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jiliansky-blog · 9 months

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The god of dreams. Chapter 3

Pairing: Morpheus x FemaleReader

Rating: PG

Words: 2995

I was so excited to meet Morpheus again. I missed him already. And yes it didn’t work with the “no falling in love” plan. He didn’t look like anyone I knew. He seemed to come from my dreams. And how I suppose not to fall in love with him? I waited for him on the terrace. And he appeared looking as gorgeous as always. And he smirked, seeing me. “Coffee?” I asked. “No, thank you”, he smiled and sat in front of me. “I was kind of afraid that you won’t show up”, I admitted. “Why?” he frowned.

“Because you’re like from dreams”, I replied and he looked at me with a question. «What? I mean you are the man of someone's dreams”. “In more than one way”, he nodded. “What?” I asked. “Nothing”, was the answer. “Are you ready for today’s excursions?” “Not quite, I was waiting for you to have breakfast”, I smiled. «With me”. “Oh?” he smiled. “You always know a good breakfast place”, I said. “Or a dinner. And I decided that I want to have breakfast with you”. “Only because I can show you a better place?” he smirked. “No”, I said. “Because I enjoy your company too much”. “Glad to hear it”, Morpheus smiled. “Then if you insist I will show you one place. How much time do we have?” “An hour or so”, I said. “I already prepare for the trip. So I don’t need to return here after breakfast”. “Smart thinking”, he said. “Then let’s go”.

I took his hand as usual and he led me through some street alleys and houses to the one unnoticeable place. But there were tables and delicious smells. “Looks nice”, I smiled. “Of course”, he went inside and very soon appeared with hot food. “I suppose this portion will feed me enough for all the day”, I smiled. “Good”, he smiled. “Thank you”, I smiled and I began my breakfast. Morpheus meanwhile brought coffee for me and wine for himself. He doesn’t mind drinking wine in the morning.

“So where are we going today?” he asked. “To Meteora”, I smiled. “Finally something interesting”, he said. “You are not a fan of beaches”, I admitted. “I don’t see the point in them”, Morpheus said. “I don’t use to just lay under the sun or swim. I don’t have time for this”. “And what do you do most of the time?” I asked. “Working”, he shrugged. “And what do you do in your free time?” I continued. “Reading, walking, thinking”, he said. “I like to catch people's culture”. “Sounds interesting”, I smiled. “And what about you?” Morpheus asked. “Reading, writing, watching movies”, replied. “Spending time with my friends. Traveling, as you see”.

“Talking and flirting with strangers”, Morpheus joked. “Absolutely”, I smiled. “Even though you are the only stranger I talk to. You are just too attractive to resist the desire to talk to”. “Is that so?” he smirked. “Yes”, I nodded. “Then I’m glad that I’m so irresistible”, he smirked. “Why do I have a feeling like I know you all my life?” I dare to ask. “You barely know me”, he sighed and his light mood was gone. “We should go or we will be late on your excursion”. “You don’t want me to know you better?” I asked on our way back. Й “I’m terrified that once you will get to know me, you can think that I’m…flawed and won’t want to see me anymore”, he confessed.

“We all are flawed”, I said. “I don’t think, that anything can scary me away from you. I don’t pry, but you can tell me anything”. “Thank you again for your kind words”, he smiled. “You shouldn’t thank me for that”, I said. “I mean it”. We came just in time for an excursion and this time we get on the bus instead of the boat. I refused to let go of his hand. “Morpheus”, I whispered. “Yes?” he replied. “I’m glad that you are here with me”, I said. His smile was bright and it made my heart skip a few more beats.

Soon we will arrive in the mountains. I wasn’t fond of mountains and rock climbing, but it was a beautiful view. We went with a guide, but later Morpheus sneaked me to another cave. “What if they lose us?” I smiled. “Then we will find our way again”, he said. “Do you trust me? “Yes”, I smiled. My parents and friends would say that I’m insane if they find out that I trust the unknown man. But they are not there. I do want to trust my intuition. Soon we find the grove. With water. It was a beautiful place. “You really know places”, I smiled. “I am”, he looked at me, smirking. “How?” I asked.

“I like to find something new”, he whispered.

This place was so private and sacred. And intimate. So I decided to give to my temptation. And I kissed him. He kissed me back, hugging me. His lips taste like desire, dreams, and everything I can ever want. “That would be a mistake”, he said huskily on my lips. “But such a sweet mistake”, I replied and kissed him again. He was so irresistible. And so desirable and attractive. “They can find us”, he smiled. “And so what?” I smirked. “I didn’t realize it arouses you”, he whispered. “You are the one who aroused me”, I said, gripping his shirt. “You need to take responsibility for this”. “Oh, I will”, he said and started to kiss my neck.

I was pinned to the rocky wall, but I didn’t complain. I felt desire in every part of my body. His hands were exploring every part of my body. And then he stopped. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “We shouldn’t do this”, he whispered. “We definitely shouldn’t”. “No, continue, please”, I said. “I want you”. “You don’t know me”, he said.

“So you keep saying”, I said. “But you are the one who hardly tells me anything about yourself. I do want to know you”. “It would be safe for you if you don’t”, he said. “I don’t want to make everything difficult. It will be difficult when you return home”. “I think, you’re worrying too much”, I admitted. “And you don’t worry at all”, he noticed. “Let me know you”, I whispered. “Let me know everything about you and let me kiss you and be with you just right now and right here”.

He smiled softly. And then he did kiss me. This kiss was somehow sweet-bitter. I didn’t know what he was so afraid of, but I’m going to reassure him, that we can make it work. I was stroking his black messy hair while we were kissing. It was so soft and silky. Then I tugged his head a little bit and kissed his neck. I was rewarded with a deep moan. His skin was silky too. What a temptation to kiss all of him. “You are trying to allure me”, he whispered with a husky voice. “As I said, you are irresistible”, I whispered. I want to kiss him again, but I heard the voices. Soon other tourists found us out. I made a sigh of frustration. “I suppose, we need to head back”, he chuckled. “I just started”, I pouted. “We will have time for us”, he said. “Promise?” I asked. “Promise”, he smiled.

So we return to the group and explored more mountains, though I was now more interested in Morpheus than excursion. “What do you think about the picnic on the beach?” I asked. “Now you are the one with ideas”, he smiled. “Well, I was told that girls can ask boys on the date too”, I admitted. “ A date”, he said. “You think we are dating”. “We can pretend that we are dating, aren’t we? I asked, seeing that the man frowned. Like he doesn’t expect this conclusion. “We can”, he nodded in agreement. Perhaps, he thought that I can fall in love with him despite our agreement. I can’t blame him since I’m not sure that I can stick to it.

When we return to the cabin. I invite him in while changing my clothes to something more beach-type. And pick some food with mine. “That won’t do”, he admitted instantly. “What?” I asked. “A dress or food”. “You look…charming”, his eyes became dark with lust. “But there is not enough food for the picnic. So I guess I need to take this in my hands”. “You can show me a place and I will buy everything we need”, I replied, blushing. “You don’t mind a little help with planning, I hope”. “No”, he said. “I find it refreshing. Usually I do all the courting”. “I don’t call it “a courting”, but I would like to do something for you too”, I smiled.

“You spent some much time with me. And find so many beautiful places for me. That I don’t know how to thank you”. “You shouldn’t”, he smiled. “You already had done enough”. “And what did I do?” I asked. “You were kind and comforting to me”, he said. “I enjoyed your company too much”. “It was easy”, I kissed his cheek. “Now let’s go”. “I don’t understand,” he said, while we were shopping. “What?” I looked at him. “How is it easy for you?” he asked.

“What easy for me?” I still don’t understand. “To be kind to me”, Morpheus sighed. “Most people said that I’m difficult to be with. That I’m too much to handle. And you make it work like it the easiest thing in the world”. What a messed up relationship he should have, I thought. That made him feel difficult and unlovable. That made him so insecure.

“You are not too much”, I smiled. “You are handsome, charming, wit, and kind. You are a true gentleman also. And to talk to you is easy as breathing”. He blushed again. I can watch it the whole day. “Let’s begin our picnic and I can continue to spoil you with compliments”, I said and keep on going forward. “You said that you want to know me”, he said, when we were already sitting on the beach with our food. “Yes, I do”, I replied. “I still want to know you better”. “I can be cruel, cold, as others told”, Morpheus said. “I don’t understand other people. I am incapable of love”. “I know you for three days, but I don’t find you cruel or cold”, I said, making sandwiches. “I think the thing is that you don’t know for a long time”, he admitted. “And I don’t want to hurt or disappoint you”. “Okay, I suppose we will find out in the future”, I said. “What else?” “They call me arrogant and dull”, Morpheus added. “No, I don’t think you that you are arrogant and dull”, I smiled and kissed his cheek. “Do you want to know, how I see you?” “Yes”, he took an orange from our basket.

“I think you are an enchanted prince, whose heart was broken once upon a time”, I smirked. “You froze your heart then and traveled to find someone who can make it alive again”. “You love good stories”, he smiled. “Why should I freeze my own heart and then try to find someone to undo this?” “Maybe you just travel to ease the pain and you don’t know, that you are actually looking for a new love?” “Perhaps”, he smiled mysteriously. “Or maybe you are a god that trying to live a human life”, I said. I thought that he is going to laugh at this theory, but he isn’t. He looked at me like I just read his mind. “What?” I asked. “Don’t tell me I guessed right”. “I’m not a god”, he said. “Thank god”, I smiled. “Then you probably think that I told nonsense”.

“I am an anthropomorphic personification of concept”, he added. These words were dropped on me like a bomb. I looked at him, trying to understand what he just said. “You are what?” I asked. “I made of dreams and nightmares and I create and rule dreams and nightmares”, he explained. “I suppose, it’s too much. Perhaps, you don’t want to know more about me. Or to know me at all”. “It is a big piece of information and quite unbelievable”, I said. “But something makes me believe you and explains a lot. And no, I still do want to know you or about you. I was just surprised. Please, don’t leave”. “I won’t if you don’t want to”, he relaxed a bit. “How did you know? Was I so out of place? What gave me up?”

“I don’t know how this theory even appeared in my head”, I shrugged. “You are so mysterious. You came from nowhere and don’t tell anything about yourself. All your answers were very vague. And your clothes are so stylish but all black”. “Is that all?” he asked.

“No”. I smirked. “Also you are incredibly handsome”. “Oh?” he blushed again. “You know, you’re so shy for an arrogant god”, I smirked. “I’m sorry, for the anthropomorphic personification of dreams”. “And you are too calm for the person who met one”, he smiled. “Well, what should I do?” I asked. “Ask you to grant me wishes? Or…what?” His face became dark and shocked again. Like when I find out that he is not human. “Do you want to grant your wish?” he asked coldly.

“Morpheus, it was a joke”, I said. “I didn’t want to ask you anything besides your company. What happened?” “Nothing”, he made a deep breath in. “It just…some moments from the past”. “Let me guess”, I said. “Someone asked you to grant their wishes”. “Not just that”, he said. “But I don’t want to talk about it. My apologies. I didn’t mean to untrust you”. “I understand, trust is an easy thing to break”, I touched his hand. “Yes”, Morpheus nodded. “You don’t need to worry”, I smiled. “I meant it when I said that I don’t have anything of you besides your company”. “You allowed me to be just a mortal man, who courting the woman he likes”, he smiled. “How generous of you”. “Of course”, I handed him another orange. “Thank you for telling me”. “I think that I can trust you”, he smirked. “I hope I won’t regret it. I need to say that you also can know me as Dream of the Endless”.

“Dream of the Endless”, I repeated. “Do you have a family?” “Yes”, he nodded. “Siblings and parents”. “What is your relationship with them?” I asked. “Not well”, he confessed. “We have our…differences and disagreements. And they are…handful”. “I see”, I smiled. “Family can be difficult”. “What about your family?” he asked. “You can read it on my mind”, I smiled. “I want to hear it from you”, he smirked. “I tried not to read when it’s not necessary”.

“We don’t talk much”, I said. “We are not close. I’m sure you can understand it”. “Well, it explains why you are here alone”, he said. “I’m not anymore”, I smiled. “You are here”. “One of my friends said that companionship is very pleasant”, he admitted. “It can be important for someone”. “And for you?” I asked. “For me too”, he sighed. “Once my pride didn’t let me understand it. And when I was absolutely lonely for a very long time, I understood that I was wrong”. “I’m glad, that you are not alone anymore”. I smiled. “I’m glad too”, he smiled.

Soon enough we finished our picnic. Well, I did the most part of eating. Morpheus prefers oranges and other fruits. I reached and kissed him. His lips tasted very sweet. “I am fascinated by you”, he said. “Why?” I smiled. “You still want to be with me, as I’m just a human”, he said, embracing me. “You are as normal as a human right now”, I replied, touching his cheek with my lips. “I don’t see how the fact that you’re the god should change my feelings”. “You should be worried”, he smiled. “I’m not”, I said and kissed him. We spent almost all day on the beach. It was a beautiful day.

“Maybe you want to stay inside?” I suggested. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea”, he smiled and kissed me. “I have work to do. And if I stay, I don’t think I will be able to leave you anytime soon”. “But will you stay another time?” “Perhaps”, he smiled. “Always so mysterious”, I whispered and kissed him again. “You like it about me”, he kissed me back. “I do, and I don’t want to let you go”, I said. “I am going to return tomorrow”, he smiled. “Goodnight, Melory”. “Good night”, I smiled and watched him disappear into the night.

Morpheus I didn’t plan to tell her about myself. But there was something about her that makes me want to confess. Not everything though. She was shocked and confused and still wanted only me and nothing from me. And it melted me. “I think she likes you, boss”, Matthew said. “I noticed it, Matthew”, he said. “I don’t think it’s irrelevant”. “But you like her too”, he continued. “You even told her about yourself. You don’t do it very often. Perhaps, she can help you”. “I don’t think so”, I sighed. “Why not?” he asked. “She is definitely sincere”. “It won’t last long”, I said. “And relationships with mortals don’t end well. I don’t want her to suffer”. “You are already much better than you think about yourself, boss”, the raven admitted. “But I think that you can at least try”. “How she can help me?” I asked. “She doesn’t know anything about my circumstances. And she has her own problems. “Just try”, he said, “You’ll never know if you don’t try, boss”. “Very well, I will try”, I sighed.

@shadowqueen1318 @mypsychoticlove @justathirstyhoe @ladymoztaza

#morpheus x reader #dream x reader #sandman x reader #sandman fanfiction #The Sandman

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asunshinepuff · 3 years

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Secrets of the Darkened Seas

🧜🏻‍♀️ Hello! It's been a while guys, welcome to chapter nine! Please please please give a like and follow to my co-author and best friend Luna (@ladynightmare913) because this story would not be where it’s at without her help!

Just a small reminder that the next chapter will be posted on Luna’s blog!

The included lore for this tale has been written under the guise of Fantastic Nautical Creatures by Newt Scamander. As always it will be taken from the book “The Secret World of Mermaids” by Francine Rose while still having my own twist.

Here's the link to the previous chapter, and if you’ve missed any chapters here’s the link to the masterlist for this story. 🧜🏻‍♀️

Chapter 9: The Escape

Remus was doing his best not to punch the pirate in the face, or at the very least refrain from tossing him into the open sea, which was a true testament to his restraint because the desire was overwhelming. Walking up to the deck, Sirius followed and Remus was praying to God for him to kindly shut up.

“I want to see him, who knows what you’ve done to him.”

“I already told you, he doesn’t wish to be anywhere near you, and I share his sentiment.” He looked at the pirate and for a moment, spotting pain in the other’s storm blue eyes.

But like a lightning strike, it was gone in a second. Sirius hardened his gaze once more.

“So you’ve been telling him lies then.” Sirius sneered.

Remus scoffed, “Contrary to the Captain’s reputation of being callous and merciless, he would never lay a hand on a child. He only took Regulus because he was treated worse than cattle.”

At that, Sirius had nothing further to say, what could he say when it was the truth?

An awkward silence followed the two like an anchor as the tawny-haired boy turned and continued walking on deck, the distant voice of a crewmember calling Remus for assistance. With a sigh, he turns to the ebony-haired boy.

“I have to go, but don’t do anything stupid.”

“What do you think I’m going to do? Sprout wings and fly away?” Sirius scoffed.

Remus rolls his eyes, giving a pointed look. “In this world? I wouldn’t put it past you.” He turns back around and walks off.

Sirius simply shook his head as the pompous tawny-haired boy walked off. He honestly couldn’t fathom why anyone would allow him on this ship. Then again, Sirius thought, it suited the infamous White Sea Serpent to have someone like him aboard his ship.

Pompous, the whole lot of them.

The crew were fine in his opinion, they minded their own business. Which probably explained why they were ignoring him as if he were the plague.

Deciding upon himself that he might as well look around, considering no one was really paying attention to him. He might even be lucky and find his brother. Motivated at the prospect of finding his lost brother, Sirius set out to search the entire ship. He went down to the kitchens, then to the cargo hold which, astonishingly, only had two barrels of wine and not a single barrel of rum.

There were many things Sirius could forgive, but not having rum was a crime he could never forgive. However, there was a ridiculous amount of white grain, labeled rice. And some strange red and green foul-smelling thing that made Sirius gag.

Next, Sirius decided to wander through the hallways of the cabins. Checking through the glass windows to peek inside, in the hopes of spotting his brother. At last, he reached a cabin door where a woman dressed in white sat in a rocking chair, holding two small boys, resting their heads close to her bosom, her eyes were closed and her lips were parted as she sang a soft lullaby that Sirius couldn’t hear through the door.

One of the boys was who Sirius had been searching for. Regulus was being rocked to sleep.

Regulus looked, in peace. His face had a healthy flush, his cheeks had rounded in only just a few days. His clothes were clean and he looked properly dressed. The woman in white, rocked gently, rubbing both of their backs.

Regulus shifted in his sleep, the woman gently lulled the child back into a deeper slumber, shifting to her arms to accommodate the changed positions so Regulus wouldn’t hurt his neck as he slept. The woman smiled as she continued her song, never once did she open her eyes.

Sirius couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain in his chest. Oh, how many times did he long for his mother to hold him as the woman in white did so for the boys, Sirius had lost count. Lost all hope of his mother ever giving them an ounce of affection.

And when Regulus was born, Sirius prayed that his mother would at least show affection to him. Instead, she treated them as nothing more than pests that she must learn to tolerate. Sirius tried to take to the brunt of their “discipline,” but there was only so much he could do as a young boy.

And as soon as Sirius was able, he escaped that hell hole. Leaving Regulus behind. He knew that what he did would only make things worse for Regulus, their mother would take it out on him, and Regulus wouldn’t have Sirius to take the brunt of it. Sirius cursed himself for being weak. Sirius had every intention of coming back for him, to give Regulus a better life. The tawny-haired boy’s words echo in his head.

“He only took Regulus because he was treated worse than cattle.”

Sirius wasn’t blind. Their mother never once loved them. Yet here was this woman, who was not Regulus’ mother, tenderly cradled him, sung him a soft lullaby, rocking him to sleep, as if he was her own, would make anyone think she loved Regulus.

And with how at peace Regulus looked, he might even love her as well. How cruel, for a mother to loathe her offspring, only for a stranger to show them affection and kindness. The boy was right, the captain of this ship didn’t kidnap Regulus, the captain saved him.

And just like before, Sirius came to a decision he thought was best. He will leave Regulus here. But this time, he was leaving Regulus in a place where he was clearly cared for and treated well. Regulus didn’t need him. With a heavy heart, Sirius turned away.

Back on deck, Sirius peered over the railing. He couldn’t swim back to shore, they were too far from land. But, he lamented. Spotting a lifeboat hanging by ropes. He could steal a boat.

