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random-fandom-lesbian · 2 years

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Ronancetober day 2

Aight here it is I guess

I don’t think it’s great I’m half asleep rn but then again so was I on Saturday and I still got compliments on that so let’s go ig

Todays prompt was vampire/warewolf

“Nance…”

“Look, I’m sorry!” Nancy apologised for the tenth time “I have to take Mike to his stupid Dungeons and dragons club because our Dad’s car broke down”

“Hey, I get that, but I really just think I need someone to be with me tonight”

“Then call Steve! You know he’d drop anything to come hang out with you” Nancy replied, a hint of aggression showing in her voice.

“I can’t.”

Robin seemed to have her mind set on that fact. That was strange, Nancy thought. Maybe this was something that Steve couldn’t talk about.

“I get it, you want to have girl talk? Is something wrong?”

“No!” Robin snapped back, too quickly.

Nancy huffed. “Fine, I’ll get Dustin’s mom to drive him” She resolved.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Normally she could practically hear Robin bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and the goofy on her face, but now it felt more serious, like she was… relieved.

When they had first met, Nancy had found Robin’s over abundance of energy and seeming lack of common sense or grasp of social norms irritating at best, and straight up infuriating on the few occasions that it had managed to land one or both of them in trouble, but as they got to know each other, Robin’s rambles about whatever topic was on her mind had grown endearing to Nancy.

She listened in awe to the steady stream of anxious words coming from the phone until Robin ran out of breath and decided she’d had enough. The pair bid their farewells and Nancy put the phone back down on the receiver with a grimace.

……

Nancy trudged up the drive to Robin’s trailer just as the sun was beginning to disappear, and the final rays of sunshine reached out above the horizon, staining the sky scarlet and amber.

She was dripping wet from the rain and shivering from the cold. She rapped slightly too aggressively on the door and it opened in two seconds flat for her to be confronted with a very not-ok looking Robin.

As Nancy stepped into the house and shrugged her coat off, she noticed that Robin, upon closer examination, actually looked awful. She had deep bags under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in a week, and her face was pale and sickly, her forehead gleaming with sweat.

“Hey… Nance, erm, let me get you a drink, do you want coke?” Robin made much more of a show of being a host than normal, as she took Nancy’s coat and, after hanging it up, ran towards the little trailer’s kitchen area.

“Hey, are you ok?” Nancy asked softly, grabbing Robin by the wrists and pulling her in.

“Yeah, yeah, fine” Robin went to return to the kitchen, but Nancy tightened her grip and before long Robin felt herself being led to the living room to sink down on the couch.

“Are you sure? You were rambling on the phone earlier, and not in a good way, like, worried rambling”

“Well, I-I was just… relieved that you wanted to come” Robin looked focused on looking anywhere but Nancy’s eyes.

“Nancy, can you just tell me, is it a full moon tonight?”

Nancy’s eyebrows screwed up in confusion, but she earnestly gave Robin her answer.

“Yes, but why-“

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit! This was a bad idea, you shouldn’t have come, you need to go,” Robin was off the sofa, pacing around the room, her breathing heavy.

Nancy stood and walked over, grabbing Robin by the shoulders, and turning her so they faced each other.

“Robin, you really don’t look well, please just tell me what’s wrong!”

At that moment, Robin’s eyes opened, and she stared at Nancy full of fear.

“You need to run” she whimpered, before falling to the ground, Nancy guiding her onto her hands and knees, still desperately grasping her shoulders.

A piercing cry left Robin and echoed around the small apartment, accompanied by a ripping sound. A low growl grew into another strangled scream, and Robin’s shoulders under Nancy’s hands were growing enormous amounts of hair. By the time Nancy had stumbled back into the wall, the other girl had almost doubled in size, and the hair on her back looked more like fur.

Yet another scream left Robin, followed by a strangled “RUN!” in a voice that Nancy didn’t recognise. The sound of it jolted her into action, leaping over the couch to get to her friend.

When she got there, however, Robin was gone. And in her place stood a wolf, standing on its hind legs. A warewolf.

There was a moment of stillness. Nancy tried to keep calm, but her insides were desperately churning, her brain shouting a million questions, and every one of her most primal instincts were telling her to get the hell away as fast as humanely possible. But she couldn’t just leave. She stared into the creatures eyes, examining it. Everything about this was alien. Apart from one thing: its eyes. It had Robin’s eyes.

The wolf- Robin?- shifted its weight slightly, and Nancy’s jumpiness got the better of her, she flinched, just a little, but it was enough to send the creature charging towards the closed door, slamming its full, gigantic weight into the flimsy structure. Nancy knew it wouldn’t hold another few hits.

She raced to the kitchen, desperately looking for anything that could help her, brain running overtime, and by the time she got to the fridge she had formulated a plan. A terrible, stupid, last minute panic plan, but a plan nonetheless.

She grabbed the biggest cut of meat that she could find, which happened to be a leg of lamb, and turned it towards the wolf still hurling itself at the door. The minute she turned around, wolf-Robin was pounding towards her at an unnatural speed.

Nancy, with all the power she could, turned around and threw the leg of lamb through the air and into the neighbouring bedroom. Like clockwork, the wolf charged right past her after the meat, and the second it was in, Nancy threw the door closed, locking it. She heaved the sofa in front of it, blocking the way with the much sturdier wooden door.

As the gravity of the situation finally dawned on her, Nancy flopped down on the sofa, now facing the door behind which she had just locked Robin. As a wolf. Robin was a werewolf. Werewolves were real. And Robin was one.

She sighed deeply. She couldn’t think about this anymore. She was just so tired. A fog gently clouded her mind, and before she knew it she was asleep.

……

She awoke to a scratching sound. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing she noticed was that she wasn’t in her bed. She was on a sofa. The third thing she noticed was that she was still in her clothes. And then it all came back.

“Oh my God, Robin!” She sprung off the sofa and hurriedly dragged it away from the door, flinging it open to see what had happened. She half expected it to have been a dream, but instead she was confronted with the same towering form as yesterday.

The beast looked a lot less threatening in the light of the rising sun, and Nancy had chalked its heavy breathing down to animalistic rage, but now it finally clicked. Robin was scared.

“Hey… Robin?” Nancy said, testing the waters by reaching a hand up to touch Robin’s arm. Her fur was a lot softer than she expected, more like a domestic dog than a pack wolf.

Robin slowly sunk to her giant knees, which equalled their height, and Nancy took this as a sign that it was working. She dragged her hand up, adding the other until she was standing with her hands on Robin’s shoulders. She cautiously took a step closer, and the wolf in turn flinched, but didn’t run.

Nancy, step by step, gently and slowly, eased herself into a hug with the giant form, whose heaving chest was beginning to calm down.

Nancy felt the wolf start to shrink, and the thick fur that covered it’s back began to fall out in Nancy’s hands, but when she tried to pull away, the iron grip that Robin had on her kept her in the tight embrace.

Robin’s face gradually became more distinguishable as the wolf’s muzzle re-formed into her nose and mouth and the long, predator’s canines reverted to human ones.

Nancy’s heart throbbed, her head buzzed with a swirl of emotions, but seeing her friend shivering and naked on the floor made her stomach drop. Nancy went and grabbed a blanket and gently wrapped it around the taller girl. Nancy finally steeled herself to talk.

“Robin, what- wh… I- I don’t-“

“I’m so sorry Nancy, I didn’t know, well I kinda of knew, it felt like I was going to turn tonight, I think my instincts got thrown off by us being in the upside down, and I really should keep track of the moon cycle-“

“It’s ok Robin. As long as you’re ok, that’s all I care about.”

“Really?” Robin said quietly

“Yes, you’re the person I care most about in the world, your safety is my number one priority, always. And I’ll be there for you. Through all of this. And I could help do some research about how to help it be less painful, or-“

Then Robin did something very unexpected. She reached up from her kneeling position on the floor to cup Nancy’s face, and gently pressed her lips to the other stunned girl’s.

Nancy’s stomach did somersaults. Robin’s mouth tasted of meat but her lips were smooth and gentle. Nancy knew that they were meant to be together. And as the two girls pulled away and gazed into each other’s eyes, all they could do was laugh.

#ronance #stranger things 4 #ronancetober #nancy x robin #robin x nancy #nancy stranger things #robin stranger things #werewolf #werewolf robin buckley

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villains4hire · 10 months

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//-sighs- Just when I think I'm done lol, good thing I headshotted a bunch of characters recently. But around now as I've been in and out today since my free time has been used up a lil as things pick back up. I've been wanting in the Dragon Prince fandom with a character for a year or so now I'd really like and the flexibility of this one is pretty good:

Kim'dael previously but I'm calling her Kimur'Dael (Kee-more'Dale) or Kimur or Kim.

She will primarily be a minion to royalty or other ppl interested and is a rather evil character that be in service to 'good characters'.

Concept more Below.

Firstly, renaming her slightly from Kim'dael to Kimur'Dael then Kim for short bc Kim'dael feels a little weird.

How she fights: (more detail later)

She's shown to use illusion, teleportation magic and the ability to go invisible at will. She's an assassin but more of a self-augmenting and uses supernatural reactions so she can at least react to speedster. Then has extendable, red glowing claws that can clash with molten swords etc and moves like an animal with elegance and grace, she's essentially a moon-elf vampire in some regards but more of a blood magic and moon magic user that became a pseudo-variant of one. As she lacks the supernatural blur speed and a few other abilities but uses magic to compensate. She's a lot more toned down and manageable but also unique compared to other characters. She certainly airs from realistic fantasy to marvel-esque kind of levels of a more fragile, but faster and utility-based wolverine. She rapidly regenerates from consuming blood and life energy and is capable of fighting squads of people to a small squadron of normal human soldiers all at once at probably 50 to 100 or so? Her whole thing isn't direct fighting but that's probably where she stands, as a duelist she could take on a lot of characters and be kept up with.

My addition to her looks: She's covered in scars for her body while of a slender nature, is rather built and muscular and still rather 'thick'. Visually she does not change but it's more or less what's under the hood.

Canon skills and abilities.

Canon Magic Association. (This is to give some kind of idea of what she'll deal in for her other half of magic)

The Moon

'Moon magic draws on the spirit and energy of the Moon. The Moon is cyclical in its strength, relating directly to the lunar phases.[7] This source is at its strongest during a full moon, and its arcanum is understanding the true nature of the relationship between appearances and reality. Most people believe that reality in itself is the only truth and that appearances are deceiving. However, those who know the Moon arcanum are aware that you can only truly know the appearance itself, and that you can never touch the so-called reality that lies beyond the reach of your own perception.[2] Moon magic deals in creating illusions, concealment spells, and connections with spirits and the veil between life and death. The Moon is associated with illusion, manipulation, love, death, charm, reflection, privacy, appearances, depth, duality, and secrets.[8]

Some Moon mages are illusionists, using their powers to befuddle and confuse their enemies' senses. Simple illusion spells can fool the eyes and ears, but more powerful illusions can mimic even taste or touch. Moon mages can also conjure flickers of the past or put restless spirits to rest. Moon mages understand that all shadows are born of light, and to reach for light is to cast a shadow.[9]

Creatures connected to the Moon Primal, such as Moonshadow Elves and Moon Dragons, can be private and secretive, and are keenly aware of the power of appearances.[4] They also have an aptitude for stealth, trickery, and concealment.[8]'

My addition to powers. (more detail later) Immortal Monster, she can be revived if killed by someone by sacrificing something to the collar she's bound to. Otherwise if ever freed, I simply have it to where she turns into a blood orb that's indestructible and bound in a curse. Those who attempt to undo it risk untold consequences. Then she can be revived if sacrificed a life to that's sentient. Then certainly could become bound again, though will be sent back to her master if bound to a certain location.

Bound to the Ruler, those who have her bound she cannot harm albeit can act against if she really wanted to. Granted, her goal is to earn freedom or some kind of purpose.

Personality

Kim'dael is a person who seeks power, no matter the means, relishing in the knowledge that her magic is superior to her enemy's. She has no qualms about sacrificing a life and shows no compassion for her victims.[4] She also tends to underestimate her potential victims, which leads her into being outsmarted and tricked into servitude by Aditi.[1]

Although Kim'dael is willing to perform any task that can potentially guarantee her freedom from the royal family of Lux Aurea,[5] she knows when she must retreat from a fight that she cannot win.[6][7]

Addition to personality: quiet, kind of a smart ass however if bantered with. Very no non-sense when with others. Blunt. Straight forward. Is a bit out of touch from being sealed for so long. Cocky. Reckless from thousands of years of immortality. Loyalty only to herself, earning it takes an equal and something she can respect. As she respects power and only that. Otherwise, she's loyal unto death as dying to her is pretty inconsequential and being as demented as she is? Those who earn her loyalty she's fine basically being a lapdog toward, as she's been passed around having died a few times over hundreds and hundreds of years before she's needed again. A semi-sympathetic character but awful person, as no one is really safe from her in terms of who she'd kill if needed or annoyed by, and yes, this includes children but she tends to not to go after unneeded targets unless just feeding or needing to simply kill them. She will just strike someone in the general vicinity however. Kimur'dael is a true self-made monster that has lost any semblance of decency but can be controlled or directed by the will of the one she's bound to. Intelligent, calculating and more to add later probably.

#ooc #to do list #dragon prince rp #dragon prince #//We'll see who else gets onto the roster but I need a week or two break and then I'll have more freetime again to just pour into for a few #-days to brainstorm this character and maybe add a few AT characters or something

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owl-deer · 1 year

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So, since Twitter is dying a slow and painful death (or at least going through something chronic from which it will never recover), I decided to move my non-native English maybe-poetry here, because why not. Nobody reads it anyway and I learned long ago that if I worry whether people read me I'll never write, just hoard it in my brain like some word dragon.

So, let's go.

(2017)

When December is over we'll start again from the very very beginning. The world is spinning, shaking and we dance.

Come here, hold my hand again - you know this waltz. Three steps for promises, that slip off my tongue like fishes, one swing for your little kiss that fills me with an ocean of hope. We're dancing, the world is spinning, shaking, crumbling under our feet.

We hear nothing but music and the rhythmic sound of our steps.

December is over, New Year's coming, and the snow, white and cleansing, falls, covering all the cracks and gently melts in your hands.

(2017)

Silence is magic that fills the air with a thin web of unspoken words

The curse of struggling with the screaming world

The void between you, extending your hand, and me, small and trembling, not strong enough to hold it.

(2018)

You have a dream

I listen while hiding between your heartbeats, how you toss on the sheets: your soft exhale mingles with roaring waves of your ocean.

You have a dream.

With the first sunlight reflected in your eyes, still half-blind and drowsy, it flows away leaving only a subtle shadow of something beautiful.

But sometimes you wake up, limp and fuzzy, and then you are dragged back into the depths where you tremble, you struggle to breathe. And the walls seem to slowly crumble, and the light from an open window seems to be painfully bright.

And it lasts for hours.

I always hear it.

Thousands of miles away I lay down as if to fit into your body and whisper soundlessly the lullaby of the full Moon casting her light upon your raging ocean, hushing the storm.

And you have a dream again.

I have been carving our story On the walls On your fair skin On my shaky hands I wake up, slowly And the morning Is sweaty, salty So lonely And there is nothing else left To say

I know, it's been too long So I am sorry For still feeling That way

you know this feeling of being busy making myself useful waiting so painfully waiting to that light tic-tac-toc and the low chime of a century-old clock the call for seven

seven hours without a word from you seven wasted chances to hold your hand seven kisses that failed to happen more than seven months ago

I'm waiting for that telltale sign to end my workday to send you a text to imagine your soft smile (the ghost of a dimple that I so desperately want to taste is always present) 'hey there' I'm typing 'it's been a while'

and seven hours and thousands of kilometers turn into seven soft kisses captured in seven words

it's nothing new I'm walking down the avenue of love I'm watching the landscapes of my everchanging feelings like an erratic line of a heartbeat in the ER

No nurse will come as it peaks and a high-pitched sound screams in my ears as my breath hitches and, with hands, trembling with fear, I hand out all this bloody mess of my feelings to you, my lovely to you, my dawn and my dusk

to you, the one I think of when the coastal city sheds the warmth of the sun and dresses up in blurry lights of the night

Missing you is like breathing under the water The lump in my throat The heaviness in my chest — all of it has your name all of it is filling my empty body Until the glass breaks Until the water is rushing forward, crushing my ribcage, overflowing my eyes, my voice.

My words are sobbing for you. But I am silent, silenced, muted, like a boring, forgotten movie. But I am blank, grey, buried under the water.

I have so much to say, but words fail to form, fail to become a sound,

a call, reaching out to you.

it's not love I'm not allowed to name this thing you and me share

we share thoughts lightest of touches giggles late night confessions

we share worries scars scratches torn paper clawed truth

I stand there, naked born anew I open my soul, shredding skin and bones away I open gates to my core and wait

And, like a miracle you go through

Imagine poetry as a word unwritten incomprehensible repeated by thousands of lips over and over

The feeling composed into a thought composed into a poem hovers in my clouded mind

Imagine poetry as an unkind God he unforgivingly strips me from layers of armored past reveals the truth

Imagine poetry as you silent, standing In the eye of the storm, trembling, but strong -

so beautiful

My eyes close and there is nothing but cool air of your content sigh

Imagine poetry as love

10.

