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babyboy-cody · 3 years

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HI ALYSSA!!! 😃 What you wrote for grayson was beyond BEAUTIFUL. can you write something where they’re in a new relationship and she gets introduced on the podcast??? 🥰

i’m gonna try really hard to not go overboard this time 😭

The atmosphere was lighthearted and playful. Since 7am to the early afternoon, you’ve been extremely nervous and fidgety. Grayson recognized the early signs of an anxiety attack and made to bring out one of your sensory toys, the ones that make the popping and clicking sound. He brought you to a secluded corner of the house, away from everyone and all the noise, and blocked them with his body until you calmed down. The scent of him, the overall height of him, the gruffness of his voice, and the soft teddy bear vibes Grayson was giving off had you feeling more at ease.

“What if… What if they don’t like me, Gray? I mean, I’m not like the other girls you’ve hooked up with before. I’m not some insta baddie or a bad bitch. I’m me and they’re gonna hate it,” you quietly rambled to him while frantically popping and clicking your sensory toy, all the while keeping your eyes on your hand movements. Grayson allowed you to rant, not stepping in until you were fully finished. “I mean, Kris is different because she’s perfect for Ethan and she never really got any hate - not that I know of. She’s like a soft baddie, I’m not even 6% of a baddie.” This made Grayson smile as he crossed his arms and stared down at you. “Like, I’m not Tyson and it just… sucks feeling like this.”

“Look at me,” he told you, his voice low enough for only you both to hear. When you nervously peer up at him, no longer using your sensory toy, he places his large hands on your warm cheeks, thumbs gently stroking back and forth. “You’re not Tyson and that’s why I’m in love with you. You think I care about insta baddies? You’re the fucking queen, you hear me?” When you start looking down again, he quickly lifts your head. “Aye, I’m not done talking to you. You’re nothing like those girls and that’s what made me fall for you. Your kind soul, pretty eyes, and good vibes made me feel so comfortable that I always wanted to be around you 24/7. Ask Kris.” He smiles at the sound of your soft giggle and the way your eyes crinkled at the corners. “If I love with all my heart, the people who support us and want us to be happy will love you too.”

“Yo,” Ethan called out from across the room. “You ready?” He was looking at you, more so worried about your reputation than Grayson’s. “There’s no going back.” His tone was teasing and his eyes held no malice. You looked up at Grayson and he gave you a small nod and grin, as if telling you, ‘You got this.’ When you gave Ethan an enthusiastic nod, he excitedly claps his hands. “Lets do this shit!”

When you followed them to the room where they do their podcasts, you felt that anxious wave crash over you again. Grayson, being the extremely observant man he is, made sure you had your sensory toy in your hands as he rubbed your arms gently. He pressed soft kisses to your cheeks that felt like butterfly wings fluttering against your skin because of his growing beard. Kristina shot you a thumbs up from her spot in the kitchen as she ate some avocado toast. You felt more at ease as Grayson and Ethan shot playful jokes at each other back and forth. You took your spot beside Grayson on the swivel chair and took the headphones he hands to you. After setting up the mics and cameras, you got yours comfortable and sat a foot or two away from Grayson so that they’re able to do their intro without you in the frame.

“It’s now or never,” you quietly mumbled to yourself.

“Good evening, everybody!” Grayson enthusiastically speaks into the mic. “Welcome back to Deeper with the Dolan Twins. I’m one of your hosts, Grayson.”

“And I’m your other host, Ethan. If it’s a little harder to tell who is who, I wore white today and Grayson wore black,” Ethan states confidently. “Grayson is always wearing his greasy ass trucker hat.”

“It’s not greasy, shut up.” Grayson sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes, sending a look to the side as you covered your mouth to stifle your laugh. “So, today we are doing things a little bit differently.” You sat up straighter in your seat. “As all of you know, we had Kristina on our podcast to furthermore introduce herself as Ethan’s girlfriend.”

“And today,” Ethan rubbed his hands excitedly. “We have a very, very special guest. We are introducing… drum roll, please…” Grayson quickly tapped his fingers against the table. “Grayson’s very own girlfriend, Y/N!”

Grayson was quick to pull your chair closer to his as you held the mic and laughed quietly as they both cheered loud and clear. “This is my very lovely and very beautiful girlfriend, Y/N. Say hello to the audience.”

“Um… hello,” you awkwardly said, causing Ethan to snort. “Shut up, E! I’m nervous.” You shyly covered your face, groaning when Grayson pulled your hands away and placed his hand between yours. You immediately started playing with his fingers; a sense of calm washing over you. “Well as nervous as I am, I am extremely excited to be a guest on your podcast and I hope it receives good reactions.”

“On a lighter note, lets dive deeper into how the relationship between you and Gray… developed,” Ethan said and got comfortable in his seat.

“You tell the short story and I’ll tell the long story,” you told Grayson and lightly patted his shoulder while looking at him with such love-filled eyes that even Ethan can see from across the large table.

Grayson cleared his throat and never once move his hand from between yours. “Well we met a few years ago and started fully dating, I’d say, almost a year ago. And we met through Kristina because you’ve been really good friends story.”

“Okay, guys, people that are listening and watching,” Ethan interrupted. “Remember to get very comfortable because this story is going to be a fucking rollercoaster of emotions.”

“Oh god,” you facepalmed. “Now, for the long story. I’ve been really close friends with Kris since our childhood. I moved to Australia at a young age with my dad after my mom passed away, and we were just two peas in a pod. The way you and Grayson are with each other is the exact same way Kris and I are with each other.” Grayson leans his chin on his hand and never once looks away from you. His attention was all on you… and your lips. “And then, back in 2017 is when she started telling me about Ethan. And she had mentioned that you had a younger brother-”

“Younger by, like, 20 minutes,” Grayson interrupted with a scoff.

“Younger brother,” you emphasized a little louder, causing both twins to laugh. “And she had asked Ethan stuff about Grayson, to which she transferred back to me. So, she was like a bird messenger.” You giggled as you said that, causing a big grin to form on Grayson’s lips. “And then no sooner after that, we started talking more frequently and getting to know each other. And it just.. grew after that.”

“Didn’t Gray ghost you?” Ethan suddenly asked. Grayson groans loud beside you and covers his face embarrassingly. “I remember you freaking the fuck out because of it.”

“Yes, the motherfucker did ghost me for a few weeks. Wanna explain why, hm?” You teasingly asked him with a raise of your brows. Grayson blushed fiercely.

“So within the first three months of us talking, that was when I fully started developing strong feelings for you. And at the time, I had been fucked over so many times by so many people and was never really able to hold a long relationship. And I partially blamed myself for that because I tend to.. rush things, if that makes sense. I’m a romantic and when I fall for someone, I fall hard.” As Grayson passionately spoke and opened up his feelings, your eyes went from his eyes to his lips to his hands and back and forth. The way he spoke with his hands made you hide a smile by biting your lip. “And I was terrified because I automatically assumed that I was gonna fuck it up one way or another. The only way for me to cope was to push my feelings aside, and it just effected us both so negatively.”

“Yeah, from past experiences, it can be really difficult for someone to come to terms with the true emotions they felt. I was the same way with Kristina, you know. It felt like I had to walk around eggshells out of fear of fucking up the one thing that was good for me.” You and Grayson nodded in agreement. “I remember when we came to Australia after what happened and Gray was running back and forth, just writing what he wanted to say to you and he almost cried because his pencil broke.”

You quickly looked at Grayson. “Really?” You weren’t teasing him, you were shocked. Your voice was soft and you had a pout on your lips that he kissed away. “Stop, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“Nooooo!” Grayson yelled out and threw an arm around your shoulder to pull you into his side.

“That’s so sweet!” You whined and pouted some more. “I never knew that, Gray. I know that in the past, there were some hardships that we were able to overcome and the way we communicated with each other, it just made our relationship stronger.”

The conversation ranged from topic to topic. Your life growing up, the death of your mother, your dad’s rescue farm in Australia, your college degree, and some moments between you and Grayson. You felt so comfortable and carefree that Grayson noticed a changed. You laughed more and spoke louder. You playfully bantered with Ethan and provided your own insight on serious topics regarding the negative effects of social media and about mental health. He’s so sure in his heart that people who love and support him and Ethan are gonna love you the same.

#this was really cute 🥺#i kinda lost my flow halfway #idk if you can tell #grayson dolan x reader #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fluff

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percyjacksonfan3 · 3 years

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The Last Olympian Thoughts

So because I have absolutely 0 self-control or restraint when it comes to this series and its characters, and for The Last Olympian in particular, I could not put TLO down. Because of this I figured I couldn’t do the usual photo reaction posts I have been so far, because the spam would just be ridiculous, so I am stealing the idea from @yourstrulytaaay to do a masterpost instead. (Adding a Read More cause this got ridiculously long)

Fun fact, TLO came out right after i finished reading the series for the first time so it's the first PJO book i bought and my only hard cover one for the og series. I checked the year and turns out it was published 2009, which means i was actually 9 when i read the series for the first time. I realize this is not really a fun fact but i thought i was older when I first read the series so it's blowing my mind a little ‘cause now I’m 21 and everything hits different and i still have so much love for this series and the characters Okay onto book thoughts: - i was right that this book is gonna destroy me, the first line alone made me so excited and nostalgic it's ridiculous - I love Rachel and Percy sm tbh. Her being a bit of peace and normalcy in his life without always reminding Percy of who and what he is is so good for him. Just a little escape

- of course by the end of the book that's not the case any more but by the end he's lived his prophecy so he doesn't need it as badly, plus he and Annabeth are solid again - Percy saying Annabeth has been hard to be around lately... Ouch my heart. Luke really is the last thing that keeps them from being together and Percy is so jealous and Annabeth so torn and in pain, i feel so bad for them both

- Beckendorf 🥺🥺 - the telkhine with the Lil Demon lunchbox!! I forgot about him. Percy: 'i left him alive, partly because his lunchbox was cool' is one of my absolute favourite lines tbh - Paul taking Percy crabbing and being imperative in helping Percy kill the giant crab 💖 Paul Blofis is important and deserves the world, okay? - aw Percy, you can't save every demigod bb

- 'i had to fight him eventually. Why not now?... What difference would a week make?' Oh Percy you have no idea - real talk tho, the fact Kronos possessed Luke's body would also mess me tf up. Percy keeps forgetting it's not Luke anymore and yeah, that would be so so hard and confusing af, like what another smart little mind game for Kronos to pull on top of everything else - the fact Percy fights Kronos before getting the Achilles Curse and actually doesn't die within seconds is... Astounding. He kicks him in the chest! And yeah Kronos is weaker and still adjusting to Luke's body, but Percy is having trouble fighting Luke cause they used to be friends - Percy breaks Kronos' time magic!! Like?! Boy is POWERFUL.

- OUCH - honestly Luke, Thalia and Annabeth's family breaking the way it did... Don't talk to me. Poor Annabeth, Luke betrayed them, Thalia joined the Hunters because of Luke's betrayal so she's pretty much AWOL all the time and then Luke dies. Like Rick wtf, my heart can't take it? -Percy and Tyson having each others backs when talking to Poseidon in the underwater palace is the brother-brother relationship we love to see - Percy trying to stick a sand dollar in the vending machines at school 🤦🏻‍♀🤦🏻‍♀ - the whole underwater interaction at Poseidon's palace? Perfection. Awkward family drama and all - Connor falling out of the tree when he sees Percy because he's so excited 😂😂

- 😭💖

- k, ik Clarisse isn't perfect but tbh if i was a child of Ares whose father was disrespected and hated by my fellow campers (ares deserves it but still) and that disrespect trickled down to how the other campers treated ME (which if Percy is reliable here, it obviously does) then i would also be irritated at being used for muscle and nothing else? And just expected to fight with the people who act as if they'd rather not have Ares kids around the rest of the time. Like Clarisse isn't totally wrong - Percy reading the prophecy, seeing he's meant to die and just being like 'i do not see it' and refusing to outright think about it makes me so sad for him - (but it taints every action after and he's super reckless afterwards bc of it- including finally breaking and accepting the Achilles Curse) - (also him taking this as the last straw and finally beginning to show Annabeth how he really feels, cause fuck it, he's dying anyway) - Give me more info about Rachel's backstory and family Rick!! - how did i forget Percy willingly eats chocolates that taste like cardboard because 'i didnt have anything against cardboard' like sir? Ik Silena didn't want them but still? - 'she'd always been cute, but she was starting to be seriously beautiful' STOP, MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT - Percy staring at Annabeth and forgetting what they're talking about cause hes so distracted 👌🏻

- hmm yeah... For some strange reason.... - i forgot how Percy totally bombs this convo bw them and now want to cry 😭 Annabeth is trying to talk about what's important and Percy, you sweet oblivious man, you're shooting her down without even realizing - love that they're both on the same wavelength tho. Percy two lines before, hmm it's cool to date ppl from other cabins, wonder why im thinking that around Annabeth, my best friend in the world, and then Annabeth a beat later, hmm, let me bring up Silena and Beckendorf and how it's important to be with the people you love when you have the chance, no way Percy will miss this huge hint right? - they're the best - k i honestly forgot Percy full on physically intimidates Leneus like that - luke telling his mom if he ran away the monsters wouldnt get her..i can just imagine luke crying when he says good bye before running away because he thinks it's his fault his mom is like that and he cant take care of and protect her anymore because it's too hard - uh oh now i have angsty pre-lightning thief luke fic inspo... Him, Thalia and Annabeth on the run... The ANGST - Rick holds absolutely nothing back in this book and i am in pain - HESTIA!! 💖💖🥰 - actual loml - i love that Rick titled this book after her and that he wrote such a great series about the importance of family (biological, found or otherwise) and home, and that he said actually Hestia is the most important bc shes the most humble and keeps the peace and knows when to fight and when to yield and you protect what you love, which is your home - i just... Adore Hestia - Grover! Missed you babes - Hades is so so horrible to Nico, always comparing him to Bianca :/ - but i do love Hades, Persephone and Demeter together they make me laugh - oh god the River Styx - Achilles 🥺 - Annabeth being Percy's lifeline is, and continues to be, A Lot™ - 'my name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.' LOL Why am i crying? - Like the fact there is no Percy without Annabeth, and that remembering her literally reminded him of who he is in his very soul... It's fine im fine - i won't even get into the parallels of her being his lifeline now and then later when Hera takes his memories but leaves the memory of Annabeth for Percy to fight to get back to (anyone who wants to yell about it with me... Feel free to message) - badass Percy is my fav Percy tbh - him defeating Hades?? Like? Hades is arguably the most powerful god, okay - i feel bad for Nico but if i was Percy I'd do the exact same, Nico, sorry man but this is a high stakes time crunch deal and Nico is literally the only hope of persuading Hades and distracted by his own internal stuff - flashbacks to Luke, Thalia and Annabeth hurt, ow - George and Martha are the best - damn i forgot Hermes full on nearly kills Percy here, yikes - Luke stop cockblocking Percabeth challenge

