#the boars bride

[waddlesworth]

Commissioned an Edgar Cushing plushie for myself because he gives me the happiest of thoughts. And after The Monster And The Butterfly ends, I’ll definitely be crying. So…. unofficial FaeCrate Hangover Plushie for TMATB? :3

Edgar Cushing is owned by @theboarsbride

#the monster and the butterfly #edgar cushing #the boars bride #friends ocs #monster #beauty and the beast retelling

[theboarsbride]

Writeblr (Re)Intro!

Hey hi howdy everyone!! It’s getting to that time for my yearly rewrite of my Writeblr Intro, so here it is!

My name is Josephine, but feel free to call me Jojo (pronouns are she/her), your local penguin and bird monster enthusiast! 

I’m in my early twenties and am from the Midwestern United States, and am currently in college getting a degree in Writing and Applied Arts with an emphasis in editing and publishing, as well as a minor in History. I tend to be busy busy busy during semester, so in my free time I like to doodle and write silly little stories.

My art and writing updates I post a lot on my social media accounts, which are as follows:

Instagram: jojo.penguin.art

Twitter: JojoPenguin_Art

TikTok: jojo.penguin.writes

Discord: Jojo the Rad Penguin#3942

Tumblr: my DMs and ask box are always open!💛

I am ALWAYS down for chatting with and meeting other writers, and engaging with others’ content!! The primary genres I work with are:

- Horror (in varying genres, but primarily Gothic)

- Historical Fiction

- Paranormal

- Monster Romance (I’m aroace as hell so my romances are pretty ‘clean’--no erotica to be found here)

- Light Fantasy

If any of these genres interest you, feel free to keep on reading about my WIPs below the cut! Now about my general writing style...

Most of the stories I write are inspired by two things: fairytales and horror. A majority of my WIPs are either directly inspired or loosely based on some fairytale, folklore, or myth, and most are part of some genre of horror, whether it be Gothic, psychological, folk, survival, or supernatural. Also a lot of my writing influence comes from authors like Angela Carter, Sarah Waters, Caitlin Starling, Shirley Jackson, and Robin McKinley.

A list of my WIPs are below the cut! 💛

The Monster and the Butterfly || Novel || Gothic Romance + Historical/Paranormal/Gothic Horror + Fairytale Retelling (Beauty and the Beast + Eros and Psyche) || 2nd Draft + Major revisions + My Main WIP

Whitechapel, London 1894. 

Sophie Wickes and her family struggle to survive, melancholy eats away at her father more and more with each passing day, and her passion for cultivating flowers procures no income. She must swallow her pride and set aside her hatred for England’s aristocracy when she’s offered a chance of employment by the reclusive Lord Edgar Cushing to tend the gardens of his Rosenthorne Hall. However, the estate, its gardens, and their master is nothing what Sophie expected.

The house? Rotting, dilapidated, hideous.

The gardens? The husk of something alive, whimsical, and beautiful.

The master? Faceless, nothing more than a voice from the shadows.

Despite her fear and anger, Sophie becomes enthralled by the garden’s potential for mystic, untainted beauty, and she develops a close friendship with Lord Cushing, despite him being nothing but a mere whisper of darkness that pleads for her to never seek him out.

However, whatever enchantment the gardens and Lord Cushing’s voice bring her shatters as she begins to receive nightly visitations from a crooked-jawed phantom and butterflies who’s wings whisper of a bloody past and the truth behind the faceless lord's gentlemanly masquerade.

                                                         ~***~

The Vampire of Shadowed Castle || Short Story || Gothic/Survival/Vampire Horror + Folklore Retelling (Romanian Folklore) || 2nd Draft + major revisions coming soon

Local villages know to revere, and fear, Shadowed Castle.

Hunters know not to hunt the game in the surrounding forests, shepherds know not to let their livestock graze in nearby pastures, and wayside travelers know to avoid any paths that are within its wretched reach. Everyone knows to stay away from it, to avoid it as though the land itself is infested with the plague out of fear that whatever evil lurks within the darkness. 

Everyone except Sorina Dalca.

She believes the local legends surrounding the Shadowed Castle to be only myths meant to keep children in line, horror stories with no ounce of truth to them. But when she’s forced to enter the cursed castle upon a dare, she must struggle to decipher what is all myth and what is all real when she comes face-to-face with the fabled Vampire of Shadowed Castle.

                                                         ~***~

The Faeries and the Lark || Novel || Dark/Gothic High Fantasy + LGBTQ+ Romance + Adventure + Fairytale/Folklore Retelling (East of the Sun, West of the Moon + Sleeping Beauty + Scandinavian Folklore) || Development + First Draft +Incomplete + On-Hiatus

Loosely based on the fairytales Sleeping Beauty and East of the Sun, West of the Moon, as well as Scandinavian folklore, The Faeries and The Lark follows three faeries–spirits of nature–raising a human child they’ve named Lark, the princess of a sun-worshipping kingdom wiped out by a subterranean society of trolls. The faeries devote their lives to protecting Lark from the worlds of man by raising her to believe he’s one of the fae, and to keep her deep in the forest so that she can remain hidden from the trolls that restlessly hunt for the princess that escaped their massacre.

But everything the three faeries worked hard for is put to the test when Lark encounters a human named Sigrid, the toughened, sword-wielding chancellor’s daughter from a neighboring moon-worshipping kingdom that’s threatened to be swallowed by the fairies’ forest, and every aspect of her life as she’d known them threaten to crumble around her.

                                                         ~***~

The Boar’s Bride || Novel/Fanfiction || Drama + Psychological/Gothic Horror + Romance + Fairytale Retelling (Bluebeard) || First Draft + Incomplete + On-Hiatus

A retelling of Bluebeard’s Bride set in 1980′s America that shows the unorthodox “romance” between a young, naïve painter and enigmatic, charming millionaire Mason Verger, as well as the horror that follows once they are wed. 

(NOTE: This is currently being written as a Hannibal/Silence of the Lambs fanfiction featuring Mason Verger and my OC Edith Watts, but I hope to turn it into an original piece of fiction in the future.)

                                                       ~***~

Mrs. Maturin || Novella || Historical Fiction + Drama || Second Draft + Major Revisions + On-Hiatus

This is a short historical fiction novella that’s a semi-fictionalized story based on the very real encounter between Joseph Merrick, AKA The Elephant Man, and young widow Leila Maturin, the first woman to have supposedly smiled at him and shook his hand, inspiring him to change his life for the better. (AKA my “Hallmark Movie WIP”)

                                                       ~***~

Ruth || Novel || Folk/Environmental Horror + Drama + LGBTQ+ + Fairytale/Folklore Retelling (Little Red Riding Hood + Germanic pagan folklore) || Development + On-Hiatus

A folk horror retelling of Little Red Riding Hood where a woman and her partner join her ailing grandmother on a trip to her childhood home in the isolating backwoods of Germany, only to find themselves in the presence of a cult that worship a strange entity that lurk in the shadows. (Think Red Riding Hood meets the 1970s version of The Wicker Man)

                                                      ~***~

The Wolf of Pine Falls || Novella (???) || Contemporary + Romance + Folklore (werewolves) || Development + On-Hiatus

A paranormal slice-of-life short story featuring a middle-aged, high school librarian werewolf navigating personal insecurities, as well as a romance with his blind coworker. (AKA the WIP i created because I wanted a werewolf character that subverts werewolf tropes, and I wanted an OC based on John Malkovich)

                                                     ~***~

Temperance and Mr. Wyrm || Novella || Body Horror + (Monster) Romance + Fairytale Retelling (King Lindworm) || Development + On-Hiatus

A nurse with a pension for using herbal and natural remedies is hired as an in-home caretaker for a man afflicted with a strange, arcane, and serpentine, infection.

                                                      ~***~

And these are my WIPs!!!!! I hope one of some of them have caught your eye, and that you stick around to see where these all go!! 

Thanks so much for reading!!💛🐧

#writers on tumblr #Horror Writer #writing #looking for writers #writeblr #writeblr intro #writeblr introduction #writeblr wip #looking for writeblrs #WIP Intro #wip #writing community #the monster and the butterfly #The Vampire of Shadowed Castle #the faeries and the lark #the boars bride #mrs maturin #ruth #the wolf of pine falls #Temperance and Mr. Wyrm #gothic horror #horror #monster romance #writer support #writer #creative writing #jojo writes

[loveshotzz]

for your blurbs:

‘bent over a table while something bakes in the oven.’

with my favorite bartender. maybe it’s his birthday or somethin’ :)

Hi bf 🥰 I hope you enjoy your boyfriend being a birthday boy menace.

A/N: this blurb is with bartender!eddie from my whatta man au, but can be read as a stand alone. just know it’s your bartender boyfriends 32nd birthday.

wc: 1.9k

warnings: 18+ for smut,fem!reader, dirty talk, mild food play, spanking, cream pie for days

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to see the cake before the party babe?”

Eddie’s voice echoes down the hall from your bedroom, an annoyed sigh escaping from between your lips when you stop stirring the chocolate icing you’d just ask him to come try.

“That’s the bride before the wedding, and you weren’t supposed to be hereeee.” You call back in an irritated song when you remind him of his three a.m. decision to come and see you after his shift at The Foxy Lounge using the significance of today to get you to say yes. “But since you are, I want the birthday boy to tell me if this is sweet enough for him.”

You wipe your hands on your sleep shorts that you haven’t been able to change out of yet, turning around only to be crowded against the counter in a blur of black and ripped denim by mister thirty two himself. Your palms land flat against his chest as his full lips start peppering kisses all over your face and the giggles he gets only encourage him further. The hard formica pressing against your back becomes smooth against the bottom of your thighs when he lifts you up to sit on it instead. You squeal his name when he pushes himself between your legs with the kind of smile that gives you butterflies like the first night you met him.

“I really like it when you call me birthday boy.” Wiggling his eyebrows, you can still see the dimples that poke his cheeks under his scruff, while big ring-covered hands find a home on the curve of your ass pulling you closer to the edge. The silver chain attached to his wallet that dangles from his belt is cool against the skin of your calf from the A/C when you wrap your legs around him.

“I’m not surprised in the slightest,”You grin, unable to stop the way one of your hands fluff’s out his freshly washed curls. The softness from your deep conditioner is evident against your fingertips. “Now are you going to try this frosting or not before Steve takes you away.”

“I also really like when you’ve got a lil attitude like this,” Eddie teases, nudging the round end of his nose with yours as he leans to try and steal a kiss only for the plush softness of his full lips to hit your cheek instead and it actually makes him whine a little, “come on, it’s my birthday.”

“Try the frosting and maybe I’ll reconsider.” Crossing your arms over your chest, you catch the way he has to physically pull his eyes away from your now pushed up tits.

He sucks the skin of his teeth, looking at you with a narrowed stare before raising his eyebrows at you in a silent challenge. Nodding before shrugging a little too casually, he dips his index finger into the rich velvet, the boars head that dons it catching in the sunlight.

“Fine, I’ll try it. No problem baby, anything for you.” His tone is the only warning you get before the chocolate that matches his eyes is smeared sloppily across your lips.

Eddie doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of your open mouth when you gasp, doing what you asked of him while also still getting what he wants. His hand reaches up, cupping your cheek in his palm letting the pad of his thumb coax you open for him with a swipe of his tongue collecting the chocolate from your bottom lip before meeting yours in the middle with a low groan. It’s a battle for dominance before he sucks yours gently, getting your back to arch and fingers to bury themselves in his curls, melting into him just like the sugar.

He grins into the kiss when the heels of your feet start to dig into the curve of his butt, your irritation from before forgotten with a roll of your hips. He smacks his lips against yours once, twice, three times before he pulls away more than proud of himself when you look at him with a dazed smile and glazed over half hooded eyes.

“Mmm, I think I need another taste. What do you think?” His nose ring bumps against your heated cheek when he kisses you again, this one softer, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip while his finger makes its way back into the bowl of chocolate by your hip.

“I think it’s your birthday, you can do whatever you want.” The double meaning in your words doesn’t go unnoticed, black pupils taking over coffee ground eyes.

The sarcastic remark he has about your attitude just minutes ago is quickly forgotten when your hand wraps around his wrist bringing his frosting covered finger to your lips. He can feel the warmth between your thighs that lock him in place, cock twitching against the seam of his ripped jeans when you lick a long stripe up the side before bringing it entirely into the heat of your mouth. Hollowing out your cheeks as you suck, his eyes hit the back of his head with a muttered ‘fuck’ and a rock of his hips in search for the kind of friction only you can give.

You release him with a loud pop that bounces off the walls of your kitchen and you’ve never been more thankful for your roommate to be out of town. There’s a hunger in his stare that wasn’t there before when it meets yours and the fingers spread across your ass grab at the soft flesh pulling you closer. The evidence of your teasing makes you moan when it presses against your clit.

“Gonna let me bend you over then?” The gravel in his voice is unmistakable, leaning his forehead against yours as he looks at you from under thick lashes.

“Uh huh” you nod, letting your top lip connect with his bottom one in a dare, a deep exhale blowing through his nose when he smells the chocolate on your breath.

“That’s my sweet girl,” he grins, stepping back just enough for you to get off the counter, both of his hands finding your sides to help you down, “just like your icing.”

Your eyes don’t leave his as you make a show of letting your body slide down the length of him with a smile. Nipples hardening under your tank top as they rub down his chest. He curses under his breath, licking his lips when you turn around to press your ass firmly against the throb in his jeans. A teasing thrust from him has your palms find the counter top for support, while his hands wrap tight around your curves.

“Fuck, look at you.” He’s mesmerized by the dip of your back as you arche for him, the hem of your shorts stretching over the fat of your ass, riding up just below your cheeks. He wants it to be his birthday every day.

“Better hurry up before Steve starts callin’” You tease looking back over your shoulder with a wiggle of your hips.

“Hmmpf '' Eddie huffs with one more thrust, ringed fingers curling around the sides of your shorts, stepping back just enough to let them pool at your feet. “He can wait, this is more important.”

He grabs a handful of your ass, spreading you apart to reveal just how wet you already are and the sight of it makes him groan. He works on the button of his jeans, metal clinking when they fall to the floor.

Dripping for him, he slides the tip of his cock along the seam of your cunt with ease, catching against your clit making you keen. You push back for more and the heat of his palm connects to your cheek with a smack, the metal of his rings adding an extra sting that makes you gush.

“Don’t be rude baby, I’m the birthday boy.” He reminds you, watching how your ass jiggles the way he likes.

