#I did that one moon in the swan lake dress thing while I was making the comic and I didn’t have any problems drawing it??

[eating-you-alive-cutely]

I hate drawing Sun’s rays oh I hate it

Oh I hate you u lanky piece of shit/j

Stay bald you fart wad

[krreader]

black swan.

pairing: king!min yoongi x spymaster!reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; royal!au ; historical!au ; death ; blood  genre: angst ; fluff  word count: 1.9k+

summary: you’ve always been loyal to the king, ever since you became his left hand, but the amount of deaths resting on your shoulders get to you every now and then. you rarely allow yourself to be vulnerable, too afraid that someone might see.. but anyone would have been better than for king yoongi to find you in this situation. 

a/n: now, I’m going to be honest. I had to change quite a lot of your request to make it fit the idea that I had, but I think I managed to write it in a way that you’ll still be happy with it @strawbaeree​

If someone had told you as a child this is where you'd end up when you're older, you probably would have cried and then ran away from what was to come. The future and the consequences of that future would have scared you, so much that you wouldn't have been able to fathom it, much less see it become reality.

This life that you lived now wasn't a life that you had chosen willingly. If you have had the choice, you would have done what your mother had always wanted and found love, living a peaceful and content life with your family somewhere on a farm where you’d be bothered by nobody.

But you were never given that choice.

Soon after your mother had passed and you were left to fight for survival, you had stumbled over an ambush in the woods while trying to find some berries to eat. You had heard the screams of a woman who was begging her attackers to kill her and not her son.

Everyone else would have run back to the village and gotten help, but your instincts that you cursed in hindsight made you run towards the ambush, pick up a dagger that you found on the corpse of someone – most likely another attacker that was killed in the ambush – and ram it into the back of the attacker that was threatening the woman and her child.

The woman let out a scream, mostly out of surprise and not shock of all the blood, but you couldn’t scream, not even after you realized that you had just taken someone’s life.

All you could do was watch the man crumble to the ground, dig his fingers into the dirt below him as he tried to get back up, but he simply couldn't. Whatever you had hit when you had stabbed him, it prevented him from moving. All he could do was lie there and slowly bleed out.

It was only when the woman got up and grabbed your face to make you look at her and not at the man on the ground anymore, that you realized who it was that you had saved that day.

Queen Eun Jung and her son prince Yoongi had been on the way back to the palace when they had been ambushed by a group of radicals who thought that the future king wasn't a royal at all, but an usurper. They wanted a distant relative who had been preparing for war against your kingdom to become king.

“The rightful ruler” is what they called him.

If they had succeeded that day, who knew what kind of person you'd be now.

But you had killed that man without having given it much thought on what the consequences of that action would be. Back then, you had just wanted to help. But the queen... she had seen your... 'potential'.

“My son will need a left and a right hand once he becomes king. I want you to be his left.”

You were only a child when she had said that. Left hand had meant nothing to you until you had started your training with the left hand of the – then - king.

Left hand was just a nicer word for the truth.

The truth was assassin. Spymaster. The one who'd do all the dirty work that no one else was willing to do.

You had often thought about running away back then, being so scared about what kind of life was lying ahead of you as you were taken on countless of missions and watched your master kill dozens of people. But what if you ran away? What then? You had no family, no money, nowhere to go. At least in the palace, you had a purpose, a roof over your head and warm meals to fight the hunger.

So you had stayed.

And that is how you became the woman that you were today.

Living in the shadows, never to be seen by anyone or anything except for your – now – king.

When you had met Yoongi, he was a gentle child. Never wanted to hurt a fly and was more interested in playing catch with you than learning about the history of his kingdom. He often snuck into your room at night and told you made-up ghost stories that made you giggle. He stole the sweets that you liked so much out of the kitchens, just because he knew you’d smile once he’d give them to you.

But he had changed throughout the years.

His father had died in war soon after you had joined them at the royal grounds and his mother succumbed to a fever a few years later. Suddenly being all alone, he threw himself into the world of politics, his goal now being that of his parents.

Finally ridding his lands of the treacherous king that would see him lie dead at the foot of the throne that 'the rightful ruler’ so desperately sought.

Now, your conversations didn't revolve around your favorite animal or favorite colors anymore.

Now, all he talked about, was who you should kill to give him any advantage in the upcoming war.

At first, killing was something that kept you up and night. Something that made you sob your eyes out, weep for those that had fallen by your hand. You never forgot the first man you killed, but throughout the years, the faces of those lives that you had taken started to blur, mostly because it was simply too many to remember.

You had become a shell of your past self, a killing machine which only purpose in life was to do what her king commanded her.

Spy.

Kill.

Report.

But every now and then, that little girl that you wanted to hold on to so badly, showed herself.

There was currently a big festival held at the palace after the right hand of the king – his commander – had successfully pushed back a foreign army at the border. A reason for celebration, definitely.

But you had never been one for these festivities.

And so you started to walk towards the only place in here that you ever felt peaceful at.

The huge lake at the outskirts of the royal grounds that was only illuminated by the moon casting its shine down onto the water.

The sound of strings started to fade, slowly, leaving only a faint sound that made you close your eyes and take a deep breath, feeling all the stress, anxiety and sadness slip away for just a moment.

You took off your shoes, raising the skirts of your red robes as you dipped your feet into the coldness of the water.

It was these moments that made you feel most alive and that was unfortunately not a feeling you often had anymore. It was as if the more lives you took, the more you died yourself.

You were so far gone in that moment – something that a spymaster definitely shouldn't be – that you didn't realize the reason for why you were here at the palace approached you. Or rather.. the lake, it seemed. Because you weren’t the only one that pretended to be strong day in and day out, when in reality, they would love nothing more than to just give up.

King Yoongi stopped dead in his tracks when he saw you standing there, his lips parting, even more so when you let your hair down, a sight that he hadn't seen since he was a child.

It was easy to forget that you were a beautiful woman, but as Yoongi was staring at you now, he remembered.

He remembered how fond he was of you when you were still children. How he wanted you to like him so badly, but at a certain point, with the tasks that he gave you, he gave up on that dream. You could never be more than a left hand for him. He had made you do too many bad things for you to see him in a good light.

But every now and then, his mind wandered to a place in which you and him had become lovers, maybe in which you had run away and started the peaceful life that you had always dreamed of.

It was naive to think so, thoughts he’d never say out loud.

But they were loud in his mind when they came.

Yoongi watched you pull out your dagger from under your dress and lean down, dipping it under the water and gently washing it off despite there not being any blood on it. He watched you caress the blade, then hold it up into the moonlight to inspect it, before gently placing it behind you on the grass. And once the dagger was safely put away, you pulled up the sleeves off your dress and started to wipe your arms.

It was only then that he saw the scars. 

Some fresh, some old.

You had come back from a mission only yesterday and while you had been successful as always, didn't mean that you didn't run into trouble at some point.

His heart started to do things to him that he didn't like. A king shouldn't feel what he was feeling now.

Regret.

It was his mother that had dragged you to the castle with them, but it was him that gave you task after task. It was him that sent you into dangers again and again. It was him that would ultimately be responsible for your death.

Despite hating it, the feeling was too strong to ignore and so he made himself known by finally walking over to you.

“(Y/N)? Are you alright?”

In your head, you cursed yourself for being vulnerable out in the open, for letting your guard down when others could see you. And it wasn't just anyone that saw you in that state, but the man that should have never seen that you were still a person. Because that would make it harder to give orders.

You quickly put your knife away, pushed your sleeves down and put your hair back up in the ponytail like you did every day.

Yoongi let out a heavy sigh when you turned around and bowed, no sign of the real woman that you were a moment ago left.

You were his left hand again. 

Nothing more and nothing less.

“Forgive me, my king. It was a moment of weakness.”

But instead of walking away with a nod like he should have, Yoongi actually closed the distance until he was right in front of you.

“Let me see,” his voice was soft and he reached out for your arms, pushing your sleeves back up.

You should have walked away that very second, but the little girl that liked the little boy so much kept you standing still and watched his every move carefully.

The man that people were so afraid of, that had gotten the title 'the mad king' was standing so close to you, tending to your past wounds with the softest touch possible. 

You knew him, you knew that he wasn’t what people made him out to be.

But being so open with you was not something you had expected.

“You don’t have to do that,” your voice was fragile, which rarely happened.

“I know I don't,” he looked up into your eyes, “But I want to.”

It was quiet for a moment, only the faint sound of the strings were still playing in the background. Yoongi gently pulled you out of the water so you were standing in the grass with him before he took another look at the scars. His thumb was brushing over them, so softly as if he was afraid he'd hurt you... more than he already has.

You could tell that's what he was thinking, because despite the relationship you now had, you knew him better than anyone else, maybe even better than he knew himself.

“What happened to us, (Y/N)?” you could see him gulp down hard after his question.

“We grew up,” your eyes never left his face and you weren't startled when he suddenly looked up into your eyes again, even when you realized how close you were, “Life does that to you.”

You could see him think for a moment before his hand came up to your face to brush over a scar on your cheek, a scar that you had gotten young, from a mission that he had sent you on. A mission that you had almost died on.

“I wish it hadn't,” you didn't move an inch now, your breathing even, even when he started to caress your cheek, “I wish we were still the carefree children from years ago. I wish I could still sneak treats into your room to make you smile.”

A thought that often crossed your mind too. It was comforting to hear that you weren't the only one stuck in that time that seemed to have been so much easier.

But unlike him, who seemingly forgot who he was for a moment and where you were, you didn't. You had already let yourself be vulnerable before, but you wouldn’t let him be. You wrapped your fingers around his wrist and smiled softly at him, “I think it'd be better for you to go back to your festivities, my king.”

What surprised you was the hurt look that flashed over his face for just a split second. 

But you still saw it.

You didn't know what he had hoped would happen tonight, maybe for you and him to finally be honest with each other and not pretend like you were nothing other than his tool for killing, but apparently you didn't want that.

Or so Yoongi thought, when he cleared his throat and walked away without another word.

But it wasn't like that.

You were simply doing what you had always been doing.

Protecting him.

Your eyes wandered to the man standing in the shadows that had watched all of this. It was only when Yoongi was gone that he retreated back into the shadows.

“In another life, Yoongi,” you whispered to yourself as you slipped back into your shoes, before following him, “But it can't be this one.”

[wwxs-spicy-zixuan-peppers]

so last night while i was avoiding working on my commission, i was going off on discord and friendos were encouraging me so the swan princess (1994) AU.  gratuitous use of the shocked pikachu emoji i have access to on discord.

okay the hot xuanxian swan princess au right- so jzx and jyl are betrothed since like birth. every summer they are brought together to hopefully fall in love, and wwx and jc are with her to make sure their sister is treated right. but jzx is out here looking at wwx and then one summer, they all show up and wwx is hot now. so he breaks the engagement and tries to hit up wwx but wwx is like "lol no" and they leave for lotus pier and they get attacked and jyl and jc make it out relatively fine, but wwx be missing

idk who to make the evil wizard. wrh? he wants wwx for his sexy cultivation secrets passed down from granny bssr???? idk, but jzx is at home thinking about how he really messed up, and he doesn't think wwx would just fuckin die, if he was dead he would have been found by now. so he's off, looking for his mans

so wrh has a bird now, right. he's like "hey. marry my son, give us your shit, idk my motives aren't exactly well thought out during the spouting bullshit phase of the au process." and wwx is like "lol no" and wrh is like "then i hope you like being a bird." and wwx is like ">:("

okay so wwx is a cool goth swan. when there's moonlight on the lake, he can be a cool goth dude. wwx is studying the curse mark and shit, wrh is like "nice try jackhole, only a declaration of true love can break the curse. so if you agree to hand over your shit, my son will declare his very true and sexy love for you" and wwx is like "there is nothing true or sexy about that that boy" and wrh is like "...maybe so."

so jzx is out here, looking for wwx, and he sees this cool goth bird. and wwx is like "squack" and jzx is like "damn, tonight's dinner reminds me of my missing love." then the moon's on the lake and wwx is like "i swear to god you peacock, i will snap at your heels when i get you" and jzx is just so happy to see his mans!! and he goes over there, lifts wwx in a little princess lift spiiiin, and kisses him and wwx is like "damn slow down dude, you were just trying to eat me" and jzx is like "your siblings will be so relieved that you're alive! we will be married at dawn" and wwx is like "yeah i'm kind of cursed here, wrh wants my hot and sexy cultivation secrets. the only way to break it is for someone to declare their love for me??? so i need to kill whr since no one's gonna do that" and jzx is like "I will." and wwx is like "it's gotta be true love" and jzx is like "i truly love you? i'll go scream it at everyone right now." and wwx is like "oh you love me? name three of my albums what do you even like about me?" and jzx is like shocked pikachu face

okay so wrh shows up after jzx leaves and is like "i heard you talking shit, there's no moon tomorrow so you i'm gonna send in a fake you that he'll declare his love for someone who is not you and you die?" and wwx is like "then how are you going to get my sexy info?" and wrh is like "well you're going to give it to me so i do not do the thing?" and wwx is like "i'd rather die than you use this information to hurt the people i care about." and wrh is like "well you have 24 hours to change your mind, and only i can save you"

so jzx is on his way home and is like "okay so i found the love of my life and i gotta prove that i love him" and jzxun is like "gay" and jzx is like "yeah"

so jzx is telling his mom and whore dad about how he's found the person he's going to spend his life with and he needs to throw a really really big party so that everyone in the world knows. that'll show him that he loves him bf.

so everyone is showing up to this party on such short notice, jyl and jc are there. JC is like "hey my brother went missing last time i was here, why the FUCK are we here now?" and jzx is like "i need to declare my love for my future husband and i need the world to know, now everyone wait here so i can go grab him." and he goes off to grab wwx but "runs into him on the way" and he brings him in and JC and JYL are like shocked pikachu face.

so meanwhile, WWX is off in goth bird hell and he's wrecking shit in the manor and is wrecking so much shit before he dies. and wrh is like "damn what the fuck dude. your bf is throwing  a party to show off he loves you, you??" and wwx is like "okay i need to go stop that before he embarrasses both of us" and he goes off and flies directly into the party and beats the shit out of his impostor. [9:38 PM] and jzx is like "wait if you're the goth bird love of my life, then who is tiny waist ass fat over here?" and wwx honks like "really, you only want me for my sexy body?" and jc is like "hey what the fuck is happening?" and impostor wwx is like "you know what, fuck this." and dispels the disguise and walks out.

so jzx has this big goth bird, and everyone is like "hey what the fuck?" and jzx lets wwx go but hugs him and is like "i'm sorry, i was in such a rush to tell everyone how i feel about you that i almost confessed to a whole ass not you." and jyl is like "can you please explain why that person was dressed up like my brother and why he is apparently a bird now." and jzx is like "oh uh, wrh wants his sexy brain and only a declaration of true love can break the curse." and jyl is like "and you love my brother?" and jzx is like "yes" and jyl is like "okay. and what do you love about him?" and jzx is like "uh, everything? he's really smart and it's like effortless. he's kind but he doesn't take bullshit from anyone but your mom. he cares so deeply about things and i can only dream to be one of those things he loves. he's pretty yeah, but his smile is only a reflection of everything inside of him." and jc is like "gay" and BOOM. declaration of love.

and wwx is standing there and and jc and jyl hug the shit out of him and jzx is like. "oh shit i did it" and then he has this realization of "hey wwx do you uhhhh, feel the same?" and wwx is bright red and like "i mean. i've known your dumbass for a long time. i can't hate you for not being in live with my shijie even though you're clearly wrong, you know what you're about. I think,,, i could,,, i could love you back" and then they live happily ever after

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

Yandere fairytale au! Swan lake or jack the giant slayer with Joseph joestar or speedwagon or kars?

This will be a two part but I hope you enjoy

The princess who became a swan (pt1)

(Yandere Kars X Female Reader X Yandere Joseph)

You sat on a chair looking at the moon. You knew you could run away but even then you would never truly be free. Not while he still had control.

“My dear swan you’ve been looking at the moon for far too long” a deep voice spoke as you felt a large hand grip your shoulder.

“I thought you’d try to indulge yourself but it seems you’d rather mope around” he commented only to cause your hatred towards the male to grow. You turned your head back to see him. Long dark hair contoured his sharp face and pearly skin that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

He pulled one hand away, various rings with fine jewels covered his fingers. He rested his head on said hand before pulling a small smirk.

“So are you done being so miserable? I’d actually like for you to give me some company as it gets dreadfully lonely reading by myself” Kars asked. You stood up and faced him properly, feeling the fire in your heart.

“You have the audacity to mock my emotions after what you did to me! You stole away my freedom and took me far from those I love! You even dare to torment me further by calling me your swan. Is that how you like to cruelly remind me of what you’ve made me!” you yelled at him before trying to run from him only for him to grab your wrist.

“You are the one who put yourself in this position. I offered you dazzling jewels and silken robes. I offered you the softest pelts and exotic treasures yet you still rejected me, surely you understand that hurt me” he said as he looked at you with his crimson eyes.

“When you mean hurt you mean your ego at most, you are a selfish man in every way imaginable! I’d never marry a man who only wished to benefit themself, it would be my failure if I was to let my kingdom succumb to a greed such as yours!” you hissed as you tried to escape his grasp only to make him pull you tightly into his frame

“Lets not fight about the ins and outs of who’s to blame, you only have a few hours left after all” he said as he stroked your hair.

“Why don’t you just sit down and relax with me, you'll wear down your beauty if you keep frowning” he continued before you pushed away from him. You ran past him and through the halls and ran down as your long dress flowed behind but Kars was not worried as he knew you would come back, you always did.

🦢🦢🦢

You ran through the dark woods with tears in your eyes as the sky began to lighten. The forest thinned out in the middle to reveal a gorgeous garden long forgotten, a place only few know. The Swan lake.

You sat beside the lake weeping. Knowing that despite how much you wish upon a shooting star or how much you prayed to god in the heavens above that there was no escape. You knew how to break the spell you had read it out of Baron Kars notes but who would ever proclaim their love to you at the dead of night, let alone keep their promise. The swans of the lake pitied you as they had been cursed in a very similar way by the cruel Baron but unlike you they no longer had any hope of returning to the ones they loved, they were stolen from their husbands and wives and had their promises of a safe return broken in the heart of war from the evil sorcerer.  

As the first rays of sunshine peered from the horizon you felt your body lose balance before you fell into the crystal water of the lake. You shut your eyes as you felt your body become consumed by the curse. Eventually you emerged from the water, knowing that you had been reclaimed by your curse of day. You opened your eyes to see all the other swans around you in the lake and the forest behind you.

You turned and returned to the land before flapping your wings while running, soon the air under your wings lifted you into the sky. The higher you got the smaller everything became, even your problems seemed to become insignificant. You were touching the heavens like many dreamed to accomplish.

🦢🦢🦢

A brunette prince let out a yawn as he waited by the stable as he held a crossbow in hand. He was waiting to see if a certain knight accepted his invitation for an afternoon of competitive hunting. He huffed before having a look around the grounds before seeing the familiar face of the fair maid Suzie Qutaro cutting roses for his mother. She noticed him and waved while giving a sheepish smile, he gave her a cheeky smile back making a rosy hue to form on her cheeks before returning to her duties in a flustered state. He snickered a bit before hearing a pair of footsteps.

He looked to the otherside to see the blonde male which he had been waiting for.

“Took you long enough Caesar, I was beginning to think you didn’t have the balls to accept my challenge” the prince smugly spoke as he stretched.

“Well unlike you I actually have other things to do” Caesar commented as he walked closer.

“And if I remember correctly you lost our sparring yesterday, a four to ten if I remember correctly… you’re probably only doing this to get even with me” the male continued with a laugh which irritated the prince.

“So what if I am, I bet you’ll scare away all the wildlife with your presence alone” he retorted with a sly tone as he entered the stable and grabbed his horse. The blonde muttered something under his breath as he followed the prince and grabbed his own horse before the set of far beyond the palace grounds.

It seemed like hours of riding for the two and as night drew close it seemed less likely that either one of the young men were going to bring any trophies home.

“We should just give up now, It’ll be dark soon” Caesar said to Joseph but the ego struck brunette did not listen as he searched deeper into the thick forest. He was determined to prove that he was greater than the blonde.

“Fine then, I’ll leave by myself… if you get eaten by the wolves then it’s not my fault” Caesar stated as rolled his eyes before he began walking back to where they left their horses.

Joseph only snickered at the blonde, thinking about how much of a coward he was to leave now. He kept up his search for something worthy for his display but to no success but when he realised the sun was setting and his luck was not with him today he found what he was looking for. A snow white swan sleeping just a few meters in front of him, it seemed almost like it was given to him on a silver tray.