- i love!! Percy's love for New York!! So much!! - Percy leaving to live in New Rome in HoO is a lie and this is all the proof i need for why - the fact the entire last half of the book is the battle and aftermath... Such great buildup and pacing. All the tricks and twists and battles in this War of Manhattan? I would not take out a thing, Rick, you legend - of course then the final battle in hoo with the gods is what? Two pages? Ugh, don’t talk to me about my hatred for BoO and HoO - 'no detours you two' is still the cutest thing!!! - THE HUNTERS!! Thalia i missed you - good job Percy, you finally spent your sand dollar - Minotaur!! - 'dont i get a kiss for luck? Its kind of a tradition right?' Percy finds out he's gonna die and is out of fucks to give and honestly I support him - also Michael just standing beside these two while they're flirting like umm 👀 👀 while a monster army marches towards them, nbd - Annabeth taking Ethan's knife meant for Percy!!! Cause she just knows his weak spot without him even telling her! They literally invented love - Feral Percy is so scary omg, i love how well Rick incorporates the Achilles Curse in this novel, with the whole heightened weaknesses and stuff ans the parallels to Achilles arrogance being what killed him and Percy's loyalty, fierceness and protective instinct being his own heightened weakness - the fact that Percy is the one who inadvertantly kills Michael Yew tho, I'll never recover from that - the fact Hades offers Maria di Angelo a golden palace by the Styx like how Poseidon offers Sally a palace under the sea tho. Let's talk about that parallel - the entire talk with Prometheus is so so good - not me picturing young Luke hiding in the closet to get away from his mom when she has an 'episode' -i love callbacks in stories and all of the callbacks to the rest of the series in this book make me very happy (medusa, minotaur, the underworld, Rainbow!! My baby!!, Daedalus and more) - Percy summoning a wholeass hurricane against Hyperion - the Party Ponies! They're so chaotic, i love it - Dionysus! 😁 I can't help it, i love him - Percy absolutely losing it when he sees Sally and Paul asleep in the car 🥺 - Rachel telling Percy he's not the hero screws with him so much :( poor bb - although i really really love how Rick wrote this, it's so refreshing to not have one chosen one save the world, but a combination of people - the drakon, Silena and Clarisse make me cry - the Patrochilles references, im not okay - Annabeth giving up on Luke after hearing what he did to Silena and Percy telling her that doesn't make him happy 😭 that whole interaction makes my heart ache - Percy giving Hestia Pandora's pithos 🥺 - and Hades, Nico and the others coming for a final attack is so badass, i love it - listen im glad the og trio were the ones to confront Luke on Olympus but the fact Thalia got so close and then pinned by a statue of HERA makes me so sad. Ik her and Luke were finished and she coped by cutting him off completely and giving up all hope but i would pay money to know what they would have said to each other to say goodbye - Ethan 🥺 - Poseidon joining the fight against Typhon is so cool, such a great scene - 'PEANUT BUTTER!' - Annabeth you brilliant badass you - RIP Luke, you werent great but you werent the worst either - the gods just rolling up seconds too late, wondering wtf happened in Olympus and who the dead body is - the chapter where the Olympians meet and give out rewards is one of my absolute favourites (again i am incensed we didn't get anything like this in HoO) - will Percy turning down immortality ever not make me scream in glee? No? Alright then - Annabeth being relieved like Percy was relieved at the end of Titan's Curse tho - oh Hermes :/ - its so hard reading all this and knowing what comes in HoO... Like it's such a cathartic, earned and mostly happy and peaceful ending and then HoO comes along and undermines it all - aww Rick let Paul see Olympus somehow pls, he deserves it, he killed a dracanae - (i would also love to see it) - Percy being more upset Rachel took his pegasus than her going to Camp and possibly dying, lol, priorities dude - i honestly think that Rick had other ideas for the second Great Prophecy and how things would go down in BoO, cause the prophecy like... Barely applies to BoO, Doors of Death are in book four, and explabations of it is all so unclear when Rick is usually pretty good with that stuff - PERCABETH - lol Percy complaining about privacy when he and Annabeth are caught kissing literally in the middle of the very open and public dining pavilion, okay - BEST UNDERWATER KISS OF ALL TIME - that's it and im a glass case of emotion - very happy to say that this series remains my favourite of all time 💖

If anyone ever wants to come gush about anything Riordanverse related feel free, because as you can see I have a lot of thoughts about it all

#lau rereads pjo #the last olympian is my favourite book for a REASON #honestly every line is killer #so much subtext to read into #the dialogue #the relationships are dialed up to 11 #every character is so on point #the battle strategies too? are just so interesting?#I just adore it #Tay don't read any of this yet cause it's all spoilers #alright I'm gonna go write fic to express these feelings now #tlo #the last olympian #pjo #pjato #percy jackson

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typical-simplelove · 3 years

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Part Three: Mooncakes (T. Jost)

Part Three to Red Envelopes, Dragon Boats, and Mooncakes; a Tyson Jost fic.

Series Masterlist (please read the note at the beginning of the Masterlist if you haven’t already, thanks!)

Pinterest Link

Summary: Kayla and Tyson spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Kayla’s family.

Author’s Note: Here it is! The final! I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this series thus far. Let me know if you want mini-blurbs? Again, I have somethings linked here and the Pinterest board is linked above for your help! Please, let me know what you thought and thank you for reading!

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Once again, no climax. However, here are the warnings: mentions of death, being Chinese, Chinese holidays, eating meat, very, very, very small insinuation to sex.

Before the Mid-Autumn Fesitval

After the amazing summer that Tyson and Kayla had, it was back to Colorado for the new hockey season. Lining up close to the hockey season was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival landed at the end of September and was the second most grand and important holiday in the Chinese Lunar calendar. Unlike the Dragon Boat Festival, Kayla is able to go and have a family dinner, and Tyson will be joining them too.

“Look! Look what I found at the Chinese market!” Kayla exclaims whilst walking through the door.

“I’m not sure what it could be, babe.” Tyson responds genuinely confused.

“It’s mooncakes!! For the Mid-Autumn Festival coming up soon!” Kayla responds enthusiastically.

“Yeah? That’s exciting!” Tyson says. Another holiday? Tyson thinks in his head. How many are there?

“It is, we are going to my parents house for dinner that night.”

“Should we bring anything?”

“Just these mooncakes and a book I have about the Festival for Elizabeth that Charlotte asked me to bring.”

Tyson nods as Kayla walks by him, gives him a kiss on the forehead, and heads into the kitchen.

I have to find that book Kayla is talking about, Tyson thinks to himself.

Later that day when Kayla is taking a nap, Tyson was feverishly looking through the bookshelves in their shared apartment for what this book might be. The only problem is that Tyson has no idea what this book looks like or is about. Tyson has made it through the first shelf when he hears Kayla walking out of the bedroom when Tyson has to plant himself on the couch so he doesn’t look suspicious.

This is going to be a long process for Tyson to look for the book that Kayla was talking about.

…

During a team hangout at the Landeskog household, Tyson was feverishly typing and screenshotting on his phone. The constant sighs of frustration that left Tyson signaled to his teammates that something was not going well.

“Tyson, buddy, you good?” JT asks.

“No,” Tyson replied tersely but not explaining what was happening.

“Are you looking for a book?” Andre questions amusingly after looking over Tyson’s shoulder.

“Maybe,” Tyson replies, once again, not choosing to explain.

“Tyson, care to share what’s bothering you?” Gabe asks knowing that Tyson can’t say no to the captain.

“It’s the Mid-Autumn festival coming up and Kayla is supposed to bring a book for her niece to her parents house when we go over to celebrate. I feel bad because I don’t know much about the holidays that she celebrates so I want to find this book and read it so I know what the holiday is all about.” Tyson explains.

“So, what’s the problem?” Gabe says confused.

“I don’t know what the book looks like or what the title is. I’m going in blind here.”

“Why don’t you ask?”

“I don’t want Kayla having to explain everything to me. I should know things about her life, culture, and traditions.”

“I understand, but, this is her expertise, right? If you ask her, then you won’t be this frustrated.” Gabe tells Tyson as a voice of reason.

“I guess you’re right,” Tyson admits.

…

When Kayla came home from work that day, she was greeted with Tyson scanning the bookshelves in a very frustrated manner.

“Hey, Tys, babe?” Kayla asks cautiously. “What are you looking for?”

“That book,” Tyson replies tersely.

“What book are you talking about?”

“The one that you said that you are going to bring to read to your niece. I want to read it, too, so that I know what the holiday is about.”

“You could have just asked me. It’s also not quite about the holiday but a story.”

Tyson doesn’t respond. He is still fiercely staring at the bookshelf. Kayla walks over to him and wraps her arms around him. When Kayla does this, she feels Tyson relax in her embrace.

“Why don’t I tell you the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival?” Kayla suggests.

“Why can’t I just read the book?”

“Because it’s written in Chinese.”

“Oh,” Tyson replies with defeat.

“How about I make some tea and we can sit on the couch and I’ll tell the story?”

Tyson nods. He wanted to surprise Kayla with the knowledge. However, he loved when Kayla took care of him and spoke to him. There was something about her voice that relaxed Tyson.

“Ok, the tea is ready. I thought, why not make Chinese tea and we can have a mooncake while we sit.”

“Oolong tea? From Chinese New Year?” Tyson asks eagerly not wanting to admit that he liked drinking that tea.

“No, not that tea. A different tea. It’s still a Chinese tea but I don’t know what it’s called. I only look for the packaging in the store to be the same as the tea we had growing up.” Kayla tells Tyson.

“So, you mean to tell me that you are giving me a tea that you don’t know what it's called or even what the ingredients are?”

“Maybe,” Kayla replies without meeting Tyson’s eye. “For what it’s worth, my mum doesn’t know what it’s called either and my grandmother only knows it in Chinese and the translation is something like beet root or licorice root. I can’t remember which one.”

“Just tell me the story, babe,” Tyson says with a chuckle trying to change the topic knowing Kayla was getting uncomfortable.

“The story is about a young, beautiful Chinese woman named Chang’e.” Kayla begins before Tyson interrupts her.

“Not as beautiful as you, though, Kayla.” Tyson says.

“Tyson, I’m trying to tell a story, here!” Kayla scoffs.

“Sorry, sorry, continue the story,” Tyson apologizes.

“Thank you. At the age of 18, Chang’e met Huo Yi, an archer. The pair became friends and later fell in love and got married. One day, instead of one sun rising from the sky, ten suns rose into the sky. The suns in the sky made it difficult for people to live and the heat was destroying the crops and resulting in widespread famine. Huo Yi, being the archer he was, shot nine of the suns out of the sky. To thank Huo Yi for his deeds, the goddess Xi Wang Mu gave Huo Yi an elixir of immortality. Huo Yi was conflicted on whether or not to take the elixir. Huo Yi only received one elixir which meant that his wife, Chang’e, wouldn’t be immortal, too. His decision was to hide the elixir, not take it, and not to tell Chang’e. Despite Huo Yi not telling her about the elixir, Chang’e knew about the elixir. One day, word reached Chang’e that an enemy of Huo Yi was going to steal the elixir and kill her husband. In order to save her husband, Chang’e took the elixir. When she drank the elixir, Chang’e did become immortal. However, because the elixir was not made for Chang’e, she floated up to the moon to where she precedes till this day. On the moon, Chang’e watched her husband grow old and die. To this day, Chang’e is still on the moon dreaming about when Huo Yi may join her again.”

Tyson doesn’t say anything for a few moments.

“Some other stories say that Chang’e took the elixir out of greed and floated to the moon to hide. Other stories say the Chang’e took the elixir and turned into an ugly toad. I prefer the version I told.” Kayla tells Tyson.

“Of course you prefer that version, my hopeless romantic girlfriend,” Tyson jokes. “What did Chang’e look like?”

“She was a very beautiful woman. She had long, silky black hair that shone in the moonlight. She had pale skin and lips the color of cherry blossoms. Chang’e was known throughout China for her beauty. Did you like the story?”

“Yeah! It was great! Do you have any other stories that you can share?”

“There are a few but not any for the Mid-Autumn Festival. How about, the next time these holidays roll around, I’ll tell the stories that come with them?”

“I’d like that a lot. And, one day, you can tell them to our children and grandchildren.”

“Slow down there, Tyson. If you want to put a baby in me, then you’re going to have to put a ring on my finger!” Kayla says.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, Kayla,” Tyson says. Kayla doesn’t respond except for getting up, clearing the dishes, and giggling as she leaves the living room. “Kayla, that’s not an answer!”

Kayla only continues to giggle. “Kayla, I need an answer!”

“I’ll give you an answer. I love you as much as Chang’e loved, actually loves, Huo Yi.”

“That’s a great answer. Well, I love you as much as Huo Yi loved Chang’e.”

中秋節 (zhong qiu jie) - Mid Autumn Festival - September 21, 2021

“What normally happens when your family comes together for this holiday?” Tyson asks Kayla on the car ride to her parent’s house.