“Don’t get cocky - ohmygod” The air is taken out of your lungs when he lines himself up with your entrance and pushes in without warning, the stretch when he bottoms out with his chest to your back makes your eyes pinch shut with a whine.

“I think you like it,” His words come out right next to your ear in a breath of peppermint and chocolate that make goosebumps rise along the back of your neck.

He doesn’t wait for you to respond before he stands up straight, fingers digging into the dough of your hips when he pulls almost all the way out before filling you back up to the hilt. Circling his hips, his tip bullies the spot that makes your toes curl and the flutter of your walls encourages him to start his unrelenting pace. The first three strokes make your jaw go slack, fingers curling around the edge of your countertop, the ends of your nails scratching against the wood underneath.

“Always feel so good baby, Jesus - sucking me in like she can’t get enough.” The lewd sounds of your slick and the slap of his hips against your ass fill the quiet of your apartment, a low whine pulling from your throat when he adjusts hitting a different angle.

“Eddie - fuuuck.” You can’t find it in yourself to care how pathetic you sound, not when two calloused fingers start playing messily with your swollen bundle of nerves.

“Yeah sweet girl? That feels nice?” Hunching over you, his strokes get deeper the tip of his nose nudging the shell of your ear.

“S’good” you manage to get out, pushing your hips back meeting his.

His hold on your waist becomes bruising as he keeps making circle eights with the pads of his finger to your puffy clit, while the pattern of his thrusts start to get sloppy when he feels the way you tighten around him like you're close. The slow burn that started deep in your gut starts to become all consuming like this, one of your hands releasing its grip from the counter to cover on top of his between your legs. A low chuckle vibrating in your ear when he picks up the pace.

“Yeah, it’s like that?” You can hear the grin in his voice, and your smart mouth from before is gone. All you can do is nod, your arousal coating both of your fingers and leaving them to slide messy in a way that has your chest tighten, and your mouth fall open.

“Give me my present then baby, come on, give it to me then. Wanna feel you on me all day.” He grunts nipping at your earlobe, and it’s enough to get him exactly what he wants.

“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!” Your eyes squeeze shut when you scream his name, your orgasm washing over you in a burst of heat as he thrusts into you hard enough to push you on to the tips of your toes with every one.

“Shit - that’s it, that’s fuckin’ itttt.” The feeling of your walls constricting around him so much that they try to push him out only makes him bury himself deeper as he paints your insides white. Muscles tensing with his release before they go limp when he melts back into you, huffing out a laugh that fans against your neck.

“The icing is great sweetheart, I can’t wait for the cake.”

#my writing #requests #whatta man #eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson x fem!reader #bartender!eddie #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fic

[pigeonpeach]

Yandere Genshin

Prompt: youve caught their eye but… you’re already taken… that won’t be a problem…

Cw: yandere duh, mentions of murder and violence, manipulation, kidnapping, etc. fem reader

Characters: Jean, Diluc,Yelan, Neuvillete

Jean finds herself more and more infuriated with your commitment everyday. A simple hunter from Springvale is the one that catches your eye? How absurd! She knew she should’ve been more forward with her tatics. Oh this frustration and heartbreak has been tormenting her, impacting her work ethic as she tries to give you space. But its hard because you work for her. A cutesy little maid. You belong to her.. you’re everything she could want in a partner. So delicate, so plump, you’re the perfect bride. There’s no way she’s letting a man who can’t read s kid’s book without struggle surpass her!

So… she staged a little accident lets say.. she happened to cut the patrols in the area, making them closer to the city itself. That way there still was protection for the city… just not for the hunters. For awhile they’d been complaining sbout how the patrols spooked the boar. Even though those patrols were meant to cut down and discourage hilichurl camps. From a political perspective she just gave the hunters what they wanted. To up the anti more she had Kaeya tell him about a legendary boar deep into the wilderness. How the boars get bigger in hilichurl camps because they’ve started to fence them off and fatten them up, if he goes at night when they’re asleep, he could surely nail himself a big boar and pass it as a authentic catch…

The short of it was this. Your almost boyfriend snuck into one of the biggest hilichurl camps without the knights patroling nearby. And Kaeya knowing Jean’s work was negatively impacted by him.. may or may not have done something to alert the hilichurls to the the intruder. Quickly he was overwhelmed and beaten. With no knight in sight he was all alone. His struggle only made the hilichurls more violent. They threw him out, beaten to a pulp. When he saw Kaeya he was relieved thinking he was saved. But Kaeya had orders to finish the job of need be.

His death? A accident. Later hunters found him rotting near the camp, no foul play found. No one knew of his idea or who gave it to him, or who gave that person the idea. In your devastation you ended up right in her arms weeping.

“I am so sorry for your loss. I’ll make sure patrols return to normal and those camps are wiped out soon enough. I won’t let you experience such hardship ever again.” Crying to your boss felt so unprofessional but Jean was just so comforting to you. You had been putting on a brave face until now. You stood as she held you. “Lisa bought me this tea recently. It helps to steady my mind when I’m stressed, would you like me to give you some. I know it won’t remove your pain but it should help you somewhat. Unfortunately I can’t give you time off as two others are currently sick. But once they’re back I’ll give you some vacation okay?” She wiped your tears as you nodded.

“Th-that’s reasonable.. th-thank you.. oh god i must be such a burden. You’re already so stressed i didn’t mean to make it worse for you-“

“That’s not the case at all. I care about you. I want you to be safe and happy as every citizen in Mondstadt should be.” She kissed your forehead as she handed you the cup she prepared. “Here drink some tea. It was originally for me but I figure you need it more. I haven’t dranken from it.”

“Y-you’re sure that’s okay? I don’t mind waiting for another cup.” You asked. Oh how innocent you looked. Jean hated how she had to come to this, asking Lisa for a love spell to be put into the tea. But she couldn’t risk doing this to every suitor who got close to success. She needed to make sure you chose her otherwise she might go further next time.

“Its fine.” She said. You drank it with no further complaints.

Diluc was certain this was some sick prank. You, his beloved little maid, in love with nothing more than a simple merchant? Its not uncommon for the route from dawn winery to be used. But a certain merchant he purchased seeds from seemed to be getting far too close to you. Sure you two weren’t dating, he hadn’t even made the first step. But now he was absolutely was going to take drastic measures.

The first step: Distract you. You found yourself being assigned to chores more indoors an less outdoors. Diluc could sense how you would look out beyond hoping to see him again and he didn’t want that to continue. The second step was to lure said merchant back on a day you weren’t working. His arrival was horrible as the maids had all gone home leaving Diluc and Adelinde to recieve him, on a new moon, there was no moon to illuminate his path home so Diluc offered him to stay the night. He thought of this gratefully, originally the death Diluc planned was a simple killed in his sleep. But when he asked about you… oh it activated something in him. He even brought you a gift… how thoughtful… Diluc struggled to maintain his composure.

The merchant never did make it past the night. Despite his struggles. His body found beneath the bridge near Stone Gate. A investigation launched but ultimately blamed on bandits. With it his gift was smashed. You were devastated yes but your employer seemed to suddenly be more attentive than usual. He offered you meals and tea. Often requesting just to talk to you.

“Its getting late. I really should be going.” You set the tea cup back. “This was nice though. I wouldn’t mind doing this again but… oh.. is it raining?” You look out to see water coating the windows as what sounding like rain came from outside.

“Oh my it appears to be. At this hour you would be most vulnerable if you left now. You have no pets correct?”

“No.. oh dear…” you silently began to worry.

“You could always.. stay over. There is many a guest room and there’s spare pajamas for you. I’m certain it’ll be better than getting sick. Besides there’s bandits on the roads at these hours. You remember what happened to that merchant.” His voice luring you to s false sense of safety.

“Yes… I’ve been quite nervous going home now to be honest. Do you know if they ever found who did it?”

“Still nothing. Guards are posted more though. But it wpuld be easier. You do have a early shift here anyways in the morning so you wouldn’t need to go home right away. If that sounds alright.” He says, you jolted slightly as his hand gently grazed yours as you held your jacket. At that moment thunder clapped, startling you.

“I suppose that makes sene. I’ll take you up on that offer then..” you smiled shyly.

“I’ll lead you to your room then.”

He wasn’t going to let you leave.

(A/n: this is a alternative route to my other work Yelan vs Pantalone, dont consider this cannon to that piece but as its own spinoff)

Everyone has secrets. And Yelan’s is the fact that she stole a bride straight from Pantalone. It was mostly just to spite him, and also because she’s a sucker for a pretty face and couldn’t stand letting that happen. But oh they’re far more irresistible than she could’ve imagined. Now that they’re safely hidden in the jade chamber, working as a intern. She’s been visiting them when she comes to visit Ninguang, lucky her that Ninguang would allow her little damsel to stay in the jade chamber. But while her back was turned to her former life, she set her eyes on the people once known as parents to them. Her little Damsel cannot return to her former identity ever. And thus its better for her to believe that Pantalone went back on his word and killed them.

And that’s exactly what ended up happening. The Fatui’s search was halted and stopped because the Millieth wasn’t going to let the Fatui kill civilians just because they lost a bride. Even though they insisted they didn’t all signs pointed to that. She then forged documents to show to her beloved little damsel that this was the plan from the beginning, that Pantalone would have killed her parents upon acquiring her. Like the others so far, she used this opportunity to soothe them and bring them closer. At least this way they are alive and safe rather than in the hands of their families killer. Only… they are infact in the arms of their families killer. All seemed well until some stupid guard started poking around. He seemed more interested in courting them, believing they myst secretly be from s powerful family outside of Liyue and hiding. It was a rumor she purposely started to cover for their true identity. But now it backfired as this man saw a opportunity to climb up the social ladder. She isn’t quite sure what his exact plan was but her guess was he intended to make her fall for him and then marry him when she returned to her life, this guaranteeing a life of luxury. Unfortunately for him that won’t be the case. But Yelan can’t go killing her own. So she decided to simply use her influence to have him demoted to ground work instead. Convincing Ningguang that if allowed to stay he’ll uncover their scheme. The reason given to him was that apparently he was too loud or social than was acceptable in such environments. Afterwards he died to a hilichurl raid. Whoops.

“You.. you got my stuff?” You were surprised when she came to you with a crate.

“Yes, since legally you’re dead, your parents stuff was sold at auction at request of your family members. I grabbed what I remembered you valued myself.” She said with s smile as you beamed at the sight of your old things.

“It won’t raise suspicions will it?” Yu asked.

“I won’t let it. Don’t worry your pretty little head about the details.” She said patting you.

“I-i don’t know what I could do to repay you. You’ve done so much for me i-i truly have never had someone like you in my life.” You looked at her expecting a sort of humble brush off or something to actually be named.

“A date would be nice. Once everything cools down of course.” Her voice was like a purr, making you flustered.

“O-oh sure.. as long as it won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Perfect.” She said. You didn’t see it but she was considering drugging your tea that sat on the table behind her. A love potion, how typical but how effective. But seeing your blush she could tell you had infact fallen for her already. Which made the potion more of a backup if you ever lost feelings.

Neuvillete is anything but dishonest. But… seeing you cling to the arm of a guard, how happy you two looked.. it left him green with envy and red with wrath. To control himself he decided to simply change the guards routine to be out of your way. But you just went to meet them after work. His favorite little employee falling for the guard rather than him.. he felt deeply insulted.

Time for more drastic measures. He asks a favor from the clueless and happy Sedene (a simple melusine) to sneak into his house. To which she happens to find something. Just as planned he spends his time arranging scenarios to increase suspicion causing the other guards perform a check up right as he is planted with primordial sea water. He is quickly taken away to be questioned. Meanwhile you are distraught. You never thought him capable of such feats. But alas he was hardly the man you thought he was.

“I-I’m so sorry.. i truly didn’t know anything… i- Oh god ll this time..” you were hyperventilating as you were brought into questioning. “I-i.. oh god.. am i in danger? I could’ve ended up just like those missing girls..” Neuvillette’s hands reached out to your space as if to tell you to quiet down.

“I understand this situation is difficult. If necessary I’ll give you a moment to compose yourself. There isn’t any reason I have to suspect you but I still have to take precautions. You agreed to the random house search and no trace of seawater was found. I’m simply asking if he told you of anything suspicious or gave you any implications of his true nature.” He lowered his voice in a more gentle manner than he would in court. You sniffled as you wiped your tears.

“He.. he did keep inviting me to his place. I never went though. I didn’t think we were far along to do such things.. you know like… intimacy..” you nervously muttered. He still heard you, he was pleased to know you two didn’t get too serious.

“Were you two officially a couple?”

“No.. but we were close… i was going to ask him but then this all happened and… you know the story from there.”

“Hmm.. I see. It appears you infact were a target. Is there any reason you can think of?” He says. The sight of you so heartbroken and shaking is strangely attractive to him. So timid, so easily manipulated.

“No.. no not at all.. i don’t understand why?” You seemed more and more frightened. “S-should i not leave the house for a bit. This sounds very scary.. i don’t know if I can continue my routine as normal like this!” You whimpered as your hands seemed to get closer to your body. As if you retreating into she’ll to hide in.

“Fear not, I’ll have the secret patrol watch over. And each guard will undergo inspections from here onward. But i will be seeing you more. I want at least weekly updates to know of any strange activities or unexpected changes. Understand?” He said. You nodded. “With my life, I promise you, you will be safe. And I will let no harm come to you.. ever.”

#genshin imagines #genshin x y/n #genshin impact #diluc x you #jean gunnhildr x reader #diluc x y/n #wlw #yandere diluc #yandere jean x reader #yandere yelan #yandere neuvillette #neuvilette x reader #yelan x reader #yandere diluc x reader #yandere themes #mlw

[atarathegreat]

BAKUGO NOW

Did you say: fantasy AU Bakugo smutt?

Dragon Prince Bakugo.

Bakugo wasn't opposed to an arranged marriage, per se. His mother and father were done with their exploring, and his mother was done berserking. Bakugo himself still hunted, but his mother and father were done with what they called 'young people activities'.

Besides, a marriage meant a celebration, and a celebration meant that everyone got to go wild. Drinking, sparring, dancing! It would all be so much fun for him and the others. It was like Bakugo could already smell the ale and feel the punches that he would be earning. It excited him to no end. Whoever was going to be his wife, as lucky as she was, would have to manage with him being as rowdy as he pleased. Maybe he would get lucky, too, and she would be a barbarian like him, just as rowdy.

