslashergirl

MASTERLIST

The wolf was back on his home soil. Another three week mission done easily, seven men dead by his hands, jaws ripped off and bodies torn apart. The blood lust was gone, but another desire burned deeply in his core, he was hungry for something only one could fill. It was all he could think about.

Walking the long gravel road, the home was a beacon to the woman he loved, a sign of hope for him, something he had never had before. Every mission was beginning to feel like a chore, but it was the only way his desires could be probably met, and he definitely wasn't going to complain about the money. However, the feeling of coming home to her just made it all that more exciting. Just waiting to tear her clothes off and feel her pulse under his fingers. Licking his canines he stalked up to the home.

Opening the door he was going to call for her but stopped, dropping his duffle bag on the floor he stood still in the doorway.

The sight was all too much to take in. Xaviera was all dressed up for him, something he didn't see much from her innocence, but the wolf must have been corrupting her. She looked like a straight up sinner.

Dressed in a red lacy bra that framed her chest to perfection, matching lacy panties, with red stockings with little bows at the top of her thighs, long white hair curled and to top it off Xaviera dawned a long red hooded cape that was covering her face as she looked down to the floor where she was already on her knees.

Icy blue eyes went sharp and predatory as he took in the scene, the wolf howling and nipping to tear out of his chest to devour her. The wolf kicked the door behind him closed and took off his vest, tossing it to the floor. He stalked forward with a tingle up his spine.

Towering over her tiny body, the wolf stood in front of her. He waited. He watched her every movement as his cock twitched in his cargo pants.

The prey looked up at him with her ice blue doe eyes through her thick lashes. She was wearing makeup and red lipstick, an extremely rare sight for his wild baby girl. It was something he would never ask of her but the rareness of it made him want rip her apart just to hear her screams.

"What big eyes you have Mr. Wolf..." she spoke slowly, challenging him with her sharp gaze.

"What big legs you have..." Raising her hands from her sides to his muscular legs, from the top of his black combat boots to the top of his thighs she massaged him, teasingly. The little kitten was growing bolder by the day with him. He waited. His core burning.

"What big claws you have Mr. Wolf..." The prey interlocked her small fingers with his and pulled one of his hands close to her red lips moving her hand to his large wrist and bringing 2 of the wolf's fingers into her warm mouth. Hollowing out her cheeks as she sucked, moving her head forward and her tongue lapped around his deadly fingers. The wolf growled and bared his teeth. His patience wearing thin already as his erection ached.

Pulling his fingers away with a wet pop she continued "What big teeth you have.." She smiled with that cute little blush creeping up her skin, knowing he was more than ready to pounce.

The wolf roughly pulled her up and pushed her to the nearest wall, as he snarled. "What big arms you have." She teased again with a devilish smile as she felt his flexed biceps that where larger than her head. Crashing his lips on hers he wanted to devour her where she stood. The wolf's tongue exploring her mouth as if it were new to him, he growled lowly at the taste he craved so desperately. She tasted like home, and her small mewls were music to his ears as he grinding against her.

Pulling away he left her breathless and leaned close to her ear "Something else is big too, little red." The wolf’s eyes flashed with a wicked intent, swiftly pulled her legs around his waist.

Dragging his teeth at the soft flesh of her sensitive neck, she threw her head back for him, giving him freedom to do what he pleased. The wolf’s tongue skillfully traced her bite scar, the one he had left on her. Xaviera moaned as he bit and sucked, replacing the faded bruises with new ones while she ran her fingers through his faux hawk.

“Three weeks was too fucking long.” He breathed against her neck, almost breathless just from holding her. Pulling away the wolf kissed her beautiful soft lips and laid her small body on the table ignoring the bottle of Vodka and cake she had got for him, grinding his throbbing clothed erection against her heat. “I can feel you already soaking for me baby.” He rasped against her lips.

The wolf moved down her soft skin with rough lips and canines occasionally scratching the delicate skin like his knives, pulling every mewl out of that beautiful throat.

From her neck to her collar bones he remarked her like an art, the prey rolled hips against his as she moaned “Wolfy... Please.” The kittens claws digging into his neck. The wolf smirked against her lace covered nipple and moved his one hand down to her clothed wet pussy.

“This what you want myshka?” Two thick fingers rubbed her slit and teased when he pushed inside her tight hole as much as the tight lace would allow. The prey arched her back slightly and mewled, making him growl in appreciation and tease her nipple over the lace. “You’re so perfect... such a good cock tease.”

Unhooking her legs from his waist the wolf moved down to have his snarling face directly in front of her heat, kissing softly on the lace, she whined “Andrei.”

Pulling out his large knife from military vest, watching her icy eyes widen at the sight of his beloved blade that got great use over the last three weeks. The wolf could practically still see the blood dripping from it and melting in the snow. He moved his claws to slice easily through the fabric. Looking up at Xaviera she rested on her elbows watching the master at work as her beautiful blush crept up her neck. After all this time and she was always a blushing fool only for him.

The kitten was fully exposed to the jaws of the wolf as he smirked mere inches away from her most intimate area. Blowing cool air on her wet cunt she squeaked. The prey’s small hands went to tug on his light brown hair again to pull him closer, an action that would most likely be denied on any other day, but tonight he just needed to taste her.

“So needy for me aren’t you?” He gave a long lick up and down her folds “Did you miss your big..” His tongue flicked her clit “..Bad” He slide a finger insider her “..Wolf?” with the last word he nipped her clit and curled his finger inside her making her moan for him.

Xaviera’s tight walls begged him for more as he as he added another finger, moving them and in and out slowly. The wolf began to eat her out like he was starved, feverously licking and spreading her open just for him as she moaned and cried. “’Drei.. Andrei I-I’m close.” she mewled, her thighs closing in around his head as she began to tremble.

“Come on baby. Cum for me...” He growled against her folds making her shudder, he added a third finger to her wet heat and his other hand held her flat against the table so he could devour her more. Curling his thick fingers inside her, her walls began to clamp down strongly. “The wolf wants a taste of little red.” Sucking on her clit he hummed shooting deadly vibrations through her as she came for him.

“Mmmm... Andrei Ah.. yesss.” She moaned, throwing her head back against the table and her nails dug into his scalp. The wolf's tongue slowed and he removed his fingers, towering above her, he almost went to lick his fingers when he got an idea. Something he had not done in along time. He reached for the chilled bottle of Vodka Xaviera had bought and cracked it open with one skilled hand, letting the cap fly off to the floor. The wolf sucked his fingers, not swallowing her taste and drank a large gulp from the bottle. A dangerous flavor cocktail that made the wolf want to utterly lose it.

"Fuck you taste good." He smirked and leaned in for a sloppy kiss letting her savor the mixed flavors as he put the bottle back down. Pulling away she blushed at him and was breathless. He hauled her off the table grabbing both bare asscheeks and pushing her flush against his front and leaning down for a longer kiss as he tried to move to the bedroom, but hands, tongues and teeth were making it hard to concentrate on getting to one location.

Stumbling into the hallway the prey grabbed his jacket pushing him against the wall, taking off his jacket and lifting his shirt up she kissed his neck and chest, leaving little red lipstick marks behind.

Xaviera’s small hands worked on his belt and he grabbed her chin roughly making her look up with icy doe eyes. "I missed you, wolfy."

His large thumb brushed against her red painted lips smearing on the top of her chin. "You're so beautiful, Xaviera." The wolf whispered and she opened her lips to slowly suck his thumb, pulling a low growl from him.

She undid is his belt and pants, freeing his hard cock from he coffin of his pants, pumping it a few time he leaned his head back against the wall. God, he missed her. Removing his thumb from her sweet mouth she got on her knees for him once more. Moving closer she kitten licks his sensitive head that was oozing precum, his breath hitched as he looked down. What a beautiful sight. One to be grateful for.

"Don't tease the big bad wolf, red." He bared his sharp teeth and she began to take his length in her hot mouth. "Xavi.. fuck" pumping her hand at the base of his shaft she bobbed her head up and down, her tongue swirling as she sucked. "Being so fucking good for me." The wolf began to thrust into her mouth as tears flowed from her eyes leaving mascara streaks and her red lipstick was being left behind on his hard cock as she worked her mouth.

The scene made his cock twitch and he roughly pulled her up into his arms, the preys legs instinctively hooking behind him again. "You want my hard cock baby? Huh?... Want me to split you open again?" He question in her ear, forcing her back to the wall.

She grinded against his length and whined "Y-Yes Andrei.. pleaseee... I need you inside me." With her words the wolf grinned and bit down on her neck, moving his hips and thrusting inside her sloppy cunt. Xaviera gasped and clawed his broad shoulders

"God you're so tight... tight just for me." Open mouth kissing her sensitive neck she mewled and tilted her hips letting him push in further. "Such a tiny little pussy." He whispered, moving both arms to fully support her as the wolf rolled his hips, skin rubbing her sensitive clit he did it again to just hear her moans.

Pulling away to look her in the eyes, he could get lost in them forever. "I love you Andrei... I missed you." She whispered through smeared painted lips as he just held himself inside her. Slowly he kissed her, not in a fight to devour her but just enjoying her again. This was home, and he never wanted to leave.

While kissing her the wolf stalked upstairs and to the bedroom, kicking the door open and laying her on their bed. He slowly began to move inside her and she moaned into the kiss. Pulling away he bit her soft lips drawing the sweet taste of her blood. A blood he missed so much.

Thrusting his cock inside her his ice blue eyes that were almost black with lust just took in her perfect body that was taking his length so well. Lifting his leg the wolf reached in his boot, pulling out his smaller knife and stomping his boot back down.

He slowed his pace to a deadly crawl and ran the cold blade over her delicate pale skin. The prey tried to move her hips against his seeking the friction she needed but it just made him slow more with a sinister smirk on his face.

"Baby.. pleaseee.. don't do this to me." The prey cried on frustration. His one inked hand moved to stroke her long white hair.

"Shhhh... myshka shhh." He cooed, running the knife along her red lacy bra, tracing the delicate pattern, but the wolf was growing starved and he sliced through the middle between the cups.

"Drei.. I just bought that." Xaviera whined and tried to still move her hips making him smile.

"You should know better than to play with the big bad wolf without expecting his claws." He trusted harshly into her making her arch her back and he latched onto her rosy nipple. Sucking and lapping up the bud and moving to the other one, replacing his mouth with the metal knife, the prey moaned at the temperature differences and he picked up his pace.

Each thrust hitting every spot she desired so much. "What a good little slut for me... just taking me all." The sound of skin hitting skin, moans and his dirty words filled the room. It was pushing the wolf over the edge and he tossed the knife to the floor with her cut up bra and removing her hooded cape.

Both of his strong deadly hands gripped her hips with a bruising force, impaling her over and over again. His big cock hitting her cervix deliciously with each powerful thrust. He was close and so was she.

“A-Andrei... I-I’m gonna cum..” He smirked moving one of his hands down to her dripping folds, taking 2 thick fingers and slowly putting them inside her against his cock that was pistioning inside her.

A desperate whimper left her smeared red lips and his dick twitched inside her tight pussy. “I need you Xaviera... I’m just going to breed you... Fill up your cunt and own you.” His other hand grabbing her chin to make those icy blue half lidded eyes look at him “Cum for me.” The wolf growled.

“Yes Andrei... fill m-me” The prey closed her eyes and bit her lip with a loud mewl, her walls clamping down on his cock and fingers that now went to her clit intensifying her orgasm even more. “Andrei!”

“Good girl... fuck.. good... girl” His thrust became sloppy and he hilted inside her balls deep, filling her up with everything he had, everything that had been pent up for weeks. The wolf growled lowly as her walls clamped down in waves, milking him. Leaning down to Xaviera, moving his forearms to each side of her head, he panted in her face placing soft kisses along her jaw and down her neck. “Missed you myshka.”

A small moan left her lips “Missed you too.” Andrei just took a few moments just to stare at the beautiful face he had left behind for those dreadful weeks. Kissing her stained lips he grinded in her again and moaned into the kiss.

Rolling onto the bed he laid beside his kitten, leaving himself inside her, Andrei just held her close. Looking down at her recovering frame she looked up at him. “You’re so beautiful... y’know you never have to get dolled up for me” he smirked “..Even though it’s a wonderful treat.”

Her eyes widened and she ran her hand up and down the large scar on his chest. “It’s Valentine’s day. I wanted to make it special since it’s my first one with someone... Your country is very interesting” she dragged.

Andrei raised his brows and smiled, he completely forgot about the holiday and when he remembered it in the past, he would just go pick up a desperate chick in a crappy bar. He guessed this one was special for him too, just being with his soulmate, but he laughed at the part about his country being different. Yeah it wasn’t for everyone that was for sure.

“What did you get up to when I was gone?” He asked still laughing.

Xaviera spoke “I-I needed some woman stuff, so I went to town and these ladies were talking about how to please their Russian ‘husbands’ and what they expected... Hair, perfect makeup, gifts and how they love good cooking or baking. So I thought you might enjoy it too.” she confessed. The word ‘husband’ made him tense slightly but not in a bad way.

He just shook his head wiping her lipstick off with his thumb “Never listen to those bitches... You are perfect the way you are Xaviera.” He stroked her white long hair “Also I’m not a normal Russian.” he huffed a laugh, thinking about how his country basically disowned him because he betrayed his brothers in the fight.

Her small hand cupped his strong jaw “S-sorry... I-I just didn’t want to be disrespectful.. I mean... I am kind of a guest in your country and I didn’t want to be rude.”

Quickly something sparked in the wolf, and he rolled her over and pinned her against the mattress “This might be my country but this is my land... You could never disrespect me and you’re not my guest...” He leaned down close to her ear and growled “You are my girlfriend.”

Xaviera blushed and nodded looking into his blue eyes with her own, something flashed in them as she spoke “Yes D-daddy.”

Andrei’s eyes went sharp at her words and smirked, licking his canines but she quickly slipped from under him “Why doesn’t the big bad wolf come chase his little red.” She playfully teased, about to make a break for it but he was faster, grabbing her wrist and throwing her back on the bed, his large hands pinning her wrists together as he straddled her with his powerful thighs.

“The wolf is taking what is his, and he isn’t in the mood to chase.” He snarled mere inches from her lips.

She pouted her lips out “You are no fun... I wanted to play.” Xaviera smiled devilishly, challenging the beast above her. Andrei and the wolf just couldn’t get enough of her playful, innocent yet down right sinful ways. He loved her and will forever. This was going to a long few days back home.

#Andrei Kulokova #Xaviera Lah-Mo #Andrei x Xaviera #oc #slasher oc #smut #valentines day #red riding hood #horror #slashers #my writing

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schism-au-blog · 4 years

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Chapter 5

“Pearl, open the curtain,” Pink ordered.

Pearl obeyed, opening the front curtain of the palanquin. Pink smiled. “Blue, Yellow, what an unexpected visit!”

“Pink, follow us to the moon base. There has been a,” Yellow paused, “development.”

Pink nodded. “Of course.” Pink stepped out of the palanquin, and Pearl followed closely behind. They reached the warp pad where Yellow and Blues' ships were parked.

“Take the warp, we’ll take our ships,” Blue ordered.”

Pink was growing increasingly nervous. Why did they want to talk in private? What was going on? She stepped on the warp as ordered, and found herself standing with Pearl in the moon base.

"Pearl," she asked. "Do you think they've figured me out?"

"No, my diamond," Pearl replied honestly. "They probably want to tell you the same thing Garnet did."

"I certainly hope so," Pink said.

Blue and Yellows' ships landed in front of the base. Pink and Pearl stopped talking and prepared for the airlock to open.

As the air flew out of the base, Pearl was almost blown off her feet. Yellow and Blue, accompanied by their pearls, entered the moon base. “Blue, Yellow, to what do I owe the pleasure.”

Yellow frowned. “It’s not a pleasure.”

“Those ‘crystal gems’ have stooped to a new low,” Blue clarified.

“What low could they have possibly stooped to?” Pink questioned.

“They’ve started shattering gems,” Blue said. “They have thrown any guise of this being for the good of gemkind and made it perfectly clear who they really are.

Pink gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. Her rebellion, shattering? What had she done, what had she done, what had she done? This was all her fault. If she had been a little bolder as Pink, if she had never let other gems join, if she had never told them about Bismuth. Her lies and truths felt like they were tangling around her like a web, strangling her. What a fool she was to think she had any control.

“Do you have anything to say about the state you’ve allowed your colony to sink to?” Blue asked.

“Anything?” Yellow emphasized.

Pink allowed her hands to come to her sides. She hung her head and let her eyes drift up to look at them. “I’m sorry.” It never should’ve come to this. This isn’t what she wanted. Nothing could ever go the way she wanted. She tried so hard to make things better for everyone, but instead, she just made everything worse.

“This may be a fortunate event,” Yellow said.

“Fortunate?” Pink replied incredulously.

“Yes, this greatly reduces the chance of any ‘crystal gem sympathizers.’ We can use greater force and shatter the rebellion once and for all,” Blue said. “In the meantime, we’ve ordered guards around our palanquins to be increased. We can’t allow them to take anyone important while we formulate a plan.”

Pink’s mind spun. The words ‘anyone important’ rung in her head. Why couldn’t they see all gems were important? No one should be shattered. She shuddered at the thought of quartzes and rubies getting shattered in her name in a battle that Blue and Yellow considered a “victory.”

Blue put her finger under Pink’s chin and raised it to look at her. “I know it’s scary. But remember, they still pose no threat to us. You are untouchable, immaculate. All you have to do is remind your gems of that.”