“Normally, we eat dinner and then go outside to drink tea, watch the moon, and eat moon cakes.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, I mean, I remember reading that this was the second most grand holiday. I just thought you guys did a lot of stuff for this holiday.”

“Yeah, no. We used to make mooncakes with my grandmother but we stopped when she got arthritis. She never officially taught anyone else to make them so we don’t and can’t. No one wanted to disappoint her so we just buy them now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back any bad memories.”

“Tys, it’s ok! Don’t worry. No bad memories. My mum always told her to teach Charlotte or me but my grandmother always said no. I think she wants the mooncakes to be something to bring us all together when she dies.”

“That’s kind of gory,” Tyson says with a shudder.

“I guess. I mean, we only get together for this holiday and the Dragon Boat festival because my grandmother wants us to. It’s hard. Everyone has jobs and lives that are hard to put on pause. I know my grandmother understands that. I think she wants to give us a reason to come together other than on Chinese New Year. If we have to come together to remember her by trying to recreate her mooncakes, then that will be it. I mean, the only reason we do a dinner or celebration on the Dragon Boat Festival is because of my grandfather.”

“What do you mean?” Tyson asks.

“What holidays people celebrate are different depending on where in China you come from. My grandfather and grandmother are from different parts of China. My grandfather grew up in a village in mainland China. In his village, the Dragon Boat Festival and Chinese New Year were the two biggest holidays. The rest kind of faded into the back. He grew up learning how to make sticky rice, which we made with your family. When he and my grandmother got married, the sticky rice was what he passed on to my mother and aunties. When they had kids, me and my sister and cousins, that is what he passed on to us. I use his recipe and techniques he taught us. My grandmother grew up in Taiwan and Hong Kong which emphasize more on Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. She grew up learning how to make dumplings and mooncakes. She passed on the dumplings but has yet to pass on the mooncakes.”

Kayla pauses allowing for Tyson to soak in all of the information she just spit out.

“Continue, Kayla.”

“The difference between my grandmother and grandfather is that my grandfather wanted to tell us everything. He told us the same stories over and over again. Every year we gathered to make the sticky rice, he would tell the same stories and tell us the techniques over and over again. My grandmother kind of does that. She did that with the dumplings but refuses to teach us anything about the mooncakes. My grandfather wanted us to have all of the information so we didn’t have to guess when he died. I think my grandmother wants us to have to guess so that we can remember her longer.” Kayla finishes her sentence with a short sniffle. Tyson reaches over and strokes her thigh.

“Whatever the reasons, I can tell you are doing your best to keep up the traditions and that’s what is the most important thing.”

“Yeah, thanks Tys.”

“Of course, my Chang’e.”

This gets a laugh out of Kayla. “Really, Tyson?”

“It made you laugh! That’s what I was trying to do!”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Chang’e”

“Really?”

“It’s not going away, ever!”

. . .

“Tonight we are feasting like Huo Yi and Chang’e!” Charlotte exclaims from the kitchen. “We have hairy crabs, rice, tofu, cha siu (barbeque pork), and Peking duck.”

“I know they aren’t talking about you as Chang’e” Tyson whispers to Kayla. This gets an elbow in the ribs from Kayla.

“Uncle Tyson, do you know the story of Chang’e?” Elizabeth asks Tyson. This warms Kayla.

“I know it vaguely. Your Aunt Kayla told me a version of the story.” Tyson answers.

“Yee Yee, what version did you tell Uncle Tyson?” Elizabeth asks Kayla. [Yee Yee is aunt]

“The version where Chang’e fell in love with Huo Yi and Chang’e took the elixir to save Chang’e from death.” Kayla answers her niece.

“Boooo! That version sucks!”

“Elizabeth!” Charlotte scolds her daughter but gets a laugh out of everyone.

“Why don’t you tell me your version of the story then?” Tyson proposes.

“Ok! So, the basic part is all the same. Chang’e was a beautiful woman who fell in love with a really good archer named Huo Yi. When ten suns rose into the sky, Huo Yi used his arrow to shoot down nine of them. To thank him, Huo Yi received an immortality potion. Huo Yi decided not to use it so that he could be with his wife, Chang’e. He didn’t tell her he received it. However, Chang’e knew. Chang’e decided to take the potion herself and was turned into an ugly frog because of her selfishness never to be loved again. The end.”

“That’s a good version, Lizzie. But, I think Aunt Kayla’s version is better.” Tyson says.

“If you say so,” Elizabeth says unsure.

“Why don’t we eat and Po Po can tell her version of the story that she learned?” Kayla’s grandmother said.

Everyone agreed and once everyone had food on their plates and began taking their first few bites, Kayla’s grandmother began her version of the story.

“Chang’e was a poor girl working on her family’s farm. Despite being poor, Chang’e was one of the most beautiful women in the Kingdom. Everyone pitied her. They believed that if she had more money, she could marry a prince or emperor. One day, Chang’e’s life changed forever. She met Huo Yi, who proposed to her. Knowing that this was her chance to leave the poor life she only knew, she decided to accept Huo Yi’s marriage proposal. The event that changed the entire kingdom forever was when ten suns rose into the sky one morning instead of one sun. The immense heat killed many crops and famine spread. Deciding he had enough, Huo Yi used his archery skill and shot down nine of the suns. To thank him for his deeds, Huo Yi received a vial of immortality potion. Huo Yi opted not to use it so that he could be with his wife who wouldn’t be able to be immortal. Chang’e found out about the potion and decided to use it for herself. Chang’e was a greedy woman who always wanted more. When she took the potion, Chang’e floated up the moon and lost her beauty. The potion was not made for her and this is her consequence for taking it and being greedy. To this day, Chang’e sits on the moon reflecting on her mistakes.”

“So, Uncle Tyson, what version was your favorite?” Elizabeth asked, stirring the pot.

“All three of you have told very good stories. However, I have to say Kayla’s was best. I like the romantic ending to the story.”

Kayla smiled up at Tyson. Tyson and Kayla both missed the looks that the rest of the adults at the table gave each other.

“Yucky, ew, gross, stop being all lovey dovey.” Elizabeth shrieks.

This gets a laugh out of everyone.

When the meal was finished, everyone put on their jackets and moved outside. It was time for the final activity of the night and dessert -- mooncakes!

“As we sit outside, we will drink tea and eat mooncakes. We have four kinds of mooncakes, taro, red bean, egg yolk, and custard.” Judy explained.

“Which is your favorite, Kayla?” Tyson asks.

“My favorites are the taro and egg yolk. The custard is always very flaky and results in a tickle in my throat.” Kayla responds.

“What do you suggest I try first?”

“Why don’t we share? Cut them in half so that you can try all four?”

“That’s a good idea. Also, is this the tea from the other day or is it Oolong tea?” Tyson asks.

“Nope, this is a red tea. I’m not sure what it’s called but it is made from red tea leaves.”

“This tea is my favorite,” Kayla’s grandmother responds. “It’s not too sweet so it balances out with the sweetness of the mooncakes.”

“And now, we eat and drink and look at the moon.” Charlotte says.

Everyone looks up at the sky. The full moon was shining that night. There was no need for the back porch light to be on; the moonlight illuminated the table and everyone sitting there. Tyson looked over at Kayla and couldn’t help but smile.

“You know, with the moon shining on you, this is how I imagine Chang’e looking like. Her dark black hair shining in the moonlight and illuminating her cheek bones.”

“Yeah?” Kayla responds with a blush forming on her cheeks. Tyson just nods but the redness from his cheeks is evident.

“Wai Po Po, can you tell me what Wai Gong Gong always used to say about the moon?” Elizabeth says.

Kayla whispers into Tyson’s ear that Wai Gong Gong is Elizabeth’s great-grandfather or Kayla’s grandfather. Elizabeth is too young to have a tangible memory of what Gong Gong used to say. She wasn’t born yet. However, the amount of times that Kayla’s mother, grandmother, Charlotte, or Kayla have told her, it makes it seem like Gong Gong was alive in the past five or six years.

“He used to say that how much light the moon shines on the Mid-Autumn festival represents how much Chang’e’s love for Huo Yi overpowers her longing for him. Like your Aunt Kayla, Wai Gong Gong loved the romantic version of the story of Chang’e.” Kayla’s grandmother says.

“This means that she doesn’t miss Huo Yi that much tonight, right? She loves him so much that missing him is not a feeling.” Elizabeth replies enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes, that is right.” Kayla’s grandmother agrees.

The rest of the evening passed with drinking more tea and finishing the mooncakes.

During the past year of celebrating the Chinese holidays with Tyson, Kayla couldn’t help but wonder, can this be tradition? Can Kayla and Tyson be celebrating and honoring these traditions one day as a married couple, one day as parents, and hopefully, one day as grandparents?

Just one look at Tyson proved to Kayla that there are many years to come with traditions and holidays celebrating their first shared red envelopes, dragon boats, and mooncakes.

end

#hockey imagine #hockey fic #tyson jost imagine #tyson jost x reader #hockey fanfiction #nhl imagine #tyson jost #nhl fic #colorado avalanche imagine #colorado avalanche #chinese culture fic #mid-autumn festival #red envelopes dragon boats mooncakes #woc oc!#claudia writes

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melancholic-pigeon · 2 years

Text

Chapter 7: Everybody Hates Me But The Horse; Stream of Consciousness Part 2!

I forgot how much of a diplomat Percy is.

Ever since I re-noticed how conflict-averse he is I'm seeing it absolutely everywhere.

(forgive the volume control ffff)

He's the one to try to smooth things over a lot of the time and it tends to make him really anxious when he can't and this is what I'm talking about when I say the text shows Percy's abuse trauma in the negative space.

He doesn't tell us why he hates conflict so much, but he hates it in the way that makes it very clear he's got Serious Issues about it. And he's good at it, too— that can also be a trauma thing! Hyperempathy can be a response to emotional abuse in particular; he had to learn how to read a mood and defuse a situation in order to survive.

The problem is when he butts heads with someone who has control issues (cough Thalia). They don't play nice with his Please Everyone Get Along thing, and it turns into a berserk button because of his fierce hatred for authority figures who abuse their power.

You can see this in the way he hates sea/equine creatures calling him "lord" or "boss", too. He doesn't like when people look to him as an authority figure...which kinda sucks for a natural leader!

The thing about that, though, is that he's also a caretaker. He's been a caretaker from the minute we met him. He takes care of Grover. He takes care of his mom. He takes care of Tyson. He takes care of Nico. He takes care of all of the little fishies in the sea. Even when he's exhausted, he takes care of everyone else before he lets himself rest.

It's another one of those things about him and Jason and their foil-ness. Jason's a natural protector who's an excellent leader; Percy's a natural leader who's an excellent protector. Jason means "healer", Perseus means "destroyer"; Jason shines when he's in the support role while Percy glows taking point. They can both take on the other's natural mantle, but they work best when they're together.

Like a cyclops who suddenly has two eyes. 😚

#yes I can turn everything into a ship manifesto why do you ask #pythia rereads the source material #you can barely keep up but you're learning a lot about coffee #i saw a monster. i hit it with my skateboard. fish pun.

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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years

Text

His Blood Runs Gold I

Percy is a God: Part I

Masterlist for the next part and more of my stuff

Y’all already know what this is!!!!!!!! But if you don’t then click this to find out. And i hope you enjoy Percy as a god cause i definitely do ;) *shivers*

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We were warm and shivering,

and young and ancient,

and alive.

-We Were Liars, E. Lockhart

Time is non-existent anymore. Percy should be twenty this year but now that he has ichor flowing through his veins, he can be 102 or 5. He has done things Homer would write epic poems about. If he were around at the dawn of time Ovid would have happily dedicated the Metamorphoses to him. But today Percy Jackson has been a god for three years and he has never felt more mortal in his life.

“Percy my boy, what are you doing here?”

“Hello Father, Camp Half-Blood is throwing a campfire in my honour and I thought it’d be rude not to show my face.”

“Very noble of you son. I remember back in my day the Greeks–“

Percy zoned out, tired of hearing how people bowed down to all these stuffy Olympians. The camp threw a celebration every year on the day he got immortalized and in return he reinforced the borders and blessed every demigod before they leave at the end of summer. He doesn’t know if he’s doing a good job, he doesn’t even know if what he does is making a difference, but he doesn’t know how else to give back to the camp and the people that saved his life again and again; who loved him and fought next to him and oh gods followed him into battle.

He’s never had the chance to talk to Chiron, who’s always busy with this demi-god and that satyr, and this nymph. He barely gets the chance to talk to all his old friends– between the new campers wanting to hear his stories and the general chaos of end of summer camp-life. He thanked the powers that be–what a jarring thought that he was one of those powers now– that he managed to find days in-between to see Annabeth and Grover.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the last time he saw Annabeth. She had been moving into her own apartment to start her third year at the University of New Rome. To his unsurprised delight she had chosen archaeology as her major but somehow slipped Latin and Ancient Histories into her schedule. He had helped carry bags and bags filled with books up to her room and they spent the day setting her up and making sure everything was in its place before she started the year.

Their relationship had progressed so softly, so slowly, Percy sometimes felt like he had imagined the year they had as a romantic couple. After he became a god they managed to go on a few dates, some interrupted by hothead immortals and revengeful monsters, and some blissfully alone. But once Annabeth started university and Percy was called again and again to help with this problem and that, it became a hassle to set up dates and figure out when to meet. They didn’t grow apart, so much as grow between. And although he missed the softness of Annabeth, he had gained a friend who knew him more deeply than any being alive– he was eternally grateful for that, and he couldn’t hate what they lost out on.

“Son, are you listening?” Poseidon pulled him from his thoughts.

“Yes father, it really was a great time for you. I have to go now, but Iris message if you need me.” And without waiting for a reply Percy strode out of Olympus and into the streets below.