Remus managed to finally resolve the problem the crewmate had been dealing with. Returning to the deck, his eyes scanned for the ebony-haired male. His eyes narrowing the longer he searched and still not finding the pirate.

“Captain!” A crewman called. Pointing towards the open sea, “The pirate is making a run for it!”

Of course, he would try to run. Only seemed to be about time. Rushing to the side of the ship, Remus glared at the jolly pirate, watching as his figure grew further from the ship.

He wasn’t even taking Regulus with him?! That good for nothing, pirate!

Captain Hua merely raised a brow, watching the pirate rowing away with an amused smirk. “How daring.”

“Been planning huh?” Opal chuckles as she stands against the base of a cargo net.

Quinn smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned forward on the railing. He looked at the greek woman. “Oh, this’ll be interesting to witness.”

“Shall we turn the ship?” The crewman asked.

“That won’t be necessary,” He looked to Remus, “Remus, please bring Brielle up on deck.”

Remus turned at Captain Hua’s request, nodding in confirmation. Briskly walking across the deck, he couldn't help but wonder why Sirius had decided to forgo his entire reason for ambushing the ship? Did he just not care about his brother anymore? Or had something happened for him to ultimately decide that perhaps Regulus was alright?

There was nothing he could decipher for himself, he muses, as he wouldn’t know the thoughts of the ebony-haired pirate. Or find answers for his theories. Sirius Black, the youngest pirate captain of their age. As infuriating and insufferable as he may be, there was more to him.

If what Brielle said was true, then perhaps there was more to Sirius Black than being a complete idiot.

This was the second time he considered the thought. But why? Standing at the base of the stairs below deck, brought him back to the matter at hand. He found himself at the door to Brielle’s room much sooner than he had anticipated.

“Brielle!”

Sirius couldn’t help but grin as he rowed farther away. He looked back to the ship, the captain, the first mate, and the tawny-haired boy were all watching him. He was over surprised that they weren’t turning the ship around.

Oh well, more time for him to get farther away.

He heard a loud splash behind him, they’re probably sending another lifeboat out to catch him, he assumes, chuckling to himself. There was no way they could catch him from this distance unless they used the ship.

The boat lurched. Rocking Sirius sharply, causing him to drop the oars. Sirius looked around the small boat, he didn’t see anything, did he hit something? The boat rocked again. Sirius looked back to the ship, and from what he could tell, more people had gathered to watch him. The crew seemed to be laughing. As if they knew something he didn’t.

The boat was rocked nearly capsized this time, Sirius gripped the sides of the tiny boat in panic. His eyes searched everywhere, was he closer to land than he expected? Did he hit a rockbed? A coral reef? Just what exactly did he hit?

Or, did something hit him?

There, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of white. But it was gone when he turned his head. His breath hitched as he saw a clawed hand grip the front of the boat, pulling it into the water. Sirius backed up, gripping the boat for dear life. Whatever it was, it was clearly strong.

The hand sunk into the water just as the front of the boat, ahead rose from the water. Sirius could hear his heart pounding.

“Oh hell, don’t tell me you’re part of that lot too!” Sirius found himself shouting.

The head had dark hair, pale skin, and two slitted eyes with finned ears, the head opened its cursed mouth, revealing a row of pearly white fangs. Sirius most certainly, did not scream.

The head then dared to smile like a mad man, then dove underwater. The boat shot upwards back towards the surface. Then it started to move, a rope pulling it along, as the thing pulled the rope.

The boat moved fast, then it started gaining speed. In just a few moments, Sirius was already within swimming distance of the ship. He started to panic that the thing pulling his small boat was going to make him crash. At the last possible second, the boat came to an abrupt halt, sending Sirius forward.

The crew on the ship laughed at the haggard sight of the pirate.

“So kind of you to join us again Mr. Black.” Captain Hua spoke. “Did you have a nice swim?”

At that, the head dived down, its scaly tail sending a splash right at him. He was soaked.

Sirius couldn’t be certain, but he swears that he saw a gleam in the captain’s eye. “Who are you?” Sirius couldn’t help but ask. He was no fool, that creature definitely belonged to the insane captain with the accursed sword.

“A man of many talents.” Was all the captain said.

The pirate was pulled back aboard the ship, the crew members took in the sight of the soaked pirate before returning to their posts. The first mate threw a blanket at the pirate to dry off. The tawny-haired boy had returned, a small smile on his face from when he tried to contain his laughter.

Remus looked to the pirate after a minute for composure, shaking his head in exasperation. It was rather a hilarious sight, and once again this was a new record towards Sirius’ idiocy.

Quinn completely found the scene amusing, his smirk still clearly evident upon his face.

The sound of dripping water caught Sirius's ear, turning, he saw the hideous head that dragged him back to this awful ship pulled aboard, The head then started to sprout bloody human-looking legs from its tail! The finny fish-like traits vanishing before his eyes, the captain wrapping a blanket around it.

Sirius’ eyes widened, it was the woman in white! The one who tended to Regulus!

“You!”

The woman, no, the monstrous head, looked to him. She made a mock gasp, her eyes widening. “You!” She responded. A wide grin on her face. Her teeth the same shade of pearly white.

“I take it you had your fun?” The captain eyed the head.

If it weren’t for the fact of what Sirius just went through, he would have called the woman handsome.

“I was only teasing.” The head answered the captain, who only shook his head in amusement.

Sirius decided right there. He did not like her. Nope. Not one bit.

The captain led the head back to wherever it was they were heading to. Sirius turned to Remus when he saw the tawny-haired boy approach.

“You let that thing near the children?”

“I see that you have been sneaking around. And the children are safest with her. Not to mention they love her. Everyone loves Brielle.”

“I don’t love her. In fact, I dare say I hate her.”

“Well, that’s a personal problem then, not mine. And why is that? Might I ask?” Remus tilts his head in mock curiosity. “Is it because she takes better care of your brother than you and she’s not even the same species?”

At that Sirius, only glared, he turned away.

“Remus.” The captain called from his post on the helm. “You have a slippery one on your hands, don’t you?”

“It would appear so captain. I can’t take my eyes off him for a moment.”

The captain nodded, then reached for his sword. Untying it from his belt, then tossed Remus the dark green sword.

Remus caught the hilt and sheath of the sword with careful hands, looking down to the golden snake that could quite simply kill him in one bite. Then he looks back to the captain with a questioning look, “Are you sure?”

“Perhaps it will give Mr. Black the incentive to behave himself.” Captain Hua gave Sirius a knowing glance before he looked back to Remus. “Besides, he missed you.”

With nothing further to add, the Captain turned away.

Sirius looked to the tawny-haired boy. “Who?”

Remus simply held out the sword towards Sirius, a smirk on his lips. Sirius instantly backed up when Remus brought the accursed sword closer to him. “Dúi hǎi.”

Sirius knew that sword, he remembered it quite well, and would kindly prefer to be as far away from it as possible thank you. He did not wish to be bitten again. But up close, Sirius reluctantly had to admire the sword.

It was a wide sword with a dark forest green sheath with gold accents that looked coral. The hilt of the sword had a metallic gold snake, with emerald gemstones for eyes. It blinked, Sirius backed away.

The tiny gold snake came to life, hissing softly as it moved towards the boys' hand. Sirius’ blood froze. Was it going to bite him?

The gold snake slithered up Remus’ hand, then coiled its cold metallic body around his wrist. It looked to Remus for a moment, flicking its tongue. Remus only smiled at the tiny deadly snake.

These people are insane, thought Sirius.

As if reading his thoughts, the gold snake turned to Sirius and hissed loudly. Sirius didn’t need to be told to stay away from that thing.

The snake looked smug. If that were somehow possible? Remus chuckled at Dúi hǎi’s antics. “I think he gets the message Dúi hǎi.”

Satisfied with terrifying the pirate, the snake hissed softly. Then winked at Sirius. These people were most certainly insane. The snake rested its head on the back of Remus’ hand and became inanimate once more. Its emerald eyes shimmering brightly with the rays of the sun.

“That is not a normal sword.”

“Thank you for stating the obvious.”

Links:

Previous chapter: Captain Hua

Masterlist: Secrets of the Darkened Seas

Moodboards: SOTDS, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Quinn Sandoval

Tag List: (Let me know if you wish to be added!)

@whataboutmyfries

@sunflowerfox87

@spookypotato

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rjhpandapaws · 3 years

Text

Ocean Eyes

Chapter 1: Gold, Bones, and the One that Couldn't Let Them Go

Tw: Description of a corpse, Nines collects bones

He and his older brothers were considered trouble by the matriarch of their pod. They were too interested in humans and their culture. They had even gone so far as to take human sounding names. Connor named himself the writing he found on an odd box containing human clothes. Silas chose the name he found on a piece of a small sunken fishing boat. Nines had named himself after what he had seen on an interesting looking human tool. He still didn’t know what his namesake did, but he liked the sound of his name and that was enough. Where he and his brothers differed in their fascination with humans were the humans themselves. Silas and Connor adored them while Nines was more in the things they left behind when they drowned. He had a growing collection of various human bones and things that he believed they found important. If they weren’t objects of some kind of importance, he didn’t understand why humans would cling to them with such desperation as the sea pulled them into its depths. Then again Nines had never seen or spoken to a human, so he could only guess. He liked to believe that he was correct though, because if he were to ever travel to an unknown place he would bring his most important treasures with him. As soon as he acquired something that could be considered an important treasure of course.

Nines explored for new things on the days he had the time. His favorite place to look was the stretch of water between a rather perilous cluster of islands and rocks known as the Siren Isles. Ships always seemed to sink there and they brought humans and their trinkets with them. The three of them had time today. Connor and Silas lingered closer to the surface to observe the humans. Nines was closer to the sea floor combing over the wreckage for things he hadn’t seen before. A short distance from what looked to be an older ship wreck was an almost completely intact human skeleton. As fascinating as that was Nines was more interested in the gold chain that was around what had once been the neck of the drowned sailor. He traced a finger along the chain to where it was clutched in a skeletal fist. There would be no getting to the treasure without damaging the hand. Which was unfortunate because it was the first intact human hand he had come across and the sailor’s other hand was missing so he didn’t exactly have a spare to take with him. Carefully, Nines worked to pry the calcified fingers away from the secret that they so desperately clung to even after death had claimed their keeper.

In the end two of the sailor’s fingers wound up broken in the sand and Nines decided to take them as well as the strange gold pendant. It looked like it had once been able to open. If it could still open then opening it underwater would probably ruin whatever was inside. Nines had the feeling that whatever was contained in the strange compartment was what the sailor had been so desperate to protect. While thievery was a common practice of his, emotionally dishonoring the dead was not. He put the loop of chain over his head just like he had seen on the skeleton. The compartment came to rest just over his heart. He tucked the fingers into the pouch on his hip and continued his search for another few hours. He didn’t find much of note, a few teeth he was pretty sure he didn’t already have, and an interesting little box that looked like it had sea glass on the front. Whatever it had been supposed to do the water wouldn’t let it. It still looked nice though so he decided to keep it. The strange little container on a chain was by far his best find of the day and the thing that he was the most curious about. Though out of respect, if he ever chose to open it, he would go to the surface as not to ruin whatever it held. If it was precious enough to cling to even after death, so whatever it held had to be special.

The waters were just starting to grow cold with the first hints of winder when he finally had the opportunity to slip to the surface and investigate his neck piece. He had been wearing it long enough that its weight had become familiar. The unknown secret was something he had taken upon himself to protect. Today was the day he learned what it was he carried with him. He settled on the cliff side of the beach. It was guarded by rocks that only the most adventurous of humans would dare cross. Though if there were this far out at sea, Nines figured they would be more concerned with surviving than being adventurous. It took longer than he thought for the case to become dry enough to safely be opened. He was not going to risk breaking it. Even then it took him a few tries. Inside was an image of two humans. The shorter of the two, and the sailor judging from the clothes; had messy hair and an impish smile that promised trouble would follow. Their eyes were alight with mischief and something ese that Nines didn’t know the name of but was captivated by nonetheless. The taller of the two had long curly hair that was tied back. They were dressed considerably better, and they looked at the sailor with a softness in their eyes that made Nines bristle, though he had no idea why. He had never known this sailor he shouldn’t have felt anything at all.

Opening the thing hadn’t given him any meaningful answers, but it had given him his sailor in a way. There was a human Connor looked at with the same soft expression. Whatever that feeling was had been what moved Connor to save that human in the storm that stole his ship and his smaller companion. Nines had observed the power of that feeling, and wondered if the person in the image with the sailor knew where their friend was. If they had grieved their loss. Had they even known they had lost anyone at all? He closed it and resolved that he would try and find where the sailor had come from and return this to their companion. Whoever they were they deserved to have something to remember their lost sailor by. No one this cared for deserved to be forgotten, and no one that cared so much deserved to be left without answers. He just hoped he wasn’t too late. Humans lived very short lives as it was even without the sea to take them too soon. In his moment of resolve he felt an almost painful cold where the container had come to rest over his heart. It had almost felt like a hand, but the sensation was gone before he could think too much about it. He understood that the metal should have been warm from the sun. He didn’t have the answers so he pushed the oddity of his situation to the back of his mind and returned home. He had a journey, a hopeless chase really, to prepare for.

That night marked the start of the dreams. Memories that payed back although they didn’t belong to him. The featured the nicely dressed human from the image. A human female if he understood correctly, and he seemed to be looking at her through the sailor’s eyes. There was a gentle warm feeling that came from being near her. A desire to give her whatever she might want. The desire to explore though, that burned. It was stronger it seemed than what held them to her. It was so intense that it seemed to be what woke him up. He opened his eyes to find the sailor, or rather a version of them, above him in the water. He had the same messy hair and those same eyes that pulled Nines in with ease. There were two problems though; humans couldn’t survive at this depth, and Nines was relatively certain that you weren’t supposed to be able to see through them. Moreover, they seemed entirely alive aside from being almost completely transparent. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” They said without drowning. Nines decided there was something seriously wrong. “I just wanted to see her one more time, I can’t in this state and I drowned before I could make it back to her.” They sounded so heartbroken that it made Nines ache on their behalf, “You’re dead?”

His company took a moment to look down at themself, “I think so.” “Do you remember what you were called when you were alive?” Nines asked. Connor would chide him for asking such an insensitive question, but he needed to call his sailor something. There was a long stretch of silence that was almost uncomfortable before his companion replied. “I remember the name Gavin. I’m not sure if its mine or not, but you could call me that if it helps.” Nines gave a nod and Gavin continued, “Do you have a name?” “I call myself Nines.” He said. “Nines?” Gavin responded, “Like the number? Seems weird but whatever. Will you help me get back to Aliyah?” Nines nodded, “In the morning. As the living creature of the group, I actually need sleep.” “Right.” Came the reply. Gavin sounded like he had genuinely forgotten, “Sleep well then.” Just like that he was gone. As sleep made slow work of coming back to him Nines wondered what it was he had gotten himself into. He agreed to go Gavin only knew where to reunite a ghost with his lost love. At the very least he wouldn’t be bored anymore. He just hoped Gavin remembered where he lived better than he remembered his name.

#Ocean Eyes #OE #Reed900 #dbh gavin #dbh nines #mermaid au #tw corpse #dbh fic #dbh #tw bone collection

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kkintle · 3 years

Text

The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch ; Quotes

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats, and if some of these can me inexpensive and quickly procured so much the better.

There will be time and motive enough to prose on about my life when I shall have generated as it were a sufficient cloud of reflection. I am still almost shy of my emotions, shy of the terrible strength of certain memories.

I always felt that we were in the same boat, adventuring along together (…) We enjoyed and craved for each other’s company. What a test that is: more than devotion, admiration, passion. If you long and long for someone’s company you love them.

Is it true however? Well, it is not totally misleading, but it is far too short and ‘smart’. How can one describe real people?

Did I face it well? I think I did. Forgiveness and money were so ready as soon as I knew that she was doomed. That sounds cynical. I always loved her; and we were rewarded. At the very end we were both perfect. Poor Clement. That is a dreadful land, old age. I shall soon be entering it myself.

The image of Hartley changed in my mind from fiery pain to sadness, but never became blank. And in a way, I did keep searching for her, only it was a different and quite involuntary kind of search, a sort of dream-search.

Oh Hartley, Hartley, how timeless, how absolute love is. My love for you is unaware that I am old and you perhaps are dead.

‘I could have told you that country is the least peaceful and private place to live. The most peaceful and secluded place in the world is a flat in Kensington.’

I confess that I went to Peregrine not only for a drinking bout and a chat with and cold friend, but for male company, sheer complicit male company: the complicity of males which is like, indeed is, a kind of complicity in crime, in chauvinism, in getting away with things, in just gluttonously enjoying the present even if hell is all around.

‘We are such inward creatures, that inwardness is the most amazing thing about us, even more amazing than our reason. But we cannot just walk into the cavern and look around. Most of what we think we know are pseudo-knowledge. We are all such shocking poseurs, so good at inflating the importance of what we think we value. (…) People lie so, even we old men do. Though in aa way, if there is art enough it doesn’t matter, since there is another kind of truth in the art’.

‘And if there is art enough a lie can enlighten us as well as the truth. What is the truth anyway, that truth? As we know ourselves we are fake objects, fakes, bundles of illusions. Can you determine exactly what you felt or thought or did? We have to pretend in law courts that such things can be done, but that is just a matter of convenience. Well, well, it doesn’t signify. (…)’

‘(…) Do you know what marriage is like? You say she’s unhappy, most people are. A long marriage is very unifying, even if it’s not ideal, and those old structures must be respected. You may not think much of her husband, but he may suit her, however impressed she is by meeting you again. Has she said she wants to be rescued?

How very convenient these cliché phrases are, how soothing to the pained mind, and how misleading, how concealing.

It is an interesting fact about jealousy (…) that although it is in so many respects a totally irrational as well as totally irresistible emotion, it does show a certain limited reasonableness where temporal priority is concerned.

I love her, I thought, just as if I have been married to her all those years and have seen her gradually grow old and lose her beauty.

You’ve lived in a hedonistic dream all your life, and you’ve got away with behaving like a cad because you always picked on women who could look after themselves. And my God you told us the score, you never committed yourself, you never said you loved us even when you did! A cold fish with clear hands! But it was just luck really if the girls survived.

She summoned up my whole being, and I wanted to hold her and to overwhelm her an to lie with her forever, jusqu’a la fin du monde, and yes, to amaze her humility with the forces of my love, but also to be humble myself and to let her, in the end, console me and give me back my own best self.

After looking at the bright candles I could at first see nothing, and it struck me in an odd way that while I was talking to Hartley I had forgotten about the sea, forgotten it was there and now felt confounded and at a loss to find myself half blind among those terrible rocks.

The formation of my love for Clement, had been one of the main tasks and achievements of my life: that love which so often almost failed but never quite failed.

Being in love, that’s another slavery, stupid when you come to think of it, mad really. You make another person into God. That can’t be right (…) Real love, is free and sane. (…) Real love is like in a marriage when the glamour is gone. (…) Love. God, how often we uttered that word in the theatre and how little we even thought about it.

‘Yes, it’s strange, but in a way I do know you, and there isn’t anyone else who’s near me like that. I support it’s just because we were young, and later you cant know people, or I couldn’t.’

‘It’s happened fast because it’s right, it’s easy because it’s right.’

‘I wish I was dead, I think I’m going to die soon, I feel it. Sometimes I felt I would die by wishing it when I went to sleep but I always woke up again and found I was still there. Every morning finding I’m still me, that’s hell.’ ‘Well, get out of hell then! The gate’s open and I’m holding it!’ ‘I cant. I’m hell, myself.’