"Bakugo, are you really going to wear that nasty pelt?" His mother, Mistuski, stood in the arch to his chambers, soon to be shared with a stranger, "You wear that dirty thing to go hunting and fishing and you want to wear it for a wedding celebration?"

Bakugo turned and glared at his mother, all while taking heavy steps toward the pile of clothes and pelts in the corner, "You want me to wear these overly fancy rags? Do I look like someone who wears green? I'm likely to be mistaken for a boar or a nightwalker!" He was wrong, of course, as he usually was, but his mother understood his anger. Her son didn't like fancy items or flashy jewelry. But his hunting pelt? Surely he had better sense than that. "Don't you want to make a dazzling first impression on your future wife?" Mitsuki smiled, holding up a nicer, cleaner pelt.

"I don't rightfully care. Our marriage is political at best, and a mothers move to get me married at worst." Bakugo plopped onto his bed.

Mitsuki was shocked. Not that he was wrong, her son was intelligent, but that he had openly said it without knowing what was leaving his lips. Sure, political was the best way to call it, bringing barbarians and the clerics together in, at least, a shaky alliance. But it would also be a lie to say that her and her husband hadn't also planned it so that her son would have a wife sooner, maybe even kids if he felt like being the bare minimum for a husband. Mitsuki sighed and sat next to her son, her awfully thick-headed son, "Can you just do as I ask you? Just this once, let this go smoothly?" She hated to beg her son to be clean, but she knew that there was a soft spot somewhere in him.

"If I do, will you get off my back about it?"

"I might."

To relent and let his mother have her way would bite him in the ass later, but he got up and switched the pelt out, securing a lighter wolf pelt at his hips, "Happy now?"

"Okay! Be ready by midday and don't get covered in blood, this needs to be a good impression for the girl and her family." Mitsuki clapped as she left, feeling triumphant.

Come midday, her victory was null. The poor girl's family had sent her alone. From Ethel to Kazar, the young lady had traveled in the back of a wagon with nothing but a simple dress. No jewels, no colors, not even a smile. Mitsuki watched as the girl stepped from her wagon, simple flat shoes hidden under the long fabric of her skirts. She was supposed to be a noble, but she looked like a little peasant child who begs for money.

"I thought clerics wore robes and traveled together?" Her husband, Masaru, watched the girl with pity, "She looks sad."

Her soft flat shoes were dirty and torn, like the bottom of her dress, and the rest of her was...grey. Her and her aura were dull and grey and defeated. As if she had nothing left.

"So much for that alliance, huh?" Bakugo scoffed, returning inside the castle to avoid the silent creature that would be his bride. She wasn't interesting enough to keep him around for anything, and he wouldn't subject himself to the nap she would give him. His mother, on the other hand, refused to let this be the ending or a fail. Mitsuki smiled and took the girls hands in her own, "Hello, sweetheart. How was your trip?"

"Long, Your Highness." The girl even sounded like a field mouse, how adorable, "Long and silent."

If anyone had paid attention for a fraction of a second, they would have seen that the wagon rode off as soon as her foot touched the ground. Sad. But Mitsuki was happy that the girl was in Kazar now, at least she would grow to have some semblance of a family that would travel with her. Mitsuki nodded, "Call me Mitsuki. What is your name, hun?"

"Y/n." She responded well enough, albeit timidly. Masaru suspected that Y/n was raised in one of the many families that viewed the woman as caretakers and mothers. A devastating fate when women were as strong as the men if given the chance to build muscle. There was no doubt that Bakugo would be upset by this girl not being strong or loud. "Where is your family?" He was curious, who was this girl and why was she alone?

"They sent me alone. Said that the alliance meant little to them so long as I was out of their sight." Y/n spoke without confidence, but as if she believed every word she said, "They wanted to thank you for taking this burden off their hands."

That struck Masaru in a visceral way. Her own family saw her as a burden? How awful. She was anything but, and she was cute, clearly had nice genes for a cleric.

"I wish to apologize. I... I know little. I cannot read or write; I hardly understand my own ways. I'm useless and lack the ability to bring anyone joy." It was so awful to hear the things she said about herself. Y/n was pretty, Mitsuki could already see the beautiful grandchildren she would gain from this girl and her son. Good genes and good genes bred better genes, in her mind. "But I am willing to learn, if there is anyone with the patience to deal with my stupidity. I can clean, but I've never been praised for the work." She was so upfront about what she thought was things they would turn her away for.

And this behavior persisted into the celebrations. Y/n isolating herself in the corners, in the shadows, avoiding the others who wished to get to know her and welcome her to the clan and village. It was upsetting.

Bakugo found her after a hefty search (a search of ten minutes where he wasn't actually looking but happened to glance at her a few times before finally approaching). "What's wrong? Do you not realize how grateful you should be for this?" Bakugo came on strong, he was aware of that, but who hid during their own wedding celebrations? She seemed to be brushing it all aside and acting as if this was what she deserved. "Apologies. I'm not supposed to interact with anyone." Y/n was a mumbling mess, never speaking louder than she thought she needed to. It pissed Bakugo off to no end. "Whatever. If you don't want to be down here, then go to bed. You'll bring the mood down." He returned to the sparring corner of the big room, joining in with the fights.

Y/n, with a lot of difficulty, managed to find the bedchambers where she would be sleeping. It was Bakugo's room, of course, she knew that, but now she would also occupy the space. It was a messy space, a man's space. How was she supposed to feel at home in this strange place, with strange people, and an even stranger lifestyle? She was used to the women being small, quiet, never drawing attention to themselves. The women here in Kazar, they didn't seem to care about the consequences of having the attention. Aside from that, the women were muscley and brawn. They even knew how to read.

She crawled into the windowsill and looked up at the stars. For a brief moment she foolishly thought about whether her family was missing her. It was a dumb thought, one she wiped away quickly.

Meanwhile, Bakugo was sparring and drinking, thoughts of his new bond gone as he drowned his liver in ale and whatever foods had been made. His concerns were with winning the matches he was in. Zero thoughts of the girl up in his window. When he did finally stumble his way up to his chambers, Y/n was there immediately. Her gentle hands held cold cloths to his alcohol warmed cheeks. "What the hell are you doing to me, woman?" Bakugo grabbed her wrists to keep her hands on his face. The way she stared at him, wide eyes that reminded him of a frightened doe staring at a hunter as she waited for him to make a move.

"You're too damn quiet." Bakugo moved his face closer to hers, wanting to see what type of reaction he could pull out of her. Y/n seemed like a stoic girl and Bakugo wanted to see her lose her temper, to see her make any face except that doe eyed stare. So, he kept moving closer, until his lips touched hers and he'd never felt something so soft. He would blame the ale later.

Her body was rigid, yet loose, as Bakugo held her cheeks to keep her from moving away from him. Her tongue tasted of fruits, wild berries and water from a stream. It was addicting for the man, even if he was just some drunken barbarian at the moment.

Something about her softness was drawing him in. The way she moved how he wanted her to and the careful way she touched him, like he was as fragile as she was. It was different, in a good way.

"You have a choice in this." He mumbled, unable to make himself pull his lips away from hers, "Just because I am your husband does not mean you have to do everything I wish."

And she still didn't reject him or his advances. It was almost like she leaned into them, put more pressure in her gentle touches and soft caresses. The pelt around his hips hit the wall before the floor as he tossed it, not really giving a damn about where it went as long as it was off of him. "You're cute, I'll give you that." Bakugo mumbled as he walked her backwards towards the bed, bunching the skirts of her dress in his hands, "I wonder if the rest of you is as soft as your hands..."

"I'm not worth your physical affections." Y/n fell back easily onto the bed, never pushing Bakugo away. A loud laugh exploded in his chest at her words, "You're worth it if I find you worth it. You clearly aren't smart enough to gauge that."

Soft was an understatement. Plush and soft, Bakugo couldn't keep himself from squeezing every inch of her skin. "Soft as a hawk sprite chick. You ever felt one of them?" Bakugo nuzzled against her collar bone, "I'll catch one on my next hunting trip so you can."

This girl, this woman that Bakugo has been married to, what type of life had she led? Why was she so subservient to him? She didn't even fight him as he undressed her. He was a stranger to her, and she just... let him do as he pleased. Would she even make noise if he didn't ask her to?

Bakugo bit at her neck, smiling to himself at the involuntary gasp that he had pulled from her. He had caused a sound, though it was soft, to leave her without asking. "You're softer than the women here, you know that? It's nice, but I want you to talk more. Fuck, scream at anything if you want." Bakugo shuffled his pants down his legs and laughed at the way she avoided eye contact. It was apparent that she would be someone he'd have to have a small amount of control over, but that was the fun with some of these things. Bakugo leaned over her and grabbed her chin, "I want to see these pretty eyes on me."

Without a second of warning or even courtesy of being careful, Bakugo snatched her to the edge of the bed and snuggled his cock deep within her hold. She was soft, and it felt like she was trying to pull him deeper. "There you go, just keep squeezing." Bakugo pulled back a little to look at the connection he had forged, "Stretched fuckin' wide, you know that?"

She was cute when she whimpered, her unscathed hands gripping at Bakugo's rougher skin was nearly driving him absolutely crazy. This stranger, this quiet woman that Bakugo was so, so sure he would hate, had managed to make herself the center of Bakugo's, albeit drunken, world. There was nothing to stop him from leaving his teeth marks across her skin, and she looked a lot better with his markings. He had to think for a moment about how wonderful it would be to see her running to him after a hunting trip, how excited she would be to see him return was something he was hoping to see one day.

The pleasure was getting him too lost in his mind, making him think that maybe being married wasn't so bad, that maybe it wasn't just a political marriage. He didn't even see that he was hurting her, but she didn't sound like she was in pain. Blood started to stain the pelt blanket below her, causing a slight bit of concern. "Are you okay?" He didn't stop, she was too comfortable, but he also wouldn't make the mistake of thinking her body was as tough as a barbarian womans. "Stings a little, but it's okay~" Every word sounded like it was laced with euphoria. Maybe she had never felt such a thing, never had sex. Perhaps her body was as strong as a barbarian womans, she just hadn't ever used it.

"Hold on to me if you need to, I'll take care of you." Bakugo mumbled, putting more of his teeth marks across her neck.

#anime #manga #boku no hero academia #bnha #mha #my hero academia #mha fantasy au #bakugou katsuki #bakugo x reader

[yuurei20]

Ace Info Compilation part 19: Ace and Deuce (pt2)

Ace describes Deuce as “a boar who charges headfirst into everything. His internal breaks are busted. I feel like he sees me as a rival. I’d wipe the floor with him if he ever wanted to throw down, of course.”

Ace’s bullying is a theme throughout Book 5: Ace forces a piece of apple pie into Deuce's mouth (breaking Vil’s rules about snacks), and when Deuce gets lectured by Vil for trying to stand up for Epel Ace says, “You’re not exactly smart about this stuff.”

Deuce gets frustrated with Ace constantly insulting his intelligence and runs off, but Ace doesn’t seem to understand that he has done anything wrong.

Grim says that he should really start thinking about other people’s feelings before he speaks and Ace responds, “Why should a guy with his act together walk on eggshells around a guy slowing down the team? We’re doing the same rehearsals. Not my fault he can’t do the moves.”

This is followed by a scene of Deuce revealing how much Ace’s comments really do bother him, and he and Epel make a pact to win the VDC and prove themselves to both Ace and Vil.

Deuce follows up afterwards and Ace says, “You’d better not be expecting an apology.”

Deuce responds, “I’m not letting you outshine me” and Ace becomes confused, asking, “Did he just declare war on me? Is he nuts? That knucklehead wouldn’t outshine me in a million years.”

When Deuce learns his unique magic at the end of the story Ace mocks it, at first, as “just a way to get payback for when you get in fights,” but soon admits his shock at Deuce mastering the spell before him.

Ace and Deuce seem to be considered as something of a set by the other students, with Trey attempting to tempt Ace into a study session by offering to call in Deuce as well. Ace insists, “We’re not a married couple, you know!”

Ace does seem to know Deuce very well: during Wish Upon a Star he comments that “If I know Deuce—and I think I do by now—he’s gonna be so freaked out he’s frozen stiff,” and the scene cuts to Deuce looking terrified by his imminent performance.

When Deuce disappears during Spectral Soiree Ace says, “I’m not exactly worried about Deuce, but I guess it is too quiet without him.”

During Phantom Bride we see Ace manipulate Deuce into volunteering by telling him that Trey is waiting for him “to swoop in and save the day.”

Cater comments, “Oh, Deucey. You can’t even see how he’s playing you.”

Ace is extremely confident going into Beanfest, telling Deuce that “horsepower alone doesn’t cut it” and “you gotta have brainpower to make the right calls."

Deuce says he won’t let Ace capture him, if nothing else, but then the game begins with Ace and Sebek setting up an ambush that Deuce walks right into (after being tricked by Cater).

Deuce manages to outrun them to the point that he reaches Riddle, who takes out both Sebek and Ace.

Deuce reflects that Ace was correct about not being able to depend on horsepower alone but Riddle points out, “At least Ace got knocked out of the game a few minutes ago,” not specifying the fact that it was he who took him out.

Despite the bickering and competitiveness, however, when Deuce gets into trouble with three Heartslabyul upperclassmen Ace is quick to save him by pretending that Vargas is approaching, which sends the bullies running.

Deuce reacts with “Where’s Coach Vargas? Did he leave?”

Despite everything that Deuce puts up with, he still picks up a souvenir for Ace during the Glorious Masquerade event: "You can get caramels like these in the Queendom of Roses. But here in Fleur City, they've got a salted butter flavor. I should get some of these for Ace."

#twstace #twstfacts #acefacts #twisted wonderland #Ace Trappola

[fairy-writes]

I love your writing so much and I can’t wait to request more :) please could I request dialogue prompt 4 for Akaza from Demon Slayer 💙💙

YOU SET ME FREE

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

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Fandom(s): Demon Slayer

Pairing(s): Akaza x Reader

Prompt: “You set me free. Now I can do the same for you.” (From The Corpse Bride) (Dialogue Prompt #4)

Genre(s)/Tag(s): Female!Reader, Human!Reader

Notes: Literally one of my favorite movies omg

Also changing some canon events for this (spoilers for Akaza’s backstory)

TW for: 

Abuse (not by Akaza)

Brief descriptions of a panic attack

Injuries (again, not by Akaza)

3.8K OF AKAZA Y’ALL BETTER LIKE IT

This is for my 1K followers event! It’s going on between June 8th and June 22nd!