“Right,” said Pink, dazed. “That’s all I have to do.”

Blue smiled. “This will all be over soon. Then you can throw a ball to celebrate our victory.”

Pink nodded. “Right, of course. They can’t stand up to us.” Pink hoped she was lying, but it all felt so hopeless right now. She thought of the misery of another ball to celebrate her failed war. No, that couldn’t happen. The other diamonds wouldn’t rest until “Rose Quartz” was brought to justice. She’d be forced to reveal herself, and what would they think of that? Especially if they thought she was shattering gems. Come on Rose, focus! Did she just think of herself as Rose? She smiled.

“There we go,” Blue said. “Won’t that be nice?”

“Blue and I will continually update you as things arise,” Yellow said.

“But let’s also plan to meet here tomorrow, at the earth’s sunset,” Blue said. “We can show you what we have planned.”

“And what we intend to do with the shards,” Yellow said. “I have a few projects that can put them to good use.”

Pink’s practice at staying quiet helped as she managed to keep her screaming inside. Why did they have to do anything with the shards? Why couldn’t they just let shattered gems rest? She felt all of her emotions overwhelm her. She felt paralized, like she could no longer feel anything. And yet- she felt she was going to cry. She kept it in, nodded, and said, “I will be excited to hear them.”

“Good,” said Yellow. “That is all for now, Blue and I have some planning to do, but you don’t need to be involved in it.”

Blue and Yellow left the moon base and headed back to their ships. There was nothing holding Pink back now. As soon as the Diamonds left, Pink shifted into Rose and started sobbing.

Pearl put her hand on Rose’s shoulder. “We’ve already made our way through so much, surely-” She was cut off by Rose pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, my Pearl. I truly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Pearl was speechless. Even though Rose was at about the lowest Pearl had ever seen her, she was still soft and warm and comforting and- Pearl looked up at Rose’s face, her sad eyes filled with regrets. She was beautiful. “Rose, after everything you’ve- we’ve done to protect this planet, we cannot give up now. You can’t see the future, and not even those who could knew the best path. We make the choices we can. We try. And sometimes, that’s all that’s truly important.”

Rose smiled. She stopped crying. “You’re right. Despite everything, we have to carry on. We have to continue. So many gems- so many humans are counting on us. We can’t afford to let them down.”

Pearl smiled and straightened herself out. “Shall we see what Garnet wanted to talk about?” She asked.

“I don’t think I can do it alone,” Rose said, holding out her hand. Pearl took it, hesitantly, and they swirled into an elaborate dance. Rose admired Pearl’s grace, her elegance. Rose wished she could dance as smoothly as Pearl.

Pearl admired Rose’s poise, the way she traveled across the room without seeming to move at all. The way every little move conveyed so much. She wished she could dance like Rose.

There was no rush this time, no one to watch them, they danced for an hour before finally fusing into Rainbow. It felt nice, and also alienating. Their insecurities were combined, but their adoration for each other transferred onto themself. As a result, Rainbow was so much more confident than either Rose or Pearl alone.

Rainbow sat. It dawned on her that she couldn’t warp down fused. She’d have to unfuse. She hugged herself, then started dancing again. She couldn’t let this go just yet. She just needed a bit of time to herself. Eventually, they unfused, with Rose pulling Pearl into a final dip before shifting back into Pink. “Thank you,” Pink told Pearl.

“Anytime, my Diamond,” Pearl responded.

Pink smiled sadly, then walked to the warp. Pearl followed in her train. They stepped on the warp pad and warped outside her palanquin. She walked inside, then immediately shifted to Rose, ducked out the back, and ran to the Crystal Gems’ base.

“What did you want to tell me?” She asked Garnet when she arrived back.

“Rose!” Garnet exclaimed. “I think this is another matter for privacy.”

“Of course,” Rose said. They walked to the side room where they could talk in private.

“I’ve heard the news about some gems shattering?” Rose led.

Garnet nodded. “Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“It’s terrible.” Rose said. “I can’t believe anyone would stoop to this low.”

“I saw this as a possibility, but I did not think it would come to fruition so soon,” Garnet confessed.

“What do we do now?” Rose questioned.

“I think you should make a speech denouncing these gems. This will cause division, but it will let gems know where you stand.”

Rose sighed. “You said they’ll break into a separate faction?”

Garnet nodded. “I see it likely you try to poof them to stop the destruction, leading into a three-way war. I also see it likely that you disavow them but let them continue, not actively fighting them, but still not on good terms. That runs a greater risk of more gems switching over.”

“I’m worried about the backlash from the diamonds,” Rose said. “I’m worried they’ll try more aggressive tactics now.”

“The best way to prevent that would be to actively poof and bubble any gem who shatters,” Garnet said. “But unless you handle it carefully, that may not be a popular choice, and it may not even work.”

Rose threw her head back. “No one ever said war would be easy, but I wasn’t expecting to fight friends.”

“I understand. Me neither,” Garnet said. “I know it’s hard, but I think you need to make the decision tonight. Publicly.”

“Who is it?” Rose asked. “Who shattered?”

“Emerald, Snowflake Obsidian, and Howlite, so far.” Garnet said.

Rose nodded. “It pains me to do so, but I think I’ll announce that any gem who shatters will be poofed and bubbled. We cannot allow this. I will give them an opportunity to change, but if they do so again I cannot allow myself to stand by.”

“That is wise,” said Garnet. “But I still fear for our future. I see so many paths, and so few I like.”

“Thank you, Garnet, I know that it’s hard, being able to see all you do and make sense of it,” Rose said.

“It’s so good to be able to see all this. To see a path and choose it. To determine my own future. You gave that to me,” Garnet said. “This is the least I could do in return.”

“Ahem,” said Pearl. “I hate to break this up, but we have a lot to plan for your speech tonight.”

“You’re right, of course,” said Rose. “We can talk all day about how we’ve all changed each others’ lives, but we don’t have time. We need to discuss action.”

“So, in your speech, you will denounce these gems who shatter but say you will allow them one more chance, in case you hadn’t made yourself clear before. That will lead us on a good path, but there are several things that could happen from there. It is likely that Snowflake will make a speech about declaring independence from you. It is also likely she holds her tongue and makes her next move. There is a slim chance she, and others like her, will break into open fighting, shattering every crystal gem they can.”

Rose looked shocked. “How small of a chance?”

“Not as small as I’d like,” replied Garnet. “But I’d say about 1%, and from there it’s just as likely for them to succeed or fail at shattering at least one.”

“Is there any way we could push the odds down?” Rose asked.

Garnet looked thoughtful. “You could ask for anyone with a different point of view to stand and make a speech. That would lower the chance of people biding their time, but increase the chance of a counter-speech immensely, to the point that rising up and shattering is barely a path at all.”

“I think we should take that path. I don’t want any gems shattered in resistance to me,” Rose said. “I don’t want any gems to be shattered at all.”

Garnet nodded. “That sounds like you.”

“Now all that’s left is to follow through,” Rose said.

Taglist: @suartz

#Steven Universe spoilers #steven universe #rose quartz #pink diamond #my writing #chapter 5 #an actual plot related chapter for once?#wowzers #garnet #pearl #pearlrose

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loveamongthesailors · 3 years

Text

“ Should the Haruspex attempt to autopsy her body on Day 11, he will make the curious discovery that Aglaya does not appear to have any organs. However, looting her body reveals she is carrying a Revolver. “

trawling some highly enjoyable patho wiki content. Congratulations Aglaya Lilich on becoming a Body without Organs, with a gun! you go girl!

“Aglaya contends with God. Those she touches begin to rebel against the established order of things. At the same time, Aglaya is the voice of the law. She sees the universe as a machine. She maintains that the logic of the universe is above everything—polyhedrons be damned. To her, contending with God, too, is a form of restoring justice and natural law. Those she touches begin to realize that there are limits of what’s possible, and they must be accepted with humility.”

Humility

“I should have written nothing[1] at all, but it is far too late for that. Sin and guilt[2] have entered the world[3]— never mind where from, since in any case it would do no good to close that box — and I am no longer striding the crests of my dreams, filling my lungs with air and expelling it again, now instead I am manipulating the keys of a machine[4] striving to thus let my dreams pour and play out across the space of an information-obsessed plane of existence.

There exists no good reason[5] to occupy this space, especially when I have the heights and depths of life wholly available to me at any moment, and yet something compels me, God help me.[6] I have no hope that I will save anyone this way. Not even myself. I know I will not even reach to prevent the wretched[7] from abusing whatever I create. It is a fact that to take something from oneself and put it out into the world is to let it escape and become everything you didn’t want it to be. They say this is so for God the Father as for every human father. I do not believe in either one, but their stories both hold a strange beauty for me.

One can create a monster[8] or a babe; the difference is purely aesthetic. But it is this question of creation. Many simply put it aside, to their own loss. They still create things but they deny they are doing so. They are befallen by atrophy.[9] Others take on the question of creation by accepting the market assurance that whatever makes money must be good because, so the logic goes, people buy things that are good.[10] They become lost to the world of production. Others, in reaction to this, turn toward smaller and smaller circles to keep their creatures safe from the real world. But these spaces are either infected by the social disease or else suffocate for lack of oxygen.

There are some rare exceptions. No one can say where they come from. They destroy all that has come before. They blow into a dying ember. Without them there would be nothing at all.

Now, we have to say that the whole world without them would be an empty[11] dull[12] pale[13] and suffocating lifeless and deathless nothingness, and that they themselves are also a nothingness, but an ecstatic explosion of creative destructive nothingness. So it will be worth keeping in mind that there is a huge and unspeakable gap between the qualities of different sorts of nothingness. Otherwise everything will be overcome by an immense confusion.[14]

The first aspect which ensures that there is something interesting rather than nothing is the explosive energy of the sun. The second is the implosive energy of the earth. These provide for the habitation of a thin membrane where their intercourse takes place. Here there exists a tension between them. Much life forms by rebelling against being crushed into the bowels of the earth and the depths of the sea, whether this rebellion is volcanic, evaporative, or organic. Life must protect itself from being lost in the emptiness of space or scorched in the heat of the sun, and so it also flows, crumbles, burrows, glides, swims, falls and floats downward. This might be all, were it not for something else. Organization, organism, orgasm.[15]”

-Musings on Nothingness (And Some of It’s Varieties)

“Producing, a product: a producing/product identity. It is this identity that constitutes a third term in the linear series: an enormous undifferentiated object. Everything stops dead for a moment, everything freezes in place—and then the whole process will begin all over again. From a certain point of view it would be much better if nothing worked, if nothing functioned. Never being born, escaping the wheel of continual birth and rebirth, no mouth to suck with, no anus to shit through. Will the machines run so badly, their component pieces fall apart to such a point that they will return to nothingness and thus allow us to return to nothingness?

It would seem, however, that the flows of energy are still too closely connected, the partial objects still too organic, for this to happen. What would be required is a pure fluid in a free state, flowing without interruption, streaming over the surface of a full body. Desiring-machines make us an organism; but at the very heart of this production, within the very production of this production, the body suffers from being organized in this way, from not having some other sort of organization, or no organization at all. "An incomprehensible, absolutely rigid stasis" in the very midst of process, as a third stage: "No mouth. No tongue. No teeth. No larynx. No esophagus. No belly. No anus."

The automata stop dead and set free the unorganized mass they once served to articulate. The full body without organs is the unproductive, the sterile, the unengendered, the unconsumable. Antonin Artaud discovered this one day, finding himself with no shape or form whatsoever, right there where he was at that moment. The death instinct: that is its name, and death is not without a model. For desire desires death also, because the full body of death is its motor, just as it desires life, because the organs of life are the working machine. We shall not inquire how all this fits together so that the machine will run: the question itself is the result of a process of abstraction.”

-Anti-Oedipus ch. 1, “THE DESIRING MACHINES”

youtube

I can't stitch it together… but I can cut the knot.

We're all just… dancing on our strings.

Whenever I trace the edges of possibility on a map, I find myself reaching for an eraser not soon after…

Imagine a sphere. See it in your mind's eye. Now lay it out flat. Why is that so easy, when topology is so hard?

We live under the shadow of a higher power… I just despise it.

Only a fool would cut the Gordian knot. It ought to be… vivissected.

The squeal of the gears can't halt the machine.

Why do they insist on torturing me?

There is an immutable and rational order that fate itself has composed. All things run their inevitable courses, down the topology of the universe, toward the mass of this black gravity.

Let's open it. Carefully. And tally the contents.

The judgment of God, the system of the judgment of God, the theological system, is precisely the operation of He who makes an organism, an organization of organs called the organism, because He cannot bear the BwO, because He pursues it and rips it apart so He can be first, and have the organism be first. The organism is already that, the judgment of God, from which medical doctors benefit and on which they base their power. The organism is not at all the body, the BwO; rather, it is a stratum on the BwO, in other words, a phenomenon of accumulation, coagulation, and sedimentation that, in order to extract useful labor from the BwO, imposes upon it forms, functions, bonds, dominant and hierarchized organizations, organized transcendences.

The strata are bonds, pincers. “Tie me up if you wish.“ We are continually stratified. But who is this we that is not me, for the subject no less than the organism belongs to and depends on a stratum? Now we have the answer: the BwO is that glacial reality where the alluvions, sedimentations, coagulations, foldings, and recoilings that compose an organism—and also a signification aid a subject—occur. For the judgment of God weighs upon and is exercised against the BwO; it is the BwO that undergoes it. It is in the BwO that the organs enter into the relations of composition called the organism.

The BwO howls: “They’ve made me an organism! They’ve wrongfully folded me! They’ve stolen my body!“ The judgment of God uproots it from its immanence and makes it an organism, a signification, a subject. It is the BwO that is stratified. It swings between two poles, the surfaces of stratification into which it is recoiled, on which it submits to the judgment, and the plane of consistency in which it unfurls and opens to experimentation.

If the BwO is a limit, if one is forever attaining it, it is because behind each stratum, encasted in it, there is always another stratum. For many a stratum, and not only an organism, is necessary to make the judgment of God. A perpetual and violent combat between the plane of consistency, which frees the BwO, cutting across and dismantling all of the strata, and the surfaces of stratification that block it or make it recoil.

- “ Deleuze/Guattari; How Do You Make Yourself a Body Without Organs? “

youtube

(every morning i listen to confessional, i don’t give a shit bout the bulk ov it, still i keep it professional. and as penance i tell em to proselytize, say the sun is red, say that i am red, say that all their bases belong to us)

The crack Where is the crack? When did I crack?

Then I’ll stand alone on a planet with Nothing left to remember it And I’ll try, I’ll try, I’ll try to prevent it I’ll try, I’ll try, but I’ll never stop it, no

Muzzle me, muzzle muzzle me Bind my will and break of me And you try, you try, you try to prevent it You’ll try, you’ll try, but you’ll never stop it, no

because, laugh if you like, what has been called microbes is god, and do you know what the Americans and the Russians use to make their atoms? They make them with the microbes of god.

- I am not raving. I am not mad. I tell you that they have reinvented microbes in order to impose a new idea of god.

They have found a new way to bring out god and to capture him in his microbic noxiousness.

This is to nail him though the heart, in the place where men love him best, under the guise of unhealthy sexuality, in that sinister appearance of morbid cruelty that he adopts whenever he is pleased to tetanize and madden humanity as he is doing now.

He utilizes the spirit of purity and of a consciousness that has remained candid like mine to asphyxiate it with all the false appearances that he spreads universally through space and this is why Artaud le Mômo can be taken for a person suffering from hallucinations.

- What do you mean, Mr. Artaud?

- I mean that I have found the way to put an end to this ape once and for all and that although nobody believes in god any more everybody believes more and more in man.

So it is man whom we must now make up our minds to emasculate.

- How's that?

No matter how one takes you you are mad, ready for the straitjacket.

- By placing him again, for the last time, on the autopsy table to remake his anatomy. I say, to remake his anatomy. Man is sick because he is badly constructed. We must make up our minds to strip him bare in order to scrape off that animalcule that itches him mortally,

For you can tie me up if you wish, but there is nothing more useless than an organ.

To Have Done With the Judgement of God

#patho tag #long post /

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cacti-are-like-flamingos · 5 years

Text

The Golden Hand

° Assassin's Creed Odyssey Imagine °

Chapter 2

Fem! Reader

Central Masterlist | The Golden Hand

“Let me see if I understand this...You are not from my time?” Alexios asked, his words slow as he tried to wrap his mind around your whole situation. His brown eyes gazing up at you, trying to see if you were, in any way, trying to make a fool out of him. Yet, you gave nothing of those sorts. Instead, he found that your desperateness was, in fact, sincere. Genuine. You nodded quickly, hoping with every inch of your being that he would believe you. Because if he didn’t---you knew for a fact surviving in this new world would be near impossible. Alexios continued, “You- What time are you from again?”

“I'm from the 21st century. A thousand years into...um...your future?” The man stared at you.

“A thousand years into my future...what did you do to end up here? Did you anger a god?” You looked at him, eyes looking more dead than ever.

“Fuckin’ must-have.” The Spartan had to hold back an amused snort.

You neglected to inform him about how in your world he was a mere videogame character, thinking that if you told him the truth his reaction wouldn’t have been at all accepting. It was like the equivalence of telling someone their lives and everything they’ve ever accomplished, never mattered, to begin with, because they just weren’t...real. Shit’s complicated.