‘You just want someone to remember things with.’

It ceased at last, as everything dreadful has to cease, even if it ceases only by death. My presence, my cries, had no effect on her, I doubt if, in a sense, she knew I was there, although also, in a sense, the performance was for me, its violence directed at me.

I remembered, as I now did whenever I awoke, with a pang of anguish and love and fear, that Hartley was in the house.

(…) and although, with her disordered grey hair she looked old and mad, she seemed in that arrested moment like a queen.

‘And you are using this thing from the far past as a guide to important and irrevocable moves which you propose to make in the future. You are making a dangerous induction, and induction is shaky at the best of times, consider Russell’s chicken –‘ ‘Russell’s chicken?’ ‘The farmer’s wife comes out every day and feeds the chicken, but one day she comes out and wrings its neck.’

‘Not to worry. Sic biscuits disintegrat.’ ‘What?’ ‘That’s the way the cookie crumbles.’

We did not dare to say much to each other. By now I wanted the whole thing to be over. I could scarcely endure the idea that she might even now say ‘I don’t think I want to go after all.’; and the impulse to cry out ‘Stop!’ was a pain which I urgently wanted to be without. Perhaps she felt much the same.

James said, ‘I hope you don’t feel that I’ve influenced you in any way against your better judgement?’ ‘No.’ I was not going to argue that point. Of course he had influenced me. But what was my judgement, let alone better judgement?

‘Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can separate us from people and turn them into ghosts. Or rather it is us who turn them into ghosts or demons. Some kinds of fruitless preoccupations with the past can create such simulacra, and they exercise power, like those heroes at Troy fighting for a phantom Helen.’

‘I’m not calling her a ghost. She is real, as human creatures are, but what reality she has is elsewhere. She does not coincide with your dream figure. You were not able to transform her. You must admit you tried and failed.’

‘(…) It is a mental charade, a necessary one perhaps, it has its own necessity, but not like what you think. Of course you can’t get over it at once. But in a few weeks or a few months you’ll have run through it all, looked at it all again and felt it all again and got rid of it. It’s not an eternal thing, nothing human is eternal. For us, eternity is an illusion. It’s like in a fairy tale. When the clock strikes twelve it will all crumble to pieces and vanish. And you’ll find you are free of her, free of her forever and you can let the poor ghost go. What will remain will be ordinary obligations and ordinary interests. And you’ll feel relief, you’ll feel free. At present, you’re just obsessed, hynotised.’

‘(…) When you’ve known someone from childhood, when you can’t remember when they weren’t there, that’s not an illusion. She’s woven into me. Don’t you understand how one can be so absolutely connected with somebody like that?’

‘(…) I gave her the meaning of my life long ago, I gave it to her and she still has it. Even if she doesn’t know she has it, she has it.’

‘Just like even if she’s ugly she’s beautiful and even if she doesn’t love you she loves you – ‘ ‘But she does –‘ ‘Charles, either this is very fine, very noble, or else you’re mad.’

‘(…) You mustn’t interfere in other people’s lives, especially married people. That’s in a way why marriage is so awful, I can’t think how anyone dares to do it. You’ve got to leave them alone. They’ve got their own way of hating each other and hurting each other, they enjoy it.’

‘”For in that sleep of death what dreams may come.”(…)’

Some kinds of obsession, of which being in love is one, paralyses the ordinary free-wheeling of the mind, its natural open interested curious mode of being, which is sometimes persuasively defined as rationality. I was sane enough to know that I was in a state of total obsession and that I could onlythink, over and over again, certain agonising thoughts, could only run continually along the same rat-paths of fantasy and intent. But I was not sane enough to interrupt this mechanical movement or even to desire to do so.

‘(…) And perhaps I was pleased to see you. We sometimes like to see people whom we hate and despise so that we can stir them up to further demonstrations of how odious they are.’

‘Jealousy is born with love, but does not always die with love.’

‘(…) Ordinary mediocre people think that if they confess one tenth of the truth they’re in the clear. You’ve made all your words into lies, you’ve devalued your speech and – in a moment you’ve spoiled the past – and there’s nothing to rely on any more.’

There were a few clouds, big lazy chryselephantine clouds that loafed around over the water exuding light. I gazed at them and wondered at myself for being too obsessed to be able to admire the marvels that surrounded me. But knowing how blind I was did not make me see.

(…) people can be light sources, without ever knowing, for years in the lives of others, while their own lives take different and hidden courses. Equally, one can be, and I recalled Peregrine’s words, a monster, a cancer, in the mind of someone whom one has half forgotten or even never met.

As James said, ‘If even a dog’s tooth is truly worshipped it glows with light.’

‘Can you hear the sea?’

‘I think you’re nearly through out of it. You’ve built a cage of needs and installed here in an empty space in the middle. The strong feelings are all around her – vanity, jealousy, revenge, your love for your youth – they aren’t focused on her, they don’t touch her. She seems to be their prisoner, but really you don’t harm her at all. You are using her image, a doll, a simulacrum, it’s an exorcism. Soon you will start seeing her as a wicked enchantress. Then you will have nothing to do except forgive here and that will be within your capacity.’

‘The sea is clean. The mountains are high. I think I am becoming drunk.’ ‘The sea is not all that clean,’ said James. ‘Did you know that dolphins sometimes commit suicide by leaping onto the land because they are so tormented by parasites?’ ‘I wish you hadn’t told me that. Dolphins are such good beasts. So even they have their attendant demons.’

‘What after all is superstition?’ said James, pouring some more wine into both glasses. ‘What is religion? Where does the one end and the other begin? How could one answer that question about Christianity?’

‘(…) But this power is dreadful stuff. Our lusts and attachments compose our god. And when one attachment is cast off another arrived by way of consolation. We never give up pleasure absolutely, we only barter it for another.’ (…)

What was my role in this play? I felt myself being relaxed and smiling like a man in a dream who cannot remember his lines but knows he can manage impromptu.

If there’s any fruitless mental torment which is greater than that of jealousy it is perhaps remorse. Even the pains of loss may be less searching; and often of course these agonies combine, as now they did for me. I say remorse not repentance. I doubt if I have ever experienced repentance in a pure form; perhaps it does not exist in a pure form. Remorse contains guilt, but helpless hopeless guilt which knows of no cure for the painful bite.

However life, unlike art, has an irritating way of bumping and limping on, undoing conversions, casting doubt on solutions, and generally illustrating the impossibility of living happily or virtuously even after (…)

Time, like the sea, unties all knots. Judgements on people are never final, they emerge from summing up which at once suggest the need of a reconsideration. Human arrangements are nothing but loose ends and hazy reckoning, whatever art may otherwise pretend in order to console us.

But am I so exceptional? We must live by the light of our self-satisfaction, through that secret vital busy inwardness which is even more remarkable than our reason. Thus we must live unless we are saints, and are there any? There are spiritual beings, perhaps James was one, but there are no saints.

There may be no saints, but there is at least one proof that the light of self-satisfaction can illuminate the whole world.

Of course this chattering diary is a façade, the literary equivalent of the everyday smiling face which hides the inward savages of jealousy, remorse, fear and the consciousness of irretrievable moral failure. Yet such pretences are not only consolations but may even be productive of a little ersatz courage.

That time of attentive mourning for her death was quite unlike the black blank horror of the thing itself. We had mourned together, trying to soothe each other’s pain. But that shared pain was so much less than the torment of her vanishing, the terrible lived time of her eternal absence. How different each death is, and yet it leads us into the self-same country, that country which we inhabit so rarely, where we see that worthlessness of what we have long pursued and will so soon return to pursuing.

There were no trains going where she was.

I cannot now remember the exact sequence of events in those prehistoric years. That we cannot remember such things, that our memory, which is ourself, is tiny, limited and fallible, is also one of the important things about us, like our inwardness and our reason. Indeed it is the very essence of both.

The only fault which I can at all measure is my own.

Anything can be tarnished by association, and if you have enough associations you can blacken the world. (…) In hell or in purgatory there would be no need of other or more elaborate tortures.

My love for you is quiet at last. I don’t want it to become a roaring furnace. If I could have suffered more I would have suffered more. Receive us now as if we were your children. Tenderness and absolute trust and communication and truth matter more and more as one grows older. Somehow let us not waste love, it is rare. Can we not love each other at last in freedom, without awful possessiveness and violence and fear? Love matters, not ‘in love’. Let there be no more partings now. Let there be peace between us now forever, we are no longer young. Love me, Charles, love me enough.

I suppose that is right, though there is a kind of impiety involved in letting any of James’s stuff go away. Do I then suppose he is likely to come back at any moment?

It is strange to think that when I went to the sea I imagined that I was giving up the world. But one surrenders power in one form, and grasps it in another.

#iris murdoch #fiction #quotes #literature #classic #the sea the sea #booker prize

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twocupsofsuga · 4 years

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His Treasure || 13

Pirate!Baekhyun x Reader - Series

Summary: It’s either on your knees and beg for your life or your walking the plank.

Absolutely NO plagiarizing my work. Moodboard by @byunfirstlady

Previous | Next

You’re dead. You are soooooo dead.

If Jaebum sees you, your done for sure. But then again, this is what you get for sneaking into a royal’s room. You’re practically asking for it.

Too tense to even shift to crouch properly from your position on the floor behind your desk, you sent a silent prayer hoping the young prince wouldn’t come near the desk.

You heard some shuffling noises as Jaebum walked here and there, presumably looking for his coat. You heard him muttering a few times and hoped that his jacket was not anywhere near you.

He spent a good five minutes in his room, muttering every now and then, wondering where the blasted maid had left his coat.

You felt yourself sighing in relief when you heard him opening his wardrobe and muttering out a, “There you are”, grabbing what sounded like a heavy coat and making his way back to his bedroom doors.

It wasn’t until you heard the doors loudly close that you finally let out a sigh in relief. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the desk.

‘That was way too close.’

You shouldn’t even be here should you? You just arrived here not too long ago and you’re already looking for trouble.

Sighing once more, you wait for a few minutes before standing up when you’re sure no one else would come into the room, and your eyes fell on the book again, giving it a frown.

Why does he have that book dedicated to research about pirates? Was he secretly planning something? Did he have connections with those bastards?

You shook your head. This was just too good to ignore. Walking up to stand next to Jaebum’s desk chair, your hands fell on the brown leathered book and flipped the first page, surprised to already see a page full of pirate facts, and you soon found yourself going through more pages. The contents that you read surprised you.

A wide variety of information littered the pages, from the origin of pirates, their goals, ambitions, desires and past historical events. It explained in detail when the first batch of men calling themselves ‘pirates’ first appeared and all the havoc that they caused, always attacking cities, leaving them in bloodshed and ruins just to steal golds, treasures, anything dubbed valuable and keeping it for themselves. Jaebum wrote about how they would sometimes kidnap people as well, and how it didn’t matter if they were royalty, normal citizens, or even peasants and orphans, if they needed anyone for ransom threats or even just another extra pair of hands to (forcefully) help them on deck, they didn’t leave much of a choice for whoever they kidnapped, and how you’d be lucky to even be alive by the end of all your torture.

When you were done with all the basic stuff, the moment you flipped the next worn out page was when you really lost it. Gaping at the bold title in the middle of the page, you did a double take.

Byun Baekhyun

“What in the world?” you whispered out loud. “Why is…?” you immediately read the pages before you.

Byun Baekhyun

Birthdate: unknown

Gender: male

Appearance: unknown

Parents: unknown

Siblings: unknown

Location: unknown

Status: leader of the EXO pirates

Leaving chaos and disaster wherever he goes, this man, or ‘Demon of the Seas’ -as he is often called by most- must be put to a stop and held trial for all wrong he has committed. With charged ranging from murder, theft, and even kidnapping, this individual just cannot seem to be caught by anyone, whether it be by normal villagers, or even official guards.

One of the most popular and feared pirate yet, it has come to our attention that throughout the years this man has been active for, we have received evidence that he is collecting more and more ‘friends’ to join his little crew. No more members to this bloodthirsty group have been added so far, but it appears that a group of twelve has been shrunk to a group of nine from a few years ago, and has stayed the same until today, or until further notice of their activity. There is no update on what has happened to the other three, and there has been no movement set out by anyone who wants to figure out of their existence, activity, or if they are even alive. No other data or knowledge is available on the other crew members other than their ‘captain’.

The infamous group of pathetic, lowlife scums, barbarians seem to enjoy leaving behind a bloody trail everywhere they go. Eyes always seem to be on gold treasure and just about anything valuable they can get their hands on. But I can’t help but wonder if there is something else that they might be looking for, something that holds more value or not. With the research that I have carried out, the witnesses I have sent out and spoken to, evidence I have personally seen, to the strange objects and people they have taken, I have come to a conclusion which might prove my suspicions correct.

Maps, lots and lots of maps, and lots of information on the seas. But as my suspicions just keep on proving to be true, I have confidently concluded what they really want, what EXO, this group of irritating, god forsaken group really desire. Something that makes every theft, every action that they’ve made, look like a joke. Child’s play.

‘Dead Man’s Home’, an area located North from the Island of the Vanished. Just a cave on an island, this place is surrounded by tremendous, jagged rocks that resemble giant spears. With the worst weather ever reported, it seems that the seas and skies are not friendly in this area. There is no light, there is no life, other than the dead sea life and sailors whom have tried to just pass by or hope to reach land on this place, this place is the definition of the word ‘dead’ itself. Nothing ever seems to go in, and nothing seems to go out. If something does manage to get pass the rocks that determine instant death, it appears that the storm and sea that surrounds Dead Man’s Home is just as vicious and can do just as much as a good job in making sure that no boat, no man and no animal makes it through. Those who go there are usually looking for a death wish, but there have been cases, although not rare, of those who have survived and somehow made it out alive, but they were never the same. Too tormented and shaken up from their near death experiences to share what they’ve been through, or what they’ve seen.

But EXO, I have suspicion that they want to go to this place, but I haven’t figured out why. I just need to collect more evidence so I can once and for all what their goals are, and I’ll figure it out even if it kills me. I want to know exactly what it is on Dead Man’s Home that makes them the way they are, so vicious and untamed when it comes to certain things.

Byun Baekhyun, an uprising danger to society and whomever he meets, deemed as a threat to everyone and must be put to a stop. I’ll figure out his secrets if it’s the last thing I do, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make him fall. If there’s a greater treasure out in this world, then it shouldn’t be in the hands of that man.

You plucked the last petal from the flower in your hands and watched as it slowly fell on your lap, let out a sigh in the process. Reaching down next to you where there were more flowers on the grass, you began to slowly pluck the petals from this one as well, repeating the same action you have been doing for quite a while.

What you read upstairs in Jaebum’s diary was, certainly interesting. After reading the next few pages on Baekhyun and pirates, you could see just how well knowledge the young prince seemed to be on the topic, as his journal, diary, whatever, seemed to be filled with just about any knowledge of pirates there seems to be, knowledge even ranging from many years ago till present time, ever island trampled by pirate feet, every ocean sailed by pirate ships, and every pirate execution ever carried out, whether they were for public or private eye. He even had a bunch of maps and sea charts on his bulletin board or just scattered on his table or the floor.

A little obsessed wasn’t he?

A… hobby perhaps? If it was, an interesting one it certainly was. You thought everyone was too afraid to dig in deeper of the topic of pirates, wanting to mind their own business and not meddle into anything that seemed troublesome, even if it was just small research on pirates. For as long as you could remember, no one wanted anything to do with pirates, let alone do any research on them. What good would it have done any of them? Those who even dared stand up against any pirate would end up with only one missing limb or a bullet wound if they were lucky enough.

Those who weren’t lucky… well, you know what happens with them.

You would’ve read more from Jaebum’s journal, but when you finally looked up from the book and out the window, you were surprised to see that the sun was already close to setting. Deciding it was about time you headed out, you closed the book with a huff and placed it neatly back exactly as you had found it, and slipped out of Jaebum’s room after looking back at the study/library one more time. Perhaps if you were even lucky or found some way to convince Jaebum, you’d get a chance to read from his huge collected of books as well.

After making sure there was no one in the hallways, you exited the bedroom and slipped back into the main hallways and went downstairs, and out of the castle where you spent the remaining of the afternoon underneath a pretty flower tree Jaebum had in his palace garden. You’ve been seated underneath the whole time, plucking the poor petals off of the flowers, thinking things over in your mind.

This was… good… wasn’t it? You could finally get some answers out of Jaebum couldn’t you? Unfortunately not all the answers were written in his journal, just the basics, but if Jaebum had this much fascination (or obsession, you really couldn’t tell) over pirates, then maybe he could fill in some questions you had been holding on to for a while. Like, would pirates have a deeper, hidden secret to why they kidnap people? Do they hold a key role in helping them achieve what they strongly desire? How would one escape from them?

Your head spun and you let out a groan, leaning your head back on the tree bark behind you and just blankly looking off to the side.

‘I’m hungry.’

“There you are.”

You let out a loud yelp as you jumped up a little, head quickly turning to your left where you saw the prince, smiling cheekily at you.

You frowned, placing a hand on your heart.

“Your Highness, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Jaebum laughed. “My apologies.” He said, smile still present as he slowly made his way over to you. “I didn’t mean to. I arrived just a few minutes ago actually and was searching for you. When I noticed you out here alone I knew I had to immediately make my way over.”

You raised an eyebrow at this.

“Really? Why?”

Jaebum smirked as he stood over you, and to your surprise, brought a hand up to your head where he began to play with a strand of your hair.

“Well.” he said. “For starters, it would be rude of a gentleman to just leave a pretty looking lady out here alone, don’t you think?”

You blushed and looked away, hair strand slipping out of Jaebum’s fingers.

“I’m not one would consider ‘pretty’ but… thank you for the compliment your Highness.” You turned back to look up at him with a small smile.

Jaebum looked at you for a while in silence, and you were worried that you might’ve just stayed quiet, but before you could ask Jaebum suddenly squatted down next to you, surprising you.

“You know,” he spoke, this time in a hushed whisper and you were surprised at the shiver that went up your spine from hearing it. “you shouldn’t think of yourself like that. It really isn’t every day I get to have such a beautiful being in my castle, let alone right next to me.”

you both looked into each other’s eyes. You could feel your heart beating up at his words.

“…Really?”

Jaebum laughed at how genuinely surprised you looked.

“Of course.” He replied, and his hand suddenly lifted up, tracing the stitching on your sleeve, and you broke eye contact to look at his fingers in shock, while Jaebum continued to casually trace patters on your shoulder.

“The moment I saw you, my breath was taken away. It was quite a surprise, one minute I was busy doing my duties, the next, I was expected to have a meal with you. But I did have my doubts, I’ll admit that.”

You looked up at him nervously. “You… you did?”

Jaebum nodded and this time, he looked down. Watching his fingers as they traced the complicated stitch work.

“I’m not sure if Seulgi told you or not, but I had a bit of a rough time with my other wives. So when I heard of you coming along, I was a bit nervous. I thought, what if it doesn’t work out this time either? But…”

Jaebum looked back at you and smiled, and you felt your heart flutter a little.

“But?” you said, when he didn’t elaborate any further.

Jaebum’s smile widened, and he shook his head.

“Nothing~” he said in a teasing voice, which surprised you.

So, the prince could make jokes?

“Hey.” You said, laughing a little funny. “You can’t just say all that and then not say anything. I’d like to know what you really think.”

Jaebum chuckled and turned to comfortably sit next to you against the tree bark as well. He made a mock thinking face.

“Hmmmm, do I really wish to tell you~?”

You laughed and nudged him a little.

“I humbly demand an answer your Highness.”

“Well I humbly decline my lady.”