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Your wedding day was the worst day of your life. 

The day you signed away your freedom and succumbed to a life inside a cage. 

Your new husband was a monster in every sense of the word. Not in front of your parents or the public, of course. In their eyes, he was the perfect gentleman. 

Kind. (Cruel)

Loving. (Hateful)

Gentle. (Barbaric)

But at home, within the safety of the four walls you were supposed to call a refuge from the outside world, he was a demon. 

Not literally. But he might as well have been with the damage he causes to you and the house. 

“Can’t you do this any faster? I’m expecting guests.” Comes his harsh, grating voice, and you flinch, looking up at him from where you are scrubbing the floor. Your hands burned from the soap you used, and your knees ached from kneeling for so long. When he glares, you duck your head, hunching your shoulders in an attempt to appear smaller. 

“S—sorry. I’ll finish up right now.” You whisper and start scrubbing again.

Only to feel a foot dig itself into your abdomen and physically lift you a few centimeters off the floor as it dug into your ribs. You gasp and hunch over, retching at the feeling, and some bile is all that comes up. 

You hadn’t eaten yet that day.

He wouldn’t let you. 

Not until the housework was done. 

Never until the housework is done. 

“Get that cleaned up before the guests arrive.” Your husband sneers and, thankfully, leaves you alone to do just that. You manage to get everything spotless and finish your duties just as there is the sliding of the door and your husband’s cheerful voice welcoming in his guests. 

When you are finally called in, you come in to see three children. 

There’s a boy with a scar on his forehead and a box on his back. A yellow-haired boy with a matching haori. And a young man wearing a boar head as a mask. They all carry swords on their belts, and you recognize the uniform. 

Demon Slayers. 

Your husband has a fake smile plastered to his face, and he extends a hand as you come into the sitting area with drinks for your guests. 

“My lovely wife!” He says and introduces you by name. You bow politely, praying they can’t smell the scent of bile on your floral kimono, and offer them tea. The yellow-haired boy and the one with the box take some gratefully while the boar-masked boy takes his and immediately gulps it down. 

They talk for hours. 

The entire time, you stand slightly behind your husband, occasionally bringing in food or more tea for the boys. Every single time you offer more, the one with the box looks at you with such a warm expression that you almost cry. 

His hands are calloused and blistered from handling his sword. (Why does such a young boy have such rough hands?)

But he’s so kind. (Why is he so kind to you? You didn’t deserve this kindness.)

And he approaches you late at night, long after he should be in bed, long after everyone else is in bed. 

Except for you.

Because you still had dishes to wash and the sitting room to tidy up. 

The soft call of your name has you flinching, dropping the plate in hand, and it shatters against the floor. You whirl around, unconsciously clenching your fists to brace yourself. 

It’s only the boy, suspiciously missing his box.

You had since learned his name—Kamado Tanjiro. His companions, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke, are most likely still sleeping.

“Ah… Kamado… What can I do for you?” You ask softly, and his face is no longer the warm smile that it had been when in front of your husband. 

“Are you okay?” He inquires, ignoring your question, and you pause in picking up the shards of the plate. You could only hope your husband had drunk himself into a deep sleep and hadn’t heard your accident.

Or else there’d be hell to pay.

“I’m fine.” You lie, and suddenly, he puts his hand over your wrist, and you stop—his fingers bunch in the fabric of your violet kimono.

“You smell sad. Like you’re in pain.” He says simply, but you don’t say anything else. Because how could you? 

He wouldn’t believe you anyway. (No one ever would. Your husband made sure of that.)

So instead of pouring out your woes to this boy who was much too young, you shrug off his hand and continue to pick up the ceramic shards. 

“I can help you!” He tries, honesty pouring from his mouth. As you stand and dispose of the pieces, you stop by the front door.

“Thank you, Kamado… but I’m fine.” You whisper and leave him behind, sad eyes watching after you as you slide the sliding door shut. 

You see the demon in the shadows of your garden a week after Tanjiro and his friends leave. 

You had thrown the shards of the shattered dish in the outside bin in an attempt to hide it from your husband. 

So far, he was none the wiser. 

You pause in your late-night gardening. You needed space, and solace in your garden was where you found that peace you so desperately desired. 

With powder pink hair and deep navy stripes decorating his face, arms, and torso, he was handsome. But you paused as he stepped out into the moonlight.

UPPER MOON THREE

Upper Moon? Three? What did that mean?

He stops just at the edge of your garden, watching you with those glowing yellow eyes, and not a word is uttered from his lips.

“Did my husband send you? Are you here to kill me?” You ask, and why wouldn’t he be? You wouldn’t put it past your husband to go and make a deal with a demon to have you killed. 

Anything to get you out of the way. 

Anything so he could be with his mistress. 

Because, of course, he had one. He wasn’t exactly keen on hiding that information from you. 

The demon scoffed, turning his head away briefly in disgust. 

“As if I would make a deal with a mewling human.” He spat, and you recoiled at the ferocious tone in his voice. When you open your eyes again, you find him looking at you with a curious sort of expression. Your voice is wavering when you speak next,

“Then why are you here? To slaughter this village?” 

At that, he shakes his head.

“No. I’m here for you. You are the renowned herbalist, aren’t you? The gardener and herbalist?” He says, and you blink. Once upon a time, yes, you had been an herbalist. But then your parents married you off to the monster you called your spouse. 

“I’m not sure about renowned. But yes, I’m a gardener and an herbalist.” You say, and he makes a noise. 

“Do you know about the Blue Spider Lily?” He asks suddenly, and you frown. 

“Of course I do. Any herbalist or doctor worth their salt knows about the flower. What of it?” Suddenly the demon is in front of you.

“Where is it?” He demands, and you bite the inside of your cheek, hiding a flinch. 

He notices. (He’s the only one who does.)

Thankfully he doesn’t say anything. (Because, of course, he wouldn’t. Even if someone does, they never say anything.)

“It’s far away from here.” You say curtly, and his lips curl back to show his fangs. He leans into your personal space until your noses brush together. 

“Where. Is. It.” He says slowly, and you swallow. 

“I—In the mountains. I… I could show you?” You try, and he scoffs, backing away and turning around, his fists clenched tightly. His knuckles would have been white had he not had blue staining them.

“As I said before. I would never make a deal with a human.” He seethed, still not facing you. 

It was silent for a beat. Then two. 

Then…

“Fine. Show me.” He snaps, and you startle. 

He was going to bring you with him?

Would you be able to do it? Leave your husband?

The demon must’ve noticed your expression and narrowed his eyes. 

“You won’t do it?” He said, voice low and mildly threatening. You took a wary step back but shook your head. 

“Give me until tomorrow night. I will leave with you tomorrow night.” You say, and he stares, silent for a moment before he speaks again. 

“Meet me out here at nightfall.” Is all he says before he disappears. 

When you meet the demon again, your eye is swollen shut. Your body aches with forming bruises, and you’re pretty sure you’re missing a tooth.

But you can leave. 

You’re allowed to leave. 

Of course, you don’t tell your husband where you’re going. You just say there’s a family emergency. He can’t even be bothered to come. 

If the demon notices—which you’re pretty sure he does, based on the narrowing of his eyes—he doesn’t say a word. 

Instead, he turns on his heel and motions for you to follow him. You hoist your bag higher onto your shoulder and follow after him. Only for him to stop at the trailhead and gesture for you to take the lead. You pause before realizing he truly doesn’t know where the Blue Spider Lily is. 

So you tie back your kimono sleeves, adjust your sandals, and start walking. 

It doesn’t take long for you to abandon all propriety and hike your kimono hem up to climb over branches or stones that lay in your path. Thankfully, the demon doesn’t mention the indecency and instead follows you in silence. 

“What is your name?” You ask tentatively after an hour of hiking in silence. The demon grunts as he jumps over a bolder that had taken you a solid fifteen minutes to climb.

“It doesn’t matter.” He says curtly, and you huff in annoyance. He really wasn’t the talkative type, was he?

You introduce yourself nonetheless, politely, formally saying your name into the silence, just like your mother had taught you. 

The demon watches you with the same curious expression from the previous night. 

And then…

“It’s Akaza.” He says before leaping ahead, leaving you in the dust as you stare in astonishment before you scramble to keep up.

Things change eight days into your little trip. 

You’ve hiked over countless mountains at this point, Akaza having set a brutal pace during the night when he can actually move. During the day, you sleep deep in a cave you found (or that Akaza created), using your pack as a pillow. He always rests sitting up, arms crossed, and eyes closed as he meditates. He says nothing about your fading bruises or asks where they came from. Though you have a sneaking suspicion he knows. He seems clever like that. 

The two of you don’t speak much. Akaza doesn’t touch you or help you when you’re struggling over the rough terrain. He instead watches from the top of whatever hill you’re climbing with an unimpressed look in his eyes. 

Until everything changes.

“Can you go any faster?” Akaza calls down from a boulder that you had been steadily climbing. 

“Can’t you do this any faster? I’m expecting guests.”

At that, memories of delicate cheekbones crunching underneath a fist flash behind your eyes, and you slip. Your body goes crashing to the ground, and you curl into a ball on your side, fingers digging into your skull as you let out a pained cry. Your eye throbs, and the gap where your tooth had been aches. 

Your entire body hurts, and a rock digs uncomfortably into your side, but you can’t find it in yourself to move. 

There’s the sound of crunching gravel as Akaza jumps down to your side. You are briefly showered with dirt, but you don’t care. All you see is your husband’s towering body looming over you.

Unexpectedly gentle hands pry your hands away from your face, and you look up into the face of your husband. 

With a scream, you back up, scrambling back on your hands and knees as you try to get away.

Away, away, away.

Those same gentle hands grab your hands as you go to grip your head again, trying to protect your face. 

“Calm down.” Comes Akaza’s voice, and you gasp, the vision abruptly fading away. 

Akaza is crouched before you, an unreadable expression on his face. His hands cradle yours, keeping them from digging chunks out of your skull. Your breath comes in great heaving gasps, tears starting to streak your face. 

You can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Can’t—

His hands cup your face, and he looks you in the eye,

“Calm down.” His voice, strangely calming, washes over you like the tide. And slowly… ever so slowly… you manage to slow your breathing and get lungfuls of air into your chest. 

Akaza doesn’t move the entire time. 

Once you’re calm enough for his tastes, Akaza stands, scoops you up, and jumps. You, still panicking slightly, shriek as suddenly the ground disappears beneath you. You have your arms around his neck, burying your face in the crook of it, and squeeze your eyes shut. 

You don’t land quickly enough, and Akaza sets you down—much softer than you expected, you might add. You hunch over, taking a shaky breath before straightening up and looking at him. He just watches you,

“Thank you.” You whisper, and he smiles. 

“It’s not a problem. Let’s keep going.” He says gently, and you nod, hoisting your bag back onto your shoulders and taking the lead once again. 

Twenty minutes later, you finally ask the question that has been burning your mind.

“Where did you learn to do that? Calm me down, I mean.” You say and hear him hum in contemplation behind you.

“I don’t remember.” He says and leaves it at that. 

Another three days later, you approach him with a plant from your stash. 

He stares, uncomprehending at the leaves in your hands. 

“They’re for you.” You say, and he raises an eyebrow.

“I gathered. What are they for?” He asks, and you slowly push them into his hands. 

“They help with memory loss.” You say simply, and his eyes widen almost imperceptibly. His hands are hesitant, but as they brush yours, you can tell he’s… excited?

Is he ready to remember?

Are you ready to watch him remember?

Akaza never brought up his memories until one night when you are almost to your destination.

“I remember everything.” He says, dangling his feet over the cliffside as he stares up at the moon. The two of you had stopped for a break at your request and sat overlooking a ravine. When faced with something like this, Akaza would simply scoop you up and leap across. After the sixth time, you sort of grew used to it. 

You wouldn’t scream anymore, much to Akaza’s delight. 

You sit up straight, nearly dropping the onigiri in your hand in astonishment.

“You do?!” You gasp but pause at his expression. 

He looks tired and old and sad. 

And he talks. 

He tells you what he remembers.

He tells you of Koyuki. 

Of his engagement to her. 

Of his life as Hakuji.

How the feared king of demons turned him into one.

Everything. 

And it breaks your heart. 

So you hesitantly, ever so slowly, put your arms around him and pull him close. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” You whisper, pressing your mouth to the crown of his head. It isn’t quite a kiss… but it isn’t not a kiss. He stiffens in surprise but doesn’t pull away. Uncertainly, one of his hands comes up to touch your forearm. A silent acknowledgment and thanks for your words. 

All the while, he doesn’t say a word. 

You finally find the Blue Spider Lily after a month of traveling. 

During that time, your relationship with Akaza grew… complicated. 

He was incredibly gentle with you, treating you with reverence you didn’t know was capable of someone like him. He even held you once or twice when you woke up screaming. 

You could give him nothing in return. He already had supernatural powers. He had immense strength. He had everything a regular man could ever want. Everything your husband ever wanted. 

But things go terribly wrong the day before you find it. 

You are passing through a large village—through the red light district—when you spot him. 

Your husband with a woman on his arm, looking for all the world, like you never existed. 

Until your eyes met and rage darkened and contorted his features. 

Akaza, disguised with a cloak, puts a hand on your arm as your husband shoves his way through the crowd.

“We need to leave.” He says, but you are frozen. 

He was here. 

He was going to kill you. 

You were going to die. 

“You BITCH!” Your husband roars, and a hand cracks across your face, sending you tumbling to the ground. His hands are on your shoulders, bearing his weight down on your body. 

Something is glinting in his hand, something sharp, something painful. 

It cuts into your face, mutilating it, carving flesh out of it. 

You begin to scream, to thrash and writhe, but it’s futile. Your husband had always been larger than you. So you can do nothing but sit there in agony as he permanently scars your face.

And no one does anything. Whispers erupt, but no one moves to stop the mountain of a man. 

Until… Abruptly… His head is gone. 

Hands are at your shoulders, pulling you into strong arms, as screams cascade from mouths at the sight of a demon. 

Akaza.

One moment you’re in the red light district. The next, you’re deep in the mountains. 

You are still crying, able to feel the blood coating your face, and the muscle tissue snaps at the corners of your mouth. 