All he needed to do was shoot it in the heart and it was his. He had a steady aim, his finger slowly before the loud shout of an owl threw him off, causing the arrow to hit the swans wing instead.

You woke up to feel the sharp pain of the arrow, you screamed out before running deeper into the forest, the brunette was quick in his attempt to apprehend you. You tried to fly but it only hurt more.

You managed to get at a far distance from the man who was chasing you but you knew you needed to hide. You looked around to find some shrubs that might offer a good hiding place. You hid yourself and watched through the shrubs as he approached before standing around to try to figure where you had gone, you thought you had managed to lose him before you saw the moon begin to rise.

Just as the prince was about to give up he saw you appear from the bushes, a beautiful young woman adone in a swan feathered gown he was captivated by you as he saw the most beautiful woman he’d seen. As she ran he saw the arrow in her arm, he tried to reach you in an attempt to help you, unaware that you were the swan he had shot.

You panicked as he still chased through the forest but just as you began to lose your strength you felt a pair of arms pull you aside, you looked up to see Kars looking down at you with an emotion you hadn’t seen before.

“I’m glad I came in time” he said empathetically before tracing his finger against the arrow in your arm causing you to flinch.

“This is why I need you to stay with me, that horrible man could have killed you dear” he said in a soft yet condoning manner, at this moment you knew he was just using the situation as a way to scare you out of leaving him but yet you still held onto him, you were afraid as you knew you could have very well died.

“Without me you’re defenceless” he continued as he stroked your hair as you buried your head in his chest and when you finally looked at him again you realised that you were both back in his castle.

“Now I’ll have to remove that arrow so lay down and stay still” he requested, you laid on the love seat knowing very well that he wasn’t going to let his crimson eyes off of you for sometime after this incident.  

Meanwhile Joseph the forest on his horse with a bloody feather from the mysterious woman's dress, wondering if he’d ever see you again, hoping he would meet you again in a better circumstance.

[thgreatestblue]

false god [part III]

➜ pairing: kokushibou x fem!reader ➜ warnings: smut, fluff, manga spoilers, angst, no happy ending. ➜ words: 7.8k ➜ a/n: the third and final part of this fic is finally here! it brings me a lot of joy to know that there are people out there that like my work even when my english isn't perfect. thank you to everyone who waited and supported this fic, i really appreciate it. this chapter is looong but i hope you enjoy it! ➜ ao3

➜ false god [part I] / false god [part II]

summary: Then, you look at him, really look at him. Past those six eyes, beyond the black, the red and yellow; for who he once was. Maybe in another life you would be graced with the luck to meet him again, under different circumstances, being able to love him for the person he truly was. 

V.

After so many years of living in the dark, the idea of enjoying the night as much as you enjoyed the day was still foreign. As the day shifted, you looked forward to watch the curtains of the stage closing for the sun, so the moon would have its chance to perform another beautiful night; stars twinkling and dancing between clouds, glowing in the dark — it was now an endless battle for your favoritism. 

There was something about the moon; its form so intrinsic and majestic. You would watch from your window how bright and graceful the celestial body moved around the sky. How it would cast a dreamy gleam as the night went by. The quiet sounds of the animals; crickets and owls filling the silence with their everyday songs. 

It was a beautiful phenomenon on this side of the world. Or at least, on this side of life you were finally experiencing. Counting stars to sleep, the gentle but cold breeze of the night, the fragile silence that seems untouchable even with the nocturne activity. It was peaceful, and that’s what you’ve wanted for so long that everyday was a day to enjoy life by itself. 

Or maybe partially, because some nights the last thing you did was contemplating the moon in the sky. Instead, you would be contemplating another one; right on earth, at the touch of your fingers. At Kokushibou’s mercy, you would give him anything he wanted — and you were, oh, so willing to provide. Even though you had a job to do, now most of the time, you would find yourself making your way to his bedroom, only getting out of it hours later. 

Kokushibou fucked like he fought. It was raw and rough, borderline animalistic — which you suspect was just his nature acting under his lust, he was a Demon after all. You didn’t mind though, you actually really liked how carnal and real the act felt. And mostly, how everytime after sex you would lay down, feeling good and satisfied. Soon enough you were craving for his touch, counting the hours, the days so you could taste him again. 

After some time, you learned all his preferences, all his favorite spots. You liked to see the hunger on his face when you changed things in bed, trying something new; just the greed on his eyes was enough to get you aroused. You loved the way he devoured your mouth, how he imprinted his desire on your flesh; carving you with kisses and teeth. 

Not only were your neck and shoulders marked; but you could find purple and blue spots on your back, down to your breasts, inside your thighs and even on your ass — He clearly was making it difficult for you to cover up everything. At some point you stopped trying to hide the marks he left on your skin. 

The other servants probably knew about your activities with him anyway, so it wasn't a secret you needed to keep. And the way Kokushibou glanced at your exposed, and pretty much marked skin for the first time while you were working still gets you all worked up — He was, without a doubt, a possessive man.

Soon enough, you started to spend more time in his bedroom than anywhere else. And because you didn't know how to explain to the servants that you’ve been having sex with him for the past few months, you choose to not talk about it at all. Pretending that nothing was happening was easier than trying to explain something that didn't really have an explanation. 

Or maybe it did. And it was quite simple. You liked to be fucked by Kokushibou, and he liked to fuck you. That was all.

When it came to having sex, it was something you could do without thinking; your body moved on its own, knowing exactly what to do and what it wanted. How to pleasure both of you, something that Kokushibou seemed to like — A contrast to the old days, because he wanted you to feel good, wanted to make you come screaming his name. Which was something you were very pleased about because you couldn't take one sided relationships anymore. 

However, when it came to simple interactions; like talking about the day, about the weather, or even dancing with him — another thing Kokushibou seemed to take a liking other than having sex — You were a mess, never knowing what to do, where to look at. It would make you laugh at how much those basic things left you blushing more than having his cock down your throat.

The night was prettier by the lake; the water was almost still, saving from the small bubbles from the fishes that popped on the surface from time to time. It reflected the full moon on its surface, mirroring the beauty from the sky. The wind hits your exposed legs, and even though it isn't cold, you shiver slightly. 

You were wearing only a kimono and your undergarments. It wasn't an ideal way to dress when going out of the house; but sooner or later you were going to be naked, so why make it difficult to undress? When Kokushibou invited you to come see the lake that day, it was more than obvious that he didn't want to only show you the place. 

“May I ask you a bold question?” You shyly say, glancing at him from the corner of your eyes.

You pick one grape from the bunch you had brought and eat it to distract yourself from the nervousness on our stomach. Kokushibou didnt say it was a picnic, but you decided to make it one. The towel that you extend was soft under your skin, the food was inside a basquet and even though the man wasn't eating anything from it, you knew he would still have his meal before dawn.

“You may.” He’s sitting by your side, eyes lingering on your fingers. The warmth of the proximity was nice since you weren't wearing many clothes.

“How old are you really?” You ask hesitantly. You knew it wasn't your position to ask personal questions; yet, you couldn't help wanting to know more about the man, wanting to dwell on his deep waters; wanting to find treasures no one had the chance to see. 

“Why do you want to know that?” Kokushibou blinks, eyes opening and closing in a perfect rhythm. 

Although it was rude to stare, the movement would always catch your eyes, watching how even his blinks were perfectly synchronized. You once had the opportunity to watch him train, and you wanted to imprint every single minute of that day on your mind, forever carved on the brain. You had never seen someone moving so beautifully yet dangerous; how impeccable the katana cut through the air, every single muscle exposed as he shifted from a position to another — And heavens, the way he fucked you after that left you sore for the rest of the week. 

“Because I'm curious?” You raise an eyebrow, trying to sound casual. 

You were still working your nervousness around him when you two weren't having sex. It was a territory probably neither of you knew much about, Kokushibou taking too long to answer, and you hesitating to continue. You pick another grape, this time making sure to suck your finger in the process.

Kokushibou shifts his gaze to the lake. A beautiful swan floated around, alone in the big body of water. You watch the bird as well, the gleam from above making the white of his feathers shine under the moonlight. Silence fell between you two, but it wasn't uncomfortable. You wonder if Kokushibou was thinking about his past life, if he was trying to remember all those years he had lived. 

“485 years.” He finally says.

You gag on the grape, coughing a little bit in the process. You had a suspicion that he was old, but 458 years? You look at the lonely swan again. Time must be a different concept for someone like Kokushibou, to watch seasons changing the landscape from a year to another, from snow to summer rains. People borning then dying. Heroes rising then sinking. Wars, Marriages. Life, Death. It was such a heavy number that you couldn't even fathom the idea of living for so long. Alone.

“Isn't lonely? Living for that long by yourself?” You genuinely wanted to know.

Kokushibou turns his head to look at you, bringing his hand to your face. He touches tenderly your cheek and you immediately incline your head, seeking the warmth of his skin. It was moments like this you allowed yourself to dream, just a taste of what it could be if this was another reality. You briefly close your eyes, kissing the palm of his hand.

“Sometimes it is,” His eyes hover over your face, then over your almost exposed breasts. The only thing keeping your kimono together was a sash around your waist; which was poorly tied. “Sometimes it is not.”

Truth be told, he had become bolder with his actions in the past few weeks, not restraining his touches for only the bedroom. You had a hard time trying not blushing furiously while he fucked you on the kitchen counter one night; the fear of being caught turning you on more than it should — or when he kissed your hand in front of the servants the other night after inviting you to dance.

That’s why when you got ready you thought it wouldn't hurt being bold as well. And by the way he was looking at your legs, the hem of your kimono sliding over your thighs, it was working quite well. 

In a swift motion, he grabs your wrist, pulling you into his lap. You don’t fight against it, letting your legs straddle his thighs, gasping as your pussy rubs against his crotch, and you can feel he’s already hardening in his pants. You wrap your arms around his neck, throwing your head back to show off your neck — that it never has time to recover before having his mouth all over it again.

Kokushibou doesn't waste any more time; his hand is already tangled in your hair, yanking in sharp tugs while biting and sucking the tender but still bruised skin of your collar. The other hand is untying the knot of the sash in a quick motion. You arch against him, bucking your hips into the friction. 

As soon as the kimono falls open, his mouth moves from your bruised neck down to your chest, leaving a trail of electricity at each kiss, lighting up all your body and forming a hot pool on your lower belly. He sucks one of your nipples and you roll your hips harder against him, moaning softly at his touch. 

“I didn't know you liked to play with dolls, Kokushibou-dono.”

You literally jump on his lap as soon as your mind registers the voice, squealing as the embarrassment of being caught washes over you. Kokushibou is fast on his movements though, quickly grabbing the hem of the kimono to cover your breasts. You hold your arms in front of your body before taking a look at the owner of the voice.

“What are you doing here, Douma?” The cold and sharp tone of his voice is enough to cease all of the fire and lust that was still lingering on your body. 

The man was standing a few steps away — at least he didn't have the audacity to come so close — His hair was so pale that it seemed silver under the moonlight; almost as long as Kokushibou too. His skin was also pretty pale. But what caught your attention was his eyes;  An array of rainbow pastel tones coloring his iris; it is different from anything you’ve seen, and you'd find it pretty if it wasn't for one detail.

He was definitely a Demon. And you had to curse yourself for, more often than not, forgetting about the fact that you lived amongst them. It was so easy to forget about problems like that when all you did was house work and sex. When there was no one in sight and no real danger to remember you that the world was actually a cruel place.

You notice that Douma, as Kokushibou called, is looking at you. At this point you should’ve already been used to Demons studying you with their hunter eyes, but it’s impossible to get used when every glance was different, if Kokushibou glanced at you with desire, then Douma looked at you as his next prey, ready to rip your head off. 

“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting, it wasn't my intention!” He looks almost apologetic, but there’s something about the way he moves his features, as if it’s all mechanical; rehearsed.

“What do you want?” Kokushibou's voice cuts the night like a knife, it makes your shoulders tense. You had never heard him this angry before. 

You quickly get off of him, tying up the sash of your kimono again. Your legs tremble over the stare you’re receiving. It’s cold and sadistic, the smile spreading on his face is creep, making you remember why you had to stay away from Demons in the first place. 

“Hmm, I was feeling sad for losing three of our friends in such a short period of time.” He dramatically sighs, wiping away fake tears from his eyes, “I came here seeking your comfort but it seems like you have already found someone else.”

He glances at you again, and this time you can taste the danger and perverse intentions exhaling from him. You quiver slightly under his gaze, fear feeling your veins. In some way, it reminds you of Muzan; even though he never hid his intentions, somehow, having a Demon that did that on purpose was even scarier. 

“If you look at her ever again I’ll cut your head off.” Kokushibou warns, getting up from the spot, his back muscles are tense, the hand around his katana is tight. 

“Oh, Kokushibou-dono, you’re no fun! I was just teasing!” He laughs, putting a hand over his chest, “She’s indeed a fine piece of human, it would be a waste if something happened to her.”

It’s a lie. And both you and Kokushibou know it. However, the Demon doesn't look at you anymore, showing how important Kokushivou's position was amongst the Demons, his status turned him into a God, old and powerful. You honestly don't know if it should calm you, or make you even more alarmed. 

“Y/N, wait for me in my bedroom.” He commands, walking towards the other Demon.

“Yes, Kokushibou-dono.” It’s the only thing you can say, turning around and almost running back to the house without looking back. 

VI.

As the minutes ticked by, you could hear your own steps padding across the wooden floor, never stopping moving. You’ve tried to occupy your mind reading one of the books that were by the table, but the words didn't seem to make any sense, all blurry and twisted, the anxiety growing on your chest didn't make it easy either. You bite your nails again, feeling the fear creeping into your mind. 

For how long have you been walking in circles? 

The still lingering feeling of Douma’s predatory eyes spreads goosebumps all over your skin. He represents a different type of danger, if Muzan was violence and Kokushibou was dominance, the blonde was something as cold as ice, the type that burns your lungs when you try to breathe. His smile was just a facade; you wonder if people even believe in it — they definitely did.

However, you knew that the Demons didn't walk in groups, and they were mostly too narcissistic to even have friends. To have one coming in Kokushibou’s house was definitely a bad sign. Well, a bad sign for them. You had caught the servants whispering a few humors around the house but never paid any attention to them. Maybe you should’ve. Because now the idea of leaving this place, leaving Kokushibou, it didn't sit right in your mind — nor in your heart.

The sound of the door opening brings you to the present, immediately making you come to a stop. You hold your hands on your back, still feeling anxious about the situation — your gut telling you that something was definitely off. Holding your breath as Kokushibou steps in the room, you notice his eyes are a shade darker, jaw clenched tightly. 

You anxiously wait for him to say something, however, Kokushibou doesn't even look at you. Instead, he makes his way to the table by the corner of the room, quickly pouring himself a glass of his favorite beverage. You press your lips together, feeling the tension that has spread through the room starting to suffocate you. Something was definitely wrong, but you suspect Kokushibou wasn’t going to tell you, so you don’t bother asking.

He swallows down the entire liquid in one single gulp, setting down the glass with so much force that it makes you jump by the violence of the act. Kokushibou was angry. Your mind, for the first time in months, turns on the sirens that had been long forgotten since you started being intimate with the man. They are loud in your head and you can’t ignore the way your body starts to shake slightly.

You hated the taste that it left in your mouth, hated the way your body stiffened when he moved to pour himself another drink. Hated to remember that no matter what, your life wasn't normal. It was moments like this that made you rethink everything that you’ve done up until this point — if you even had made the right decision. You take a glance from the corner of your eyes, Kokushibou is holding another empty glass staring at the wall, the muscles on his arms are tensed at a point of breaking the glass.

“I’ll leave you alone, Kokushibou-dono.” It comes out weak and hesitant, your body building up a tension that goes down to your nerves. 

Kokushibou dosen’t say anything, doesn't look. And somehow you feel small, betrayed. Pressing your lips together, you close your eyes for a moment. It wasn't unusual that neither of you knew how to have a conversation, but this was just too much. You could sense the pressure of his hostility, taste the blood in your mouth. Whatever Douma told him it wasn't good news. You just hoped he wouldn't lash that angriness on you.

The thought makes you shiver, memories flooding your mind as the sound of the glass against the wooden table makes you jump again. This is bad, this is so bad. You thought you were safe; that those men and their angry fists and mean words were left behind — that they couldn't reach you here. Your heart beats faster in your chest, breathing starting to come out unseasy. You can’t go through that, not again. As anxiety starts to take over, you walk towards the door in quick steps.

“Stay.”

You stop by the door, hand holding the handle. Sweat runs down your forehead and you can’t bring yourself to look at the man. There’s a tiny chance that if you do, you will want to run, to put as much distance as you can between you and the predator Kokushibou actually is. You hesitate for a moment before letting go of the handle — even though you wanted to leave, he was still your lord, and you had to do whatever he asked. 

In a blink of an eye he’s standing right behind you, hands resting on your waist. You stiffen even harder as you feel his hot breath on your neck. It was so easy to get lost in the moment, to look at his face and not find anything strange, to continue to live your life in peace when the outside world was dipped in chaos and cruelty; molded by the hands of the same man who touches you so intimately. 

Your breath is caught on your throat when he kisses your nape, but the shuddering that takes over your body isn't good; it leaves you feeling cold and weird, caged by his hands and the door. There’s nothing you can do but try to fight those sensations from rising — the last thing you want is to make Kokushibou even angrier. 

“Y/N,” Kokushibou calls your name, and you hate the way you flinch; the blatantly display of fear makes you even more tense. 

Kokushibou holds your elbow, motioning for you to turn around. As you shift your body, your eyes fall to his chest, locked in the pattern of his kimono. Staring at him right now isn't a good idea, the reminder of your situation written all over his face. He studies you for a moment before speaking. 

“I’m not angry with you,” He says gently, slowly raising his hand, “I don't think I could ever be angry with you.” His touch is tender, the back of his fingers caressing your cheek so gently you find yourself relaxing under his touch.

The coldness of the room melts away as the warmth of his words hits your heart. The sirens come to a stop, leaving your head in complete silence. You lift your eyes to stare at him, and even if Kokushibou was hard to read sometimes because of the amount of eyes instead of skin, the look on his face was definitely softer, and you could swear there was a hint of smile on his lips. Your heart throbs with the sight.

Kokushibou has never treated you like a whore. He wasn't like those men.

For your surprise, it’s you who move first. Wrapping your hands around his neck and bringing him closer. You brush your lips against his while inhaling his musk scent. Kokushibou pulls you closer, wrapping his arms around your waist and holds you in a tight grip; it’s almost suffocating the way his firm body presses on yours — almost as if he’s afraid that you’re going to leave. But you quickly discard the thought. 

Kokushibou is never afraid… Right?

You lean closer, forehead tenderly touching in between the first row of his eyes. You get lost in the heat of the moment; the act is so intimate you have to close your eyes. His breath dances around your face while your fingers rub gently his jaw, easing the tension that had settled there a few minutes ago. He hums with the touch, and if you didn't know any better, you would say you effectively calmed him down. But you don't have that kind of effect on him, do you?

The kiss is chaste, almost innocent. It was a first time for you, kissing someone this way, wearing your emotions on your sleeve without even noticing. And you decide that it feels good, taking your time to savour each part of him without worrying about the next step. 

And he lets you kiss him as much as you want, only tilting his head so you have better access to his mouth. You had never kissed Kokushibou so calmly before, without second intentions. It overflows you with feelings you didn't know that even existed, it was more than desire, more than lust. However, you push those thoughts for another time, now you were too focused on the flavour of his lips. 

He holds you tight, hands traveling down your back, slightly squeezing your ass in the process, and you breathlessly moan in his mouth, “May we continue what we started?” Kokushibou asks, leaving small trails of kisses along your jaw. 

And just like that, all the hesitation leaves your body. He was asking you, like the first time months ago. It’s a strange feeling, knowing that on some kind of level, he actually cared about you; about what you wanted. As you stop to think about, he never forced you to do anything you didn't want to. Sometimes you would hesitate, yes, but the final word was always yours. 

You nod, letting him guide you to the futon. And maybe the reason why you trusted him so blindly was because he cared enough to listen. Something that no one has ever done before. Althought it was terrible that you could excuse murder for just a tiny bit of Kokushibou affetion, you couldn't help but feel good in his arms, stability in his words. 

This time you decide to stay on top, straddling his thighs as soon as he sits on the futon. Kokushibou doesn't seem to mind, seeking your mouth instead of aiming for your neck. And you lose yourself in his taste, letting his tongue travel around your mouth, sliding against your own. You softly moan as he grinds against your pussy, his erection getting harder as you rock your hips forward. 