You scoffed. “Oh really? Then I’ll just have to run away it seems.”

As soon as you uttered those words, you felt a shift in the air in Jaebum’s mood.

“What did you say?”

The sudden stiffness in Jaebum’s words caused you to stiffen up as well, and when you looked at him, you noticed his icy look and shrunk a little.

“Uhh…” you immediately became nervous. “I… I was joking… you-your Highness. I wouldn’t actually run away…”

The silence that followed this time was tense, until the man next to you suddenly burst out laughing.

You watched him quietly as he calmed down after a few seconds, not finding anything funny.

“Wow.” Jaebum said as he wiped away a tear. “You really fell for that. Oh my.” He looked at you and flashed you another smile. “Of course I know you’re joking. Things wouldn’t end up very pleasant if you weren’t correct?”

“Uhmm…” you said nervously, but smiled back still. “Yeah, it would be a little silly wouldn’t it?”

Jaebum’s eyes stared into your own and silent once more, but then he stood up and gave a small stretch.

“Well, I’m feeling a little hungry, aren’t you my dear? How about we go and eat something small before having dinner?”

You internally hesitated, but shook it off and accepted Jaebum’s hand that was placed in front of you and he pulled you up gently to your feet. “Yes, I’m a little hungry myself.”

“Perfect, then I shall arrange some small treats for us.”

Hooking your hand into the curve of Jaebum’s arms, the two of you made your way inside the castle, the sun setting more and more behind you, and your restless mind growing a little concerned.

What, just happened?

Jaebum and you had walked up a couple of staircases and soon found yourselves walking down a hallway. You thought he was going to drop you off into your room until dinner time, but you noticed that you were headed nowhere near your ‘bedroom’.

“Uhmm, Prince Jaebum?” you asked and said man let out a ‘hmm’ and looked at you with that charming smile of his. “My… room is in the other direction?”

Jaebum shook his head and looked forward, smile still on his face. “I know my dear. I just thought that we’d spend a little alone time in my room.”

“Oh.”

…

Wait what?!

“You-your room?? As in, your bedroom??” you looked at him stunned, but Jaebum just let out another laugh and called over a nearby maid. She bowed once she reached you two.

“Prepare something light for us to eat and bring it to my room immediately.”

“Yes your Highness.”

Jaebum looked down to smirk at you. “Something wrong my dear?”

You stuttered and were about to reply but Jaebum continued to walk, pulling you with him.

“I just thought a little privacy was in order.” Jaebum smoothly replied. “There’s always a maid, butler or guard around so I thought it would be nice to have some alone time as well. Away from any watchful eyes. Thought it might be nice for you as well.”

Your face heated up. “You want us to be… alone?”

Jaebum laughed and looked down at you. “Pardon me for guessing but, you aren’t having any naughty thoughts are you my dear (y/n)?”

Your heart skipped a beat. You told him your name during the first meal you both shared together, and he’s been calling you ‘my dear’ this entire time, so it felt surprisingly nice to hear your name fall from his lips.

“I am thinking of no such thing!” you cried out, which only caused the prince to laugh more.

“Your name sounds surprisingly nice to the ears. Maybe I should’ve called you by it since the start.”

You heart fluttered at his words. ‘Gosh dammit.’

“Then why didn’t you?”

Jaeubm suddenly looked away.

Wait, was he embarrassed?!

“I was never very good with names, as embarrassing as it is to say, so I hope you forgive me, it was never my intention to do so.”

“Oh.” You said. I guess it’s easy to forget names when your royalty and you have to constantly always meet new people.

A thought suddenly came into your head.

“So how did you suddenly remember my name this time?”

Jaebum suddenly looked nervous.

A smirk pulled up on your face this time.

“Did you perhaps ask Seulgi what my name was before meeting me in the garden earlier?”

Jaebum huffed and you began to giggle. “Oh my goodness you did!”

“We shall speak no further into this topic.” He said with a pout and your giggles grew.

You suddenly came to a stop and you looked up in surprise and your eyes grew.

Gosh, you already reached Jaebum’s bedroom doors.

Seeing it again so soon suddenly made you nervous. What if he had found out that you were snooping around earlier? What is a maid or butler saw you going inside and told him??

“Well.” Jaebum said and shot you a smile. He raised a hand and slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open swiftly. “Please enter.”

You smiled at him and bowed your head a bit in thanks and you prayed that you didn’t look too nervous or scared.

Stepping inside, you remained still and waited until Jaebum too was inside with you. The moment you heard the door close behind you, you grew more nervous.

“Let me show you around a little.” Jaebum spoke up, grabbing you by the hand, causing you to jump a little, smiling when he saw you looking a little nervous. “Don’t worry, nothing to be afraid off.”

‘Shut up you’d have had me hung if you knew I was in here earlier.’

“I know.” You said, looking at him but then immediately looking down. “I’m just a little jittery, is all.”

You felt fingers beneath your chin and your head was lifted up and your heart beat sped up a little.

He was a little too close to your face. You could feel his soft breathing on your face.

“Calm down my dear (y/n), I promise I won’t bite.”

You chuckled. “If you saw so your Highness.”

Nodding in approval, Jaebum took a step back and you felt like you could now breath with the given space.

“Now,” Jaebum said as he pulled you along. “let me show you some interesting things.”

And interesting things he did indeed show. Who knew a prince had so much interesting things around. He showed you all the things he had collected as memories from his trips from various islands he had visited over time and skillfully hand drawn pictures of some sights he had seen on some of his adventures.

He looked mighty proud when you complimented them all.

It definitely made you a lot more anxious when he offered to show you his private study and library, and offer which you did not refuse, although you had already seen it by yourself. But you obviously couldn’t tell him that.

“I’m sure a prince like you must have an interesting collection.” You said once you took in all the collection of books he had (again). You realized now that you never checked what kind of books he had.

“I guess you can say that.”

You looked over to where Jaebum had walked over to one shelf and took out a book, inspecting the front cover and dusting off the non-existing dust. He opened the book and stared into it and randomly flipped a few pages over. You grew curious over to what he was reading so you made your way over to him and stood next to him. But before you could even read the first sentence on the page, you heard a knock on Jaebum’s door.

“Ah. That must be the mini feast I ordered. Follow me (y/n).”

Jaebum snapped the book shut before you could read anything, and you frowned a little and watched as he placed the book back in its place and made his way over to his room connected to the study.

Rather than going to the door, he plopped himself on his bed and yelled, “Come in!” and you watched as two maids walked in, one pushing a trolley of drinks, the other a trolley of small fruits, cakes, snacks, you name it.

Your jaw dropped. This was considered a light bite??

“Gosh your Highness, this is too much! You needn’t have to prepare so much!”

Jaebum waved a hand. “Nonesense! Eat whatever you can, don’t worry your pretty little mind my dear.” Sending a wink your way, you looked to the side and couldn’t help but smile.

Jaebum noticed and smile. While you weren’t looking, he suddenly shot a glare at the maids, who flinched at the hostile look.

“Leave.” He ordered, though his friendly tone did not match his tone. The maids nodded hastily, bowing before quickly making their way outside.

You turned around in time before the completely shut the door, yelling out a grateful, “Thank you!” and smiled.

The maids stopped momentarily in shock, looking at you in surprise, but then sent you a small smile. They both bowed once more this time to you, and you didn’t even notice that they lasted more longer than when they bowed to Jaebum. But the both stood up immediately and walked out before anything more could have been said.

Gosh, now you were alone with Jaebum again.

“Come here my (y/n).” Jaebum said as his arm reached out to you. “Won’t you sit next to me?”

You nodded and accepted his hand, feeling him pulling you down to sit next to him. You grew a little shy at the sudden closeness. Unlike from when you two were sitting outside, you were sitting shoulder to shoulder now, and he was still holding your hand, and was even brushing his thumb against your skin.

“My chef makes some amazing fruit cake. I really recommend you try some.” He said gently as he lifted a small plate of a perfectly sliced cake with fruits decorated on top. He brought it closer to him and picked up the fork that was neatly placed on the trolley as well.

Stabbing the fork into the cake, he scooped up a small bite sized piece and lifted it closer to your mouth, making you speechless.

“Say ahh~” he said in a teasing voice and you actually chuckled.

You parted your lips and Jaebum bought the cake into your mouth, and you sighed in bliss at the taste. He wasn’t kidding when he said his chef was amazing at making fruit cakes. The flavor was just bursting in your mouth and you suddenly felt so light and happy.

“This is amazing!” you exclaimed, looking at Jaebum in happiness. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a cake so light and fluffy!”

“See. I told you it was great! Oh, hold on…”

Before you could ask him what was wrong, Jaebum brought his hand up to your face and your face and your stilled. You were confused as to what he was doing when he even brought his thumb up and swiped at your lips, your eyes widening. When he pulled back his fingers, you noticed some whip cream.

‘Ah.’ You thought, feeling a little embarrassed. ‘There was cream on my lips.’

You were going to reach for the napkins that were provided to wipe the cream off of your lips, but when you grabbed one and tried reaching for his hands, Jaebum brought the thumb with whip cream on it to his mouth and suddenly sucked on it, making you freeze.

Your mind was blank, and you watched as he licked his thumb clean before he sent you a smirk, taking in your dumbfounded look.

He brought himself closer to you and you found yourself unable to move, lips parting this time but no words coming out.

“Would you,” Jaebum said as he brought his face closer to yours and you could see the teasing look in his eyes. “perhaps like to try some other delectable?”

Oh my.

Just what were you getting yourself into?

“Go and look for more gunpowder.”

“Where the hell am I gonna find more gunpowder?”

“You’ll find out once you start searching you dickhead. Go steal some from the village, and take Chanyeol with you.”

Sehun rolled his eyes and let out a groan but did as he was told.

Since they didn’t want to raise any suspicion since the stupid prince on this island had already seen one of them, the group of pirates had to hide their ship far away from the docks so no one could notice them and have any suspicions raised.

Baekhyun glared at the faint village lights a few miles away of him. He had already come up with a new plan since their old one had been ruined since you ran away. It was going to be a pain to carry out, but it was now necessary if they wanted you back.

“Jongdae!” he suddenly yelled, looking to his side when someone approached him. He ran a hand down his tired face and looked at his crew mate. “How long till the next full moon?” he demanded.

Jongdae shook his head. “Close to a week. Think we can make it?”

Baekhyun looked up at the moon. It was nearly full. “We have to.” he said, frown deepening as he grabbed the telescope Jongdae was carrying, looking back at the village more closely. “We’ve lost enough valuable time as it is. I’ll lose it if we miss this full moon too.” He looked at the village one last time before chucking it back at Jongdae who caught it expertly. “Go look over the cannons.”

Jongdae nodded and walked away.

Barking a few more orders around, Baekhyun felt his head spin so he took this as a chance to go back down into the ship and into his room.

Slamming the door behind him, he slumped on his bed and sighed, swinging a hand up to cover his eyes.

He could still make it till the next moon, he knew he could.

He’ll just have to take his anger out on you if he doesn’t.

~Masterlist~

Please reblog it you liked it! It would really help my work get noticed/passed around more!

#his treasure #exo #exo scenarios #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exo oneshot #byun baekhyun #exo baekhyun x you #baekhyun #byun baekhyun x reader #pirate au #pirate exo #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun fanfic

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thewritingstar · 3 years

Text

In The Depths of the Deep Sea

Pairing: Blossucth (Blossom x Butch)

Fandom: Powerpuff Girls

Notes: Prob one of the fluffiest things I've written and I’ve had this idea for months now and finally its here. After rewriting more times than I care to admit, I actually like it. Also go check out @lisathefan she made the most stunning art work for this!!

Tag list: @shellielyzabeth @unvalley @over-under-through1

Enjoy!

---

“Never go past the Crystal Reef.” Her father said to when she was just a young mermaid.

Naturally she listened to the rules. As the eldest of her sisters, it was her duty to make sure they did the same. Even if she had to scold Buttercup for getting too close or urge Bubbles not to because of the scary monsters, no one went past the reef.

It wasn’t a hard rule to follow though. Crystal Reef was massive and was filled with a city of sea life and other mermaids that kept everyone happy. They lived in the ocean and were free to travel the lengths of the sea, but the Deep Reef as it was called, was off limits.

She had heard the stories many times. Disgusting creatures lurked in the murky waters and even mermaids had a hard time swimming it's currents. It was ice cold as the legends told and no one made it out alive to tell the tale. There were messages of mermaids becoming food for the massive predators that lived there and even said to be home to blood thirsty sharks and fish who were more bone than flesh. It was creepy and distasteful to even think about and Blossom rarely had any desire to swim out and down below.

But one evening after her father told her about the treasures pirate ships could hold, she found one. It was just short of the edge of the reef, only a few meters down, the water was still clear enough but she knew that any further and she could be risking her tail. But as she grew older, her curiosity got the better of her.

So she swam and found it. The massive ship that had been sunken years before she was born. It was breathtaking even with the mass of water damage eroding its boards. Her mind had drifted further out to sea, her judgment foggy as she wasted the daylight in the boat.

It became a habit of hers. She would leave for hours to go towards that ship and each time, there was something new for her to see. She never had trouble there before, but her luck could only go so far.

The water had turned colder towards the night but she wasn’t worried, wasn’t afraid. Her tail guided her along the outside and she had decided maybe that was enough exploring for the day. Her family would get worried if she wasn’t back soon but then again the giant shark looming over her didn’t care too much about her time.

She gulped as the creature stared at her. Her breath being held in her throat as its eyes locked on to hers, daring her to make a move. Her blade in her bag was out of reach and even if she had it, there was no way she could fight off a shark ten times the size of her.

Perhaps this was it. The day she would be eaten alive and never found. And if she were to die, her sisters better keep their fins off her stuff! She shut her eyes tight as she felt the shark move closer. The torment of feeling the bubbles around her was making her uneasy and thought if she remained still, then it would leave. But her eyes, she decided to open them all too soon.

She only saw white. Rows and rows of exposed sharp teeth were only merely inches away and she couldn’t help herself from losing her cool. She screamed at the top of her lungs causing the shark to open its jaws and bite down at her spot where she just managed to get away.

In her younger years she had been deemed the smartest of her sisters, speed was not the attribute that she had been gifted and she wished in these very moments that Buttercup's ability to swim faster than anyones was here.

She circled the corner of the ship, hoping to lose the shark but one more mistake of looking back cost her time. She didn’t know this area well and made the mistake of swimming past the boat and towards the darker side. Her eyesight became cloudy as the water merged with the fading light and soon she could only see a few feet ahead of her.

The shark's nose grazed her tail and she let out a scream as she found a giant rock rounded to the back pressing herself to it hoping the creature wouldn’t find her. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. She shouldn’t have ventured this far, shouldn’t have let the mysterious be her guide.

She could see the shark a few feet away, it had lost her scent for a second and she knew that if she dared to swim, it would all be over. She had spoken too soon, those beady eyes turned and locked onto her frame and she swore she could see the sickly smirk of its teeth before it bolted towards her.

Her eyes tightened close and she took one final break, her bag dropping to the ground as her hand was pulling to the right and down. In a matter of seconds she felt the cavern shake from the impact of the shark, yet she was still alive, and wrapped around warm seaweed?

Blossom opened her eyes, now inside of the hidden cave, she looked down to see an arm holding her waist and hand, that was not hers, covering her mouth.

“Don’t move.” A voice came into her ear. It was deep and hoarse as if someone had just woken up.

Another jolt of fear ran through her as the shark bashed its head against the rocks. She let out a muddled squeak and the arm tightened slightly on her body.

“It can’t get to you, don’t worry.” The voice tried to reassure her.

For when the arm loosened on her after moments of waiting and he told her the shark had left, she turned and was met with vivid green eyes and an uncertain expression. Her eyes went to the top of his head. She had heard of mermaids that adapted to their surroundings but she had never met one with a light stand of an angler fish. It bobbed in the water giving off a faint glow.

“Thank you.” She said, trying to hide the fact that she was staring at him. She didn’t mean to be rude but he was so

“It's uh, no big deal. You should probably leave.” He said but when he swam away, that wasn’t the last he saw of her.

His first thought was to leave her there to die, just like all those other pesky mermaids who don’t know what lurks below. He knew that they all thought badly about the creatures here, serving them the right to try and test fate. But by all means if they want to risk their stuipd lives and dive down deep then they are in a rude awakening for a game of predator or prey with the creatures that feast on the oblivious.

But for some reason he couldn’t allow it to happen, not this time. It wasn’t his fault that he had stumbled across her, just a curious mermaid looking through an old sunken ship. Maybe if she knew that he was hidden behind the rock staring at her like a creep, she would have wished the shark ate her up. It was just...he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

He had seen countless mermaids and sea creatures, nothing special new about them. However her electric magenta tail brought his memory to the glowing anemones he used to pick as a little fish. The heart swirled on her tail was oddly cute and he found himself drawing closer and closer to her.

Did he spend weeks going back and forth between the ship hoping that she would come back to explore? Did he maybe place items he found in there so that the presence of new things made her come back? Maybe. It wasn’t creepy. He was just...curious. His brothers had no idea that he would spend his afternoons and even evenings wandering over to the shipwreck. They hadn’t had a clue about what was so interesting that he would be gone for hours but when he came back with some fish, they didn’t bother to ask any questions.

Sometimes he wondered if he should keep to himself. He had been told to never mingle with a mermaid of pure blood. Those whose fins and tails were fully fish and mermaid-ie, unlike him who looked mostly pure blood but had the light of an angler fish bobbing out of his forehead. He didn’t care, though he looked cool but it became his own worst enemy at some times.

She however thought it was adorable when she would place a sweet kiss to his cheek and the little light would brighten to an illanecent green and his cheek as pink as his tail.

“It's weird.” he would grumble.

“I think it's cute.” She would respond and give him another kiss to increase the brightness. “You’re like a lighthouse, always guiding me right back to you.”

He laughed. “You’re a sap.”

---

She found herself swimming deeper and closer to the murky water, even her ability to see in the dark wasn’t holding up but there was no fear within her even as the water altered to a colder climate. Hesitation was something she knew of often, always second guessing herself to make the right choices and be the best version of herself but with this, there was none of that.

It was certain that within these twilight waters was something for her. Something that could offer her more than the crystal reef and the same school of fish. Something unique and intriguing. Something of her own.

She knew better than to venture to the darkest part of the ocean. She knew about the horror stories where creatures go but don’t return, but there she was, following the path that others dared not too.

Her excuse was the ship and her desire to excavate it, but her family didn’t need to know that she was only going there to see him. It started with just a few questions and friendly chatter.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding treasure.”

“Think you could search me next?”

“You’re a riot.”

But even with the not so subtle stares and the blushing of her cheeks, she found herself gravitating to him as if he were a magnetic field and she let herself drift to him. Those sly comments turned to pamper kisses as their conversations formed into topics of their hopes, dreams and fears. And how she knew he had placed those items for her to find.

Sharp teeth left shivers all over her body as they caraseed her neck and lips so delicately like that as a whisper. His eyes, how enchanting. The deep green was viid against his greyish skin that faded into a beautiful black at his fingertips. She never thought eyes could shower her with adoration even when she was just rambling. He held her close, chin resting on her shoulder as she would go on and on about the items she would find. She found his voice appealing and safe and he had comfort whenever she spoke.

Kissing him was like being plunged into cold water., A rush that left her head dizzy as she begged for more and wanted to never leave his side. At first he treated her as if she would break. Soft touches and feather light kisses but she loved when his hands would tangle into her locks and kiss her senseless as if she needed to forget her own name. His fingers would trace along the patterns that form on her skin and she would kiss the scar on his chest.