Akaza’s hands are feather soft on your face as he takes in your disfigured appearance. His brows are contorted with anger, his face darkened with fury, but he doesn’t shout. He doesn’t scream. He just gathers your bag, rifles through it for herbs and pastes for healing, and applies it to your wounds. He tells you it will scar but that you won’t need stitches. Not that he know’s how to stitch wounds, and you are in no shape to do it yourself. 

“We have to keep moving.” You croak as Akaza finishes applying what little gauze you have in your bag. His hands are still, and he has yet to say a word. His shoulders are still stiff with anger, but he can’t take it out on anyone. 

Because your husband is dead. 

Dead. Were you free?

Could you have freedom?

“You need to heal.” He says shortly, and you shake your head. The pain has died down some, thanks to the herbs numbing the wounds. 

“I don’t want to see you hurt on my account because you couldn’t find the Blue Spider Lily. Tonight is the last night of its blooming.” You say, and the two of you argue back and forth—with him wanting you to rest. And you want to make sure he accomplishes his goal. 

You win in the end, and Akaza looks away with a frustrated huff. 

But he doesn’t leave you behind. 

The Blue Spider Lily is stunning.

The moonlight illuminated the royal blue petals, and you are struck by its beauty.

It almost hurt you to pluck it from the ground. 

It blossoms over the grave of someone unknown. You can’t read the faded kanji engraved, not really, at least. You swear that it reads “Tsugikuni Uta.” 

Akaza approaches the flower, and just as his fingers wrap around the stem…

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” Comes a familiar voice, and you freeze.

Kamado Tanjiro?

Turning around shows you to be correct. The young man has his sword drawn, that box at his back, as he stares in a fury at the demon before him.

The demon in question looks unimpressed. A little angry even. But Akaza doesn’t move from his kneeling position at the grave. He moves to pluck the flower from the ground, and that’s when Tanjiro bolts forward, intending to cut off his head. 

Only for you to get in the way, quite literally shoving him by his shoulders and sending him crashing to the ground. 

He hits the ground in a roll and comes up on one knee to face you.

His face pales, his sword beginning to tremble. He calls your name and takes in your bandaged appearance, voice thick with disbelief.

“I can’t let you kill him.” You whisper softly, and his angry snarl twists into something sad. 

“He’s killed countless people.” He tries, and you shrug,

“He saved my life.” Your tone is muddled through the gauze in your mouth, but it’s vehement and strong, unlike any manner you have had since you married your now-deceased husband. 

Akaza stands, the flower in his grasp, as he approaches the young boy. Tanjiro tightens his grip on his sword, though the tip is trembling. You grasp the back of Akaza’s vest just as he raises his free hand, presumably to start a fight.

“You must leave.” You whisper to him, and he pauses in his movements, turning so he can see you out of the corner of your eye. 

“Let me kill the brat first.” He says and watches you shake your head.

“Allow me to deal with him.”

Tanjiro darts forward then, swinging his sword with deadly precision. 

You get in the way yet again, pushing Akaza out of the way and ducking under Tanjiro’s blow. 

Akaza gets to his feet and stares at you with an unreadable expression.

“Why?” He whispers, only loud enough for you to hear. You offer him a watery smile.

“You set me free. Now I can do the same for you.” You reply, and he only stares silently before disappearing from where he stands. 

#kny akaza x reader #akaza x you #akaza x y/n #akaza x reader #kny akaza #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer akaza #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba akaza #fairy writes #fairy 1000 followers

[an-idyllic-novelist]

Hey guys, hope you’ve all been well and welcome to this little announcement :)

I know it’s been a while since I have done any newsletters/writing updates on here and my other blog, @forbidden-sunlight but unfortunately I won’t be getting more free time to write until mid May or June. Until then, I have at least one idea brewing in my brain, and one concept I’d like your help on. What is it, you ask?

Well, it’s a character!reader, specifically Chise!reader from the anime The Ancient Magus’ Bride where she is transported to the ancient land of Britannia in a magical experiment gone awry. Britannia is the setting for another anime, Seven Deadly Sins. Here, Chise!reader is found by Meliodas and together they search for his missing comrades as the cook and bartender of The Boar’s Hat Tavern before Princess Elizabeth of Liones stumbles into their lives. It follows the first and second season of the anime, but I’ll need to rewatch it because it’s been a while 🥲

(For those who have watched The Ancient Magus’ Bride anime, Chise!reader has already went to the College and finished her schooling, but since she has Cartaphilus’ left eye to counter the dragon’s curse, she is an immortal.)

In your opinion guys, who do you think I should pair up Chise!reader with in this fun piece? King or Ban? I did a poll a while back on my other blog, and I have a feeling everyone voted for the latter because he’s a good looking son of a gun lol.

If you have any ideas/thought, please comment on this post and share your opinion on which pairing I should go for and why. Please no bullying or shipping wars on here, guys, this is only for fun and this blog is a safe space.

Can’t wait to see what guys come with! Until next time~!

#an idyllic novelist #writing ideas #fic ideas #chise!reader #seven deadly sins #seven deadly sins x reader #nanatsu no taizai #ban x reader #ban x you #king x reader #writing help #ancient magus bride

[ryin-silverfish]

Chapter 18: What a Swine!

-A few pages into the chapter, and I found the first hook to go on a giant tangent: according to Gao Cai, Gao Village is located in the Kingdom of Qoco. I have no idea why Yu translated it as such, since the original Chinese name——Wusi Zang(乌斯藏, a transliteration of dbus gtsang) sounds nothing like that, but in short, it's the Ming dynasty name for Tibet.

-However, a quick glance at this map would show you that the real Xuanzang didn't cross Tibet during his journey; rather, he went the long way around the Himalayas, travelling on the Central Asian Silk Road. In the Ming dynasty, if you wanna go to India, you could actually take the route through the Himalayas and Nepal, but it wasn't there in the Tang dynasty (because there were a couple of hostile kingdoms in the way; Tuyuhun, Tubo, etc.)

-Sidenote, I absolutely love how JTTW '86 adapted this chapter, with SWK getting his flirt on and the legendary "Pigsy Carrying His Bride" sequence that had made its way into many subsequence adaptations.

-JTTW Research had written pretty comprehensively about Pigsy's origins, from the Daoist deity Marshal Canopy to his ties with Marici, an import deity with a boar mount who's also associated with the Dipper Constellation. As such, I only had one tidbit to add about possible inspirations for his character in folklore that predated the above.

-The earliest tale about a lusty pig demon could be found in the Tang dynasty Xuan Guai Lu(玄怪录). Guo Yuanzhen, a historical general during the reign of Gaozong and Wu Zetian, came across a mansion in his youth during travel. The whole place was lavishly decorated, as if preparing for a wedding banquet, but eeriely empty save for one crying woman.

-Turned out, she was the unwitting soon-to-be bride of a god called "General Wu"(乌将军), who demanded a beauty as his wife every year from the locals, and because they would pay a hefty sum to "buy" said bride, her own father sold her out to be this year's sacrifice. Furious, Guo disguised himself as a guest, pretended to offer General Wu some venison, then cut off his hand with the meat knife.

-Wounded, the General fled, and his severed limb turned into a pig's hoof once the sun came out. Soon, the bride's family and village elders came to the manor, ready to collect her body for the funeral, and were so freaked out by what Guo did that they were ready to sacrifice him to General Wu too, since the "god" was known to summon storm and hails whenever he didn't get his bride.

-Guo scolded them for being so damn guillible because no real gods would demand human sacrifices or, y'know, have pig hooves as hands, before gathering the young men of the villages and following the trail of blood to the pig demon's abode, where they proceeded to smoke it out and kill it with an assortment of arrows and farming tools.

-The woman, after calling out her terrible parents, pledged herself to Guo and became one of his wives, and all was well.

-Honestly, Pigsy's evolution from his folklore origins to JTTW Zaju to JTTW novel seemed to be one in which he became increasingly sympathetic; from basically being a more lusty version of Guanyin's goldfish, to an opportunistic kidnapper who took advantage of a pair of star-crossed lovers' family feud, to an ex-deity turned reformed demon who kinda got screwed over by his in-laws.

-Final note: Pigsy bragged that even if they could get the "Monster-Routing Patriarch" to come down from the Nine Heaven and exorcise him, he could still claim to be an old buddy of the guy. Which…wasn't wrong, considering that "Monster-Routing Patriarch" was the title of Emperor Zhenwu, Lord of the North, who was worshipped alongside Marshal Canopy as one of the Four Saints of the North Pole.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

#journey to the west #jttw book club #xiyouji #jttw reading group

[writingwhimsey]

Hey could I request yukimura with an arranged marriage trope?

Thank you for the request! This one was fun to write. I decided to make this one fluffy. Hope you enjoy!

The Luckiest Dumbass In the World

“I can;t believe this day is finally here. My little Yuki is all grown up.” Shingen gushed, like a proud father as he and Sasuke were helping Yukimura get ready.

“I still don’t understand how this is the best way to secure the alliance…or WHY it has to be me?” Yukimura grumbled.

“Only you would complain about getting to marry a beautiful woman, Yuki.” Shingen countered. “Well, you and Kenshin.”

“I’m just thankful for the alliance and that my best friends are getting married.” Sasuke said.

Yukimura rolled his eyes. “I think you’re all forgetting that I have to marry a wild boar woman. Who I don’t really know.”

Shingen was giving Yukimura a flick to the forehead. “YUKI! How can you say such things?! The Oda princess is a beautiful woman and she’s going to be your wife. You should appreciate her and the opportunity to have such a woman at your side.”

“If you’re so fond of her, why don’t you marry her?!” Yukimura countered.

“Unfortunately that’s not the terms of the alliance, though I would if I could.” Shingen replied, almost pouting.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Kanetsugu was stepping inside. “Yoshimoto said he just finished helping the princess get ready and everyone is already gathered at the shrine waiting.”

Yukimura let out a sigh. “Let’s just get this over with.” He said.

“Hold on a second, I haven’t even given you the talk yet.” Shingen said, putting a hand on Yukimura’s shoulder. “After the wedding comes your wedding night and you should be prepared for how to please a woman…”

“I know what to do!” Yukimura snapped, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment. “Besides you already gave me this talk years ago after my coming of age ceremony.”

“Lord Shingen, I don’t think there’s time for you to impart all of your knowledge on Yukimura in that regard anyways.” Sasuke said. “You’ve already been trying for years at this point anyways.”

Shingen sighed. “Ah, yes of course.” He was then reaching over and straightening Yukimura’s clothes before giving him a pat on the back. “Just make sure you’re kind to your wife.” 

“Come on, let’s just go, already.” Yukimura said with a sigh.

The group left the room. Sasuke, Shingen, and Kanetsugu headed toward she shrine to join the rest of the audience while Yukimura headed to meet his bride, where they would be at the end of a processional that would go through town towards the shrine.

When Yukimura arrived at the meeting place, the princess was waiting, dressed in the beautiful white wedding kimono. Her makeup was done simply with rosy cheeks and lips. Sakura blossoms danced in the light breeze behind her, creating a picturesque view. Despite himself, Yukimura couldn’t help but to find her beautiful and his heart gave a little thump.

The princess gave him a hesitant smile. “So, it looks like we’re getting married.”

“Uh…yeah.” Yukimura replied awkwardly. “You…uh…I mean…we should uh go ahead and get this over with, everyone is waiting.”

At his words the princess’s face scrunched up into a frown. “Get this over with? I didn’t realize marrying me was such a chore.” She replied.

Yukimura internally scolded himself. The ceremony hadn’t even begun and he was already screwing this up. “I…I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Hmph, I know this is a political arrangement and all, but I thought maybe since we were friends…it might not be so bad. It appears I was wrong.” She replied. “Let’s just get going.” She was then heading to take her place in the processional.

Yukimura smacked himself in the forehead. “Ugh…why couldn’t I just tell her she looks pretty?” He muttered. This wasn’t the first time he’d met the Oda Princess…nor was it the first time he’d stuck his foot in his mouth around her. He wasn’t the best with communicating with women. He honestly found it difficult most of the time and annoying. Of course, it seemed he always got tongue tied around the princess. 

They’d met before when Yukimura was spying in Azuchi, posing as a merchant. Neither of them had known who the other was and they’d actually managed to have a few conversations here and there…usually ending with Yukimura saying something stupid as he had just now and her rushing off upset. What he had said before to Lord Shingen…basically implying that he didn’t want this…it wasn’t entirely true. He just didn’t want her to be his wife for political reasons. He wanted her to be his wife because she loved him and he loved her. But it just seemed Yukimura couldn’t get lucky enough to make things actually work out.

Yukimura sighed as he walked over to stand beside his bride. “Hey…”

The princess turned her gaze from him. “Just come on.” She said.

Before Yukimura could say anything, the processional began. They made their way through the town and to the shrine. Once they were inside the shrine, Yukimura could feel all the eyes of the guests on them. He saw looks of concern from the Oda warlords as they looked at their princess…she was still mad at Yukimura and they could tell. They were all then fixing glares at him. 

Yukimura did his best to ignore them, deciding to look at his own side…that was when he encountered a disapproving look from Lord Shingen. Okay…eyes forward. He thought to himself. Their side wants to kill me for upsetting the princess and my side wants to smack me for being a dummy.

Despite the princess’s obvious upset and Yukimura’s own nerves, the ceremony went off without a hitch and they were all soon gathering back at the castle for a banquet. Yukimura and his now wife, were seated next to each other, though she didn’t so much as look at him.

Man…I gotta try and fix this. Yukimura thought. He didn’t like that his wife wouldn’t look at him. When this marriage had been arranged, he had promised himself he would do his best to try and keep her happy. She had been his friend after all…and he did enjoy seeing her smile.

Thinking quickly, Yukimura was reaching for a plate of chesnut dumplings and offering them to his bride. “Here, you should have some, they’re really good.” He offered, clumsily.

The princess looked at the food, but wouldn’t look up at Yukimura. “I’m fine thanks.” She replied, pushing the plate away.

Yukimura tried and failed several more times to talk with the princess, but it appeared he had really upset her. He had to find a way to talk to her and explain his feelings. After a while, the princess was leaving with some maids to go and get ready for the wedding night. Once she was gone, Shingen, Sasuke, and the Oda warlords were coming over to talk to him.

Crap. Yukimura thought.

“Lad, what did you do to upset our lass?” Masamune asked.

“If you hurt her, I swear I will make you pay.” Hideyoshi said, glaring at him.

“There’s no need to harm him.” Shingen said. “Yuki here has just always had a hard time talking to women. Especially beautiful ones.”