Kokushibou quickly unties the knot of the sash, and you let the kimono fall on to the floor. The heat on your lower belly starts to boil, building you up deliciously slow. Then, his mouth is on your left breast, biting and sucking gingerly while you grind on his crotch, pussy pulsing already. Your fingers curl on his hair, tugging harder as he pinches the other one.

“Aah, Kokushibou,” You throw your head back, intense hunger taking over you, “I need you, now.”

Kokushibou growls with your request, devouring your mouth like a man who hasn't eaten for days, and you take his carnal need with delight, sobbing when he bites down your lower lip. Suddenly, the tender atmosphere shifts, red fills your vision as he thrusts his hips upwards, grinding on your pussy, and it doesn't take long for you to become a mess of moans.

His clothes are quickly discarded, and you immediately wrap your hand around his cock, feeling each vein and muscle as you start to stroke him. You liked the weight and the build, the way it twists in your hand when you turn your wrist just right — only you could do this to him, and somehow it fills you with pride. 

You wanted to suck him off but right now you were taken by a need to have him inside you. It leaves you drunk with him; his scent clouds your head, and all you can do is feel every inch of his strong body against yours, rubbing on your hardened nipples. Sweat runs down your back and you’re so sensitive that even the brush of his finger on your clit makes you shudder, pulsing for something more.

You take the opportunity to kiss his neck while you run your hand down to his balls, he groans as you continue to stoke him, hands gripping your hips so tight it might leave marks; but you were already used to those — and strangely enough you want them more than ever. Positioning yourself above him, you hold one of his shoulders for balance while the other guides his cock to your entrance. 

Kokushibou holds your hips as you go down on him, groaning while watching you take all his length in one swift motion. You roll your eyes when his cock hits the deepest part of you, filling you up the way you most liked it. He stops you from moving though, taking his time to enjoy the feeling of your walls clenching around him.

“You’re so good,” He praises, “So perfect for me.”

Tears prick at the corner of your eyes and you don’t know why you are so sensitive today. A realization sinks on your stomach as you watch him behind heavy lids, his mouth red and swollen from your kisses, his hair was a mess, the once perfect ponytail now was in a disarray; the sight makes something itch under your skin. 

You reach for his face, involving his neck with one hand while the other tugs free the piece that holds his hair together. Kokushibou doesn't protest, doesn't move. Rather, he watches in amusement as you take a good look at him for the first time with his hair down. Your breath gets caught up on your throat.

He was the one who was perfect. 

“You’re so beautiful, Kokushibou.” It leaves you speechless. It wasn’t fair how astonishing his beauty was, almost from another world. 

You could stay like this forever, staring at him like he was a God — worshiping him as if it was your only salvation. His hair falls on his back, and somehow he looks way younger like that, it frames his face flawlessly; and you have to suppress the desire to run your fingers through his hair for the rest of the night.

Then, you look at him, really look at him. Past those six eyes, beyond the black, the red and yellow; for who he once was. Maybe in another life you would be graced with the luck to meet him again, under different circumstances, being able to love him for the person he truly was. Love. Your mind freezes as the word appears from the deepest part of you.

Kokushibou smiles softly, leaning closer to kiss you. And you take his mouth like a gift from up above. You run your tongue over his lips, his teeth, drinking him up like the most delicious wine you could ever taste. For now, you were more than satisfied with what you got.

You can feel his cock throbbing inside you, but instead of moving, you pull back from his mouth. Right now you just wanted to give everything you could, wanted him to feel everything you would never be able to say. You hold his face, lifting just a little to reach the first eye. 

Softly, as if you were holding something fragile, you kiss his eyelid. And then the other, then the other. You make your way down his face, putting devotion on each touch, each kiss carrying a different type of emotion. It makes him sigh every time your lips meet his eyelids. It was still too soon to say anything, but if the words appeared in your mind, then maybe it wasn't impossible. 

After all his six eyes received their deserved attention, you leave another chaste kiss on his mouth. But Kokushibou doesn't let you go far away, pulling you for an open mouth kiss that leaves you breathless. He devours your mouth with such a hunger you think you might come just from that. He’s desperate on his touch, savoring you as if you were going to disappear. You do your best to match his rhythm, trying to tell him that you weren't going anywhere, that your place was here, by his side. 

His cock throbs inside you again, and you take that as a cue to finally start moving. It starts quite slowly, you move your hips lazily, riding him while breathing heavily through your nose, eyes rolling to the back of your head as each drag of his cock makes you see stars. Kokushibou holds your hips, guiding you to keep moving; he watches you so intensely it makes you blush furiously.

“You take me so exceptionally,” He bites down on your earlobe, “I could watch you ride me all day.”

You moan from his words, they were making you feel hotter than normal. Maybe you did like when he praised you, when he would let his guard down. It showed that he liked and trusted this arrangement as much as you did. Perhaps it wasn't impossible then, love. 

Kokushibou kisses you deeply between muffled moans, picking up the pace. He wraps his arms tightly around your waist and thrusts harder, pounding his cock inside you with enough force that you feel yourself hanging on your sanity by a thin thread.

“Oh—nnh, Kokushibou!” You cry out, “Bite me, mark me.”

You don’t know where that need came from, however it spreads through your body as quickly as fire spreads through a forest. Realization hits you as he moans on your neck, you wanted to be owned by him so badly — and you would have laughed about how head over heels you were for this man if you were lucid enough.

Kokushibou bites down on your shoulder. It breaks your skin but it doesn't sting. Rather, it sends shivers down the impossibly heated pool on your lower belly. Then he bites down again, and again. You desperately moan louder each time — Kokushibou wanted you to be his too, and it sinks down into your bones, down to your core. 

Your nails scratch viciously at his shoulder, slicing red marks into his skin. He sucks and lickes all the bites, and even though you can feel blood running down your back, you’re happy. Somehow you were his, and that’s all that matters.

“Come for me, Y/N.” Kokushibou whispers, hungrily kissing you.

Your whine on his mouth, and even though you didn't want the moment to end, you felt like you were going to explode if you didn't come. Feverishly, your pussy tightens around his cock, your mouth opens but no sounds come out of it. 

Your orgams runs trought your body like a lighting, igniting every single nerve just to come crashing into you in a wave of relief. Kokushibou follows right after, growling in your ear. He thrusts deeper, coming inside you hot and heavy. 

Kokushibou pulls you with him to lie on the futon, you whimper as he slowly pulls out of you with a wet sound; his come drips down your pussy. You try to catch your breath, the afterglow lingering in your body so deliciously you can’t bring yourself to move. He rubs your waist with his thumb while you nuzzle his neck with your nose, hands caressing his chest. 

It feels different this time, the way his fingers brush your skin, how tender and fragil the air around you two feel. It fills you with joy, having him touching you like that, taking care of you after sex. As if you were something more. As if he liked you. 

You kiss his neck, then his shoulder, spreading small pecks along his collarbone. Blame the afterglow, blame the bubbling feeling in your chest, blame whatever you want. Damn it, you were happy. Kokushibou hums, stroking your back affectionately; definitely content with your pampering. 

Something crosses your mind, and before you can stop the words from coming out of your mouth, they are already out.

"What did Douma want?” You suddenly ask, feeling him tense under your body. Well, maybe you shouldn't have said anything, what a nice way to mess up a perfect moment. 

“Go to sleep, Y/N.” Kokushibou dismisses, you feel guilty when he stops stroking your back.

“Is everything alright?” You try again, the need to have an affirmation that nothing was going to change takes over your soul. 

“I told you to go to sleep.”

You fall silent, biting down your lips to prevent from saying anything else. You knew you shouldn't mingle in his business. However, you couldn't just ignore the fact that he was on the verge of snapping when he entered the room. The excruciating feeling creeping in your guts wouldn't let you sleep, you needed to know.

You hear Kokushibou sighing before speaking, “Muzan-sama is summoning me, I'll be back in a few days, that's all.”

You turn your head to look at him. His eyes are closed but there's a hint of uneasiness in his features. Muzan was a tough person to deal with it, you knew that very well. However, you couldn’t stop thinking that there was something more between the lines. You would’ve to talk with the servants if you wanted to know because the man clearly wasn't going to tell you.

In a gentle motion, you cup his jaw with one hand, only two of his eyes open with the gesture, watching you behind long lashes. Kokushibou’s hair is spread in the sheets, a pool of dark hair surring him like a dark aura; with hints of red on the tips. You ran your hand through his long and beautiful hair, it’s silk and smooth to the touch; just like you expected. He goes back to stroke your back, and you don’t fight the tiny smile from forming on your lips.

You look at him, but nothing comes out of your mouth. It's on the tip of your tongue, begging to be freed from its cage. It’s an overflowing feeling that fills your chest, padding each hole that life had once torn it open. It’s delicate, like your chest is filled with an intense light that shines through every pore.

Rather than speaking, you lean closer, capturing Kokushibou’s lips once again and diving in for a kiss. His lips feel soft on yours, still wet from the previous activity. He kisses you with vigor and you’ve to heavily breathe through your nose to not break the kiss. You wanted this to last as long as it could. 

There’s no tongue, only your lips meeting his in a soft and very intimate act. It feels pure somehow, how your hand caresses his jaw as Kokushibou sucks slightly your bottom lips. And you decide that you should kiss him like this more often from now on.

You pull away, breathing heavily. If the smirk on his face was a signal that he understood what you wanted to say, then it was enough. Snuggling your nose on his neck, you close your eyes, getting lost on his scent as fatigue starts to take over your body. 

”Good night, Kokushibou."

"Good night, Y/N."

VII.

You should’ve known something was wrong when Kokushibou kissed you in front of everyone before leaving. His hands cupped your face, kissing you so tenderly that you sighed as soon as he retread, missing his touch already. The gasps and shocked looks from the rest of the servants didn't bother you; what did bother you was the dread feeling eating you from inside out. You watched him go, disappearing in the distance until you couldn't see his silhouette anymore. 

The moon shone bright in the night, the flowers swung with the wind. But the air was tense, carrying an intense trepidation that left you shivering on the spot. Your gut ached with apprehension.

You should’ve known something was wrong when that same night you weren't able to sleep, nor the other ones. Without his warmth, without his body, without him. You haven't realized until now how you had become dependent on the man. You also weren't eating, dark circles adorned your eyes, and even when the servants asked for you to at least drink some tea, you couldn't find the strength. Not even their voices you were able to register, caught in a dark void that inebriated all your senses. 

Not one, nor two, but three weeks passed and there was no sign of him. You would sit in the front of the house every night, waiting for his return. 

But Kokushibou never came back.

You knew something had gone wrong when you saw the banner of the Demon Slayer in the distance, moving so painfully slow that you could count your heartbeats in the fraction of time they took to make their way to the entrance of the house. Someone shouted, there was the sound of something crashing on the wooden floor, you sensed someone touching your shoulder, speaking enthusiastically, motioning to the group of people that were now crossing the yard with huge smiles on their faces.

Suddenly, it was winter. 

Your body starts to shake violently, the air that enters your lungs is suffocating, like sharp knives stabbing your body repeatedly. You shook your head, holding your hands together in a prayer. Please, let my gut be wrong just this time. For all those weeks you never allowed yourself to think about a scenario like this; never allowed the dread feeling to take over your mind, the trepidation ran in your veins but you didn't let it poison you. 

This couldn't be. No, it was impossible. Kokushibou wasn't… Although, deep down you already knew the answer. Denying it was what made you tolerate the way the moon and the sun change places in the sky; the cold nights, the tasteless food, the insufferably voices of the servants. It was what prevented you from collapsing completely — however, now there was nothing preventing you from finally stepping to the edge of the cliff.

Someone touches your hand, it takes a few minutes for you to process who it was. The old lady holds your hands in hers, her smile doesn't settle right in your stomach, it sickens you instead.

“You are free, honey. He will never use you like that anymore.” She says in a sweet tone but it’s too sugary, too much for your palate. 

“What...” Your frown, feeling your skin crawl underneath her touch.

“It’s okay, Y/N. We all knew what he was doing to you…”

“No, you’re wrong,” You shout, face twisting in a scowl. You retreat your hands as if she had burned them, the implication of that phrase cutting deep to your bone, “I wanted him, I loved him!”

You can’t process what you just said, you can’t process that it took this long to say something so simple. The old lady looks at you with pity, as if she understands how you were feeling better than yourself, as if she knew you. She tries to hold your hand again, saying something you can’t comprehend, her touch is sickening, it feels wrong. 

“Don’t touch me.” You warn, stepping back. Your heart is in your throat, it burns to speak, it burns to breathe. 

The other servants stop their chatting to stare at you, some of them look disgusted; as if you had become a Demon too. There’s a nauseating silence but you can read each one of their thoughts, you don’t notice when your hands start to clench on your sides. You can’t stand it anymore. Panicking, you run to the only place you knew they wouldn't follow; his bedroom.

You’re trembling, knees almost giving in when you arrived at his door. No air enters your lungs; they are on the verge of collapsing. It hurts, it hurts more than any punch you’ve ever received, it hurts more than all the wrong decisions you had made in your entire life. It cruelly crushes your heart — tore it apart as if it was just made of paper — it wasn't strong enough to endure another change.

Impulsively, you find yourself opening the drawer where he kept his clothes, grabbing the beautiful piece of purple kimono he was always wearing. You run your hand through the fabric, the simple pattern brings a sense of melancholy; the taste of memories is so bitter on your tongue that you can’t keep standing. Your knees hit the ground in a loud and painful thud.

You bury your face in the fabric, screaming to the world, to the universe. Screaming until your voice was gone, until you couldn't hear anything but your own agonizing sound, lost in a sea of excruciating pain. You were drowning again, but this time there was no one to save you — misery corrodes your foundation, making all that you’ve built up until this moment come crashing down on you.

Life was never going to give you an option, was it?

His scent was still strong in the bedroom, on the kimono. You take a deep breath, trying to hold into something, anything. However, it does the completely opposite. It fills you with memories, shooting through your mind like bullets. They hit you countless times, each one more painful than the other. A broken sob escapes your lips.

You remember his touch, his voice, his body. But mostly, you remember the feeling of being with Kokushibou. It has always been peaceful, it has always felt good. In only a few months you were able to finally begin to be yourself, to finally dream. You remember his tiny smile, the way his hair swung when he walked, the way he touched you, the way he looked at you. 

You loved him. You really loved him. And even if Kokushibou didn't feel the same, he still gave you everything you wanted, a house, a peaceful life you always fought for, and the most important thing; he gave you affection. He took care of you when you thought the entire world was against you. You were selfish for wanting him to live forever, for wanting a Demon to continue to live, you knew that, but your heart didn't; it screamed for him to come back.

Nothing lasts forever, so why did you think he was an exception? 

It was an illusion that this could go on until you died. Another broken sob comes ripping your insides until it escapes your lips. It was all false. The tears come in large drops, dripping down into his kimono as you continue to scream. They crash and burn, making your body quiver with the intensity. 

Kokushibou was gone. He wasn't coming back to sleep by your side, to take care of you. He wasn't coming back to run his finger through your hair, to kiss you when you needed it. He wasn't coming back to touch you and love you.

For days the sky felt dull, as if an eclipse had settled in front of the moon and the sun, leaving you in an eternal twilight; the long nights and the colorless days. It aches your soul, the deep cuts were torn open, and now were bleeding nonstop, and you feel like dying from those injuries. 

When the night comes, you’re still crying. Everything feels false, your hands, his scent, reality. You can feel your body, can’t feel your face. You try to walk over the window by the corridor, trying to find some form of comfort, anything to put the pain to a stop. But it breaks your heart all the same.

Tonight, there was no moon to gleam over the darkness of the night.

[silvermoonflowers]

Swan Act II

Bucky x reader

Summary: A return to the lake gives Y/N a surprise.

Inspired by Swan Lake

Warnings: angst

Act I

Darkness greeted Y/N when she woke up. That was enough to tell her that it was still nighttime.

For a while, she sat there in bed, tossing and turning once in a while. Despite the warmth and comfort of the pillows and sheets, it did nothing to soothe her uneasiness. She hadn’t even noticed that she was crying until she felt a wetness on her cheeks. With a shaky breath, Y/N wiped the tears away before closing her eyes. Her hand clamped down on the sheets as she tried to remember the eerie dream that she had just seen.

In her dream, she remembered approaching the giant weeping willow tree only for a man to suddenly appear from behind it. A man so handsome that Y/N thought he stepped right out of a fairytale. Just the sight of his vivid blue eyes and strong build made her face heat up. It was almost surreal though; Y/N just saw the man in her dream and already she was crushing on him big time. She shook her head in embarrassment.

But despite the princely young man making her feel warm on the inside, Y/N remembered something that caught her eyes the most; his sorrowful expression and his missing arm. Whatever happened to him made her heart break for him. She wanted to rush over and comfort him as much as she could. And yet, she couldn’t. For all she ever saw him was in a dream. So he couldn’t possibly be real...could he?

Her eyebrows furrowed as the image of the white swan that she saw yesterday suddenly flashed into her mind.

There was something peculiar about that swan. It wasn’t just the crumpled left wing that she noticed, it was the way the swan acted too. When Y/N first saw the swan, she panicked a little, because she remembered her father warning her that swans can attack people if angered. However, the swan acted gentle, even seeking the comfort of her.

With a huff, Y/N shoved the blankets aside and sat up. The chilled atmosphere of the room settled onto her skin, but she ignored it as she stared into the darkness.

Y/N wasn’t sure, but she had the feeling that the man from her dream and the swan had a connection to each other. But the only way to make sure was to return back to the lake. And she was very reluctant to go out in the middle of the night. Even though Siegfried had told her before that the area they were in was very safe, Y/N still had shivers whenever she peeked out of her window during the nighttime. 

A frown etched on Y/N’s lips. Okay, what she thought about it really did sound surreal. But the image of the man calling out to her for help haunted her. She had to check out the lake.

Using what little moonlight that peeked through the heavy curtains, Y/N put on her slippers and got up to make her way around the dark room. Once in a while, her slipper-covered feet would touch an object and she had to stop herself from accidentally knocking it over. She certainly didn’t want to wake anyone in the mansion up. When she finally reached the wall on the other side of the room, her hand felt the soft cloth of her sweater that hung from a coat rack. Snatching it, she put it on before quickly approaching the bedroom door. Her hand hovered over the doorknob as she took a deep breath.

She definitely needed answers.

As soon as Y/N turned the doorknob, the door swung silently open, much to her relief. She then made her way down the long, dark hallway. She was thankful that her room was on the first floor and not on the second floor. It would be a pain to carry her luggage up all those stairs. But despite trying her best not to make any noise, Y/N would occasionally step on a really old floorboard, causing it to creak. And every time that happened, Y/N would stay still to see if the noise awoke anyone. Though so far, nobody seemed to stir from the sound.

After what seemed like forever, Y/N finally reached the kitchen that also led to the backdoor. Her sandals were still where she originally left them after the events from yesterday. She slipped into them before looking back at the darkened hallway that she came out of. Gathering her confidence, Y/N opened the door and went out.

It was a little bit more chilly when she stepped outside. She shuddered as she quietly closed the door behind her. The only thing that gave her comfort was the moon. That and she reassured herself that the journey to the lake was rather short. Or was it? The more Y/N walked onto the forested path, the longer the journey felt.

However her uneasiness faded away when the giant weeping willow came into view. But she wasn’t sure enough what she was expecting, so she slowed down. 

“Why don’t you leave me?”

Y/N froze in mid step at the sound of a male’s deep voice that resonated in the air. She would’ve stayed like that if not for the sudden obnoxious laugh that followed after. It was so sudden, that Y/N quickly scrambled to the weeping willow tree and hid behind it. Her mind was blank, except for one thought; she wasn’t alone. There were two other people at the lake and she was sure one of them was the man that she saw in her dream.

“Shut up!” The man snarled. “Haven’t you caused enough damage already?! Leave me the hell alone!”

“Really James,” the woman replied in an eerie voice, causing shivers to run down Y/N’s spine. “Don’t speak to your stepmother like that. I simply came to check up on you.”

Hoping that neither one of them saw her, Y/N poked her head out a little. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away from the weeping willow.

The man from her dream. 

Under the moonlight, Y/N could see he looked exactly the same from the dream, with his long dark hair, sharp cheekbones, strong build, and elegant clothes. Her eyes followed to his left side and she swallowed when she saw the left sleeve of his dress shirt hanging limp, indicating his missing arm. What could’ve happened to him?

She flinched when an eerie figure dressed in a cloak suddenly appeared in front of James. How did she appear just like that? The figure came even closer to the man, as if trying to intimidate him. But he didn’t seem fazed by it. He just continued to stand there, glaring hatefully at the figure.