When their time to meet was coming up, she would swim towards the darkness, never looking back, hoping that he would always be waiting, perched on the rock just her. And sometimes she would get there and he would play his game of cat and mouse

“Caught you.” He whispered into her ear, a tingle running up her spine.

She giggled as she turned in his arms and threw her own around his neck. She gazed into his eyes for a second. The brightest green she had ever seen, like that of emerald from the world above. Her lips came onto his and even with her eyes closed, she could sense the light coming from his head. Its precious green glow just for her eyes, like her own little star in the dark sea.

She ran her finger along his sharp jaw and when he tilted his head to deepen their kiss, she felt those teeth that were just as dangerous. She was addicted to every part of him, no matter how hard the warnings were, she would find herself back in the dark surrounded by his warmth and that bright light.

---

She never understood the others. How could they say that everything below the reef was cruel and dangerous, well she knew why. All stereotypes hold a sliver of truth but when she was here with him, bodies slumped against the coral as they relaxed and watched the fish passing by, she had never felt safer, more comfortable, more free than when she did up above.

She brought him to the surface and showed him the reef, though he did better in the colder waters, he couldn’t comprehend just how gorgeous she was as the sun breached the water and her scales were like drops of sunlight. The pink of her iris sparkled and he found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her just as she did with him.

They would collect sea glass together and he showed her the garden of anemones and sea flowers that bloomed with vivid colors. Sometimes they would swim to a hidden shore and look at the humans above before returning to water to snuggle in the kelp. They would treasure hunt and find other sunken ships.

“What's your favorite treasure or item you found?” He would say and without skipping a beat, her lips would linger over his, pink looking into green before whispering “You.”

She was told to never leave the reef and he was scolded to stay away, but within the darkness and the cold currents, there was a flash of green that guided her heart to her other home, to her other half.

I hope you enjoyed and thank you to miss Lisa for making art!!

#blossutch #blossom x butch #blossom ppg #butch ppg #ppg x rrb #ppg fic #blossutch fic #thewritingstar

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morganaux · 3 years

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🙈 - can your muse be blindly loyal?

It depends on the situation, but for the most part, no.

In matters of turning a blind eye to corruption that affects other people, he won’t stand for it and will make his opinions known. He isn’t the sort to enable bad behavior, even if it means standing in opposition to a loved one, or forsaking ideals he’s clung to for his whole life. This often comes as a surprise to people, given his cheerful demeanor and desire to see everyone get along, and even more surprising is just how angry he can get when someone tries to get him to go along with something unjust.

Placing the rest under a read more. Content warning for discussion of abusive dynamics.

There is one major exception to this rule, reserved strictly for House Dzemael. Even though he really only has a handful of adoptive relatives who treated him like family, he feels he owes the house as a whole for taking him in when he was at his most vulnerable. His presence was unwelcome by most of the family, as he was a mere Brume rat, daring to set foot in their domain not as a servant or guard, but as an equal.

Yet, despite all this, he remains firmly loyal to the house as a whole, taking great pride in bringing honor to his “family” as the Warrior of Light-- Ironic, considering the two individuals responsible for freeing him from Her Holy Body of Decency had both left Ishgard and no longer use the family name for reasons of their own. He also regards House Fortemps with disdain and hasn’t bothered to actually get to know any of them during his interactions with them, believing the rumors his family spreads about them instead.

It’s no surprise that during Heavensward, he simply sought refuge at the Dzemael Manor, and the trial by combat with Grinnaux was... Awkward, to say the least. He did, however, enjoy getting the chance to fight one of his childhood bullies.

He’s fully aware of his family’s wrongdoings (minus their slandering of House Fortemps) and all their various shady dealings, though, and wishes there were more he could do about it. He just doesn’t want to rock the boat much and risk being cast out by the Count de Dzemael, even if the former count Tarresson would never allow him to do so. He’d hate to be an orphan again.

For now, until he finds a way to truly do something about the corruption in his house, he’ll do what he can to drain the count’s coffers. That stuffed moogle collection ain’t gonna pay for itself, and it’s a little less money going toward bribery and hiring assassins. Just a little bit, but it’s still something?

If they did ask him to do something unconscionable, though? He’d refuse. Being the famed hero of his house and helping their image? Fine and good! Participating in underhanded political scheming? Hard pass. And, amongst trusted loved ones, he might actually dare to speak critically of his family, but it won’t be often.

And finally, when it comes to someone who is only hurting him, Morganaux is an utter disaster when it comes to being loyal toward them, especially in matters of romance. He has an incredibly naive and unrealistic view of romance, firmly believing in true love and its healing powers. In his void-touched AU, he’s gotten stuck in quite a few abusive relationships because of this, believing he can fix a partner even when it’s clear they have no interest in treating him right. It’s not something I’m interested in exploring via roleplay, though.

But, the moment that harm gets directed toward someone that isn’t him? He’ll turn on that person in an instant, and all that resentment over the way he’s been treated will come flooding out all at once.

#morganaux.txt #morganaux answers #bruises-and-bangles #((thank you for the ask! :D))#morgy lore

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peepingtoad · 3 years

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|| @dokuhebi cont. {x}

The peculiar period of downtime that they’d found themselves enjoying ever since the destruction of the other hideout, short-lived as it would no doubt be, had borne witness to the reveal of some truths that could never have come to light while he was still Orochimaru’s captive. Now they were in another of the many laboratories that could technically be considered ‘part’ of Otogakure, except this one was far, far flung from the sight of prying shinobi—not even Danzō had any hand in the funding or knew the whereabouts of this place—and of course, the timing was such that the expiry date on the sacrificial vessel he and Tsunade had met during the Deadlock was drawing ever nearer.

While this said a lot about exactly how long he’d been cooped up, it had proven more interesting in Jiraiya’s eyes, by this point, to wonder anew how Orochimaru had managed to weasel their way around the permanent obliteration of the chakra network to their arms. Knowing their sensei’s last-ditch jutsu, this was a feat the sage had previously thought impossible until they’d managed to snap him up and seal him in the forest, like a frog tempted closer by the innocent flick of the adder’s tongue… but particularly since their impromptu flight across the land, and especially what with having his own chakra restored, it became ever more apparent that the situation wasn’t quite so clear cut.

Ever one to observe quietly and gather his thoughts (whenever he wasn’t being boisterous and charging thoughtlessly ahead; such is the duality of man, or this man at least), Jiraiya said nothing when he first noticed the increased use of wrappings around their hands, and the certain quiver that was uncharacteristic of the graceful yet confident gestures he knew. Of course, he also noticed how Kabuto seemed to be the only one in and out of labs while Orochimaru spent more time lounging around—and while yes, this was often to spend time with him, Jiraiya couldn’t simply chalk it up to being a wonderful distraction, even if it would tickle his ego. Not when they so often seemed agitated by an itch for activity that they clearly couldn’t scratch, and particularly not when with increasing frequency they avoided laying their hands upon him in that lovely, possessive way he adored.

However, he wouldn’t call them out on their secret-keeping until meditation, and the awakening of a sage’s ability to sense all around him, showed him exactly what was going on—that cells were beginning to die, that chakra capillaries were deteriorating like old and frayed cables unable to communicate signals, and that this process of death, while gradual, was only beginning with this particular point of weakness. It wasn’t just the Reaper Death Seal that was behind their condition; it was all tied in with the Body Possession, too.

By the time they placate him with the barest of explanations, he already knows that they hide the full extent of what’s to come, and the implications of what must happen next (and soon) to remedy that... are grim. It is where their ideals come to a definite nexus, the reason that they've had to consider each other as enemies for so long, until happenstance led to choices that would solder their fates together once more.

Most critically of all though, it presents Jiraiya with a question he’s avoided until now: can I support this?

Amid numerous growing concerns, witnessing their ailing health only becomes more of a struggle to watch. But the final straw comes when they retire to bathe one evening, and yet many minutes pass—five, ten, fifteen—without even a drip of water to be heard, no shower before the bath, nothing to suggest that any other personal grooming is underway.

He finds them perched on the stool used normally for cleansing before entering the bath, having evidently made attempts to turn on the tap, so he quickly completes the task, and within moments steam fogs up the room. It would seem propriety may have to take a back seat for simply getting them in and comfortable, this time—Jiraiya wasn’t fool enough to think they’d allow the indignity of him stripping and washing them beforehand, but he certainly has plans to do so once they’re relaxed.

“Mm,” he replies simply at their assertion, a response he may as well not have given for how focused he is on unravelling the bandages with utmost care. He doesn’t need to see the damage itself to know that Orochimaru justifying themself is the very first sign that they aren’t satisfied in this situation, that they are perhaps embarrassed or even ashamed by the cost of their ability... but revealing the tender skin, mottled slightly mauve with the beginnings of that deterioration he’d sensed on a cellular level, certainly hits differently. Still, he keeps it hidden from his expression (as best as he can, at least), not wishing to rock the boat. Much more set on offering a little pampering care to soften the edge of being in such a state.

With their silken hair all gathered, tied up and away from their skin—albeit it not as elegantly by Jiraiya’s hand than it would have been by their own—he guides them into the deep bath, and spares no time in kneeling on the step that he may begin to gently wash them. It’s easy to lose himself in how stunningly beautiful they are while his hands roam over their body, sometimes with the cloth, and for those extra sensitive spots that require something even less abrasive than that, completely bare with only a film of lightly floral suds to make it glide over flawless skin.

Of course, few situations were quite so grim that the notoriously lusty sage could ignore desire when it was right before him, pliant and lovely in his hands, but reaching Orochimaru’s arms causes quite the abrupt pause in what had been shaping up to be an act both caring and skin-tinglingly sensual. Something that they clearly pick up on. Something that, dare he say it, gives them a reason to think he needs an extra reminder of that desire... or simply a distraction.

And it certainly works.

With his forearm supporting his weight on the curved edge of the ofuro, Jiraiya melts into the kiss, his free hand sliding up their sternum to cradle their neck, curling around its slender shape with only the lightest pressure applied. The steam feels steamier the more he tastes what is undoubtedly his Orochimaru; he knows too well their small breaths and gestures for this to possibly connect, in his mind, with the concept of a mere corpse painted with their likeness. And yet it does niggle. Enough that there’s a slight pinch to his brow as they part—just that subtle little indication that in this moment, despite the agitated, trembling weight of his breaths that would indicate stirred up lust, or the fact he’d topple into the bath with them if he tried to lean much further, his feelings towards them have become just a touch overwhelming.

Love, worry, protectiveness, sadness... it all mingles together in soft, storm-cloud grey, and the very last on the list of reasons for that look is ‘trying to make sense of them’. In fact, it isn’t even on the list at all.

“Mm,” he mumbles again—although this time, at least, he intends to say more. Right after his fingers stop idly fiddling with ink-black forelocks that have fallen from the poorly arranged up-do, settling finally on brushing it gently away from their face, before caressing the elegant line of their jaw. His chin rests atop his forearm, the distance allowing him a better look at them, which in turn prompts a smile that, while gentle, could mean an array of things. Not that he’s going to leave them hanging, as he continues calmly: “Quite the contrary. It makes all too much sense to me.”

Surely he need not say out loud how well he understood their aversion to death, their obsession with sweeping over any tracks by which it could pursue them as it had whilst growing up, nor that he knew the fact that actually possessing the power, wit and audacity to potentially overcome death was what had spurred them to just do it. Surely he need not say out loud that he knew their ambition and independent streak would have seen them leave Konoha’s tenuously safe walls for some other reason, if not this one.

After all, all three of them had left, albeit for different reasons—and Jiraiya’s own reasoning lay in an ambition of his own, or just a burden of destiny, he couldn’t always tell which. It was different to theirs, but he understood the drive to chase it. Admittedly, his is one that he still feels would have them struggling to make sense of him. Maybe, after everything, he was the one still showing a lack of trust in them. In anyone but himself, really.

Sighing, he braces his hand on the side of the tub, then rises to his full height with a few pops and cracks of his knees here and there. He’s only wearing a light yukata now, having showered not long prior, so it takes little for him to shed himself bare before decisively joining them in the tub, where the addition of his significant mass causes the water to swell, brim and spill over the edge. It evens out as he settles himself on the step situated on the side just beside Orochimaru, his arms made weightless by the water immediately curling around them to hold them in a loose embrace.

“I sensed when we fought that day, that something was different about your body, and I won’t pretend it didn’t disturb me.” His head tilts thoughtfully after saying this, clearly searching for the best words to spin substance to his thoughts. “But your essence, your soul, whatever you may think of it… it’s still the same to me. No matter how much I disagree with what you do, or worry that your actions are only gonna create new chains of vengeance and hatred that’ll come back to bite you, or even how much I worry about you, just you in general—your happiness an’ all that… Well, it still is you. It always will be you. And just like agreeing doesn’t necessarily mean understanding, not agreeing doesn’t mean not understanding. I won’t say this doesn’t worry me, of course, but...”

His eyes flick in the direction of their arms when he emphasises the word ‘this’, about the same time as a gentle nudge of the arm that forms a ledge beneath theirs illustrates it, before meeting their golden gaze again. The fact that someone will have to die to sustain their life... it’s rotten to think about it, but the fact of the matter is, Jiraiya would always choose them over someone else. And if that ‘someone else’ is a shinobi, well... there’s not much to vouch for in terms of their ‘innocence’. They were all killers here. That didn’t make killing someone to further a selfish pursuit for immortality okay, but there isn’t much he can do besides accept the fact that loving them, not from afar but being with them, means accepting that he’ll be inhabiting some exceptionally grey territory... or leaving.

Which, clearly, is quite the opposite of what he’s currently doing.

“It’s funny,” he adds with a slightly bolder curl of his lips, his hand returning once again to their face to simply hold their cheek while his thumb gently caresses the high, refined bone that lends well to that sharp glare of theirs, even with such smooth features, “you’ve tried to tell me that the way I see you, what I continue to see in you is wrong... but you’d be sad, wouldn’t you? You’d be sad if the way I looked at you changed and became like everyone else. Otherwise there’d be no need for you to hope it doesn’t. Watch me look at you, and see—”

Oh, and the way he looks at them is indulgent. Traces of concern and sadness still remain, but as always seems to be the case with Jiraiya, such feelings find themselves lost in a bright and lovely nebula of far better things—love, care, warmth... and, as always, little glimmers of teasing and jest..

“It hasn’t changed, has it? Well... except maybe the bedroom eyes. I suspect they weren’t always quite so obvious~”

#dokuhebi #now to get back to the remaining birthday asks dsjfiosjf #you really got me with this one though #so i couldn't resist #{verse:captive | dokuhebi}#{long post}#{thread:nogood}

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rootindiahealthcare · 4 years

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Top 5 summer destinations

The summer months are just around the corner and you know how much we like to travel and meet WowTrippers new destinations. So, we want to introduce you to our top 5 summer destinations! Whether you are planning a getaway with friends or want to spend a summer vacation with your family, here are 5 summer destinations that you will definitely enjoy. Dubrovnik - A Journey Through Time to the Middle Ages The first of our top 5 summer destinations is Dubrovnik, a medieval-style city in the southern part of Croatia on the Adriatic coast. Neither beach lovers nor culture enthusiasts will live here with a desire to do tourism. If you like to spend your free time at the beach, Dubrovnik offers you beautiful sandy and pebbled beaches surrounded by crystal blue waters and pine forests. Here you can relax and enjoy the warm Mediterranean air. You will also get great views of the old city fort. This brings us to the best places in Dubrovnik; that you should not miss, such as in the old city itself.Whereas declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO forty years ago.

Why UNESCO made this decision You will know when you enter from the Pile Gate and enjoy the indescribable medieval atmosphere created by the small labyrinthine lanes. The atmosphere resembles a real-time voyage of the Middle Ages and Renaissance with its ancient fortress, Franciscan monastery, and a wall about two thousand meters long that protects the old city. Dubrovnik is the center of attraction for fans of the famous series "Game of Thrones". If you are a big fan of George RR Martin's history, we recommend that you join one of the organized tours. They will show you all the hidden places and corners of the city and uncover some of the series' little secrets. Speaking of mysteries, have you heard about the curse of Lokram Island? If supernatural is not your thing, please head straight to the next destination for this summer on our list. If you are passionate about darkness, read … The small island of Lokram is not far from the old city. This can be reached by boat. There are remains of antiquity for the voyage, including an old Benedictine monastery. According to legend, fiery monks cursed the island 700 years ago. The people of Dubrovnik are convinced of magical power. So the mysterious island is completely uninhabited. If you dare to see it; keep in mind that you must have left before 9pm. This is the mandatory rule you must follow if you do not want to fall into the terrible curse and know the wrath of the monks.

Palma de Mallorca - Paradise Beach vs. Creepy Dragon One popular destination that should be among our top 5 summer destinations is Palma de Mallorca. It is the largest of the five Balearic islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Enjoy your time at the many unique beaches in Palma de Mallorca, which have nothing to envy some Caribbean beaches. In addition, you can relax and give yourself a refreshing beer; or fruit cocktail at nearby beach bars or within the beaches. Palma de Mallorca has a lot for culture lovers. When you have traveled to its old city and visited its church. Then we recommend a special view of El Castel de Belver. It is a palace of the Middle Ages, which serves as a residence and patronage for King Jaume I. The palace itself is a small world. It is situated in the middle of a cedar forest at an altitude of about 110 meters. That offers an impressive view of the harbor and the city of Palma de Mallorca. The nostalgic position and great scenery are not only the castel de belver's peculiarities; but also the palace. Its spherical shape means that there is no other similar throughout Europe, which makes the palace a unique example. If you are interested in the history of Palma de Mallorca. You are lucky because here you will find a museum of the history of the city. Palma de Mallorca also has its own dragon. "El Draque de non Coca", which lived in the sewers of the city in the seventeenth century. It is said that the dragon killed many people; until he encountered the brave knight Bartomo Coco, who killed him without hesitation. Confirmed by several sources, this story actually happened. What do you think Is there any truth to that? Stop doubting visiting the Diocesan Museum, where you can find the remains of the mysterious dragon.

Catania - the perfect getaway for Sicily Catania is one of the top 5 summer destinations that would really be worth visiting on these holidays. It is located on the eastern coast of Sicily. The city has not yet been invaded by mass tourism. Therefore, it is still considered a special recommendation for those; who wish to discover an impressive historical city. Here you can chill with a delicious pistachio ice cream at Piazza del Duomo and enjoy the authenticity Catania has the shortest metro line in the world with only seven stations. In our stunning trips as WowTrippers we love keen means of transportation, we recommend that you use this quiet means to get to know the city and surrounding areas. What we recommend on your summer vacation and what you really shouldn't leave in Catania is Etna. It is the largest active volcano in Europe, with eruptions nearly every year, and offers a show you will never forget. You can take the cable car to the top or go for a walk. The best option is to take a guided tour, so you will not only be sure, but you will also get lots of interesting information and exclusive advice from an expert. If you are fond of trekking, you can book a special excursion on top of a 3.323 meter high volcano. You will have an impressive view of all of Sicily and you can clearly feel the volcanic activity and have a look at the crater and lava caves. Since the volcano is always active, you can get lucky and see the real lava, An ancient legend from the time of the ancient gods speaks of Hephaestus, who marries the beautiful Aphrodite. Every time he believed his wife to be unfaithful, anger and jealousy blinded him and caused his smiley fire to grow so much that he angered Etna. What do you think, WowTripper? Would you dare to climb Etna to see this natural spectacle? Top Destination Summer Catania

Mykonos - Summer destination for party and beach holidays Mykonos Cycladic island is located in the Aegean Sea and is one of the most famous Greek islands. According to legend, Heracles threw twelve giants into the sea, which were set in stone and became islands, including Mykonos. Although it is very popular and visited by many tourists, we continue to recommend Mykonos as one of the top 5 summer destinations. In that place, you can relax on the beach and forget about your daily life. Paradise Beach and Super Paradise Beach are the most famous beaches on the island and are named after them. You will feel in heaven with a cocktail in your hand. If you too like a party, then you have come to the right place. Mykonos is one of the most popular party destinations and has so many discos that it will take you a week to see them all. When you are tired of the beach, you can take a walk in typical Greek alleys with their white houses and blue doors. Don't miss the curious Panagia Paraportiani Church, which actually has five independent chapels and is in danger of collapsing due to its asymmetry. The quiet side of Mykonos can be explored in the famous Cato Milli windmills, from which you can have a beautiful view of the city. Here you can not miss taking a selfie! A curious history of the city that we would like you to know is dedicated to the Mykonos mascot: Petros, the Pelicans. The bird was found badly injured in 1958 by a fisherman who escaped and cared for it until he recovered. Petros remained loyal to his fisherman and the city and was soon named an absolute favorite of Mykonos. Since then he moved independently from the old city. Okay, we accept it … It's not the same Petros of 1958! Nevertheless, the replacement continues to run through petro alleys. If you find it during your vacation, taking pictures is a must! You can find cheapest tickets on this portal with niche comparison. Ajiaco - land of Napoleon The final destination of our top 5 summer destinations is the capital of Corsica: Ajiaco. Ajaccio's beaches are amazing and invite you for a relaxing and refreshing beach day. We recommend the Bay of Porticcio, where you can admire a historic watchtower that is perfect for exposing your photographer skills and immortalizing the moment.