It always comes back.

At first - Slow, Like a ripple On the surface Of the quiet lake At dawn. It's gentle, Peaceful And, oh, so beautiful.

But you know better. You saw typhoons Started by those. You faced Tsunamis.

You know better and yet: Mesmerized, you take a stone, Flat and polished from the days You were drowning in salty water. You throw it, curious, (As if it's going to be different As if you'd find something new) And water Is rippling And rippling And rippling back

With a wave, caressing your toes.

With a wave, hitting you in the stomach Flowing into your eyes

You can't breathe Your lungs, filled with questions, Struggle to find air. Your legs, heavy with failures, Wobble, Buckle, Break.

The waves (Raging, Heartless, And, oh, so beautiful) Throw you into the coast Into the sandy soil, Leave you, like a jellyfish, To melt under the sun.

The soft whisper Of the ocean Takes you back To the days You hated its calmness Wishing It promised The storm.

Gonna post the rest tomorrow since there's a lot left and I don't want to make a monster post.

#poetry #my poems #poems on tumblr #Owl Deer scribbles

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radioves · 2 years

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anyways heres beeduo dergs.

unfiltered individuals + some hcs/design notes + id under cut

Spoilers for the third wof arc- i would keep it simple but i think i might actually end up doing something with this ?? um.

This “”au”” of sorts takes place after pantalan dragons fled to pyhrria. Jewel, Scarab, and some of the other Ladies of the rest of the hives were able to save some of the hivewing eggs that were only marked once, and fled alongside the rest of the silkwings that remained. There were only so many of the eggs, so they will end up inevitably fading away as a tribe as they repopulate with other dragons.

but this aint about them. for the most part.

the only part i really care about is communication with pyrrhian dragons and the part where they can pair with other dragons with the lack of Dragon Racism™️ ANYWAYS

Ranboo [aka Eclipse] - Ranboo is a pure nightwing, specifically because 1] i always saw him as half albino [piebaldism] instead of half some other mob/species, and 2] making him night/ice would be cheap :/ he still has stars on his scales and wings since, similar to zebras and i would assume other albino species, they still have white markings in the places they would usually be. his horns and spikes are all a reddish brown since animals with horns have the same color since its just. bone. uhh anyways

Since this took place after pantalan dragons arrived, the nightwings had already settled into the rainforest. He was born under 2 full moons, but due to unfortunate circumstances, he ended up with whats referred to as a “reversed power”, signified by the teardrop scale on the opposite side of his eye. Essentially, with very specific conditions, such as lunar events or mutations/birth defects, nightwing powers can mutate into something different, be it be it seeing into the past, mind projection, telepathy, etc. this wasnt very common in the pre-volcano era, and is suspected that the health problems of the parents of the reverse-power dragons might’ve caused it. In his case, he ended up getting a strange form of future sight, where instead of just seeing the future, he would attempt to act it out, falling in to an almost sleepwalk state that he never seems to remember the events of. he does have regular memory loss as well, but its not known if this is a side effect of the sleepwalking or if he just wouldve always had it

Nightwings have bat-like traits, such as big ears and heart shaped beaks, along with stars scattered across their bodies. and while they usually only have one set of curly horns, i decided to give him another, smaller set of straight horns, inspired by my design of ender dragons. another end related inspo was the idea of endermen being spiky, so he has spikes on his jaw, wrists, shoulders, and tail, and the marking on his forehead is inspired by eyes of ender. and yes i was incredibly tempted to make him fluffy but alas. nightwings are not. i know that would make it incredibly annoying for him to live in the tundra since nightwings most likely lost their cold tolerance a hot minute ago since both the volcano and the rainforest are hot as FUCK but shhhHhHhhHhhut up he can deal

Tubbo [aka Nettle] - Tubbo is a Hive/Leaf hybrid, Hive because. well. bees. and Leaf because i was originally gonna have it set before migration and his parents just dipped before i realized that was stupid but also because i thought it would he cool to give him leafspeak! cause hear me out. instead of stingers or venom, he manifests his toxins in flowers- he specializes in poisonous plants, creating some of the most potent toxins possible [by dragon society], and when dried and turned into bombs, lets just say you dont want to be hit by them. because you will die.

hes fluffy because despite how neither hivewings nor leafwings having manes, i feel like beetlewings wouldve had them since, well, beetles have fur, and also because i feel like pantala wouldve been a lot colder before Wasp turned it into a fuckin. wasteland, some hivewings showing the trait in small patches of fluff on their bodies but never really full manes due to the heat of the savannah. and also because it was seen as lower class. and yes tubbo was originally skinni but after moving to the tundra he began to grow fur to accommodate, turning him into the fluffy fuck he is today

Now you may be asking, “radio how hard did you have to manhandle canon to give him his scars”, unless your not. which damn ok really gotta do me like that- anyways fireworks are canonical in wof. considering peril was the one who mentioned them leaves me to believe its skywing culture to make them. and you wanna know whos part skywing? well, thats an easy answer im pretty sure you could- its techno technos half skywing and learned how to make them i dont know how he learned to use them in crossbows but considering the type of motherfucker he is he probably jerryrigged the bitch specifically out of spite.

and you might have noticed that his mane is rather fluffy for being blown up in the face by a firework. on this side, at least. yeah his left side got FUCKED up. he also ended up getting one of his wings blown off which i would probably just draw torn to shreds but i just made it a stub for simplicities sake. it was originally supposed to be his hindwing but now that i look at it i uh. i mightve made it the wrong one. so he cant fly now apparently uhwoOPS. anyways hahahh look at that he can grow plants on himself isnt that cute haha he can also use seedlings to grow flowers in his mane thats so cool hahaahhhhhh his mane was never originally white

•••

[ID : A picture of Ranboo and Tubbo as dragons, inspired by Wings of fire. Ranboo, a nightwing, is a lanky dragon with a long neck, tail, and legs. Half of his body is white while the other half is a teal-tinted black, with splotches of either color scattered across his scales. There are thick plated scales on his arms, tail, neck and legs, in dark teal and grey on their respective colors. He has two sets of horns, one being large and curly with the other set in front of them being short and straight, colored teal and dusty red, and there is a line of spines going down his back in the same colors. There are spikes on his arms, wrists, tail, and face in the same color as his scales. His belly is a lighter teal color, and there are teal spots lining the edge between his underbelly and scales, along with an eye shaped marking that is split in color between the two halves of his face. There is a grey teardrop at the corner of his eye. The underside of his wing on his white side is pink, he has a heart shaped beak and large ears resembling a bat, and he has bright green and red eyes. He is sitting behind Tubbo, facing to the left while his neck is curved to the right, head tilted down and looking to the side, his arms and wings splayed out in a nervous manner.

Tubbo, a hivewing and leafwing hybrid, is a stocky dragon that resembles a lion. He is primarily a greenish brown with brown patches on his cheek, nose, and legs. There is plated scales covering his arms and back in a darker shade of brown, and his underbelly is a lighter brown. There is a dark brown mane of fur trailing down his back that grows longer on his head and the tip of his tail, along with a fluffy mane around his neck that fades into a light tan color with a white spot on his chest. He has two sets of wings that resemble bee wings, one of them missing a hind wing, that have green veins that curl in an almost flowery pattern, with a gradient of green at the top and a darker green lining the edge. The tips of his wing fingers, his chin and the bottoms of his paws are a tan color, along with markings under his eye and the tips of his ears. He has yellowish leaves growing on his chin, jawline, armpits, hips, and at the base of his horns, which are tan ram horns that curl around his round, fluffy ears that resemble a goat, and he has dark eyes with bright green pupils, along with long jaw guards that go past his chin, and gold freckles scattered across his legs and face. He is laying down on his side while facing towards left. His head is slightly tilted away from the viewer, looking back at them with an almost irate expression, his tail being curled towards his back. One set of his wings is held up, displaying the patterns, while the remaining wing is pressed against his body. End ID]

#i love these designs i made for them especially tubbo hes so pretty ahh #digital art #artists on tumblr #illustration #dragons #mcyt #tubbo myct #ranboo mcyt #[.art]#i need to make an actually comprehensive post on my wof headcanons good lord #this post is literally a challenge to read #dd!au #<- tag because im probably gonna make more of these bc i am unwell

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the-king-andthe-lionheart · 3 years

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So this is definitely in response to that certain dark section of our fandom (you know exactly who you are) who are throwing a fit about the Arya and Daenerys fandoms enjoying the possibility of a canon Daenarya friendship in the future. So let’s look at all the quotes that possibly foreshadow a future Arya and Dany friendship and put it into context.

It was very dark right now, she realized. She hugged her bare knees tight against her chest and shivered. She would wait quietly and count to ten thousand. By then it would be safe for her to come creeping back out and find her way home.

By the time she had reached eighty-seven, the room had begun to lighten as her eyes adjusted to the blackness. Slowly the shapes around her took on form. Huge empty eyes stared at her hungrily through the gloom, and dimly she saw the jagged shadows of long teeth. She had lost the count. She closed her eyes and bit her lip and sent the fear away. When she looked again, the monsters would be gone. Would never have been. She pretended that Syrio was beside her in the dark, whispering in her ear. Calm as still water, she told herself. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. She opened her eyes again.

The monsters were still there, but the fear was gone.

Arya got to her feet, moving warily. The heads were all around her. She touched one, curious, wondering if it was real. Her fingertips brushed a massive jaw. It felt real enough. The bone was smooth beneath her hand, cold and hard to the touch. She ran her fingers down a tooth, black and sharp, a dagger made of darkness. It made her shiver.

"It's dead," she said aloud. "It's just a skull, it can't hurt me." Yet somehow the monster seemed to know she was there. She could feel its empty eyes watching her through the gloom, and there was something in that dim, cavernous room that did not love her. She edged away from the skull and backed into a second, larger than the first. For an instant she could feel its teeth digging into her shoulder, as if it wanted a bite of her flesh. Arya whirled, felt leather catch and tear as a huge fang nipped at her jerkin, and then she was running. Another skull loomed ahead, the biggest monster of all, but Arya did not even slow. She leapt over a ridge of black teeth as tall as swords, dashed through hungry jaws, and threw herself against the door. - Arya III AGOT

Here is the initial passage that has to do with dragons in Arya’s story. She comes across the dragon skulls in the dark and feels afraid of them. She feels as if the eyes of the skulls were watching her and did not like her. She also doesn’t recognize them for what they are. She initially refers to them as monsters, but later she comes to realize they are dragons:

This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Arya held the candle over her head. With each step she took, the shadows moved against the walls, as if they were turning to watch her pass. "Dragons," she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand. - Arya IV AGOT

Now admittedly the first quote does sound like the foreshadowing could suggest antagonism between Arya and Dany, but the second quote doesn’t suggest this. Arya thinks of them as if they are old friends. That is the most notable sentence of the paragraph, not the fact that she slid Needle out. But when you actually look at this paragraph you actually see a duality here. The monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Yet she slides her blade out and feels better? So for me this quote just seems to foreshadow that Dany will be Arya’s friend, yet Arya will remain wary of her dragons like anyone naturally would be.

So putting these two quotes into context, it tells us that if Arya and Dany will meet they will initially be antagonistic and wary of each other (most Daenarya fans I’ve seen acknowledge this will likely be the case). However it also suggests that this wariness will eventually fade and they will become friends. Arya doesn’t need to think she is wholly safe from the dragons to have a friendship with Dany. EVERYONE is wary about the dragons, just like most people would be unsure and most likely afraid if they were in the same room as a large cat or a bear.

But this isn’t Arya’s only dragon connections in the narrative. Arya’s closest relationship is with Jon, who is half Targaryen. In Braavos Arya is fascinated by the courtesans and the Black Pearl in particular:

"The Black Pearl," she told them. Merry claimed the Black Pearl was the most famous courtesan of all. "She's descended from the dragons, that one," the woman had told Cat. "The first Black Pearl was a pirate queen. A Westerosi prince took her for a lover and got a daughter on her, who grew up to be a courtesan. Her own daughter followed her, and her daughter after her, until you get to this one [...] - Cat of the Canals AFFC

The woman with him could not have been more than a third his age. She was so lovely that the lamps seemed to burn brighter when she passed. She had dressed in a low-cut gown of pale yellow silk, startling against the light brown of her skin. Her black hair was bound up in a net of spun gold, and a jet-and-gold necklace brushed against the top of her full breasts. As they watched, she leaned close to the envoy and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh. "They should call her the Brown Pearl," Mercy said to Daena. "She's more brown than black."

"The first Black Pearl was black as a pot of ink," said Daena. "She was a pirate queen, fathered by a Sealord's son on a princess from the Summer Isles. A dragon king from Westeros took her for his lover."

"I would like to see a dragon," Mercy said wistfully. - Mercy TWOW

There is even foreshadowing that Arya will form a closer relationship with the Black Pearl in the future by becoming an apprentice for her so Arya can refine her highborn manners so it’s easier for the FM to place her into highborn society to do their work, because why not utilize a highborn girl in this way?

But also notice that Arya/Mercy is friends with a girl named “Daena” which is ridiculously close to the name Daenerys. And in the same conversation with Daena (Daenerys) Arya/Mercy also said she wished to see a dragon. And no this isn’t “Mercy’s” wish, this is Arya’s wish:

As Arya crossed the yard to the bathhouse, she spied a raven circling down toward the rookery, and wondered where it had come from and what message it carried. Might be it's from Robb, come to say it wasn't true about Bran and Rickon. She chewed on her lip, hoping. If I had wings I could fly back to Winterfell and see for myself. And if it was true, I'd just fly away, fly up past the moon and the shining stars, and see all the things in Old Nan's stories, dragons and sea monsters and the Titan of Braavos, and maybe I wouldn't ever fly back unless I wanted to. - Arya X ACOK

Doesn’t really sound like Arya hates dragons or have any issues regarding them. She wants to see them irregardless of any fear they may inspire within her that everyone would naturally have upon seeing a dragon.

Arya also expresses a wish to fly throughout her narrative and she also has wing symbolism in her arc:

If I was a crow I could fly down and peck off his stupid fat pouty lips. - Arya X ACOK

If I had wings I could fly back to Winterfell and see for myself. And if it was true, I'd just fly away, fly up past the moon and the shining stars, and see all the things in Old Nan's stories, dragons and sea monsters and the Titan of Braavos, and maybe I wouldn't ever fly back unless I wanted to. - Arya X ACOK

I wish I could change into a wolf and grow wings and fly away. - Arya XIII ASOS

She might be bald and skinny, but Mercy had a pretty smile, and a certain grace. Even Izembaro agreed that she was graceful. She was not far from the Gate as the crows flies, but for girls with feet instead of wings the way was longer. - Mercy TWOW

Also lets not forget how similar Arya and Dany are to each other and how many parallels they share. They are both lost princesses exiled and sent to Essos, specifically Braavos, after their father's deaths at the hands of Lannister's. They each know what it's like to be bought and sold and to be enslaved – Dany as a child bride and Arya as a child soldier. And they both have pretenders trying to take their claims. Both have been forced into becoming smallfolk, living in poverty and starved. And they both know what it's like to be hunted and scared. They adapt exceedingly well into other environments and cultures, and their morality and sense of justice are very attuned, as they seek to protect those that can not protect themselves. Very protective, they are both empathetic and maternal and care for the sick, ailing, and dying. Both of them are survivors and have both suffered abuse and sexual assault (more so for Dany, but it's still there). They are both clever and know how to manipulate people. They are both polyglots and both of their deepest desires are for home and family/pack. They both try to live up to the image of their older siblings (ie Sansa and Rhaegar). Arya is said to look and act like Lyanna and Daenerys is compared to Rhaegar by the people that knew him. They are both very close to their house sigils and even dream about them and the mystical beasts they both own. They both love horseback riding and they both have encountered mystical prophets. Wanted/considered becoming sailors and they both have fantastic people skills. Not to mention that it was Arya who said that the slaves should have killed the masters, while Dany is leading a slave uprising to overthrow and yes, execute the masters.

Dany is also not some “mad queen” and she does listen to the people who knew her father and Rhaegar. She is learning the truth about the monster her father was and learning to accept that. So there is no reason why Dany should continue to feel antagonistic towards the next generation of Stark’s for something they didn’t do.

I’ve also seen comments about how the fire devastation that is within Arya’s story must clearly mean “Dark Dany” and that Arya and Dany will be antagonistic towards each other in canon when they meet. I’m assuming these people are referring to the burning barn scene:

"You take her!" she yelled. "You get her out! You do it!" The fire beat at her back with hot red wings as she fled the burning barn. It felt blessedly cool outside, but men were dying all around her. She saw Koss throw down his blade to yield, and she saw them kill him where he stood. Smoke was everywhere. There was no sign of Yoren, but the axe was where Gendry had left it, by the woodpile outside the haven. As she wrenched it free, a mailed hand grabbed her arm. Spinning, Arya drove the head of the axe hard between his legs. She never saw his face, only the dark blood seeping between the links of his hauberk. Going back into that barn was the hardest thing she ever did. Smoke was pouring out the open door like a writhing black snake, and she could hear the screams of the poor animals inside, donkeys and horses and men. She chewed her lip, and darted through the doors, crouched low where the smoke wasn't quite so thick.