“...Well James, since you’re going to be like that, I’m just going to leave this basket of food for you. But I expect you to return to my house when morning arrives.”

The man rolled his eyes in reply as the basket was rudely shoved into his arm while the eerie figure slinked away into the shadows. When she disappeared, he scoffed before abruptly dropping the basket onto the ground. 

“I don’t want to eat your food either, you witch. I just want my life back!”

His statement came out quiet, but Y/N could hear the despair in his voice. His shoulders began to shake and Y/N’s heart clenched at the sight of him. She needed to comfort him. Without hesitation, she stepped out from the tree...only to step on a stick, which cracked loudly in the quiet air.

The man became stiff at the sound. Then he slowly turned around. The hatred and despair in his blue eyes faded away when he saw her. For a few minutes, the two stood there, staring at each other in shock.

“I-it’s you…” the man said as he took a step forward. “You’re the girl from yesterday…”

Y/N clasped a hand to her chest as she continued to stare at him. She knew that what she was about to say would sound silly to anyone but him. “And...you’re the...swan, right?”

The man gave her a sad smile as he nodded. Y/N stayed rooted in her spot while the man came up to her. He completely towered over her, but she wasn’t intimidated by him at all. She instead returned the man’s smile and gently touched his stubbled cheek. His arm came up and wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. Her cheeks heated up when she realized the gravity of the situation. Here she was, still in her nightgown and out wandering in the middle of the night due to a strange dream. She had just witnessed what could only be described as a frightening confrontation and now she was in the embrace of a handsome man. That was a lot to take in. 

After a while the man pulled away slightly to look at her and said in a soft voice, “I’m sorry...I’m just…”

Y/N quickly shook her head. “No, it’s okay...it...felt nice.”

Her face flared up even more when she realized what she had just said. But the man didn’t seem to notice as he gazed at her sorrowfully. 

“...I suppose you have some questions for me...right?”

Y/N didn’t reply at first. Although she was curious, there were some things that were too painful to talk about. And this man seemed to have suffered enough. But when she looked up, she could see something hopeful in his eyes, as if he wanted her to hear his story. When she gave a reluctant nod, he squeezed her shoulder gently before taking a step back.

“Alright…”

“But wait,” Y/N interrupted. She glanced back at the forested path that led back to Siegfried’s mansion.  Then she looked at the lake. The scenery didn’t become quite so scary during the nighttime. But Y/N was still a little fearful, because now there seemed to be a wicked witch hiding somewhere. “...While we talk about this...let's go back to the mansion. Are you cold?” 

The man frowned. “I’m fine...and I’m not so sure about that…”

He stopped when both of Y/N’s hands suddenly clasped into his. 

“It’s about Benno, isn’t it? I’m really sorry about that. He means well, but he tends to do things recklessly.”

She remembered poor Benno continuing to look at her with regret on their way back to the mansion. Even Siegfried’s usual cheerfulness had washed away when he noticed how moody his cousin had suddenly become. Truth be told, Y/N was still reeling over the fact that the swan had acted very human and she didn’t know what to make of it at that time. She made a promise to herself to speak to both of them when morning arrives.

“Well,” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “The boy did give me quite a scare yesterday so I hid behind the weeping willow.”

“Oh...I thought you actually disappeared. But after seeing all of this and the knowledge of you being a swan, the act of disappearing doesn’t seem impossible as one might think, right?” Y/N scowled at herself. She didn’t mean to joke like that, especially in a situation like this. But after she just witnessed whatever happened at the lake, she couldn’t help but say it anyway.

The man, however, gave her a smile so beautiful that Y/N suddenly felt shy around him. “Ahaha, you’re probably right about that. Very well, I’ll go with you to your cousin’s mansion. I’m James, but most people who are close to me call me Bucky.”

“I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Bucky.”

“Pleasure to meet you too, Y/N.” He slid his hand into hers and together the two of them disappeared into the forested path. 

“Bucky...who was that..?”

“That witch?” Through the bits of moonlight peeking through the trees, Y/N could see Bucky smiling bitterly, causing her to shiver. He looked almost eerie with that expression. “That witch is my stepmother unfortunately. And she’s the reason why I become a swan every morning. 

“...But why?”

When they reached the mansion’s courtyard, Bucky stopped so suddenly and turned to Y/N. His hand came up to her shoulder and Y/N couldn’t stop herself from flinching. He then leaned ever so closer to her, his forehead nearly touching Y/N’s.

“Y/N…” His voice became a whisper. “Whatever I say to you, you must keep it yourself. I know you want to help me. But I don’t think you can. My stepmother might hurt you or your family. And I don’t want that to happen.”

“But I - !”

He gently pressed a finger to her lips. “Please listen, alright?”

Y/N blinked before silently nodding. The backdoor came into her line of sight and she motioned to it. But Bucky shook his head and instead pointed at the patio swing that stood next to it. Y/N frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything as she and Bucky sat down on.

“My mother died when I was very young. My father didn’t remarry until I became 17 years old. Then he met a woman at a market. After a while of them meeting each other daily, my father and her decided to marry each other. Little did he know that his “wife” was actually a witch. I was the one who stumbled upon her dark secret.”

Y/N watched as Bucky’s eyes became clouded with anger and despair. 

“It was so surreal though, because I didn’t think that magic could exist. And yet...magic does exist. When that witch noticed that I discovered her secret, she got so angry that…”

He closed his eyes as if he was in agony. His shoulders began to shake again and Y/N quickly held his hand. A sob left his throat as he leaned onto Y/N for support. If anyone had awoken at the sound, Y/N no longer cared. All that mattered now was trying her best to comfort this sad, broken man.

“She used her magic on me and cut my left arm off as punishment. I still remember the awful pain...then she transformed me into a swan. That witch told me she never loved my father. That she only married him so she can get his fortune. And that she had originally a plan to get my father’s fortune. But apparently I “ruined” her plan and now she took me far away from where I live. I cannot go back to where I live. For there are hunters there and I could be killed by one of them. I’ve been a swan for a year now.”

Y/N became infuriated. How dare this witch ruin the wonderful lives of a father and his son? If that witch ever returned, Y/N would make sure that she would give her a humiliating defeat. There was no way Y/N was going to let Bucky suffer in silence anymore after all this. 

“At the time, I didn’t know if that witch even got my father’s fortune or not. But one day, she told me that she had yet to get the fortune. Apparently father was too steeped into despair to give her the fortune. She wasn’t to let me go however. She was still going to use me in a way that would make father hand her the fortune...everything seemed hopeless...until I met you.”

Y/N was so still angry that she nearly missed what Bucky said. 

“Eh..?”

Bucky smiled at her as he reached over and gently brushed aside a strand of her hair. Y/N flushed at the gentle contact and she looked down at her lap rather bashfully.

“One day, I wanted to stay away from the witch as far as possible. So I flew, until I found this lake. But even being at a such a beautiful area brought me no peace. I...needed comfort from someone. Because other than that witch, I was essentially...lonely. “

His fingers slipped under Y/N’s chin and she found herself looking into Bucky’s beautiful eyes again.

“As I swam along in the lake, I saw someone. It was you, wearing a lovely dresses and reading a book underneath the giant weeping willow tree. I couldn’t help myself, so I came to you. And when I laid my head against you, it felt like like all my pain has gone away. You were so warm and inviting, unlike that awful witch.”

Y/N froze when Bucky leaned towards her and buried his face into her hair. He let out a sigh of relief as his hand ran down the length of her arm. 

“I want to say this; Y/N, thank you so much for giving me comfort.”

[defenderrosetyler]

Chapter One

A/N: No real triggers this time!!  WC: 1.9k Chapter 1:

“So every person in this book is a fairy tale character?” Emma Swan says to her ten-year-old son. 

The boy had introduced himself as Henry, had brought his mother to Storybrooke. Of course, Emma had given Henry up for adoption when she gave birth to him.  But to have her son seek her out made Emma uncomfortable. He had come to her claiming to be the savior of the storybook world. Henry spun a tale about a curse and how all of the characters of the Enchanted Forest were stuck in a town called Storybrooke, Maine.

Henry had with him a brown leather storybook that was thick but didn’t appear to be heavy. Henry seemed to carry around with no problem. One thing Emma found off when they arrived into town was the clock tower. As she observed it, she couldn’t help take note of how it never seemed to move. She led Henry back to his mother’s house. Henry’s adoptive mother, Regina Mills, was the mayor of the town. Henry claimed she was the Evil Queen from the story Snow White. Emma found this silly. Then again, Emma wasn’t one for fairytales anyway. Fairytales are for kids. 

Inside Granny’s Diner, Sam Winchester sat inside waiting for his brother Dean. Granny’s was usually closed at night since Granny went to work at her bed and breakfast in the mornings, but Ruby was always there at night to serve the night owls who couldn’t sleep. 

Ruby wasn’t the only one working the night shift. She worked with Y/N Y/L/N. Hardly anyone saw  Y/N working in the morning. This usually led to rumors that Y/N was hiding something.  The story was Y/N stayed locked in Rowena’s shop.

Rowena MacLeod was a private woman. However, she was a businesswoman, a loan shark, if you will. Rowena was very good at getting what she wanted through these tactics. She would let her client borrow money with the promise of paying it back fairly and on time. However, many clients don’t read the fine print in her contract.  Resulting in them having to pay double or triple what they borrowed. Rowena had helped Sam and Dean’s parents with a large sum of money to keep their business, Winchester Mechanics, afloat. Leaving their two sons, Sam and Dean, to foot the bill. Dean paid her as much as he could, but with not many people coming or going from Storybrooke, business was slow. 

This left Sam to find a way to help Dean find a way to help pay Rowena back too. But he wasn’t having great success either. Sam had started working in Mr. Gold’s Pawn shop until he found himself interested in Law. Under Mr. Gold’s tutelage, Sam had become well versed in the laws created by the town council. This led him to also find work in the Sheriff's office as a prosecutor. Often being a rival for his own boss at the Pawn Shop. It only made Mr. Gold admire Sam more.  

“Ruby, can you please help them?” Y/N begged, trying to hold back an eye-roll at the two men that walked in together, sitting across from one another. Having a conversation amongst themselves and trying to not get in an argument, again, over the amount of money they owed to Rowena. Their next payment was due within the week, and they didn’t have the funds. 

“Sorry, Duckling, it's your turn. I helped them the other day.” She says, giving her a sentimental look. 

Ruby had been watching Y/N and Sam’s exchanges cringing internally whenever they walked in the door, knowing Y/N would try and pass her along to either herself or Granny. Ruby heard rumors about why Y/N and Sam had disagreements, but their arguments were getting harsher with each passing day.

Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes, grabbing her order pad, heading over to greet Sam and Dean. 

“Evening, Y/N,” Dean says pleasantly. 

Sam muttered under his breath a greeting, and it sounded like he muttered a nickname only her friends gave her, earning a glare from Y/N in Sam’s direction. 

“What is it now, brains?” Y/N says. “Too buried in your debt to Rowena to speak louder and call me a name in front of my face?”

Dean sighed. Here they go again. “Just our usual if you would please,” he says, trying to cut the tension between the two. 

Y/N nods glaring at Sam before she heads back to the kitchen. 

“You didn’t need to butt in like that,” Sam scoffed. “I had it completely under control.”

“Oh sure, that’s why you and Y/N seem to fight or have some sort of disagreement every time we come in here?” Dean huffed,  “Who knows whatever the hell happens when you bump into her while she’s alone at Rowena’s,” Dean sassed,  “Oh wait, you’re too busy working at Gold’s shop, fighting for a chance to work a case in his place, or at the jail with Graham,” the elder brother snapped calmly. 

“Says the man who works in a shop with no cars to work on,” Sam snapped back, “How’s Amaya? Did you ever fulfill your promise to help her out?

“You keep that bitch out of this,” Dean growled. “I’ll figure something out. For now, I’m gonna see if I can get a second job somewhere.” 

“What do you mean? What other job could you get here? Think Granny can hire you as a short-order cook? At least she gets business!”  

“It’s something to get the debt paid back to Rowena, Sam,” Dean muttered as Y/N brought out their meals. Both were polite, and their bickering died down, and they went back to talking about their days. As uneventful as they were, they had a lot to talk about. 

Y/N sighed as she went back behind the counter, “Ruby, I’m gonna head to bed. Dawn wake-up call comes early.” She says with an eye roll. 

“Goodnight, Duckling,” Ruby says, smiling kindly to her, “I’ll clean up.”

===========

Enchanted Forest

“Dean, is target practice really necessary?” Sam says, looking at him. “I need to be looking for Odette, not shooting powdered arrows over at the servants’ asses.” 

“And what are you gonna do when you can’t hit your mark?” Dean questioned, “What of Odette needs saving from some Ogres, and you miss?” 

“Is that before or after the fact that you're catching fireflies at all hours of the night?” Sam asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Are they for you or to feed the frog that follows you around and hides on your dresser?”  he snaps, glaring at the older brother.

“I do not go out at night to catch fireflies for Amaya,” Dean scoffs, “besides, she goes out and catches her own meals.”

Rolling his eyes, Sam grabbed his red powdered covered arrows, game face on. Assuming the probability that Dean would let him win, again. Sam took an arrow from his quiver, sliding it into place. Pulling back the string once he nocked it, aiming it at his first mark, the butler, Crowley. Whom the brothers affectionately dressed up as a brown moose. The arrow left the nocking point, hitting its destined target in the center of his rounded ass. 

“Hey!” Crowley muttered, rolling his eyes. He brushed off the powder as he glared at both of the brothers. 

Dean was finding this amusing. The exercise was primarily for Sam. Why couldn’t he have fun too?

Just as Dean was about to take his shot, Castiel, the head advisor to his father, walked out onto the grounds. He intended to stop the game before it fully began. “Your Highness?”

Startled by the sudden interruption, Dean whipped around,  the arrow released from where it was nocked, hitting Castiel square into his chest. Before he could even react, a second followed by a third engulfed Cas in a powder of blue.

“If you children are quite finished,” he huffed, dusting the powder off himself, “my liege, you have a visitor. Something about a poisonous toad needing collecting?”

Dean fired one more arrow before stalking towards Castiel, “it better not be a waste of my time. My brother and I are training.” 

“Training for a lost cause if you ask me, Sir,” Crowley says, observing the body language of his employer. “For all, we know the Princess is dead as well, just like her father. God rest his soul.” He adds, making the sign of the cross. 

Sam’s head turned quickly at the Butler’s words echoed in his ear. Eyes flashed in anger, rushing over towards the pair. “Take it back! You don’t get to talk about Odette like that!”

“Forgive me, Samuel. However, I truly believe this to be a fool's errand,” Crowley says, standing closer to the trio gathered in the middle of the courtyard.

“I will find her, Crowley,” the younger prince declared, “I have to find her.”

Shaking his head, Dean followed Castiel inside to handle the visitor.

Needing an actual outlet for his anger, Sam walked with a fast pace over to the stables. The staff tended to the horses, but Sam usually liked taking care of his mare. It gave him a sense of responsibility. 

Sam’s mare, Onyx, was a beautiful black Friesian. Her height was just above 18 hands, given his six foot four stature, she was just as tall as he was. Sam was okay with that though. Grabbing a body brush, Sam slowly brushed out her black coat. It had become dirty from the loose dirt flying around.

Meanwhile, as the sun set on the edge of the trees in the forest, a beautiful white swan flew across the canopy. Odette had grown accustomed to the dawn and the dusk. Knowing she had to be on the lake’s surface as the moon touched it before she would become a woman again. 

As per her usual routine, Odette flew over Winchester Castle. Wondering if Sam would be looking for her. Who was she kidding? Sam only wanted to marry her for her beauty. Prince Samuel Winchester didn’t care about her.

Dusk approached, the swan moving to make her graceful descent down into the crystal colored water. “Was wondering if you were gonna be on time tonight dearie.” Rowena says, hands placed on her hips. Odette gave Rowena as much of a glare as a swan possibly could. The princess was always on time and never late. The other party that was never late was Rowena’s incompetant son Crowley. 

“Evening Mother, Odette,” he greets, giving his mother a nod of acknowledgement. Crowley’s appearances had begun to be a routine over the past week. Rowena’s son came every evening, giving Rowena the opportunity to ask her the same proposition in order to remove the curse. Marrying her son. 

Much to the annoyance of Rowena, Odette answered her the same as she had every single time she’d asked. One single word was her reply, but not the one the sorceress was looking for. 

“No.”

“Oh for the love of Dagda” She scoffed, rolling her eyes skyward. Eyes focused back on the maiden that stood before her. Hair glowing in the shimmering moonlight. “Need I remind you, I placed this curse on you, and I can just as easily reverse it. All you need to do, is agree to marry my dear Fergus. Once you're wed, I can give you all the riches a Princess could ask for.” 

“Far better than the Winchester’s that's for sure.” Crowley adds as a comment. 

“I’d rather be a swan over marrying your childish, pathetic son.” Odette snapped. 

“That can be arranged.” Rowena snapped, allowing the princess to mull over her choices.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Tokyo Love Story (Part 5) The Truth of Black Swan

The following Scene takes elements and themes from the novel scenes and game quests surrounding Akira and Kogure Sakurai and weaves them into the MCs journey in a way that is meaningful. This scene does not appear in the Novel or the Game.

Please Enjoy

You’re riding in the passenger side of Chance’s Audi R8, the city lights flashing across the pale makeup on your face. Caesar might have turned up his nose at the car, but you found it very stylish and unpretentious. It was a sports car you could drive to work. You stare out the window at the many people walking down the streets. Tokyo’s nightlife was just as vibrant as the daytime. Only, instead of being locked in the offices for work, people spilled into the streets to visit karaoke bars and eat street food. There were also plenty of couples holding hands and laughing. Girls in skirts and women in tight dresses walking with friends. Men in sports jackets and a few in suits and ties. The people your age were casual in t-shirts and jeans.

When you imagined going to the big city, it was something like this. Having lots of friends, going out on the town, enjoying food and walking under lights.

Chance’s phone vibrated. “Yes, she’s with me, we’re on our way to the safe spot, notify me of the all clear.”

His expression was grim and he spoke like a soldier reporting to his commander. You’d only seen him as a carefree guy but now he was acting as a member of the Devil Clan, a Yakuza organization. Looking up at this, you notice that he’s no less muscled than Caesar, but he was a bit more wiry and lithe.

“We’ll give it a couple of hours to let things calm down before taking you back.” He said, stuffing the phone in his pocket.

“Thanks,” you say. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Did Izanami really love Izanagi?” You rest your head against the window.

“That’s a matter of philosophical debate, even among White King Descendents. Her motives were selfish. She fooled him and lied to him. But when he betrayed her, no one can deny her emotional reaction had to be rooted in some genuine attachment.” He maneuvered the car as he spoke, keeping his eyes on the road. “The common consensus is, for dragons, love is never the goal. It’s a means to an end. Once that end is fulfilled, love fades or dies completely. If the object of the dragon’s love refuses to cooperate with the end goal, that love can quickly turn to hatred. Humans pursue love for the sake of it. But Dragons do not. The emotions are real, but they’re not the goal.”

“That seems manipulative.” You say.

“It can be. Keep in mind that Izanagi wasn’t exactly the best example of human love either. Bottom line, it’s not good for humans and dragons to fall in love. They both will end up hurt somehow. But it does happen.”

He keeps driving until the city spires flatten to more residential spaces. You pull into a small park with rolling terraformed hills and tiled roof shelters. Chance killed the lights on his car and opened the door, getting out with a briefcase. “We can hide out here for a while.”

At the center of the park is a large dark lake. The stars couldn’t be seen over the lights of the city and the moon was shrouded by dense clouds. He leads you by the hand through a pea gravel path. You could feel your cheeks grow warm. The idea of running away to hide from the world with a man was depicted in TV shows you watched and in magazines you read, but now it was happening to you.

“It’s going to rain tonight, so let's stay under the shelter until we get the all clear.” He said.

He settled you down on a bench and sat next to you. He was handsome, with his red hair in his ponytail and his green eyes in the dark. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Now comes the hard part.” He opened the briefcase and took out a thin yellow folder.

“Ruri Kazama wanted me to give this to you.”

You accept the folder and open it. Much to your shock, you immediately recognize the title. Black Swan Harbor Initiative! 

“You’re from Siberia right?” He looks at you. Those eyes glittered like jewels.

“Where did you get this?” You ask, anxiously flipping through the pages. There were photos of Black Swan Bay, just as you remembered it. There were even photos of orphans that you remembered, ghosts of the past. Vera, Khorkina, Anton… you pause. A knife of pain piercing your heart.

Renata’s picture stared at you, smiling from the yellowing paper, her eyes sparkled too, even in black and white.