“And you want me to take you back home as a way to pay my debt?“ “As a way to pay your debt, yes.” You anticipated his next wors. Did he believe you or would he just sign you off as some lunatic? Seconds turned into minutes, and before you knew it, 5 minutes had passed by. Those very 5 minutes felt like hours, the drumming of your heart becoming too much to bear within them.

The sudden sound of him humming lowly broke you out of your anxiety, your heart stilling upon seeing him lean back into the wall of the room, his eyes never leaving your figure. Opening his mouth, you stopped breathing, “ I believe you.”

It was as if someone had lifted off the world from the Atlas’s shoulder, the weight of your fears, doubts, and anxieties evaporating into seemingly nothing. You let out a heavy sigh, hands trembling slightly. You regained your composure a minute later, having developed enough confidence to look back up to him, your eyes locking with one another.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” He arched a brow, “Why do you thank me?” Licking your lips you replied, “I feared that you’d like write me off as some crazy person. Come on, would you really believe if someone told you a crazy ass story of how they’re from thousands of years into the future and somehow ended up here?” He gave you a look.

“I just did.” You paused.

“Touché.” Alexios furrowed his brows, unfamiliar with the word you had just uttered.

“Tou-what?” Your confusion equaled his.

“Touché. You know, when ---oh. Oh.” You realized your mistake. “Its, uh, when like you make a clever point type of thing. Uhh, I don’t know how to explain it. I've never had to explain it before, everyone just knew what it meant.” You muttered the last sentence quietly under your breath. This was going to be a struggle, that was for sure.

Simply nodding, Alexios figured there would be some extreme cultural differences between the two fo you. After all, you are from the far future, your people are bound to be different than his. Ignoring the look of struggle on your face, he let his eyes trail down your body, acknowledging your clothing--- the lack of it more so. He couldn’t help but grimaced at the sight of your pants, reminding him of the Persians. (Okay, when I was doing my research I came across an article that spoke about how Ancient Greeks associated pants with savagery and Spartans associated it with the Persians, their enemy. So like idk. Correct me if I’m wrong or something.)

“If I am to aid you in your journey home, we must do something about that.” He gestures over to your garments. You understood his point, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, I know.”

“But for now, let’s rest. The sun has fallen, traveling at night is not safe. Follow me." He said as he stood up from the wooden stool, gesturing for you to follow him to the room next door. Doing so, hurried over to him, following him all the way down the hall. There were no actual doors, just log pieces of fabrics acting as one; two rooms stared across from each other. Alexios turned to you, "This is my room. " He pointed to the right," And that's your room." He lifted the delicate fabric with his index finger, revealing a simple room from what you could see; not much of furniture aside from a chest, a bed, and a nightstand beside it. A candle on a candle holder already lit.

Nodding, you thanked him, earning a small smile from him.

"Tomorrow we- I. I shall go to the agora and buy you some clothes to wear. You stay inside, don't answer to anyone but me, understood?" His expression was serious, it was new. Nodding once more in understanding, he held the fabric up as you slipped into the room, his eyes eyeing your back.

Shaking his head, the misthios muttered 'goodnight', heading off into his room with a flurry of creaking steps. Repeating his farewell, you paused to look around your new surroundings, scrutinizing every detail of the room. The walls were bare, not a single ounce of color beside the greyness of the stone material they were built from.

A single window adorned the room, providing a view to all of outside. There was no metal screen attached to it, meaning mosquito and whatever other critters could enter freely, especially hostile individuals. The thought of an intruder wight next to you, scared you out of your wits, however, knowing that a trained assassin was your host helped quell that fear.

Stepping over to the bed, you sat on it, its plushness dipping at the sudden appearance of your weight. A pair of fuzzy blankets folded on top of each other laid on the end of it; grabbing one, you examined its material. It was rough to the touch, hued into a deep burgundy with little designs on it.

Kicking off your shoes, you slipped into the bed, pulling the scratchy blanket over you. Exhaustion overcoming you in an instant as your world slipped into darkness.

...

In your darkness came a light, piercing through your eyelids. Groaning in annoyance, you turned around in the bed, another groan escaping at the sudden feeling of a cold breeze against the skin of your feet.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." You muttered, shifting so that the blanket folded over them, blocking the wind.

"You've got quite the foul mouth, my friend." Snapping your eyes open, you yelped at the brightness of your surroundings. Struggling to regain your vision, you squinted your eyes to the entrance of the room, a familiar figure leaning on the stone frame. You made a face.

"And you've got a foul scent, my friend." Alexios's eyes widened in pure amusement at your witty insult, a smirk playing on his scarred lips.

It was then that you realized what you had just said, mouth already forming words of apologies.

"Sorry, sorry. Force of habit..." The man couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic sight of you trying to fake being sorry for your little statement.

“You really are one to talk back.” He stated as he laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling faintly. An embarrassed heat spreading to the apples of your cheeks, nodding your head slightly.

“Yeah, well, this silver tongue of mine has gotten me into plenty of trouble.” There was a glint in his eyes.

“Wonder what else it does.”

BIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHH!

A smirk came to paint your lips, your canines just barely poking out. “I mean I could show you but then again, I barely know you.” Not a single quiver in your voice. You spoke with confidence, mischief in your stare. You knew what you were doing without realizing it.

He was almost taken aback by your words, however, he found them rather endearing in away. Pushing himself off the doorway, the tall male approached your figure still seated on the bed. Having sat up in the bed, you had had your legs danging off to the side, arms holding your body from falling back and hitting the stone wall behind you. The scratchy blankets covering your bare skin. The look in his brown eyes excited you, not in a sexual way, no. But more in a game of....well, you still couldn’t figure out which game, you just knew it was some game.

“So if we got to know one another...?” He trailed off, a playful smile on his scarred lips. His figure coming to stand right in front of you, his torso bent down so that he could meet your height. Grinning, you leaned in close to his face, your breath dusting the skin of his lips.

“Hmmm... in your dreams.” You patted his right cheek before quickly getting out of the bed, stretching your body after doing so. Not noticing the shocked expression that the Spartan held only for it to shift into a look of intrigue.

Hard to get, huh.

Chuckling under his breath, he shook his head. Straightening back up, Alexios spoke, “ I brought you something from the agora.” Glancing over your shoulder, you watched as he took out a small woven bag from his back. Reaching his hand inside, he pulled out multitudes of pearly white wool fabric followed by a sky blue one and a golden sash.

“What’s that?” You asked, coming over to stand in front of him, your hands already feeling the fabric with wonder. He smiled softly.

“Clothing. You can’t exactly wear that to go out.” he gestured to your modern outfit, a disgruntled look on his face. You hummed.

“No, I cannot. Thanks.” Nodding, he placed the bag on the bed; there seemed to be more things in it.

Heading out the door he spoke, “I’ll let you get dressed now.” You nodded despite the fact that he wasn’t facing you. Hearing the soft whoosh of the fabric hanging by the doorframe, signaling that Alexios had left you alone.

Laying the fabric on the bed, you stared in disbelief at what it revealed.

...

Alexios couldn’t quite figure out just how exactly he was supposed to take you back home. At first, he had thought of the Gods, perhaps a prayer could help, however, the only god he knew of capable of moving back and forth in time was Kronos and that was a big no-no.

That was one issue. The other was the war.

Just how was he going to help you while a war brews not far from Kephallonia. He was just recently hired to kill the Wolf of Sparta, meaning that if he wanted to get paid he would have to take her with and in all honesty, that was not a good idea. The chances of you getting harmed were ever-increasing. And just the thought of innocent blood getting spilled angered him greatly. But still.

He owed you.

And he always paid back his debts.

“umm...” Alexios snapped his attention to the entrance of your room, your head shyly popping out from it. The sight of your bashful expression almost causing him to laugh out loud.

“What is the matter (Y/N)?” You smiled shyly, taking brief glances to the inside of the room.

“I’ve just never worn something like---well actually maybe for Halloween...?” He gave you a weird look.

“Hallo....win?” “Ween.” “Ween. Halloween...What is that?” “A holiday where people dress up and go around the community getting pieces of candies.” “Candies?” “Sweets.” You deadpanned. “Ah...Well...uh..let me see you.”

He watched as you disappeared back into your room before you gathered enough courage to come out. But when you did, his breath was taken away. Your looks rivaled even those of the Goddess of Beauty herself. Two golden pins held the fabric together, right on your shoulders, leaving your arms free of any obstacle. A golden sash wrapped tightly around your waist, emphasizing the width of your hips. The baby blue fabric that he had bought was fashioned around your figure, looping from the left shoulder to the right of your hip and back to its place of origin. Gold armbands adorned your left arms with two large golden bracelets adorning either forearm. He had bought the accessories after seeing them being sold much cheaper than the usual, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to purchase so he did.

“So?” You peered up at him, eyes glimmering with embarrassment. He hadn’t realized he was staring.

“Panemorfi.”

“What?”

“You look beautiful. Your beauty rivals that of Aphrodite herself.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“If I’m beautiful, you drop-dead gorgeous.” He blinked in surprise, not fully sure he heard right.

“What did you just say?” A ‘are-you-serious- look adorned yoru features, lips pursed together.

“Babyboy, you gotta get your ears checked.” You said as you walked towards the main room behind him. The ends of your chiton dragging behind your soft steps. “Ooo, food!”. He had still to recover from your little statement, ever confused and everso offended by your word choice.

With squinted eyes, he loudly yelled,” Babyboy? I am no boy nor babe! And what does go-tta even mean!”

...

(A/N): Sorry for the long wait, the shortness of the chpater, and also if i got some facts wrong. My research isn’t yet complete.

Hope you enjoyed!

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vikingsarememes · 4 years

Text

His True Wife

previous part ↭ part thirteen ↭

Main Characters: Hvitserk ‘whiteshirt’ Ragnarsson, Ubbe Ragnarsson, Reader.

Characters Mentioned: Ivar the Boneless, Original Characters, Torvi, Gunnhild, Bjorn Ironside, Katia, Prince Igor

Summary: you reached safety and with that, your life’s changed and your fate was decided, but this time, you are content about it even with all the obstacles that you are facing.

Word Count: 1862

A/N: the last chapter of a wonderful journey that I hope you all enjoyed as much as I did.

warnings: none

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

You descended off the boat carefully, hugging your belly, almost six months pregnant, you followed Ubbe into a small village in the middle of the isolated Island, you never heard of, but it was beautiful, green, it looked like one of those islands you heard of, where winter never arrives “Hvitserk?” he called once he reached the center, it was beautiful, farms, everywhere, animals of different kinds, men and women, even little children, there weren’t many, but it had a different pace, a peaceful place.

The man walked out of a little stable and wiped his hands with a piece of cloth, hugging Ubbe first “brother, what are you doing here?” you stood there quietly until he noticed you and embraced you in a hug “Y/N!” he beamed, a little frown creeping once he noticed you weren’t just you anymore “come, please rest and tell me what happened, you wouldn’t visit with few men if it was just because you missed me” he invited you into his humble hut, starting the fire immediately, he poured water for you and soup, you drank gratefully.

“Ivar’s bringing the Rus to takeover Kattegat, Y/N is only safe here, she’s the one who warned us, it’s the only place Ivar isn’t familiar with, you must keep her with you otherwise Ivar will kill her, he had already decided that she was a traitor”

Ubbe explained, your eyes were focused on Hvitserk, he’s changed, he seems better, way better than the last time you saw him, he was healthy, clean, well-fed, all by himself, it made your heart warm, now that he had fought his demons for good, now that he doesn’t need you up his arse all the time to make sure he’s alright, you remember the first time you brought him to your farm after Ivar, he was terrified of everything, you had to look after him as if you looked after a scared child, but now he’s a man again, he collected his shattered pieces and fixed himself.

He and Ubbe talked about things you weren’t interested in listening to, you were too focused on your own thoughts “I guess we are destined to be together for tragedies only” he mumbled to you, reaching for your hand, you took it, this time, it didn’t feel strange to you, you smiled a little, Ubbe stood up and hugged his brother “I must return to Harald at once, perhaps next time I visit I could bring you few things with me?” Hvitserk nodded “don’t worry about me, brother, I’m alright, you return, bring Bjorn too, we’ll be fine,” he said glancing at you, Ubbe hugged you both goodbye “thank you for everything Ubbe” you whispered “you take care of yourself and your child, and Hvitserk as well, next time we meet, I’ll bring you good news of the terror that will end” you nodded and watched the older one leave, leaving you all alone with Hvitserk.

Hvitserk sat next to you, and pulled you into his arms, you leaned to him and cried your heart out, he sat there and comforted you, just like you once did to him, he held you until you calmed down then brushed your tears off with his thumbs “it’s over now, Ivar cannot have a hold on you here, you can heal, I’ve missed you so much, I know you’re mad at me for leaving, but watching you with him was a pain that kept my old wounds from healing, you deserve someone better but I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me”

“It seems like everyone expected this fate but me” you mumbled, resting your head on his chest “you did too, but you chose to give him a chance”, “because I’m a fool” you sniffled “no because you are kind, and that’s what I always loved about you, the world could be burning and you’d be enjoying the bright colors, you know it’s bad, but you chose to see the good, and trust me, you will be okay, and I will not leave your side, your child will be alright as well, I swear to you” you gave him a little weak smile, he then showed you the bed, you slept the moment you laid down, hoping with days, your tiring trip, the past few days, you hoped they will all be forgotten.

- A year had passed, your son was born, healthy and safe, the other on the way, Hvitserk treated him just like his own, you never left the island, no one bothered to visit neither, you were forgotten you knew Ivar was dead though, from the night you woke up screaming, clenching to your chest, it was the same night that your son decided to be born as if the gods were telling you it’s enough sadness, it’s time to think of the future, your son Ingfred was a blessing from the gods.

You and Hvitserk had a little farm together, one that was fruitful, nothing was dead in it, you had some animals, goats, children of Brenda the goat were running around, chicken and sheep as well as horses, in this new land, no one was a slave, everyone helped everyone, it was like the stories your slaves told you about their heaven, only better, this one wasn’t a delusion.

In this new world, you are Hvitserk’s wife, and you had pride in that, walking with your head high all the time, and together, you were strong, you loved each other so much, just when you thought Freya cursed you to live brokenhearted forever, the gods proved you wrong in the shape of the childhood friend of yours, that you found broken then you lost, that he found you broken and together you were fixed, you were carrying his child as well.

“Boats!” someone shouted, Hvitserk looked at you, you looked at him horrified, for a moment you thought Ivar had found you, your visions never lied before, yet your heart was racing, you picked up your little son, your husband picked his ax and headed to the docks, you followed, with the dagger Thoman gave you, you stood next to your husband as you waited for the boat to arrive, once you realized who it was, the two of you put your weapons down.

The two men walked to you and hugged you both, with the biggest grin you hugged back “Bjorn! Ubbe! You’re finally back!” you beamed, some other men were there as well, and more plants and animals, the men were all related to the ones on the island, it was a big reunion, everyone was so happy, the five of you headed to your hut, the meal was already ready, you always made extra food in case someone somewhere was hungry, you shared a meal, Ubbe played with your son for a while, gave him few gifts, so did Bjorn.

“How are Torvi and Gunnhild? I hoped for a reunion with them as well” you were somehow disappointed “our ladies are looking after Kattegat while we visit, they send their greetings, but for now, we hope that we’ll be enough I take it you are well?” Ubbe asked, glancing at your belly, you smiled “more than enough Ubbe, we are married, well, you two saw it before us, we wished you were with us but we knew you had other responsibilities”

“The war was consuming, the Rus… they had us trapped for a month, then the war was horrible, we lost a lot of good men, even with Harald’s men we were outnumbered, and the assassins, it only ended when Ivar was killed by his new wife, yes, he took a third one, this time a Russian woman, Katia I think, she was with his child, but she was killed as well, the prince of Rus ordered her head for betrayal, once they had no leader, we attacked and swiped them, we buried him in the farm for his wish, he always said it was the only place he felt loved after Aslaug, we owed him that least.” Ubbe explained.

“You don’t seem very surprised,” Bjorn noticed, you faked a smile “I’ve known for a while now Bjorn, I’ve always had a connection with Ivar, it was my gift, and the fact that the two of you are here, not him confirms my suspicions,” you told, Hvitserk reached for your hand, even though he was your husband, he understood the love you had for his brother, he wouldn’t deny you the feelings of grief, but you accepted his fate a long time ago, there was nothing left to mourn “Kattegat is now under the wings of Harald, he kept us responsible of it for the sake of everything we’ve been through and when we helped it on its feet once again we came to you, baring gifts, and hoping the three of you would return with us” Bjorn continued, you looked at your husband frowning, he understood.

“Our life is here, stay for a few days, if you stay you’ll understand why we can’t leave, we have nothing back in Kattegat” Hvitserk replied “is there anything we can say to change your mind?” the two of you glanced at each other and shook your head no “look at them! Teaming up against us!” Bjorn scoffed “oh brother, they’ve been always a team against everyone else, it’s now that they’re husband and wife why we’re noticing it!” Ubbe answered and the four of you laughed.

- Years had passed, you and your husband watched your island grow, you were selected to lead the people, an honor that you embraced, you watched your children grow and your life was filled with happiness, you and Hvitserk made sure Ingfred knew Ivar, you told him all kind of stories about him, you told him the story of a man, everyone else despised, until they created an outrageous monster that wanted to destroy everyone and everything in his way.

You told him about a man that you loved with all of your heart, how happy you were even if it was for a short period of time, you talked about his brilliance, his intelligence, and how happy he was to learn that he will receive a child, by time, your stories of him expanded until your son had the full truth.

even though Hvitserk never treated him anything less than his own, you owe the man you once loved this much, but Hvitserk, he was another story, he was what the christens called a saint, which is funny for everyone who knows the man.