He considered snagging a car but decided against it, since you couldn’t very well drive into Camp Half-Blood. Instead he walked into the ocean and let the current take him all the way to Long-Island, till he could smell the strawberries on the ocean wind and hear the echoes of camp games and reedpipes.

He stepped onto the beach, loving the soft sinking impressions he made in the sand. After his blood turned gold he realized he could walk on the sand and make no footprints whatsoever. The idea scared him so much he sunk under water and cried for three hours. How could he leave nothing behind? How could he have no imprint? It was Tyson, riding on his rainbow hippocampi who found him and showed him how to balance his weight; showed him how to step into the sand and not on it. When his footprints reappeared once more, he hugged his brother so hard if Tyson weren’t a cyclops his ribs might have cracked.

So Percy walked up the beach and through the strawberry fields, taking the time to breathe in the forest air, the fruit breezes, and ah the smell of chaos.

“JACKSON!” Connor Stoll yelled.

And with that single announcement Percy was home.

The day was spent in good spirits: racing with various campers up the wall and avoiding every deadly thing it spat at you– even if he couldn’t really die; then eating in the dining hall and getting to travel between tables without getting glares from various houses or Chiron; laughing as all the food turned blue just for him.

When it was time Percy walked with some of his friends; Clarisse who grew to be a steady, if raging fire, by his side, and Connor Stoll who is now the oldest of the Hermes kids since Travis left for college, and of course Will who above everyone reserves the right to make sure his friends were protected.

In a moment of vulnerability, he broke down on Percy’s immortal shoulder and wept. I don’t want to bury anymore of my friends Percy. I don’t want to be tending to them as they die in my infirmary. I can’t do it anymore. For him, Percy double, sometimes in moments of obsessiveness, triple checked his border defenses.

Now the little group walks around the perimeter of the camp and talks softly and contentedly as Percy knocks against the shimmering force, leaking power into the hollow spots.

“How is everyone at camp?” He asked.

“Fine, nothing has changed much. Ever since the Giant War it feels as if everything has calmed down to a lull. I’m wary it’s the eye before the storm but gods-dammit we deserve a break.” Connor answered.

Percy hid the rage of that truth but let the ache of those words settle in his bones. He simply nodded at Connor and turned to Clarisse.

“Are there any new campers who need to be protected?”

“Only a few, a lot have moved to New Rome over the last years.” There was a bitter edge to her words, caused by the sting of loss.

“You cannot blame them for wanting a life that is not concentrated to three months of safety.”

“I know,” Her nostrils flared, she kicked the rock in front of her. “I know. It just sucks that there’s so few of us now.”

“Maybe we can see about hosting annual games at each camp over the summer?” He suggested, careful to not step where the cracks spidered underneath him– even if the labyrinth had collapsed there was still the chance something tunneled beneath.

“I think that’s a great idea.” Will piped up, “Maybe then I can convince Nico to stay for more than one week.” He rolled his eyes, but the glimmer of happiness in them gave away his annoyed pretense.

“I will talk to the Praetors over there and let you know.”

“Thank you, Percy.”

They turned to face him.

He stared at them for a moment, studying their faces. Even now, all these years later it was jarring to see the signs of growth in their make-ups. He couldn’t say aging, they were barely hitting their twenties, gods Will was still a teenager, albeit not for much longer; but it was weird to watch as they grew up, watch as time changed their features, changed them.

Clarisse, who used to be a spitfire of rage and fierce protectiveness was now, more a well-kept hearth. She was still full of flame, but it was contained, and her fierce was warm instead of scorching.

And Connor, who had been attached to his brother at the hip, was all grown up. Travis was three years into a degree and Connor, although a prospective honours student, had forfeited college until he could figure out what he wanted to do. He was the sole head of the Hermes cabin, but somehow, he kept up the mischief as if the two were still together. The shenanigans are some of Percy’s favourites to hear around the campfire.

And Will, who is dating Nico di Angelo. The two were often running between the camps, though Nico more than the child of Apollo. It was Will, Percy thought, who brought the camp together, more than anyone. And Will, who in the process had lost the most. For him, Percy would continue to be here every year, would continue to help if they called when they were in trouble. Because he too was tired of seeing his friends die. Tired of seeing his friends mourn.

“It’s almost time for me to go but I wanted to say,” He fought to choke back the rising wave of emotions, “I wanted to say thank you. For keeping my home safe. And thank you for being my friends.”

Their hug lasted many moments, ribbons of friendship passing between them. And when Percy walked back into the sea, he was glad no-one could tell the difference between tears and ocean.

Friends, the word echoed in his head. So few and far between since he became a God. It was not that people feared him, they just became… wary. They fell into that space in-between, where one wrong move could plunge them into fear. When he first turned divine, he counted on his fingers how many friends he had, and if he didn’t have enough digits, he deemed it a good day. Now he can count with aching clarity all the people who loved him, and still have fingers to spare.

Annabeth asked him once if he regretted taking up Zeus’ offer, if he regretted turning his red blood gold.

He hadn’t answered her till three weeks later, over a three am phone call.

I don’t regret it, he had said, because I know I can help this way. I know I can protect my family and friends better this way. And when the phone had gone dark, he had whispered into the void of his room– an alcove of coral far, far, far underwater– I don’t regret it, but I’m so lonely. The tears at that admission did not stop flowing for many hours.

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Tags (If you want to be added to the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open):

@thepersonyourparentswishyouwere

@lesbian-peanuts

How are you feeling?? Cause i got 6K words for this fic and i don’t see myself stopping any time soon. Give me your thoughts young ones!!!!

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zadien · 3 years

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About the fic asks :- 8,15,33

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. (From Saving Part of the World, chapter 26)

Ian snorted. “We’re not friends.”

Hilary stopped. The movement was so sudden that Ian turned to make sure nothing had happened to her. She stood in the middle of the bridge and dropped her hood to look at him, a furrow forming between her brows. “We could be.”

Right. Sure. He turned away from her again to continue his path. “I don’t need friends. I have my team.”

Footsteps slapping against the slushy pavement told him she was hurrying to catch up. “Well, if you had other friends, you could tell them what your team did. Talking about things is good, Ian. When Tyson upsets me, I always talk to a friend—I talked to you and you helped me see that I was being unfair to the rest of my team. I couldn’t see that myself. Maybe if you talk about—”

“And give you weaknesses to exploit? I don’t think so. You forget Hilary, we’re rivals.”

 “No, we are not. Our teams might be rivals in the beydish, but for the important things, my team will always support your team. When Garland injured Tala, Tyson visited him in the hospital because—”

“Don’t!” He barked out the word as he rounded on her, his hands fisted in his pockets to stop them from lashing out. “Don’t mention that,” he continued, voice soft but fierce. “I didn’t get to be there. They stopped me from going and now they’re doing it again. Deciding things and not including me and it’s not fair! I’m not a baby, I’m not a child. I was a soldier in the Abbey just like they were.

I love this scene because it’s the beginning of Hilary and Ian’s friendship which is a really vital part of Saving. I love Ian as a character and I love Hilary and when I started thinking about Saving, I just had this image of the two of them and Amber becoming this little triad of “unimportant” people teaming up to save the world. But I was always worried about whether or not I could truly convey a friendship between two people who are very different personality wise and they’re not even on the same team. I wanted it to be semi-realistic. And it just kind of naturally evolved, and this is a great example of it, because while still being prickly and defensive, he trusts Hilary enough to let down his guard and confess his deepest secret. He loves his brothers, more than anything, but they left him behind and they are still keeping secrets from him. Not for a bad reason, but because they’re trying, in their way, to protect him. And having someone like Hilary to listen and give advice (and he does the same in his own way), is something that I really wanted to put into Saving. To have those moments of friendship in between the action, because without those relationships, why would we care if any of them survive? So yeah, this glimpse into Ian was a long time coming.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose? Saving Part of the World - it’s got such cool visual moments.

33. How do you feel about crack? Already answered in a previous ask :)

#zadien replies #ask me #writing ask #saving part of the world #stroblitzfalborg

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ladyherenya · 4 years

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Books read in March

An unexpected month all round.

I didn’t read everything I planned to read because life was busy and the news was hugely distracting. I ended up looking for other things to read -- books that sounded comforting.

Favourite cover: No strong feelings about any of these covers.

Reread: Some of The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker.

Still reading: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams.

Next up: The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing and Dreamwidth.)

Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis: A romantic novella about a couple of minor characters from Snowspelled and Thornbound. It’s a slighter story than I was expecting… but I’m not sure whether dragging out the misunderstanding between Juliana and Caroline into a longer story would have given it more depth or just been annoying. And as this story stands, it fits thematically right in with the rest. I hope Burgis returns to this world someday.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer: This follows on from one of my favourite books from last year, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, with different POV characters: Grey, a former guardsman to Prince Rhen, and Lia Mara, who has been overlooked as her mother’s heir in favour of her younger sister. I very much enjoyed spending time in their company. The dilemmas they faced -- about loyalty and leadership and being at odds with loved ones -- were engaging and thoughtfully-explored; tense without being stressful. My enthusiasm is somewhat muted because the ending offered less resolution than I was anticipating, but I’d prefer that Kemmerer took another book to deal with things properly instead of rushing. I trust her to have another story worth telling.

Elizabeth and her German Garden (1898) by Elizabeth von Armin (narrated by Nadia May): I had heard of this long before I read The Enchanted April last year, and I don't know why I hadn't seriously considered reading it... maybe the description didn't grab me or I had confused it with something else? It is utterly, unexpectedly, delightful! There's very little plot but I loved the descriptions of Elizabeth's garden, of her experiences gardening, of her small daughters and her observations about being introverted. I was less entertained by details about an irritating guest but that's a minor quibble.

The Two Monarchies Sequence by W.R. Gingell:

Spindle: After four hundred years, a princess is awoken with a kiss -- except that she wasn’t the princess and the curse isn’t fully broken. This reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones in the best possible way. Like Jones, Gingell doesn’t explain everything and expects her readers to keep up. It’s a style which particularly suits Poly’s story -- scrambling to retrieve her memories, catch up on major historical events and work out why she was targeted in the first place. The wizard who woke her isn’t inclined to stop and explain everything! It also fits with Poly’s experiences of magic. I loved this.

Blackfoot: Annabel, her cat Blackfoot and her best friend Peter are pursued by a sinister figure and hide in the ruins of a castle. I had an idea of who Blackfoot was, and Peter too, and knew what Mordion was capable of, but Annabel doesn’t and this is very much her story, as she discovers more about herself. Once again, Gingell’s style of not explaining everything works really well because Annabel is caught up in something confusing and magical and weird. Less compelling than Spindle but I loved Annabel and the way this captures her reactions to things.

Staff & Crown: Three years after Blackfoot, Annabel is sent to finishing school, where she and her new friend Isabella get up unexpected -- and sometimes unexpectedly dangerous -- adventures. Annabel and Isabella are an utterly delightful combination. I enjoyed their friendship, and the way Annabel renegotiates her relationship with Melchior. The latter relationship is important and, given their history, not exactly straightforward. I thought Gingell handled that deftly. (My only quibble is that Annabel’s adventures with Isabella are so lively, so much the focus, that other parts of Annabel’s school experience began to feel a bit too vague and misty by comparison.)

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (narrated by Charlie Simpson): As I suspected, listening to the (unfortunately, abridged) audiobook pulled me right into this story. I found it vivid, captivating and intriguing... which was not my experience of trying to read the book myself. I don't know how abridged it was but if the story was leaving out important bits, it wasn't obvious. (Although I did wonder whether I would have understood some of the character's choices better had more of the story was included.) The abridgement felt smoothly done and the audiobook was well narrated, with nice use of music.

Uptown by Ruby Lang: A trilogy of short romances set in New York.

House Rules: Seventeen years after their divorce, Lana and Simon run into each other at an apartment inspection. With some reluctance, they become roommates in order to rent a decent place. I liked the bits about their careers (she's a noodle maker in a restaurant, he's a music teacher), their ease with each other, and the sense of place. Things resolved very quickly in the end, and while I wanted more, given their history, that felt believable. This was a comfortable distraction in a week when I really needed it.

Playing House: When Oliver runs into Fay, an acquaintance and fellow urban planner, on a tour of showcase homes, she needs him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Just for a few minutes. I like how Oliver and Fay share a passion for architecture and enjoy each other's company -- I think Lang has a knack for portraying a couple who are very comfortable around each other but still feel excitement and uncertainty about their developing relationship. This is a slight story but I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes that's enough.

Open House: As a romance, this was my least favourite, probably because I'm much more interested in couples who know each other than in rivals: Magda is a broker responsible for selling a vacant block while Tyson is an advocate for the illegal community garden currently on the block. But even though it doesn't involve one of my favourite romance tropes, I found Magda's experiences in selling real estate and everything about the community garden interesting. The only thing I felt was really needed was more about the aftermath of Magda standing up to her (well-meaning) family.

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Stephen Briggs): A cleverly constructed story. My favourite parts, the parts which struck me as particularly insightful or where the humour appealed to me the most, were Susan as a schoolteacher and the conversations between Lu-Tze and Lobsang. I don't care for the Auditors but suddenly in the middle I started hoping that their part of the story would play out in a different way -- and then I was disappointed when it did not.

#Herenya reviews books #Stephanie Burgis #Elizabeth von Armin #W.R. Gingell #Brigid Kemmerer #Terry Pratchett #Discworld #Ruby Lang #Rosemary Sutcliff

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shamelessllamapeanutthing · 5 years

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Comfort me (submission for Beyblade Kintober Challenge)

Prompt: Hurt/Comfort

Pairing: Tyson x Max

Rating: M

Words: 1,506

Tyson supposed he never really could understand what Max was going through. His own mother had passed away before he could learn to miss her, and his household had never felt less than complete. It was times like these he looked back and felt appreciation overwhelm him, even as his heart very nearly broke for the trembling boy in his arms.

When Max cried it felt like invisible hands were wrapping around Tyson’s own throat and slowly tightening their hold with every tear that the American shed.