“Ruri Kazama had it. I don’t know what it all means or where he got it from.” He reaches over and flips the pages back to the beginning. “He wants you to understand your situation. The reason why Black Swan Harbor was created. Black Swan Bay was like a dragon graveyard. Even though Cassell holds a lot of ancient artifacts, Black Swan Bay had the actual specimens for direct study of the creatures. You were created there as part of a study on making perfect, super hybrids.”

“What?” You whisper.

“I’m only telling you what I read. None of this makes sense to me either. You’re an 18 year old girl from 20 years ago. I…” He shook his head. “It must have to do with your bloodline, that you can rest so long and retain your youth. Anyway, because you’re not perfect, you will eventually become a deadpool. You’re a ghost. There’s no changing this.” 

He flipped over a page in the folder leading to Anton’s file. “This is from one of the research papers. The average lifespan of the Black Swan Bay children is 20 years before they lose their grip on humanity. This orphan was eliminated because he’d reached the end of his life.”

You stare blankly at the page. You remembered Dr. Herzog tested hybrid children thoroughly and then, around age 20, some were selected to go to school in Moscow. Back then, you had excitedly chatted with Z about how one year you might be selected. But instead of feeling excited for you, he led you to a lab. There, you saw Anton, who had been selected to go to the capital, sitting in a wheelchair. Despite his power to stop a bullet, he couldn’t stand.

Dr. Herzog was like your father. So your mind rejected his words when he said that going to Moscow was a lie. And when he shot and killed Anton, it was something your mind couldn’t fully process. This all happened 20 years ago but for you it was only a few weeks ago, and you realized you still couldn’t process it. It was like a missing puzzle piece, floating on the side table, waiting for its place in the picture. And now it snapped into place. 

Anton wasn’t ever going to Moscow. None of you were. Khorkina, Vera, Renata… You were all going to die by euthanasia. As deadpool.

Chance reached over and massaged your shoulder silently. You closed your eyes. No wonder Ruri Kazama told you that you were a perishing flower. No wonder he sang that happiness was fleeting. Ruri Kazama knew that you were going to turn into Deadpool. That you were going to die.

“So I only have a year and a half left?” You ask after a moment.

“I’m afraid that’s the maximum. You might have even less. I’m sorry.” Chance says. He drops his hand in his lap.

You take a deep breath, absorbing this terrible blow in still silence. “Thank you for telling me. I will show this to Caesar.” You close the folder and sigh again. Your hands are pinching each other hard to stem your roiling emotions.

Chance marvels at your reaction. “You’re a really strong woman. A lot of people would scream and cry in denial at this news.”

“I’m strong because my friends are strong.” You look out over the water, expressionless. The reflection of the moon peeked from its cloudy veil. It rippled but when it stilled, you could see the shadow of the moon, shaped like a rabbit. You weren’t sure what you could do to stop this eventual demise. Caesar promised he wouldn’t let you die. No… it wasn’t a promise, he just wouldn’t let it happen.

“Hm.” He chuckled, elbowing you. “Do I still have a chance to get a star-heart ticket?” He was attempting to lighten the mood.

You allow yourself the distraction. “Maybe.” You smirk and swing your legs under the bench. The wind was starting to blow, bringing the smell of rain, pulling leaves and cherry blossoms down from the trees to land on the water and make little ripples. The gusts disturbed the glassy water. It wasn’t the time for cherry blossoms, but odd weather had caused them to bloom twice this year. “Let me ask you something to test you. Do you seek death?”

Chance gave it some thought. “It’s not a matter of seeking it. I know it's coming. I just try not to think about the future. Live my life one day at a time, appreciate every moment.”

You nod and your eyebrows lift. It was a good answer. “I’ll ask you something else. Given the circumstances, if you knew you had to give up your life so I could live, would you do it?”

He laughed. “In a heartbeat!”

You turn to him and frown.

“What? Don't tell me you don’t like that answer. What do you expect me to say? It’s an honor for a man to give up his life for a lovely woman.” The stiff breeze had teased some hair out of your comb. He brushes your hair  from your face and tucks it behind your ear. The wind stirs the flowers in your hair while he watched you.

You shake your head. “Well, in that case, you’re not getting a star heart ticket.” You cross your arms and look away

“Oh come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” He leaned forward, trying to catch your gaze when you turned away from him. “What am I supposed to do? Just let you die? Look at you! You’re beautiful and smart and … and… you’re so strong!” Chance was shaking his head in confusion. “If that’s not the right thing to do, please tell me the answer.”

You turn to him again, your eyes blazing. “And you’re not beautiful and resourceful and strong? Why is my life, somehow, worth more than yours?”

Chance’s good humor suddenly fades and he lowers his eyes, damping his mood like a lantern lowering its wick. He turned back to face the lake, looking down on the ground, but his mind was somewhere far away. When he speaks again, it’s with a lump in his throat. He swallows hard. “You have people. I don’t have anyone any more.”

You knew that look. You had that look. It was the look of someone who had nothing else to lose, so why not give up his life for you? You reach out and put your hand over his and look him in the eye, even as the fires of grief ignite in your chest.

“The Hydra came for my family last week. We all lived in the same apartment block, but we’d never done anything. We were just an extended family buying out condos and dealing in real estate. But they were merciless. All my brothers and their wives were killed and f…” His voice caught and his eyes sparkled with tears. “My five nieces and nephews were taken prisoner.”

“Prisoner?”

“Yes!” His voice turned hoarse in distress. “Back in World War II, Hydra had these black prisons to lock up unstable hybrids. When the government found out about them, they ordered them closed. But twenty years ago, they started operating them again. If you resist and fight, they kill you. If you give yourself up… they lock you away in those prisons forever. I had been working when the raid happened. When I turned the corner on my way home, the whole apartment block was on fire! There was nothing I could do, so I ran away. That’s how I ended up at Club Takamagahara. That’s where Ruri Kazama found me.”

He turns back to you, his green eyes as dark as an endless forest. “It’s either death or prison and then death for me. So if I can make my death mean you get to go free and shine under the sun like you did tonight… I will absolutely take that.”

Your heartaches in sympathy. You scoot closer to him and rest your head on his shoulder and he wraps his strong arm around you and holds you close. “You’re not going to accept my next words, Chance. Because I didn’t want to accept them either. But I will say them because they’re the truth. Chance… you have to live.”

He let out a single bitter laugh, but he turned away and blinked away tears. “Didn’t you listen? Life isn’t in the cards.”

“You think it isn’t. I didn’t think so either.” You reach up and turn his face back to you. The tears wet your fingertips and sink into our nails. You’re willing him to listen but you understand that it might just be too difficult to accept. “But… you will be shocked at how long you can live if you really try.”

“What? Really try? Are you saying my whole family didn’t try hard enough?” His voice breaks with grief and anger.

“That’s not what I’m saying. If death comes then it does, but what I’m saying is, you shouldn't just… give up your life. Not for me. Not for anyone. Make death fight you for it.” You whisper. Your throat hurts. Your eyes burned..

“And then if I don't give up my life for you… what will happen to you?” Tears were slipping down his face and he trembled against you.

“I will fight too.” You reach out and twine your fingers in his hair. “We will both fight death.” You look up at him, determination filling your dark eyes, defying reality. You knew he probably thought you were a fool, that you were just fantasizing that you could both fight the fate you were given, hit the ball out of the park, and live happily ever after. “What’s the point of love if you both don’t make it out? If Izanami taught me anything, it’s better to end up in the Yomi-No-Kuni together.”

He sighed softly and he leaned forward until your noses touched, your faces wrapped in night shadow. “You already gave me permission.” He whispered.

“I know…” You rise up to meet him halfway. This kiss was nothing like Z’s. Z took you like something that belonged to him. In this case, your kiss was a gift, a bow to tie your words in an oath upon his heart. 

Chance was overcome. He rested his head against your neck, crying. He held you so tightly your ribs resisted against his arms to breathe. You held him like that until his sobs subsided. But you were in no hurry to part, instead you leaned against each other, watching the wind play against the water until your emotions calmed. Every few minutes, he would sigh deeply and kiss your cheek.

In the distance, thunder rolled. Chance’s phone buzzed. He reached down and looked down at it. “That's all clear. Let’s go.” He gave you one more kiss. “Here, you keep this.” He tucked the folder into your dress. “Thank you. I..” He paused for a moment and then just stood up.

He doesn’t remove his hand from yours as you make your way back to the car, but as you’re turning the corner on the path to the parking lot, he yanks you back! “Damn it!” He hisses.

The car was surrounded by men in black trench coats armed with swords and powerful guns. The way out of the park was blocked by a huge van. The park was so small, it would only take a minute to penetrate the entire space and there was nowhere to hide. Chance urgently whispers. “Quick! Let’s go to the other side!” 

How could they have found you? Kaguya?

There was no way to hurry and stay silent. The pea gravel made too much noise. If you stepped off the path the surrounding vegetation rustled against your clothing. You can only use your method of stepping in his foot prints to hide your own sound and it was hard in your ornate gown. Your heart was screaming with adrenaline as you started to hear voices behind you. In the back of the park, behind the trees and fountains, there was a high eight foot stone wall that enclosed it from the rest of the neighborhood. You hurry to it.

“I’ll lift you over the wall!” He said. “If you jump, you can make it over!”

“No, I’m not leaving you. We need to find a way out together.” You say, planting your feet.

“You’re serious? There’s no way! We can’t fight all those guys!” He hissed.

More voices are coming. You must have been heard! Bright beaming flashlights are sweeping the park. The men from Hydra are bounding up the hill behind you! The group fanned out. One member was sweeping up against the wall you were next to and heading straight for you. More voices are coming from the opposite direction up the path ahead of you. Apparently, the Hydra following you had alerted more men on the other side of the park who were coming around the other side to encircle you and cut off your escape.

Chance pulled you along the wall and together you crawled carefully against it, staying away from the ones approaching from behind and getting to the other side of this dragnet. As you came close to those approaching from the front, you noticed that there was no one sweeping the wall! If you could sneak past through this gap, you could make it past them!

You hurry through the gap and crouch still. The Hydra were only a few feet from you. You could see the shine of their leather shoes and hear them talking, but you couldn’t understand their Japanese. One of them laughed.  All they had to do was sweep their flashlights to their right to find you. You both hold your breath even though you felt breathless from running and staying low to the ground. You tremble there until their shoes turn away. Their footsteps finally started to fade, but you couldn’t wait for them to fade completely. 

“There’s a backgate this way.” Chance whispered as quietly as he could.

You could see it. It was covered in vines and looked like a maintenance entrance. It didn’t look locked but even if it was, it was less than four feet high  and you can both make it over. Your heart beams with hope. He returns your smile. You couldn’t wait to tell Caesar. He was right. His justice was right. You don't have to leave friends behind.

A sudden sharp hiss and a burst of wind rushes by your head! A silver projectile blade cut through the air and embedded itself into Chance's calf! Chance gasped and howled in agony! He fell to the ground, clutching his leg. You scurry towards the gate and dive behind a statue of a praying Buddha.

Chance is writhing on the ground, and moving away from something looming in the dark. Someone is approaching him as he scoots frantically away, begging. “No… No!  No! Please!”

Out of the shadows steps a young dark haired man. His silver-blue long sword glowed in the dark like a shattered piece of moonlight. His trenchcoat caught the air and it waved like the hem of the Grim Reaper’s cloak. He stood over Chance like a towering god, gazing at him with frigid black eyes.

Chisei Gen!

[gamebunny-advance]

Kind of A Downer

I think I’ve come to accept that the stuff I make gets attention mostly based on subject rather than the content.

And that’s fine since I cover relatively niche subjects (or niche subjects within popular fandoms), so the folks that like that stuff must be really into it like I am which is cool, but still... I can’t help to be a little... I dunno, disappointed about that I guess? Everything about this situation is my own fault, I’m not blaming anyone for it. It’s just how I’m feeling.

Anyway, sorry to bring y’all down, it’s just something I had on my mind. They’re not finished, but I’m gonna go ahead and post what I’ve done for what I’m calling the “Mahou Smash Project” so far. Right now it feels less like, “What if all the Brawl fighters were magical girls?” and more like “What if all the Brawl fighters wore skirts?”, but I’m working on it.

This is roughly the first sketch I did to flesh out the concept. It’s a little more difficult to think of stuff for the non-human characters without just giving them bows, but I’ll try to think of more ideas. Kirby is actually based on an outfit he had from “Super Kirby Clash” that’s called “Magical Girl”. I like it as a shoutout, but I’d also like to do something more original.

No matter how many times I tried to let Mario keep his cap, I felt like it never really went with the rest of the outfit, so I chucked it. I really liked the idea of giving him head wings to call back to his “wing cap” from 64, but it conflicted with Pit being in his group that already has a wing motif, so in later sketches I scrapped it. (His stars also conflict with Kirby, but there are so many star/space themed fighters on the roster, so I don’t think that part is as noticeable). Otherwise I really fell in love with the initial design and it doesn’t really change that much over my several iterations of him.

Originally Link’s inspo was from “Ojamajo Doremi” since the hats were kinda similar. I tried to incorporate a lot of triangles in the design to represent the triforce, but I’m not sure how I feel about the inner dress yet. I like the shape, but I’m not sure if it suits him. I might wind up giving him shorts later.

I had a really hard time with Pit since his outfit is already kinda magical. The most I could really come up with was to add a few more embellishments and make some accessories less “bulky”.

I think Tabuu is actually the second sketch I did when I thought of the idea. At first I was planning on combining this AU with the human!AU to make designing the non-humans easier, but I decided to challenge myself and just keep everyone as they were. It’s a shame because I think this hair suits his design a bit better than the original, but if there ever is a final version of this project, he’s gonna stay bald. His ability is: Morpho Anguish

Of course I had to try these two at some point. R.O.B. has a royal motif to represent how he ruled over the lesser ROBs, but it’s a little difficult to think of accessories he can realistically wear while keeping most of his original silhouette and get across that he’s a magical girl too.

Unlike other designs where the idea for the costume preceeded the ability, I thought of GW’s ability first and then the costume. His ability allows him to “cook” anything into existence from food to people, but he can only do the “complicated stuff” with his cookbook, which is in Tabuu’s possession.

Another sketch of these two. This is when I realized that Mario’s wings would overlap with Pit’s. Speaking off, it’s not super obvious, but I eventually settled on “ballerina” as a theme for Pit so I could distance him a bit more from his original outfit. Specifically he’s inspired by “Swan Lake”, thus the first iteration of the feather skirt appears.

TBH, Wario isn’t super inspired yet. At first it was just a take on Mario’s outfit, but I think I’d like it come a little closer to his WarioWare design since that’s his default in Smash. The crown and cravat is supposed to represent a “W” though, so that’s something.

The most recent iteration of Pit. I let him keep his bodysuit so he could retain some modesty since I draw the skirts on so short, but I honestly think it clashes with the rest of the design. I’ll have to find a way to incorporate more blue into the design if he’s gonna keep it.

Mario is mostly the same from previous iterations, so Luigi takes a lot from him, just a “little” different. I like the striped socks as a shout-out to the Mario & Luigi games, but I don’t like how he takes some of Mario’s red when Mario doesn’t take Luigi’s green (I tried giving him the green striped-socks, but they didn’t look good). I might take them out if I iterate on him again. Luigi’s ability is: Electric Moons.

Another tough one since her design was already kind of magical. I feel like all I did was shorten her dress and add some bows, but sometimes that’s all you really need to do. Her ability is: Blooming Rosales

Originally she was going to be more “knight” themed and keep her helmet since her power suit reminds me of those medieval suits of armor, but I can’t really draw armor, so I chickened out of it. It’s not super apparent, but her skirt is supposed to be transparent. If I come back for her, I think I’m going to work on making her an actual suit of armor so that there’s more difference between this and her zero suit form. Her ability in this form is: Stellar Cannon.

I feel like this is less “magical girl” and more ”Judy Jetson”. I like it, but I think it should be frilled up a bit more. I wanted to add some more flower detailing to represent the pikmin, but I think it really clashed with the “old-timey astronaut” thing he’s got going on. It’s still on his helmet, but it really sticks out, doesn’t it? His ability is: Plucking Gardens

Last two. I might find a way to reintroduce their hoods, but I love the idea of a hat that’s comically small. The pompoms on their hats and shoes are supposed to invoke cherries since they’re often drawn as a pair, but I don’t think it really comes across that way. Popo’s ablity is: Icy Flurry. Nana’s ability is: Freezing Snowfall. Together their ability is: Twin Blizzard

[peachlolitasevillacourtstuff]

Stratos and Oona (story part 1)