You learned how to fight alongside with your four children, one girl named Thora, and two younger boys, Rognvald and Fridlelf, and you lived a long life, the two of you watched your children grow into wonderful men and women and watched your grandchildren fill the island with laughter and love you never knew sadness or cried a tear, your life was honorable, isolated and peaceful, and when gods decided it was time to take you, you had no regrets but plenty of memories to warm your heart.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Tags: (let me know if you want to be tagged for this story) @youbloodymadgenius @lol-haha-joke @i-am-a-teenage-dirtbaggg @gearhead66 @joebob15274 @supernaturalvikingwhore @xbiekesx @yg0angelittaa

Images source: stolen from google images.

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mememanufactorum · 4 years

Text

Halo: Combat Evolved quote starters

* FEEL FREE TO SHARE AS YOU PLEASE, NO CREDIT NEEDED. CHANGE PRONOUNS OR ANYTHING ELSE AS DESIRED.

-The Pillar of Autumn-

“All I need to know is, did we lose them?”

“So, where do we stand?”

“Let’s give our old friends a warm welcome.”

“Move like you got a purpose!”

“When we meet the enemy, we will rip their skulls from their spines and toss ‘em away, laughing!”

“We’re gonna blow the hell out of those dumb bugs until we don’t have anything left to shoot ‘em with!”

“We stumbled onto something they’re so hot for that they’re scrambling over each other to get to it.”

“I don’t care if it’s God’s own anti-son-of-a-bitch machine or a giant hula-hoop, we’re NOT gonna let ‘em have it!”

“What we WILL let them have is a belly full of lead and a pool of their own blood to drown in!”

“Come on, we’ve gotta get the hell out of here!”

“Sleep well?”

“So you did miss me.”

“With all due respect, this war has enough dead heroes.”

“Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“Now would be a very good time to leave!”

“Sure you wouldn’t rather take a seat?”

“We’ll be fine.”

-Halo-

“Can you hear me? At last! Are you alright? Can you move?”

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“They must be looking for survivors.”

“Welcome to the party!”

“I thought we were in real trouble.”

“Another bandit droppin’ in behind us, they’re tryin’ to flank us!”

“We couldn’t save them…”

“We’re in a bad way, we’ve got wounded here.”

“They’re all dead.”

“There are weapons and supplies everywhere but I can’t find any bodies. Maybe somebody made it out of here alive?”

“Maybe they took cover in that structure. Let’s check it out.”

-Truth and Reconciliation-

“So how do we get inside the ship if it’s in the air? The Corps issued me a rifle, not wings.”

“The Corps ain’t payin’ us by the hour!”

“Don’t open fire until you hear the enemy return fire on us. That should let us keep the element of surprise.”

“Let ‘em have it!”

“Alright! Are we bad or what?!”

“Mother of God… I never thought I’d get close to one of these things.”

“If we’re gonna board that thing, we need a plan.”

“That’s us: The few, the proud, the expendable.”

“Contact, enemy in sight!”

“Man, there’s always something…”

“Maybe nobody’s home?”

“Contacts! Lots of contacts!”

“Ya HAD to open your mouth!”

“We’d be sitting ducks in that narrow space.”

“Alright, everybody stay cool. Yell if you see anything.”

“I’m going to call for reinforcements. There’s no sense going in with anything less than full strength.”

“Coming here was reckless, you know better than this… Thanks.”

“Aw man, we’re trapped in here! We’re screwed! We’re screwed, man!”

“Time for a little payback.”

-The Silent Cartographer-

“We’re approaching the LZ, it’s gonna be hot!”

“Get set to come out swingin’!”

“Anyone else see what I see? How are we supposed to get around that, huh?”

“Okay, people, we got company comin’. Let’s set the table.”

“I hope your analysis is on the money.”

-Assault on the Control Room-

“This is as far as I can go.”

“Roger that. Make it quick.”

“Glad you could join the party!”

“They did their damndest, that’s for sure.”

“I wouldn’t have given us a snowball’s chance until you showed up.”

“Aw crap, let’s get the hell out of here, man!”

“You stow that garbage RIGHT now.”

“Shut up. Show some backbone.”

“It’s time to earn our pay.”

“It’s gonna be a busy day.”

“Looks like that armor wasn’t so tough after all! Let’s mop up the rest of ‘em!”

“Man, these guys are like cockroaches!”

“Anybody else hear that? Aw, man…”

“They’ve got us pinned down over here!”

“That terminal, try there.”

“You all right?”

“Never been better!”

“You can’t imagine the wealth of information! The knowledge, so much, so fast… It’s glorious.”

“So… What sort of weapon is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s stay focused.”

“It’s something else… Something much more important.”

“They must have known, there must have been signs!”

“Slow down, you’re losing me.”

-343 Guilty Spark-

“Stay back! Stay back! You’re not turning me into one of those things!”

“I’ll blow your brains out! Get away from me!”

“Don’t touch me, you freaks!”

“I won’t be like you! I’ll die first!”

“Find your own hiding place! The monsters are everywhere!”

“Play dead! That’s what I did… Played dead…”

“They took the live ones… Oh god, I can still hear them!”

“Just leave me alone!”

“They’re gone! Get it?! Gone!”

“They won’t get me!”

“I don’t wanna be like them…”

“Why do we always have to listen to this old stuff?”

“Watch your mouth. This ‘stuff’ is your history. It should remind you grunts what we’re fightin’ to protect.”

“Better it than us.”

“You ask ‘em real nice the next you see ‘em. I’m sure they’ll be happy to oblige.”

“I mean – look at it. Something... Scrambled the insides.”

“Maybe there was an accident? You know, friendly fire or something?”

“Real pretty. Friend of yours?”

“Right. Well, let’s get this door open.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

“You always got a bad feeling about something.”

“We’ve been lost out here for hours.”

-The Library-

“Ah, I am a genius… Heeheeheehee!”

“Oh, hello!”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!”

“Oh, how unfortunate.”

“Ah, a pity.”

“Please, stop being human.”

“That is totally unnecessary.”

“We have much more important business here.”

“Please control your temper.”

“Are you finished yet?”

“Please conserve your ammo.”

“If you do not follow me, you may become lost.”

“Please stay close. Time is short.”

-Two Betrayals-

“Is something wrong?”

“Splendid. Shall we?”

“Unfortunately, my usefulness to this particular endeavor has come to an end.”

“Odd. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I’ve spent the last 12 hours cooped up in here, watching you toady about, helping that thing get set to slit our throats!”

“Hold on now. He’s a friend.”

“Oh! I didn’t realize. He’s your pal, is he? Your chum? Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do?!”

“Sod off!”

“What impertinence! I shall purge you at once!”

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

“How… How... How dare you!”

“Enough!”

“Is it true?”

“But you already knew that. I mean… How couldn’t you?”

“Left out that little detail, did he?”

“We have followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter. You were with me every step of the way.”

“Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?”

“We need to go right now!”

“Last time you asked me, if it were my choice, would I do it? Having had considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed.”

“Get us out of here!”

“If you are unwilling to help, I will simply find another.”

“That’s NOT going to happen.”

“So be it. Save his head, dispose of the rest.”

“No, that’ll take too long.”

“You have a better idea?”

“Something tells me I’m not gonna like this.”

-Keyes-

“Right. Sorry.”

“Don’t be a fool… Leave me…”

“We need to jump now!”

“He’s delirious! In pain! We have to find him!”

“You know what he’d expect… What he’d WANT us to do.”

-The Maw-

“This thing is falling apart!”

“We’re not gonna make it!”

“We’ll make it.”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Let’s get to work.”

“I leave home for a few days, and look what happens.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question, really.”

“Oh, hell.”

“You can’t imagine how exciting this is! To have a record of all our lost time!”

“Oh, how I will enjoy every moment of its categorization!”

“I am shocked. Almost too shocked for words.”

“Why do you continue to fight us? You cannot win.”

“Okay, I’m coming with you.”

“Do you require medical attention?”

“Oh, how touching.”

“Your behavior is not in accordance with established protocols.”

“Why do you continue to ignore your task?”

“Are you perhaps ill?”

“Your behavior necessitates repair and revision.”

“Things are gettin’ noisy down there. Everything okay?”

“If we move now, we can make it!”

“We’re cutting it close!”

“Fancy a look?”

“Did anyone else make it?”

“We’re all that’s left…”

“We did what we had to do.”

“No, I think we’re just getting started.”

#Halo: Combat Evolved #Halo #roleplay meme #roleplay prompt #rp meme #rp prompt

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mosspool13 · 4 years

Text

Ambrosia

In which Noah washes Raeliana's hair

[Spoilers for Chapters 108-109]

Raeliana x Noah, Rated T.

For CloudySonder, who requested Noah POV and more... recent events :3

Also available on AO3

When they get back to the estate, Raeliana wanders upstairs, citing a need for a bath. Noah agrees with her. He massages his arm and elbow, tentatively checking the movement of the muscles in his arm. There is a bit of a strain, but the magic seems to have returned his arm to him whole and well. Other than some tightness, there is no pain.

He would not have cared if he had lost his arm, as long as Raeliana was safe and alive, that was all he cared about. Though to use that magic on him... he wasn't sure if he was completely alright with the idea, but her confession of love was still swirling in his head and he found himself following her figure upstairs without conscious thought.

She was already inside the bathroom when he reached it, and he slipped inside right as she made a sound of contentment, lowering herself into the bath. She shoots up at the sound of Noah closing the door behind him, however.

"Noah?! What are you--Get out!" She gasps.

Raeliana begins to rise, her hands covering herself protectively, before she seems to think better of it, and quickly sinks back down in the bath, trying her best to cover herself under the water. Noah watches her in amusement as she glares up at him from the water.

"Get out." She tries again, but Noah ignores her and goes to test the water from the faucet. It is hot, very hot even, and Noah hides his wince by shaking out his hand. He subtly turns the water down and then flicks the excess water at Raeliana fondly.

"Noah." She says, her teeth gritted and her cheeks high with color. Her irritation and embarrassment are as much an aphrodisiac to him as her intellect is. It is why he so often finds himself seeking her out, teasing her until she goes red, or storms out of a room. But for his purposes now, he wants her comfortable and relaxed.

"Turn around." He says, indicating his desire with a turnabout of his hand. She glares at him suspiciously and he continues, amused. "I am not going to get in," he raises an eyebrow, "unless that is what you are hoping for--"

She sputters indignantly, going an even darker crimson before whirling around so Noah has a view of the fall of her hair over one shoulder, and the pale line of her spine. His eyes linger a moment on the curl of hair that lies tantalizingly across her shoulder and falling across her shoulder blade. His fingers twitch, to reach out, to cup her neck and lay a finger across her spine, to dip down, to see her shiver, to see her react.

Noah leans forward and grabs the bottle of shampoo on the lip of the tub and distracts himself by rubbing the soap into his palms.

Because he is allowed now. Raeliana has shared his confession, it is mutual, and the elation it brings him, the utter disbelief and surprise and relief, soars through him desperately like a young fowl getting to its feet for the first time.

It's a little pathetic, if he's honest with himself, to become so pleased so quickly after a returned confession.

Raeliana becomes impatient, as Noah rubs the soap between his fingers, and turns to look over her shoulder at him. The bright shine of emerald in her eyes draws him in as she purses her mouth at him, "What are you doing?" She asks, suspiciously.

"Washing your hair." He replies simply, and rests soapy fingers against the sides of her head, right under her ears. She startles, surprised, and then looks straight ahead, flushing again as Noah begins to run his fingers delicately through her hair.

And then he gets to work. He occasionally cups water in his hands and runs it through her hair, and then suds up the soap as he begins washing her hair with it. Raeliana slowly, very slowly, begins to lose the tension in her shoulders.

"Isn't this nice?" He needles, smiling behind her back as she relaxes against the side of the tub, her shoulder pressing into his chest. His shirt is beginning to become wet, but he ignores it when he hears her huff.

"Yes, it is." She responds. "You could have just said this was what you had in mind in the beginning."

As she moves her head, Noah can see the little love bite he'd left just between the juncture of her neck and her shoulder. It is a dull color, purpling only a little bit, just enough to be visible, as he'd intended.

He wants to press his mouth to the nape of her neck, nip at the skin, suck another love bite right beside the first, and then lave over it with his tongue. He smirks instead, and continues to rub soap into her hair. "Then I would have missed your reaction."

She snorts and side-eyes him but doesn't move away and the quiet stretches between them, comfortable, with the sound of water and Noah's hand working their way through her hair.

Her hair looks darker when it is wet, and Noah begins to rinse out the soap as his fingers play with the strands. He takes his time, too much time in fact. Raeliana must notice him stalling, because she leans out of his hands and turns around to stare at him. She has one arm covering her breasts modestly, the other holding the rim of the tub, but despite the vulnerable pose, nothing about her looks vulnerable. Her eyes are too sharp; they've always been too sharp.

"What is this, Noah?"

Noah quirks an eyebrow at her, "What does it seem like to you?"

She frowns at him. He waits, kneeling beside the tub, his fingers tense around the rim where she can't see. He's always waiting for her, anticipating her. Waiting, hoping, desiring her, on edge with want. It's a burn that he's seen in the reflection of a wine glass in his eyes, a familiar look, the same his father once had. He'd believed himself doomed to the same fate, always wanting, always waiting, for something that would never be. A fool.

The taste of her mouth is still lingering from a few hours ago. A handful of kisses between them, not nearly enough. It's this that has brought him following after her.

She sighs as she looks at him, and then opens up her arm for him, the one not covering herself, an invitation. Noah takes it gladly.

He leans in close, skimming his lips over the side of Raeliana's neck, collecting water droplets sliding down her skin. He can feel her flushing underneath his mouth. "I love you." He murmurs, into her skin and he can hear her intake of breath. Her hands reach out, gently cupping his neck and head and Noah nuzzles even further into her. She caresses his hair, getting him wet, and then presses a light kiss to his bangs. "I love you." She says back to him.

He shudders. He can feel it running through his body, to the tips of his feet. A part of him had been afraid that she might take it back. That after the danger, after his arm is returned whole, after they had slept off the adrenaline, that she would deny him again.

The relief is all encompassing.

Almost involuntarily, he skims his teeth across her skin and hears her make a decidedly different kind of noise. All of a sudden, she's pushing him off and way from the tub. When he looks up, she's red again and scowling.

"That's enough! Let me bathe in peace now." She orders, turning quickly around and hunching into the water. Her ears are red.

Noah smiles and stands, drying off his arms with a towel. "Don't take too long." He cautions before he slips out of the room.

It was some time ago when he was left watching after her, wondering if all he would get would be cold shoulders, sleeping in the same estate but not the same bed, her presence at his side, but still a thousand feet away. At the time, he'd been prepared to accept that, now he finds he cannot bare the thought of it. Not when he has this.

He's changing into a dry shirt, Adam standing at his side, when he hears the scream. He and Adam glance at each other before Noah waves him off and begins to head upstairs.

He's pretty certain what it is Raeliana is upset about. He breathes in as he reaches her door and begins to enter.

And dodges the pillow that she lobs right for his face.

#the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion #raeliana mcmillan #noah wynknight #my #writing #my fic #fanfiction

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youremeimyou · 4 years

Text

The Lesser Gods of Bangtanis(pt.1)

Introduction - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

pairings: Kim Taehyung x reader, Jeon Jungkook x reader, OT7(this fic is about all of the boys’ characters, not just ‘Y/Nxsomeone’ focused) genre: angst, fluff, comedy, adventure.. - fantasy au, medieval au, magic au, royal au word count: 4k warnings: brief violance?(just some combat and sword fighting stuff)

Description: Princess Y/N, who holds the fate of her people on her shoulders arrives at the kingdom of Bangtanis, that is the home of our mighty heroes. What will the destiny of our heroes be, when she brings along a threat called dark magic and a little bit of love with her?

A/N: (To understand the characters and where the story stands, it’s best to read “introduction” before this one.) I can’t believe how much I enjoyed writing this.. This will be a series about all of our boys in an adventure with Y/N. I hope you’ll like it. I’m actually very nervous about this cuz it’s different than what I’ve written before. Any feedback is appreciated and encouraged, please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

It was nearly evening and the sun was threatening to dissappear under the hills but another boring lesson of Dynasties History was still going on in the study hall. And Taehyung was imprisoned alongside these stuck up dukes and duchesses. He couldn't wait to get out of there. The worst part was he could never understand why these young people pretended to be interested in kingdom afairs while they could just live their lives to the fullest.

As he stared outside the window he spotted his best friend and companion, the court jester Park Jimin, taking a stroll towards the city with two beautiful women on either sides of him. Oh, he had to be there. Or else he'd lose the bet the jester and himself had made to win over two hearts at once. He quickly got out of his seat and made lots of rattling sounds while doing so. As a result, all eyes in the room turned to him, questioning stares came from everyone including the elderly teacher. Taehyung was confident, he had a way with people to help himself get out of trouble.

"Lord Taehyung, I'm sure you have a good reason to disturb the study like this?" questioned the teacher with a non-approving look on his face. Taehyung spoke back with an equally smug comment as he walked towards the exit.

"My, of course I do, Instructor Seong. But I couldn't possibly say what it is."

The old man was baffled like everyone else in the room. Enjoying the attention, Taehyung continued.

"You see, I'm not supposed to talk about matters of the kingdom anywhere I like. Therefore I have to get to the throne room immediately to complete an important task."