A donkey was caught in a ring of fire, shrieking in terror and pain. She could smell the stench of burning hair. The roof was gone up too, and things were falling down, pieces of flaming wood and bits of straw and hay. Arya put a hand over her mouth and nose. She couldn't see the wagon for the smoke, but she could still hear Biter screaming. She crawled toward the sound. - Arya IV ACOK

Arya rolled headfirst into the tunnel and dropped five feet. She got dirt in her mouth but she didn't care, the taste was fine, the taste was mud and water and worms and life. Under the earth the air was cool and dark. Above was nothing but blood and roaring red and choking smoke and the screams of dying horses. She moved her belt around so Needle would not be in her way, and began to crawl. A dozen feet down the tunnel she heard the sound, like the roar of some monstrous beast, and a cloud of hot smoke and black dust came billowing up behind her, smelling of hell. Arya held her breath and kissed the mud on the floor of the tunnel and cried. For whom, she could not say. - Arya IV ACOK

This chapter does not mean that Dany is going to go “evil” or “mad” and start burning stuff to the ground. You guys do remember that Dany has three dragons right? And that Dany is only the dragonrider to Drogon? That leaves two other possible dragons that could be stolen from Dany. We have Euron/Victarion who has the dragon binder horn and then we have Aegon who may or may not be able to claim one of those dragons for himself. There is also the possibility that Euron dies or Aegon dies and someone else will take their places as dragonriders via Targaryen blood or use of that horn. So besides Dany we have Aegon, Jon, Euron, and Tyrion who may all ride dragons within the story as they all have the proper set-up and foreshadowing for it to be a possibility. So why is it the automatic assumption that it will be Dany burning shit down?

Not to mention, wildfire has the same types of language used as the two quotes above:

And then some vast beast had let out a roar, and green flames were all around them: wildfire, pyromancer's piss, the jade demon [...] From bank to bank there was nothing but burning ships and wildfire. The sight of it seemed to stop his heart for a moment, and he could still remember the sound of it, the crackle of flames, the hiss of steam, the shrieks of dying men, and the beat of that terrible heat against his face as the current swept him down toward hell. - Davos I ASOS

So considering there not only is there a ton of foreshadowing that it will be Cersei who destroys King’s Landing with wildfire, but also there is foreshadowing that Jon Connington will do something incredibly drastic to win and keep the Iron Throne for Aegon. And may I remind the audience that the fires Arya went through and experienced in the Riverlands had zero to do with Dany. They were the direct result of the Lannisters.

So if Arya IV ACOK is foreshadowing a future fire she is stuck in, there is no evidence that the fire will be caused by Dany nor that the fire is dragonfire. And if you are going to point out the show as evidence, let me tell you something, go to the youtuber The Dragon Demands and watch his videos dissecting everything about the scene of Dany burning King’s Landing by using the script, listening to BtS content, looking at the storyboards, actually noting that a scene of Cersei looking out the window, depicting her watching people put barrels of wildfire on the battlements, etc. Because the compilation he makes proves that Dany burning KL the way that she did in 8x05 was a last minute change. It was supposed to be an accidental wildfire explosion before they changed it so they could justify Jon killing her. But I’m sure even with the evidence you’ll still cling to the idea of Dark!Dany because you are incredibly insecure about your fictitious ship and your blatant mischaracterization of your favorite “pure as the driven snow /s” character, because there is literally nothing in the books that foreshadows Dany going “mad” or “dark”. So why don’t you take your jealousies about Daenerys and Arya and the very possible Daenarya friendship somewhere else.

#arya stark #daenerys targaryen #asoiaf

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neozoid · 3 years

Text

Peril comes out

Peril's wingtips touched Clay's as they silently soared through the soft gray rain.

Half an hour ago, she had asked him if he would take just one moment to fly with her. After everything that had happened, with Jade Mountain Academy under threat and those little rapscallions - Moon, Turtle, Kinkajou, Anemone, Qibli, and Winter - had all managed to save it. The past week... no, weeks? She had lost track of time. But they had been a blur - a blur of emotions, of frustration, of painful, deep searing guilt, Darkstalker's scroll looming in her mind, and of longing. She hadn't gotten to talk to Clay in so long, and she wasn't sure that at the end of it he'd still feel the same way about her that he did when she saved his life on the brightest night.

She turned to look at his face in the grayness. His expression was focused, concentrated, effortful.

He must still be in a lot of pain from that burn I gave him, Peril thought guiltily.

No! She shook her head. I kept him alive! If it wasn't for me he'd be dead! But that didn't make her feel any better.

She turned her gaze back down to the valleys below, vast and dotted in slate blue pine trees obscured by the falling droplets. They rolled harmlessly off Clay, but they sizzled when they hit her and dissolved into steam, making her look like a ghost in flight. The rocky outcroppings below resembled a sleeping dragon - as if the landscape itself, was, once again, put to rest after Darkstalker's second sleep.

"Peril," Clay spoke.

She whipped her head around to him. "Clay?"

"I'm... I'm starting to get a bit tired. Do you think we could stop somewhere down below? Maybe in a cave."

She quickly scanned the landscape below her, and saw an opening just a half mile away. "Yeah, I see something down there." She turned herself in the direction of the cave, and Clay followed her.

As they came in for a landing, Peril opened her wings wide, scattering a million fallen petals that intermingled with the rain. She softly touched down and carefully wrapped her wings around herself, and looked back at Clay, beckoning.

They both sat in the mouth of the cave, tails twined, watching the rain fall.

After what seemed like just a moment (but Peril knew full well was the better part of an hour,) Clay looked at her and asked "So... do you want to talk about Scarlet? Or Ruby? Or the stuff that happened while you were helping Moon and her friends save Jade Mountain?"

Peril stared at him, startled. "No! I mean, yes! I mean, just..." She sighed and looked at the roof of the cave. "I do, but like... hrmmmnnm." She closed her mouth shut and hummed.

"I get it. It can be hard to talk about stuff like this. It took us five forever to find the time to reflect and talk about our feelings after everything happened." He looked at the ceiling too and laughed. "Tsunami..." he muttered happily, and shortly his smile faded, his face a sad, wistful stare. "And Glory."

"I... hm." She fidgeted with her talons nervously. "I mean, I DO want to talk about Queen Scarlet and Ruby and-" she shook her head, "not-queen-Scarlet and- arghh, but it's so! CONFUSING! And it makes me mad to think about her manipulating like that. I trusted her, I really did and..."

Clay looked into the rain. "Like we trusted Morrowseer."

"I... I guess... yeah..." She looked into a corner awkwardly, but then curled her fist. "She shouldn't have betrayed us like that!" she roared.

"What about... Turtle?" Clay offered.

Peril's heart jumped in her stomach. She thought about Turtle, the only other dragon who had understood and trusted her, at least for a while. How protective she felt of him, how she wanted to follow him (and then not...) when they were trying to find Queen Scarlet. She thought about how he went underwater that night, making her rage about how she couldn't get to him, and how regretful she felt when she left him behind. He made her feel new things, just like Clay, new weird things.

"He was nice, I guess."

"How did he feel about being an animus? That must've been why he was able to sympathize with you. He knew if he revealed his animus secret he'd be thrust into the talons of others and the plans they wanted for him, and the only way to avoid that was deep, resolute isolation. He knows how that feels, Peril."

She fumed with fury for a second. Why could he hide! He got to choose that lousy isolation, but she didn't have a choice! Then she thought about his pain-stricken face when she found his healing rock, or his vengeful look as he bashed Chameleon upside the-

Chameleon.

She stared through the wall of water passing outside.

"Peril," Clay whispered.

"Oh. Right." She looked back at him.

"I know it's a lot of stuff to think about, but I can't keep carrying this conversation by myself." He softly chuckled with a warm, patient smile.

She blushed and fluttered her wings. "Right. Sorry, sorry. I was just- argh. Arghhh." She squirmed, as if caterpillars were crawling out of her skin.

Do I tell him?

"Turtle," she said resolutely, "taught me new things about myself. He reminded me of you, actually, Clay. You were my first exposure to life outside the Skywing Palace, and if I'm being honest I was kind of disappointed with the other dragonets at Jade Academy, how they treated me. I thought they'd be like you - I thought everyone in the outside world would be like that."

Clay winced.

"But Turtle! Turtle has his friends, and, surely, he's taught them! I keep getting letters from them. Which is like, weird, but the fact that someone's thinking about me!? While I'm not in front of them!?! Threatening to blaze their FACE or melt their SKIN off!?!?!" She yelled with a smile. "It's CRAAAAZY!"

Clay let out a hearty laugh, smiling as well.

"And Queen Ruby - she hated me, she hated me so bad Clay, she hated me just as much as the other Skywings did, if not more. If Scarlet's twisted love is what makes me ache, Ruby's absolute hatred of me tore me to the core. She looked at me and didn't want anybody, nobody in the whole world to do anything with me. Didn't want anyone to touch me, look at me, love me. She saw me as an irredeemable monster because of things I couldn't control." Peril's face contorted in despair.

"But Tourmaline... Someone who hadn't been fed Scarlet's lies... She saw right through that and she knew deep in my heart I COULD love." She scratched her snout awkwardly. "Well, at least I think I can. I'm not sure."

Clay lovingly jabbed her with her shoulder, and she giggled.

"But that pure strong spirit.... It's so." Her stomach dropped. "It's so scary what Chameleon did to her. Ripped her title, her memories, her life away just for some gold, some jewels." She spat on the ground.

"And Chameleon..."

Her stomach felt like a howling void, ready to collapse her from the inside out.

Do I tell him?

What if he hates me?

He should hate me.

I'm just as bad as him.

I'm just like my dad.

She turned to Clay terrified.

"I-" she sputtered. "I want to tell you something."

Clay looked at her face, concerned, but he motioned around. "Just you and me."

"I-" Peril's muscles clenched, her veins wrapped all around inside her, her bones stabbed inside her, shame made her heat blaze ever hotter, shame and guilt and pain and fear. She wanted to fall into the ground and have it swallow her up, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"I'm not - I'm not actually a girl. I was hatched as a boy. I- I- Queen Scarlet, she said, she- she wanted me to be like her and- " Words started running over one another. "When you got here- I- I- I just felt like protecting you- and- but- I didn't want you to give up on me- Having a relationship- I-" She wanted to die. She wanted to disappear. "I'm a liar. I'm- I'm just like Chameleon," she howled. "I'm faking it. I- I wanted you but I- I just-" She let go, and wailed.

She looked back at him. "P-please don't-don't hate me," Peril choked through tears.

Clay softly gazed at her, leaned in closer, his wings wrapping around her, and kissed her on her snout.

Peril tears turned to confusion as she leaped with delight and her scales roared a bright blazing blue, the searing heat singing any leftover moss in the cavern. Clay reflexively pulled away, and patted his singed scales, laughing.

"Ow, geez, haha! Not like that!"

"I- I- Huh??"

Peril stepped back, but looked up and peered at his expression.

He really doesn't hate me, she thought wondrously.

As Clay turned looking over himself, his scales settled, and as the smoke rose, he looked at Peril.

"You know, someone else actually said something similar to me a little while ago." He sat back down.

Peril crooned. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. It was - it was Sunny."

Peril's jaw dropped open.

"She'd mentioned to me how she'd - during our time fulfilling the dragonet prophecy, she'd... we'd kind of ignore her most of the time. Not take her seriously. When we first planned on escaping the cavern, we didn't tell her.... she was so upset, afterwards. And in all of our discussions and planning afterwards, we'd step on her feelings. Actually, you remember the Nightwing invasion? Or, well, whatever came of the invasion before they all came crashing into Glory's rainforest under fealty."

"Yeah?" Peril looked at him.

"She was the one who came up with the idea of using the sleeping darts! But Glory was planning, and the others were shouting, so she had to ask me to use my voice and SHOUT it at everyone. The point is, she felt small. And overly protected - we didn't respect her whole, y'know, feelings as part of the team."

Peril flicked her tail, anxious.

"So... A couple nights ago, she talked to me in private, and she told me how she'd been feeling, and... she said she didn't really feel like it was right to be a Queen anymore. Given Thorn had safely secured the position, and was doing a good job... And with everything about the Eye of Onyx." Clay shifted on his talons. "She could trust it to pick a new leader. And the thing is, you know how... you've seen Deathbringer. You've seen Riptide. You've seen Starflight and maybe even Winter and Qibli. And maybe even Darkstalker, and Clearsight."

He sighed.

"Male dragons have a strong feeling to protect one person, the one person who brings them all the light in the world. Sunny said she didn't really feel like that - like one person had captured her whole heart in their hands. But she certainly didn't want to be the object of that kind of affection either. And Sunny didn't feel like Queen Coral or Thorn or Scarlet either, where she wanted to protect her own kin, her own future. She wants to protect everybody. And more than that, she doesn't want to be Sunny the small and weak and lovable, or Sunny the fierce and possessive and loyal. She just wants to be... Sunny, helping out wherever she can."

Peril stared at him intently, blue eyes locked in brown. "And?"

"Well, at first we tried just referring to Sunny by name to sort of, you know, respect her decision, but Starflight looked through the library and found in some old scrolls people using 'they' to refer to - did you even know there were dragons who decided to live past being a boy or a girl in the past, just like Sunny? I was surprised."

Peril's mind was racing. "They must be so happy," she said, eyes sparkling.

Outside, the rain had cleared, and Peril noticed out beyond the cave was a huge field of sunflowers, waving and dancing in the cool wind.

Suddenly her thoughts returned to her.

"But that thing you said earlier about protecting..." Peril looked down at her talons uncomfortably.

"Oh yeah - sorry, I... I didn't mean to. I just..." Clay caught himself. "I... I'm sorry Peril. I know your feelings about this must be really, really complicated. I..." Clay looked away again with a twinge of guilt on his face.

Peril stared at him, trembling.

"But Sunny taught me something I hadn't even thought about before." He chuckled. "I did think about it too, but after a long night of restless staring at the sky and thinking I figured I was perfectly happy being a guy. But that look on Sunny's face... they must have struggled as much with telling us as you did."

"I love you, Peril. I don't think you're anything like Chameleon at all. He only used his identities to trick and manipulate others, to get what he wanted for himself. But you've only ever been trying to find yourself - with Scarlet twisting your thoughts from birth, with how everyone's avoided you and you've been excluded from all the Skywings and, man, even the other dragon's games on Jade Mountain. It must hurt so much to be that isolated."

Peril stared into the field, unable to meet his gaze, tears running down her face.

"I just want you to know, Peril, I love you for who you chose to be. For all of your heroism, and your kindness. Your self-restraint. Chameleon had none of those qualities. But you do."

He stared her straight in the eye.

"What you chose is noble, and so so hard. Being true to yourself - more than Chameleon ever was, he couldn't handle being boring old him - is so, so hard. I know."

Peril thought about the Chameleon's enchanted necklace that removed her firescales. She shuddered deeply."

But you did it. And you shouldn't have to live with the shame, or the guilt anymore. You can have a new beginning just like us." His eyes creased as he looked into hers so warmly, making her melt. "You might protect my scales, but I want to protect your smile. I hope you can let me do that."

"I-"

She rushed forward and hugged him, squeezing him tight. Tears streamed down her face, and she choked down a sob, but she hugged him as tight as she could, not letting go.

"Thank you, Clay," she said when she finally let him out of her little death trap.

"Woof!" He stumbled backwards, breathlessly. "I know I said be true to yourself, but maybe we can work a little on the intensity." He looked at her with a silly expression on his face. "Just kidding. You're perfect the way you are."

"Ha ha," she guffawed. "Tell that to anyone else at Jade Academy." She joked, but she knew deep in her heart that the others were starting to see her for what she could be, too. Not just a monster, or a weapon - but a friend.

"So my queen, shall we return to the mountain?" He curtseyed awkwardly, then looked up with one eye. "Actually, wait, that sounds kind of weird? Girlfriend? Babe?" He started scratching his head. "Names were never really my strong suit."

She howled with laughter and smacked him on the back, taking flight. "Just call me Peril," she triumphantly roared. As Clay lept into flight behind her, grinning, Peril thought... Not gonna lie - I like babe too.

#wings of fire #wof #wings of fire spoilers #wof spoilers #wof clay #wof peril #i did it #i wrote my first fanfic

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soyeahitsmiddleearth · 3 years

Note

hello! i was wondering if you could write the following request; you are a member of the Brotherhood, the most dangerous assassins league of Middle Earth. To say that the Company of Thorin Oakenshield is both impressed and intimidated is an understatement.

The Company/Reader: Killer Good Looks pt.1

Trigger Warnings: Referenced assault and child abuse, murder

----

To say you're an excellent fighter would be a gross understatement.

You're the very definition of a rogue; you like shiny things, you're stealthy, cunning, persuasive, what are we missing...? Oh! And you're also an infamous deadly assassin for hire, and you get hired alright.

You're wanted (in more ways than one), for people are always looking for someone to fulfill their dirty deeds for them.

Almost everything is on the table with you; you'll steal things for people (and yourself), kill if the price is right, infiltrate and lie, and many other things, however, there are some things off limits.