I thank our friend Niko for helping me with this story.*It all starts in the current round house, President Sheros as he was always in his office, reading some news. among them stories about his brother's war veterans, that brought him a nostalgia and sadness to remember him* Sir.c: stratos old something wrong? *he said entering his office * * Obviously Tray was spying on them from his slug-cams * Stratos: oh old man, I'm reading some stories of the pac veterans, it brings me a lot of nostalgia to hear it Sir.c: I really remember that fatal squad I had, and many were injured and look, I still have scars from that * he said showing his scar on the shoulder of his arm * Betrayus: Uff, what a weak idiot..... Buttler: -_- Stratos: hehehe, that explains more your clumsiness, you even had an injury to your leg remember * he said a little teasing * Betrayus: *Disgusted face* Sir.c: yes yes, make fun, but at least you have worse scars .. * I affirm * Betrayus: *Bored* And I thought I heard "serious conversations". * after that at night when everyone had to sleep, stratos had already come out of bathing and dressing in his pajamas, at the time he was going to lie down on his bed * * The guards roamed for the Round-House, preventing intruders from entering * * after a few short hours, stratos was already sound asleep, however he felt a sensation in his left shoulder something familiar, as if it came from the past * "Dad!" Stratos: w.. what!? Cedrick: I can't sleep, can I sleep with you? Stratos: uh yeah right, lie on my side, why can't you sleep? Betrayus: Uff, he surely had some stupid bad dreams. cedrick: I don't know, I'm just not sleepy, * said snuggling up on top of his dad * Stratos: * that reminded him a lot of his little brother, and at the same time that love of war * Cedrick: * Hugs his daddy tightly * Stratos: Haha, there is drick, hugging me reminds me a lot of your uncle * whisper * *the next day* Pac: good morning Mr. President, everything okay around here? Stratos: yes, yesterday I was reading stories about veterans of the pac war. Cedrick: * Playing around with Spirale * Spiral: Be careful, Cedric! The monster is coming to devour you! * Growls and chases him * Cedrick: Oh no! * Chuckles and runs though the corridors * Pac: wow the boy created very fast. 😅 Stratos: thats right Stratos: now Pac: oh ok, a question, Mr. President, as was the mother of Cedrick * I asked him directly * Stratos: Uh!? 😨 Stratos: mmmhh.. I don't like to talk about Oona .. Pac: what its Oona? Stratos: my ex..lover Pac: because ex-lover doesn't mean ex-wife, was something wrong with her? Stratos: She died in an attack and it pains me to remember it. Cyli and pac: 😓😨 Cyli: oh Sir.c: sure you don't want to talk about it now? Stratos: I do not see it necessary, also there is a part of that story that is not appropriate for the 4, only you and me, Sir.c Cily:We are grow enough. Stratos: well you know how babies are made right? Cyli: yes... Yes, more or less Pac: Surely! Stratos: good come the 2 in private, Spiral, take care of my son while I go to talk to the boys. Spiral: ok.. Spirale: No, problem! *Goes to him* *inside the round house * Stratos: your name is Oona, my ex lover.. Pac: So, Mr. pres? Cily: uh.. were you in love once? Stratos: yea...* he said scratching his head a little * Pac: Well, it’s normal. but what happened? Stratos: It all started when I was still a soldier who was fighting against my own brother, Sir.c had been lethally read in a platoon, luckily I helped him take him to the infirmary, where they took care of him I saw him as he suffered, and he got some scars for it. Stratos: You're better * said a young stratos in his war uniform * Sir.c: yea.. *he said a little dizzy. Doctor: Excuse me, I need to take care of your friend. He has some internal bleeding. Pac: Woah..... Fortunately he survived. Sir.c: barely even in my nightmares I still feel that horrible pain in me, but still counting stratos. Cily: Aw. then? Stratos: ok.. After having been treated and stopping the euphoria, I started to get more injured, some of them were already dead, however I stumbled upon one of so many nurses. ???: oh, so, so sorry.. Stratos: don't apologize it was an accident! ???: You must be one of the soldiers against Commander Betrayus, I am Oona, I am not from Pacopolis by the way. Stratos: Yes, I am.....I’m Stratos Spheros. You? Oona: Oona, Oona winefrida Stratos: wow, a pretty name Pac: Oh, so she was? Stratos: of course I was a nurse in the war, I wasn't clearly around here. Cily: She must have been a caring woman to be a nurse. Sir.c: Jejejeje.. especially how good it must have been .. in the food supposedly, not that badly thought! Pac: *Chuckles Cedrick: She was good doing what? *Innocent face* Stratos: Wooah! Cedrick!? 😲what are you doing here, you should be with spiral Spiral: Sorry! He had run away! Cedrick: What were you talking about, dad? Stratos: you know adult stuff ..😅 Cedrick: What kind of adult stuff? I want to know too! :D Stratos: just go on playing with Spiral, but don't get dirty *he says taking him out of the room* Cedrick: okay * he said a little annoyed * Pac: *Chuckles* Curious the boy. Pac: get on with the story sir president Stratos: ok.. As the days progressed, and continue to have plans for the next ambush, and do my best without Sir.c I could not stop thinking about her, her skin was white, her pink eyes, her brown hair, and her beautiful smile distracted me from work. Spheria: stratos, thats good? Cily: That’s love True love, strong enough to make you forget the rest ~ * Chuckles * Stratos: maybe they'll keep interrupting me!? Pac: Oh sorry, Mr. Pres, continue. Stratos: well spheria got a little upset about my attitude exactly Spheria: Why? You look much more distracted than usual. Are you worried about something? Stratos: oh sorry sergeant * he said laughing * just kept thinking of someone specifically Spheria: *Nudges him* Oh really? Who is the lucky girl~? Or lucky boy. No prejudice. Stratos: literally Sir.c! remember that he is still injured Spheria: oh yea.. * said a little sad * Stratos: *Sigh* I hope he will recover soon. Spheria: I even more .. it hurts that that platoon was very sudden take a slight break, the war is making you very anxious Stratos: Thanks sergeant. * in the infirmary * Stratos: hello Oona: hello stratos what are you doing here, are you coming to visit Sir.c? Stratos: I don't really miss your beautiful voice Stratos: Are you busy? Oona: if very busy, there are many sick and wounded, I think it is not time for you to be here with me. Stratos: if you want, we'll see you tonight, if you can finish your shift? Oona: I will try, but take the opportunity to greet your friend, he is on stretcher 16 on the right Stratos: Ok... See ya tonight, ok? * Stratos went to the stretcher of his good friend Sir.c, he was resting from his injuries, he could barely move without importing the pain * Stratos: go Sir.c, you already feel better Sir.c: I still hurt about the emorrajia * he said in a weak tone * Spheria: *Comes too* Hey C., how are you? Sir.c: the scar from the operation still hurts, that platoon was crazy. Spheria: well at least you didn't break all your bones. Stratos: Speaking of which, you think that even an intern you can give us plans Spheria: Yes. I'm confident about it. *later at night* Oona: Hi Stratos, did you want to see me? Stratos: Oona skies are you done? Oona: yeah jeje Stratos: come with me I want to show you something * he says taking her hand and I take her to a place with a beautiful pond * Stratos: Beautifull, isn’t it? Oona: I don't know why, but it reminds me of a story they told me as a child Stratos: really coincidence hehe Oona: I lived in pac-europe, in fact I am a descendant of the ancient pac-celts. Stratos: Woah, cool. And what this story tells? Oona: seeing this lake reminds me of a story I have known since I was little, my name refers to that. Stratos: well tell me Oona: Once upon a time in a very large lake, where fairies lived among the largest trees, they always met during the day, so that the birds did not eat them, every night on a full moon they went out to celebrate their queen, they danced like the swans in that same lake, each one shone like the rainbow, at the same time the smallest and largest animal approached to hear their songs. Stratos: incredible story, hopefully when the war ends you can go home. Stratos: You miss it, right? Oona: I do miss my old home a lot, but the evil betrayus commander made my chance of returning home useless. Stratos: stupid lil brother *annoyed whisper* Oona: what?! Stratos: nothing! 😅 Stratos: Maybe it was the wind!😅 Oona: Listen clearly, you said stupid little brother !? Stratos: N-No no! You surely heard wrong! Oona: don't lie stratos tell me !? Stratos:...*Sigh*..Oona, Betrayus is my little brother. Oona: WHAT! That psychopath is your brother !? * said shocked * Stratos: Calm down, we are at war, and there is no other way I can stop him, I don't know why he does this! I just know ... I don't know why. 😧 Stratos: I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you before. Oona: it doesn't matter now, alone, I think maybe I am lacking attention and love, that's all Stratos: you are the first person to tell me that! I know I did something wrong in the past! And I can't correct it anymore, and now he's killing everyone for pleasure ..😢 Stratos: Thanks for understanding me .... * Hugs her * Pac, cyli and Sir.c: AAAAAAWWW... 😢😢😢 Pac: *Sniff* This is so touching! Stratos: I admit to being a bad big brother, but she comforted me that night Sir.c: and you threw it away !? Stratos: NOOOW IDIOT!😠😖 *Pac and Cily holds the snickers* Sir.c: come on spheros we all want to hear that part !? Stratos: This is not the time! 😠 Well continuing with the story, she was very good to me, since then we began to see each other more often, even she knew about medicine and many things about nursing. Sir.c: hey stratos, who is your girlfriend? Stratos: what!? We are not only friends but she is very good at everything, apart from that she was one of the nurses who helped you heal. Spheria: So you two are a thing? Stratos: well maybe yes, but still nothing. Spheria: Well, I see in you that Cupid is very close 😅 Sir.C.: *Nudges her, snickering* Yeah, I think she’s right! Stratos: guys are making me uncomfortable! 😓 Oona: hi stratos, who are you, your war companions?😉 Spheria: yes 🙄 Sir.C.: Stratos, why don't you introduce us to your "friend"? Stratos: Oona introduces you to Sir.c and Sergeant spheria Spheria: I'm glad I am the sergeant Sir.C.: Heh, me too. spheria: hey are you coming with us my sister sunny made a delicious apple pie Oona: of course i'm delighted Sir, C.: Perfect! Let’s go! Stratos: *He already know they will embarrassing him* * they went to the pac shelter where her sister was sunny, a yellow sphere of glasses and at the same time her baby named pac, they looked very adorable, since their baby was looking forward to the apple pie * Spheria: Hi sis, I brought some guests. Sunny: oh great the cake will be ready in a minute Stratos: Hey Sunny. *Pats the little one* And hi little Pac. baby pac: baba..babu! GRRRRR! * Begins to growl at Oona because she thinks she's betrayus * Oona: uh, ok the little one Stratos: Heh, I think he confuses you with someone else.....😅 Sunny: well it must have been for you, since the commander is a white sphere, pac thought that you must be the Oona: 😓😖 Stratos: yes what a coincidence of destiny Oona: its cutie your baby <3♡ Sunny: aaaww, thank you Baby pac: 😐😡 Zac: Heh, yeah, thank you. Stratos: Zac, you’re back. Zac: oh who is your girlfriend, and why does she look like your brother Stratos: not my girlfriend 😡 Zac: 😅😂 sorry Sir.C.: Yes, she is. Stratos: Noow! 😤😡 Oona: Jajajaja! XD Spheria: *Chuckles* I was forgetting how fun is teasing Stratos. Stratos: shut up 😣😖 Oona: and tell me you are the last of your kind? Sunny and zac: yeah 😧 Sir.C.: Unfortunately, we don’t know why, the others like them had began to disappear. Oona: once I had a yellow neighbor, he was very old, but he died of age * he said very sadly * Stratos: however it must have been one of those few yellows * he said clapping his hands * Zac: Well, at least we are here. And especially the little one is safe. *Pats Little Pac* Oona: aaaw is so cute Baby pac: grrrr 😡 Cyli: Did you really have to growl at the white spheres!? Pac:🤷‍♂️ PAC: Yeah, it’s pretty weird, Mr. Pres. Sir.C.: But also funny. *Snickers* Stratos: I think Oona was very rude. but that was already in the past, and now you are more tolerable especially with my son, Do you remember that time when you met him and thought that my brother revived PAC: Oh. Hehe, yeah...Poor kiddo, I scared him... Stratos: maybe ... but let's continue we keep talking often, even though we started distancing ourselves during the following missions, but still we met again. Oona: are you going to fight again Stratos: yea 😓😧 Oona: please, don't get hurt, especially don't let death take you.😟😢 Stratos: Don’t worry! I’m strong! UwU Oona: please be very brave, and heard rumors that this squad will be brutal! 😯 Stratos: I neglected and survived this before, just like Sir.c... that phrase was my big mistake Pac: Uh? Why? Stratos: That platoon, as the rumors said, would be so brutal that very few were likely to come out alive. and look at this please * he says showing a scar on his knee from a grenade attack * Pac and cyli: 😨😲 Continue...

I thank our friend Niko for helping me with this story.

[yeniayofnymeria]

Arya Stark and Black Swan

(I don't know who the picture belongs to, I found it a long time ago.)

Hello/Selam,

In fact, as you know, Arya is one of the biggest five of GRRM. She has a key role in the books. The problem is that it's hard to predict exactly what this role is. I've been trying to piece together her puzzle pieces for years. The result I have achieved so far; Arya is on the side of the ice in the Battle of Ice and Fire alongside FM / Great Other ... Most people see this story as a classic good-bad battle, but I don't. The reason I think so is GRRM's statements.

Men are still capable of great heroism. But I don’t necessarily think there are heroes. That’s something that’s very much in my books: I believe in great characters. We’re all capable of doing great things, and of doing bad things. We have the angels and the demons inside of us, and our lives are a succession of choices…[Woodrow Wilson] was a racist who tried to end war. Now, does one cancel out the other? Well, they don’t cancel out the other. You can’t make him a hero or a villain. He was both. And we’re all both. - GRRM

...

Much as I admire Tolkien, and I do admire Tolkien — he’s been a huge influence on me, and his Lord of the Rings is the mountain that leans over every other fantasy written since and shaped all of modern fantasy — there are things about it, the whole concept of the Dark Lord, and good guys battling bad guys, Good versus Evil, while brilliantly handled in Tolkien, in the hands of many Tolkien successors, it has become kind of a cartoon. We don’t need any more Dark Lords, we don’t need any more, “Here are the good guys, they’re in white, there are the bad guys, they’re in black. And also, they’re really ugly, the bad guys.” - GRRM

So I don't see the side of ice and fire pure good and pure bad. They're both. Just like the Stark and Lannister war. So I don't see any problem putting Arya on the ice. After all, she's a Stark, and the Stark family is portrayed as "ice."

Lets continue.

The post was created using multiple topics(I combined them.): u/DutchArya 's https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/146440-arya-the-singing-bird-stark/ post and u/Arya1100's https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/7vw332/spoilers_extended_black_swans_and_arya_stark_an/ post.

It's an old theory(of theirs), but it's been a year or so. I wanted to resurrect. I just added a few things. And I commented in my own words.

Black Swan Theory

The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight**.** The term is based on an ancient saying that presumed black swans did not exist – a saying that became reinterpreted to teach a different lesson after black swans were discovered in the wild.

The theory was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb to explain:

The disproportionate role of high-profile, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance, and technology.

The non-computability of the probability of the consequential rare events using scientific methods (owing to the very nature of small probabilities).

The psychological biases that blind people, both individually and collectively, to uncertainty and to a rare event's massive role in historical affairs.

Unlike the earlier and broader "black swan problem" in philosophy (i.e. the problem of induction), Taleb's "black swan theory" refers only to unexpected events of large magnitude and consequence and their dominant role in history. Such events, considered extreme outliers**, collectively play vastly larger roles than regular occurrences:**xxi More technically, in the scientific monograph 'Silent Risk', Taleb mathematically defines the black swan problem as "stemming from the use of degenerate metaprobability" - From wikizeroo.org

Black Swan in summary = A term used to refer to an unexpectedly large event, effect, event.

Arya Stark is thought to have a connection with the Black Swan... This is both a “theory i'm issue I mentioned above and a kind of ugly duckling that turns into a beautiful swan.

Black Swan

Arya felt as though the lake were calling her. She wanted to leap into those placid blue waters, to feel clean again, to swim and splash and bask in the sun. But she dare not take off her clothes where the others could see...

From up here, she could see a small wooded island off to the northeast. Thirty yards from shore, three black swans were gliding over the water, so serene . . . no one had told them that war had come, and they cared nothing for burning towns and butchered men. She stared at them with yearning. Part of her wanted to be a swan the other part wanted to eat one. - (Arya, A Clash of Kings)

The important thing in this quote is that he sees “3 BLACK SWAN as I mentioned above. In fact, the Europeans did not know Black Swan until the 1697s, and I think that this is the basis of the theory that I mentioned first. So, in essence, these animals are a very rare species. Considering that the ASOIAF universe is a kind of a different version of Europe... In other words, the author added a “black swan" instead of the common white swan.

In the next book (book 3) Arya meets some of the Brotherhood and Lady Ravella Smallwood. She treats Arya well, washes and dresses her.

It was even worse than before; Lady Smallwood insisted that Arya take another bath, and cut and comb her hair besides; the dress she put her in this time was sort of lilac-colored, and decorated with little baby pearls. The only good thing about it was that it was so delicate that no one could expect her to ride in it. So the next morning as they broke their fast, Lady Smallwood gave her breeches, belt, and tunic to wear, and a brown doeskin jerkin dotted with iron studs. "They were my son's things," she said. "He died when he was seven."

"I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty."

"Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave."

This woman from House Swan. Their sigil is so interesting 

Battling swans black and white and so is the House of Black and White and that is where Arya is being reborn at every dark moon.

In the books Black and White was often touted as the struggle for darkness and light; therefore, we may interpret the question of swans as the struggle between dark and light parts of Arya or some kind of foreshadowing, which expresses an "enemy" in the future. In another comment 3 black swans; 3 can not be predicted to affect the story, may also express the great effect.

Water Dance

Arya stands on her toes, on one leg. This is indeed reminiscent of ballet. Ballet dancers learn to stand upright, on the tip of their toes, often on one leg. It's explicitly linked to the water dancing. So, "water dancing" = "ballet" and Swan Lake is a ballet that also has narrative similarities to Arya's story.

Ned stopped and looked at her. "Arya, what are you doing?"

"Syrio says a water dancer can stand on one toe for hours." Her hands flailed at the air to steady herself.

Ned had to smile. "Which toe?" he teased.

"Any toe." - (Eddard V, aGoT)

Later on, Arya wishes she could dance on water. This is what the Swan ballet dancers do!

Skinny as they were, her legs were strong and springy and growing longer every day. She was glad of that. A water dancer needs good legs. Blind Beth was no water dancer, but she would not be Beth forever. - The Blind Girl, ADWD

...

She was not far from the Gate as the crows flies, but for girls with feet instead of wings, the way was longer. - Mercy, Winds

Ugly Duck and Beautiful Swan

You all know the story of the ugly duckling. The swan, which started life as an ugly duck, is considered by all to be ugly and excluded. But one day something happens that when the ugly duck grows up, it turns into a beautiful swan and amazes everyone.

Readers think that the swan motif is also one aspect of it, which I'm sure everyone who reads the books carefully noticed it.

Arya considered herself ugly from the very beginning, and Sansa and Jeyne mocked her long face and subjected them to “Horse-faced” insults. According to Arya, her mother told her; if she wore beautiful dresses like Sansa and combed her hair, she could have been as beautiful as her sister.

But Jon and Ned always said she was beautiful; his father stated that she resembled his sister Lyanna, who is said to be a very beautiful girl. On the other hand, as she grew up during her adventure (such as Lady Smallwood), some began to emphasize that she was “beautiful.. For example, we have recently seen The Gentle Man said to her face is beautiful.

There is also a reference link to the swan and beauty in the series.

Arianne touched the pin that clasped [Balon’s] cloak, with its quarreling swans. “I have always been fond of swans. No other bird is half so beautiful, this side of the Summer Isles.”

“Your peacocks might dispute that,” said Ser Balon.

“They might,” said Arianne, “but peacocks are vain, proud creatures, strutting about in all those gaudy colors. Give me a swan serene in white or beautiful in black.” - The Watcher, ADwD

Thank you for read.

[nerdsinatree]

The Swan

He was insane he told himself. He had to be. That could be the only explanation for the illusion he had stumbled across the night before. And even more so, his desire to seek after said vision. True he was no where even near being old enough to fall victim to senility, (which rarely plagued active magic users anyway). But perhaps years of bachelorhood had caused him to grow desperate. Imagining up some fanciful fairy tale of beautiful, shapeshifting nymphs...

But then again, stranger things had happened before where magic was concerned...

The sorcerer descended from his workshop and stepped out into the cool air. He had often left his tower in the middle of the night to pick night-jasmine under the light of the full moon, when the flowers magical properties would be at their peak. So he knew the guards would think nothing of him venturing out into the castle gardens at this hour.

However, he had no intention of harvesting any potion ingredients tonight. No, this time he had a different goal in mind. In a place he had accidentally stumbled upon last night. Where he had seen her...

He had told himself he was crazy. Rationalizing it must be some sort of delusion brought on by fatigue. And he would have continued with that explanation had it not been for the tangible proof he held in his hands.

His fingers caressed the long feather. Nearly completely white, save for the tip which was colored a light lavender. It's unique appearance was strange enough as it was. But he honestly wouldn't have put too much stock into it, had he not come across the exact same kind of feather many times before.

Within the past few years his rather abysmal life had suddenly taken a turn for the better. So much so that he had actually managed to earn the long coveted respect of King Roland II and the rest of Enchancia. As such, he had even given up his long held dream of taking over the kingdom in order to gain such approbation.

However, he had come to notice over this time period, that whenever a particularly fortunate event occured. He would find a feather. Which he had begun collecting from the second or third time he had seen them. And they all bore a striking resemblance to the one he had found lying on the ground where she had once been. Just moments after he thought he saw her transform and disappear into the sky...

It took him a while, but he eventually found the most elusive part of the garden. A secert area, hidden behind some inconspicuos branches. He pulled back the plants and bent down slighty, entering in through the small opening.

Straightening himself back up, he gazed out into the large lake. Where he could see a single solitary figure swimming under the moonlight.

Stepping closer to the water allowed him a better view of the creature. A swan. It's body completely snow white and almost shining in the moonlight. Save for small amount of lavender, which colored the ends of it's wings and tail. Upon it's long graceful neck was a silver collar of sorts, decorated with a small tear shaped pink jewel.

An amused smile came to his lips as he observed how the creature swam closer to him, whilst still trying to keep her distance.

"It's alright." he assured her. "I know what you are. You don't have to hide from me." doing his best to sound confident. Though inwardly he was squirming a bit at how foolish he would sound if this did indeed turn out to be just a regular water fowl. At least no one else would be around to witness his blunder.

He was then pleasantly surprised, when the swan suddenly began to glow in the moonlight. After a flash of light, and swirl of rising water that completely covered her form, a young woman now stood upon the water where the swan had once been.

Cedric's mouth gaped in awe at the sight before him. She was young looking (though he was aware that was not always a proper indicator of age when it came to magical creatures), with large blue eyes and auburn hair which was tied into a simple ponytail a top her head. She wore a small white sleeveless dress. The length of it barely covering her thighs, allowing him a good view of her long graceful legs and dainty bare feet. The silver choker having transformed into a silver chained necklace, the pink gem hanging from it much bigger than before.

What really caught him off guard though were her arms, which were covered in the same long, white, lavender tipped feathers he had been finding over the years.

He flinched, falling to the ground as she suddenly disappeared from the top of the water. Plunging gracefully into the lake, before emerging once more and swimming towards him. Leaning up on the bank to present him with a big smile.

Cedric leaned back, and gulped. A little unnerved by how close she was to him. He was about to say such, but was prevented when she spoke first.

"It's so nice to see you again, Cedric."

"I..I..What?" he stuttered, trying to find his voice. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

"It's me, Sofia." she answered simply. As though he should already know.

"Sofia?..."

She nodded eagerly, "That was the name you gave to me after you saved me. When I was still just a little cygnet."

"What?...I never!..." he ceased his protest however when suddenly an old memory from his boyhood returned to of his mind. Of him rescuing a baby bird that was being tormented by some of the other students at Hexley Hall.

He didn't really know why he had reached out to the little cygnet at the time. After all, he wasn't exactly an animal lover. Perhaps he took pity on the creature because he saw himself in her. Both of them outcasts and ugly ducklings in their own right. But with her destined to eventually grow into a magnificent swan. And he hoped to be able to follow the same path as well.

So he cared for the little bird. Nursing her back to health, and calling her Sofia. A name he had heard at random once before and decided he liked. His mother was especially supportive of his decision to care for her, and had even consoled him when he awoke distraught one morning to find his that little charge had mysteriously vanished. Assuring him that his kindness to the creature would prove to be a great blessing in his future.