If you want to explore a quiet and relaxing Corsica island, we recommend you take an adventurous excursion along the Corsica Railway. Start in Ajiaco and take you through the beauty valleys, bays and mountains of the island. A different experience that you will tell your friends and acquaintances! If you still don't know, Ajaccio is the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769. The inhabitants of Ajaccio and Corsica ordinarily regard their famous emperor and celebrate it with enthusiasm. Allow yourself to get infected by this boom and take a search journey through the old city of Ajiaco. Go to "Maison Bonaparte", the house in which Napoleon was raised. We recommend the audio guide, which will tell you many interesting anecdotes about Napoleon's life. The Place Dusterlitz Monument is a huge granite statue that recalls the city's statue. As a child, under a granite rock, he is said to have loved reading books of historical heroes like Alexander the Great. And this is not the only monument discovered in Ajashio. This summer destination has hidden many monuments and statues in your city. Read the full article

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docholligay · 6 years

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The Little Mekmaid

@themiscyra1983 is doing me a favor tomorrow, and so I offered her a ficlet thing in exchange. She asked for a Brigitte/Hana Little Mermaid AU, which I came at with a sort of sampler/slice thought process--these rewrite fics are usually like 30k ahaha. BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY. 2,300 ish words

The winds were higher than they should be, that day, and this should have given Brigitte pause, she would later think.

But she did not think that as she looked out to the sea from the bow of the boat, the salt of the air fresh in her nose, delicate crystals of it gathering in her hair and setting it to sparkle like the princess. Well, the princess she should be, she thought with a laugh, not the princess who sailed out around the horn on an afternoon when she could be entertaining a suitor.

Suitoress? She thought, puzzled for a moment, would that be the name? And then she shook her head and decided it didn’t matter, if she wasn’t there to greet them anyhow.

Her parents, by and large, were tolerant of Brigitte’s sense of adventure--Torbjorn was not without his stories of being a young man on the sea, and Ingrid had proven the only thing wild enough to sate that hunger--but the need to find someone to marry, to carry on the kingdom, was a practical concern, and while they empathized with the boredom she felt when presented with the lovely and accomplished ladies of various kingdoms, still they insisted.

It was easy for her father to talk. Her mother had smashed into his ship in a Norwegian bay and demanded he hand over his command.

It had been love at first demand.

But Brigitte had never had such luck, no matter how much her father’s dearest friend and advisor, Reinhardt, had told her that there would be some kingdom somewhere that had a woman who would be perfect for her, that would capture the same way the wind off the sea, Brigitte mostly chalked this up to Reinhardt’s bighearted optimism, and doubted she’d ever have the luck of her parents.

The clouds began to grey, but Brigitte paid them no mind. There was no danger, yet, and she was most at home out here, out of the palace and rocking gently on the waves.

The things she loved could only ever come from the sea.

___

“Well, if you don’t know, and I don’t know,” Hana scowled at Fareeha, “Then we have to ask Lena.”

She swam up toward the sun glittering through the crystal of the ocean above her, dashing across her skin like precious jewels.

“Do we?” Fareeha followed after her, her voice tinged with annoyance. “I can also invent things, you will find.”

“You are being so uncharitable, Fareeha,” Angela swam up next to Hana, who had completely ignored all of Fareeha’s misgivings, however vehement they had been, “Lena lives so much closer to the humans than we.”

“She knows what is a fish and a chip, and that is all.”

Hana shook her head. Fareeha disapproved of her talks with the seagull, and Hana was never sure if it was more that she disliked Lena herself, or if she disliked anyone and anything that encouraged Hana’s interest in humans.

Even Hana herself was not sure why she was so drawn to their world, why she, since she was a minnow, had looked up toward that sun and desired to see what it was like surround by the green of those plants she saw from the shoreline, to feel what the sand might be like on her feet. To feel what feet might be like.

The others seemed so happy down below, but Hana just kept searching, swimming toward the sun.

___

Brigitte ruffled her dog’s fur, looking out at the storm that was brewing on the horizon. Ingrid had told her today was no day to go out, and part of Brigitte had thought it was just her general desire to keep Brigitte at least looking at the girl who was visiting from some far-off kingdom.

Or maybe it was that Ingrid didn’t want to entertain her on her own.

But now, looking out at the grey-green clouds gathering, Brigitte began to wonder if her mother hadn’t been right, if she should get back to shore. They were a way out now, and she glanced back toward the land. The storm was coming up fast, and they might not make it even if she turned around now. Worse, the storm could hit while they were close to the rocks and reefs that led into the bay.

There were times, her father often said, when all you can make is the choice you make. She hadn’t really understood that, then. Her father was given to saying things that sounded wonderfully growled through his beard, but didn’t make much sense when you sat to think about them. But suddenly, she understood him.

She told the men to batten down the hatches.

___

“This, this is just brilliant. Just lovely. A real piece.” Lena examined the bicycle bell carefully.

Fareeha grumbled. “A real piece of--”

“Fareeha!” Angela tapped a fin onto her back.

Hana leaned forward onto the rock. “I found it in the wreckage of the white ship.”

She looked up at Lena expectantly. Hana had always been a quick child, eager to learn and to grow, and it frustrated her that there was so little known, and so little desired to know, about the world of the humans. Their ships went over their heads, and the storms that whipped up in the turbulent currents of their home sometimes cracked and broke them against the rocks, but the only things Hana ever heard were whispers and ideas. No one seemed to know, and she longed to know.

“Now this,” Lena leaned in closely to Hana, “is a raddyding. Rare bit of treasure, ‘ere. The ‘umans--” Fareeha let out a loud and aggrieved sigh, and Lena shot her a look, “Fareeha, ‘as anyone ever told you as you’d make a lovely bit of dip? The ‘umans use this to propose courtship, tween the two of them,” she whipped back the button and let it go, and a high, tinny sound echoed from within it, “see? ‘Umans love that sound.”

“Much as you, with the sound of your own voi--”

Fareeha was interrupted by a clap of thunder booming overhead, Angela dipping back under the waves for the fear of it, and the sky was darker than they had remembered.

Hana slipped the bell back into her pack and looked at the clipping waves, and the small caravel that bobbed on them uncertainly. Fareeha and Lena continued to bicker in the background, but Hana barely heard them, the sound of the waves and the wind and the thunder overpowering them, but Hana could hear, carried to her as if by magic, the sound of a woman ordering the men, and she felt a strange flutter in the pit of her stomach.

___

Brigitte may have made a mistake. Later, as she lay in her bed in the palace, recovering from her odd bout of judgment and her odder bout of hallucination, she would reflect on the fact that more than the worry that she was going to die, she was worried about Ingrid and Torbjorn’s stern looks. They were a sailing dynasty, how could the heir to the throne have so little sea sense?

But that was, in fact, her compelling worry as the waves came higher and higher, as she tried to steer away from the rocks, the currents of the ocean bucking and curving against her, a passionate argument with the only lover she had thus far. She could see her parents’ faces as the ship was repaired in dock. She could see herself being sent out on a tiny sailboat for rudimentary lessons with Reinhardt, who would laugh and tease her, so good-naturedly but all the same making her tie the knots she’d known since childhood over and over again, drinking his beer and eating his picnic as he asked her if she needed help in the tiny swells of the near bay.

And she couldn’t have that. She was heir to the throne, even if she was not betrothed, and if she couldn’t guide a ship through the eye of a needle, what did she have?

And, on another day, she may have done just that. But sometimes, the fairies have to ensure that the tale is there to tell, and they did so on this day. The wave was guided over the side of the small ship, and swept in such a way, guided by the hands of fate, that it carried one of her crew, a small, nimble and fairly young girl, over the side of the ship, Brigitte’s eyes filled with horror but her hands unable to move.

Many positive things could be said about Princess Brigitte Lindholm, and her parents and friends and subjects often did. But as lovely as her large heart was, it could not be fairly said of her that she always thought through the immediate consequences of her deep desire to help.

Such an example might be her instant dive into the dark, cold, and stormy water, rope in hand. That the girl was likely able to swim herself, as Ingrid and Torbjorn were of the strict opinion that a sailor who couldn’t swim may as well be written off as helpless and careless, but Brigitte though nothing about that. She was Brigitte’s crew, and Brigitte’s responsibility.

She grabbed the girl by the arm, and thrust her toward the rope, her hand closing over her crewmember’s to make certain she had hold of it. The waves pummeled them, Brigitte barely able to yell to the men on the caravel to pull before being crashed underneath the high waves once more.

But they listened, and they pulled, and Brigitte and the woman began to rise toward the ship.

And then, with a great clap of thunder, Brigitte felt the hard punch of her lover’s anger like a stone wall, and her hand loosed of the rope, and all was cold, and all was dark.

___

“Hana, we should go to the depths, where it is calm.” Fareeha never seemed to tire of her role as the voice of reason, or a giant nag, depending on who you asked.

“Hana…” Angela offered, as there was another great crash of thunder.

“Oh stop,” she looked over at them, “It’s just a storm.”

It was true that there was lightning, and true enough that a strike into the water could be anywhere between unpleasant and deadly, but Hana had taken to the thrill of the top of the water during a storm from an early age, always more daring than any of her siblings, and none of that even remotely bothered her anymore.

Which may be why her father had her constantly followed by Fareeha.

She was close to the caravel now, watching it rock back and forth in the wind and water, hoping that something of value would fall off, something new and exciting from the human world, though she couldn’t guess at what she wanted, just something to take back to the deep and remind her of all the things that she loved and wanted to know about the human world.

There was a dramatic splash beside her as a small woman fell through the water, immediately followed by a larger one, and Hana jumped back for a moment.

She had seen humans on the shoreline, and knew they were somewhat like Mer, at least from a distance, but she had never realized how very similar they were. To hear her parents talk, they were the two most different things in the world, but, so close, it all seemed so silly to her. She watched them, fighting in the seas, and felt that same strange tug.

The smaller girl lifted out of the water, carried by the line her crewmates had thrown, but the larger girl was slammed by a wave, and fell into the water, unconscious.

For a moment, Hana did nothing. Just waited and stared.

And then, she remembered Lena telling her that humans could not live in either the water or on land, not even for a little bit. They needed air, all of the time.

Hana sprung into action, looping her arms underneath Brigitte’s, swimming as hard as she could to the top of the water. Her parents had been wrong. They were just like the Mer, and hana could not let her die simply because the rest of her people were afraid.

The sea was powerful, but Hana struggled against it, breaching the waves and looking around for the shore, something she had never been aware of, all of her life, and suddenly needed desperately. Brigitte coughed in her arms. Hana was strong, for her size, and full of determination, but she was still small, and the forces of nature could only be overcome by adrenaline for so long.

“‘Ana!!” There was a cry from above, as Lena dipped toward the sea, fighting against the wind.

Hana’s eyes followed her as she flew toward the shore, and Hana dragged Brigitte along, desperately trying to keep her above the waves, a woman she had never met or seen but suddenly whose life seemed so precious to her, more than any treasure she had below in her grotto.

The wet sand beneath her tail was a welcome sensation, even as unfamiliar as it was, and even with the struggle of flopping Brigitte toward the shore, where she could be sure she wouldn’t drown.

Lena alighted next to her, and nodded her head toward Brigitte.

“‘Ave an ‘uman friend what nursed me back to health, ‘e’ll ‘elp with this, sure of it.”

Without waiting for a confirmation or denial, Lena flew off toward the land, as Hana looked down at Brigitte. Her long auburn hair pulled up into a high ponytail, the sides of it falling out haphazardly, complimenting the light dusting of barely-visible freckles across her cheeks. She was breathing softly, and Hana had a tremble of hope. She leaned closer to her, almost touching her face to hers.

Brigitte opened her eyes.

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buzzdixonwriter · 6 years

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Compare & Contrast: Carousel vs Guys And Dolls

A dear departed friend of mine loved Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Carousel, and he was far from the only person to do so.

Ever since it opened in 1945, Carousel has been a perennial favorite, revived countless times on Broadway and regional theaters, adapted into a film, and chockablock with memorable numbers and well crafted scenes. “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” and the big hit from the show, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” have been covered by thousands of artists and are in repertoires all over the world.

I can understand the fondness for the songs, and the admiration for the quality of the writing, but Carousel itself as a story?

This is one of the vilest pieces of crap penned.

Based on the play Liliom by the Hungarian playwright and poet Ferenc Molnár, Carousel is the story of Billy Bigelow, a self-destructive idiot who diminishes the lives of those around him simply by existing.

Molnár’s original play doesn’t dodge that bullet, and it ends with the protagonist being led off to eternal punishment while his dim-witted widow waxes nostalgic over him, despite the fact he abused her, never supported her, and left her in the lurch to bear and raise their daughter after he was killed in botched robbery.

Given a chance to redeem himself by performing one good deed for his daughter, Liliom (Hungarian for “lily” but also slang for a street thug) botches even that simple task and so gets dragged off to the fate he well deserves, the fate he quite deliberately and exquisitely fashioned for himself over the course of the play.

Small wonder those who adapted it to stage and screen typically sought a means of mitigating Liliom’s fate, to give one last ray of hope instead of following the story through to its grim but wholly logical conclusion.

Of all the adaptations that tinkered with Liliom, Carousel is by far the most egregious. It explicitly endorses spouse and child abuse as acts of endearment, Billy Bigelow (the Americanized Liliom) being a prideful, arrogantly ignorant sociopath who cares only for himself, and despite the vain promise of “You’ll never walk alone,” his daughter and wife are compelled to suffer all their lives for his sins and shortcomings.

He brings his daughter a star from heaven which even in the context of the story doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a gaudy trinket that can be and ultimately is ignored.

Geeze, a Marvel movie would at least see the kid get some superpowers out of the deal…

And if such a thing is possible, the 1956 film adaptation is even worse than the stage play: It begins with Billy in heaven, gainfully employed polishing stars, no need to either account or atone for his earthly behavior. His return to Earth is just to help his daughter out, not redeem his terrible behavior with a single good act, and in that context he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

One’s tempted to call Billy Bigelow a worthless sac of human excrement, but that’s not accurate: Excrement has use as a fertilizer.

Billy Bigelow is a 55-gallon drum of toxic waste, poisoning all it comes in contact with.

The key plot elements of the stage play are this: Billy Bigelow, carousel barker, gets fired by his jealous boss, Mrs. Mullin, when she sees him flirting with young mill worker Julie Jordan. Julie loses her job as well because of her infatuation with Billy, and the two marry impetuously.

A month later and he’s still found no work due to his refusal to return as Mrs. Mullin’s barker or take any other job that requires him to answer to a boss. He’s drunk and abusive, and while the stage play raises the issue that Julie should leave, it just as quickly subsumes it with Julie’s "he's your feller and you love him" attitude.

When a disreputable pal, Jigger, suggests they rob Julie’s old boss, Billy first refuses (though he doesn’t warn anyone of Jigger’s criminal intent), but when he learns Julie’s pregnant, launches into the most odious song in the show: “Soliloquy”

“Soliloquy” is a schmaltz fest that most people choose to hear as a loving father doting over his unborn child.

It’s not.

It’s a sociopath’s love song to himself.

Billy Bigelow does not care what is truly best for his son, he only cares about vicariously enjoying success through the boy, and not through the boy’s own efforts and desires but by shaping him into a mirror image of his father, a toy for him to manipulate and play with.

Almost all the careers he imagines for the boy are the kind of low level manual labor jobs that he’s only fit for, the exceptions being carnival barker and President of the United States (which he disdains).

“Bill, my boy Bill I will see that he is named after me, I will. My boy, Bill! He'll be tall And tough as a tree, will Bill! Like a tree he'll grow With his head held high And his feet planted firm on the ground And you won't see nobody dare to try To boss or toss him around! No pot-bellied, baggy-eyed bully Will boss him around.”

He even fantasizes about teaching his unborn son how to seduce girls…then realizes to his horror that his “son” maybe be a daughter.

“My little girl Pink and white As peaches and cream is she My little girl Is half again as bright As girls are meant to be! Dozens of boys pursue her Many a likely lad does what he can to woo her From her faithful dad She has a few Pink and white young fellers of two or three But my little girl Gets hungry every night and she comes home to me!”

That’s pretty damn sick.

Bigelow, perfectly willing to raise a proto-rapist male, doesn’t want the shame of having a victim for a daughter, and thinking the only way he can protect her is by buying her a higher station in life, decides to help Jigger rob Julie’s ex-boss.

Even there he’s a punk, not willing to do anything directly to threaten the old man, but perfectly willing to share in the proceeds of Jigger’s crime. (He’s also an idiot insofar has he had a nasty confrontation with the intended victim about a month earlier and apparently presumes the old man won’t remember him.)

But he’s not done destroying himself and Julie’s future and the future of their unborn child yet: While waiting in ambush, he and Jigger gamble, betting their anticipated shares of the loot.

Billy loses all his shares!

There is no point to him participating in the robbery.

There is no reason to help Jigger any further except arrogant pride.

They attempt to rob the old man, the old man draws a gun, Jigger flees, and Billy, rather than face the consequences, takes the coward’s way out and kills himself.

His daughter grows up being scorned and taunted by other children for having a father who was a stupid brute and a thief and a suicide, and as cruel as that is, who’s fault is it but Billy’s?

It was his choices that put her in that predicament, his pride, his arrogance, his lack of character and courage and imagination.

And Carousel celebrates this; it doesn’t pity Billy but rather feels sorry for him.

This is the difference: Pity can recognize the suffering of another person yet still recognize that person’s responsibility in bringing tragedy upon themselves; feeling sorry for someone negates the harm they have inflicted on others.

Billy deserves nothing. Julie deserves nothing -- she enabled this tragedy.

Only the daughter deserves sympathy and a second chance, Carousel’s climax is arbitrarily tacked on to give a fake happy ending and is as phony as a three dollar bill printed on a Xerox machine running low on toner.

Liliom and Carousel are tragedies, but only Liliom has the courage and clear vision to recognize it.

Compare and contrast with Guys And Dolls, the 1950 Damon Runyon musical by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows.