“I don’t understand why-…”, the sweet voice of his best friend broke over pitiful hiccups and Max never did reveal what it was he didn’t understand instead saying, “I… I just want her to feel proud of me like she feels proud of the AllStarz. I just want her to look at me and see the son who is willing to do anything for her happiness, instead of a failure of a blader who isn’t even worth his own mother’s time!”

Tyson would tell him he wasn’t a failure of a blader, that he was one of the very best in the world, and that Ray and Kenny would agree, even Kai would (albeit grudgingly) but as tone-deaf as Tyson generally was, even he could see the reassurances of a friend could only do so much in the face of the disregard of a mother.

Feeling his own lower lip wobbling, Tyson gathered Max’s quivering shoulders closer to himself and subtly took a quick sniff of his familiar scent, hoping to let it ground him, so he could be there for his love.

“Max,” he drew up a blank. “Maxy-…” he tried again and failed. This wasn’t familiar territory. If it took everything away from him, Tyson would still give it all up just to stop Max from breaking like that and yet he could never find words to get that across. He wasn’t smart like Kenny or charming like Ray. Hell, even Kai’s eyes expressed more than Tyson ever could when it came to Max.

“I…-” cringing, he decided to not try again, running a hand through his hair and pulling off his cap instead. His arms came back up around Max, who had yet to look up. If it were any other time Max would be laughing and poking fun at Tyson’s disjointed speech. Tyson would feel horribly embarrassed, but the joy in those big blue eyes would eventually get him to crack up too.

Almost instinctively, Tyson grabbed Max’s chin and forced him to look up. Before he could stop himself, Tyson’s lips were brushing against his damp cheek.

When his brain cells caught up with his limbs, Tyson jerked back in horror only to have Max immediately latch on to his wrist. For one, his tears had stopped flowing but his wide-open eyes were seeking answers now. Answers Tyson wouldn’t, couldn’t provide. There was so much at stake. Max was so helpless right now, the championships were coming, Ray and Kai were always sneaking off together these days, he had had a fight with Kenny of all people in the evening before and… Tyson’s little mental rant was cut off as Max’s expression shifted.

A slight smile blossomed along the corners of Max’s mouth, whatever answers he had been seeking he had found, and apparently they pleased him well.

“Do that again.” Tyson could imagine the shy shifting of Max’s eyes and it did things to his stomach that he had never experienced in his life before. “Kiss me again, Tyson.”

Fists tightened in Tyson’s over-shirt. His own fingers were sifting through soft blonde strands and lifting Max’s face up again. Tyson pressed another kiss to his cheek, and then one more (what if he never got to do this again?) before pulling back to survey Max’s face.

He was more than pleased to find the pale cheeks painted a fierce red. Feeling some of his smug confidence seep back in through his feet, Tyson smirked.

“That help you a little?”

A single blonde brow was raised and Max smiled. He seemed threateningly close to tears again, but somehow they didn’t seem to be the sad type anymore. The American wiggled on his spot on the couch and after a moment’s hesitation, brushed Tyson’s arms aside and clambered onto his lap.

“You know what would help me more? If you did that properly again and for a little longer.”

Finding speech eluding him again, Tyson numbly started leaning towards Max again, only to find a hand (which was definitely not his own) re-positioning his head thus that his lips met Max’s lips instead.

Was it okay for a guy’s lips to feel so soft, so delicate?

For a second, Tyson remained frozen before he gave himself a mental kick and decided to move his lips the way he had previously practiced on his hand (he had never been kissed before, but that’s none of your business), hoping that it won’t feel as awkward as it had back then.

It didn’t.

Instead, when Max started applying similarly gentle pressure against him, Tyson was left floundering for words. He had never been kissed before, maybe because it was Max who was destined to be his first kiss. That was the only reason this mashing of lips felt so wonderful because it was with him.

They continued to softly smooch each other, and when they did break apart, Max was smiling again. Not that kissing wasn’t fun in itself, but even if it wasn’t he would do it as much as he had to, to keep Max smiling.

“I want more Tyson.” The more they touched, the more confident Max grew. Presently, he was unbuckling the straps of his dungarees, and pulling down the neck of his t-shirt to reveal the pinking column of his throat. Interesting. Tyson didn’t know people blushed down their necks too.

Instructions quite clear, Tyson leaned forward and started pressing butterfly kisses against Max’s rapidly flushing skin. Their arms fell around each other in a careful embrace, as if they both understood whatever this was, was so precious they had to cup it in both hands and keep it safe forever.

There was an intoxicating quality to Max’s scent because Tyson was getting more worked up the more his lips touched his skin. Max himself was clearly, and quite audibly, enjoying the activity for he kept sighing and his breath kept hitching. His eyes were screwed shut. Tyson wondered if it was just Max who’s neck was so sensitive or if it was everyone else too.

Curious to find out what other reactions he could get, Tyson’s hands drew the edges of Max’s t-shirt out of his dungarees. He lifted the garment up Max’s chest and over his head, and the blonde boy posed no resistance at all.

Tyson bit his lip. He wanted to touch all that was this beautiful little angel’s but he wondered if that was too intimate. Suddenly feeling shy himself, he sufficed with loping arms around Max’s waist and attacked his collarbone instead. He felt Max inhale sharply and throw his head back. His back squirmed as if he couldn’t quite control it as Tyson dusted kisses and bites across his collarbones and shoulders. Whenever he stopped to look up, the expression on Max’s face only made him rush to continue.

Sometimes, he would nuzzle the crook of Max’s neck. When he bit him on the side of it, a little more to the back, the American gasped out loud and Tyson found himself licking and pecking that spot again all to hear the delightful sound once more.

What he did hear was the sound of the front gate closing.

Immediately Max flew off Tyson’s lap and grabbed his t-shirt from the floor. One second Tyson was looking at a panicked Max fumbling with the garment, other at the yet closed door, and when he turned back the kid had already settled his clothes back in place and was respectfully sitting next to Tyson like nothing in the world had happened. Albeit, a lot closer than he had previously been.

The door slid open behind them and they both turned around to see Kai and Ray entering the house. Ray held the door open for Kai, who was carrying all of the stuff Ray must have purchased for dinner for some reason. This deeply perplexed Tyson. He had once asked Kai to hold his gloves while he did up his shoes and the Russian had simply glared and walked away. Why was he carrying bags for Ray now?

Lost in contemplation, Tyson didn’t notice Ray’s eyes sizing the two up. “What happened?” The neko demanded of them and Tyson prepared himself to apologize though he was perfectly aware he had no reason to.

“Nothing. I was just a little upset.” Max said to Ray before turning his smile at Tyson. It grew significantly softer and Tyson’s heart went bonkers in his chest. Max’s hand covered his own. “Tyson was just comforting me.”

#beybladekinkbingo #submission #TysonMax #my fanfiction

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spookyspaghettisundae · 5 years

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Unrest of the Wicked, Part 1

The earl’s hand guided his quill with furious fervor. Black pigments stained his fingertips. He remained oblivious to the amount of times he returned the pen to the inkwell, flying back and forth.

Concentration stayed his focus. Obsession drove his speed.

“Excuse me, sir. Would you not rather have me take dictation for you?”

The pen’s tip nearly snapped under the pressure that Earl Irvine Tyson applied to it in response to the sudden question. The ink blotted into a thick and unsightly splotch.

His manservant, Frederick—who had had the audacity to interrupt him with this idiotic question—nearly jumped a foot off the ground when Tyson slammed his fist into the desk with such violence that every little object littering the table’s surface jingled and rocked from the sudden physical outburst. The earl needed not to look up to know that Frederick’s face maintained its guise of a stony mask, yet Tyson could nearly taste the terror welling up in that pathetic sycophant.

It pleased him somehow.

“No. Be silent, fool.”

The earl continued penning the missive. The scribbling sounds of the quill inscribing the nobleman’s “investigation” onto the parchment filled the air. Only when he took short moments to pause and consider the next sentences with care did the soft hiss of the gas lamp on his table fill the air.

Minutes melted into hours. The earl had abandoned every sense of time. The world around him had ceased to exist.

“Sir,” the manservant croaked.

Toad, the earl thought as his lips curled into a displeased frown. His eyes wandered over the words he had just written, confirming to himself that his hatred for King Sieghard flowed into every stroke of his pen, every letter of his writing, every word of his thoughts given life upon the paper.

“What,” he said to Frederick. The word carried no ring of a question to it, no rise in tone to indicate curiosity. It bore the weight of a lord commanding his subject to drop dead on the spot for interrupting him once more.

Frederick cleared his throat and took the length of several heartbeats to consider his next words with tremendous care.

“The constable, sir. He is snooping around outside. Again.”

Earl Tyson deigned to look up. His brow furrowed under the weight of a new, seething anger bubbling up inside of him. He glowered at Frederick and could almost hear the manservant halt a screech of fear from escaping his throat.

“That blasted pig-man. That audacious whoreson. Where does he get off on his nosy cocking around,” Earl Tyson swore away. He jammed the quill into the inkwell and rose from his seat. With such force that the legs of his chair groaned as they scraped over the soft oriental carpet.

Frederick had the clarity to step aside from the window. Just in time.

Tyson arrived by the window with a velocity to match his fury. The earl stared through the window and finally regained a sense of the world around him.

He peered down to the cobblestone-covered streets of the dreary city outside the museum. A fog so suffocatingly thick that it nearly swallowed the light of the streetlamps filled the nightly environs.

Though the visor of a custodian’s helmet concealed the visitor’s face from the earl’s elevated angle, he knew right away that it could be no other man than Vaughn Todd. The constable stood next to a lamp’s wrought iron stand, revealing his impressive height by contrast. The lawman possessed a natural stature that few folk could rival.

The lawman paced up and down the street, peering into museum windows with piqued interest. With gloved hands folded behind his back, he had a dignified and calm air about him.

The earl soon lost all patience regarding the constable and he clicked his tongue. Earl Tyson sighed in a curt and sharp fashion.

“Invite the good constable inside, if you would be so kind,” he said.

Frederick took too long to register the sudden order.

“Now,” demanded the earl with a growling flourish, chilling his manservant to the bone and provoking a meek confirmation. Frederick fled the chamber with hasty steps.

The earl returned to his desk and took his seat once more. His gaze swept over his own handwriting, returning to where he had left off.

“At every scene of crimes committed in conjunction with deviltry such as wytchcraft, vampyrism, lupine derangement, or cannibalism, my investigations always discovered but a black rose. Implicating or pushing suspicion upon King Sieghard’s involvement in said deviltries and,” he whispered to himself under his breath, reading his last sentences back to himself. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering how he had wanted to finish that line.

Heavy thumping from boots accompanied the soft steps of Frederick as two men ascended the stairs leading to the second story of the museum. Earl Tyson’s jaw quivered with anger over having his train of thought interrupted and his lips turned into a thin white line. His teeth grated upon each other.

He rolled the parchment up and placed it within a drawer of his desk. Just before the two men entered his office, he folded his hands upon the dark wood of his desk’s writing surface.

Constable Todd removed his helmet as he entered, placing it under an arm and giving the earl a brief nod. The lawman’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the nobleman behind the desk.

The earl looked up at him, too fatigued to bother putting up any guise of false friendliness. The scowl across his face expressed his unmistakable disdain over the constable’s visit.

“Earl Tyson,” Todd said.

Frederick quietly sidled up behind the earl, ignored entirely by the two men.

“Constable,” replied the earl. Every syllable sounded like icicles clinking together and falling. “Was there anything you needed?”

Todd’s wide square jaw jutted out for a moment until he set it. The earl could see the gears grinding behind the lawman’s forehead. The light from the lonesome gas lantern flickered, causing everybody’s shadows to dance for a moment that could be missed in the blink of an eye. Yet none of them blinked.

“No, sir. However, I would be remiss to not inform you that unsavory folk have been snooping around your manor and this very museum as of the past fortnight.”

The earl leaned back in his chair, unfolding his hands till his fingers steepled together in the shape of a pyramid.

Yes, he thought. You are one of them, constable.

“Oh?”

“Aye. If I dinnit know any better, I would wager they have a vested interest in your most recent additions to the exhibition down below,” Todd said. His left eye twitched.

The earl found the man impossible to read. What was his goal? What did he know? What did he not know? An owl hooted outside, interrupting Tyson’s thoughts.

It reminded him how long and awkward the silence between them grew to be.

“Is that all? I am terribly busy with writing, my good man,” said the earl.

“Ah, yes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” said Todd in an unexpectedly musical tone. His nostrils flared and the corners of his lips twitched with the hint of a smirk being kept from sight. “Would y'care to show me the exhibit in its current state?”

The scowl upon the earl’s mien grew more fierce and he lowered his face, over which two long strands of hair draped down—once raven-black, now turning snow-white from the grief of war. The overwhelming darkness within this chamber—only given power by the little source of light—engulfed half his face.

“I invite you to see the exhibit for yourself as soon as the museum reopens in the coming days, constable.”

“When was that again?” Todd pronounced the last word in a way that irked the earl—making it sound more like “a gain.”

“Come Tuesday. It says on the sign outside, clear as day, if I am not mistaken.”

The earl failed to wrest control over the scowl upon his face. He stared daggers at the lawman.

Todd nodded, having wiped any semblance of a smug grin from his features.

“I might not be able to attend. Being busy during the days, as you may know,” the constable said. “But less out of personal interest, and more because I had hoped for a private showing, to see what potential—robbers, bandits, what have you—might indeed be after.”

Todd returned the helmet upon his head and folded his hands behind his back in his usual manner.

Earl Tyson gestured to Frederick with a dismissive wave.

“My manservant can show you the exhibit in its rough state, if I cannot convince you otherwise,” said the earl.

The constable stood there. A long and unnerving silence filled the room. Having served in the military, the earl was familiar with this behavior. The lawman likely used uncomfortable silence to intimidate people, he fathomed. Constable Todd—who the hell did he think he was? That annoying beanpole must have considered himself to be far more important than his lowly station. He probably had not even served in the war in the north.