Now, looking at the beautiful nymph before him. It seemed his mother had known far more about the identity of the animal he had rescued than she had let on...

"Yes...yes I do think I remember you..." he said softly.

Her already radiant face seemed to light up even more at his remembrance. Before her eyes took on a rather wistful look "I'm sorry I never got to say good bye to you. But my mother found me and brought me back home, and I was only deemed old enough to make contact with humans a few years ago. Or, I would have tried to find you sooner."

He cleared his throat, blushing a bit before turning his attention back to the feather he still held in his hand.

"So...you're the reason my life has gotten so much better these last few years..." he observed aloud. Gently stroking the edges of the plume, and savoring the soft texture upon his fingertips.

"Only a little..." she admitted, "I can help bring good fortune, but my influence is only so powerful. You did the rest of it yourself."

He smiled to hear that. Feeling a little relieved to know that he was at least partly responsible for his new, better, lot in life. But at the same time grateful for her hand in it.

"I wanted to help you. Just like you helped me all those years ago." she said,

He pocketed the feather in his sleeve before holding her gaze with his own. A smile on his face. "Thank you, Sofia" he said sincerely.

She blushed lightly, before doing something that completely caught him off guard. She leaned up, and planted a sweet kiss on his lips before looking up at him with adoring eyes, "I love you Cedric. Will you be my husband?"

Cedric started to sputtering. Totally unprepared to receive a kiss, confession, and proposal all at the same time.

"I wanted to ask you sooner." she continued, apparently unfazed by his response. "I've loved you for so long... But I only became old enough to leave my mother's nest a few weeks ago."

The sorcerer was at a loss. On one hand her confession seemed so sincere, and her sweetness was certainly tempting. But on the other, the fact remained that they still barely knew each other. And he wouldn't feel right bringing her so swiftly into a relationship a part of him feared she may come to regret someday. Plus, it was clearly evident that she aged much slower than himself. Considering that she was still a maiden, despite them having both been children at the same time. And that was sure to pose some difficulties in their relationship.

But perhaps, things would work out. If they took the chance...

He cleared his throat, "Well, I'm not sure marriage would be the right course of action to take at the moment."

Her face fell a bit as, as she cocked her head in confusion. Clearly upset by his seeming rejection. The sight of which nearly broke his heart, and he swiftly acted to correct her misunderstanding.

"What...What I mean is! I think it would be better if we got to know each other a bit more first!" he added, "That is to say. I'd like to court you."

Sofia's features lightened in relief as she considered his offer. She wasn't completely naive as to the customs of humans, who often preferred a longer courtship than her fellow nymphs. And if this is what made him most comfortable, she would be happy to oblige.

"Sure" she smiled, "I'd like that."

[annesurelyblythe]

Of Friendship and Forgiveness (1/1):

Summary: Gilbert rescues Anne, and Anne’s not very happy about it. Also, Billy Andrews is a jerk. Post-Season 2. 

If you’ve read the books or watched the 1985 movie, you might recognize some things :)

Words: 3,700+       ao3 

Rated: G 

.

It was springtime in Avonlea again, Anne’s favorite time of the year. The rebirth of the forests and fields she walked through daily made her heart sing with delight. The very air around her seemed to hum with life as bees buzzed to and fro and birds called out their afternoon greetings.

The Lake of Shining Waters was teeming with life as the Avonlea schoolchildren descended upon its banks on assignment from Miss Stacy. They were studying ecosystems in class that day, a topic that normally would had interested Anne tremendously. However, Miss Stacy had chosen partners for them to explore with, and to Anne’s immense displeasure, she had somehow ended up with Billy Andrews.

Anne had long ago decided that if she had a sworn enemy on this earth, it was Billy Andrews.

The boy in question made a derisive noise at her as she came to stand next to him before he turned and sauntered towards the lake. Diana eyed her worriedly from where she stood nearby with Charlie Sloane, and Anne gave her bosom friend a look of resignation as she reluctantly trudged after Billy. She followed him to the dock where he promptly proceeded to start scanning the ground for rocks. Anne withheld an annoyed groan and walked down the dock to observe a charming cluster of lily pads.

It was amazing to her that so much life could be found in such a small area. On one of the lily pads, a small frog sat, and Anne watched enraptured as his mouth opened suddenly to catch a fly on his tongue. She smiled brightly, in awe as a snapping turtle paddled along nearby, startling the frog from its perch. Further across the lake, a graceful swan was teaching her ducklings how to fish, and every so often, she would dive under the water, leaving her white tail sticking up in the air.

So many creatures living in day to day harmony, Anne mused. And those were just the ones she could see. Beneath the surface were different plants and algaes that were essential to maintaining the equilibrium of the lake’s ecosystem. Every organism had its own part to play in the grand scheme.

Anne heard voices nearby and glanced up to see Gilbert Blythe pointing something out to Ruby Gillis whose starry-eyed face could hardly be persuaded to look away from his to see what they were supposed to be observing.

Anne sighed. Ruby had been over the moon when Miss Stacy had partnered her with Gilbert, while Anne had found herself strangely displeased by it, perhaps even more so than she was about her own partner. Gilbert was smart, as Anne had grudgingly admitted to herself on more than one occasion; he needed a partner who would challenge him, not someone who hung on his every word as if it was the gospel. It was an unkind to her enamored friend, Anne thought, but no less true.

Anne realized she’d been staring at them for some time when Gilbert shifted his attention her way and caught her eye. Her eyes widened as he smiled, tossing her a playful wink over Ruby’s shoulder, and Anne turned away hastily, feeling her cheeks warm in what she was sure was an entirely unbecoming shade of red.

She gave her attention back to her lily pad nook, and began a small sketch of the ecosystem she had found, determined not to look over at Gilbert and Ruby again. Although she was nowhere near as good of an artist as Cole, she took joy in drawing the enchanting scene, and pretended she was Monet, painting his famous water lilies. Suddenly, the tranquility of the lily pads was disturbed by several rocks being tossed in the water in front of her.

“Must you be such a nuisance?” she exclaimed, glaring at Billy, who had made his way to the end of the dock.

He only snickered and started skipping rocks across the lake. Anne huffed in exasperation. If he didn’t want to complete the lesson that was fine, but did he had to torment her when she was trying to enhance her own knowledge? What had Miss Stacy been thinking when she’d partnered Anne with such a brute?

The brute in question had found new victims to torture and skipped his rocks in the direction of the family of swans. Anne watched, growing increasingly upset as he missed the first couple of times before finally hitting one of the ducklings in the face, causing it to squeak piteously.

“Billy Andrews, you stop that right now!” Anne said, dropping her slate and hurrying to the end of the dock.

“Awww, is the ugly duckling worried about her fellow feathered friends?” he mocked, sending another rock sailing towards the swans.

Anne watched helplessly as it hit another precious duckling. “I said, leave them alone, Billy!”

“Why don’t you make me?” Billy sneered, not even looking at her as he winded back to toss another stone.

In that moment, something inside of Anne snapped at seeing him harassing such innocent creatures. She vaguely thought she heard Diana calling her name in concern, but Anne ignored her, intent on the rocks in Billy’s hand. Only, when she grabbed his hand to extract them from his fingertips, she didn’t count on Billy shoving her in his attempt to escape her grasp.

“Get off me, orphan!”

“Anne!”

Anne put her arms out to find balance, hearing thundering footsteps coming towards her, but it was too late. Billy had pushed her to the edge of the dock and she could do nothing but brace herself as she fell backwards into the lake.

.

“I said, leave them alone, Billy!”

Gilbert’s head snapped up from where he and Ruby were examining some tadpoles, to see Anne advancing down the dock towards Billy. Noticing Gilbert’s attention shift from the tadpoles to the dock, Ruby also looked up.

“Oh no,” she moaned nervously, and Gilbert stood up from where he was crouched down by the water’s edge.

“Why don’t you make me?”

A general feeling of foreboding washed over him, and Gilbert started heading towards Anne and Billy. He wasn’t the only one either.

“Anne,” Diana called, suddenly at his side as they reached the dock at the same time.

Both of them watched in horror as Anne reached over and grabbed Billy’s hand, only to have him push her away.

“Get off me, orphan!”

“Anne!” Gilbert yelled, as Diana gasped loudly, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

Gilbert raced up the dock towards them, but he was too late. She toppled backwards into the lake, making a loud splash into the water. Angrily, he turned to Billy, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, ready to lay into him, but Diana’s words made his blood run cold.

“Gilbert!” She tugged on his sleeve, and he heard tears in her voice. “Gilbert! Anne can’t swim! She doesn’t know how!”

Gilbert swung his panicked gaze over to where Anne had fallen, and his heart stopped when he realized that she hadn’t resurfaced. The dock extended a decent length away from the shore, and the water there was much deeper, too deep to stand. His body was moving before his mind even registered it, and suddenly he’d jumped in after her.

The water was freezing, but he hardly felt it, his heart pounding in his chest as he opened his eyes and searched for Anne in the murky water. She wasn’t far from him; she wasn’t even far from the surface, in fact, but her arms were flailing in distress. His eyes darted around her and he quickly spied that the hem of her dress was caught on the branch of a fallen log and it was preventing her from rising to the surface. Gilbert sprung into action, swimming down to where she was entangled, wasting no time in ripping her dress away from the sharp branch it was ensnared on. Once she was free, Gilbert tugged her into his arms and kicked them both up to the surface.

They broke through with heaving gasps, and Gilbert had a firm grip on her, keeping her above him as he treaded water. Anne seemed okay but disoriented, and her gray eyes widened in shock to see him holding her.

“Anne, are you alright?” Gilbert asked her urgently.

She coughed a little but nodded, averting her gaze, and Gilbert sighed in relief, swimming them over to the dock.

“Anne!” Diana exclaimed above them, “Oh, Anne, are you okay?”

By this time, most of the class had gathered on the dock, watching them anxiously, or in Josie Pye’s case, triumphantly. Gilbert helped Anne up the dock’s ladder before following her up, and watched as Diana, Ruby, and Jane descended on her, fretting over her waterlogged dress and hair. Gilbert barely paid them any attention, focusing on Anne’s pale face to determine if she was really fine. Luckily, she hadn’t been under very long, so he didn’t think there was any water in her lungs.

Spying Billy still in the crowd, his anger swelled again, and he rounded on him, only to be held back by Charlie and Moody. “What the hell was that, Billy?” he exclaimed. “You could’ve killed her!”

“It was an accident!” Billy claimed, his face growing red. “If she hadn’t put her ugly orphan hands on me, she wouldn’t have fallen in!”

At this insult, Gilbert struggled even more fiercely against Charlie and Moody to get to him, but his friends held firm.

“What is going on here?!” came Miss Stacy’s voice as she and the rest of the class joined them on the dock. Her eyes took in Anne’s pale, shivering form and a drenched Gilbert glaring angrily at Billy. “Someone explain this instant!”

“Anne jumped in the lake, Miss Stacy,” Josie said before anyone else.

Several of the girls audibly gasped at the statement, and Gilbert’s head whipped around wildly, his mouth falling open in outrage.

“That is not true,” Anne retorted, finally finding her voice, her eyes blazing. “You take that back, Josie Pye!”

“Anne,” Miss Stacy said, sending her a warning glance.

“Please, Miss Stacy,” Diana pleaded, her arm around Anne’s shoulders. “Billy pushed Anne into the lake ( “She fell! ” Billy protested.), and she can’t swim, so Gilbert jumped in and rescued her.”

“It was most heroical,” Ruby chimed in eagerly, looking at Gilbert with those moony eyes he tried so hard to avoid.

Miss Stacy sighed. “All right, everyone back to the schoolhouse,” she directed. “This particular lesson is over for now. Anne, Gilbert, you’re dismissed for the day. I don’t want you to catch a chill in those wet clothes, so please go straight home.”

She grabbed an unrepentant Billy by the arm, and urged him down the dock, and the rest of the class dutifully followed behind her. When he swung his gaze around to look at Anne, he found her staring right back at him, a warmth in her eyes like he’d seen the day they’d parted in Charlottetown and again at Bash and Mary’s wedding. He blinked, feeling warm himself despite his sopping wet clothes.

He suddenly felt a light touch on his arm, and looked down to see Ruby standing next to him. “Thank you for saving Anne, Gilbert,” she said in that soft voice of hers.

Before he could even think about moving, she had stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Oh, no.

.

“Thank you for saving Anne, Gilbert.”

Anne’s heart, which had swelled three times over when she’d seen who her rescuer was, now dropped down to her feet as she watched Ruby peck a kiss to Gilbert’s wet cheek. Whereas she had been warm with appreciation and some other emotion she couldn’t name, she now only felt the cold misery of being completely soaked through.

“Uh, it was nothing,” Gilbert stuttered, casting Anne a contrite look as Ruby continued to look up at him adoringly.

Anne drew herself up with as much grace as she could, as regal as Mary, Queen of Scots. “Yes, I’m sure I’m very grateful for your assistance, Mr. Blythe ,” she said curtly, since it would have been poor manners not to thank him.

Gilbert’s brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth to speak, but Anne had already swept away with as much dignity as someone who most likely resembled a drowned rat could.

“Anne, that wasn’t very nice,” Diana chided in a whisper, keeping pace with her down the dock. “Gilbert just saved your life.”

Anne scoffed. “I would have been fine,” she asserted, ignoring the minute of sheer terror she’d experienced when she’d been surrounded by water on all sides with no hope of reaching the surface.

Anne picked up her slate and hat from where she’d dropped them earlier and put the hat primly on top of her wet head. Quick footsteps behind her indicated that she had a very determined Gilbert Blythe on her heels so she marched off the dock to evade him. It was no use, of course.

“I’ll walk you home, Anne.”

Stopping to send him a long suffering expression, she said, “If you must .”

His gave her one of those inscrutable looks, though it was accompanied by a small smirk. “Yes,” he said simply. “I must.”

He hurried to grab his satchel, slinging it over his shoulder as Anne said a sullen goodbye to Diana and Ruby, who cast a longing glance back at Gilbert as Diana escorted her to the schoolhouse.

Anne started off down the lane, not looking back to see if Gilbert was following her, but hearing his footsteps a couple paces behind her. She experienced a brief moment of deja vu, and thought back to their first meeting. Billy Andrews was the common denominator between the two events, as was her would-be rescuer trying desperately to get her attention as they walked along.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“No water in your airways?”

“No.”

“No chills or a headache coming on?” He persisted. “Blurry vision?”

“No, Dr. Blythe .”

His presence disappeared from her side, and she peered over her shoulder to see Gilbert had halted abruptly on the path. The hurt expression on his face instantly made Anne feel about two inches tall.

“Are you mad at me for saving you?” He asked incredulously. “What was I supposed to do, let you drown?”

Stubbornly, Anne remained silent, averting her gaze.

“I don’t understand you, Anne,” he said, his voice cracking with frustration. “One minute we’re fine, and then the next, you push me away. Why can’t we be friends?”

She gave an impatient sigh. “We are friends.”

“Not like you are with Diana or Cole or even Jerry,” Gilbert pointed out. “What makes me so different? Why do you put this wall up between us?”

“Because you’re off limits!” Anne blurted out.

Her eyes widened in panic, and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. Her words seemed to echo in the silence thereafter. What had come over her to say such a thing? Why, oh why, did he have to push her so hard?

Gilbert squinted at her. “I’m what ?”

Anne shook her head, turning around to continue walking. “No, just, forget I said anything.”

“No, I want to know what you mean,” he demanded, grabbing her wrist and swinging her back to face him. “Why am I off limits?”

Growing frustrated herself, Anne shook him off. “Why don’t you figure it out, if you’re so clever.”

He studied her face, and Anne realized how close they were standing. “It’s Ruby, isn’t it?” Anne didn’t answer. Gilbert threw his head back, glaring up at the sky in exasperation. “Of course I’ve noticed her crush on me, but it’s not reciprocated, Anne . Besides, it’s not like I have ‘Property of Ruby Gillis’ tattooed on my body, do I?”

Anne felt her cheeks grow warm. “Well, no, but—“

Gilbert groaned. “Then, what is the problem?” He placed his hands on Anne’s shoulders and she had to remind herself to breathe. “This childishness has gone on long enough. Anne, from day one, the only thing I’ve ever wanted is to be your friend.”

“Well, you sure had a funny way of showing it,” Anne said crossly, trying not to soften in the face of his sincerity. “Teasing me about my hair, in front of the whole class nonetheless. It was excruciating .”

“I was an idiot,” he admitted. “I just wanted you to pay attention to me! I’m sorry I ever said anything about your hair. You’ve no idea how sorry,” Gilbert added softly, all his frustration seeming to have evaporated. He fingered one of her damp locks almost reverently. “Please, can’t you forgive me, Anne?”

Anne bit her lip. How on earth was she supposed to say no to that?

.

Gilbert watched with bated breath as Anne bit her lip, and he tried not to think about how red and inviting it made her lips look against her porcelain skin. Friends definitely didn’t think about one another’s lips, that was for sure, and if now was his one chance to finally be friends with Anne, he didn’t want to blow it, so he focused instead on her gray-green eyes. They looked hesitant, but not unyielding.

“All right,” she said finally after a long silence. “I forgive you, Gilbert.”

Gilbert threw up his arms triumphantly and whooped loudly, gratified when his reaction produced a smile on Anne’s face.

“We were born to be good friends, Anne,” Gilbert told her matter-a-factly, feeling his grin stretch from ear to ear. “You’ve thwarted destiny long enough.”

Her cheeks took on a rosy hue. “Yes, well, I suppose I won’t be sorry to be proven wrong,” she said lightly. Her face grew stern for a moment and she pointed a finger at him. “But I fully expect you to keep up your end of the rivalry in school. No going easy on me now that we’re really friends.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Gilbert avowed. There was a slight breeze rustling through the trees, and he steered them back down the path towards Green Gables when he noticed her shiver. “If anything, we’ve got to push ourselves harder than ever if we’re going to be the top two students from PEI to pass the Queen’s entrance exam.”

“Top two out of everyone on the whole island?” Anne asked, her expression dubious but hopeful. “You really think we can do it?”

“Oh, I know we can,” Gilbert replied confidently. “Mr. and Miss Cuthbert are going to be bragging about you to all of Avonlea, I can just see it now.”

“I don’t know that either of them knows how to brag,” Anne laughed. Her voice took on a wistful note. “It is my greatest wish to make them proud of me, though.”

“They already are, Anne,” he told her as they came to the gate of Green Gables. “Anyone with two eyes can see that.”

“Oh, I know,” she said absently, looking ahead to where where her home stood proudly.

Gilbert was struck with the knowledge of how little he actually knew about Anne’s past before she’d come to Avonlea. He didn’t know what traumas she may have faced, but sometimes a shell shocked expression would come over her face, and he knew she was reliving something terrible. His heart ached for her then, that anyone as pure and effervescent as Anne should have to deal with such dark memories. But if there was one thing the last few years had taught Gilbert, it was that life was hardly ever fair. He hoped that since they were real friends now, she would feel comfortable about sharing that part of her life with him.

“Now, I’m prescribing dry clothes and a cup or two of hot tea,” Gilbert said, playfully stern. “Doctor’s orders.”

Anne rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Right away, Dr. Blythe.”

They dallied at the gate, uncertain how to say goodbye after what felt like such a monumental day. Which was why Gilbert was astonished when Anne suddenly threw her arms around him in a quick hug. He barely had time to return the embrace before she pulled away, her cheeks flushed.

“ Thank you for saving me, Gilbert,” she said softly.

He felt like the happiest boy in the world at that moment. Anne had forgiven him, agreed to be friends, and hugged him? It was almost too good to be true, and he knew he was smiling like a moke, as Bash would have said.

Gilbert bowed dramatically. “I am but your humble servant, Queen Anne,” he told her, hand over his heart. “No thanks necessary.”

Anne’s eyes lit up in delight, making Gilbert’s heart soar, and a small part of him thought of how lovely it would be to spend the rest of his life making her that happy.

.

“See you at school tomorrow,” Gilbert said, his hazel eyes lively and warm.

Anne nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

He turned and ambled away, and Anne heard him whistling the opening notes of a cheerful tune. He looked back at her and waved before heading down the lane towards the Blythe farm, and when he was out of sight, Anne dreamily made her way toward the house.

Queen Anne, Gilbert had called her. She’d only ever wanted to be Princess Cordelia, but she had to admit that Queen Anne had a wonderful ring to it.

In the kitchen, she encountered Marilla who was baking a pie. The older woman looked at her in alarm.