For example, you won't kill kids. You never have and you never will, you flat out refuse; you also don't sell yourself to others for pleasure or other things of inappropriate nature; and, most importantly of all, you don't kill those whom you have a relationship with (meaning you don't kill friends, though those are few and far between).

When you were but a child your parents sold you off to put bread on their table, and you knew nothing but torment from that moment on.

For months the lady's husband would sneak into your rooms at night, and she would always pretend not to notice; she took to releasing her frustrations out on you under the false pretense that you were an issue, beating you, berating you, yelling, abusing; they were horrible people taking advantage of a 10 year old child in every way imaginable.

You felt no remorse when you finally gathered the courage to slit their throats one night, and to this day you still don't.

The news of your deeds spread quickly, for they proved to be quite shocking and a wonderful topic for conversation.

A mere child servant manages to kill their masters unseen and unheard, escaping into the night never to be seen again? That would catch anyones attention. And it certainly caught the attention of The Brotherhood.

They found you, took you in, and honed your sloppy skills to make you into the perfect, lethal weapon.

You've killed more people than you can count, stolen more than even the richest man has, and lied to everyone you've ever met at least once.

It's safe to say that you're not exactly a stand up citizen.

Your name, as well as the name of the organization who taught you all you know, is well known throughout Middle Earth which is why you were, ultimately, employed to assist and protect the line of Durin in their journey to reclaim Erebor...

Except, unbeknownst to them, you have ulterior orders from The Brotherhood regarding the operation.

Once the dragon is either confirmed dead or slain and the mountain is reclaimed, you are to kill the Durin's (and anyone else who stands in your way) and claim the mountain for The Brotherhood.

When you were first given this assignment you had no qualms with it.

Yes, dwarfs are strong, brave, and resilient, but you are fast, intelligent, and one of the best fighters in the organization because of your early start and ability to disconnect yourself from almost every situation. Also, you don't know them, any of them, and you've never had trouble killing royal, powerful people before.

It was supposed to be easy.

You joined the group in a cute little place called The Shire in a hobbit hole belonging to one Bilbo Baggins, and when you met everyone you figured that killing them would be easy, but as time went on you began to forget about your mission.

Everything started out simple. You didn't talk much and they stayed away from you for the most part; partially out of intimidation, but also from reservations on disturbing you.

You're a private person, and they'd hate to make you dislike them by being nosy or prying.

Gandalf is the only one who knows of your past, but even knowing who you truly are, he never for a second suspected what your true purpose was.

It's around the time you all leave Rivendell and return to the road when things start to change.

Thorin wanted to keep a schedule and reach the Misty Mountains before the end of the 4th week, and halfway into the 4th, you're already there are the entrance to the mountain pass.

Because the group makes such excellent time Thorin chooses to reward the group with a day and night full of rest to spend restocking supplies, regrouping, and relaxing, which is something that benefits you all greatly.

By this point, you've worked up enough 'trust' to actually sleep in short bursts around them, and you take full advantage of this day of rest to regain your strength.

At some point during the night you manage to fall asleep, and hen you wake you find that you managed to pass out for a good 4 hours.

The very first thing you notice is Dwalin sitting not far from you, and the blanket draped over your resting form.

To say you're taken off guard would be an understatement, for you never expected to be treated with such tenderness (or at least, tenderness by your definition considering the life you've lead).

"Dwalin...?" You call after a time of looking ahead, wanting to find out his motivations.

His gaze snaps over to you and a small, greeting smile falls upon his lips, "Good evening. It is mid-night, I'm sure you'd like to know."

You glance briefly up at the sky and observe the position of the moon and stars and find that he's correct, then your gaze returns to his face. "I see. What are you doing over here, though?"

The balding dwarf looks a tad more sheepish when you ask your question, and his voice contains slight embarrassment, "Well, we know you don't much like sleeping around us, or in general, so I thought that keeping watch here may help you feel even a bit safer."

Those words shock you to your very core.

"You'll always be safe with us, you should know. You protect us in waking, so the least we can do is return the favor in sleeping."

Any and all responses that come to your mind in this moment seem inadequate in comparison to his declaration, so you're left sitting there looking at him with a blank, yet dumbfounded stare.

"You needn't say anything in response. I just thought you should know." Another smile graces upon his lips, and then his attention turns back out towards the darkened tree line surrounding the mini camp in a half circle. "Sleep more if the desire is to suddenly strike you."

And, for some odd reason, you do.

---

For the first time in what has to be years, you sleep through the night and do not wake again until the sun beckons you to do so.

When the first light shines through the trees and makes the forest sparkle with morning magic, you arise and find that a new dwarf, Ori, has taken the place of Dwalin.

A feeling, one that you can't identify, rises within you, and you find yourself unable to handle it.

"Ori." You greet curtly, "I am going to depart for a time. Expect me back in 20 minutes."

The young dwarf looks up at you and nods shallowly, not even entertaining the thought that you would need an escort. "Alright. Get back safely."

His words linger with you after you leave, for the act of being cared for is alien to you.

When was the last time someone genuinely cared for your well-being and not just what they would lose if you were to perish? When was the last time someone thought of you as a person who could be harmed instead of a weapon that maybe tarnished every-so-often?

These thoughts plague your mind as you go to search the game traps you lay around the camp the morning before, and you find that the prize is well worth the early journey.

3 rabbits, 2 squirrels, and a wild hog around 2 feet long and a foot wide. The hog you caught along the way, actually. It had been sniffing around one of the game traps you sent (the trap wouldn't have been strong enough to hold it anyways), and you wasted no time in throwing a dagger straight into its' head.

You string up the rabbits into a line of rope and carry the hog over your shoulders (it's really heavy, so you made sure to evenly distribute the weight), and then you head straight for the group with your prizes in hand.

When you enter the clearing you're noticed immediately, for the game hanging from your body draw a lot of attention.

"Odin's beard!" Gloin exclaims, jumping up from his spot once his eyes fall upon you, "Look at all of that!"

All eyes are on you as soon as the red-haired dwarf alerts them to your presence, but you maintain a mask of nothing even despite your discomfort with being the center of attention.

"Where did you get all that?" Fili calls, getting up and approaching you to help carry the load.

You shrug off the line of rabbits and squirrels to him when he begins to tug on it and bring the hog to the middle of the camp, dropping it down heavily.

Bombur looks up at you with a grand smile and praises you in his low, baritone voice, "Well will you look at that! Now that's a hog."

You dip your head in acknowledgement of his compliments and offer right after, "Do you want me to skin them?"

"Oh, no, no! You have done more enough for us, we can manage that at the very least." The older dwarf assures you, patting the fat belly of the swine, "Thank you, lass. We haven't had a commendable meal in months, so this will be a real treat."

You received so many compliments and acclimations that you almost began to blush, but that's an unconscious ability that had left you a long time ago.

Everyone traveled with full bellies that afternoon, and there was plenty of leftovers to last everyone well into the next day as well.

Things like this are seldom the topic of talk or praise in the organization you work for, and you can never rely on anyone. You're all thieves, after all. Liars, tricksters, murderers... how could you trust someone like that to have your back? But... somehow, they trust you to protect them and their precious royal friends.

You: the liar, trickster, and murderer.

They sleep in your presence as if you hadn't stolen millions in treasure, product, and money; as if you hadn't killed a quarter of the people you've met in your lifetime. They trust you, the real you (or at least the realest version of you that there is), and it's a truly foreign feeling.

Of course, even though these good feelings long since lost to you have returned for a time, you keep yourself in check with the thoughts of what they would do to you if they found about your true intentions.

The images of their betrayed, angry faces, the disgust that would shine in their eyes when they realize what you're truly capable of... you're always sure to not lose sight of your end goal; the Mountain of Erebor and its' lost treasure. If you're to fail, you're certain that you'll be killed (either by the dwarfs or The Brotherhood), so you don't even entertain the thought of abandoning your mission.

---

Later in the day, during the trek up those horrible, treacherous mountains, you're approached by Bofur, the hat wearing dwarf with a smile more contagious than any sickness.

"Hello." You greet curtly when he falls into step beside you, eyeing him in your peripherals. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, no." He shakes his head no and reaches up to straighten his fur hat, "You just looked a little lonely, is all."

Lonely, huh?

You don't reply right away and look ahead with your usual blank expression and dull eyes, though you do feel an uncomfortable, appreciative feeling swell inside of you. "I am not lonely." You inform him matter-of-factly, though when you glance down at his face you see that your words have slightly hurt his feelings.

Your heart twists slightly painfully when you see his saddened countenance, and before you can even think about it you're blurting out, "But I welcome the company regardless."

His frown is immediately replaced with a brilliant smile and his eyes positively shine with enthusiasm; you never thought your acceptance would garner such a reaction from him (much less anyone for that matter).

The dwarf practically talks your ear off while the 15 of you travel up the Misty Mountains, telling you everything he possibly can about his homeland, family, and feelings regarding the journey (as well as other things), and while all this incessant blathering would normally irk you, you actually find that you quite like it.

Bofur's excited speech does eventually die down when it starts to rain, though, for he and yourself both think it safer to concentrate on the hike as its level of danger grows.

It isn't long before night falls, and once it does the rain becomes a much more dangerous obstacle.

There is lower visibility and the rocks become horribly slippery, though neither of these things could ever hope to top the giant stone beasts that begin to battle right in front of you all.

The stone giants don't seem notice any of you, and if they do then they simply don't care, and you all barely escape with your lives. They throw huge boulders bigger than any building you've ever seen, and their hand-to-hand combat leaves you all shaking against the mountainside, fearful of falling to your deaths as you sway every which way.

To your, and everyone else's luck and great joy, a little cave in the mountainside appears before you all (after a horrible death scare with half of the company), and it becomes your resting spot for the night.

You, like usual, choose a spot closest to the cave entrance with rock that covers both your back and left side and fall asleep effortlessly. You plan on only resting for four or so hours, hopefully until the rain passes, and then you can resume watch so the others may regain their strength (they're heavier and bigger than you, so they need more rest and food).

Those 4 hours (and an extra half!) pass by without issue and your internal clock eventually wakes you up.

One of the first things you see when your eyes flutter open is the stone ceiling of the cave hovering above you, and the next is Bofur who sits in the little watch spot right across from your sleeping area.

You sit up as soon as your sleep addled mind clears and your blurry eyes gain focus and call softly, "Bofur, go ahead and take a rest. I can resume your watch."

The dwarf jumps slightly when your soft voice breaks through the silence and reaches out to him, but he doesn't move to get up. Instead, a small smile upturns the corners of his lips and he whispers back, "No, you do a watch of your own every night and refuse to wake anyone else up often enough. Please, go back to sleep."

He noticed that?

You can't even keep the surprise from your face, for your eyes widen almost imperceptibly and your lips part slightly. "I..." You've been shocked speechless, something that you thought impossible.

"We have all noticed, in case you're wondering. Now, go ahead and resume sleep. I've still got another 30 minutes of watch."

And, for some reason, you don't protest.

Sleep calls to you and tugs at your eyelids, making them heavy and causing your eyes to burn. What spell have they put you under to make you tired again under a simple command, you wonder?

You fall back asleep despite yourself, but it doesn't last long, for within 20 minutes after Bilbo tries to leave and the storm begins to quiet, the floor opens beneath you all and swallows everyone whole.

#the company x reader #thorin oakenshield #bofur #dwalin #bilbo #fili #kili #assassin reader #reader insert #the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit #bofur x reader #thorin oakenshield x reader #dwalin x reader #bilbo x reader #kili x reader #fili x reader

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kitchenscene · 3 years

Note

For the prompts mellow + under the stars

canis major mellow + under the stars ___________________

Out in the backyard, the breeze blows through, but still, he’s warm with his back pressed to Buck’s chest, slotted between his legs, Buck propped up on one elbow, his other arm wrapping around Eddie’s waist. It’s a weight he could never tire of carrying. Chris has long since gone off to bed, the night sky easing in, replacing the golden sunset. The two of them alone, tangled together in the grass under the watchful eye of the night.

Together, that’s how it always is. Him and Buck, together. It took months for Eddie to truly believe he could have this, to believe he could be held, be loved in a way he’d never been before. Months of restraint, too scared to ask for what Buck would happily offer. Hesitant to initiate, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Tonight he believes. It’s easy, the way he reaches towards Buck, the way Buck always reaches back.

The back porch lights are all shut off, leaving them under a dark sky and a distant moon. It’s a warm summer, the dragonflies dance above. Two circle around each other, swooping higher and higher. They settle in a tree, branches swaying as they land. Beyond them lies the stars, muted by the city lights, but fighting past the darkness regardless. The brightest of them shine, urging the rest to follow suit.

read on ao3

“That one looks like a cow,” Buck squints and points towards the sky, lifting his hand from around Eddie’s waist. He tilts his head to follow his hand, leading towards the Big Dipper.

Eddie laughs. “It’s Ursa Major.”

“Not a cow?”

“Bear,” he confirms, “Not a cow.”

Quietly, he huffs, “Eh, close enough.” Eddie feels every word as he speaks, rattling through his chest, softly spoken observations resonating in his head. The hum is like a lullaby, tired eyes becoming heavy under the black sky. “That one looks like a dog,” Buck points again.

“This isn’t cloud gazing,” he laughs softly, “you can’t just make up shapes.”

He bends down to catch Eddie’s eye. Eddie tilts up in return. “The ancient Greeks are allowed to make up shapes, but I’m not?”

“Yes,” he laughs, smiling up to Buck. He reaches up to grab Buck’s hand, pulling it back down to his chest, resting over his heart. One beat, two beats, skip, skip, skip. He traces over his knuckles, his bones and veins, mapping every movement, every patch of skin, where scars smooth over into calluses and scratches fade with time.

“Well, is it a dog?” he grins expectantly.

He shakes his head. “It’s a lion. Leo.”

Buck glances back up and huffs. “There’s no way that’s a lion.”

Eddie laughs at his disbelief. “A dog is believable but a lion isn’t?”

“It’s not like the Greek philosophers were hanging out with lions,” he turns back down to look at Eddie, “how would they know?”

He looks up to the sky, watching the stars glimmer. The sky’s too dark to see all the stars, making the constellations emptier than they should be. Missing dots, connecting lines barely visible, it’s nearly impossible to make out the shapes. Still, it’s entertaining to watch him try.

“Would it make you feel better if I told you there is a dog constellation,” Eddie offers, “you just can’t see it right now?”

Buck raises a brow at him, nose wrinkling. “Since when do you know so much about the constellations?”

It’s a more complicated answer than it should be. Part of it is because of Chris and his fondness for space. Most of it is his own childhood interest, peeking out the windows on sleepless nights, memorizing whichever stars appeared on the horizon. Library books and planetariums showed him the brightest points of the sky, connecting the dots, forming patterns.

“Chris had a pretty big space phase right before we left Texas,” he says, half a truth. He forgot most of the constellations over the years, Chris brought the lost knowledge back to him. “I spent about a week reading nothing but space books.”

“Did you guys ever go stargazing?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Eddie says, soft, reminiscing, “The stars were a lot brighter there. Los Angeles is too bright to really stargaze.”

In El Paso, they had the stars, more often than not peering through. Even through the clouds, he could see the stars. Los Angeles brings empty skies. It’s an easy trade; he’d take a lifetime of empty skies if it meant he could watch them with Buck.

“We should take a weekend some time. Leave the city, go somewhere with less light pollution,” Buck suggests. “We could go camping. I think Chris would love it.”

One beat, two beats, his heart swells at the offer, the ease with which it was made. The three of them, a unit. A family vacation. Buck would surely hunt down the best campsite, something scenic. Full of wildlife and swaying trees, easy hikes and cozy campfires. Something tells him Buck lacks the patience to roast a marshmallow, letting them burn and peeling away the charred sugar, only to let it burn again.

“Yeah?” he asks, barely audible. He squeezes Buck’s hand tighter, “you promise?” laced between their fingers.

“Yeah,” he whispers a soft confirmation. “The two of you can tell me all about the stars.”

The stars twinkle in response, inviting them in. He would rename each and every star for Buck if he could, giving him his very own constellation. Gone goes Hercules and Orion, the brightest stars would be given to him, glowing even on the lightest nights.

In the dark, perhaps, on their camping trip, they may finally see Venus. Or Saturn and Mercury, forming a line across the horizon. The red glow of Mars may make an appearance, a single speck in the night, or maybe just the flashing lights of passing planes. Chris will argue with him when Eddie insists that it’s a UFO, Buck happily playing along with the charade. “It’s flying, and you don’t know what it is, therefore it’s a UFO.”

Satellites and shooting stars, space stations and constellations. They could see them all, together, counting the spaces in between, piecing together the sky like a puzzle, slotting into place.

He counts Buck’s breaths, the rise and fall of his chest against Eddie’s head. Right here in the backyard, he could sleep easy against him. His arm, still supporting both their weights, surely uncomfortable. Buck makes no effort to move him, content to let it go numb.

“That one looks kinda like a scorpion,” Buck points. He drags Eddie’s hand along so he can see where he’s pointing. “And that’s the tail, right there,” he traces the outline. Another breeze passes through, brushing against their hands.

“That’s Draco, I think. But down there,” Eddie drags their hands downward, tracing the horizon, “that’s a scorpion.”