The earl caught a whiff of his own scent, a strong body odor eclipsing his perfume and reeking of boiling rage.

“You have my thanks, good sir. I shall not bother you with your—hmm, your business—any longer,” the constable blurted out. He gave the earl a lopsided smile and tipped the helmet upon his head in feigned gratitude.

He then turned and left through the door to the office. The earl’s head jolted to his side and he glared at Frederick.

The eyes of his manservant widened with dread and he scurried out of the room to follow Todd.

The earl’s first instinct was to immediately open the drawer and unfurl that parchment he had put away. To finish the work he had started, early that evening, before the dark of night had devoured the skies over Crimsonport.

But he refrained from doing so. Instead, he rose from his chair with a stealthy slowness. He crept towards the office door and peered out through the crack—his servant had carelessly left the door ajar by an inch.

One of the earl’s big, black-ringed eyes gazed to the museum hall downstairs. The constable and the manservant had already vanished around the corner. However, the thundering steps of the constable telegraphed his every move in the lower level. The soft glow from a lantern moved around down there.

The earl strained his hearing to make out the words echoing from below. Frederick gave poorly informed explanations to the artifacts already exposed on open display. Just after the earl snorted in disdain, Frederick regained a shred of silent favor from his master—by using eloquent speech and flowery descriptions to explain the nature of the exhibition’s items.

Relics from far-flung lands, retrieved from accursed tombs, buried under mountains of merciless sand, unearthed by bold scientists on daring expeditions. Evidence of a fallen civilization on a dark continent, echoes of a forgotten age of which the gods-fearing folk had only vague knowledge—for now. Muffled grunts indicated something resembling approval or acknowledgment from the constable, who listened to Frederick’s guided tour without any verbal comment.

Then the constable asked, “What in the Good God’s name is that?”

After a brief pause, Frederick explained.

“The sarcophagus of the ancient dead. It contains the mummified remains of a great king of said forgotten age.”

The earl closed the door to the office at a snail’s pace, taking his time to make no sound.

Earl Tyson returned to his seat at the desk and retrieved the parchment from the drawer. He groped at the quill in the inkwell and let it hover over the bleached page, lost in thought. A drop of ink plummeted from the tip of the quill onto the scroll, where it splashed and spread like a cancerous darkness.

Yes, the ancient dead. The wrath of the restless pharaoh would be endless and wreak unspeakable havoc, the earl thought.

It would walk. And the wretched king of this land would take the blame.

King Sieghard would pay. Earl Irvine would have his revenge.

He smiled.

A cold, cruel smile.

—Submitted by Wratts

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lastdancewith-mj · 5 years

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karaoke nights

they were all bored on a Tuesday night in the summer, and it’s the only week none of them have to be anywhere else other than home and they’re all feeling a bit panicky because there’s too many things to do and too many things to say

Leo’s still unbalanced from his break up and he’s wondering how Calypso is doing, and Hazel’s nervous because Frank just told her that he loved her, and Percy’s on edge because Sally’s due date is on his calendar

so it starts off as a wild idea but then Percy’s offering his cabin, and Piper’s already humming a song so they go to Percy’s cabin and Leo hooks up a sick sound system and finds some spare mics laying around.

(The dresser gets pushed away and Tyson's bed is shoved in the corner)

there’s a moment of silence because they aren’t sure how to start

“Well, who’s first?”

Hazel steps up, she isn’t shy, no no, but she’s tentative now because even though she’s been doing research she’s still behind on pop culture

(Beyonce who?)

but Piper stands by her and gives her good song choices Hazel would kill at

In the end she imagines she’s one of those women she would see in New Orleans, and Hazel’s voice is louder than expected, a nice surprise

Leo’s on next, and he’s out there singing to ‘conga’ by Gloria Estefan. He doesn’t have the best voice, but he dances around the room and gets everyone to stand up. It’s nice, because it’s been a long time since his friends saw him dance around so freely

Jason and Percy and Frank all sing together at first because they’re all scared and don’t wanna admit it (they sing bohemian rhapsody-Hazel is terrified but they harmonized well)

Piper sings a french song no one knows but it makes Annabeth’s eyes water because it was just so romantic, seaweed brain, dance with me

But piper shakes it up right after when she calls for all the girls and they sing ‘dancing queen’

The song reminds Annabeth of her dad, because he used to play it all the time for her when she was little. Her chest feels a bit hollow, but it’s okay

And she’s is doing this cute shoulder shimmy thing and it’s the first time Percy’s seen her like that

Nico’s surprisingly good at karaoke, he has a very chill vibe in front of his friends. He gets an encore for his slowed down version of ‘american idiot’ that sounded super sexy

Percy (besides Piper) is one of best singers, and he keeps getting a mic shoved into his hands. (His raping isn’t bad either, he went through a Jay Z phase)

Leo and Piper do a duet of some one hit wonder and Leo spins her so much she gets dizzy

The night end up being so sweet because Percy’s cabin is familiar, he’s got pictures of them up on his walls, and Frank’s got his feet up on his pillow with Hazel is right beside him, and he isn’t doubting what he said to her anymore

Piper’s got her two boys on either side of her, both fierce and both caring, and both are screaming in her ears. She doesn’t want to ever lose them

Leo’s got a headache and a sore throat and his cheeks hurt but it’s the most alive he’s been in months, and he’s starting to believe his friends when they tell him it’s alright

Jason’s so at peace, he feels like he’s floating

Nico wants to cry because no one laughed at a cover of a song he’s been secretly working on

The night goes well into the morning, and other campers are waking up to the sound of the most broken people they know singing and the campers want to cry because something really good is happening

Years later, once a year on a Tuesday night, no matter where they are, no matter who with, they have a karaoke night.

Masterlist

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jacewilliams1 · 4 years

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On the shoulders of giants

Upon hearing of the recent passing of Galen Hanselman, my thoughts immediately turned to the awe-inspiring flying trip I took in the Utah backcountry exactly one year ago. The current prohibitive travel restrictions make it an even more valuable experience today. The memories stirred by looking at the video and the pictures puts a smile on my face every time.

Pilots are generally a fiercely independent, individualistic, driven, type “A” group that are justifiably proud of accomplishing something many others would not attempt. However, if honest, we have to admit that much of what gives us pride is a result of the innovation and endeavour of others.

Vistas like this are still out there—you just have to find them.

Let’s consider my trip, for example. I am a prairie boy, and the landscape where I have farmed all my life is as flat as a billiard table. Straight roads form a one mile grid as far as the eye can see. Obviously, my flying experience is not suited for the Utah back country. When we returned, many of my Manitoba friends and neighbours thought I had accomplished something amazing. Nevertheless, if the truth was known, it was Galen’s 2007 Fly Utah guidebook that allowed this flatlander to make that trip not only possible, but also safe and enjoyable as well. Truly, I was “standing on the shoulders of a giant,” able to see and experience Utah’s amazing vistas.

I expressed my appreciation to him earlier this spring, and received this gracious reply in return:

Aren’t you glad there are still places like this to explore? I loved producing this book. The world is slow to discover this magnificent part of the country but it’s coming around.

All my best,

Galen

The Utah Back Country Pilots Association not only takes care of the amazing back country airstrips, but actively lobbies to maintain access on behalf of the aviation community. Again, we are following in the footsteps of others who have gone before us. Do we express our thanks frequently enough and support them adequately financially?

Advances in experimental aircraft make trips like this more accessible.

Bob Barrows gave me the ability to travel 1000 miles each way quickly and efficiently while also having the capability to handle short, rough, high elevation strips by designing the Bearhawk line of aircraft. This is another example of how pilots have reaped the benefits of the skills and efforts others contributed. The technological advances and improved affordability of the experimental aircraft community cannot be overstated. My Patrol (released in 2010) is a prime example of how this trip was made possible by taking advantage of the work of others.

Speaking of technological advances, the significance of Steve Jobs’s 2010 release of the iPad to general aviation was so huge that it’s hard to believe that it’s only been around for 10 years! Jason Miller and Tyson Weihs developed something that we take for granted now, but just over a decade ago was only a dream. ForeFlight was a huge part of how I was able to flight plan and navigate this unfamiliar area. There are a number of excellent competitive product options now, but they were the first. A trip like mine would have been much more challenging with paper charts. We all (yes, me too) complain about the cost, but really, the iPad and the apps developed for it changed the way we fly.

We all know that much of the joy that travel adventures bring is in sharing them with others, whether it is the actual experience or the stories that are inevitably told later. Did you know that surfing and memories of Utah back country flying are connected? Nick Woodman invented an action camera in 2004 that would show off surfing moves, allowing him to “Go Pro.” The evolution of action cameras has allowed us to share our flying experiences with others like no generation before us could. Are the cameras free? Obviously not, but the memories are priceless.

Thanks to ForeFlight and GoPro cameras, planning and reliving an adventure is easier than ever.

The innovations listed above have transformed the general aviation experience. Safety, accessibility, speed, situational awareness, and the sharing of experiences have all changed by orders of magnitude hard to comprehend in a very short time. We can see and experience things never before possible because we are truly standing on the shoulders of giants. There has never been a better time in history to go flying!

Often our appreciation is expressed solely through the financial worth of a purchase transaction. While it is true that this shows we value what the innovator has done, perhaps during this time when we are confined it would be appropriate to call or email someone who has contributed to your aviation experience and let them know. Do it now, as none of us knows how long the opportunity to personally say thank you will be available! I know that I am glad I did!

My immediate plan is to climb back up onto the shoulders of these aviators and innovators to see the vistas and experience the adventures of a bucket list trip recommended by Galen himself as the premier backcountry flying destination. The Fly Idaho guide is being bookmarked while planning the route using ForeFlight on my iPad… and I’m upgrading my GoPro cameras so I can share the experience with others.

If you are interested in seeing the memories of our Utah back country trip that make me smile, you can check them out in this video.

The post On the shoulders of giants appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2020/06/on-the-shoulders-of-giants/

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kittytalkshxh · 7 years

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Succession War Speculation

I just wanted to make a little (lol) post while all the princes are still alive. Once the arc is over I’ll come back and see how accurate I was in my speculation. (Behind a cut because it got looooong.)

1. Benjamin is the first prince, and the most physically intimidating out of all the princes. He has a vicious personal army, a creepy nen beast, and a strong desire to obliterate all of his siblings. He will probably be one of the final princes in the battle if things go well for him. However, I kind of want him to be the first one to die, just to show that physical strength isn’t everything, but Togashi already kind of did that with Uvogin, so we’ll see if he does it again. (Also the nen beasts can possibly decimate his army if none of them know about nen).

2. Camilla is the second prince, and we don’t really have much information about her as of this moment (Chapter 362). Tsubeppa calls her greedy, and she has a boob shaped jellyfish for a nen beast, but we don’t know much else. However, Tsubeppa and Queen Oito both named her as one of the princes who would be fighting hard for the throne, so hopefully she will hold her own when the war gets under way.

3. Zhang Lei is the third prince, and like Camilla, not much has been revealed about him yet. Also like Camilla, Tsubeppa and Queen Oito acknowledge him as a threat in the succession war. I’ll wait to learn a little about him and Camilla before I really make any solid predictions. (He has one of the more aesthetically pleasing nen beasts, so that is a plus.)

4. Tserriednich, the fourth prince, has been set up as the most terrifying prince in the succession war, brutally murdering two women in his first appearance, and making macabre art out of another woman’s skin in his second. Prince Tserriednich believes he is an extraordinary individual living among swine, and he would be the worst person to win the succession war. The less said about his nen beast, the better. He is also the owner of several of the Scarlet Eyes, even appearing to have a severed head of one of the Kurta clan among his collections, so Kurapika will be targeting him in addition to all the princes. Unless something completely unexpected happens, he will definitely be one of the final princes fighting for the crown.

5. Tsubeppa is the fifth prince, and the last of the five mentioned to be seriously fighting for the throne. She tries to make an alliance with Tserriednich in chapter 362, and considers her other elder siblings completely inadequate to rule. She does seem to dismiss the younger princes as contenders for the throne, so that could be the one blind spot that could come back to haunt her in the future. Her nen beast also looks pretty fierce, so I think her chances to last in the war are pretty good.

6. Tyson is the sixth prince, and honestly I don’t think she will last very long. She probably won’t be the first one out, but from what we have seen of her, I don’t like her chances. Tserriednich mentions her in chapter 348 only to talk about how protective she is with her handsome bodyguards. Tsubeppa doesn’t believe she has any desire to be king either. She does express some interest in being king him chapter 358, but I’m still not sure how serious she is about it at the moment. Her nen beast manifests as a bunch of small frog-like creatures (or possibly the thing giving birth to them in chapter 362?), and we haven’t seen them display any special powers as of yet (and her bodyguards seem to be more like personal man servants than actual guards). Kurapika’s old teacher Izunavi/Mizuken has also enlisted as one of her bodyguards, so we will see if he makes a difference in terms of her survival, or just gets mowed down in the crossfire.

7. Lusurus is the seventh prince, and he is also probably going to be one of the first to die. Like Tyson, Tsubeppa mentions him as one of the princes uninterested in being king and doesn’t consider him a threat. Which is interesting, since Lusurus mentioned in 362 that he will be targeting her first, so we will have to see who comes off better in that encounter. Nevertheless, Tserriednich clearly considers Lusurus a moron, after all of his bodyguards fail the Hunter Organization screening in chapter 348. Lusurus’ nen beast might be the least impressive one I have seen so far, and it is also pretty arrogant of him to assume only he has bodyguards with knowledge of nen and that it will give him an advantage against the others, so. I guess we’ll see how that ends. As a last note, Basho is his bodyguard at the request of Kurapika, and I do not like his chances of survival as a result. Good luck Basho, don’t die.