Like Carousel, it’s a crowd pleaser: Plenty of great scenes, lots of great numbers like “A Bushel And A Peck”, “Adelaide’s Lament”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Sue Me”, “Sit Down (You’re Rocking The Boat)”, and “Guys And Dolls” itself.

It’s got a better structure than Carousel: A common convention in Broadway musicals is to have a main couple that the show focuses on and a supporting couple to offer a counterpoint to the main action.

One could eliminate the supporting couple in Carousel and, while the show would be diminished, it would not change the story of Billy and Julie.

But Guys And Dolls thoroughly integrates the stories of Sky Masterson and Sergeant Sarah Brown with that of Nathan Detroit and Adelaide: Remove either couple and the entire show collapses.

And of special interest is this: While Sky and Nathan are gamblers and by association at least peripheral members of the underworld, they are also men of personal integrity (Nathan less so than Sky, granted, but it’s still there).

Nathan is trying to stage “the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York” in the face of intense police scrutiny not for his personal benefit alone, but so he provide for his crew and so he can finally marry Adelaide, the show girl he’s been engaged to for 14 years.

Sky is riding on top of the world, a superstar among gamblers, a man who doesn’t need anything…

…yet at the same time is acutely aware of a large vacuum in his heart.

The story’s hilarious, with all sorts of outrageous characters and plot twists, but it rings far truer than Carousel because for all their flaws, the characters are trying to better themselves not for their own good but so they can better the lives of others.

This is a crucial difference between them and Billy Bigelow. The characters of Guys And Dolls may be foolish on occasion, but they ain’t dumb, they know the score, and more importantly, they know themselves.

The show’s songs are rich with self-awareness, and while the characters take risks -- they’re gamblers, after all -- they aren’t stupid self-destructive risks that will harm others.

Sky and Nathan, in fact, demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice themselves for others, and accept the consequences for their own actions.

More importantly, they are willing to change in order to better help the women they love, and that change comes without regret but rather with (again!) the self-awareness that their happiness is intrinsically wrapped up in the happiness of the person they love.

No song better sums it up than “Guys And Dolls” itself:

“When you see a guy reach for stars in the sky You can bet that he's doing it for some doll. When you spot a John waiting out in the rain Chances are he's insane as only a John can be for a Jane. When you meet a gent paying all kinds of rent For a flat that could flatten the Taj Mahal. Call it sad, call it funny. But it's better than even money That the guy's only doing it for some doll.”

The song closes with as direct a repudiation of Billy Bigelow as we could hope for:

“When a lazy slob takes a goody steady job, And he smells from Vitalis and Barbasol. Call it dumb, call it clever Ah, but you can get odds forever That the guy's only doing it for some doll!”

#Broadway #musicals #Guys And Dolls #Carousel #Rodgers and Hammerstein #Frank Loesser #Liliom #ethics #morality #writing #Ferenc Molnár #Compare And Contrast

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marlmckitten · 6 years

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(She Had) Just Enough Time ~Chapter 1: Introductions

September 1st, 1971. It was the day that Marlene McKinnon had been waiting for since she was old enough to know what Hogwarts was. She loved her mom and dad, and she adored her brothers, (although they were all much older than her and she rarely saw them.) It wasn’t out of a desire to leave home, it was simply because the fantasy of meeting so many new people and learning how to do all the extraordinary things that the rest of her family could do at ease was too overwhelming to not look forward to. And it was finally here. She almost forgot to say goodbye to her parents when it was time to board the train. After so many years of waiting, she was stuck in a haze of excitement and at last she was on board the Hogwarts Express. As of now, officially on her Hogwarts journey. Once her feet were in the skinny corridor, she looked around, having it dawn on her that she had no where further to go from here. She bit her lip and looked into different compartments, slightly intimidated since so many of the other kids seemed to already have made friends, or were in their later years, and settled in comfortably like it was an average experience for them. The 11 year old blonde, peaked in one compartment, where there seemed to be two kids her age, one girl adorned dark red hair, and a small boy with jet black hair and oversized clothes. She considered going in and introducing herself, but two other boys waltzed in and she lost interest. So she went on, when she was loosing hope on finding anywhere to sit for the long journey, she found one compartment that had only two girls, clearly also new, not talking very much. Marlene gladly welcomed herself inside. “Hello,” she extended an arm politely, “I’m Marlene McKinnon, are you guys also first year?” She asked hopefully.

The first girl nodded, “Mary MacDonald, first year as well, it’s all so thrilling isn’t it!” She could barely contain herself, but Marlene felt the same way and was happy to finally have someone who could relate.

The other girl laughed as Marlene agreed enthusiastically, “Dorcas Meadowes,” she said, slightly more shyly than Mary.

Marlene grinned and took a seat, assuming that the other two wouldn’t mind. And very quickly they began talking about what they wanted out of Hogwarts, what houses they desired to be in, what they were most eager about from the castle, which classes they wanted to excel in, and it went on and on, creating the shortest train ride of any of their lives.

“My oldest brother was good at almost every subject,” Marlene was explaining. “He was in Ravenclaw, and love studying. Then my second brother was almost very god at most things. Thank Merlin that Milo didn’t follow in that path and get 13 O’s, now I don’t have as much to live up to.”

Mary giggled at Marlene’s statement. “I wouldn’t be too worried about it you. It’s almost impossible for a whole family to be the same at school. How were they good at every subject anyway? Did they only take easy courses?”

With a shake of her head Marlene went on, “No, they didn’t. Dustan works at the Ministry now, and Derek is a Healer. Does that prove my point of how well they did?”

“Still, I think you’ll be okay. Who wants to work at the Ministry anyway?” Mary added with a grin.

“How old are your brothers?” Dorcas questioned, her eyebrows pulled together as if trying to analyze her family. “Doesn’t it take time to get jobs like those?”

“Yes, how old are your brothers?” Mary realized with a chuckle.

At this Marlene rolled her eyes, “I don’t even get to see them very much, Dustan is 24, Derek is 23 and Milo is 20.”

“So there is still hope of him finding some fancy job and leaving you behind?” Mary joked.

But before Marlene had time to reply, Dorcas pointed out the window, “I think we are almost there, we better get changed into our robes!”

Marlene quickly leapt up to find somewhere on the train for them to change and all the girls took turns until they were back in their compartment, staring out the window at the now darkened sky. They forgot all about their conversation when the giant castle came into view.

She held her breathe as they stepped off the train and looked at the castle, it was even more magnificent than she had imagined it to be, or that any of her brothers had ever told her it was. All three girls starred for a few moments before they were ushered away onto tiny little boats to go across the water and to the school. A very large, happy man welcomed them, and Marlene could tell already that she would like him, he seemed charismatic and helpful, even if perhaps a little clumsy.

But she didn’t watch him for very long, her eyes wandered back to the castle in all its beauty. The darkness around it only made it look larger. Candlelight flickered through many of the rooms, and the water around them bubbled in excitement of different creatures popping up every now and then to look at the new guests of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their boat rocked back and forth with her and Mary visibly jumping up and down in their seats. Dorcas smiled, but managed to keep her composure a little better than the other two, Marlene though that it may be more out of shyness than lack of excitement. After all, who wasn’t happy to be on their way to Hogwarts? Looking over at some of the other boats she saw the same dark red hair, accompanied by the sleek black haired kid and she decided that they must have been friends before coming here, they sat at such ease with one another, although they both made a few sideways glances, visibly annoyed with the two boys who went into their compartment earlier. To her right, there was a very timid looking boy, with brown hair, who was perhaps the only one who was looking with dread up at the school instead of excitement, she felt bad for him. And another boat over to her right there was a tiny boy who was shaking eagerly, his high pitched voice could be heard every now and then as he jumped whenever something hit his boat, the girls on the boat he was sharing with kept rolling their eyes, out of annoyance. She took a moment to absorb the fact that these were the people she would be spending most of her time with for the following seven years, and really hoped that they were all okay.

“What house do you think you’ll get?” Mary asked Marlene, they had already discussed it and Marlene really didn’t know. Two of her brothers were in Ravenclaw, one in Hufflepuff, her mom had been a Gryffindor, and her father had also belonged in Huffelpuff. “I’m not sure… Does it really matter that much though?” She questioned sincerely unsure of how important their houses were.

Mary laughed, “My parents were both Gryffindor, so hopefully I’ll follow with them.”

A few boats over, two boys made fun of the black haired boy who was doing nothing at all to bother them, Marlene frowned, wanting to throw something at them to get them to stop. This was suppose to be fun, one of the days you forever remember, what was the point of teasing a boy you barely even know yet? Looking to Dorcas and Mary she said, “Well, hopefully we end up together, it seems like not everyone on their way to Hogwarts is as friendly as we are.”

Soon enough, their boats bumped the edge of the water. There was a loud squeak from the small boy to their right as he cautiously got out of the boat. Marlene, didn’t think much about it as she got out from hers and followed in the large group up to a very serious looking woman who was apparently the Deputy Headmistress. The next bit was a blur and then the young blonde was holding her breath when the sorting started. When one of the boys who annoyed her from earlier, (Sirius Black as Professor McGonagall called), was sorted into Gryffindor she whispered to Mary, “Tough luck for you,” in which Mary replied with a chortle.

The red head got Gryffindor, and she wasn’t sure why, but she was happy for the girl, until there was a groan behind her from the smaller boy. She turned to look at him just as someone else pushed past to get sorted. It went on until Mary MacDonald was called up. Marlene bit her lip hopeful for the girl, and clapped loudly when she got Gryffindor.

The quiet boy, who looked reluctant to be here was named Lupin, he got Gryffindor as well.

Finally it was Marlene’s turn. She walked up to the stand, shaking slightly and took a seat before she was plunged into darkness with the hat falling over her eyes. Although her brothers had warned her about it, Marlene jumped when the hat spoke to her. “I see, I see,” it said, appreciatively. “A very diverse family, and no expectations for yourself? Well, you do hold some ambition, that would place you nicely in Slytherin. But I also see some fierce loyalty, a Gryffindor perhaps?” The hat hummed as if reading deeper into her brain. “I do like that I see your ability to stand up to anyone you think is doing wrong. Perhaps you would make good friends in Hufflepuff?”

Marlene felt herself think of Mary, and how excited she was for Gryffindor, and she continued to chew on her lip nervously, what if she ended up somewhere with no friends?

“That won’t happen, I know what I am doing,” the hat said confidently, before pausing a few moments longer. “Friendship is what you desire the most, and belonging, you like to show off a little and your family means a lot to you… I dare say we have a GRYFFINDOR!” It shouted out the last word so loudly, Marlene’s ears were buzzing as Professor McGonagall pulled the hat from her head and she ran up to join Mary, sitting between her and the auburn haired girl from the train, “Marlene,” she introduced herself.

“Lily Evans,” she smiled as they both looked back to the stand. Next was Dorcas, who Marlene was pleased to see also got sorted into Gryffindor, and the four girls sat happily in a row.

Peter Pettigrew was the boy who kept shrieking as the boat moved around, and joined the Gryffindor table to a few people’s surprise. Lily made no effort hiding her annoyance when James Potter, sat happily next to Black. And it was followed by Lily making a sad noise and watching Severus Snape walk in the opposite direction and sit with the Slytherins.

Shortly after Snape, the sorting was done, Professor Dumbledore made an incredibly short speech, as he was apparently known for doing, and their plates and goblets were instantly filled with food and pumpkin juice. Marlene hadn’t noticed how hungry she was until she saw the overwhelming feast in front of her. Greedily, he filled her plate and didn’t say anything after eating her first helping of food, that was when she turned to Evans. “So, did you know that boy from before?” She gestured to where the Slytherins were eating, noticing that there was an older blonde girl who was throwing dirty looks over to her, but after she heard Black say something back, she realized it was him she was glaring at, not her. Briefly she wondered what that was about, but he was deep in conversation with a messy haired, James Potter, and she went on talking to Lily instead.

“Yeah, we grew up close to one another, he’s my best friend, hopefully being in different houses won’t change anything,” she said wistfully, as if she was already afraid that it was. He looked very lonely sitting by himself. “He’s not very social, I’m sure he will make friends on his own… Eventually.” Lily’s voice was protective over the boy.

“I’m sure he will be okay, what’s up with these two?” She asked more quietly, head jerking towards the two boys across from them.

“Not sure,” Lily said with a slight snarl, “They came in to our compartment on the train, insulted Sev and then took off, I can’t say I like them too much so far.”

As if they knew that they were being talked about the taller of the boys, with black hair looked over to Lily, “Pass the potatoes, Red,” he demanded, but Lily only starred at him, unblinking. “Please?” He attempted with what he surely thought was a charming smile, but Lily didn’t budge.

On her other side, the smaller boy eagerly picked it up and passed it, wishing to be helpful, or liked, Marlene wasn’t sure which, “Here you go, you’re Potter right?” He asked. “I really like your… erm, your…” He struggled to think of something to compliment but seemed to make a decision, “Your glasses!” He finished triumphantly, clearly happy to have thought of something. Marlene found it kind of annoying, but Potter seemed very happy for any sort of attention.

“Thank you, what was your name again? I wasn’t really listening to the sorting,” he said pompously.

The girls ignored him and Marlene looked into Lily’s green eyes, “Let’s just avoid them, how about it, Evans?” She asked with a laugh, before turning to look at Dorcas and Mary agin, “I just met them on the train, but you’ll like them better,” she started, before introducing everyone and the four girls chatted happily as they ate multiple helpings to their feast. By the end, they were all so sleepy that they were delighted when its as announced that the Prefects would be leading them all to their dormitories. In a sleepy haze, the girls followed, more than happy to leave the bubbling Great Hall and find where they would be residing for the next seven years of their lives.

After the Gryffindor Prefects led them to the Gryffindor dormitory, told them the password and explained to them that their stuff would be ready at the beds assigned to them, they were given a choice to either stay up in the common room for the next hour, to wind down after a full day, or go straight to bed. Marlene was tempted to follow Lily and the other girls upstairs, but decided to instead sit by the fire for a little while and look around the common room. The only other person who stayed downstairs was the Black boy. Attempting to give him a chance to redeem himself, since she hadn’t actually spoken to him yet, she sat on the couch, pulling her legs up beside her and introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Marlene McKinnon.”

He looked up at her, “Okay.”

“You’re suppose to introduce yourself now,” she said pointedly.

He looked her up and down in response, “You should know who I am.”

Marlene huffed, pulling her hand back, she hated him, it was decided. “And why should I know, or even care who you are?”

“Because, it’s me.”

“I know you are arrogant and clearly for no good reason think that you are better than I am,” she retorted. “And you apparently have a lot to learn about common decency.”

“So do you,” he scowled back to her. “First of all, you need to take better care of yourself, I can see your split ends from here. Secondly, if you really cannot figure it out, I am Sirius Black, heir to the Black family.”

It finally clicked why this boy was probably so full of himself. Her family never cared much about them, and they embraced their muggle side just as much as their wizard side, but they had mentioned something about the Sacred 28. Which was 28 wizarding families who believed themselves to be better than all the others, just because of their blood status. With another huff, she crossed her arms, “My hair is fine, poodle-head,” she snapped back, immediately regretting her child-like insult. But she was Marlene, and once she said something, she stuck with it.

The boy laughed at her stupidity. “I thought my family might be wrong, but I suppose they weren’t. Half-bloods are much dumber than purebloods are.” He stood up after making eye contact with Potter, “See you later, Split-Ends,” he said before taking off towards the boys dormitory, leaving Marlene by herself and full of rage. Maybe she wanted a different house after all.

---

And so here we begin. Obviously I changed the name, still inspired from the same song, but either way, it’s here now. And thank you to @deerprongs and @blackinnon-paradise for encouraging me to keep writing. And most importantly to @padsmcfoot cause we both know that almost all my Blackinnon thoughts come from you. <3 But I couldn’t imagine them any other way now~

#Marlene McKinnon #Sirius Black #Blackinnon #Sirius x Marlene #Marlene x Sirius #Blackinnon fanfiction #Just Enough Time #marlmckitten #fanfiction #Lily Evans #Mauraders #Dorcas Meadowes #Mary MacDonald #Peter Pettigrew #Severus Snape #James Potter #Remus Lupin

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red-shepherds · 6 years

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The Prince And The Cartographer

This is part one of like....4. I’m not gonna post 12 pages in one post, that’s insanity. Anyway...have my self insert and my OC meeting, flirting, being embarrassed by flirting...Etc.

If it was another request for a map of Athens, I was going to commit a murder or three. Nonetheless, the knocking on my door was insistent enough that I answered it with a resigned air. Only someone who wasn't familiar with me would be so rude—my regulars knew I'd hike their price up astronomically if they were offensive enough.

All mention of that died in my throat when I saw exactly who was in front of me—the courier bore both the blessing of Hermes and the sign of King Phaethon. Better not to rock the boat on this, then.

“Adina of Chalcis? You've been asked for.” “I've been asked for? Or a cartographer has been asked for? Rest assured, you can find much better than me, I'm sorry for wasting your time—”

“By name. Are you saying you won't take the job?” “Depends on what the job is. And how the King decided on my name when I've been careful to keep my head down. I know of nine other, cheaper cartographers in this city who make an effort to get their names in people's mouths. Someone more expensive, keeping their head down? Why make that choice?” “Because you're better. I've seen Hypatos' work. Not of the calibre yours is. And, perhaps because the atlas you were so kind to gift to the King is so clearly your make? Even if you don't sign, your signature is there. The ship sails in...oh, less than an hour. Are you going to accept or not?” “I'll assume the king knows my fees, and say...yes. Twenty minutes to pack my tools, thirty to the harbor. Cutting it close but...satisfactory?” “Oh, I'm fleet of foot miss...mister....um?” “Mx. Said like mix. Just...go with Adina, when in doubt.” “Alright, Mx. Adina. As I was saying, I'm fleet of foot. There's a reason I'm the king's leading courier. I'll have you to the harbor in ten minutes flat, so please take your time packing your things.” I did not take my time packing, even with the youth's assurances. I was thorough, yes, but time consuming? No. A large bundle of parchments, my charcoal, previous maps for reference. Clothes—I had no idea how long this voyage was to be, but spare clothes were always a necessity—and lastly, on a whim, my good hair pieces. One, a bronze band with bees set around it; the other, a braid clip in the shape of a serpent, set with jet stones. Ten minute's packing, all told. We still had adequate time, though even taking that long made me nervous.

The courier—Sophos, I'd learned—stayed true to his word; he ran at a blinding, breakneck speed to the harbor, and somehow, with my hand in his, I managed to keep up. The ship before us was splendid, as far as I could tell. I knew not much of ships, but it was large, and wooden, and had both sails and oars. Exceptional, to me.

Sophos noticed me staring at the ship, and took it as me knowing things about ships. He was wrong, and I wasn't going to correct him. So when he launched into a speech about how yes, the Patroklos was top of the line, brilliant engineering by Princess Heli—I was more trying to figure out how something obviously so heavy could float. I mean, I know wood floats. But it was a lot of wood, and trees are heavy, so wood is heavy, so...

I was shaken from my musing by the sound of hooves on stone. Either there was to be a cargo of huge goats or...one hooved, half-minotaur king.

Frankly? The latter made more sense, and it was correct.

King Phaethon was tall, first off. I stood at his shoulder, and I am not short. Add to that the dark horns that crowned him, adding another whole head in height...he was very, very tall. I wondered if he had trouble with doors with those things.

Unashamedly, I looked him up and down. I'd seen him before, of course—he was a sociable king—but I'd never been this close. His name fit—Phaethon means the shining one and...yes, he certainly was radiant. Handsomer than most men I'd seen, despite a solid quarter of his ancestry being bull. Maybe all the god blood on Queen Pasiphae's side had made up for it?