“You have to be lying to me,” he laughs, dropping their hands back to Eddie’s chest, “what part of that is a scorpion?”

“Then what is it?” Eddie asks, twisting their fingers. Buck lifts his hand once again to point, giving a new name to every shape in the sky. He traces new outlines, “that’s a tree,” and, “that’s definitely a dragon, are you kidding me? There’s a Pegasus constellation, but not a dragon?” Eddie lets him draw out his own star map, picking and choosing his own North star, his guiding light. Dogs and dragons, forests of new identities.

Head against Buck’s chest, Eddie lets him rewrite the stars.

all word + place prompt fills can be found here

#im not gonna post all of them to ao3 however. i like this one and it ended up longer than the others #911 fox #911 #911 fics #buddie #buddie fics #prompt fills #mine:911 #texas.fic #love letters to alex #if you send me more prompts just be aware. i have several already. so it'll take awhile to get to yours

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flameohotwife · 3 years

Note

Okay, #41 for the fluff prompt!! (I feel so powerful, hahaha!)

41. "Darling, I love you and all but please step out of the kitchen."

This turned... long! And sad-ish in parts, so I'm sorry! Maybe more hurt/comfort? But there is still fluff. I hope you enjoy!

Rated T. 2.2k words.

“Aang? Have you seen the dumpling pan?” Katara was crouched down, head and shoulders deep in the cupboard, looking for the right pan to crisp the dumplings she was planning on making for dinner. Her husband was flitting about, albeit slower than he once could, on the other side of the kitchen with what she assumed were fruit pie ingredients for dessert. The original Team Avatar were travelling to Air Temple Island from all over the world in a few hours to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the war ending, and their 50th anniversary together. They always tried to get together the week they’d met in Ba Sing Se at the Jasmine Dragon to remember what they’d lost, and to see how far they’d come. Though Aang and Katara hadn’t gotten married until several years after the war, they always counted that day on the balcony as their anniversary, as the only thing that had truly changed with their marriage was the world’s recognition of their relationship and its permanence. They were devoted and dedicated from the very beginning. Perhaps even before that.

“Oh, I’ve got it over here, Sweetie,” Aang called back to her. She jumped up, almost bashing her head on the top of the cupboard before wriggling properly out to stand and face him. Even in his old age he still maintained a certain twinkle in his eye when he was up to something, and Katara’s hands flew to her hips when she saw it.

“What are you doing with my dumpling pan?” she asked, warily.

“I thought I’d cook tonight,” Aang replied, though his hand rubbed the tattoo on the back of his neck tellingly. “I wanted to add some Air Nomad dishes to the menu. Sokka will be bringing some Water Tribe food already, Toph and Suki will have Earth Kingdom, and Zuko and Mai will bring Fire Nation… I just thought I’d add something of my own in.”

Katara’s throat caught for a moment, as it always did when she remembered. His loss always felt bigger on anniversaries, though his grief was an ever-present emotion. It rose and fell like the tides, but was always there, under the surface. Most people saw his smiling face and kind, loving spirit and forgot that there were only two airbenders in the world and why. That Aang had actually known and loved so many of the ones Sozin had murdered. He masked his pain well, but took that mask off around Katara from time to time, when he needed to.

“Sweetie,” she began, stepping forward to grasp his wrinkled hands. “Oh Aang, I was going to make Air Nomad food, too. I would never leave you out like that.” Her tone wasn’t defensive, only calm and reassuring, as she rubbed gentle circles on the blue arrows that adorned the backs of his hands with her thumbs. She wanted to remind him with her touch that his grief didn’t have to be his alone to bear. That she would remember his people with him. Just as she had taught their children old Air Nomad fairytales when they were small, and celebrated their holidays with him, and learned to cook their food. Katara was Water Tribe through and through, but her soul was bound to an Air Nomad. Moreover, she was bound to Aang, and she always felt his loss. Even when he hid it well.

Aang melted into her, then. A hug that was so deeply meaningful it was reminiscent of the one they’d shared on Iroh’s balcony, but with all the weight of his pain crushing down on them along with that promise of love and acceptance. It was as though through this hug she was able to share that weight with him, so she held him tighter. Half a century after learning about the deaths of his people, sometimes the wound still felt fresh, and Katara was always the healing balm to whatever ailed him, even when she knew she could never heal it completely.

Katara stroked his back lovingly with one arm as he clung to her. She waited for his breathing to even out, for his muscles to relax. Waited for a sign that she had taken enough of his grief that he could function again. Finally, he moved his head to kiss her sweetly. It was wet, and salty, but his movements were lighter again. She moved her hands to his face, wiping his tears as she pulled him closer, and he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms fully around her waist and pressing against her.

“Thank you,” he whispered. He knew his grief was never hers to bear, and yet she did so willingly and with so much love. He could never thank her enough for the way she cared for him when he hit his lowest points. He wasn’t sure he could have made it without her. Sometimes the weight on his shoulders was so heavy he felt like he would sink without her unending love and support buoying him up, keeping him afloat.

“You’re not alone, Sweetie. Never.” Katara continued to caress his face as she looked into his sparkling, sad eyes.”Do you want me to help? I can make the dumplings and the butter tea. I never quite mastered the tofu but I could try if you want…”

Aang silenced her with another kiss. “You’re wonderful,” he said, pressing his lips to hers again. “The best wife, partner, and friend in existence.” Yet another kiss. “I think I’ve got it from here. Why don’t you take a break before everyone gets here?”

Katara laughed, not quite knowing what to do with herself. She reluctantly removed her hands from her husband and settled on making herself some tea and sitting at the kitchen table to observe him. Even though he was aging, Katara still enjoyed watching him when she had a moment, whether it was bending practice, or working hard on something, or even something as simple as cooking. She still appreciated the lithe way his body moved, the smooth, airy motions he made, the way his tongue stuck out when he was concentrating…

She sat back in her chair, grinning over her teacup as she watched him chop vegetables and boil water and roll dough. Sometimes observing him do the most trivial things—like cooking dinner for friends, or braiding their daughter’s hair when she was small, or working in the garden—reminded her how lucky she was to have him in her life. He was the Avatar after all. He could have maids and cooks and servants and never lift a domestic finger in his life, but that was never in Aang’s nature. And he could have chosen anyone as his companion, but he had always and only ever chosen her. Over and over. It was somehow both humbling and assuring all at once.

After some time, she rose from her seat, walking behind him to wrap her arms around him, reveling in his warmth. She couldn’t see the smile on Aang’s face, but she knew it was there when he pressed one arm over her interlocking ones, squeezing lightly with his hand.

She leaned up to press a light kiss to the back of his neck.

“You’re awfully distracting, you know,” Aang chided. He turned in her arms to peck her on the nose. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to watch you cook. I forgot how much I enjoy it.” She gave him a very pointed look and he laughed heartily.

“Well, by all means, enjoy the show,” he said, wiggling his hips for her benefit as he extricated himself from her grip to keep working. Katara giggled. She was about to return to her seat when she noticed the clutter Aang was leaving in the kitchen as he worked, and decided to help him by tackling some of that so he could focus on the food.

When Katara cooked, she was very methodical. Every ingredient, pot, pan, and chopstick had its place, and was immediately returned to that place when she had finished with it. She knew if she didn’t keep up with the mess as she worked, it would pile up to the point that she would feel overwhelmed at the end, so she tidied continually. Aang, on the other hand, was much more impulsive in his cooking. He would think of an ingredient to add mid-stir, and leave the remnants on the counter, never quite sure if he might want to add more later. He would wait to clean up all the messes at once.

There was a time in their marriage where this had driven Katara crazy. The kids were still very young at the time, and the extra mess on top of the cacophony of kid-sounds and clutter and Momo swooping around the house would become too much, so she would constantly buzz around him, taking things and washing and putting them away before he was even finished with them. He would turn around for more of an ingredient and find it wrapped up in the icebox. More than once, he had had to take Katara by the shoulders, kiss her gently, and exclaim, “Darling, I love you and all, but please step out of the kitchen.”

Now, much like in other parts of their relationship, she had learned which parts of the mess to let be, and which ones she could handle that would actually help him. She sat up with him at night while he transcribed ancient Air Nomad texts and histories; her presence a comfort as he worked through it all and felt the loss more keenly. Tenzin joined him now, of course, when he was home, but Aang still felt more able to work through his grief when she stayed too. When they were younger, she had sewn Air Nomad clothes for Aang and for the acolytes, and eventually taught the acolytes to make them herself not because Aang couldn’t sew or teach them, but because it was one of the things that they both could do. Something that she could take off of his already over-heaped plate.

They balanced each other. He was her rock on full-moon nights or when she missed her parents or when her emotional storm was raging. He was her center of calm when she was worried about the kids or about the world. But today, Aang needed her. So she washed the used dishes for him to use again if needed, and cleared the wrappings for him, being sure to leave the ingredients on the counter. She made sure to give him gentle touches as they worked; a hand to the small of his back as she passed him, a bump of the hip as they worked side by side. Loving smiles and stolen kisses as the afternoon sun fell lower in the sky.

Eventually their friends would arrive and they would be able to laugh and joke and remember together. There would be group hugs and arm-punches and happy sounds and smells would fill their home as they reminisced. Through all of it, Aang would sneak looks across the table at Katara, with a special smile reserved for her. Fifty years! They’d made it fifty years together, in no small part because of everything they had learned through their struggles as they grew together. Because of the weights and grief they shared with one another instead of bearing them alone.

“I may be old, Twinkletoes, but I can still feel your heartbeat when you look at Sugarqueen like that,” Toph jabbed as Aang snuck another glance at his wife. “How can you two be together for fifty years and still act as disgusting as when we were teenagers? I’m not going to have to pull you out of a linen closet at the official event tomorrow, am I? Because we are all too old for that.”

Knowing that she still sent his heart a-flutter the way he did to her warmed Katara’s old bones from head to toe, and she sent a look of her own towards her husband. Aang’s face reddened.

“Oh, no,” groaned Sokka. “Oogies! I’m out.” He rose from the table, pulling Suki along with him. “Dinner was great guys, and I’d like to keep it in my stomach, thanks. So, we’ll see you all in the morning when the kids get here?”

“Sounds good,” replied Zuko as he and Mai rose to join them. “We should probably turn in anyway. It’s getting late.” Aang and Katara stood as well to accompany their guests to the door before everyone went their separate ways.

“Thanks for a wonderful evening as always, guys,” Suki added as she hugged them both goodbye. “Try not to wear yourselves out too much tonight, hmm? It’s not as easy to recover as it used to be and we have a busy day tomorrow.”

Katara feigned shock at her sister-in-law’s tease but Aang only blushed further as Sokka faked retching and promptly exited with their friends. Aang was always so open about his emotions and intentions when it came to Katara, whether or not he intended to be. She simply smirked back up at him and took him by the hand, waving to everyone one last time before pulling him back to their bedroom. And, maybe they were a little extra tired the next day, but it was worth it. Loving each other through the many ups and downs of a lifetime together would always be worth it. Even when Toph berated them for it outside a linen closet door.

#kataang #kataang fanfiction #kataangtag #fluff prompts #katara #aang #atla #sweeties #slightly hurt/comfort #sorry!#adcurtis #asks

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bottledemotion · 3 years

Text

Our Twisted Faith (Soulmate AU Headcanons w/ Scenarios)

- Reverse soulmate au where the words written to ur skin is ur last words to them.

- Pairing: Zhongli X g.n reader,

- 3.9k+ words; Rated T

- warning/s: angst, character death

- A.N: This was supposed to be a full on oneshot fic but I can't fully write most of my ideas rn so I decided to list all of those (hcs or not) instead and write certain scenarios I thought off. Ngl, I have a hard time writing them in character, most of all when they're still not much accustomed to their emotions/feelings, so forgive me if they might come out OOC to you.

- For as long as he can remember, soulmates exist before the Gods.

- Before the ashes rise and form their body. Before the letters mold to create their name and have been spoken in unfamiliar languages. Before their feet take a step forward to their world, the concept of soulmate is already there. Watching, guiding and toying everyone's faith like a marionette doll.

- Which is why they also have a soulmate waiting for them.

- You could say that this is the 'only' similarity between the humans and gods hold. But unlike humans, the Archon's soulmate existence is different from the humans. Some of the Archon's other half doesn't exist even after many eras have passed.

- And one of them is Morax.

- Morax sees this concept as another form of contract. A contract that unified both individuals that both parties will benefit happiness, be it through the present and beyond. Yes he's aware that there's no 'consent' nor knowledge to both parties about this. But they can talk more about this once they meet.

- And maybe, just maybe, the contract will be fully formed.

- For an Archon who is known for being an emotionless, merciless god who slaughtered countless innocents in order to fulfil the contract. He also craves the feeling of happiness, everyone does, no matter how many times you deny it.

- he won't admit that this is also one of the similarities that human and gods hold. For human are way cruel than Archons above, cruel in their own way.

- So he waited for them. He studied the concept and terminologies about soulmates. To learn more about the contract so he can come prepared when the time comes for them to meet.

- He found out that there are many ways to find your soulmate. Be it through a time limit or name written on their skin, eyes that can only see the color of their other half eyes and many more.

- He found out that soulmates don't have to be romantic, it can become platonic and enemies as well.

- At first, the possibility of his soulmate being his enemies for life might happen. He's so used to betrayal and the blood that stained his hands, be it in or out of contract. But whenever his amber eyes gaze at the words written on his right wrist, be it through his dragon or human form, he can't help but be at ease and that everything will be fine.

- But those thoughts shattered when he found something through his learning. Something deep and brutal that he can't help ask why life has to be this cruel than it already was.

- Reverse soulmate. Sweet but deadly, bittersweet if they may. Yes you have and met your soulmate, but your faith with them is not beautiful to watch it bloom. This is a very rare occurrence for someone to have.

- And one of them is had to be him

- Because there, on his skin, he found out that the words written will be the last thing his soulmate will say to him before dying. Written in (F/c) with warm yellow star dust that glows in the dark sprinkled on the words. The words it said directed to him when his lover slowly disappear on the world is

- "I love you."

- He can't help but ask if this is a divine punishment given to him for all of the things he had done.

- He faced many enemies. Many betrayals. Spilled blood that became the exact same colour of his scales, be it through his claws or hands. Known as the God of wars, God of contracts to many. Yet he can't face this future that might will ruin him.

- But a contract is a contract, no matter if it's fully formed or not, it is still a contract. And as a God of Contract.

- He must fulfill his part and duty.

- From dusk till dawn, he waited for his soulmates to step foot on the world. Even after many eras had passed. Even after a war broke out. A nation had fallen. Blood had spilled and stained even the glaze lilies he adored watching so much with someone. Many bodies, comrade or not, loved ones or not, had been fallen along the betrayal and salt on the ground and buried deep down on the grounds. He continued waiting.

- And during his wait, he met someone along the way.

- A traveler who stumbled themselves on his nation. A traveler whose heart is weak but eyes shine, full of energy. A traveler who's spending their remaining time traveling around the world instead of looking for a cure to their condition.

- And a traveler who the very first time, just sat next to his statue.

- At first, Morax grew curious. It's not everyday to see a mortal walking to his nation without looking or asking for something for him to gain despite the obvious need from it.

- maybe that's what get his full attention when his amber eyes first landed to the traveler

- So he watched them from the statue on where they accompanied him. Silently accompanying them on their last remaining days on the land. He watched the travelers' bright (e/c) eyes watch the clouds part ways on the sky until it slowly turn to a sea of stars at each seconds passed by.

- Each day has passed. Watching them from the distance that are so close yet so far away, he noticed little things about them.

- He noticed how quiet yet soft their voice is when they hum under their breath. How the light of the sun and moon compliments their (s/c) skin. How tempting to run his fingers to their (h/l) (h/c) hair that dances with the air every time the Mondstadt Archon, Barbatos, caresses it with the wind, silently accompanying them from time to time like what he's doing.

- It's quiet yet peaceful. It's a sudden change that's somehow refreshing and comfortable. He didn't expect to feel this light feeling again after everything that had happened in the past. It's perfect but at the same time scary. Change never last, it always continue to change no matter how many time it occurred.

- And he was right when one day the traveler finally spoke to him.

- And it is a question he never expected to hear from a mere mortal

--------------------------------

"Are you tired?"

'Tired from what?', is what he wanted to reply but immediately remembered that the traveler didn't know that he's there beside them, listening and accompanying them on every tick of the time.

"Bound by the contracts you agreed on. Chained to your duties, responsibilities and even guilt that you hold on your shoulder. Never taking a break from it and instead keep moving forward no matter how heavy those burdens you carry it all alone despite the people who worship and swore to protect you and the city are all around you."

He heard them take a deep breath and continued.

"You've already finished your duties to your land, did you ever think or ask yourself to call it a day and take a rest?"

Morax breath hitched at the words. And a memory immediately played on his mind.

He remembered he was strolling along the harbor when he heard a merchant tell one of his workers, "You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day."

He remembered he stood motionless among the sea of crowds as soon as he heard those. From there, he asked himself, "Have I already finished my duties?"

From there, no one answered his question

"Bearing it all alone...Aren't you tired and lonely from it?"

Even though the traveler never expected a response from him, he can't help but whisper his answer and hope-

"Yes."