8. Harkenburg is the eighth prince, and while he would probably be the best king if he won, he will definitely be the first or one of the first to die. He doesn’t wish to participate in the succession war, and according to Kurapika in chapter 350, he wishes to make some radical changes to the Kakin nation if he becomes king. He doesn’t get along with most of his family as a result, although he does have a surprisingly close relationship with Prince Tserriednich. However, I have no doubt Tserriednich will double-cross him the first chance he gets, since he considers himself so above everyone else. Queen Oito also says that if he wins the war he will probably give asylum to the Princes left alive who don’t want to be king, and he is their best shot at surviving. So obviously that paints a bigger target on his back as well! The death off all his bodyguards only furthers my certainty that he will die soon. The only thing giving him a chance of survival is his nen beast, which looks properly menacing. Good luck, you poor doomed bastard.

9. Okay, if Harkenburg doesn’t die first, it will definitely be the 9th prince, Sale-Sale. I mean, seriously. Look at him. He visibly shows no desire to be king, and only seems to be interested him women and partying (his nen beast seems to be in perfect agreement on that front). So yeah, he’s dead for sure.

10. Kacho the tenth and Fuugetsu the eleventh might be my favorite princes so far!!! And I really, really don’t want them to be knocked out of the race so soon. I name them together since they seem to be the only two princes working together explicitly at this point, so it’s just easier to talk about them as a team. I can’t say how well they will fare against the adults at this point, but I want to believe they will hold their own. Okay, honestly, Kacho will probably be the one to survive the first volley, since Fuugetsu seems like a sweet girl who is just going along with what her sister says so she doesn’t get murdered. (I don’t know if Kacho is actually planning to let Fuu live in the end either, but I am waiting to see if she will keep her deal or not). I don’t think any of the older princes will expect the younger princes to be threats and it might give Kacho a leg up here. She’s obviously smart enough to realize she can’t beat the other princes without help, so I don’t think arrogance will hinder her too much. Okay, I don’t really have any basis to think she will do well, but come on! She’s a mean girl who pretends to be sweet and is actually devious and I want her to succeed so badly! Please don’t kill her and her sister off too fast Togashi, I love them. :( Also Melody is Kacho’s bodyguard, so if she dies Melody might die, and I don’t want to see that happen. Please don’t kill her Togashi I’m begging you.

11. Momoze!!! The twelfth prince is my other favorite! Oh my goodness, I love Momoze. She seems like a sweet girl who likes to knit, but her nen beast can manipulate others and already killed three people. All while being an adorable mouse thing. I love it. I believe she’s also planning to kill her mother and little brother as of chapter 361, but her wording was ambiguous enough that I could be mistaken. It’s important to note that Momoze’s mother did take some of her bodyguards as extra protection for prince Marayam, and Hanzo was among them. I mention it mostly because he may get caught in her assault on Marayam (or be the agent of it?) as a result. Otherwise, I think she has potential to last in the war, and I definitely don’t want her to be one of the first to die because she is so much younger.

12. Marayam is the thirteenth prince, and he might be in trouble. He has the least protection besides Woble and Momoze, and we haven’t seen if his nen beast is strong enough to protect him. However, he does have one thing going for him. Biscuit is his bodyguard! She is one of the strongest nen users in the Hunter Organization and will definitely be able to hold her own against any of the nen beasts (hopefully). So with her on his side, Marayam definitely has a chance of surviving. (Unless Momoze takes control of her and uses her to kill Marayam.) (Please don’t kill Biscuit Togashi; I won’t forgive you if you do.)

13. And finally, Woble, the fourteenth prince! I…have no idea what will happen to Woble at this point. Kurapika being her bodyguard doesn’t actually comfort me at all. I’m honestly unsure if Togashi would really kill a baby just to make Kurapika sad and guilty. Her mother Oito might be in more danger than her as an adult, although maybe I just want Kurapika to be forced to take care of a baby all by himself. It would definitely be interesting to see her live (or even win) despite all the disadvantages she has at this point. But people might be expecting her to win since she has Kurapika as a bodyguard, so it would be more unexpected to just kill her off? I don’t know. We haven’t even seen her nen beast yet, and it could potentially be strong enough to help her survive. Maybe. I’ll just be waiting to see what happens. (Just to be clear, I’m not in favor of murdering the baby, but Togashi is a cruel man and I don’t trust him).

So that’s everything I have so far! I don’t know if it was so much predicting as summarizing everything we know about the princes so far, but I’m too tired to write more. I might go back and add links to sources later, but for now I’m just gonna drop this and run since it is way too long already.

#hxh #hunter x hunter #hxh spoilers #hxh362 #hxh manga #dark continent arc #kitty talks #oh my god this took too long to write #i got tired halfway through #and just started rambling #although i think you can still tell who my faves are #help i love the succession war and all the terrible princes #especially the girls

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kpopfanfictrash · 7 years

Text

Addewid (V)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Kai (Jongin)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 4,416

Summary: “You cannot appeal to my better nature, for I have none. I am not human, little one.”

You’ve always known you were different. You’re able to see them, after all, able to see the Others. You’ve also always ignored them. Until the day comes where you’re forced to make a choice - one that throws your world into chaos. And sends you down a path you might never return from.

Straightening, Jame tightens the straps of his backpack across his chest. Now he understands the consequences of his anthology though, so he can’t let another day go by without making things right.

His daughter promised to stay with that creature. To stay with the monster. He was supposed to, not her. She gave herself up for him but how can he be happy without her? She was his reason for living, his only cause for continuation and now she’s disappeared.

James Tyson stares into the shadowy depths of the forest. With one, deep breath, he walks inside.

V - The Library

James is stumbling. Gasping for breath through rain-soaked lungs. There are noises all around and none of them are human - that’s the only thing he’s certain of anymore.

A root sticks out but James doesn’t see it, tripping to land face-first in the muck. Water coats his back, pushing him into the earth to keep him there. James lifts his head, vision blurry with rain.

He must keep going. He must, must, must. Y/N has been through too much because of him already. Resolve strengthened, James achingly pushes himself to his feet.

He must.

For the second time in so many weeks, I find myself staring at a door.

Hesitancy, a more delicate emotion than fear. My hand has already fallen twice from the knob. Fingertips touching silver only for courage to fail me in the end.

Of all the books in my room, none of the titles were familiar. All five were native to Faery – something which surprised me. It makes me wonder what else I’ve missed. I always thought the Fey didn’t care about such things. A notion which seems arrogant, now that I think about it.

Each story Kai gave me was unique and bright, full of intrigue and wit. One was the tale of a talking teacup who hitchhiked on the back of a nymph through the Undersea. The moral of the story seemed to be never trust a merman – though I can’t be sure. The whole thing was filled with witticisms and phrasings I can’t even begin to understand because I’m not Fey

The only person could explain is Kai, but we’ve only had that brief moment of understanding. Barely a minute where it seemed as though we didn’t want to rip the other’s throat out. Metaphorically speaking, of course. If Kai wanted me dead I would be.

“Aren’t you going to enter?”

I jump, almost hitting my shoulder as I turn. “Oh,” I gasp, looking up at Kai’s face. “I thought you were already inside.”

Shaking his hair, still damp from the snow outside, Kai walks forward. “No. I went for a walk.” He stops a few paces away from the door to gauge my expression before placing his hand on the knob. “I was going to eat breakfast.”

When he pushes open the door, I step inside. “Perfect. So was I.”

Kai stares for a moment longer before following, loosening his cloak and entering the room. He drops this into San’s waiting hand, who immediately moves towards the kitchen. San passes my seat, dropping a quick wink before going through the revolving doors. I’m momentarily thrown, since San typically ignores my existence.

I’m not the only one who notices. Kai’s gaze darkens at the retreating fairy’s back before falling into his seat at the head of the table. “Sit,” Kai gestures to the chairs before him.

I sit, fluffing my skirts and frowning when they catch on my chair. At the sound of Kai laughing, I look up. “What?” I ask, somewhat defensively.

Ladling brown sugar onto his oatmeal, Kai glances at me. “You don’t have to wear gowns if you don’t like. There’s no dress code in Faery.”

I close my mouth, which has fallen open. “But.” My thoughts spiral. “I thought that –"

“Your clothing was cleaned upon your arrival,” Kai explains, adding a scoop of fruit atop his bowl. “Muriel placed your things in the dresser once they dried.”

“In my dresser?” I repeat, glancing suspiciously towards the stairs. Muriel never once mentioned my clothing – I’d just assumed they’d been thrown away. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Kai inclines his head. “Not that dresses don’t suit you, of course. I just thought you might want your own clothes.”

I don’t know what to say. This is very… considerate of him. Kai continues to watch me, so I nod. “Thank you.” Kai continues with his breakfast and I return to mine, blinking in surprise at the spoonful of fruit I’ve picked up. “Oh.” I lower my spoon, squinting. “The inside is pink.”

“And?” Kai raises his brow.

Shrugging, I lift it higher. “The inside of oranges aren’t pink in the human world.”

“That’s because it’s a grapefruit, not an orange.”

A grapefruit. A plain, human grapefruit. Kai looks at me, alarmed when I start to laugh. Giggles escaping until I can hardly see the table before me.

“Is this …” Kai’s words trail off. “Are you amused or angry?”

The sound of his voice is so confused I force myself to stop. “Both?” I gasp, opening my eyes. “And neither.”

“How odd.” Kai pushes his bowl aside. “Your human emotions sound exhausting.”

“Maybe that’s why we die so young,” I respond, struggling to hide my smile.

Kai looks stunned. He stares back until he, too, starts to laugh. His head falls against his chair and I need to look away, look down, look anywhere but him. He doesn’t look as menacing when he laughs. Some of his heaviness seems to lift. I hadn’t realized how weighed down he seems to be. This thought is almost enough for me to feel sympathetic towards him. Almost.

Kai’s laughter dies as he cocks his head to one side. “I never understood why some Unseelie Fey insisted on keeping humans,” he muses, scanning me. “To me, you’ve always seemed rather tiresome. Bright as flame and burning just as quickly.” Kai breaks off, shrugging as he takes another bite of food.

The thought seems somehow unfinished. “And now?” I ask, slightly indignant. “Are you saying you see the appeal?”

Kai lifts his eyes.

His gaze trails my body, tracing every curve before finding my face. It makes me feel exposed. As though I no longer can hide. At some point, my cheeks turn crimson and I realize I can barely think straight. Still I hold his gaze, mustering up as much defiance as I can.

The corner of his mouth lifts. “No, I don’t understand the appeal.” When I gasp, Kai laughs. “A fact you should find comforting, little one. The others are not as nice with their playthings.”

“Why do you keep calling me ‘little one?’” I gripe, ignoring the shiver which runs down my spine.

“You are little,” Kai dismisses me. “Small, frail, delicate. It’s amusing you seem to think you aren’t.”

“I’m stronger than I appear,” I frown.

“Yes.” Kai’s gaze softens. “In some ways.”

It’s maddening. Every conversation we have seems to end in more questions. I suppose that’s how the Fey are but gods, is it frustrating. Taking a sip from my tea, I sigh. The cup tastes of blackberry and mint, two of my favorite flavors.

Kai sets his spoon down. “I offered to show you my library,” he says, watching for my reaction.

“You did.” I set my tea down. “You didn’t say when, though.”

“Now.” Kai stands, strands of his hair falling into his face. “If you want to, that is?”

I blink back, surprised. Kai just asked me what I wanted. Didn’t demand, didn’t order. The eternal prince asked. I stand, pushing my chair away. “Now would be nice.”

If Kai is surprised, he hides it quickly. “This way,” he nods, opening a twin pair of doors. We walk in the opposite direction of the East Wing, him falling into step beside me.

I’m the first one to break the silence. “Are there other humans in Faery?”

Kai glances sideways. “Some. More than you’d think.”

“Are there any free humans?”

A muscle in Kai’s jaw ticks. “No,” he says. “A blessing to those humans, let me assure you.”

“Ah, yes.” My steps are angry and my glare intensifies as we walk. “Thank you so much for kidnapping me.”

“I didn’t kidnap you.” Kai grits his teeth. “You offered yourself in your father’s place.”

“A technicality.”

“That’s it.” Roughly, Kai pulls me to face him. His expression is cold and I struggle to remain stoic under that gaze. “I had very specific orders that night. Find your father, destroy the anthology and make sure he told no one. When he offered to come to Faery and never return, it seemed a simple solution.” Some of Kai;s anger lessens as he looks at me. “No blood, no mess. Until you ruined it by offering yourself in his stead.”

I’m temporarily stunned, thrown by his anger. “Well sorry,” I huff, wrenching free from his grasp. “Sorry for not wanting my father to die alone in your eternal wood.”

Kai’s eyes flutter, though he continues to glare. “Your father is alive and still out there,” he snaps. “Which, while not an exact violation of my orders, will also not please Maeve. I accepted your promise out of pity and by doing so, put us both in a very dangerous situation.”

“Why?” I demand, needing to know. Needing to understand why this monster would take me in and heal me. “Why could that be dangerous?”

“I’m part of the Unseelie Court,” Kai hisses, his gaze fierce. “I do not show mercy. When you admitted you knew of the anthology, I should have killed you then and there. The Fey will ask me why I did not.” His eyes blaze with anger. “I will need suitable answers to these questions, little one.”

“And if you don’t?”

Kai doesn’t move. “Then I will be punished and you will die.”

My voice catches, making it difficult for me to answer. “Oh.”

After staring for another long moment, Kai begins to walk. “So you see.” His stride is brisk. “It would’ve been easier had you stayed. I was only instructed to seek out your father. I could have pretended we never met, that I never saw you. Ignorance is a better excuse than mercy.”

Though my footsteps falter, I manage to catch up. “Then why didn’t you explain?” I manage. “Why didn’t you say all this back then?”

A laugh escapes him. “Would you have believed me, little one?I know how you view my kind. Besides, your analysis was correct. It was more sound to take you as collateral.” Nodding, Kai looks down. “I couldn’t ignore that. I am, above all my Queen’s servant.”