Now every other young royal with a rank in there looked at him with envy. Everyone knew he was the favorite of the king. He was the only one among young royals that was informed about government business. So, everyone wanted to either be him or be with him. But his careless attitude made these other nobles despise him. And he loved it.

The teacher couldn't say much to stop him and the poor old man knew it. So, instead of trying to discipline him like he would with other students he settled for a sigh.

"I suppose we shouldn't expect your quick return to the lesson, my lord?"

"Well, as much as I love learning this subject I'm afraid duty comes first, instructor. At least my friends here are lucky to be staying." Taehyung said, barely able to keep his laughter in and walked out shorty after.

All was going well until he turned around the corner and came across the one person he couldn't fool, King Namjoon.

"Taehyung? Good, come join us."

"My lord, I actually-"

"Aren't you supposed to be in the study hall? It has only been a moment since I sent men to come get you."

Taehyung was surprised to hear that. He only said those things back there as an excuse to go out to the city. He didn't know the king actually needed him.

"What's the matter my lord? You seem concerned."

"You'll see once we get to the throne room."

When they entered the great hall that was the throne room, Taehyung spotted the royal advisors Kim Seokjin, Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi, already discussing what seemed to be an important issue. The commanders and high-ranking knights of the army were also gathered there.

King Namjoon went next to his advisors to hear their reports and Taehyung listened from the other side of the table as they informed the king about the coming of a princess. Min Yoongi leaned in towards the king after that and spoke in a low voice.

"Why have you brought the kid again?" he asked while looking at Taehyung.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you I'm preparing him for the throne, my friend." the king replied as silently.

Taehyung couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Everyone seemed to be worried.

"My lords, if I may interrupt. What's so concerning about a princess coming to visit?"

Yoongi shook his head in disapproval while Hoseok explained.

"It's not a visit. We've recieved word from this princess that her home was envaded by the creatures of the night. She managed to escape but her family was left behind. She seeks our help. For shelter and more importantly, for an initiative to take back her lands."

The creatures of the night were beings born from dark magic that were thought to be terminated ages ago during the Dark War. Everyone knew it as a myth. But dark magic was real. And after the war the use of magic altogether wasn't common as it used to be. Some kingdoms forbid it and some, like Bangtanis controlled the practise of it to not let dark magic rise. Only a few experts in the palace were allowed to conduct magic in Bangtanis. And every one of them answered to the head sorceror, Jung Hoseok.

"Who is the poor princess?" asked Taehyung, understanding that the issue was a most troubling one.

"Y/N is her name." The answer came from Kim Seokjin. "I remember her from when she was little. She was here once with her father, a mighty king who came to sign a treaty with the former Lord of Bangtanis. This news upset me for I had become very fond of that king and his family back then."

Princess Y/N.. Taehyung thought he remembered her too, from when they were kids.

King Namjoon spoke up after moments of thinking.

"Dark magic is too dangerous of a threath to expose our kingdom to."

Min Yoongi added, "I agree my lord. It'd be unwise to get involved. I'm afraid there isn't much we can do to help."

"But the princess and her company cannot make it to another kingdom without getting caught. Even if they did, no one else would accept them. We'd be condemning them to death." Jung Hoseok objected.

The king looked troubled. Kim Namjoon was a man of honour, the best ruler Bangtanis ever had. Turning his back to people in need wasn't something he was keen to do. But the risk on the other hand was very big.

"When will they arrive?" the king asked.

"The letter said they'd be here most probably at first light, tomorrow. It also said they ran out of food and supplies."

Taehyung hated politics mainly for this reason. A few men in a room were arguing on what to do when actual lives were in danger.

"My king, may I have a word in private?" he decided to try and get the king to help these people. The king and Taehyung moved away from the table and started talking with low voices.

"My lord, we have to help them-"

"Taehyung, you're a young prince. You may not understand the consequences of such an attempt against this curse of dark magic."

"Hyung.." Taehyung exhaled desperately. "You're a young king, aren't you? But you've achived so much because of your good heart. What does your heart tell you?" he appealed to the kind side of the king, trusting on their brotherly bond that Namjoon wouldn't consider his words disrespectful.

"What do you suggest?"

"I wouldn't know much of what to do regarding fighting dark magic. But can't we at least grant them shelter for the time being?"

King Namjoon walked back to his advisors and announced his decision.

"We will accept them when they arrive, attend to their needs and help them recover from what they've been through. We're not deciding on anything else until we talk with the princess about the details. And that's final."

So began the preparations for the arrival of the princess. A troop of knights was formed and given the task of meeting Princess Y/N on the borders and guiding her company safely into the kingdom.

After the meeting, Taehyung decided to go down to the city to clear his mind of troubles, as he always did. Big responsibilities were his greatest fear, so he felt he quickly needed to get rid of them by doing reckless things. Besides, the princess wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow, he had plenty of time before being given more tasks.

Right when he entered his favorite tavern, he spotted Park Jimin, surrounded by even more than two women this time. Though, all over the jester would be a better term to say about the ladies. He made his way to them and interrupted without a care.

"Isn't it too early for this kind of entertainment?"

The jester rejoiced as he heard the voice of his best friend. From where he was sitting, he reached an arm to grab the prince by his shirt and pulled him closer without disturbing his lady friends.

"Glad you could join us. I think it's safe to say that I won the bet, dear mate."

Prince Taehyung cleared his throat with a deep grunting sound which captured the women's notice and made them realize who he was. Three of the five quickly went to him giving him all their attention. It made Taehyung smirk at Jimin. The jester sighed in defeat, kindly sending the women away.

"You're right, too early for that."

The two rascals spent the evening playing games and gambling. Only when it was deep into the night that they decided to get out of there and slowly head back to the castle.

As they were passing through the now closed mart, they heard sounds coming from the other side of the road. Too dark to decipher who, Taehyung saw two figures, one big and one small. The bigger seemed to be approching the smaller in a hurry. As the boys got closer to them they could see it was a man about to attack a woman.

Rushing towards them they stopped in shock when she grabbed her attacker by the wrist, twisted him around and landed a strong kick on his back. When the attacker tried to get back up from the ground where he was knocked down to, the girl took out a sword from inside her cloak and pointed it theatheningly on his neck.

When she heard the two boys arriving, she quickly used the back of her weapon to knock out the attacker and aimed it towards the boys after that.

"Woah, woah relax. We won't harm you." Taehyung said.

"You couldn't even if you tried."

The boys gave each other a quick look with cocked eyebrows. That was one wicked young woman.

"Who are you? I hope you're not drunk fools like this one right here. Otherwise your fate will be the same as him."

"We should be asking you the same thing." Taehyung said back.

Sensing her discomfort growing, Jimin spoke up to let her know they were friendly.

"I'm the court jester and he's a prince of the Kim Dynasty that rule here. What about you?"

"I'm a simple villager."

"Who owns a quality sword?" Taehyung spat back. Jimin tried reasoning again.

"Well you see, my friend and I sort of know every women of this village but we don't know you, so.."

The girl let out a huff in response to their arrogant faces after that comment.

"I'm not from this kingdom, I just arrived here." She slowly lowered her sword, seeing that they looked harmless and were unarmed but still held a tight grip on it, just in case. And since they've moved closer, Taehyung had a chance to get a better look on her face.

"Well then, since you're a traveller from another kingdom, what's your business here?" Taehyung asked.

"My business is not your concern."

"Oh but I think it is, princess."

Both the jester and the girl looked surprised.

"I don't like pet names-"

"It's your title, Y/N. I never forget a face. And you still have the scar on the corner of your eye."

Taehyung was now standing right in front of the very much confused princess whose cover was blown unexpectedly early.

"How do you know that?" was all she could manage to ask.

"I'm Kim Taehyung."

Taehyung? Who- wait. Prince Kim Taehyung? That prince? Oh no.. the princess thought while the memory flooded back to her. The boy who gave her that scar, playing sword fighting with sticks as kids.

"And what does that supposed to mean to me?" She played it off like she didn't know.

Taehyung slightly tilted his head in dissappointment as Jimin spoke.

"You two have a history?"

"She was here once before, for sometime. We were kids but still.. Kind of hurts that you don't remember, Princess Y/N."

Jimin secretly smiled at the ground, understanding she was pretending. Taehyung decided to let it go for now and try to figure out what was happening.

"Where is your company? And you were supposed to arrive in the morning."

"I will. I mean my double will."

"You have a double?"

"It's a means of safety. They're looking everywhere for me. Not just those creatures but also bounty hunters, too. Everyone expects me to travel with company. But that's my double. Try to think of it as acting, if you can. I made her memorize every line she needed to."

"I am an actor princess. The concept is familiar, thank you. But how in the world is travelling all by yourself in the dark is safer?"

"As you've witnessed, I can take care of myself. And I have a mission of my own. But you say you’re an actor? Please don't tell me you're an actor, pretending to be a prince right now."

Taehyung's mouth dropped open a little bit in response to her snarky remark. When he realised she was being sarcastic, he settled for just rolling his eyes. Jimin was enjoying this bickering between the two, even though he didn't know what exactly was happening. It was rare to see Taehyung not being able to get his way with a woman for the first time.

"What mission?"

Y/N wasn't planning on getting exposed as the princess this early. But she had to admit, getting help from people like them that knew this city and its people would be better than going at it alone.

"My father told me to find the head of the Jeon family. He said it was crucial for our salvation."

Jeon family weren't nobles but they were known to be great warriors among the people. Jimin knew of them. So he informed the confused prince.

"It must be the father of that Jungkook kid. The one who saved you from a beating once, when you cheated while playing dice, remember?"

The prince remembered but thought he was hardly a kid. Sure, he must've been a bit younger but he was more bulked up than both the prince and the jester.

"What would they have to do with this?"

"I don’t know yet but my father was very specific. Now, do you know where they live?"

“I do. We’ll take you.” Jimin offered, understanding the subject to be important. Taehyung on the other hand looked at him in surprise for knowing.

“Well, I walked Jungkook’s sister home a few times.” Jimin winked as the prince and the princess rolled their eyes.

When they arrived at the said family’s door, Taehyung made his hand into a fist and moved it to slam the door. The princess was quick enough to catch it before he could.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She whisper-shouted at the surprised prince.

“Knocking?”

“That’s not knocking. That’s punching the door. And it’s the middle of the night, we can’t startle people like that.”

Taehyung was quick to response. “Fine. I’ll let you do it the girly way, then. The lady way..” he said and looked at her closely to observe her reaction in order to figure out if she still disliked being called a lady as much as when they were kids.

“I’ll do it the nice way, Prince Rude.” Taehyung smirked for his success in making her annoyed.

“Is he always this dim-witted?” She directed the question to the jester who tried to hide his laugh but failed, enjoying this too much. And with that, Taehyung’s smirk was replaced with gritted teeth.

The princess gently knocked at the door a few times. When no one answered for a while, she knocked.. a little harder. Taehyung didn’t miss the opportunity to retort, of course.

“So much for the nice way..”

As Y/N glared at him, the door slowly opened up to reveal a young woman in her night gown. “Who are you-” she stopped when she spotted the jester at the back. “Jimin?”

Jimin could only smile awkwardly back at Jungkook’s sister who looked at him like she was ready to hit him. “Why are you here?”

“Apologies for disturbing you at this hour. I’m Kim Taehyung from the palace. We’re here on important business.” Taehyung adressed the girl in the politest way possible and the princess noted how his demeanour changed in front of a beautiful girl.

“Prince Taehyung? I’m so sorry, my lord. Of course you must be. How can I help?” The girl’s whole demeanour changed, too and all her attention was now locked on the prince. Y/N crossed her arms and started talking.

“You know little lady, it’s dangerous to answer the door to strangers at night. Especially when dressed like that.” In all fairness, her gown was a bit short. The prince looked at Y/N questioningly.

“I’m just saying. You’re lucky we’re harmless but next time, better bring a knife-”

Jimin finally cut in.

“Look, I know it’s late but this is very important. We need to speak to your father, right now.”

She granted them entrance and woke her parents up, explaining who the visitors were. Jungkook’s father immediately remembered the young princess. From the time her family visited Bangtanis, years ago.

“Princess.. It must be an urgent matter for you to come here at this hour. But I must say, I’m glad to see you all grown up. I bet your father is very proud.”

His words made Y/N a little sad for they made her remember her father’s current condition.

“My father was the one to tell me to find you. He’s being held prisoner by the creatures of the night.”

“What? The creatures of the night? But how-”

“We don’t know. All I know is that my father told me you could help us fight this dark magic. Please.. I’m desperate.”

Taehyung could see the worry on the princess’ face for her family and kingdom. This must’ve been hard for her. Even though she was obviously skilled and brave, she was still young. He thought her strength was admirable.

Just then, a young man with messy hair and messy bed clothes came out of one of the rooms at the back.

“What’s all the noise abou-” his eyes connected with the princess’.

Y/N? He thought. Was it really her? The princess he met fifteen years ago and couldn’t really forget about was sitting on the couch at his home?

His father had introduced the princess to him when they were kids.

“What’s your name, then?”

“It’s Jungkook, my lady.”

“You don’t need to call me that. Call me Y/N and I'll call you Guk.”

“But my father said you were a princess.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’re both kids and we’re equal. Let’s be friends.”

That was how she stole Jungkook’s heart as a kid. Jungkook himself was surprised to remember all of that and to instantly recognize her.

His sister spoke up to break the silence that took over after his entrance.

“Sorry, that’s my older brother Jungkook. He doesn’t like to be woken up.”

“Jungkook, come here and sit down.” His father beckoned him.

“This is Princess Y/N. You two have actually met when you were children.”

He knew that. But looking at her face, Y/N didn’t seem like she remembered to him.

“She’s in dire need of our help. Her home is invaded by dark magic. I will gather some-” he coughed while looking at Taehyung before continuing. “rather skilled men tomorrow and you will do everything you can to ready them for battle.”

Jungkook looked confused. “If they’re skilled, why do you need me to ready them, father?”

“They’re not skilled like that, son. You’ll see later.” He turned to the princess once more. “I don’t know if you already have, but you should speak to King Namjoon, princess. I have a group of men that can be of help, like I said. But having the knights of Bangtanis in on your fight would also be of great help. And maybe Prince Taehyung can help you convince the king.”

Taehyung nodded.

“I’m scheduled to meet with him in the morning, which probably will come soon. So we should head out to the palace but I want to talk about the details of what you’re preparing, later.”

“Of course. I will inform my son about everything and have him come find you later to explain it in length. You see, I’ve grown old.”

Jungkook’s father laughed bitterly and Jungkook shook his head from side to side at what he said.

“But you can trust my son. Just as your father has directed you to me, I’m directing you to him.”

Jungkook and Y/N’s eyes met and she gave him a quick, tired but hopeful smile.

“Thank you all for agreeing to help.” she said.

Jungkook’s father smiled at her. “I owe your father a big debt. He has helped me and my friends in the past. Now we’ll return the favor.”

The walk from the village to the castle was a long one and morning had arrived even before Y/N, Taehyung and Jimin arrived at the gates. The princess guessed her double to be in the throne room already, as scheduled.

The princess was visibly struggling to even walk for she had been on foot for a long journey and hadn't slept for quite some time. Moreover, consently being on the edge, looking over her shoulder and waiting for someone, something to sneak in and grab her took quite the toll on her. Coming here undercover was a key factor to her mission but travelling all alone had been harder than imagined.

As they made their way to meet the king, Jimin parted ways with them. Jesters weren't supposed to be involved in such matters. He would be learning everything from Taehyung later, of course.

"This is it." The prince pointed at the door as they arrived.

"Great. I'm about to meet the king but I must look like a mess." Y/N said with a sigh. Taehyung didn't think so. For someone who had been roaming the wilderness, he thought the princess looked rather.. well, lovely.

He then pulled her to the corner away from the guards at the door and spoke to her in a low voice.

"So, how do you want to do this? You know, you're double is probably in there."

"You're right. Just introduce me as a villager bringing news of a problem on the outskirts or something."

"Good thinking. You certainly look the part." He teased and managed to get a death stare from her.

"Just let me do the talking. Otherwise they might not believe you when you claim to be the actual princess."

Guards let them pass without question. Taehyung was a prince of the ruling dynasty after all. The meeting inside seemed to have come to a conclusion.

"That's the double?"

"Yes."

Taehyung looked at the double. Then, at the princess. More like stared at the princess, really. Taking in all her features, he'd admit to maybe having been a little mesmerized.

"She looks nothing like you. You look much more.."

He stopped. Got out of the daze he was in and changed what he was about to say to something different.

"...colder."

Y/N scoffed.

"You're quite the charmer aren't you?"

He flattened his lips together to contain a smile and then grabbed her by the arm to bring her to the king as unnoticed as possible. But the people in the room slowly turned heads their way one by one. Y/N was starting to feel a bit nervous, afraid of compromising the task. And Taehyung could feel her body stiffen next to his. He spoke in a volume only she could hear.

"Don't worry. Everyone thinks your double is the princess. They're just not used to being disturbed at an event like this. Especially by dowdy looking people like yourself."

And his reassurance and sarcasm worked in getting her to relax.

The advisors of the king took action after seeing Taehyung. Kim Seokjin quickly stepped towards them while Jung Hoseok started to kindly lead the people in the room outside, stating the meeting over.

Taehyung thought Seokjin would be angry with him for not attending the meeting.

"Hyung, I know I'm late but before you start scolding me, this is-"

"Princess Y/N?" Seokjin was almost sure but he had to ask first. And Taehyung was initially shocked but thought if he remembered the princess, so could Seokjin. Seokjin was older at that time, after all.