“I do not have a hard time talking to women…I just…” Yukimura tried to defend himself.

“Always end up sticking your foot in your mouth where the princess is concerned.” Sasuke finished for him.

“Dammit…yes.” Yukimura admitted.

“She is a fireball and gets easily riled up over small things.” Nobunaga commented. 

“It may seem small to a man, but it is never small to a woman.” Shingen replied.

“I know…and I think I really screwed up this time.” Yukimura said, hanging his head.

“It can’t be that bad.” Mitsuhide said. “Lord Nobunaga is right that our little mouse tends to get worked up easily.”

“When…when we were waiting for the procession to begin…I kinda sorta…maybe said…let’s get this over with.” Yukimura admitted, not looking up at the others.

There was a collective gasp from the others and even the sound of chopsticks dropping…maybe even a few jaws hitting the floor. “How could you…” Hideyoshi spoke up. “We should just take her back home…”

“No way you…you can’t be serious.” Sasuke said, looking at his best friend in disbelief.

“Yuki…I am shocked and ashamed.” Shingen said. 

“Even I wouldn’t say such a thing to her.” Nobunaga commented.

“Yeah, I know. I messed up.” Yukimura said, putting his head in his hands.

“You know, I am surprised with as smooth of a talker as you are Shingen, that your vassal could be this dense.” Masamune commented.

Shingen was shaking his head. “I tried so hard to teach him better, but that skull is just too thick.”

“Okay, come on, enough of the teasing. Can you guys help me? I don’t want her to be mad at me for the rest of our lives.” Yukimura said.

“Just get on your hands and knees before her and beg her forgiveness.” Hideyoshi said, a hard look on his face.

“You should apologize with a gift.” Shingen said. “Then grovel at her feet.”

The men threw out more suggestions, some rather…inventive and others…there was just no way in hell Yukimura was gonna try those. After giving it some thought, Yukimura had come up with a plan. He picked up a plate of sweets and some flowers before going to the room he and his bride would be spending their first night together in.

Yukimura took a deep breath and slid the door open. He found the princess sitting down on a cushion in the room, a tray of tea beside her.  She was wearing a light pink night robe and her hair was taken down, flowing down her back. “Are you still mad at me?” He asked.

“Yes.” She answered, keeping her back to him and crossing her arms over her chest. “And you better not be expecting anything to happen tonight. We won’t just be getting the wedding night over with.”

Yukimura repressed a sigh. “I wasn’t expecting anything even before I made you mad.”

“Oh? Because I’m not good enough for you?”

Dammit. Smooth move, dummy. He thought to himself. Yukimura was then coming over to sit beside her, setting the flowers and sweets in front of her. “No. I wasn’t expecting anything because I’d never force anything on you.”

The princess looked at the sweets and the flowers. “Well…that makes sense.”

“Look…I’m sorry for what I said earlier.” He said, deciding to just open up to her. “I…it didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean it.”

“Then what did you mean?” She asked, finally looking at him. “When…when the alliance was determined and…and it was decided that we would get married to secure it…I…I…” She couldn’t seem to get her words out and tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.

Yukimura reached a hand up to caress her cheek. He hated seeing her cry and even more knowing that he was the cause of her tears. It was time he was honest with her. “I don’t think marrying you was a chore. And…in fact I think I am one lucky dumbass to get to marry you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

Yukimura nodded. “Yeah…how many people get to be in an arranged marriage with someone they actually love?”

“You…youn love me?” 

Yukimura nodded. “Yeah more than anything. I was happy when the marriage was decided… but it’s not how I had hoped. I had wanted it to be because…you love me as much as I love you, dummy.”

She smiled at him. “You’re…such an idiot.” She said before flinging her arms around him and pressing her lips to his.

Yukimura was taken aback by the sudden kiss. When she pulled back, he was looking at her with wide eyes. “I…”

“I love you, too dummy.” She said with a smile on her face.

Yukimura smiled as he wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her close. “I really am the luckiest dumbass in the world.” He said before pressing his lips to hers. He swore, he would do his best to keep her happy for the rest of their lives.

#whimsey answers #300 follower celebration #ikesen yukimura #yukimura sanada #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #fanfic #ikemen series #otome boys #cybird #fanfiction #arranged marriage #fluff #yukimura fluff

[cor-ardens-archive]

have you ever posted a fragment of an essay of beauty and the beast? (about how the beast is represented as a lion sort of monster, and how it reflects a variety of aspects in the tale) i've gotten obsessed by this fairy tale again and i think i have a faint memory of a post of yours which contained some analogies, but i'm not sure...

You might be thinking of Angela Carter's retellings of Beauty and the Beast. In The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories she includes two different retellings, The Courtship of Mr. Lyon and The Tiger's Bride. In both of them, the Beast has cat-like qualities (lion and tiger, respectively). I once compared a passage from The Tiger's Bride to a poem by William Blake:

Leopards, tigers, play Round her as she lay; While the lion old Bowed his mane of gold, And her bosom lick, And upon her neck, From his eyes of flame, Ruby tears there came; While the lioness Loosed her slender dress, And naked they conveyed To caves the sleeping maid. ー William Blake, The Little Girl Lost He dragged himself closer and closer to me, until I felt the harsh velvet of his head against my hand, then a tongue, abrasive as sandpaper. ‘He will lick the skin off me!’ And each stroke of his tongue ripped off skin after successive skin, all the skins of a life in the world, and left behind a nascent patina of shining hairs. My earrings turned back to water and trickled down my shoulders; I shrugged the drops off my beautiful fur. ー Angela Carter, The Tiger’s Bride (link to the post)

I don't know if I've posted any fragments from essays specifically. If I did, I didn't tag it properly or maybe it was on my old blog.

Of course many adaptations and retellings give cat-like qualities to the Beast, especially those of a lion (most popular modern adaptations, like the Disney movies), sometimes a tiger (like in Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête). This is also common in illustrations.

Many others give him characterists of a boar, a demon or even a bird, but I think lions & tigers are the most popular.

If you find the essay or if you or anyone else has anyting cool about Beauty and the Beast, I'd love to read it!

[theboarsbride]

Concept sketch of Edith from my kind of-kind of not Hannibal fic WIP The Boar's Bride 😔 she sad and tragic as fuck, now I'm sad.

#the boars bride #hannibal fic #hannibal oc #character design #character concept

[operafantomet]

I was listening to Jeremy Stolle’s and Greg Mills’ podcast and they had mentioned that after reopening, along with the new blocking some of the changes included the removal of some characters/costumes due to cultural insensitivity reasons, I think specifically from Hannibal or Masquerade I can’t remember. Do you know anything about this and what they are referring to? (If it’s not appropriate to discuss or post pictures of I understand, I was just curious)

You are very right. And in fact, some these changes happened before the pandemic and the re-opening, at least worldwide.

Hannibal originally had an overblown take on a blackface costume. In my interpretation designer Maria Bjørnson rather made fun of how bad historical blackface costumes looked. It was no attempt to create a believable illusion; rather the hood had crude cut-out openings for eyes and mouth, and the hands were left bare.

Hannibal as whole is a light parody of Aïda, and every character on stage is a parody on opera tradition. That is why Carlotta opens the show with a severed head, there is a giant fake elephant on stage, there is a man dressed in lion fur with lion's head and so forth. This is the context of the costume.

That said, I can see why this does not translate well into today's audience. I also don't think it has to, as it isn't essential to the storytelling in any way. There are so many other overblown figures from the opera world in Hannibal. This costume was replaced by generic yellow non-hooded ones in 2016 or thereabout. Here's one of the replacement costumes, made in the vein of the "Wild Woman" figure in Hannibal:

Similar, there was a costume also featuring a blackface character in Masquerade, taken from this etching of a fancy dress party in the Palais Garnier in Paris in the 1880s:

Whereas the etching may actually depict a black man attending the ball, it became a blackface figure in Masquerade. So this too was changed in recent years. In some productions it was merely cut, and in others made into a fantasy blue man. It's a bit hard to find photos of the new costume, as few productions have it, but here's a glimpse of an arm...

A third that seems to come and go is the Hula Girl, in many productions used as a swing costume in Masquerade, while others had her as an ensemble costume. She too seems to have been largely cut. That said, not many productions had it originally.

There's probably more too, these are the ones that came to mind. Due to the change of costume stock in Masquerade, some productions has added costumes previously worn by dummies for their ensemble members. This includes the Highlander (West End):

...the Bumblebee (Las Vegas/ Broadway):

...the Mobcap Girl (Broadway):

...the wild boar (without mask, West End):

...and again, probably many more.

Another change happened with the Mirror Bride. Originally this character was perfectly mimicking Christine, wearing a mask looking identical to the actress. Here's "Rachel Barrell":

..."Sarah Brightman":

...and "Marni Raab":

...and the Final Lair dummy having a face moulded from the actress' features, as this "Dale Kristien" dummy shows:

And again, "Sarah Brightman":

But with Lucy St Louis starring in the West End revival, and Emilie Kouatchou on Broadway, creating a mask perfectly mimicking their features would - regardless of context and history - create a feeling of blackface. The solution was to create a sort of "silver bride", wearing silver mask and silver or white gloves, and a thicker veil. This still gave the feeling of a ghostly mirror bride, but without a reference to the actress:

I will be frank and admit I don't particularly love the silver bride. I think Christine seeing herself in the mirror is a big part of her horror. But I can see how it was the most sensible solution for a historic moment in time when both flagship productions featured a black Christine as one of their leads. I'd rather have that historic moment any day, than the traditional mirror bride.

I was however happy to see the traditional mirror bride being featured in the new South Korean and Chinese productions. It is an eerie detail.

All in all, some gentle tweaks on the original 1986 design so that details of the design does not distract the modern audience from the main story and the main message. (and as mentioned above, this is not a complete list, but the ones that came to mind when typing)

#phantom of the opera #maria bjørnson #mirror bride #mirror bride dummy #obscure masquerade costumes #obscure masquerade dummies #costume design

[xenosaurus]

I have a page for my worldbuilding projects that’s a huge WIP, but in the mean time, here’s a list of the ones I can remember off the top of my head!  I’ve done my best to split these by genre, although some obviously fit in multiple categories. You can also browse through my "original stuff" tag for things that haven't made it as far as a concrete project, if you can tolerate the mess.

UPDATE: Tumblr changed their tag system, so I had to fix the links.  They SHOULD be working, but chronological links don’t cooperate with mobile, so I’ve made them general links.  Please add /chrono to the url if you can, a few of these are very weird out of order (looking at you, Boar’s Blood).

Urban Fantasy

Witchmouth General; comedy about a hospital in a city that is mostly monsters and aliens

Freedom Over Gold; a comedy-drama about a trio of homunculi killing their masters

Immortality and Tax Fraud; a comedy about gods who possess people and the hosts that are still resisting them (slightly NSFW)

Mundane Motherhood; a slice of life/recovery story about a woman who adopts a kid who was being raised to fight demons

The Empty City; a drama about a limbo world entered in dreams by people who compete for “days”, which give them another day of life in the real world

The Mortal Forge; an adventure story about a group of cursed people putting together an expedition to find a legendary cure

Tethered; a slice of life story in a setting where everyone has a familiar, starring two teenagers who are “tethering” their familiars, allowing them to become more physical and sentient

Fallen Angels in YOUR Area!; a comedy about a group of angels who are banished to earth for gaining too much individuality

Arlan Kingslayer; a comedy about classic high fantasy book characters being brought to the real world and not wanting to leave

High Fantasy

Boar’s Blood; an adventure story about a magical society built on the grave of an undead dragon that is rapidly falling apart (NSFW)

The Phoenix Bride; an adventure story/romance about a woman exploring an ever-expanding magical tower to confess her feelings to the woman who created it

God Hunters; technically closer to magical steampunk, an all-women drama about monster hunters (NSFW)

Scales and Bonedust; in a setting where some humans live in dwellings draped over the backs of dragons, a man and a dragonling try to find their way home after their whole community is killed

Rabbitheart; a fairy tale of sorts about a young jester (and would-be sorceress) trying to reclaim her familiar to earn a princess' hand in marriage, with a large section of backstory about the setting's version of Arthurian lore

The Mayfly; a dark fantasy about a mortal half-elf prince learning the truth of elven immortality

Whalefall; merfolk dark fantasy about a "bloodsalt knight" (a soldier who bites themselves to draw attacking predators to the blood and away from their school) who is separated from her people

Mark the End; trope manipulation on 'everyone grows up and has babies' endings where the children are the reborn god-monsters their guardians fought as teenagers. heavy on monster lore and character drama

Vampire Prince Walter; a romantic comedy about childhood sweethearts (who have since become a vampire and a werewolf) being arranged to marry each other... as long as their fathers don't find out they like each other too much to spy on the other.

Science Fiction

New Apocalyptia; a comedy about a world where all movie apocalypses happened at once (slightly NSFW)

Salt Water; an adventure story about a group trying to reach the bottom of their world’s incredibly deadly oceans, also mermaids and surfing as a death sport

Peppermint Circuits; a gay love story set in a world where everyone has a chip in their brain to influence their behavior (slightly NSFW)

Spycaller; a murder mystery about humans who interact with the intergalactic community from within mech suits

Superheroes

Superfish; a traditional coming of age superhero story about an LGBT group for college-aged sidekicks

Isaac is Okay; a very gentle story about a timetraveling superhero that traps himself in the past to raise his younger self away from their abusive father

Villain Risk; a superhero drama about an illegal hero team being arrested, told after the fact by a social worker, a kid in juvenile detention, and a shapeshifter who killed a cop and stole his life

Fate and Switch; a soulmate au fakeout about psychically linked superheroes who have been brainwashed, and their partners’ attempts to find them

Tooth and Nail; a superhero/kaiju mashup about bioengineered superheroes fighting monsters, and the protagonist’s attempts to protect his new apprentice from the horrors of their work

You Can Keep the Mask On; a superhero story intended to be told through sexual encounters between characters, obviously (very NSFW)

Overpowered; a comedy about a city's extremely, well, overpowered supervillains

Abelsons; a superhero story focusing on the "support" members, such as the people who make costumes and the medics

Bonus Individual Posts

that one about the destiny orphanage that one about the silkworm aliens

#original stuff #finally an updated pinned post!