-for the wind to let them hear his loneliness.

--------------------------------

"I guess I can say I relate to you. Being tired I mean."

Morax slowly opens his eyes and turns his way to you. It's one of the days where you suddenly talk again after days of being quiet and just be in peace which he didn't mind one bit.

He didn't know how it happened. The peacefulness in this place and between you is another sudden change that he didn't mind one bit. It became his sanctuary. Free from the titles he holds, free from duties, free from responsibilities.

Or maybe just being by your side is a sanctuary to him.

He slowly shakes his head and turns his attention back as soon as your timid voice reaches his ears.

"From my entire life, all I feel is pity and hesitance to be closer to me from others. I can't blame even them. Who would want to be friends to someone whose death is waiting on their doorstep?" You said with a humorless laugh

'I would.' he wanted to say but remain silent instead.

He saw you hug your propped up knees and draw them closer to your face, hiding your beautiful face from his eyes and to the world.

"I accepted my faith that I won't last from this world. I'm so tired of being treated like a fragile glass that will be broken at any second. All I want is to live my best from it and maybe have someone to share those experiences with me till my last dying breath."

He saw your grip tightened to both of your knees

"I wonder....what it feels like....to have someone treat you like a human than a fragile doll...."

He noticed your voice getting dimmer and dimmer at each word you spoke.

"Do you ever wonder what it feels like...to be not alone anymore?.."

No words came out from you after that. Only the wind and your silent cries comfort both of you after the one-sided talk.

He didn't know what to do. How to fully remove the pain and burdens on your shoulder and heart when he didn't know how to ease his in the first place? Despite many people's proclamation that a God can perform a miracle without limits, not all God can do those. Not everyone is known as a God of Miracle.

Not Barbatos, not him.

In the end, they're a God with limitations.

But the one thing he knows is that he can't help but want to feel it too. To have someone by his side again. So why not both of you experience it together?

If he can't destroy the burdens you both hold, both can help ease each other's burden instead.

This will be the first time he did something out of will and no contracts involved

--------------------------------

- So after that, he starts walking around in Liyue in his human form. The one he used a long time ago that was now carved into one of the Seven Statues but with little changes.

- Everything about his appearance remains, even the tattoos on his arms and the amber tips from his long dark brown hair that glows whenever he uses his Geo powers remains there. The only difference is the way he dresses. Instead of his typical white robe with a hood and long wide pants, he now wore a long dark brown coat with silver shoulder pads, tassels, and a diamond symbol on the back. He also wears gloves to hide his arms with a silver ring on his right thumb. He also wore a formal dark gray shirt underneath his coat, black pants and leather shoes and a tassel earring on his left ear.

- Meeting the traveler again with his human form was easy. He also didn't take that long for them to befriend them. The only problem to the befriending part, is the name he'll use to this era.

--------------------------------

He did not think this through.

He can feel his human hands from his side start to sweat under the gloves. His amber eyes refuse to stare back to your bright ones as soon as you ask him a question that he forgot to think through."

"What's your name?" Is what you asked from him.

A simple question that can be easily answered, but if you asked that question to a God, it's one of the hardest questions they ever heard. Stepping fort to his nation in a new era after years already passed, he must think of a name that'll be different to the one's he used to own in order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. Who knows, he might encounter people who are still aware of the old names he used.

For an immortal Archon who can mold themself to different forms, humans or not, make money itself from his own hands and submit mortal beings, thinking up names is not his forte.

He can feel your stare burning from his entire being, waiting to answer with a smile.

And he almost did not surpass the shiver that wants to crawl itself out from his body.

He slowly turns his eyes back to you and immediately regret it. Your bright (e/c) eyes greet his amber ones, eyes full of anticipation, and happiness to probably making a new friend.

He can't help but cleared his throat to have a reason to turn his eyes away to you

"It's...." He started and darted his eyes around them for something, anything to use of a name to this era.

"Try our new food from the Wangmin Restaurant!"

"Chop Suey!!'

"Try betting your luck on jades?"

"Why don't you try checking out the Chungli store stand near Wangshu Inn?"

His eyes lit up to one name, it's-

"Chungli." He said with a straight face

He watched you turn your head to a side "Chungli? Isn't that a store at Wangshu Inn?"

He mentally facepalmed. Of course you're aware about that because you're a traveler. But it's normal to name your child in your store right? He decided that he'll use that name, for now.

He opened his mouth. The confirmation is on the tip of his tongue but it got cut off when you immediately gasped loudly, making him step away from you with mouth still hanging a bit open and amber eyes widened and staring back at yours who's also wide but not from shock, but from....realization?

"You meant Zhongli right?!"

He immediately closed his mouth. Zhongli. Huh, the name is not bad, better than the one he was about to use.

Having decided, he nodded his head to you and raised his hand in front of you.

"Yes. I'm Zhongli." He confirmed, voice deep with a hidden feeling of pride that bloomed when he said the name you made for him.

He never took notice or thought about why he felt so proud of the name you gave to him. But as time went by, he finally knew why.

You smiled at him, a smile that's so contagious he can't help but smile back to you.

You grab his hand. Despite the gloves he wore, he can still feel the warmth along the roughness of your (s/c) hand caressing his.

"I'm [Name]. It's nice to meet you!" You said and shook his hand.

With a shake from your intertwined hands. Both of your faith has been sealed.

After that, he'll regret not telling you that meeting you with his human form was a nice change. He'll regret not telling you that finally talking to you after the years of silently being by your side is one of the happiest memories he treasured about you despite it's challenge. He'll regret not telling you that your eyes are so beautiful up close. He'll regret not telling you that hearing you say that name you basically created for him , is also not bad. He'll regret that he never admitted to you that he wouldn't mind hearing you saying that name to him everyday, as long as time let you stay breathing next to him. He'll feel all of this when you're laying on a bed, looking at him with your bright yet dull eyes, wheezing out your last breath next to him.

--------------------------------

- After he introduced himself in his human form but with different name, Morax- now know as Zhongli -accompanied you to your on Liyue.

- At first, it's awkward. You both walk around in Liyue, side by side but rarely talk to one another. Though you both began to warm up to one another when you both approached certain areas that you became curious off that brings certain memories of him that he can't help but say it.

- As soon as he noticed you taking great interest in the stories he spoke. He decided to continue telling stories about the area's you both go through, even the histories and what you need to know and become aware of. In short, he basically became your walking encyclopedia traveling buddy.

- As time continues to pass by, your relationship to one another grows closer. Every day is another day to spend time with you. Traveling with you, he starts to enjoy walking in his nation again.

- One of the favourite part of his day with you is sitting with you on Qingce Village while watching the meadow full of glaze lilies bloom as the sun goes down on the horizon. It's beautiful to watch glaze lilies bloom while the fireflies surrounds them. It became one of his fondest memory he'll never forget.

- He'll never forget how your (e/c) eyes became so at awe at the glaze lilies. He'll never forget how your (s/c) hand caresses one of its petals until it caresses his hand next to yours. He'll never forget how your hand fits so perfectly to his. He'll never forget the weight of your head from his shoulder, your breath and (h/c) caressing his neck and shoulder, and the kiss he placed on top of your head. He'll never forget those, even as the meadow full of glaze lilies are gone and rarely bloom and your presence missing next to his.

- If there's one thing that he has forgotten, it's the soulmark that's written to both of your wrists. Too busy on what's in front of you, too busy to indulge your presence until your borrowed time slowly comes to its end. Forgetting the words written in (f/c) became one of his biggest mistakes as he slowly wallows in regret as soon as he remembers it too late, right on the time where it's time for you to go.

------------------------------------

"I forgot to say thanks to you."

Zhongli heard what you said despite your voice being quiet, too quiet for his liking. He didn't turn to face your way, afraid that if he did, it'll be hard for him to turn away anymore, afraid that tears will come out of his eyes, afraid that it'll be hard for him to let go of your hand that slowly loosen its strength.

But he's listening. He's always listening to you, even if you're not talking anymore he still listens to you.

"For as long as I can remember, I accepted my faith that I won't last from this world. The people around me all look at me in pity. It's suffocating, it's tiring to see the same sad look plastered on their faces every time I came near them. All my life, I always wanted to have someone by my side to share my journey in this world but no one wants to. I'm used to it, I even thought that no one would really bother to turn their way to me."

Zhongli felt the bed shift, and (e/c) stare boring to his hidden face.

"But you did."

He heard you sniffle "You turn your attention to me. You walk your way to me. You talk to me. You gave me friendship that no one dared. You gave me experience, happiness on my journey and I'm so, so glad I met you and will be with you on my journey."

He heard you hiccup "but at the same time....Sad because you have to bear the grief and loneliness alone once I'm gone."

He tightened his hold to your hand.

"I'm sorry yet at the same time not, that I met you. Is it bad of me to feel happy that there's someone here who will miss me once I'm gone?"

You laughed. It came out force like your wheezing the breath left from you.

"All in my life, I felt so alone. So when you came in my life, it's like the Geo Archon listens to my prayers even though they don't have to."

Zhongli noticed your breath starts to get slower and slower. He noticed your hold to his hand getting weaker and weaker. He noticed your voice getting quiet and slow. He always noticed those yet he can't do anything to prevent those from anything. What only he can do is accompany you, to ease your burdens so you can leave peacefully from this world.

But he can't help but release a shaky breath. He can't help but hold your hand tighter to the point it's crushing your hand, yet you didn't voice out your pain. His hand that's holding yours starts to shake but neither of you point it out.

He knows you're leaving today. Time is ticking, and there's nothing he can do to stop it.

As soon as he felt your hold loosen completely, he knew the time was up.

But before you left, you said the words he never expected you to say.

"I love you."

You wheezed before closing your dull (e/c) eyes and hid it for the world to never see again.

You left him sitting next to you. Now looking his way to you with wide, foggy amber eyes. Not even Guizong, his first lover despite both having a different soulmate, didn't say those to him in her dying breath.

From his dilemma, everything clicks into place.

You were his soulmate. And he realized those too late.

And the only he can do is cry. For the person who's gone. For the words he never gets to say to you. For the things he never got to do and express to you.

For the love he never gets to reciprocate.

Now he knows as to why you don't have any soulmark like his when you told him you both have the same way to find your soulmate despite the lack of soulmark to your (s/c) wrist.

Because he can't die to begin with.

------------------------------------------

"The glaze lilies look so beautiful tonight. Don't you think?"

Zhongli whispers while his stare still focuses on the flower blooming next to his statue. The flower really looks so beautiful at night, reminding him of the meadow where he used to hang out with someone from his side.

He unconsciously rubs his thumb to his right wrist, where the words used to be in (F/c), now turn into a dull black ink.

"Zhongli!"

Zhongli placed his hand back to his side and slowly turned his attention to the people who called for him.

He watches them wave their hand to him. "Zhongli! The Lantern Rite will start soon! Let's go back!" Their companion, a mysterious fairy who called herself as 'Paimon' called.

He nodded his head in their way. With a one last longing stare at the glaze lily, he walked away to the place where he first met you.

If you ask him again what he regrets, is that never gets to say the words he always wanted to say to you. He never gets to say how being with you made his dull life full of new experiences and adventure that made his life more fun to bear with. He never gets to say how he relates to you when he first met you. He never gets to say how beautiful you up close.

He regretted saying "I love you" to you too late

-I ACCIDENTALLY UPLOADED THIS WITHOUT EDITING IT! So for the people who saw this early (the unedited version one) and expect Xiao in it, I'm so sorry!! .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·. I'll write his version soon! (since he came home on my main and second acc lol) After I'm done writing the part 2 of the Venti X Female Bard reader,,

- I used all of my remaining braincell and got tired writing this on the ending, so you'll notice the ending is a bit bland?? Again, I'm sorry for that. I hope you still enjoy reading this though! (╥﹏╥)

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x reader #genshin impact zhongli x reader #mywritings #zhongli x gender neutral reader

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talonwings · 3 years

Text

to feed a kingdom- Empires SMP Writing

in which fWhip and his subjects make questionable choices for noble reasons.

(can you tell yet that i am a c!fWhip apologist lololololol--)

It would have been easy to miss the small silhouette of the man against the giant shadows looming over the landscape.

The inky sky seemed to cling low over the Grimlands, as it had ever since the Dragon fell; the stars shone more dimly, those that still shone at all. Clouds scudded frantically across the faint crescent of the moon, pushed along by a harrying wind. The crickets all had fallen silent--indeed, all the animals had gone, hidden away in burrows and holes to shelter themselves from the threat of the corruption. No sound disturbed the stillness of the night, but for the harsh gasps of the lone figure as he raised the scythe and swung it again, and again, and again.

fWhip’s fingers had long since blistered, burst, and blistered again. He had stopped even glancing down to check his hands--the sight of the blood seeping through the fabric of his gloves had averted his gaze some time ago. The pain was a constant companion, enough so that he had become used to it, could ignore it if he gritted his teeth and focused on the rhythmic rise and fall of the tool in his grasp.

He was inelegant with the scythe. It would have been obvious to anyone observing, if there had been anyone around to observe at this ungodly hour; as it was, his lack of skill was evident enough in the ache it left behind in his forearms and shoulders, the torque that yanked at his spine every time he twisted to put his weight behind the swings. He had never been a large man, but he felt his smallness down to his bones here beneath the tower of corruption that still rose into the air above him.

Give up, the rot-red tendril seemed to hiss at him. Its veiny surface pulsated eerily, hinting at something living just beneath the fleshy exterior.

“I’ll die first,” fWhip rasped at it. “Watch me.”

He swung the scythe again. The blade was weathered steel, pocked and beaten from many years of use, but still dangerously sharp. It bit deep into the corrupted tendril, and fWhip was gratified when he swore he could hear a faint scream.

Plash was worried about the Count.

It wasn’t that her lord was acting strange, exactly. Strange, to Plash, was a relative term--she had been called ‘strange’ for most of her childhood due to her fondness for laboratory tools over the company of other children. It was a relief to finally be accepted into the service of the Grimlands’ ruler, who, by Plash’s measure, was a kindred spirit in strangeness. Many people raised their eyebrows at the Count’s eccentricities, but accepted them simply because he was the Count, and who were they to question the man who kept food on their tables and money in their coffers?

No, Plash was concerned because fWhip was acting strange, even for him. He was energetic and filled to the brim with ideas, as a rule--it was what made the Grimlands, under his rule, surge to the forefront of scientific research and discovery. Plash would have never described him as kind, necessarily, or even pleasant, but he was confident and sure and bold.

Until the Dragon fell, and everything changed.

She did not know how to make the dullness go out of his eyes, or the slant from his shoulders, or the heavy, bowing weight from his head, and it frightened her--an uncomfortable experience in itself, for someone as rarely frightened as Plash. In the hours immediately after the Dragon’s end, she had watched her beloved ruler become a person she did not recognize; and that, even before the corruption had arrived.

Plash scowled out the window of the manor at the scarlet tendril hanging ominously in the sky beyond the pane. The damn things had erupted from the ground barely a week after the Dragon’s death, while the Grimlands were still reeling from the arrival of what seemed like half of Mythland’s population. They had barely had enough time to count them all, much less figure out how they were going to feed them. Tents lined every road in Eastvale, and most of the roads immediately outside the town’s wall.

Normally, the Count would guide us, Plash thought glumly. But now…

She didn’t allow herself to finish the thought, close enough to treason as it was. Instead, she made herself continue her trek through the long, high-ceilinged halls toward the Count’s personal study, acutely feeling the weight of the smooth little scroll clutched in her hand, burning a hole through her glove.

She arrived at the tall, paneled oak door, staring for a long moment at the polished bronze knocker before summoning her strength and rapping it twice.

“Enter,” the weary voice called from within.

Plash did so, but stopped just inside the door, barely remembering to close it behind her as she gaped at her leader and mentor. He looked terrible. His eyes were ringed by bruise-purple circles, his cheeks hollow with exhaustion; more bruises were visible on the exposed skin of his wrists where his jacket sleeves rode up, and Plash swore she could see blood staining his gloves.

“Are you just going to stare?” the Count asked. The question was blunt, but his voice was weak and lacked its usual intensity.

“I…” Plash couldn’t find any words, so instead she held up the scroll. “This just arrived.”

“And they sent you instead of a raven?” fWhip gave a dry laugh. “I wasn’t aware that you were doing the job of birds now, Plash Ajax.”

Most people would have been embarrassed by the quip, but Plash shrugged. “A raven brought it, but the raven-mistress said it was too important not to be hand-delivered.”

“Mm.” fWhip eyed her for a moment before he, too, shrugged. “Bring it here.”

She obeyed, crossing the room and depositing the scroll on his desk. Up close he looked even worse than at first glance; his face and every centimeter of exposed flesh were riddled with tiny scratches, like he had been on the losing end of an encounter with a thorn bush. His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, his gingery hair utterly unkempt. Plash said nothing, only waiting in silence for him to inspect the scroll.

He took it in his hands and unrolled it, eyes scanning it for a second before he let it fall from his grip. It hit the desk with a clack, but Plash barely noticed, fixated as she was on the single tear that trailed down the Count’s cheek before being lost in the tangle of his beard.

“Um…” She chewed her lip for a moment, internally caught between wanting to comfort him and wanting to turn tail and run. She settled for asking, somewhat awkwardly, “Shall I, um...shall I leave?”