"Yes, that's me but please keep it down. Also, how did you know?"

"I was the prince who was assigned to see after you and your father back when you visited for the treaty."

"The one who took me to see that play?"

"With me!" Taehyung cut in. "I was there, too. You do remember me, don't you?"

Y/N kept talking without acknowledging his little comment.

"How did the meeting go?"

"Your double was wonderful, don't worry. She almost had me fooled! Now, let's have you meet the king."

"I believe it'd be better if everyone else left before I reveal myself."

"Those are the king's advisors Min Yoongi and Jung Hoseok. King Namjoon wouldn't decide on anything without their counsel."

"But they're very young. Normally all advisors are old men."

"Our king is young, too."

They explained the situation to the king and Y/N told them everything that had happened to her. Then she asked for their help, almost beggingly.

"Princess, first of all I'm really sorry for all you've been through. We've been trying to figure out what we can do to help. Unfortunetely, sending my men to fight a force they have no experience with is not a great option. We've settled with your double on helping your company recover from the dreadful journey for now." King Namjoon stated.

"I understand your reluctance. I know creatures of the night are quite terrifying. I've witnessed that first hand. But I cannot hide here forever. I must try to free my kingdom, with an army or by myself... We thank you for giving us shelter, no matter what your decision will be about lending us a fighting force."

Taehyung felt so helpless and he couldn't imagine how Y/N was feeling. Coming all this way and not even getting an actual answer. He hoped whatever the Jeons had planned would turn out to be good.

They assigned Taehyung to attend to the princess, to help her keep her indentity a secret as she preferred. And Taehyung would carry information between the two parties. After that, Hoseok convinced Y/N to get some rest for the time being.

"I'll take her to her chambers. Which one did you have prepared?" Taehyung asked.

"Well, her double was escorted to her assigned chambers. We should quickly have another one readied." Jung Hoseok said in a hurry. They weren't exactly prepared for two princesses.

"No. Maybe I shouldn't accomodate inside the castle. It's crucial that I don't get discovered."

Min Yoongi had an idea. "There's an empty cottage out in the village. It used to be my home. Prince Taehyung can take you there. And he will stay with you. We'll have knights securing the cottage from afar. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. Thank you for your understanding."

The duo left the throne room and started making their way to the said cottage.

"Why does a village house belong to an advisor of the king?" Y/N was curious. First the advisors turned out to be young and now she learned one of them used to live outside of the castle. Bangtanis was full of surprises.

"Min Yoongi isn't royal born. He was an orphan who King Namjoon befriended as a kid. He made sure the cottage would stay there even after moving in the castle. By the way, I don't suppose the beds will be comfortable so thanks for that, princess."

"You're welcome to leave me after we get there. In fact, I encourage you to." Y/N spat back.

"You already said you think it's perfect. Admit it, you can't wait to catch me alone."

"Keep dreaming, Prince Smug."

Neither of them knew just how much their destinies were intertwined. Taehyung somehow had a feeling, though. A feeling that made him want to stick close by.

...

A/N: to be continued haha..

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dogcircle-scans · 5 years

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Natsume Yuujinchou: “Village of the Sleeping Vessel (Part 2)” Summary (Chapter 101)

The person who appears in front of Natsume during a crisis… Is he an enemy, or an ally—…?

The long-awaited continuation to the latest arc! This chapter was so intense I felt like I was doing more translating than summarizing lol. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

This issue comes with a Nyanko-sensei cable tie, so if anyone likes that, feel free to get a copy.

The next chapter will come out on September 24th.

Special thanks to Jessica for proofreading, as always!

- Niji

[Everything under the cut]

Chapter 101: “Village of the Sleeping Vessel”(Part 2)

Natsume: Ma… Matoba-san!? Why are you here…? Matoba: I came to help. Natsume: Huh———— Nyanko: They are coming.

Just as Nyanko-sensei says, a swirl of wooden dolls head towards them. Matoba, unfazed, looks at them with a smile.

Paper dolls attack their wooden attackers, just as Natori appears.

Natori: Thank goodness you’re alright. Take this chance and come with me!

Natsume: Natori-san! Natori: Hey, Natsume.

The five of them take shelter behind some trees.

Natori: ——Hiiragi, good work protecting them until we came. Hiiragi: Master. Natori: For now, let’s look for a place to hide. Seriously, Natsume… Why did you turn up at a place like this? Natsume: Well… Nyanko-sensei mysteriously ran away from home, so I was looking for him…

Natori: He ran away from home? Nyanko: AS IF I’D DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! It’s just Natsume with his super-ultra-level misunderstanding! Natsume: …Um, the whole story is pretty complicated… Meanwhile, why are you here at this village as well? Even Matoba-san has come along… Matoba: …I was in the middle of an important lunch meeting as the head of my clan.

Matoba: All of a sudden that Natori dashed in and dragged me away by the scruff of my neck. Natori: …… Natsume: What? Matoba: When I asked for the details, he said that you were in danger. With the other party being who he is, it seemed he needed my help. Honestly, this is extremely bothersome, but well… I think it’ll be interesting to have you be indebted to me, Natsume-kun. Besides, I was curious as to why Natori’s shiki were in this village. Why were you monitoring that man? Natsume: Monitoring… Do you mean that man with long hair? Natori: …Well, we have our circumstances… ——Hiiragi, what was that man doing here? Hiiragi: ——… That man…

Hiiragi: ———He was walking around the village as if he was looking for something. He would check abandoned houses or sheds, and eventually he even entered the workshop and warehouse of the only family that remained in this Homura District——

Hiiragi: There, I saw Natsume and the cat, who had ran away from home. Natsume: No, I came here because——

Sasago and Urihime appear in a puff of smoke, interrupting their conversation. It seems that they've been looking around, and found that a barrier has been erected around the village.

Natori: It’s as I thought… This will be troublesome. Matoba: Well, this does sound like something he would do. Natsume: ——A barrier…?

Natori sends Sasago and Urihime to investigate the nature of the barrier, and they leave.

Natsume: ——Natori-san. Natori: Natsume… I would like to send you back home immediately, but…

Natori: Ayakashi——— Your Sensei, is currently unable to get out of here. This village has already become his hunting ground. Natsume: Hunting ground…………

Just as they say this, they catch a glimpse of a wooden doll in the sky. They will need to find a new hiding place soon.

Nyanko: Hey, Natsume. Do you smell something? From beyond those bushes. Natsume: Huh…? I hope it’s not a delicious-smelling udon shop or something, Sensei. Nyanko: NO!! Still, it’s still a strange… scent… Natori: … *sniff* I can’t smell it. Hiiragi: ——No, now that he mentions it… It doesn’t smell bad, but it makes me feel like I shouldn’t get close… Matoba: In that case, we should head towards it. Natsume: Huh? But… Matoba: If that place makes ayakashi feel as though they shouldn’t get close, then those wooden dolls are unlikely to come near it too.

Natsume & Natori: WOW… (……I would have preferred an udon shop……) Matoba: Isn’t it great that it isn’t an udon shop? Seems like it isn’t really a significant building. Let’s enter. Natori: Wha-! Oi!

They enter the building and look around, but see that nothing is inside. Natsume finds the building rather strange, and asks if Nyanko-sensei and Hiiragi are feeling okay. They both confirm that they felt alright the moment they entered the building.

Natsume: ——Why is there something like this here…? Natori: It’s probably because… this place is connected to an exorcists’ neighborhood. In the past, under the guise of a pottery village, Homura specialized in creating porcelain that could be used as effective exorcism tools*. Natsume: Exorcism tools——? Natori: Somehow, Hakka Pottery harbored mysterious powers. All the exorcism tools that were created here, be they masks or pots, were all top class items. Matoba: Many of them were artisans who took their work seriously, so they weren’t keen on dealing with anyone who weren’t interested in their art. Because of that, their work don’t often appear on the market. They truly are phantom tools. However, time passed and the artisans with the power to create such works began dying out.

[A more literal translation of this term is “tools to aid their technique/magic”. I’m exercising some creative liberties here in order to make it digestible in English.]

Matoba: Now, it’s but a miserable village with only one pottery kiln left. Natsume: ——… (That person’s——) Natori: In any case, this is a place with such a history. Something might have been left behind here. There are also violent people who come to this place. Be they exorcists with strong ambitions, or Collectors with no integrity.

Natsume tells them that the long-haired man was called a collector, and Matoba explains that a “Collector” is a term used in their business to refer to people who collect items related to ayakashi, or exorcism tools that harbor strong powers. Natori says that the man Natsume met was called “Ban”, an infamous practitioner who serves a female Collector.

[Imma just put all subsequent mentions of ‘Collector’ with a capital letter, since it’s now established that they aren’t just normal collectors. Also, “Ban” literally means ‘companion’, ‘attendant’, or ‘follower’, which makes me laugh a little because his whole identity is apparently just acting as someone’s servant. It’s a bit ironic considering the threat he’s supposed to pose in this arc.]

In the forest, Ban discovers his broken wooden dolls among shreds of paper.

Ban: Where... did these rats come from?

Back in the building, Natori explains that Ban comes from an old line of exorcists and can control dolls made from wooden planks. He is known for surrounding his prey as though he is on a hunt.

Natori: You could joke that he’s like a hunter now that he’s working to collect exorcism tools, but it is nothing to laugh at. Anyway, as long as it’s for his master’s collection, he will show no mercy. Once he has his eye on something, he must attain it. He would even visit various places for unknown items.

Matoba: ——And then, when he came to this village, Ban happened to encounter an extraordinary exorcism tool. It’s what you are holding. The vessel that your cat is in.

Ban: (I also want that.) Natsume: ——… …… Thank you, very much……

Matoba: ——… Huh? Natsume: …You came all this way… Natori-san, Matoba-san, and even Hiiragi and the other shiki… You came to help Sensei and me… Thank you very much……!

Nyanko: *Chomp!* Natsume: OUCH! Nyanko: You fool! What are you getting all afraid for!? I could easily beat this group of weaklings at their own game— Matoba: *grab!* Shush!

Natsume: (——He’s walking around the building——…)

Eventually, Ban leaves the area, and disappears into the forest. Matoba, seeing this as a chance, suggests that they head towards the pottery workshop.

Natori: What!? Moving around is a bad idea— Matoba: Though I was unwillingly brought here, it’s still a rare chance for me to come to Homura. We can make this our hideout, so until I return, you can just hide at that corner over there, Natori. Natori: …… Natsume: If you’re going, can I come along too? The potter stayed behind when I ran away, and I’m concerned about his well-being. Matoba: Hm… I would love to have a talk with the potter as well. Why don’t we invite him over to this hideout of ours? Natsume: …… …Sensei, could you hide here as well? If that person finds you— Nyanko: Are you an idiot? Just what do you see me as?

Nyanko: The one you should be afraid of isn’t that vulgar huntsman. It is me. You should be doing your best to worry for that man, so that I don’t run out of here and gobble him up.

Natsume: ——Is that so? Nyanko: It is so.

Sasago and Urihime investigate the barrier, confirming that they cannot escape through the sky. The barrier is shaped like an overturned bowl, a type unique to Ban’s family.

Urihime: If we want to break it—— I hate to say it, but perhaps we can ask that clan head— Sasago: *shudder!* Urihime: What’s wrong, Sasago? Sasago: —Nothing, it’s just, I saw something pass under us.

Sasago: ——It’s an eerie village. Urihime: You think so? Do you feel something from this empty land? Sasago: I do, however… When I try to find their presence, somehow… There’s something that makes me feel uneasy———

Back to Natsume’s group, they are all making their way towards the workshop when Matoba decides to split from the group.

Matoba: ——There’s a warehouse in this direction, isn’t there? I’ll part here. Natori: Matoba-san! You can’t just enter them however you want———

Matoba leaves anyway, leaving the rest to continue towards the workshop. Things are strangely quiet around them, as Natsume slowly evaluates the dilapidated state of the village, and how only one person — the potter, “Tomuro” — is living in it now.

Natsume: …Isn’t he afraid? (Isn’t he lonely——?) Nyanko: ——…

Nyanko: Hop! Natsume: WHA-...!? Nyanko: Natsume, you head on with the other brats. *dash* Natsume: Oi, Sensei-...

Seeing how the figure of Sensei running away matches with that in his dream, Natsume chases after him. He comes to a house, and sees Tomuro lying unconscious.

Natsume: (The potter is in a place like this!) Are you alright!?

Natsume: Ah! Hey, Sensei. What are you doing? We even told you that you’re being targeted… Thank goodness you’re alright… *hug…* Nyanko?: ——…

Natori and Hiiragi catch up to him, and they determine that Tomuro was caught under a sleeping spell. They agree that it might be safest to bring him to their hideout, since it dispels ayakashi.

Natori: ——By the way, Natsume. Right now, is the Book of Friends… Natsume: ——I brought it with me… Natori: …I see. I’m sorry. Even though it was for an emergency, I ended up bringing a dangerous person along. Since we are going against Ban, I needed Matoba’s advice no matter what…………… ——Natsume, since Matoba and… Ban, are both focused on Sensei, you must make sure that they don’t take notice of that. Natsume: ———… Yes.

Natsume: Haaaah… Natori: ———What’s wrong? Natsume: Nothing. I just thought it was a good thing I told you about the Book of Friends—— I can’t tell people about it carelessly… And I intend to continue keeping it a secret from here on. But whatever happens…… I thought I should let you know about it, Natori-san—— Natori: ——…

Natori: Is the Book of Friends… heavy? Natsume: Yes. It’s my treasure.

They begin heading back to their hideout, with Tomuro in tow. Matoba returns right at that moment, with books and scrolls under his arms.

Natori: Matoba-san! What’s with those items!? Matoba: There were so many interesting books, I couldn’t help myself. Don’t worry, I’ll return them soon. ——Oh my. Natsume-kun, what happened with him? Natsume: Huh?

Matoba: Who is that cat you have with you?

Natsume: Huh? What do you mean? It’s Nyanko-sensei… Nyanko: *rustle* I’ve kept you waiting! There were some rare mountain grapes in the back…

Everyone: WAAAH—————!!? Nyanko: Who in the world is that!? Natsume: !? Why are there two Nyanko-senseis!? Ah!

The fake Nyanko-sensei leaps out of Natsume’s arm, when Natsume spots a missing piece from its back. Nyanko-sensei tells Natsume to chase after his impostor, and they find themselves in a house, where the fake Sensei slips into a room. Natsume and Nyanko-sensei dash in.

Nyanko: Natsume, above!

[OMG LOLOL]

Natsume and Nyanko-sensei scream, scaring all the cats away. When Natori and Hiiragi finally reach them, both of them are in so much shock that they can’t even form coherent words.

Back at their hideout, Tomuro wakes up and sees them sitting around him.

Tomuro: …Are you exorcists? Natori: ———……… Matoba: Yes, it’s amazing you could tell.

Tomuro, in a delirium, explains that only exorcists would visit this village. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the power to create exorcism tools, and that, as they can see, there’s no longer anything left.

Matoba: ——But it seems like you have quite a few cats. Tomuro: ...Cats? Ah… That brings back memories… Indeed, there was a period of time in the past where vessels, used as cursed tools, were made in the shape of fortune cats. However, it turned out to be much too powerful of a tool, so they stopped selling them. I heard that they were sealed in a warehouse on this land. However, a long time ago, a huge fire consumed the contents of that warehouse, and not a single one remained. I have never seen it outside of the catalog, so I’m afraid I can’t sell it to you either.

Natsume realizes that the black Nyanko vessel that Riou was sealed in was probably made here. And, likewise, Nyanko-sensei’s fortune cat form was also made here…

Tomuro continues by saying that the village has nothing but a potter who is only able to make commonplace pottery, and implores them to leave. He immediately falls asleep after finishing his words.

Natori notices Natsume looking thoughtful, and asks if he is alright. Natsume explains that he recalled what Ban had told him back at the workshop… “I also want that, which you have.”

Matoba: ——I see. It seems like Ban wants every single one of them. All the cats that are hiding in this village———

Urihime and Sasago continue their investigation in the forest.

Urihime: So this is where you sense that presence to be? It’s no good. We can’t find anything.

Urihime: Perhaps we should head back to where our master is. Sasago: Indeed. Meanwhile, it’s likely that there’s another… Urihime: ——… Sasago…?

Back at the hideout…

Natori: ——So that means, Ban also noticed the group of cats that Natsume saw… Natsume: Just who…… could those cats be? Are they like Sensei, with something sealed inside each of them…? (If that’s the case, why would they all be at the village…?)

Matoba: Well, whoever they might be, it wouldn’t matter to Ban. Natsume: Huh? Matoba: We told you, didn’t we? The Collector of exorcism tools that he is working for, couldn’t care less what is inside.

Something moves behind them, causing Natsume and Natori to flinch. They turn around, only to see that Tomuro has disappeared. Searching for where the sound might’ve come from, they run downstairs, and there—

[Every single part of this arc is just gonna end on a cliffhanger, isn’t it? God dammit Midorikawa-sensei!]