[tcfactory]

Party Planning and Other Deadly Hazards I

5k words of Shang Qinghua bonding with Linguang-jun over being overworked and underappreciated

For the sake of this story, Mobei is roughly 15, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun are both 18. Shoutout to @mysteryteacup, whose analysis posts convinced me of the potential in "Linguang-jun is Very Young, Actually". Our Mobei-jun's birth name is Mobei Xuebao (Snow leopard), Shang Qinghua is Shang Cangshu (Hamster), Linguang-jun is Mobei Taifeng (Typhoon)

Also on AO3.

It all started with a small change. You see, Shang Qinghua's shizun made a reckless promise that whoever could push a medicine deal through with the Black Mire Sect - a minor sect skirting the edge of demonic practices by specializing in gu poisons - would take over as his new head disciple. The sect was situated right on the borderlands between the human realm and the northern demon kingdom and they were very reluctant to trade away any of their precious poisons, because they faced constant harassment from a lesser tribe of Snowtusk Boar demons just on the other side of the border. Clearly whoever could get them to agree to a deal would have to be a naturally gifted negotiator!

Usually Airplane ignores these kinds of risky assignments, but the temptation of skipping three years of backstabbing, social climbing and manual labor was too tempting. Besides, he knew how to solve this one. It was one of the wife plots in PIDW so Luo Binghe could marry the sect leader's beautiful daughter.

Step 1: Get rid of the boars. He could, of course, not do this on his own. No way. However, through the power of authorial knowledge, he could tip Mobei-jun off that the tribe stole one of the ancient artifacts of the Mobei clan after a chaotic battle and hid it away in their stronghold. His prince was a little skeptical, but Qinghua had not led him astray yet in the few months since he became his spy. The next time they met, Mobei-jun was generously splattered with pig demon blood and he was proudly holding a crystal necklace that could control all the ice sheets of the northern sea at once, apparently.

So that was that for the boars.

Step 2: Wait a little for the other local demon tribes to fight out who gets to settle in the newly vacated prime location. Shang Qinghua made a passing comment about how the Silkwing tribe could supply a 'generous benefactor' with the highest quality fabrics in the entire northern kingdom and would you look at that, this conflict got resolved much quicker than in PIDW.

Step 3: Introduce the sect leader and their new, much more agreeable, demon neighbors to each other. The Silkwing tribe happened to be a tribe of crane demons who, just like the Black Mire Sect, specialized in insect keeping. Their most prized specimens were the various demonic moths and spiders they cultivated for their silk, but they kept a wide variety of other critters as well. It was a match made in heaven! (Or rather in one of Master Airplane's caffeine fueled all-nighters, just so Binghe could meet a cute bisexual crane girl at the negotiations and turn the whole adventure into a two-brides-special wedding.)

Step 4: Profit! Trade agreement in hand Qinghua showed up at his shizun's house and received his much deserved promotion. The whole plan went off without a hitch, job well done, success and happiness all around! The next morning he moved into the head disciple's apartment and breathed a sigh of relief that he no longer had to live in fear of someone discovering his association with Mobei by barging into his bedroom without knocking.

If only that was the end of it.

-----

Shang Qinghua has barely settled into his new duties as head disciple when one morning Mobei-jun grabs him straight out of bed, before he could comprehend what's happening or put on some actual clothes, and drops him off somewhere in the Northern Palace.

"Baobao, what in the fresh hell did you bring me?!"

The outrage cry comes from a stressed looking demon youth who stares at Qinghua like someone handed him a dead rat instead of a report. He's obviously a Mobei relative, his black hair glossy with a blue-ish sheen and his demon mark a bright teal, but his hair is done up with feathers and beads in the style of the wind demon tribes.

"Qinghua. He's good at organizing." As if on second thought, Mobei-jun snarls at the other demon boy, showing all his teeth. "He's mine. If you hurt him, I'll kill you."

After that he wordlessly stomps away, leaving the equally confused human and demon behind.

Shang Qinghua wants nothing more than to ask a million questions right now - where is he? why did Mobei take him here?? who's the other guy??? - but now that he's more awake than asleep he's suddenly realizing that the room is extremely cold and he's only dressed in his sleeping robes. Are his toes turning blue?! His toes are probably turning blue.

"Here." A delicately carved box is shoved in his face, open and full of uniform black pills. "Aurora Pepper pills. I asked to borrow the domestic staff from Xiao Bao’s castle, but if you are the only help I get, I want you not to freeze to death."

"My lord, are they safe for humans?" They should be. It's one of the plot devices he made up so the Wives could visit the North and still wear their ridiculously skimpy outfits without dying, but who knows what an ice demon would have mixed into them. Shang Qinghua carefully picks just one and pops it in his mouth anyway.

"No idea, they were for my mother. You are a cultivator, are you not? You can survive a little poison."

If this demon is as young as he looks - as young as his outfit leads Qinghua to believe, which is somewhere between fourteen and twenty - then his core is not yet settled. Even if the ice demon parentage runs stronger in him - which is obvious, he's wearing the equivalent of summer robes for northern demonkin - he would have bouts when his core slants towards wind and he would find the cold of the north unbearable for a few days. So this is likely his own stash of pills he offered one from, which is awfully nice when one of your kin just dumps their human on you.

"This lowly one thanks the young master for his generosity!"

"Hmph. At least you have manners, unlike your master." The youth retreats behind a desk piled so high with scrolls and bamboo slats he’s barely visible behind them. "Qinghua, was it? This lord is Linguang-jun."

"Answering, this one is Shang Qinghua, head disciple of An Ding peak." He thanks his survival instinct that he manages to fold into a bow before his surprise shows on his face. Based on the nephew abandonment incident he always pictured Mobei's uncle as someone much older.

"An Ding? Good. Maybe you will be of use, after all." Linguang-jun gestures for Shang Qinghua to join him at the desk. "On account of his sudden spirited showing in regards to the Silkwings and the recovered artifact, my royal brother has finally taken interest in his third-born son. To welcome him to court he ordered a feast to be held, the success of which will determine Mobei San's standing in court and reflect on this lord’s qualifications as an organizer."

"Forgive this lowly one for the question, but why is the Mobei-jun's own brother in charge of such affairs? It should be the duty of the royal seneschal." Or perhaps the queen consort. Since he never had to write a wife plot with any member of the main Mobei clan he might have handwaved a lot of the court related worldbuilding. Still, he's certain there were at least three or four people who had to be unavailable before such a task would land on the desk of the king's brother.

"This lord is the seneschal," Linguang-jun says in a dejected voice. A pained frown slips past his not-yet-perfected mask of stoicism and Shang Qinghua realizes that 1. Linguang-jun is very, very young to be filling this position and 2. he’s probably one stroke of misfortune away from an anxious meltdown. This Qinghua can relate, kid. "My royal brother's temper has decimated his household and, in his paranoia, he refuses to replace the staff he kills. Ever since this one's mother passed three years ago, he has been tasked to fulfill every duty pertaining to household management, including those of the late queen consort."

After looking over a crumpled scroll detailing all of Linguang-jun's current duties, Shang Qinghua has a sudden understanding why the demon resents his brother so much. It’s not just the duties of the royal seneschal, he is doing the work of at least five different people, all of them near full-time jobs in their own right!

"Sorry kid, you are clearly too young for this shit." He didn't mean to say it out loud, but luckily for him the demon doesn't react to the irreverent tone beyond an agitated twitch of his eyebrows. "All right, let’s see what we have to work with."

It proves to be very little. Shang Qinghua looks over the list of the available staff (too short), the amount of food and other supplies Linguang-jun managed to drum up since his brother saddled him with this task last evening (not nearly enough to feed the obnoxiously long guest list) and the time available to them…

“He wants you to put together this party in three days?!” For someone who had only been a vague shadow with malicious intent in the back of Shang Qinghua’s mind whenever he thought about the dangerous demons he might run into while serving his prince, Linguang-jun is rapidly gaining a lot of his sympathy. “Can you even get all these guests here in three days? Jiuzhong-jun lives two months away even if he takes the fastest horses!”

For a royal prince’s introduction to court it was important to get as many of the bigshots present as possible, so they could all take a good look at him and decide if they wanted to try to sic their own spawns on him for a courting chase or not. Jiuzhong-jun doesn’t have any children yet, but he has plenty of nieces he could try to marry out into other clans. He would never miss the chance to come and gawk at the introduction of a Mobei prince.

“Mhm. Xiao Bao has that part covered. While we make this feast happen somehow, he’s going to spend the next two days transporting in all the guests with his portals.” Linguang-jun digs into one of his many piles of scrolls and shoves one detailing the scheduled arrivals into Shang Qinghua’s face. “At least the issue of housing them until the party solves itself on its own. Granny Oxbones is the reigning queen of the guest wing and she wouldn’t accept my input on where to put all these guests even if I bothered to offer any.”

Airplane carefully files it away in the back of his mind that when Linguang-jun gets stressed enough he still refers to his nephew with familiar nicknames as something to consider later, and tries to focus on the task at hand. So the current Mobei-jun hasn’t eradicated all of the old servants - the kitchen and housekeeping staff escaped his paranoia, as well as most of the guards and the hunters - only the ones in the highest positions. That should solve at least part of their problems.

“Okay, so we only have to handle decorating the feasting hall, source a fitting outfit for my prince and get the food ready.”

“What about the serving staff? I don’t have enough people to cater a party this big.”

“That’s easy, have the guardsmen fill in. Let them do something more than standing around and gawking. If there are complaints about the task being below them, tell them that they can take from the leftovers, most of the guests will be too busy brawling or scheming to eat anyway.” Demons love to eat, same as everybody, and even a bite or two of the delicacies served at their lords’ table should be ample temptation to get the guardsmen on board. “But this does mean that we need to make sure that the food is great. Does Linguang-jun have the menu from either of the elder princes’ introduction feasts? No reason to break our brains coming up with something new, nobody will care as long as the food is good enough.” It’s still an awful amount of work for three days, but it’s not undoable if he can tap into the Mobei clan’s supply network and doesn’t have to account for whatever happens to the guests before and after the feast. 

“I think I have the menu for Mobei Er’s feast somewhere.” Linguang-jun abandons the desk to rifle through one of the filing cabinets dominating the walls of his study. “We will need to substitute some of the dishes, because that feast was in winter.”

“Still better than having to write the whole menu from scratch.”

“En.”

“Does Linguang-jun have any suggestion where to get my prince a suitable outfit?” For the lack of anything better to do, Shang Qinghua starts organizing the scrolls left on the desk. Linguang-jun’s handwriting is very similar to Mobei San’s, but nothing at all like the blocky characters of the current Mobei-jun. They probably learned from the same ice fairy tutor, which further confirms how absurdly close they are in age.

“I have something arranged with the Silkwings,” Linguang-jun calls back over his shoulder, halfway disappearing into the cabinet as he digs among the stored scrolls. “But - Hah! Found it! - Qinghua has to be the one to convince Mobei San to go. He won’t go anywhere if this uncle tells him to.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t just gape at me,” Linguang-jun says, smacking him reasonably lightly over the shoulder with the scroll until he gets the hint and takes it. “Take this down to the kitchen, then tell your master that if he doesn’t want to go to his own feast wearing my old robes, then he should go visit the Silkwings, the sooner the better.”

Shang Qinghua pales at the idea of wandering the main Northern Fortress alone. “I- this servant worries that the kitchen staff will not heed his words…”

Linguang-jun seems to consider this for a moment, but he finally comes to the conclusion that his life is easier if his nephew’s pet cultivator doesn’t come to harm. He digs around in his desk until he produces a bone hairstick with a bead and a feather dangling from it. “If you wear this, the staff will know that you are working for this lord. Ask a maid for directions and be quick about it!”

True to Linguang-jun’s words, the staff is nothing if not cooperative once they realize that Shang Qinghua is working directly with him to stop the upcoming party from crashing and burning. The demon aunties and uncles running the kitchen fill him in, between tallying all the ingredients they are going to need for the feast and plying him with sweet treats, that the staff has been in a panic ever since the first orders about the feast came in. There is the grim threat of death hanging over their heads if the end result isn’t impressive enough and Mobei-jun feels humiliated by their showing. Apparently this is going to be the first bigger event Linguang-jun is organizing on his own, without the help of his late mother, and his staff is worried about sabotage.

“Does Linguang-jun have many enemies in court?” Shang Qinghua asks, lifting a tiny demon granny up so she can take stock of one of the too tall ingredient shelves.

“He has one and it’s more than enough! Mobei-jun never got over it that his late queen mother birthed one more son after the acceptable period for fratricide was over.” Airplane was proud of that world building detail. Obviously no demon lord wants to have any relative who might challenge his claim, but eradicating the entire extended family is a very fast way for a clan to die out. So, following a leader’s grab of power, there’s a socially acceptable five years when they can murder any relative they can catch, but once that’s over they are expected to limit themselves to those who challenge their position. “I tell you, daozhang, it’s not a coincidence the feast is happening when the hunters are away and we are low on supplies! And what is the king doing instead of procuring a beast for the fighting showcase of his son? Drinking and lazing around in his quarters, that’s what! Poor Xiao Bao, such a sweet snowflake, this old granny worries that his entry to court will be ruined!”

-----

Shang Qinghua is still turning that around in his head when he goes to find Mobei Xuebao later - It took almost no effort to get the grannies to reveal his prince’s birth name. Such a cute name for such a fierce demon! Airplane jokingly wrote it on the margin of his drafts, but he never expected the System to take it and run with it - carrying a big mug of fortifying ice slushie.

His prince looks beyond exhausted after opening portals all over the demon realm since morning and he accepts the refreshing drink without so much as a growl. He does, however, hiss angrily at Qinghua when he recognizes the hairstick stuck into his bun. “How dare he claim you?! You are mine !”

“Ah, my prince, please be calm! It’s only a token so the staff won’t eat me. I am to return it once we are done here.” Qinghua is actually not sure about that, but better not aggravate his prince when he’s in a possessive mood.

“You’d better.” He stops trying to rip it out of Qinghua’s hair, but he still stares at it angrily while Shang Qinghua rattles off the details of the arrangement made with the Silkwings. Mobei shows no enthusiasm for getting new court robes tailored, but at Qinghua’s insistent nagging he makes an affirmative sound that yes, he is going to go, now stop asking .Airplane is not perfectly sure what the kitchen aunties put in the slushie, but Mobei’s mood almost thaws by the time he eats the last of the sweet berries they added to it. A wonderful good mood that lasts for all of five minutes before Linguang-jun turns the corner and yells at both of them.