“Do what you like,” he replied in a tone thick with exhaustion. One gloved hand came up for a noncommittal wave, the fingers indeed stained scarlet with blood.

Plash stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, although it was probably no more than a minute, trying to decide what to do. Finally, she decided to be as blunt as the man she looked up to. “You look awful. Did someone break in here for a fight last night?”

She thought she had made an awful mistake when fWhip’s eyes locked onto her, his mouth agape; relief washed over her when he started to laugh, the sound hoarse and beaten, but familiar.

“So you can tell,” he said when he finally stopped laughing. “Well, I suppose I did nothing to try to clean up.”

“Wait, so there was a fight?” Plash asked in confusion.

“Of a kind,” the Count replied wryly.

“...I’m confused,” the young scientist admitted.

“Ah, I know how you hate that.” fWhip’s mouth quirked in a half-smile. “All of you young researchers do, though I try my best to beat it out of you.” He stood, shaking his head and then wincing visibly at the movement. “Ack. That’s unpleasant.”

“Can I, er, help in any way?” Plash asked.

“Follow me,” the Count said, beckoning with a gesture toward the door. “I will answer your question, though you must promise to share this with no one.”

Plash followed silently, thoughts spinning through her head as they descended the several floors of the manor and exited into the gardens beyond. From down here, she had a full view of the corruption towering over the skyline of Eastvale, tendrils encircling the town as if to latch on and pull it into the earth, although for now, they remained still. It was toward one of the massive growths that fWhip led her, and as they neared, Plash could see a curious wound in the side of the tentacle. It leaked and bled crimson ooze from the gash, and its flesh seemed to have withered around the site, blackened and decaying.

“What caused this?” Plash wondered aloud. “More corruption? Some new blight?”

“I did,” the Count answered.

“You--?” Plash stared at him, aghast, her eyes dropping slowly to the scarlet-stained scythe that lay abandoned on the ground below the tendril. She hadn’t noticed it until he nudged it with his boot, but now she saw the corrupted ichor dripping from the blade, the red vines hacked to pieces and lying dead beside the tool.

“Did you know I wanted to be a farmer once?”

She was caught entirely off-guard by the question, still enthralled as she was by the sight of the scythe, so it took her a moment to fully process it. “Wh--wait, a farmer? As in…?” She mimed what she thought scything wheat might look like.

fWhip nodded tiredly. “When I was very young, I once had to accompany my parents, the old Count and Countess, on a trip to a Wither Rose Alliance summit in Mythland. They were, of course, ensconced in meetings all day, so I wandered the kingdom with my…” Here he trailed off, a flash of some unreadable feeling crossing his face for a moment before he went on. “With an old friend. We got into plenty of mischief, and one of the pranks we decided on was to unlatch the gate to a field full of cows. Luckily, the farmer caught us before we were trampled to death by the beasts, and although we were royal, he decided to teach us a lesson, and made us help him sow carrot seeds for two hours.”

Plash made a face. “That sounds horrid.”

The Count chuckled softly. “My friend thought so, but for me, there was something very rewarding in digging up the earth, placing the seeds, covering them, and knowing that they would someday become food for the citizens of Mythland.”

“...Sort of like finishing a machine that you know will be used to make life easier for people,” Plash said after a moment’s reflection. She knew the feeling--hands oil-stained, face soot-smeared, hair wild, sleep-deprived and exhausted, but overwhelmed with warmth when she gazed at the thing she had created. There was nothing like it.

fWhip nodded. “Yes. And so I told my parents when I was returned to them later that I wanted to become a farmer and grow carrots for all the people of the Grimlands. They laughed, of course, and said that a Count’s son could do more than become a simple farmer, and as it turned out, they were right. But for a long time, I had a secret dream to fill the whole world with fields, to build one every day, as far as the eye could see.”

Plash gazed at him silently for a long time. Finally, she said, “So this is your chance to use the scythe to help the Grimlands?”

His face became hard, almost unrecognizably so. “If I have to tear down every one of these damn things, I will.”

There was silence between them again, the awful, still silence that had hung over the Grimlands in all the hours that had passed since the Ender Dragon’s demise. Plash watched as the Count breathed raggedly, his fists clenched and trembling, the entire weight of their kingdom resting on his shoulders.

“I’ll help,” she said.

He blinked--it was clearly not the response he had been expecting. “What?”

“I said, I’ll help,” Plash repeated. Her resolve was growing now, ideas taking root--like seeds, like kernels that, properly watered, would grow into something that could help them all. “I’m terrible with a scythe, but I know machines and chemicals. If you give me a sample, I can turn it into something that will help us feed the Mythlanders.”

The Count’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. “Feed--with the corruption?”

Plash scowled at him. “Did you recruit me from university because I had boring ideas?”

He looked astonished for a moment, but only for a moment, and then his mouth formed the devious smile that she hadn’t seen in nearly eight days.

“No,” he agreed. “I did not. Very well, Plash Ajax. You will turn Xornoth’s corruption into food for the people of Mythland. But you know, I have high expectations now that you’ve even suggested such a thing.”

Plash grinned right back, cracking her knuckles, her mind already working. “I know. So do I.”

#also featuring a sneaky reference to fwhip's hardcore series!!#see if you can spot it #empires smp #mcyt #writing #fwhip #the grimlands #empiresona #empires oc #plash ajax #xornoth #rcu #technically rcu!fwhip

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10blue10 · 2 years

Text

Keeping Secrets

Hiccup and Toothless were in the cove, kissing and pawing at each other, half dressed then not dressed at all. It was okay; they were alone. Or so they assumed. The full moon and a glittering tapestry of stars shone overhead.

Hiccup giggled as Toothless nuzzled his bare ribs, purring, the vibrations rattling through his sternum. *You’re too skinny, you know,* his mate told him.

He stuck his tongue out. “You take that back. I am a strong manly Viking and you are no match for me!” Toothless gently shoved him down against the soft, dew covered grass. Hiccup bravely fended the dragon off. “You think I’m gonna let you take me that quickly? Sorry, bud. You’ll have to earn this treat.”

*Too late. I’ve caught you,* Toothless retorted, ducking past Hiccup’s arms and licking at the mating bite on his shoulder. He closed his jaws on it firmly and Hiccup moaned - but his auricles twitched at the sound of a shocked gasp.

In almost perfect unison, the two of them looked towards the narrow ravine that led into the cove. Astrid stared back at them, still half crouched from ducking under the shield, her mouth agape. Hiccup suddenly became very aware that he was stark naked and moaning with Toothless looming over him.

For a brief second all three of them just froze, too shocked to move or speak. Toothless growled, annoyed by the interruption. Astrid flinched and turned to scramble back under the shield. Hiccup reached out towards her. “Wait!”

She paused, down on one knee. ��Astrid, wait. I…I can explain,” he said weakly. A breeze rose goosebumps on his skin, and he shivered. Toothless wrapped a wing around him, but he scrambled up to peer over it and make sure Astrid wasn’t running off to tell everyone she’d found him like this with his dragon.

Without a word, Astrid moved away from the ravine and walked over to a boulder. She sat with her back to them. Hiccup gave Toothless an apologetic shrug and gestured to his clothes, which his mate helpfully dragged closer. Once he’d recovered a bit of decency in his appearance, he said, “Astrid?”

The metal studs on her skirt scraped the rock as she turned around. “Well?”

He gulped, blushing. “Astrid, please. You can’t tell anyone about this. Promise.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” she glared. “You’re lucky I found you first, you know. Your dad wondered where you two had gotten, asked me to go look for you. Stormfly picked up your trail but when she went near the cove I figured the pair of you were stargazing or something, not…whatever this is.”

Hiccup had a moment of profound relief that his father wasn’t there. Trying to explain it all to Astrid would be hard enough. “If I tell you the truth, will you please promise to keep it a secret?” he begged her. “Especially from my dad.”

She glanced between them, Hiccup’s desperate face and Toothless’ warning stare, and nodded slowly. “I promise. So tell me what you were even doing.”

He squirmed. “We were…the thing is…Toothless and I are kind of…mates?”

Astrid raised an eyebrow. “When you say ‘mates’, why do I get the feeling you don’t mean ‘just friends’?” she asked. “Hiccup, please tell me you haven’t actually…” her words trailed off, seeing the answer in the blush on his face.

“Um. Yeah. Mates as in…we’ve mated. But it’s not as bad as you think!”

“Not as bad as…Hiccup, that’s bestiality,” she protested. “You can’t…mate with a dragon, that is so many different kinds of wrong. This has got to be a joke.”

Toothless snarled at her, as if she’d insulted him. “Easy, bud. Uh, he said our bond is not a joke orwrong, and that we love each other,” Hiccup informed her.

“Well you can tell him to…wait. What do you mean, he said? Toothless is a dragon, Hiccup. He can’t talk,” she insisted. That got another growl out of him.

Even his rider looked a bit defensive. “But he can talk. I can understand him; I’ve been able to for a while. When it first started I just sort of knew what he was trying to say, but now we talk all the time. Back during last autumn, when all the dragons were off courting one another…Toothless was courting me.”

His explanation was met with an incredulous, slightly disgusted stare. “He can…talk. What, like a human?” Astrid demanded, her tone disbelieving. It was a little tiresome for her to demand the truth and then not accept it when it was given to her. Hiccup and Toothless gave her matching deadpan stares. She swallowed hard. “Okay…but it doesn’t mean you should do that with him.”

Hiccup shrugged. “Maybe, but it made things a heck of a lot easier. He’s a person, Astrid. We’re both able to consent. He was so eager to have me as his mate, y’know; he loves me. I feel the same way,” he smiled, stroking Toothless’ nose. The dragon purred, eyes half closed, and sensually licked his wrist.

“Yeah, I know that,” she interrupted. “But I thought you loved him like - I dunno, a brother or something. Not…romantically. What about your crush on me?”

“I did,” he nodded, “have a crush on you. When we were kids. It killed the mood a bit when you, uh, held an axe to my neck.” She looked stricken. “Besides, when I thought about it, I realised I didn’t - that I wasn’t really in love with you. The real you, that is. I just thought you were pretty; which, I mean, you are.”

Astrid’s brow furrowed. “But you fell in love with Toothless instead? Why?”

He counted the reasons off on his fingers. “He was the first to accept me, he makes me a better person, he’s loyal, he adores me, he’d never hurt me. Pretty much the same reasons I’ve always loved him,” Hiccup shrugged. “The only thing that’s changed is how…intimate we are with each other,” he finished. “So, yeah. Now you know the truth. You aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

For a moment, Astrid wondered if it was her duty to tell Stoick, at least - for Hiccup’s own good. But she could see how anxious he was, and imagine what Toothless would do to her if she betrayed them. Besides, even though this was weird and kind of gross, she supposed they weren’t really doing any harm.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she replied, “I swear. In fact, I’ll help you keep the secret.”

“Really? How?”

Astrid bit her lip. “We could…pretend to date,” she said finally. “That way no one would ask questions. You’d just have to hold my hand or something and they’d assume we’re a couple. You don’t mind faking being into me, do you?”

“No!” he blurted out. “I mean yes. I mean no! I mean, I don’t mind. That’s a really good idea. Thanks, Astrid. You’re a great friend,” Hiccup smiled at her.

“I know.” She called for Stormfly, who flew down into the cove. “I’ll tell Stoick you two are camping out here tonight.” Astrid blushed. “Have fun, I guess.”

Hiccup wisely kept his mouth shut and merely nodded. Astrid mounted up. After they’d gone, Toothless calmly declared, *if she betrays us, I will eat her.*

“Hey, I thought I was the only person you want to eat,” Hiccup protested. He trailed his fingers along the soft underside of Toothless’ jaw. “Where were we?”

#toothcup tuesday

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it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream · 3 years

Text

Silva Lining (Saul Silva x Reader) Chapter 6 pt2

Here you have it peeps. Part 2 of chapter 6! I’m really enjoying writing this story and if anyone has watched the original Winx cartoon you’ll recognise some bits in this chapter. Also, wanted to let you know that if you've watched Fate: the winx saga, my fic is mostly based off that timeline, however, I won't be following it exactly if you’re wondering why certain events haven't happened already etc...

Warnings: Swearing/bullying?

Word count: 2.3k

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Oh god. You didn’t want to turn toward the voice, scared of what you were about to encounter. Saul visibly stiffened and not in the good way. If he was a cat the hair would be standing up on the back of his neck and he’d be poised to attack. His eyes looked at you quickly, it was a pleading look, one that you weren’t sure you like the look of.

“I thought It was your handsome face I saw from over there, fancy seeing you here.” The girl was still walking towards the booth and hadn’t seen you yet, you were on the side with your back facing her so were shielded still, until she got closer. You turned your head and instantly were hit with a wave of unexplained anxiety. It was like for a moment you had gone straight back to being that small, un wanted shell of a girl Saul had found months ago cowering on the forrest floor.

She was tall, slim, blonde and gorgeous, a lot of things you weren’t, you were total opposites. Where she wore a tight fitting figure hugging dress that showed off all her assets, and you meant ALL, you wore more of a muted outfit, sticking to your traditional fashion sense of white and black. Granted it was a date, you had made an effort to look nicer, no ripped skinny jeans this time, just normal black ones with platform Vans and a white sequinned top you’d borrowed from Stella, your leather biker jacket slung over the booth next to you. You noticed she was a lot older than you too, if you had to guess she was probably around 28, a lot closer to the age of your man sitting across from you. Her lips were a bold red, pearly white teeth shinning as she grinned at Saul.. until she noticed you sitting across from him.

“Oh you have company?” She said it more like a question rather than a statement, like she was surprised he was here with anyone. The woman crossed her arms rather matter of factly and didn’t hesitate in looking you up and down, subtly not her forte. The grin she was giving you made you a little nervous, gone was the one she wore for Silva, now this one was different, something crazy behind the woman’s eyes, almost predatory.

“And you are?” She looked straight at you, cocking her head, who the hell did she think she was. Saul was still quiet, you think shocked was the better word for it. Then he seemed to snap right out of it when he heard how you were being talked to.

“Glamour, this is my girlfriend Y/N.” Her whole face changed from a wicked smile to a look of disgust.

“You can’t be serious.” God if she was trying to make you feel any smaller she was surly succeeding. Now this, is what you called a Queen B, grade A Biatch! She would even give Stella a run for her money. “This, is what you left me for?” She shook her head in disgust and then even had the audacity to laugh. Sauls fists tightened, you slipped your foot back to his leg and moved it slightly, a reassuring touch.

“You know, I thought it was just a temporary thing, it’s only been two and a bit months after all, I thought it was just you getting stressed about going back to Alfea, but obviously you had ulterior motives.” What, wait, did she just say two and a bit months.. that means.. he was still dating this bitch when you had moved into Alfea and he was training you. In that moment you felt like an idiot. God, how could you have been so stupid, of course he would be going out with someone like her, she was perfect, everything a man could want, then there was you, a broken outcast who had no where to call home. What if you were just his charity case? The negatives thoughts came creeping in but you tried to push them down, you hadn’t felt this insecure in a long time. The booth seemed to crackle with energy, then you realised thin black clouds of fog hovering around you. Your powers were out of whack, it tended to happen when you were so emotional you couldn’t contain them. The woman looked a little rattled and Saul looked even more pissed.

“Glamour, that was in the past, we weren’t anything but a fling, you didn’t mean anything to me and I didn’t mean anything to you, whereas, Y/N, means everything to me. Now if you don’t mind, me and my girl are trying to enjoy our date. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Obviously she wasn’t used to being talked to the way Saul had because she let out an almighty screech of annoyance and stormed off, her heels clacking away on the tiled floor.

“When you get bored with your pet project and want a real woman you know where to find me.” Was her last comment before she made her dramatic exit. You let out the breath you’d been holding, unable to look Saul in the eyes, willing the tears of embarrassment to magically disappear from your face, that was one thing your magic wasn’t good for.

“Darling look at me.” You clenched your jaw as Saul hooked a finger under your face, lifting your chin, your glossy eyes meeting his. “She was nothing to me, nothing I promise you.. As soon as I knew I had feelings for you I cut all ties baby please believe me, you’re the only one I want, the only one.” You wiped the stray tear from your face hurriedly, Sauls face falling into a frown, he stood and slid into the same booth as you wrapping you in his big arms. You felt yourself calm. You felt safe again and you could tell he was telling the truth. Insecurities was a thing you’d struggled with forever, so you weren’t that surprised that they had creeped in, if there was one thing you did know, it’s that you trusted Saul with every fibre of your being.

He was right, the coffee in Magix was a billion times better than the coffee on earth. Heck, it didn’t even compare, you left the little place feeling buzzed and full of yummy goodness. Saul grabbed your hand, incasing it in his, the softness of you skin contrasting with his calloused fingers. It felt right.

“You ready to head home baby or do you want to check out a couple of shops first?” He had pulled you into his side, your head just meeting the top part of his chest, you snuggled into him, the warmth of his body radiating towards you. You should have been a little tired, it had been a fun filled morning, but the coffee was something you would need to adjust to, you were wide awake and felt like you could run a marathon.