“Village of the Sleeping Vessel” TO BE CONTINUED

#natsume yuujinchou #natsume's book of friends #Natsume Takashi #Nyanko-Sensei #manga #summary #apta scans #spoilers #natsume manga spoilers #translation #Midorikawa Yuki #Yuki Midorikawa

330 notes · View notes

eclectic-aussie · 5 years

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Things I Want in the Final Season of the 100 That Wont Happen

Well the roller-coaster that is the 100 is coming into its final season which leaves me very sad that one of favourite shows in ending, but also curious about the things that will be wrapped up and the things that will be glossed over now that it’s coming to an end. Then I thought to myself; ‘What things do I really want to see before it ends and how likely are they to happen?’ So, here are just a few to start off with, with probably more to be written about later as the promo stuff comes out probably in 2020:

1.The most obvious thing I WANT: Bellarke to happen and be endgame. Shocked? Why, it’s obvious I’m a Bellarke shipper, what are you nuts?! Yes, I really hope that they have Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin to finally be able to be together after the 131 years its been teased. I cannot tell you how much I love these two, so I wont go into everything, but if they just built up these two and their relationship and support and love for each other just to slap them with a ‘Platonic’ label in the end…there will be no end to how pissed I will be for their waste of one of my favourite tv/movie couples ever. If the show doesn’t end with Bellamy, Clarke and Madi as a family with Bellarke being co-leaders as voted by Wonkru (if possibly not Spacekru) and possibly also having a few little Griffin-Blake bubs to be acknowledged ala the end of the original Charmed, then they have done a huge disservice to their fan-base and I probably wont trust anything they (a certain someone in particular) again since they’ve teased and recanted so many times, it’s just ridiculous at this point.

2.I want Wonkru to vote for their new leader, and I want that leader to be Clarke. They revered Wanheda for taking down the Mountain when their own Heda made deals with the monsters who used her people as disposable blood bags for 40ish years. Clarke went into the City of Light and shut it down, finding out about the 2nd end of the world in the process which is the only reason any of them survived it. SHE survived Praimfaya and even managed to find Madi, the last Nightblood, and raised her on her own. She may have betrayed Bellamy and took Madi to the Valley and sided with McCreary (which to be fair was her only option other than DEATH at the time) but she was also the only reason Raven didn’t bomb Wonkru and Spacekru to save herself and Shaw and overthrew and killed McCreary. Add to that now that Clarke survived a procedure no-one else had in 250+ years, she fought against an immortal ‘God’ and won back control over her own body, fooled the other ‘Gods’ into thinking she was one of them, stopped them from wiping the minds of everyone still in Cryo, helped Madi take control from Sheidheda and got rid of the mind-wiping serum and about half of the Primes in the process and…I’m going to say Wanheda had probably never looked so fierce and badass before and that’s saying something.

Grounders respect strength, but I think they (Indra and Gaia especially) also realise that it’s not just strength they’ll need on the new world, it’s compassion and Clarke has consistently had that in spades. Don’t agree? Then rewatch the series and note down the people who have betrayed/mistreated/more or less spat in Clarke’s face that she’s not only forgiven but also usually turned into allies, I’ll wait. Hold on, no I wont it would take too long. Anyway, even when her own people use her as their verbal punching bag (repeatedly. Looking at you Raven) she rarely retaliated or lashed out back, usually just getting a pained look before shrugging it off and moving forward. I want Wonkru to want Clarke as their leader…and I want her to say no at first. I want her to have to be talked into it, not because she doesn’t want to help etc but because at this point she’s just bloody tried and grieving and probably just wants to take a breath! Add to that she probably doesn’t think she’s the kind of leader they want/need when not in war. I want Indra, Gaia and Miller to include her in meeting about what to do next, to ask and value her input/suggestions while giving their own. I want them to be sneaky, and kind of ease her into the position when she’s just thinking their having a general discussion. I want Clarke to try and push Bellamy as their leader, and end up having them be co-leaders because of course they are. Add to that, I don’t want Spacekru to be a part of these discussions at first, maybe only being treated like workers instead of key decision makers.

3.Tied to the above, I want Spacekru to have the rug pulled out from under them. Now don’t get me wrong, as a whole I really like most of the members of Spacekru, but their continued “we’re better than everyone else” schtick grated my nerves all season 6. Their actions in season 5 are just as responsible for McCreary destroying the Earth as anyone else’s, they were the ones to put him in charge in the first place for crying out loud!, but they don’t hold themselves at all accountable, instead heaping all the blame on the easy target: Clarke. Was Clarke blameless for what happened in season 5? Hell no! But Spacekru acting like they had no part in it and using Clarke as their verbal punching bag (again) for a good chunk of season 6 was bull. Add to that, that 5 out of 8 of them have tried to kill Clarke in the last 3 weeks (ok, Emori would have been counted as a half but she did kind of applaud Murphy helping Clarke’s murderers as ‘the survivors move’ and only told Bellamy about Clarke being alive because of her loyalty to him/Spacekru not because she actually cared about Clarke really so…yep. Oh and since Raven watching and doing nothing to stop Echo kill Clarke would make her an accessory in most legal systems I’m counting her just as culpable and guilty of Echo almost killing Clarke) them being aghast at the Primes for doing the same is pretty funny (except Bellamy, poor lamb).

So, yes, now that Wonkru (especially Indra, our droll queen of not taking any bullshit!) is in Sanctum too I kind of want Spacekru to puff themselves up, thinking they’re awesome for ‘handling’ the Prime problem and then…I don’t know, be put on trial for their actions against Wanheda and Madi? Before the ranting and raving begins, just hear me out (and take note that I’m already writing a fanfic where this happens): say what you want about Wonkru and the Grounders, they’ve always had a hell of a lot more gratitude and respect for Clarke/Wanheda than her own people have, as stated in point 2. Add to that, that Gaia and Miller witnessed for themselves that Spacekru’s actions largely made the situation worse, again, and Murphy and Raven telling Russell about the bone-marrow solution to save themselves from being burned alive (thanks, Echo), putting Madi in a huge amount of danger in the process. I want the prisoners to kind of get in on it too, a bit. I want them to tell Wonkru about Spacekru’s actions in the Valley and how they pretty much tripped ass backwards into putting McCreary in charge and undermining everything Bellamy and Clarke were trying to do to bring about a truce at the time. I also want (and this is going to set SO MANY people off!!) the prisoners to tell Indra about what they overheard on the radio on the night before the world burned. I want them to tell Indra and the others about how close Clarke came to being murdered to ‘avenge Bellamy’ and that it was Madi that stopped Echo from killing Clarke, while Raven and Shaw stood back and did nothing. I want it to come out that even after Echo tried to kill her, Clarke protected her from McCreary killing her, TWICE, for the man Echo would have killed her to avenge even though Clarke though he was dead. I want all this information to come out at ‘trial’, maybe even have a recording of the radio in Clarke’s pocket as proof and Emori, Murphy and Bellamy to find out right before they’re led away to wait for deliberation. I want Bellamy to fight between using his heart and his head as his view of his family is rocked with the new information as he puzzles out which version of them was on the Ring: who they were or who they needed to be to survive, and whether he could trust them off the Ring. Dun Dun DUNNN!!

4.I want Becho to break-up (obviously, see point 1) but I want it to come after a few things are revealed. Look, as a character I don’t have anything against Echo on the whole but she is a character where we’re told one thing: that she’s changed on the Ring and is a ‘good guy’ now, and (in my opinion) we’re shown another: she still betrays her allies to further her own goals (turning in Shaw against Raven’s wishes, baiting and belittling, and eventually killing, Ryder), still goes behind her leaders back and goes too far to try and get them what they want by means they’d never agree to (going undercover in the Conclave to cheat which got her banished by Roan, trying to kill Clarke in front of Madi to ‘avenge’ Bellamy). I mean she herself pretty much said that she hasn’t changed when she stabbed and killed an unarmed, outnumbered Ryker while stating “Hesitation is death.” Which was Nia’s creed which Echo is seen once again embracing. The only time she even attempts to be ‘the good guy’ is in front of Bellamy, and even then her first response is usually ‘we need to fight our way out’ to pretty much every situation. I know a lot of people say that they think that Echo will realise Bellamy is still in love with Clarke and graciously step aside, but honestly that seems a bit out of character. Echo has pined for Bellamy since before Praimfaya and when you factor in her possibly feeling like her place in their family being threatened if she’s no longer Bellamy’s girlfriend I can’t really see Echo giving up without a fight. I want Bellamy to really try and figure out who and what he wants and fight for it, but still let Echo down easy and reassuring her that she’s still family. And then a little bit of time to let things settle and mourn what they had even if it ends somewhat amicably (Spacekru will probably be pissed).

5.Now onto something lighter: I want more Bellamy and Madi bonding! Let’s be honest here, Bellamy has been a papa-bear since season 1 (which was why it really threw me when he was so ready and willing to turn Madi into a child soldier with the Flame, but moving on) and I really want to see Bellamy and Madi to spend time together; Madi telling Bellamy stories about her and Clarke’s time in the Valley and wanting to hear Bellamy’s stories about his and Clarke’s time together before Praimfaya. I want Madi to tell Bellamy that he and Octavia were routinely the heroes of Clarke’s stories and for him to be shocked (and a little saddened) that Clarke didn’t see herself as a hero. I want Madi to be kind of enamoured with him, since he was pretty much the only one (besides Monty and Harper) who lived up to the stories Clarke told her growing up and because he risked everything to save Clarke. I want Bellamy to kind of embrace his unofficial role as father-figure, telling her stories of mythology and history, spending time with her while her bone-marrow grows back and she’s in isolation. Controversial: (like this whole thing isn’t that already) I want there to be a point where it gets to be too much and Madi loses it. Where her almost losing Clarke, and fighting Sheidheda in her head and being tied down and having her bone marrow take without her consent to catch-up with her and she just breaks down and sobs her heart out. And I don’t want Clarke to be there to comfort her. I want Bellamy to be there and help her through it; telling her it’s ok to still feel the pain of the almost loss and that it’s ok to not always be strong for Clarke’s sake so she doesn’t worry. I want Bellamy and Madi to sit together as they grieve the horrible almost that would have taken Clarke from them. Oh, and I want her to teach him to spear fish.

6. Now this, I know is DEFINITELY not going to happen: I want Murphy and Raven to have to earn Clarke’s forgiveness/friendship. Say what you will about Clarke’s actions in season 5, both Murphy and Raven would be dead dozens of times over throughout the series if it wasn’t for Clarke. Hell, Bellamy almost killed Murphy at least 3 times at the Dropship in season 1 and was only stopped by Clarke’s intervention. Like I said, say what you will but Murphy actively helped Josephine to not only try to stop Spacekru/Wonkru (though mainly Bellamy, lets be honest) from retaliating for Clarke’s murder by the Primes, he would have helped Josephine erase Clarke from her own damn head if Emori hadn’t gone behind his back and told Bellamy about it. And Raven? Raven stood back and did nothing to stop Echo from trying to kill her in front of Madi, because she thought she was justified and then played the victim when Clarke had an actual plan and didn’t just lay down and die like they planned. She told Clarke the only difference between her and Blodreigna was Blodreigna didn’t pretend to feel bad about the things she’d done. Raven and Murphy were the main ones (but not the only ones) who more or less called Clarke a monster and treated her like she was nothing. They were the ones who told Russell about the Nighblood solution being made from bone-marrow (even after Raven watched Kane kill himself, taking the safer-to-make Nightblood solution with him so the Primes couldn’t create more Nightbloods) and Raven talked Abby into taking the marrow from Madi. In general we got a lot of Clarke bashing from Murphy and Raven this past season and even though I KNOW they’ll just have Clarke overlook them mistreating her because that’s what she does, I really wish that they’d have Murphy and Raven show some self-awareness and pull their heads out of their arses and actually make an effort towards Clarke for once, instead of only showing any care, friendship or compassion towards her when they need her to make another impossible decision, if then.

7.Fluff alert: I want Bellamy to be a bit nervous about Clarke finding out about the deal he made with the Primes. I want him to tear himself up a bit with the guilt of not telling her, maybe made worse by Murphy ‘teasing’ him about it, before caving and admitting it to Clarke, ashamed that he made a deal with her murderers to overlook her death for resources and help. I want her to grab his hand of some kind of physical contact before she tells him she knew all about it. I want him to be shocked and appalled that she didn’t seem upset and that she should hate him. I want her to smile at him, and tell him she had been upset at first, but could never hate him for that. That she had been proud of him, just like she was after Praimfaya. I want fluffiness, tears and forgiveness!!!

8.Octavia? Yeah, she’s not dead.

9.I swear to GOD if they make Jordan another Jasper, there will be riots in the bloody streets, you hear me?! RIOTS!!

That’s all I can think of from the top of my head but before anyone asks; yes, a few of these are very specific because I’ve already written scenes that cover all of these that I will be incorporating into my season 7 spec fic of ‘things that will probably never happen’ that I’ll put on AO3 and FF.net at some point in the coming months.

If you don’t agree with something I’ve written above, then that’s all well and good and you’re entitled to your opinion as much as I am. However, please refrain from spewing hate into my inbox because…well I honestly don’t care if you agree with me or not. This is simply my OPINION of what I’D like to see, that I’ve stated multiple times that I honestly don’t hold out hope on the whole that any (besides number 1, 8 and 9) will end up happening.

#the 100 #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #madi griffin #bellarke #anti becho #don't like don't read

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itchylich · 4 years

Text

prompt by @ice-bjorn. first part is just a repost now slightly edited to provide context for the second part

second part: #I NEED THE PART WHEN ELSA AND ANNA TALK ABOUT THIS AND HUG #BUT PLEASE MAKE THE FLUFFY ENDING (@the-awkward-feistypants)

okay

events occur post-frozen 2

—

The last time Elsa was in Ahtohallan looking for answers, she had gone too far and became trapped in a frozen state, her thoughts all but silenced. As such, she hesitated to return as another search for answers might lead her to the same outcome once more, but she had a question on her mind, one that has gnawed at the edges of her consciousness for long enough that it has become more than a simple nuisance.

She had made her way through the glacier’s winding tunnels and bottomless chasm and now stood at the threshold to the chamber of memory, as dark as it was when she first visited. When Elsa awoke from her dreamless sleep as an ice statue, she was aware of the passage of time and that Anna had something to do with undoing her folly. What had transpired while she was incapacitated that led her to thaw? She asked Anna about it once, but her sister deflected and even changed the topic. Elsa took the hint then. Anna would talk to Elsa about anything at all, but she tended to keep things she thought would worry her elder sister to herself. With a little coaxing, Elsa could get her to open up and gush about her issues, but not this time and it had Elsa worried.

She took a deep breath, the sharp, icy air stinging her chest, and strode into the darkened chamber. The only source of illumination there were the diamonds of the four elemental spirits in the center of the room. She took her place at the middle of the formation. “Show me what Anna did while I was frozen!” she raised her voice. No response. “Please.” She added sheepishly and the black room turned to white in a flash of light and flurries of snow swirled through the air, conjuring spectral figures of ice that captured the moments she missed.

Her eyes fell first on an image of three earth giants rampaging through the woods as they pursued Anna and threw boulders at her. Her hands flew to her mouth and she gasped. “Anna, how could you do something so reckless? So dangerous?” She said as she kept her eyes on the almost-still scene. She watched Kristoff rescuing Anna from being crushed by a giant’s stony foot, Anna barely making it across the crumbling dam and General Mattias grabbing her arm to save her. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She already knew Anna would survive the encounter, but having to see just how close she came to dying that day still put her on edge. This was something that they’d discuss another day, after she convinces Anna to have Kristoff and General Mattias recognized as heroes.

Then her eyes fell upon an icy ghost of Anna in a cave, cradling Olaf’s fading form. As she approached, the scene shifted from the snowman crumbling away to Anna embracing a satchel as if her life depended on it and a song - like a distant echo as if it were coming from the bottom of a deep lake - pierced the silence of the chamber. It was Anna’s voice.

I’ve seen dark before, but not like this. This is cold, this is empty, this is numb. The life I knew is over, the lights are out. Hello, darkness, I’m ready to succumb.

Elsa reached out to the her sister’s icy image as it continued its song. “Anna, no…” The Anna she knew was her cheerful redheaded sister - bright, tough, and full of spunk - who didn’t let anything get to her. Hearing Anna this weak and beaten down, in despair even deeper than when they lost their parents, hurt like someone had stabbed her in the chest with a hundred burning daggers.

I follow you around, I always have. But you’ve gone to a place I cannot find.

Elsa gently clasped the memory’s face as she continued to fight the tears welling up in her eyes and the sobs building in her chest from breaking free. “No, Anna, I’m here. Anna… I’m- I’m right here…”

I can’t find my direction, I’m all alone. The only star that guided me was you. How to rise from the floor when it’s not you I’m rising for?

Her tears began to flow from her eyes as she gently wiped away the tears that streaked down the sobbing simulacrum’s frigid cheeks. “Anna, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” She sputtered out as the memory continued its song. She didn’t know just how important she was to her sister, she didn’t know just how much Anna loved her. And like a fool, she took it all for granted. She left to pursue her own selfish desires without even thinking of how it would affect the one person who has been there for her since the beginning, the one person who truly loved her. She wrapped her arms around the memory and buried her face in its chest. “I’m sorry I’ve been a foolish sister, Anna. I’m sorry…”

She lost track of how much time she spent there sobbing on the memory’s bosom as she listened to its song of mourning.

But then morning came as the white dome of ice glowed with the orange hues of sunrise and Elsa rose from her place on the floor. She couldn’t stay there all day feeling sorry for herself, she had to go to Anna and apologize. She didn’t know that her redheaded little sister had been carrying all of this on her shoulders behind Elsa’s back until today.

She made her way out of the glacier and summoned the Nokk from the churning waters of the Dark Sea. Together they raced across the sea headed for Arendelle.