“What are you still doing here?! Don’t you have things to do other than standing around?” Linguang-jun is flushed a pale pink from exertion and possibly frustration. He’s dressed for a hunt, carrying a Japanese style longbow almost as tall as him and a quiver of elegant, black-feathered arrows. It’s fascinating to see how Airplane’s throwaway details got implemented into the world - he made a passing note that Mobei’s grandmother was an eastern wind demon, then he made one of Binghe’s wives a wind demoness based on a Japanese princess and bird motifs and poof! The world combined these two details into multicultural Linguang-jun. He has to bite his tongue before he could ask Linguang-jun if he had a katana somewhere.

Mobei is clearly not happy to see that his uncle is gearing up to leave.

“Good time for a hunt, uncle,” he sneers. Linguang-jun sneers right back.

“ I am going out to fetch our hunting expeditions back so we have meat to serve at the feast. Someone has to, unless Baobao would prefer to play pretend with snow and ice and berries!” They both flinch, which is interesting. Clearly that’s a reference to a formerly fond memory. When Linguang-jun continues he’s not meeting their eyes and looks just a little sheepish. “Go get your rags, nephew. My reputation rides on the success of this feast. I’m not going to sabotage it.”

It’s hard to tell what Mobei Xuebao is thinking, but his expression seems a lot less murderous than a minute ago. “Take Qinghua with you,” he says, ignoring completely the way his cultivator freezes up. “He has a sword. He can fly high and scout for you.”

What is this? It almost sounds like an olive branch! If only it wasn’t poor Airplane being handed over like a cheap token of reconciliation, it would be great .

Linguang-jun gives Shang Qinghua a hesitant look, but Mobei chose a good way to sell his pet cultivator: Linguang-jun might be part wind demon, but even he can’t fly very high. Give Qinghua one more of those pepper pills so he doesn’t freeze in the icy wasteland and he can track their hunters down in a snap!

Before he can mount an argument about the general fragility of humans and the dangers of the desert, he is grabbed by the arm and the next thing he knows, he’s being swept up by Linguang-jun’s black wind. Nothing can compete with Mobei’s portal powers in terms of speed, but this is not too shabby either, and unlike the shadow portals, being turned into wind doesn’t make him sick. Perhaps because he doesn’t currently have a stomach to feel sick.

While they dash through the desert, Linguang-jun quickly fills Qinghua in: they need to recall three hunting parties, all of them within a day’s travel by horse from the castle. “There are others out hunting, but they are too far to make it back for the feast. And after we are done, I’m going to leave you somewhere out of the way and catch a Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devil.”

“Ah. For the fight showcase?”

“En.”

“Isn’t it the king’s duty to procure whatever his son is to fight?” His question is met by minutes of sullen silence so he startles when Linguang-jun finally deigns to speak again.

“There’s a wolf-bear-hybrid prepared at the palace. Da-ge wanted to give it to one of his concubines as a pet, but the lady has much better taste than to take a mangy mutt like that.” Qingua can’t see Linguang-jun’s expression, but the derision is obvious in his voice. It’s unclear if it’s directed at the concubine or his brother. “It would be acceptable prey for a less skilled prince, but Xiao Bao deserves better.”

“Huh. You really adore your nephew, don’t you? I figured he was wrong about you.” If he lives to tell the tale, Shang Qinghua is going to blame his current immaterial state for the failure of his brain-mouth filter. Never startle the person carrying you at high speeds!

He’s not even surprised when he tumbles painfully onto the snow, Linguang-jun standing above him with a murderous expression, the bow raised as if he’s ready to beat the hapless cultivator with it. “Does he still go around telling everyone about- even his pet cultivator?!”

“No! No, my lord!” He suspects it’s only because Mobei San doesn’t consider Qinghua important enough to fill him in about his backstory, but it’s technically true. “Servants gossip! I heard it from the servants in Mobei San’s castle!”

Linguang-jun lowers the bow, but his face colors with either indignation or embarrassment. He’s more expressive than Mobei, but it’s still not easy to read him. “Good. Do not ever dare to gossip about this lord! Understood, you, you…” He looks at Shang Qinghua sitting in the snow like a plump, bruised peach, face almost disappearing into the soft pelt the kitchen aunties dressed him up in. “You hamster!”

Airplane can’t help himself: he laughs. Then, when the laughter finally feels like subsiding, he notices the baffled face Linguang-jun is making and laughs some more. “Forgive me, my lord. I am not laughing at you. Except. My name does happen to be Shang Cangshu.”

The absurdity of it all finally douses Linguang-jun’s rage and the demon huffs a laugh. “Of course it is. Should I get a bowl of sunflower seeds for you tomorrow, hamster-daozhang?”

“I prefer melon seeds! But worry not, my lord, I can bring my own.” It must be a good sign that Linguang-jun is teasing him. A little bit of harmless farce is always good in anxiety-inducing situations, and the demon appeared to be on the verge of exploding all day. “I do have to wonder, though… I heard that when that incident happened, Mobei San was around four? So you must have been a rather young child yourself.”

Linguang-jun gives a tense, awkward nod and a scene starts to unfold in Airplane’s mind. This is not something he had written, but it is something he could have, if he ever tried to put Mobei-jun in the limelight for a while. Emboldened, he continues: “Traveling at the speed of wind as you do must not leave a lot of room to change course if, say, a tear to the human realm suddenly opens up in front of you. It must have been a terrifying experience, for both of you. Easy to lose track of each other in an unfamiliar world, hostile territory or not.”

Linguang-jun turns his head away, clearly trying to school his expression into a blank mask, but he is too worn down and anxious to manage it. He looks disarmingly young like this; just a teen with too much work on his plate. “He refuses to so much as speak to me unless he has no other choice. What does it matter how it happened? I admitted to trying to kill him.”

Of course he did. For Mobei San to survive an assassination attempt - a smart one too, leaving him in the heart of a cultivator sect that has a longstanding feud with the Mobei clan - was a testament to his talent even at such a young age. If Linguang-jun admitted that it was an accident, it would have only painted him as incompetent, which was the fastest way to political suicide even before he could officially get into court. “Ah, but he lent you this servant, hasn’t he? I think my prince doesn’t hate you as much as he wants to.”

“Hah! That will not save my neck when my nephew becomes Mobei-jun and comes to eradicate the threats from the family.”

“No! He would not kill you, I’m certain of it.” As he wrote it, Mobei-jun at the time of his ascension was secure under Luo Binghe’s wing and didn’t bother to go after any of his relatives - unless they attacked first, that is. “Leave it to this Qinghua, I will smooth this misunderstanding over in no time!”

The look of doubt Linguang-jun gives him almost hurts. “Wait until after the feast before you try. I’m short enough on staff without you getting yourself killed.” The demon makes a sharp gesture with his hand and a burst of wind pushes Shang Qinghua to his feet. “Up you get, hamster-daozhang. We have work to do.”

It all falls in place like a well-oiled machine after that, even the hunt. Turns out that Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devils are really fascinated by flying cultivators for some reason. The beast stands on its hindlegs, reaching fruitlessly for the flying sword, and doesn’t even notice Linguang-jun sneaking up on it until he traps it in a qiankun box. They work well together, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun, and the demon stays cordial - almost friendly, even! - to his nephew’s pet cultivator in the following two days.

-----

“I’m so glad that it went well, my prince!” Qinghua sighs a few days after the feast. He’s trying to subtly rescue some of his paperwork from Mobei, who decided that he wants to have this conversation while sitting on his human’s desk. “I wish I could have been there to see, but my shizun would have noticed if I was missing any longer and, let’s be honest, the chances of someone mistaking me for a side-dish were much too high…”

Mobei hums something vaguely positive, then very indulgently lifts one of his hands so Qinghua can remove the papers from there. “Good work.”

“Thank you, my prince! But I really didn’t do much. Your uncle did most of the work.” By the end of the third day Linguang-jun was openly bemoaning that he wanted to go to bed and sleep for a century. Airplane can only hope he got some rest since.

Mobei Xuebao growls at him in warning, clearly not happy with the direction of the conversation, but Qinghua has dealt with so much shit in the last week that he’s too tired to be properly intimidated by empty threats. “No, really! I know he had a horse in this race, but he really wanted you to have a cool ‘welcome to demon court’ party. He caught the Tundra Devil for your fight and he certainly didn’t have to do that!”

“That was Taifeng-shushu?” There’s no better way to describe Mobei’s expression of surprise than ‘cute’. It’s a good reminder that despite his frosty disposition and already powerful physique, Mobei Xuebao is also still a teenager. (Airplane is not geeking out over learning Linguang-jun’s name, he is not . Mobei Taifeng was on his list of potential names when he brainstormed for Luo Binghe’s right hand man, before he even started writing - a character who eventually got split into Mobei-jun and the OG Shang Qinghua, because Tired™ second-in-commands who try to betray their employers so they could have one good day of rest please were more of a comedic relief trope and that didn’t fit the tone of the story.)

“Yes, my prince. This servant was there when Linguang-jun chose and captured the most impressive beast from the pack.” He was so picky about it too! He made Qinghua fly over the Tundra Devil pack five times before he identified the biggest one and by that time the beast noticed the flying cultivator. That’s how they found out about its fascination with the shiny spiritual sword.

Thinking about Linguang-jun reminds Qinghua of the hairstick he conveniently ‘forgot’ to return. He puts it in a plain box and pushes it to Mobei Xuebao. “My prince, I had no chance to return this to Linguang-jun, so you would do this servant a great favor if you passed it along.” Mobei makes a soft noise as he pockets the box, looking almost smug that Qinghua is, indeed, returning the token. His good mood makes the human a little reckless about how far he’s willing to push this matter. “My prince, I know you have no reason to trust this servant on matters of your family, but I have heard many rumors and hearsay while in the Northern Palace. I think there might be a misunderstanding between you and your uncle, so if you could talk to him openly when you return the hairstick-”

“Qinghua has not led me astray so far,” Mobei interrupts, his eyes narrowed. “This prince will talk to his uncle. But if Qinghua is mistaken…” He lets the sentence hang ominously in the air, but the sentiment is clear: if Shang Qinghua is wrong, then all of his credibility is ash.

“I understand, my prince.”

It's going to be fine. It has to be! Otherwise the System would have interfered, like it always does when he's about to alter the plot.

Right, System?

#svsss #linguang-jun #mobei-jun #shang qinghua #making up world building like master Airplane intended #tc writes #fun fact: I had to fight the autocorrect every step of the way bc it wanted to 'correct' hairstick into hair tick #not remotely the same thing #please don't #I already have a follow-up for this in the works btw #to the tune of #how do you fix a sick ice demon so your other ice demon doesn't freak out and break your neck? without your shixiongs finding out? #the answer is you don't #nothing gets past Mu-shixiong #so you just grin and bear it and sigh to the heavens when it turns into a wife plot #because of course it does #anyway please go check mysteryteacup out their writing and meta are chef kiss #thousand times better than anything I do honestly

[checkoutmybookshelf]

So Apparently Travelogues Are Back?

Ok, so saying "The best part of this book was watching Kordas sort the logistics of moving fifteen thousand of people across a hostile wilderness" is not a great sell of this book, but it is HONEST. The worldbuilding, characters, and monsters are excellent, but TBH, what made my brain go *happy chemicals* was the logistics. Your girl likes a good travelogue, and that travel writing aspect is a LOT of why Throne of Jade is my favorite Temeraire novel and it's why I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So let's talk Into the West.

This is your usual SPOILER WARNING for spoilers for this book and the previous one below the break.

So, having murdered the crap out of the emperor and watched an earth elemental basically enact the lava portion of the dinosaur section of Fantasia on the former capital, Kordas and the Valdemarans regroup on the banks of Crescent Lake. Some choose to return to the remains of the empire, but for everyone else, it's time to get moving. Crescent Lake can't support all of them, so they have to take their barges and head downriver to find a new home.

And as anyone who has ever done a group project in school knows, trying to wrangle 4-7 people is a goddamn nightmare; Kordas has to wrangle FIFTEEN THOUSAND. In barges. With bare minimum resources. In unknown, hostile territory. If I was lukewarm on The Plan in Beyond, I was fully here to watch how the pulled it off in this book, because just the starting point was already feeling overwhelming and nigh impossible.

Then we get to add, at various points in the journey, the following fuckery:

various lords and factions among the Valdemarans getting shitty and either being firmly called on the carpet or cut loose (but people always had a choice whether to go with their lords or stay with Kordas, so there was no screwing the peasants because a noble had a hissy fit, which I appreciate)

Wyrsa (for those of you who know, you KNOW, and I won't ruin that for those of you who are reading Valdemar chronologically rather than in publication order)

A giant bear-lizard hybrid monster that was the result of rogue magic

Giant-ass mage-created "terror birds" with wings and four legs

A very angry forest

A Boar of Unusual Size (can we make BOUS happen? Is that cool, Princess Bride fans?)

A river monster and a rogue pig that upsets the balance between the river and forest monsters

And that's just the stuff that actively tries to murder the Valdemarans. There are also issues with supply and demand, morale, the *SUPER TOO LIGHTLY SKATED OVER* mage conspiracy in the book that has been leveraging foreseers and empaths to influence Kordas's choices throughout. And no, the "you asked for help and we're what you got" DOES NOT MAKE IT OK. Especially not when the conversation gets wiped from Kordas's head afterward. This was skated over way too quickly, and the ETHICS of this would make Herald Thalia lose her goddamn mind.

We also get a bit of a subplot with Delia being assigned to a forward scout group and learning her own value...but she gets assigned to the scout post at least 50% to get her and her crush away from Kordas, so I was still not loving this.

What I do love is the Hawkbrothers, and we finally get them in this book. The Tayledras are wonderful, enigmatic, playful people and their vales are just stunning. I have never not loved me a Hawkbrother, and the hertasi are also just darling. This also sets up the long-term relationship between Valdemar and the Tayledras, which comes up from time to time throughout the life of the kingdom.

So overall, I think that Into the West is the best of the Founding of Valdemar books. It's never not gripping, the mix of character and plot is exactly on point, and if the book is a little too aggressive about people "being useful," well, they're in a survival situation and frankly it could have been a lot worse. Plus, we're basically in the Pelagirs, so when stuff gets weird, it gets REALLY weird. And really weird is often very fun. So I do recommend this book.

#mercedes lackey #the founding of valdemar #into the west #valdemar #heralds of valdemar #herald mages #kordas valdemar #adult fantasy #mages #books and reading #books & libraries #books and novels #books #book recommendations