“I saw a book shop on the way to the ice rink that I wanted to check out, and a clothes store that looked like it was kind of my thing, do you think we could stay a bit longer?” You craned your neck to look up at him, his grey eyes peering back at you, his mouth turned up into a charming smile.

“Sure sweetheart, do you remember how to get to the book store? While you’re there, there’s someone I need to talk to quickly about guard business..” He stroked his hand over your hair as you nodded your head, giving you a sweet peck on your forehead. “Just text me the name of the clothes shop you go to and i’ll meet you there okay? No wondering off..” He looked more serious at that part and you stood on your tiptoes to give him a reassuring kiss.

“Sure thing Sir.” With a wink you turned around, Saul slapping your ass playfully before you were out of reach which earned a giggle from you, gosh, that man.

It hadn’t taken long for you to retrace your steps to the wonderful looking bookshop you’d seen earlier that morning. The doors were heavy when you pushed them open and stepped into the most beautiful place you’d ever seen. You had always been a sucker for books, the nerd side of you squealed in delight. It was one of the things on earth that helped you escape reality, reading and imagining running away to different worlds, wether it was Wonderland, Forks or Hogwarts. What surprised you most about the shop was it was a lot bigger than you thought it would be, like stepping into a Tardis, reasonably sized on the outside, enormous on the inside.

You stepped forward tentatively, taking in your surroundings and the book smell that seemed to linger in the air. A woman with half moon shaped glassed that were perched on the end of her nose was sitting at the front desk, to you it seemed more like a library, maybe it was a bit of both. She looked up when she heard your footsteps, greeting you with a kind, grandmotherly like smile.

“Hello dear, can I help you with anything today?” That’s when you proceeded to tell her it was your first time in Magix and she talked you through everything. In the end you were lead to a space in the middle of the books, a round circle shape carved out in the middle of the stalls with an alter in the middle.

“This is the book alter, you ask the alter for the name of book you’re searching for, a subject or anything you can think of, and the shop will do the rest.” Of course it was magic too, you had to get used to the idea that everything would be now. A magic search browser, you could get used to that. The lady moved on, returning to her perch behind her desk.

“Okay okay, lets try…” You were thinking about what to ask for when the dream you’d had that day in the hospital came back to you.

“Find me anything on the ‘Dragon Soul.” the mystical voice had mentioned in in your hazy state and you naturally wanted to know more about where you’d maybe come from and what your powers were. A couple of books floated forward, one was a fictional book that was about mystical creatures, not what you were looking for, the other was labeled, “A brief history of the realms.” That one didn’t have a price, it had a coloured sticker, which meant you could take it out for a certain amount of time, just like a library, the different colours represent the time you can take it for. You sighed thinking that was all the place had to offer, millions of books and only one worth your time? Then you heard it. The creaking and slamming of iron. The gates opposite you held the restricted area, only accessible for teachers and higher people of power. A few books were battering themselves against the bars, trying to make their way towards you. Just before a shocked voice rounded the corner, a couple of the smaller books managed to squeeze through the bars and fly into your awaiting arms. Books had started flying all about you, something wrong with the altar. You ducked behind it for cover, almost knocked out by a fairy dictionary thicker than a brick.

“Stop!” You were relieved when the elderly librarian had arrived, making the books cease in mid air, the attack halted. “Sorry my dear, I don’t know what happened, the altar doesn’t normally behave like this.” She looked at you worriedly. Before she noticed you had the books under your top, you thanked her and made your way to the front doors, only checking out the book that had come to you first, while the other two remained hidden.

Saul had done exactly what he said he’d do, you had text him as soon as you’d cleared the book store, luckily the ones you wanted to keep hidden managed to fit inside the small shoulder bag you’d brought along. It didn’t take long for your man to come walking around the corner, a spring in his step and smile on his face when his eyes set upon you standing at the boutique.

“Did you find what you were looking for princess?” He pulled you into him, as if you’d been away for ages when it had only been 20 minutes.

“Yup, the books went crazy in there and almost took me out but I got what I went for, I think.” With that you both walked into the boutique, you weren’t planning on buying anything really, just wanted to have a look about, it had been months since you’d had a look around stores, it was nice to have a bit of normalcy. While Saul sat in the designated boyfriend seat, it didn’t take long for something to catch your eye. A black lacy dress that would be perfect for your birthday next week. You’d also snuck over to the lingerie section, looking for something more on the risqué side, it was as much a treat for you as it would be for Saul, but he wasn’t to know that yet. You’d managed to try on and pay for your items before he’d realised anything.

“That was quick what did you get?” He stood, stretching his arms above his head, his tight t-shirt rising slightly revealing the trail of hair from his belly button all the way down to…. your head shot up when you heard Saul clear his throat, he was smirking at you, one eyebrow raised. Cocky bastard. You playfully shoved him and rolled your eyes, making your way back into the street.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out Mr Silva.”

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CHAPTER 7 ----- CLICK HERE

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quazartranslates · 3 years

Text

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH60

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

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Chapter 60: Purgatory Reunion (XII)

It was getting late at night, so reason told Qi Leren that it was time to rest, but the warm night wind was rare in the Underground Ant City, and the person sitting beside him was the lover he had met after a long separation. Qi Leren felt no drowsiness at all, as if he could talk to Ning Zhou all night.

They did talk for a long time, and even Ning Zhou, who has always been taciturn, said many things about the past.

"Winter swimming in Neverland? That’s too cold!" Qi Leren was stunned by Ning Zhou's hobby, and his teeth chattered with cold when he listened.

"...Fortunately, it wasn’t as cold as when we were ashore." Ning Zhou said and added seriously, "Really."

Qi Leren was skeptical. Even though he had been baptized by Maria's power and had a strong resistance to low temperature, Leviathan had left a psychological shadow on him in their fight underground. Under that terrible temperature, it seemed that the human soul would be frozen and crack. Neverland was in the polar regions, and the temperature of the polar night was also terrible. Even the polar days weren’t much better.

Enjoying swimming in the winter in Neverland... It was really a hardcore hobby.

"It must be very cold once you come out. After going under? You must freeze as soon as the wind blows, right?" Qi Leren is getting colder and colder.

"If you wipe your body with ice and snow first, it will soon heat up," Ning Zhou said.

Qi Leren was really shaking now, rubbing his hands and saying, "I feel cold now!"

Ning Zhou immediately reached over and wrapped his rubbing hands: "Is it still cold?"

Qi Leren froze, and the body temperature of another person was warm against his hand, which made him really shiver. The two people were motionless together, holding hands together for a long time without separating.

Ning Zhou's eagle flew in from outside, and landed on the railing of the terrace. It walked from one end of the railing to the other with his head held high, and then turned and walked back in a different posture. However, no matter how coquettish and enchanting it was, these two people ignored it. It was so angry that it began to tell the time: "Two o'clock, two o'clock, staying up late to die suddenly, endangering health!"

It really spoiled the mood, and Qi Leren glared at it gloomily: "It's late, we should go back to sleep."

"Hmm."

Actually, both of them didn't want to sleep. But considering each other's health, they left the terrace tacitly, crossed the living room, and came to the two bedrooms that were side by side.

Two bedrooms separated by only one wall.

"Goodnight," Qi Leren said with difficulty.

"Well, good night," Ning Zhou also said.

I said good night and should go back to my room to sleep, but a feeling of reluctance overwhelmed him. Qi Leren looked at his toes and said, "Sweet dreams."

"...You too."

It was really time to go this time, but after a few hours, they could sit together for breakfast again. Compared with the long separation before, such short hours were just a blink of an eye.

But they were still loath to give them up.

"What do you... what do you want to eat tomorrow?" Qi Leren asked.

"Anything's fine," Ning Zhou said.

The evening breeze blew all the way from the open door of the terrace to them, and the first light from far away projected the gauze curtain on the clean marble floor. The soft mood was like a lingering love song playing continuously, while they were like people sitting aimlessly on the bus in the afternoon, listening to the little love song drowsily in the warm sunshine, half dreaming and half waking, only thinking about this song. Don't wake up from this dream. Don't wait for the bus to reach its station.

"Then... then I’ll go to sleep." At this moment, Qi Leren restrained many impulses, such as telling him he was afraid to have nightmares, admitting that he still wanted to talk, and kissing Ning Zhou's beautiful blue eyes.

He tried to treat this relationship in a mature way, and he also tried to make himself behave properly enough. Therefore, he held this treasure carefully, and only wanted to hold it firmly in his arms, but he was afraid that he would break it if he tried too hard.

"Well, then goodnight," Ning Zhou whispered.

Qi Leren had already rested his hand on the doorknob and pushed open the bedroom door. The imaginary gentle love song finally ended when the bus stopped, so he said softly, "Goodnight."

Ning Zhou also opened the door of the other bedroom. He said, "Goodnight."

This long farewell was finally over. Qi Leren, who closed the door, put his head on the door panel, cleared his mind, and pressed the weight of his body against the upper half of the door.

Qi Leren had the illusion that he had thought a lot, but felt that he hadn't thought anything. He wanted to recall the farewell with Ning Zhou just now, trying to find some inappropriate action, but as soon as he recalled it, he was knocked down by shy emotions.

It was probably that talking with Ning Zhou had relieved the mental stress he had been feeling. Now, Qi Leren really was a little sleepy. He dragged his tired feet and fell on the bed, slowly moving towards the side against the wall until he reached the innermost part of the bed.

He had seen the layout of Ning Zhou's bedroom before, and the bed was on the side against the wall. That is to say, at this time, they were only separated by one wall. If you spoke while in a dream, maybe the other person would hear it.

Thinking this, Qi Leren couldn't help laughing.

A brain washed by love always made the people who had fallen in love do some strange things, and Qi Leren was no exception. He slept in the bed on this side against the wall, reached out, and quietly drew a heart on the cold wall.

When he realized what he was doing, he flung up the quilt and covered his face.

What the hell was he doing? Qi Leren let out a cry in his heart, half ashamed and half collapsed, and spontaneously formed two debate teams with an abnormal split in his mind to start quarreling about the topic of love.

Qi Leren felt obliged to be more mature, especially when it came to falling in love. He was four years older than Ning Zhou! Ning Zhou, who was only twenty-one this year, should still be a boy in college in the real world, and he had already entered the workforce. In terms of experience in love, both of them were tragically equal at zero, but Qi Leren had lived in the 21st century with modern information and open communication. His theoretical level beat Ning Zhou, who was almost equal to the man living in the medieval Vatican. Moreover, when studying, Qi Leren had still had many experiences of being chased by girls.

Even Qi Leren himself felt very strange. When boys the same age as him had been affected by hormones and began to desperately want to fall in love, he had not been attracted to the lovely young girls, and of course, he was not attracted to the same sex. Although sometimes he had seen friends showing love, he had had a feeling of "love is really good", but he had never started a relationship with someone he didn’t like purely to seek this feeling.

Maybe, before he realized it, he had been waiting for someone who was destined to appear, but the world was too big, and there were too few people one could meet in his life. How lucky would he be to find the right one?

But he had met him. This romantic miracle had consumed his whole life's luck—so that there was something wrong with his beloved’s gender—but he still felt lucky.

He should cherish this luck and protect Ning Zhou.

Along the way, Ning Zhou had really suffered too much. I really hope to make him happy... Half-asleep, Qi Leren finally fell into a deep sleep with this thought.

He had a dream.

It was not an endless near-death experience, but a very relaxed and happy dream.

In his dream, he "flew" in the blue sky and rode on the back of a black dragon.

The black dragon carried him from the ground, blasted away the land and mountains that blocked them, passed through underground lakes and flowing red lava, and they broke free from the bondage of gravity and marched fearlessly toward the sky.

The world was bright, clear, peaceful, and beautiful.

The wind under the clear sky blew his hair, and Qi Leren pushed the unruly hair on his forehead to the top of his head, watching the vast world under the rising sun, breathing the air that had no bloody smell, and being as happy as a child.

Flying at such a high height, the world under his feet was like a large sandbox, and the river reflecting the light of the sunrise spread from one end of the earth to the other end, like a ribbon shining with silver and blue light. In the vast wilderness, the earth was like an emerald carpet, but when a gust of wind blew, the carpet turned into green waves, rushing forward one after another. The peak of the mountain near the horizon was covered with a thin layer of ice and snow, but the foot of the mountain was full of colourful wildflowers...

The dragon flew over this reborn land, casting a cloud-like shadow, and then the sun shone brightly.

They flew too fast. In the blink of an eye, they have already passed through deserts and plains, and were still flying farther to the east. They might even fly over the vast sea and the fog at the end of the world, or they might fly towards the place where the sun, the moon, and the stars were located.

Where on earth were they going? The Qi Leren in the dream didn't know. He only feels that they were like this world...

Becoming one.

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is-nini · 3 years

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Hehe~ me again!

I have another idea for writing sweetie!

So hear me out. Middle of the night, full, bright, moon. Albedo and his S/O cant sleep, so he wrap them both in blanket and he goes with reader to the rooftop to watch the stars togheter, as his partner slowly drifting to sleep in his arms

Love you! <3

Ho- WOWWWW OKAY imagine..

So you both can't sleep and you both need to sleep because it has been a tiring day. Both you and Albedo never really sleep outside before so! Albedo decided to find a new way to sleep and asked you to join him!!.

"have you fallen asleep yet dear?".

Albedo asked you softly half whispering just incase you have already fallen asleep. You turn your head and looked at him, your doe eyes still wide open, meaning that you are not asleep yet. Albedo smile and lean a little bit, towering your figure and kissing you lips.

"do you wanna try different techniques to fall asleep?".

He asked, you being the curious girl you are nod and was about to sit up when suddenly a hand went under your shoulder and ankle, taking the Blanket around you and pulled you up along with the Blanket.

"A-albebe?!".

You whisper shout in surprise, you want to hug Albedo's neck but the Blanket is preventing you to do so because it wrapped around you like a cocoon. So you stayed still, confused and concern. The way you completely stop moving is so stiff and felt like a stone, not saying that you are heavy but it is definitely funny. It reminded him of a little kitten where if you pinch the back of their neck they just stopped all togather and become a stone.

"Don't be so stiff baby, it's okay".

Albedo softly said, booping your nose with his as he giggles softly at your red face. Albedo walked through your shared home and walking towards the stair that leads to the open space upstairs, seeing the stairs you started to panik.

"u-uhm-! Albedo.. you can put me down now.. you'll fall if you keep having me in your arms like this".

You explained, whatever you say just went pass his head as he summoned his elevator.

Oh yeah.

Albedo can summon personal elevator. Hearing you stopped talking Albedo laugh out loud, Making you pout and hide your face towards his chest, hiding your face.

"hahahha you forgot about my skill dear?".

He teased you, you push your head deeper into his body as if asking him to shut up. You felt a breeze of wind hitting your hair gently, you looked away from Albedo's chest and saw the place.

The stars is sprinkled across the deep dark sky, the full moon is shining so prettily it seems that it just came out straight from the movie.

As you looked around the place you notice a bed...?? A huge portable bed along side the pillows in the middle of the clean green grass, two lamps were present on each side of the bed, giving a soft glow to the surrounding. Not only that, a basket that you assume to have some food in them is on the front of the bed, inviting you to opened it.

"Al-Albedo...? What is all this-? How can you have time to-".

"shhhh, baby it's okay, don't worry your pretty little head about it. Let's just enjoy the scene and fall asleep under the moon and stars okay?".

Albedo cuts you off your worried and surprised ranting as he walked towards the bed, gently placing you down. You sat up and look down, tears started to pool on the corner of your eyes, making Albedo shocked and worried. He quickly cups your cheek.

"w-what? Did i do something wrong? Why are you crying baby? I'm sorry i hurt you-".

Albedo get cuts off by your giggles, once you looked at his eyes he saw your face which has been illuminated by the light from the lamp and moon, a big smile that seems to be brighter than any light source is present on your face, the tears doesn't stopped flowing as you giggle away.

"s-sorry Albedo... T-this- this is so sweet of you, it touches my heart".

You explained, Albedo smiled softly and let out a sigh of relief, he would despise himself if he ever hurts you. The precious being that he loved, cared and swear to protect.

Albedo push you down gently to the bed and lay down beside you, hugging you and your layer of blanket. Albedo doesn't really felt the wind in the night time cold, he is used to this temperature afterall, being in dragon spine really trained his skin.

" join me in the Blanket Albebe..".

You trail off, Albedo shake his head and explain how he is kind of immune of the cold wind at this point, you just laugh and snuggle closer to him, hugging him back. For maybe about 30 minutes you both spend time talking about your day and the moon, Albedo pointing out some Constellationion in sky, some things that he learn from a certain astrologist on Mondstat until a yawn cuts him off, it seems like the yawn is affecting you too because not even a minute later you yawn alongside him.

"sleepy too baby?".

He asked, at this point your eyelids is threating to fall and shuts down completely. Albedo just laugh softly and shake his head, kissing your lips. Before he closes his eyes he is saying something that made you smile through your sleep.

"goodnight and sweet dream, i love you y/n".

He whisper, even if you had closed your eyes, you smile and whisper back to him.

"i love you too Albedo".

And that's how you both sleep soundly in his arms💞.

#albedo x you #genshin fanfic #genshin fanfiction #genshin x reader #albedo x reader #albedo x y/n #genshin albedo #genshin fluff

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