—

A loud thud broke the silence of the study and the queen’s attention on the task at hand. With a start, Anna awoke from her split-second nap and sat up straight as a ruler, rubbing her forehead that throbbed with a dull ache. She sighed. She couldn’t focus on the documents on her desk, much less keep herself awake and alert for any reliable period.

She made her way over to the window and looked out into the fjord, the northern mountain’s peak a speck in the distance. Beyond that is where the enchanted forest is, where Elsa is, and she’s been worried about her big sister. It doesn’t take Elsa long to send a reply to her letters, maybe six hours at most if she’s really busy doing whatever it is she does with the Northuldra, but in the two months and sixteen days that they’ve lived apart, she’s never failed to send a note a day. She looks forward to each letter be it fantastical stories of what the elemental spirits do in the enchanted forest or mundane things like what she had for breakfast - Anna takes those seriously; she knows Elsa is the kind of person who forgets to take care of herself when she has her mind set on something. It keeps her connected with her big sister, especially now that they couldn’t be together all the time. But it’s been three days since she’s heard word from Elsa and Gale isn’t telling her anything.

What could be keeping her from communicating? Anna wondered. She’s fine, isn’t she? Olaf’s still here so she’s not dead, but I hope she’s not hurt or sick or anything. Maybe she ran out of paper? Should I get Gale to bring her more? But what if it’s ink she’s out of? I don’t think the Nokk would be happy with me asking it to bring her some.

The doors creaked open behind her, interrupting her train of thought. “Please,” she said without turning around, “I’ll see you later.”

“Busy?” A familiar voice asked in reply. Anna’s head perked up and she turned around to be met with Elsa, her pale blond hair and icy dress catching the light that flowed into the room, making her glimmer a little bit. She almost looked otherworldly, as if she actually was a spirit instead of a human with ice magic. The worries she had were washed away by relief and she jumped a little before running to tackle her sister in a tight hug.

“Where have you been? I was so worried! You didn’t send any replies for three days and Gale didn’t know where you were and I started fearing for the worst, but Olaf’s still here so I figured you were okay, but…” Anna held Elsa at arm’s length as she stopped to breathe and then inspected her guest all over for any telling signs of injury. “Were you running into danger again? I told you to be careful, didn’t I? Are you hurt? Are you sick? Are you taking care of yourself?”

“Anna, I’m fine.” Elsa laughed - an empty, shallow laugh that betrayed her smile. Worry crept back into Anna’s mind. “I just visited Ahtohallan. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

“Elsa…” Looking closer, her big sister looked like she went through something harsh. There were bags barely visible under her eyes and some strands of her golden hair rebelled against the rest. It couldn’t have been the long trip here, she looked pristine even after riding the Nokk against the strong northern winds for hours on end. Was it something she saw in the glacier? Anna knew the expression on Elsa’s face. It was her we-need-to-talk face. “Is something wrong?”

Elsa threw her arms around Anna and cried into her shoulder, catching the redhead by surprise. Anna’s worries made way for a protective, comforting instinct and she held the crying blond closer, feeling her shoulders shake with every shuddering breath. Caressing her back was all Anna could do to comfort the sobbing Elsa as she waited for her big sister to speak.

“I’m sorry.” Elsa said against her sobs. Anna looked down to meet the gaze of glossy, sapphire eyes overflowing with tears looking straight at her. Like mirrors, those sorrowful eyes reflected Anna’s face full of worry and Elsa’s regrets. “I’ve been a fool, Anna. A selfish fool.”

“Elsa, what are you talking about?”

Elsa released a flurry of snow from her palm and it swirled through the air, headed toward a corner of the room. Where it settled was an ice statue of Anna leaning against the wall holding a satchel to her chest. Anna knew what it was: it was her after Olaf had crumbled away - the moment she thought she lost the only family she had left. A weight had settled in her chest; she figured out what this was about. She turned back to Elsa, whose eyes now refused to meet hers. “You visited Ahthohallan, huh?”

“I’m sorry I left you there alone.” Elsa cried. “All my life, all I wanted was for you to be happy… but I kept pushing you away, yet you kept chasing me. I built walls but you kept breaking them down. Then I went on my own path and left you behind.”

Anna placed her hand on Elsa’s cheek and wiped away a falling tear. For someone who spends a lot of time around ice, she had a certain warmth to her. A comforting warmth. One that didn’t vanish even when she was at her lowest. Anna held Elsa closer and locked her in a tight embrace. “You always did like going off to do your own thing. You kept leaving me behind!” Elsa flinched and Anna shushed her gently, caressing her shaking shoulders, but she knew she couldn’t just keep that to herself. It hurt her too to think of how Elsa was always three steps ahead of Anna - she was born with magic, then ascended to the throne, and then became a spirit. To say that Anna didn’t fear that Elsa would eventually go so far that Anna can’t reach her would be an enormous lie. It was a fear that always lingered in the back of her mind despite the three years they’ve spent reconnecting over the thirteen years they’ve spent apart - a fear that was reinforced by Elsa choosing to live outside of Arendelle, away from the sister who needed her. “But it’s okay, I’ll always keep going after you, no matter how far you run. Just please, don’t go too fast. I don’t want to get left in the dust- err, snow again.”

Elsa looked up and met Anna’s gaze. “No, Anna. It’s not okay. You shouldn’t be the one who has to keep adjusting just because I’m selfish. I should be putting your happiness above my own goals, but instead I’ve put all this responsibility on your shoulders.” She added, gesturing to the documents piled on the desk.

“But you do make me happy.” Anna cupped Elsa’s cheek as she ushered both of them on their knees. Anna had an easier time meeting Elsa eye-to-eye like this. Tears began streaking down her cheeks. Hearing Elsa so hurt and beating herself up like this was more than she could take. “Remember that party you set up for me three years ago? All those presents you got me? You already made up for all that time you shut me out. That made me happy. How you wouldn’t leave my side even when we’re in the town or at some official function? That made me happy. All the game nights you would enthusiastically join in on with Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven? How you’d sneak some chocolate into the room on the occasion we share a bed for the night? How you’d laugh as we hit each other with pillows or tickled each other past the breaking point like we were kids again? That made me happy! Elsa, you. Make. Me. Happy!” And she meant it. Every moment she spent with Elsa, with the sister she loved so much, whatever it may have been - even when they were apart and just passing each other notes - it made her happy. She had something to look forward to every day with friends and family and every day was filled with light and music and fun, unlike the better portion of her childhood when the gates of the castle were shut and she was just as isolated as Elsa was.

But it didn’t appear to be enough for Elsa. Even though she looked less like a royal mess than when they started, there was something else troubling her still. A familiar song reached Anna’s ears: the one she sang in those caves. “But I went off on my own. I pushed you away again and you fell into those caverns… I… died. Left you alone again and made you sad.” Elsa lowered her gaze again. “I’ve been a terrible sister.”

A heavy silence filled the study - one so loud that it even drowned out the mournful song of the memory behind them. Anna kept her eyes on Elsa, a sobbing, apologetic mess who refused to even look at her. Sadness built up in her; her big sister who was strong enough to tame three elemental spirits was reduced to the figure crying before her. But she also felt anger. Anger that Elsa would say this in front of her, to berate and belittle her own sister in front of her. She had to give Elsa a piece of her mind, but there were other things she had to get off her chest first.

“When you… died…” Anna swallowed. She still couldn’t accept the fact that for a brief moment, that she had lost everyone she held near and dear to her heart. “To say I was sad was an understatement. My heart broke. I felt it shatter into a million tiny pieces along with the world that I knew. I knew that without you, nothing would ever be the same again and I didn’t think I could go on and face that new reality. I didn’t-” Anna’s voice broke and she lowered her head. Tears fell on her gown, leaving dark rings on the fabric. “I didn’t want to go home and have another funeral to bury my sister whose body I can’t even recover.”

“Anna…” Now it was Elsa’s turn to do the comforting. Anna felt Elsa’s fingers settle on her shoulders. She felt their warmth through her clothes, but she also felt how they hesitated, as if Elsa thought that if she squeezed too much, Anna would break like some fragile antique. “Anna, I-”

Anna raised a finger to interrupt Elsa. “The Queen… the Queen is talking.” She said with the best mock-snooty tone she could muster despite her crying and sniffling. Elsa loosed a faint chuckle, one that gave Anna back some of her vigor. “I went straight for the earth giants because I didn’t think I had the strength to go on after that. I planned to let the flood wash me away after they tear down the dam, assuming they don’t just stomp me flat in the process.”

The fingers on her shoulders tightened. “You were really going to-”

“I didn’t know what else to do.” Anna answered. “I had nothing else to live for. Then,” she said as she put her hands on Elsa’s, “the dam broke. And for some reason, hope came surging back to me. Even if it went against what I knew, I held out hope that you would come back. And you did! You came riding back on the Nokk with the sun behind you, like a knight in shining armor. Or, well, a fashionable spirit in a sparkling dress.” They both laughed. Then Anna continued. “And I felt relieved, because my sister, my Elsa, came back to me. She didn’t leave me behind. Even if she did have to stay in the enchanted forest, she kept me in mind and didn’t neglect to send me letters or gifts from the other spirits. She didn’t fail to make me happy. I won’t let you say bad things about my sister.”

“But…”

“No buts! Elsa is the best sister ever, so sayeth the Queen! My word is law!” Anna stuck her chest out and huffed.

Anna watched with delight as Elsa wiped her face on her sleeve and gave her a smile. “Of course, your Highness.” She laughed.

Anna gently pulled Elsa’s hands from her shoulders and locked her fingers with her sister’s as she leaned into Elsa’s forehead. She closed her eyes, letting only the warmth of her sister’s touch and her now-regular and not-crying breaths fill her senses. “I’m sorry I took you for granted.” Elsa said.

“You’re still on that?”

Elsa chuckled and was silent for a while. “I love you.” And she went to embrace her little sister. This time it was sincere, full of warmth and love and the smell of winter and the forest. An embrace which Anna returned gladly.

“I love you too.” Anna maintained their position for a while before pulling away and opening her eyes. The Elsa that looked back at her was now happier than she was before and not at all troubled by whatever it was she saw in Ahtohallan. Anna smiled. “Should I get Kai to bring us some chocolate and wine? I don’t think you can find those over in the Northuldra settlement. We should probably fix ourselves up first though. I’m sure we look terrible.”

“I’d love some. It’s been so long since I got to enjoy any.” Elsa laughed. A gust of wind blew through the room and some of the documents once neatly piled on the desk now lay scattered across the floor. Elsa picked one up and studied it. “You could probably get Southern Isles to trade more ore with us if you trade our wool and cloth with them. Fabric is a favored luxury item there.”

“I knew you were better at this than me.”

Elsa winked. “I’ll teach you over chocolates and wine.”

#frozen #frozen 2 #frozen spoilers #fanfic #hurt/comfort #the lich writes

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kinetic-elaboration · 4 years

Text

June 22: 1x03 Where No Man Has Gone Before

Today, the second pilot, aka Kirk fights his ex-boyfriend, the superhuman space mutant.

Whaaaaat TV screen by the chess set? That’s such a funny transition for me for some reason.

Spock thinks he can win lol. I love that he’s sassy from the start. And throwing shade at Sarek, which is how I choose to interpret “my ancestor married a human woman” when he very well knows it’s his dad.

“Materializer.”

For a moment, I thought Spock was of a lower rank but then I realized the pilot uniforms only showed three different ranks so who even knows.

I’m barely even paying attention to the plot, I’m too distracted by the outfits and the banter.

Are you certain you don’t know what irritation is, Mr. Spock????? Are you SURE?

THIS ELEVATOR SCENE IS STILL MY FAVORITE IN THE WHOLE SERIES. Kirk is so obviously in love with Spock already, like just the way he looks at him??? And Gary is bitter. Did you finish your GAME GUYS? How was the GAME?? You like that CHESS?

Lol at Kirk’s microphone. I love how different the pilot is and how much more obvious the differences are because it’s sci fi. (Their screen/windshield is also hilarious for some reason? It looks very fake.)

Sulu is head of astrophysics?? Really got a demotion there. This needs to be a thing in fic though, somehow.

Kirk is so brave. Gonna explore this weird space thing to save future space travelers.

New drinking game: take a shot every time there’s a random shot of Kirk looking beautiful.

My mother asked if Gary was hoping he could hold Kirk’s hand when the alien force field attacks and I said yes. Dig it in there Mr. Kirk.

Kirk and Spock flying the ship.

Sulu looking gorgeous.

Some gratuitous k/s arm grabbing.

Love how they show the ship has no warp by having it move really slowly across the screen. But actually--completely underrated problem that I forgot about it what with the whole Gary God Complex thing--if you have no warp capabilities you are stranded for real.

It took me a suuuuuper long time to figure out why most esper people died and two became supermutants. The force field targeted the most susceptible but was too much for most of them.

Also I love how the force field was just literally never explained. It just is. Nor was it explained that that other ship was, which Kirk seemed to think shouldn’t have been in deep space in the first place.

I can’t believe Dehner is telling a literal alien “this is how this thing is and there’s only one version of the thing and these are the limits.” Like??? He has all sorts of abilities you don’t know about? Why do you assume that things as they have been observed on Earth are the only way things can be, especially outside Earth? When you are talking to someone whose very existence would be impossible by your measure?

Looking at medbay, can’t help but feel that McCoy really spruced up the joint.

Gary rearranging himself just so for Jim’s entrance.

I legitimately don’t know what “this long hair stuff you like” is. I was born in 1988 so, that’s my excuse.

A STACK OF BOOKS WITH LEGS

IN LT. KIRK’S CLASS YOU THINK OR SINK.

Kirk is giving Gary those “I love you” eyes. They’re exes. Clearly.

I mean “I outlined her whole campaign for her”? First, putting unnecessary characters into a story because the short version is homosexual is ITSELF homosexual and second--that’s very gay on its face.

Kirk is clearly trying to be the Cool Ex (and, uh, boss) and Gary’s still bitter. “Friend Captain.”

No privacy on the Enterprise I see.

“The one you used to know,” Spock says, clearly jealous.

Love poem from 1996--so ancient.

Imo Spock is glad for this opportunity to shade Gary Mitchell openly. Finally, I can tell Jim my real thoughts: we should kill him.

Dr. Dehner is awfully enamored of this whole “new kind of human” thing given that she must have some knowledge of Earth history, including, you know, the horrifically deadly WWIII fought over exactly this idea but w/e.

Sulu bringing the math.

Spock saying “Jim” again. He definitely actually does this a lot? Maybe later he pulls himself back on purpose on account of Too Many Feelings.

D E L T A V E G A .

Forgot they poached that name. Should have kept it a mining planet. I wonder if it is supposed to be the same place and if Ambassador Spock was thinking about Gary while he was there.

“You’re talking about Gary!” This Kirk and Spock scene is really good too. Just about as good as the elevator scene. I literally cannot read this through anything other than the “ex and future boyfriend” lens and it makes it so much better. (Not that it’s not a good story on its face because it is. But just like the additional layers??)

“Our task: maroon my ex-boyfriend on this abandoned planet.” They’ve known each other 15 years.

Kirk and Spock taking Gary down.

That is 100% a drawing taken from the cover of a 50s sci fi novel.

Spock is so ridiculously, comically armed. Pacifist who? They keep on saying he doesn’t have feelings and yet ALL I see are feelings. Arming himself to the teeth for Jim. Clearly bitter about Jim’s feelings for Gary. Ready to thrown down all the time.

RIP Kelso. Good thing he got that commendation.

“Command and compassion is a fool’s mixture.”

“Don’t wake up Spock until I’m gone or he’ll follow me.” True.

Just Jim and his ridiculous weapon now, off to ruin Gary’s date.

Kirk and Spock would love all these flowers.

“You were a psychiatrist once--ten minutes ago.”

“Did you hear him joke about compassion?” I know the powers corrupted Gary but...did they do all the corrupting? Or did they just allow him to say some stuff he really means?

That “phaser rifle” looks like a supersoaker. (Mom: it probably is.)

Gary claims to know Jim so well but he doesn’t even know his middle name.

He’s so dramatic. SO DRAMATIC. Calling Jim “James” all the time; clearly his personal name for him when they were together. Whereas Jim continues to call him by his last name, which is funny.

And then Spock sees Jim is about to get sad and makes sure to come right over. “I felt for him too,” he admits, reluctantly.

It’s weird how much more dated this ep looks imo. Like I strongly maintain that even on the basis of style TOS ages very well (better than TNG which is 90s to the hilt), but this one looked very...50s/60s sci fi. Not in a bad way, just in a very obvious way. I feel like even the Enterprise looks a lot different after the pilot, in ways I can’t really explain or describe or pinpoint. It’s just subtly.... more unique. More real.

Mom and I were discussing where this fits in the timeline. She thinks early 5 year mission, which is what I’ve always assumed...but I’m bothered by how 99% of the crew is different. So now I’m thinking, like, pre-5 year mission? Maybe like a short mission? This is Kirk’s first command, maybe they sent him out for like a year first. It doesn’t explain how Gary and Spock have “worked together for years” but Dehner could have been wrong about that, or she could have meant they both have 15 years + in Starfleet.

The AOSverse should have rebooted Mitchell instead of Khan and that’s all I’m saying about that but it’s true.

I have always assumed Gary is First Officer in this ep but I don’t remember it actually being mentioned and now I’m wondering if we’ve all just collectively made that up.

Next up is the absolute classic The Naked Time. Maybe I’ll find an opportunity to watch it in less than a week’s time?

#star trek tos #the year 2020 #2020: fandom thoughts #2020: star trek

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