Anyway. Dark curls were tied back in a nice braid that hung over one of his shoulders, a few loose ones framing his face nicely. His eyes were gold, as was all the jewelry he wore—a band on one horn, a thematically appropriate bullring in his nose, several earrings in each ear, and a few rings on his hands. King's jewelry, obviously. It didn't interest me much, but I still took note. Detail is what I do.

No, I was more fixated on those sharp eyes of his, keen and sparkling. They stood out nicely against his dark skin, of which he had quite a bit exposed—he was currently shirtless, I assume because of the oppressive heat. I'd've been stripped to the waist to in it, if I weren't so shy. My eyes strayed down his chest—he was built solid, with a nice thick core and abundant muscle. Muscle rippled as he moved to clap Sophos on the shoulder, and I had to rip my eyes away...and, unfortunately, downward. I didn't let my eyes linger on his legs long, but I noted glossy hooves and thighs thicker than my waist.

I forced myself to look anywhere but at the king, but at least he wasn't looking at me—he and Sophos were chuckling about something. I tuned in, interested—

“—you've caught their attention,” Sophos said, with a knowing glance at me.

Oh. They'd noticed.

The first thought that came to my mind was that I could just jump into the ocean—for once that actually was an option. But another second clued me in to the fact that it was a good-natured remark. Not trying to ridicule me or reprimand, simply noting that I was interested, and complementing the king. Fair enough.

“Unfortunate that I didn't catch the king's as well, Soph. Seems I'm not nearly so eye catching.” “Not so, I should say,” the king smiled, finally looking at me with those molten gold eyes, “the only reason I haven't been staring is that I doubted I could rip my eyes away once I began.”

“You flatter me,” I said, trying to hope that the heat on my face was because of the temperature rather than excessive blushing. It wasn't.

“Oh gods,” Sophos rolled his eyes, then placed his head in his hands, “you're about to have five months on a ship together, could you at least wait to flirt until you're on the ship?” “Ah, but I rarely find the opportunity, or someone so worthy of it,” Phaethon said, his glance still on me, warm and intense.

“Then I shall depart and leave you to it. You'll come back with an heir on the way at this rate, and I don't know whether I can stand another you.” Sophos ran, at that, true to his word. A shame—he was a nice lad.

“Adina, correct?” Phaethon held out one hand to shake, “my apologies for staring.” I placed my hand in his, shaking firmly.

“I understand. Wanted to freak the kid out, right?” “No,” Phaethon said, picking up half of my equipment effortlessly and walking onto the ship, “all of that was genuine.”

I scurried onto the ship with my maps and such, following the king at a respectable distance and cursing myself for whatever madness had overtaken me. I cut my mental reprimanding short, though, when I found the king—already setting up my cartography tools in the same office as the ledgers and records.

Joining him in setting up, I could almost forget the earlier exchange—not that I wanted to. But...there was comfort in showing him how to set up my work space correctly—which led me back around to the pressing question.

Just what was my job, on this voyage?

“You're probably wondering what you're here for. What I'm here for as well, for that matter. What this voyage in general is for, let's say. In short...exploration, route mapping, et cetera. Of course that's not all you'll be doing, but I doubt I'll only be here with the ledgers as well. Sound fair so far?” I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Earlier, I'd been focusing on my shame and his looks. Hadn't had the presence of mind to notice the smooth, deep caliber of his voice, or the sweet tone to it. He sounded almost musical, and it was quite lovely.

“I'm to help with shipboard duties as well, right?” “Quick on the uptake, aren't you? Yes. I'm figuring you'll do well in the rigging, considering how agile you look, and how svelte of figure you are. I will advise you, though, there...aren't always duties to be done. Some days it's simply sailing, sitting around playing games and waiting for things to happen. Are you prepared for that?” “Leaving isn't an option, now is it?” I hardly dared risking a glance at Phaethon, but when I did, it was to see a warm smile on his face.

Out on deck, I watched as the ropes were untied, letting the ship out into the open water. The sails caught the wind quickly, and for now, we said goodbye to Knossos.

Seemingly sensing my shyness, Phaethon had backed down a bit on the flirting. Thankfully so—I could only take so much before my cheeks felt as though they were going to combust, as his earlier session had proved.

But, thankfully, he didn't seem to take it as reluctance on my part, or a desire not to associate with him—no, he still smiled at me on passing, although obviously he had other duties to attend at the moment, in the form of the other two crew members.

I learned well enough, though, and Phaethon had been right about the rigging—it was almost comfortable for me to be so high up. No other people. No way for me to mess up in the eyes of other people, as a welcomed consequence.

But, I had to come down at some point, and that point turned out to be supper. The other crew members had fished while I'd been adjusting the sails, and they'd brought in a nice haul. It was cooked by the time I reached the deck from my high perch, and people were starting to divvy it up by preference. Two seats were left next to each other—one for me and one for...oh. Guess who also hadn't made it yet? I couldn't tell if the others were arranging things, here. I didn't much care. I simply took my portion of supper and hoped for the best.

Phaethon sat next to me with a smile, and his eyes lit up when he saw what I hadn't recognized—apparently, the others had left an eel in the pot for him. I hadn't touched it because I wasn't fond of the greasy skin, but it seemed Phaethon had no such qualms about the delicacy. I noted this for later use—bribing, annoying, whatever. I'd find a use.

“I think we shall all get along well,” the king said, “but you do know you don't have to leave my favorites. Especially not you, Hyakinthos. I know you like eel. Don't be shy to take it.” “We got two, sire. That one's all yours.” “You're sure? Adina? I'm willing if you'd like it.” “I'm not a fan of eel, but that is generous of you. Not to step on any toes but—”

“Unexpected?” “Very.” “Just because I'm a king doesn't mean I'm a prat, my newfound friend. The people come first, even when it's this lot.” A note of affection in his voice—he wasn't being rude.

“I'm sorry for my rudeness, then.” “Don't be. After all, it's quite impossible to step on my toes. Haven't got any, after all.” he smiled—again, good natured. Not offended.

“Don't mind him,” a crew member—Hyakinthos, I was sure—piped up, “he's just...like this. We figure he fell out of the rigging one too many times as a calf and hasn't been right since.” A smirk—oh, it was a little jab then.

“Hard to climb rigging with hooves,” another sailor parried, this one a woman, “I'm Lachesis, by the way. Been sailing longer than any of these lot except perhaps Phaethon. Can't beat being born on a ship.” “You were—” I didn't even get to finish my remark before he was parrying. Had to be quicker.

“What, you were expecting a labyrinth? Conceived there, born shipboard. Of course, knowing me, my child will probably be conceived on shipboard and born there to boot,” he sighed.

“And it'll be as waterlogged as you. Want the last squid?” Hyakinthos, again. He was a sharp one.

“Yes, and I don't know, maybe I'll find someone more sensible to balance it out.” “I'm afraid I'm no more sensible than you, my king. Apologies, but you'll have to look somewhere else if a level head is all you're looking for,” I smirked.

“No. Our child will just have to be daft, in that case.” He glanced at me again, that warm look that seemed to make the very heart of me feel so transparent.

“M-moving a bit fast there, I think. We've only shaken hands, after all. Unless you expect me to conceive from that—in which case, I'm sorry to say that must be a rather...unexciting life.”

“You say I move too fast, and yet you keep leading me into it. Telling me to look elsewhere just so you can hear me say I won't. You, Mx. Adina, are trying to intrigue me.” “And succeeding, it sounds like,” Hyacinthos popped up, again. “Give the poor boy—girl? Person. Give them a break, Phaethon. You'll break their heart before you even kiss them at this rate.” That from Lachesis. “Can't even have my love life in privacy, huh?” “Love life?!” I squeaked out. No one heeded me, except Lachesis. She patted me on the head lightly and sympathetically.

“If you wanted privacy, shipboard life wasn't the place for it,” Hyakinthos noted, sardonic.

“Lay off. Enough teasing for one night; you'll be dreaming of jabs to make at this rate, the both of you. Get you to sleep, unless you plan to continue this into your watch.” Lachesis was quickly becoming my new favorite human.

“Alright, alright, I'll take watch,” Phaethon said, standing, “just wait until you and Adina start verbally sparring, though. You won't have time to reprimand me, then.” “I think you'll be sparring someone else with something else long before that happens,” Hyakinthos threw over his shoulder, disappearing belowdecks. I took that as my cue and went down as well, leaving our solitary king staring up at the moon in deep contemplation, in for a very sleepless night.

#The Prince And The Cartographer

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bowtiedchicago · 4 years

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What Are Some Fun Stuff To Do While Camping? - Quora in Bakersfield

Among my favorite tips to share that we utilized as kids is to bring pillow cases however no pillows. That's right. Here's what we do rather: Put so the pillows are soft and fluffy. If if you need to make middle of the night or first thing in the early morning potty runs, you can throw on your jackets quickly and after that tuck them back inside the pillow cases when you return. March 3, 2018 It doesn't matter how you camp in a Recreational Vehicle, a camping tent or a vacation rental. Those are simply the locations where you hang your hat and curl up for the night. Outdoor camping is a chance for severe enjoyable and activities. Furthermore, it's an experience that you can personalize for your household's interests based upon the season and where you're going.

In reality, there are plenty of basic activities for your next family getaway. To avoid brain storm sessions with your family, here's our very Sun list of camping activities! There are loads of exciting things you can do in the water if your camping site is near a lake, river, pool, or other body of water.

Slip on your swimsuit and have some enjoyable in the water. Skipping stones Fishing Swimming Floating or lounging Canoeing or kayaking Boating Water snowboarding Tubing Wave runners Water volleyball or basketball Diving Snorkeling Have a water balloon battle. Bring an inflatable wading pool and fill it with water. This is terrific if you head to a camping or RV resort with energy link! Not all camping and RV resorts have a full list of amenities like Sun RV Resorts.

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Fun Camping Activities For Teens And Tweens - Meander ... in Lake Isabella

Make certain to respect the location where you are. Do not disturb or harm the wildlife. Birdwatching Animal watching Capturing fireflies Bug collecting Nature event (pine cones, rocks, flowers, and so on) Cataloging Rocks Fossil Hunting Searching for wild berries, nuts, and other edible plants. Have an outdoor camping scavenger hunt. Geocaching Remaining active and taking pleasure in the day is a fundamental part of every outdoor camping journey.

If you're camping to escape routine stress, then here are some excellent methods to unwind and take pleasure in the household camping trip. Swing in a hammock View the trees blowing in the breeze Listen to nature Take great deals of naps Musing and let your mind roam Float on the water Stargaze Possibly the kids require some downtime in the tent.

There could even be some unforeseen weather condition that is keeping you "inside". Obviously, you might simply be unwinding under the defense of your camping tent to leave the bugs. There are lots of things you can do inside the camping tent, either alone or with pals and family. Read books and publications Read aloud to each other Card video games Parlor game Crafting (knitting, sewing, drawing) Watch films on portable gadgets Play on other electronic gadgets (iPods, iPads, Gameboys, and so on) Comprise stories to tell each other Snuggle The camping trip doesn't end when the sun sets.

The darkness is a thrilling time while household camping due to the fact that you're not dealing with the lights and turmoil of the city. Inspect out these amazing nighttime activities. Make shadow puppets Choose a nighttime walk Play flashlight tag Play hide and seek in the dark Go for a midnight swim Research study the stars Shoot off fireworks Launch sky lanterns Play radiance in the dark bowling.

Tips And Ideas For Camping At Home With Kids - A Mom Explores Sequoias

Utilize a ball to knock them down Inform ghost stories Play Reality or Dare Sing campfire songs Play a guitar or other instrument Dance around the fire Check out new varieties of s'mores Make colored fire. Packages of colored fire crystals or pine cones are sold at many camping supply stores.

Camping is an adventure in and of itself, however long days at the campground can produce pockets of boredom you can bust in a 2nd with these camping activities, crafts and suggestions. From making camp tasks into fun to color-diffusing nature art, take a look at these fun outdoor camping activities for kids.

Program your little campers how to press leaves and flowers they are pretty on their own or can be utilized in some other camping crafts. Create bark art. Using a blank notepad against a tree and rubbing a crayon or soft pencil throughout the paper, kids can bring up the texture of bark to craft unique nature-focused art.

Help kids form color-diffusing art right at your campsite that mimics tie-dye designs. Simply cut leaf shapes from coffee filters, color them with markers, quickly dip and remove the "leaves" from water, and permit them to dry. Add a splash of color (Rent a Trailer). Bring your brushes and any type of art paint and send kids off to collect rocks in the camping site.

18 Ways To Keep Your Kids Busy At The Campground – Sheknows in Lake Isabella

Embellish with acorns. Utilizing a collection of the acorns right at your feet, children can fashion sparkly acorn lockets by painting the nuts and tying a string or twine around the stem of the acorn. Weave in some enjoyable. Using drinking straws and yarn, your kids can make an on-the-go weaving loom to produce any outdoor camping craft imaginable, from bracelets to scarves.

Next, place the straws flat on a table and tape them together side-by-side at the middle. Then connect a brand-new piece of yarn to among the outside straws and weave the yarn in and out of each straw back and forth pressing each row down until the project is the desired length. Renting a Trailer.

Offer kids camp tasks. It's simple to fend off dullness when kids are pitching in - Rent a Trailer. Have kids assist with camping area jobs like collecting sticks, filling water containers, hammering stakes and more. Turn chores into competitors. When camping with kids, stating "chores" can be a dirty word; however, you can conceal camp tasks in an "Iron Camper" contest like an Iron Chef and host a cook-off, see who can collect the most kindling, time the fastest tent sweeper, and so on.

#kids #camping

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merigreenleaf · 7 years

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Sort Your MCs Writing Tag

Here's the info: First put down what Hogwarts house you’re in, and then sort each of your MCs into a house and explain why you think they belong in that house. It’ll be interesting to see how many of your MCs are in the same house as you. This is the coolest writing tag that I’ve been tagged in! Thank you, @elizzawrites :D I've actually been thinking about this for a bit, trying to figure out where my characters would go. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be! Me: Hufflepuff Adair: Hufflepuff. This was the character I had absolutely no trouble sorting. He's so incredibly loyal to his friends- his friends quickly become his family and there's nothing he wouldn't do for them. He's nurturing and loves taking care of them (especially if it involves cooking for them!) and he has a bad habit of adopting any stray animal that he sees. He's the character who most "plays fair" I guess you'd call it- the one least inclined to break rules or cause trouble, but also the one most likely to go along with what the others want. He hates having to make decisions and tends to be more than a little wishy-washy. He hates rocking the boat and is the perpetual peace-keeper. He doesn't care if someone insults him or does something to hurt him, but his claws come out if someone dares do this to someone he loves. And he's just so *practical* which is a weird, weird thing considering that he's an Artisan and artists in his culture are prone to being melodramatic and eccentric. Etri: Ravenclaw. He's the character I waffled over second least. I thought briefly of putting him into Gryffindor because he has something of a habit of self-sacrifice, but he's just too Ravenclaw. He's all about knowledge and learning and books and history. He's the logical one who comes up with the best plans because he's the one who puts the most thought into what the group should be doing. He's incredibly open-minded and this takes Adair by surprise more than once because it's not something you'd expect from someone with Etri's stoic personality and indoctrinated childhood. He loves learning anything about pretty much everything, but it's in *weird* subjects that he reads most. His favorites are astronomy and mythology, which also takes everyone by surprise because he's so grounded and logical. Sol: Ravenclaw. I waffled for a little longer here because he's pretty dang Hufflepuff with his constant cheer and a desire to see everyone around him as happy as he is. If anything he's even more family-centric than Adair. But he's just so... well, I call him my eccentric inventor and that's why he's better in Ravenclaw. He's not books smart like his brother- I think Sol has dyslexia so bad that he can't read- but he's come up with an entire writing system for himself involving pictures and dots to use in his notes that he uses for his inventions. And he's *always* creating things. Sometimes practical, sometimes bizarre. His mind is always going a mile a minute and it's difficult for the other characters to keep up, so it ends up sounding like Sol’s talking nonsense. On the surface he looks silly and dumb, without a thought in his head, but he's always thinking at a speed that rivals even Etri. And here's where things start to get weird and not what you'd expect. Blythe and Firedrake are the two that I spent forever thinking about because my first instinct was absolutely wrong for both of them. Blythe: she's the team mom, the one with her own head on her shoulders who makes sure that the others don't end up neck-deep in trouble. She's the one who runs into danger to rescue those who needs it- *anyone* who needs it, regardless of if she knows them or not. While Adair tends to adopt animals, she tends to adopt people and kind of assigns herself the role of their protector even if they don't need it. She's a healer, for pete's sake. My gut instinct was Gryffindor. Nope. Slytherin. While she's willing to help out anyone who needs it, her default state of being is her own goals and career and she'll sacrifice and work her butt off to reach those goals. She has a tendency to be judgmental with a better-than-you attitude (or more like a "you're about to do something incredibly stupid and I'm smarter than that" attitude). She doesn't think things through, she just goes with her gut even if it ends up being absolutely the wrong course of action. Gods does she need Adair's heart and Etri's brains to balance out her need to be right in the middle of the action- or to just plain balance out her need to be right. She's constantly taking risks even when she'd simultaneously be complaining about someone else taking the *same* risks. I'd say she's a leader, but I don't think she's actually any good at leading. What she tends to do is decide her own course and assume the others will follow her. These things make her sound like a horrible person and I guess that's inevitable for someone in Slytherin. :-/ Firedrake: I think I may have spent even longer trying to sort Dray! I mean, they're egotistical and cynical and tends to think of themself first (or at least second). They love being the center of attention- infamy is fine because it means at least people *see* them. Dray's a prankster with mind-control magic who sees nothing wrong with inconveniencing or embarrassing someone they feel deserves it. Dray's had the hardest life of the five and this definitely shows. My gut said Slytherin. Nope. Gryffindor. Almost all of Dray's showboating, their ego, their sarcasm, their "me first" attitude... it's all an act. A lie they tell themself so they don't get hurt, to keep people away. But it doesn't work. People get into Dray's heart and these people absolutely become the center of Dray’s world. Most of the bad things Dray does are a misguided attempt to protect the ones they love. They try to do what they think is right and it just ends up backfiring because Dray tends to not think things through past the first fiery burst of inspiration of an idea. Dray will absolutely do something reckless and dangerous to protect someone they care about. They'll even do this for someone they don't know well- they'll question this decision later and maybe even while they're helping, but they'll help anyway. Dray will *always* fight back against things that are wrong or people who are cruel, even if this isn't currently being directed at them. Dray's been on the receiving end of this too often to be willing to let others experience it, too. Despite the pranks and the mind-control magic, Dray will *never* voluntarily hurt anyone. I can't say the same for Blythe even with her whole "do no harm but take no shit" mindset. ---------------------------- This is long, but such a fun thing to do! It really did give me new insight about characters I know incredibly well. I don’t think Blythe or Firedrake are happy where they ended up and both assumed they’d be reversed lol. I’m absolutely not surprised that Adair’s in the same house as me, though. I mean, we’re both pretty much the epitome of Hufflepuff. I’m not sure who to tag because I’m not sure who’s into HP, so if I tag you, feel free to not do this if it’s not your jam. @agwitow @s-the-dragon @iamwritehere @prideandpen @thatwriternamedvolk @a-sundeen @writerlydays @draconako @writerintraining-us (Seriously, I have NO IDEA who to tag in this so if you see this and you’re really into HP, please consider yourself tagged! Just tag me back so I can read it. This has me super curious how other writers would sort their characters!)

#tag game #writing tag #writing #writeblr #harry potter #unexpected inspiration series #my writing ramblings #UI POV: All

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