A flicker of darkness crosses his expression and I find myself wondering what Kai is hiding. He decided not to kill me and my father. For reasons unknown, he also seems determined to bend the Queen’s orders. Determined to be merciful and be merciful to me, a human.

“Who are you?” I ask, uncertain I want to know the answer.

Kai stops before a large set of double doors.

“I am Prince Kai,” he answers, not looking in my direction. “Lord of the Unseelie Court and Enforcer of Queen Maeve. Now,” his gaze finds mine, eyebrows flicking upwards. “Would you like to see my library?”

My gaze travels to the door beyond him. “Yes. Very much.”

Kai’s expression lightens as he turns the handle, pushing open the doors to reveal what’s inside. I’m momentarily dazed stepping across the threshold. I don’t know what I was expecting but this is so much more than that.

The room is beautiful. Based on size alone, I would have imagined it to be a ballroom or something similar. Shelves line the walls, built upwards to reach the ceiling in delicately curved spires. Staircases wind alongside the books for better access, set against a multicolored backdrop.

I turn in a circle, eager to take it in. Even I, a professor’s daughter, a bookstore manager, have never seen so many books in one place. They pile to the ceiling, sprawled on tables, gleaming in the sunlight. It makes me giddy. So many books, so many possibilities – all of them unread.

I walk forward, hand reaching for the nearest stack before realizing what I’m doing. I pause, glancing back to where Kai stands as I remember the last time I touched something of his without permission. “May I?”

A slight flush stains Kai’s cheeks and he nods, walking forward. “Touch whatever you like,” he says, voice low. “Take whatever you like. This room is yours.”

Mine. The word reverberates, echoing in my thoughts. The notion is difficult to comprehend, in the midst of such strangeness. Reaching for the nearest book, I slowly flip through its pages. The colors are beautiful, pictures bright as they swim before me - literally swim. I gasp realizing the fish are moving. Tentatively I reach, about to touch when a strong hand closes over my own.

“It’s okay,” Kai murmurs, lowering my hand to the page. His touch is gentle. “You won’t hurt it.”

I hover, bracing for water but find parchment. “It’s just a normal page,” I exclaim.

When I glance backwards, I realize how close he is. From here I can see every flaw on Kai’s face – which is none. The broad sweep of his brow, delicate lashes crystalline on the slope of his cheeks. Kai’s eyes find mine, hand still covering my own and I find the air in the room suddenly sparse.

“It’s magic,” he explains. “An enchantment in the ink.” Kai’s hand suddenly lets go and he takes a step back, leaving me bare.

“Did you create this spell?” I ask, lifting the book into my arms.

“No,” Kai smiles. “That kind of spell isn’t my specialty. There are artists who work for years to create that type of beauty.” Gently, he takes the book from me. “Some of these tomes are invaluable.”

I realize I’m staring. Watching the way Kai holds this book, because it’s the same way my father does. Lovingly, like an extension of himself. My gaze falters at the sight. “Did you collect all of these?” I ask, searching for a distraction.

For some reason, the words cause Kai to look away. “Most of them,” he says, abruptly replacing the book on his table.

I feel like I’ve said something wrong and glance down, unsure of what to say next. There’s a book called Creatures of the Undersea, which reminds me of the book Kai brought me. “Are all mermen truly not to be trusted?” I ask, flipping to the second page of the volume.

Kai turns, a half-smile on his lips. “What?”

“The book you gave me,” I explain. “That seemed to be the overarching moral.”

Kai bursts out laughing, the sound of it echoing through the room. He runs a hand over his hair, eyes crinkling. “Merpeople have a different code of honor,” he explains. “Not only can they lie, they are not bound by promises. The Siren is a type of merperson,” he muses, walking closer. “She sits on her rock and sings nightly. Her lies are so sweet that men go willingly to their death.” In the sunlight of the windows, Kai’s eyes gleam an unearthly color.

‘”See,” I sigh, snapping the book shut. “Just when I think you’re tolerable, you say things like that.”

“It’s the truth.” Kai continues to smile watching me. “Would you rather I pretend everything in Faery can’t kill you?”

“What does it matter,” I shrug, turning away from him. “I’m going to die here anyways.”

Kai is suddenly before me, forcing me to look at him. “What does anything matter, then?” he asks, gaze sharp. “We all die eventually, little one. Whether it’s by force or the gradual end of it all. We all die, and then what’s the point of anything?”

Staring back at him, I forget for a moment what he is. Forget he’s inhuman and immortal, that I’m trapped here by his Addewid. It’s strange, someone of such dark nature could have those eyes. How did I ever imagine them to be cold and inexpressive? Right now he’s looking at me, gaze full of such emotion it’s breathtaking.

“What good am I locked up here, though?” I ask, not looking away. “What meaning could I possibly find on your grounds?”

Rather than brush aside my words, Kai considers this. “We’re all trapped, little one,” he sighs. “Some more so than others.”

Not for the first time since my arrival, I glance at the silver band around his neck. It gleams in the sunlight. “Kai,” I say, ignoring his surprise at his name on my lips. “What is –"

A knock sounds from the front hall.

I hadn’t realized Kai was leaning in but now he jerks back, focus moving elsewhere. Kai moves suddenly, brushing aside to hold up his hand. “Don’t follow,” he grunts, slipping out the door.

The library door doesn’t fully shut, falling about a foot short of the frame. Though I know that I shouldn’t, I walk closer. Pausing on this side to listen. Kai’s footsteps are muffled, I hear him growing further away before a woman’s voice joins – Muriel.

Their conversation is low and urgent, Kai’s words suddenly come to a stop and I hear the noise of a door being opened. A greeting, short and clipped as Muriel’s tone betrays something more - fear? I wonder who could possibly invoke such a response and my stomach drops at the possibility it’s Maeve.

But no. Maeve wouldn’t knock on Kai’s door. Maeve would simply enter.

The voice which answers Muriel is male. Male, with the sort of timbre that forces me to take a step backwards. Now Kai enters, his voice sounding impatient. Peering between the doors, I see Kai’s shape at the end of the hall. He’s just entered, in the middle of fastening a cloak around his neck, as though he were leaving somewhere.

He pauses mid-gesture, speaking lazily to an unseen someone. The same voice answers, though from my distance all his words are indiscernible. For the first time in my life, I’m frustrated with the fact that I’m human. If I were Fey, I could hear them. Instead, I strain through a door.

“Don’t go in.”

Kai’s voice is clear as day.

The tone of it is bored, almost lazy – but I can understand him. It’s loud. I realize what this means just in time, scrambling backwards as the door flings open.

A man strides inwards, scanning the room. The stranger’s skin is paler than Kai’s, almost translucent. His hair is black as ink, flowing just past his shoulders. He would be gorgeous if he didn’t look so painstakingly… other. Swirls of ink cross his skin, shifting beneath the light in patterns unpleasantly like human bodies. I look down, not wanting to understand their meaning. The fairy’s eyes are a tawny, burnished gold and they narrow unpleasantly as he walks.

He doesn’t see me at first, glancing over the railings and back before finally noticing. He pulls up short at the sight, something like surprise crossing his features. “Ah.” The man’s voice is silken, a caress. “What have we here?”

Kai enters, footsteps echoing on cold stone. “Do you have a reason,” he sighs. “For entering my home, Sehun? Are you truly this aimless away from court?”

The newcomer – Sehun– curls his lip. “You have a new plaything,” he accuses, still staring at me. “I’ll admit, I wouldn’t have expected this of you, Prince.” Sehun turns to face Kai, this last word almost an insult.

Kai’s expression remains neutral. When his gaze moves to mine I nearly recoil. Whatever warmth that’s accumulated over the past days has disappeared. In its place is the dark anger which reminds me of that first night we met. The immortal Prince Kai, come to take me away.

Without quite knowing why, I shiver.

Sehun lets out a laugh. “Your pet seems frightened, Prince. What have you done to her? I’ll admit,” he muses, walking around me. “She’s beautiful. You’ve been holding out on us.”

The fairy stops behind me and I struggle to remain neutral as his finger lifts to the nape of my neck. In front of me, Kai looks murderous. There’s a flash of rage before his expression wipes suddenly, terrifyingly clean.

“What I do with her,” Kai murmurs, his voice deceptively casual. “Is none of your concern, Sehun. She’s mine. Or would you like to challenge me for her ownership?”

For a long moment, Sehun pauses.

I feel his fingertips dig into the top of my spine, vividly aware he could snap my neck at any moment. It would all be easy. My bones have never felt so delicate, my life so feeble. The movement in my veins feels weak and my terror heightens.

Chuckling lightly, Sehun steps away.

His eyes remain focused on Kai. “I would never,” he smiles, walking forward. “Not when you seem to be having such fun. It’s about time you let loose, after so much pain.”

Kai’s hand drops from his dagger.

My eyes zero in on this, his words taking on a new meaning. When Kai asked Sehun to challenge him, the other fairy backed down. Kai’s abilities seem to inspire to fear even amongst his own kind. Remembering our harrowing trip through the Otherworld, I can’t say I disagree with Sehun’s caution.

“Regardless.” Sehun’s gaze is level, expression cold. “Maeve sends her regards.”

Raising his eyebrow, Kai seems unconcerned. “Does she, now?” A smile curls his lip. “Odd. She doesn’t normally send the lower ilk to see me.”

Sehun growls in the back of his throat. “Don’t test me, golden one.”

Kai smirks. “Call me whatever names you like,” he whispers, knowing that Sehun can hear. “The truth is, I am Maeve’s favorite and you are not.”

“Warming the Queen’s bed,” Sehun grunts, throat tight, “hardly means –“

Kai’s eyes flash silver.

Faster than I can see, his hand is at Sehun’s neck, lifting him into the air. Sehun balances on his toes, grabbing for Kai’s fingers at the base of his throat but finding no purchase. Kai’s gaze is ice, hardening the longer he looks at him. “Never,” he breathes, “say that to me again.”

Though Sehun’s expression remains hateful, he manages to nod. When Kai releases him, it’s with such little effort that Sehun stumbles. He doesn’t respond at first, massaging his neck with such loathing that I take a step backwards.

“Of course,” Sehun intones, bowing with gritted teeth. “I apologize for any offense, Majesty.”

A muscle ticks in Kai’s jaw. “Forgiven. Tell me what your purpose is here.”

Sehun straightens. “There was a skirmish on the Western border,” he informs. “The Queen would like you to pay a visit to the survivors.” A small smile plays at his lips. “All of them.”

For the first time today, Kai’s expression falters. “All?”

Sehun nods, enjoying this. “All.”

“Fine.” Kai stares across the hall. He nods. “Consider it done. Is that all?”

Sehun shrugs, seeming bored by Kai’s reaction. “That’s all,” he sighs, examining his nails on one hand.

“Good.” Kai’s tone changes. “Now leave.”

Sehun saunters towards the door. “Of course,” he smirks. “I’ll go. Let me know if you ever grow bored of her, Prince.” Sehun nods in my direction. “I’m sure I could put her to good use.”

Stepping forward, Kai blocks me from view. “Look at my property again,” he intones, voice soft. “And I’ll ensure she’s the last thing you ever see.” Though his tone is light, there’s a certain promise to Kai’s words which gives Sehun pause.

With a small incline of his head, Sehun turns away. “What a last sight that would be though,” he sighs. “I do hope you return court soon, Prince.” His gaze flickers to mine. “Bring the girl. I’m sure Maeve will be expecting her.”

Then he’s gone, out the door before I can exhale.

Kai stands frozen, eyes unfocused and I realize he’s listening. Making sure that Sehun has truly left. I hear the sounds of the front door opening and closing and Kai murmurs something which sounds like he’s asking someone to lock it. Footsteps sound in the foyer and I realize that’s exactly what he was doing.

Kai moves, jerking to life as his eyes lift. Before I can speak, he’s by my side. Hand slipping beneath my chin to turn my face from left to right. His gaze doesn’t meet mine, scanning my body for harm. Searching my neck, searching wherever Sehun touched.

Kai pulls back to meet my gaze, realizing that I’m trembling. “He’s gone,” he whispers, words quiet. “He’s gone.”

“Who.” I stop, licking my lips to try again. “Who was he?”

“That,” Kai says, watching me carefully. “Is why one of my rules is not to open my front door.”

His hand still lingers on my cheek, thumb soft against my skin. I recognize this at the same time he does and Kai hastily drops his grip. I blink at his absence, alarmed by how comforting his touch was. I should be terrified. Should shy away, scared by the way Kai spoke and what he said but instead I find myself feeling grateful. Relieved, even.

“You called me your property.” I lower my gaze, struggling to pull myself together. “When Sehun said I was your plaything, you didn’t deny it.“

“It’s better he thinks of you that way.” Kai sounds pensive. “It’s for your own protection, I swear it.”

His words are sincere, adamant in a way that makes me forget my words. “Why are you protecting me?” I ask, unable to keep it in any longer. I stare up at him. “Why?”

Because as I continue to learn about him, continue to understand this place, the more his actions don’t add up. No longer do I consider Kai my captor, my jailer – because time and time it seems he’s the one saving me. The problem is, I don’t know why.

“Why would you risk yourself?” I demand. “Why do you care about me at all?”

At this, something catches in his expression. “I don’t care.” Kai’s gaze darkens, shutting me out. “I’m just not the monster you think I am. I don’t enjoy taking lives for fun.”

He opens his mouth, and I think he’s going to say more but instead he leaves. Disappearing so quickly a breeze ruffles the room. The library door slams shut behind him, leaving me alone in this vast space.

I gaze at my surroundings, passing the still-open book on the table. I don’t know how to feel, what to think. I’m not certain when my perception of Kai began to change, nor when I started to think of him as man and not other.

My gaze lifts and I draw in a shallow breath. I don’t believe everything he told me.

No. That’s a lie.

I believe him completely. Which is a problem.

[Master List]

Author’s Note: Surprise! This week has been pretty low key so was able to finish early again. Hope that everyone enjoys 💕

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