“Heavens, child, what’s happened to you now?” She asked, taking in her disheveled appearance. “You look like you fell in a lake!”

“I was pushed in a lake,” Anne corrected, taking off her boots and placing them in front of the fire to dry.

“Pushed?” Marilla echoed in disbelief. “Pushed by whom, might I ask?”

“Billy Andrews,” Anne answered, wrinkling her nose.

Marilla shook her head, untying her apron and pulling it off. “Right then, I guess I had better go have a polite word with Mrs. Harmon Andrews.”

“It’s all right, Marilla,” Anne assured her, eyes sparkling. She would dream of Gilbert coming to her rescue every night for the next week. “I was saved by a brave knight.”

[yourmusicmypleasure]

XLISTEN TO - YMMP : BEST OF 20XVIII

Did your favorites make my list?

*HEAVY ROTATION*

The 1975, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships

Above & Beyond, Common Ground

Adrianne Lenker, abysskiss

Alison Wonderland, Awake

Alt-J, Reduxer

Amber Mark, Conexão

Amen Dunes, Freedom

*Anderson .Paak, Oxnard*

Andrew Bird, Echolocations: River

Arctic Monkeys, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Ariana Grande, Sweetner

Armin van Buuren, A State of Trance 2018

AURORA, Infections of a Different Kind (Step I)

Bad Bunny, X 100PRE

The Ballroom Thieves, Paper Crown

Beach House, 7

Birdtalker, One

*The Blaze, DANCEHALL*

Blood Orange, Negro Swan

*Bob Moses, Battle Lines*

*BØRNS, Blue Madonna*

The Boxer Rebellion, Ghost Alive

Brandi Carlile, By The Way, I Forgive You

*Brazilian Girls, Let’s Make Love*

Buzzy Lee, Facepaint

*Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy*

Cat Power, Wanderer

Chloe x Halle, The Kids are Alright

*Christine and the Queens, Chris*

Chrome Sparks, Chrome Sparks

*CHVRCHES, Hansa Session*

Circa Survive, The Amulet

Claptone, Fantast

cupcakKe, Ephorize

*Death Cab for Cutie, Thank You for Today*

*Diplo, California*

Dirty South, darko

DJ Koze, Knock Knock

*Drake, Scorpion*

Dutchkid, Empires

Earl Sweatshirt, Some Rap Songs

*Elohim, Elohim*

Erika Wennerstrom, Sweet Unknown

*Father John Misty, God’s Favorite Customer*

Felix Cartal, Next Season

*First Aid Kit, Ruins*

Florence + The Machine, High as Hope

Frankie Cosmos, Vessel

George FitzGerald, All That Must Be

Geowulf, Great Big Blue

Gorgon City, Escape

Gorillaz, The Now Now

Great Lake Swimmers, The Waves, The Wake

Greta Van Fleet, Anthem of the Peaceful Army

Gundelach, Baltus

Hayley Kiyoko, Expectations

Henry Green, Shift

How to Dress Well, The Anteroom

The Internet, Hive Mind

*J Balvin, Vibras*

*J. Cole, KOD*

MihTy, MIH-TY

Jim James, Uniform Distortion

Joey Purp, QUARTERTHING

Joji, BALLADS I

Jon Hopkins, Singularity

Jorja Smith, Lost & Found

JPEGMAFIA, Veteran

Julia Holter, Aviary

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, boygenius

*Jungle, For Ever*

Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods

*Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour*

Kali Uchis, Isolation

Kamasi Washington, Heaven and Earth

Kanye West, ye

Khalid, Suncity

*Lane 8, Little by Little*

Leah James, While She Sleeps

*Leon Bridges, Good Thing*

Lera Lynn, Plays Well with Others

Let’s Eat Grandma, I’m All Ears

Lil Wayne, The Carter V

Lo Moon, Lo Moon

Low, Double Negative

Lucy Ducas, Historian

Lupe Fiasco, DROGAS WAVE

Lykke Li, so sad, so sexy

Mac Ayres, Something to Feel

*Mac Miller, Swimming*

Maluma, F.A.M.E.

Marian Hill, Unusual

Meshell Ndegeocello, Ventriloquism

*Metric, Art of Doubt*

Middle Friends, Lost Friends

Mipso, Edges Run

Mitski, Be the Cowboy

MNEK, Language

*MØ, Forever Neverland*

Moby, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt

MorMor, Heaven’s Only Wishful

Mount Eerie, Now Only

Mumford & Sons, Delta

Neneh Cherry, Broken Politics

Nicki Minaj, Queen

Nipsey Hussle, Victory Lap

Noname, Room 25

Okay Kaya, Both

Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps

Playboi Carti, Die Lit

Post Malone, beerbongs & bentleys

Pusha T, DAYTONA

Rhye, Blood and Blood Remixed

Rico Nasty, Nasty

*Rita Ora, Phoenix*

*Robyn, Honey*

ROSALÍA, El Mar Querer

*RÜFÜS DU SOL, SOLACE*

Santigold, I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions

Sheck Wes, MUDBOY

Snail Mail, Lush

Soccer Mommy, Clean

*Sofi Tucker, Treehouse*

SOPHIE, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides

St. Lucia, Hyperion

Steffany Gretzinger, Blackout

Steve Angello, HUMAN

Sudan Archives, Sink

SYML, In My Body

Thom Yorke, Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)

Tom Misch, Geography

Travis Scott, ASTROWORLD

Tune-Yards, I can feel you creep into my private life

U.S. Girls, In a Poem Unlimited

Vacationer, Mindset

VHS Collection, Retrofuturism

The Voidz, Virtue

Wild Nothing, Indigo

Wye Oak, The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs

Yo La Tengo, There’s a Riot Going On

Yotto, Hyperfall

Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar

Yuno, Moodie

Zhu, RINGOS DESERT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PEACE,

DANI GEE

[lifesbestescape]

Convergence: Chapter

I knew it was a dream for several reasons. The first being that I was outside. Running through a maze of trees under a starry night sky. That was my first warning that something was off because I had never seen the night sky before. The next give away came once I realized that the trees were not really trees but bushes and that I was actually running on four legs instead of two. As I jumped over a puddle I looked down to see the reflection of a small white mouse leaping through the air.

The next thing I realized was that I was not alone. On either side of me were more mice and that behind us, catching up at an alarming rate, was a wolf. I could feel my little heart beat faster and faster as we tried to outrun him. Suddenly a shadow briefly blocked out the moon and then there he was. Snarling teeth and all. His fur was covered in mud and across his left eye lay a jagged scar. I could feel my body freeze in fear. I knew this wolf would kill me. I knew his sharp teeth and drooling mouth would be the last thing I saw before I died. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a large owl come swooping down toward us. The last thing I could remember before waking was if the owl was really a better way to die or if I should have taken my chances with the wolf.

I woke up tangled in the sheets drenched in sweat. My gaze automatically went to the bed next to mine. Sitting up with her hair still a mess from sleep was Blake going to town on her sketchbook. Between the sight of her and the familiar tingle in the back of my head, I knew the dream I just had wasn’t mine. I swung my legs over the bed so I was sitting up and asked Blake “You think it was a vision? What do you think it meant?”

She asked back “You saw it?”

I pushed the hair out of my face as I answered her “Yeah, I must have slipped in. Sorry.”

“It’s ok I know you can’t help it. It’s just now I’m not sure what it meant. You know the visions lose credibility when you’re in my head. That may not even have been what I was supposed to see.”

           Blake shut her sketchbook and got up from the bed. One hand went to collect her uniform while the other was busy at her mouth as she chewed on what was left of her thumbnail. She seemed nervous but I never knew Blake to not be nervous. I guess having the ability to randomly get glimpses of the future in cryptid visions tends to do that to a person. I asked her “You don’t have any idea at all what it was trying to tell you?”

Blake released her nail from between her teeth with a loud huff before saying “No, not a clue. Besides, since you were in my head I can’t completely trust it. Occupational hazard of sharing a room with a girl who can slip in and manipulate dreams. Still, I feel like this one was important. I feel like something big is coming.”

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Blake always thought something big was going to happen. She would spout off her visions like prophecy’s and always talked like she knew of some ancient evil. If she hadn’t been a 90-pound 14-year-old girl barely passing for 5 foot even I might have actually believed her. Of course, it didn’t help that she almost always misinterpreted her visions. The coats always told her she was making progress but I had yet to see it. Then again I wasn’t doing any better. Six years at The Camp and I still had trouble controlling when I slipped into people’s heads.

After getting dressed in our standard gray uniforms Blake and I made our way to the mess hall. The mess hall was about the closest thing we had to this place being like a real camp. I guess there is something about a room of ten to seventeen-year-olds all talking and eating that had a universal feeling no matter where you went. The rest of The Camp, however, was anything but normal. Instead of cabins, we had barracks with steel beds, instead of arts and crafts we had our special testing in one of the hundreds of labs, instead of a lake we had our daily two hours outside in the pen, and instead of cabin mascots, we had our abilities. We were generally split into three groups; the mentals, the physicals, and the cyborgs. When we reached our usual table Jack and H.D. were already there waiting in deep discussion.

“I can’t believe they did this. I was going to make history today for the fastest run time. Not to mention I was really looking forward to getting this thing off for a while.”  As Jack spoke he fiddled with the metal bracelet around his ankle. The bracelet was specially made for Jack so that any time he tried to use his super speed outside of the labs he only made it about 30 feet before the dampeners turned on. So, in other words, Jack hated the thing. I looked to H.D. for an explanation.

“They canceled our testing today. According to Dr. Swan, the four of us are to report to her group session in the outer labs.” H.D. said. H.D. was always good to talk to when you wanted to know something. His brain practically worked like a computer. Suddenly he got tense as he stared off behind me. I could see him pulling on the blue sleeve that I knew hid a robotic arm. I followed his gaze and turned around to see one of the scientists headed our way. You were always able to tell the scientist apart from the soldiers by their bright white coats, hence why we called them the coats.  He came toward our table in big hurried steps like a man on a mission.

“Rose you’re needed in Dr.Manchester’s lab right away.” Said the scientist.

“That can’t be right,” I replied, “I thought I was supposed to be headed to Dr.Swan’s.”

“There’s been a change of plans. You have been requested personally for a demonstration. Mr. Wolfe is here.”

I could feel the cold settle low in my stomach as the coat grabbed my arm and lifted me from the table. I had never met Mr.Wolfe personally, none of the kids here have. All we knew were the basics. He was the suit sent from Grimm’s Corp or otherwise known as the people whose experiments created us. Every once in a while they would send him to check on the progress of The Camp by seeing a demonstration of a kid’s unique ability. His visits were never seen as happy ones though since the kids sent for these “demonstrations” almost never came back.

I kept my head held high and my back straight as the coat lead me towards a lab in the center of the compound. I’d be damned if I gave him the satisfaction of seeing me afraid. Which I was, I was terrified. I had never liked my testing. The kids with mental abilities had always had it harder than the rest. The beeping of the machines they hooked me up to, the cold metal of the chair I was strapped to, and the screams of the people they’d have me practice on all haunted me. I loathed my testing with everything in me, but I’d rather be strapped to that chair then find out why kids never came back from demonstrations with Mr. Wolfe.

When we turned the corner I caught sight of the end of the hall and felt my blood run cold. Standing there with coats on either side of him was a man in a gray suit. His hair was combed back neatly, shoes nice and shiny, and on his face across his left eye lay a long scar. I could catch bits and pieces of the coats describing me to him. “Subject 312…” “15 years of age, first wave…” “Ability to manipulate dream stasis….”  

I could feel the panic rise in me. Every instinct in my body was telling me I had to get away. That I had to stop. Something was screaming in me not to let them take me through that door. Suddenly, still a mere 10 feet away from them, the lights cut out followed by the sounds of the emergency alarms. I could hear people start shouting and panicking and then I could feel myself being yanked out the grasp of the scientist who came for me. Before I had time to react or even scream I was being pulled through crowds of manic people filling the hallways. My only anchor was the hand grasped tightly over my wrist. We turned a corner and then I was abruptly shoved into what I guessed was a hall closet just in time for the emergency floodlights to kick on.

I had to swallow my shock as I could finally see who had been pulling me “Dr.Swan! What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“Oh thank God you’re ok. When the others showed up and told me where you went I got so worried I wouldn’t make it to you in time. He wasn’t supposed to be here till this evening. Here put these on.” Dr. Swan rushed through her words as she threw an infirmary staff uniform at me.

“We have to hurry we still need to go back for the others.” Dr. Swan was saying to me as she kept her ear to the door.

“Wait just wait,” My mind was spinning at a million miles an hour as I hurried and changed “I still don’t understand. What’s happening right now?”

Dr. Swan gave me a once over before answering me “I’m tired of biting my tongue. I’m tired of playing their game. You want to know what’s happening Rose?”  

           I held my breath as Dr.Swan shoved the closet door open and took me by the hand again before leading us back into the hallway. Back into the unknown.

“I’ll tell you what’s happening. We're finally getting out of here.”

[hela-of-ren]

Dancing in the Dark: Rain

Part twoooooo, PART TWOOOOOOOOOOO. Enjoy my little dumplings! <3

Warnings: All the FLUFF

It seemed like forever since you’d run into Kylo, the two of you still in each others arms as if you couldn’t understand what was happening between you. The instant spark of magic hit you like a truck and it was taking you a very long time to recover.

Kylo wasn’t much better off either. He couldn’t stop taking in your face over and over. The elegant twist of your hair style, light smattering of glitter around your eyes, and the natural makeup that enhanced your eyes had him starstruck. He’d wanted to meet you as soon as that curtain closed, but he never imagined it would be like this.

“Y/N, I am so sorry dear I-” Maz’s apologetic voice sounded from behind as you turned slightly in Kylo’s arms, “Ah, Kylo...may I ask what you’re doing with my prima ballerina?” Her face took on a disapproving look as she gave Kylo a cold gaze. You felt the need to defend him.

“Maz, please, it was my fault! I ran too fast to keep up with you and I slammed into him, but Mr. Ren caught me before I could fall.” You implored her to understand, hoping she wouldn’t misunderstand the situation.

Maz looked at you with a hidden warmth underneath her stern expression, you really were to kind and too good for the rest of the world. She had known Kylo since he was a young boy, being close with the Organa-Solo family. He’d been a quiet and polite boy, but recent years had hardened him and made everything about him a bit too suspicious for her liking. It also wasn’t a secret how he’d had his short lived flings with various beautiful women.

“I see, well, my apologies for my part in this.” Maz replied and looked to Kylo, “You don’t mind if I steal her then? There are a few people I want to introduce her to.” Kylo let go of your waist as you let go of his arms.

“Of course, I apologize.” Kylo looked as if he’d been kicked while down and you couldn’t help but wonder why his eyes screamed with loneliness. As he began to walk away, you gently grabbed his shoulder and looked at Maz.

“I’ll be right with you, Maz. I just have to thank Mr. Ren.” You could tell she was hesitant to leave you alone.

“Very well, meet me by the north pillar.” She nodded to Kylo and walked away. You turned around to meet his curious yet hopeful eyes.

“Thank you again for catching me, I’m not normally that clumsy.” You smiled and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Really, it’s alright…” He trailed off trying to find something else to say until you spoke up.

“Listen, do you...do you have a pen?” You questioned. He furrowed his brow in confusion before searching through his pockets, bringing out an expensive pen encased in chrome linings. You smiled and took it only to grab his hand and begin writing on his wrist. He looked at your face as you finished, capping the pen and putting it into his breast pocket, “I hope it’s not too forward of me, but that’s my number. I...I would really like to get to know you, Mr. Ren.” You silently hoped he wouldn’t take this as you trying to throw yourself at him.

He looked at his wrist as if he couldn’t believe what you had just asked, the silence beginning to make you nervous until he let a small smile crack his face.

“I would like that, I’d like that very much.” He responded. You smiled and nodded once in excitement, turning to leave, “And Y/N?” You stopped and turned back to look at him. “Please call me Kylo.” You smiled even bigger before responding.

“See you soon then...Kylo.” You gave one last shy wave and made your way to Maz. Kylo watched you as until you disappeared into the crowd, bringing his wrist up to look at the neatly written numbers again. A feeling of excitement began to overtake him as he quickly pulled out his phone and typed your number into his contacts.

Maybe this night hadn’t been a total failure after all.

__________________________________________

Two days had passed since you had met Kylo, since then you’d been texting each other attempting to set up a date.

A date, god how long had it been since you’d been on a date? He had suggested taking you to La Cantina, a rather fancy restaurant in the nicer part of town. Before you could voice any concerns over the priceyness of the establishment, he assured you that money was not something you needed to worry about with him.

You stood at your closet trying to decide what dress to wear when your phone buzzed. You walked over in your underwear and looked to see a text from Kylo signaling he’d be at your apartment in 30 minutes.

Oh gods, you needed to get dressed! You looked back and forth between your two favorite options with nerves rolling off of your body. What if he didn’t like what you chose? What if he thought you were being too forward and was only doing this to be polite? What if he was actually ten times older than you? What if-

No. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, willing yourself to calm down. Whatever the case, you needed to take a chill pill and be your damn self. Sure you’d had some bad past dates within the past year, but you wouldn’t let that ruin your night. You ended up going with a lovely black number that was long sleeved and showed off your shoulders. The length stopped just above your knees and hugged your curves flawlessly; paired with a pair of nude kitten heels, you felt pretty damn good.

You walked back to the mirror and primped your hair one last time, opting to go for soft 1940’s waves and minimal makeup save for a simple cat eye and nude lip gloss. You grabbed your clutch just as your doorbell buzzed.

“Coming!” You announced and briskly made your way down the hall, taking a deep breath and smoothing out your dress before opening the door.

He felt his breath catch when your door opened, you were an absolute vision in black and he felt like a creep for how he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He cleared his throat and held out his hand.

“You look lovely, Y/N.” You put your hand in his only for him to gently grasp it and kiss the back of your hand. Oh gosh, his lips felt like clouds. You felt the blush over taking your cheeks as you managed to respond.

“You look very handsome yourself.” He looked at his pristine black suit and back at you with a smirk.

“What, this old thing?” You chuckled at his attempt to make you comfortable, but appreciated it nonetheless. He held out his arm in a silent offering causing you to smile and gently grasp his bicep.

*An hour later*

You sat with rapt attention as Kylo explained about what he did for First Order Corp, your eyes flickering between his lips and eyes every now and then.

Besides the fact that the man had offered to take you to one of the nicest restaurants in town, he had also gotten the two of you a private booth with romantic candle light and a beautiful view of the pier. The moon was full and bright, reflecting onto the water in a beautifully bright ombre effect.

You picked up your glass of merlot and sipped slowly, watching him with rapt attention as he spoke with his hands.

“But enough about me, tell me more about you. How did you come upon dancing?” His eyes gleamed in the candlelight, almost distracting you from answering.

“I’ve always been attracted to it, really. When I was little I’d watch repeats of the ballerinas at Christmas perform the Nutcracker or Swan Lake. It started as something that could distract me from…” You trailed off, realizing you were getting too personal, “...from life in general.” Kylo noticed the hitch, but said nothing so as not to make you uncomfortable. “After a while I found myself wanting to be like them, to move and dress like they did. Maz knew my family pretty well so I really owe any lessons and skills I have to her, she saw something that I didn’t and she went with it.” You smiled at the memory of your first lesson with Maz.

“Dance is...something I can’t justify with words. The feeling of telling a story through your body and music alone is one of the best feelings in the world, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” You smiled gently as he leant forward.

“You’re very passionate,” He breathed out, “I admire that, not a lot of people do what they love anymore.” His eyes followed the tilt of your head.

“Do you?” He went to respond before you beat him to it, “Do you do what you love, I mean.” You clarified. Kylo looked down with an expression of deep thought, you feared maybe you ahd crossed a line after a few seconds of silence.

“It started that way, I think. I wanted to do something that would produce success, something that would get me a name for myself and First Order Corp was that place.” He spoke as if he was remembering a fleeting memory, “Sometimes I wish I could do some of the things I missed out on as a kid,” He chuckled, “I use to think I would become a famous mechanic…” He trailed off and you leaned forward in question.

“Why didn’t you?” You questioned.

“It wasn’t realistic, my family has always been known for their success in big business. I had to follow in their footsteps, I suppose.” He looked angry for a moment before a look of melancholy took its place, “I would always go to work with my mother when I was little. She knew how bored I was, but she didn’t have much of a choice when my dad couldn’t watch me; at least not until she got rich enough to hire a nanny. Anyway, sometimes she’d play the radio in her office and stand me on her feet so I could dance with her, an impromptu ballroom as it were. I enjoyed it for a time.” He stopped mid sentence as if uncomfortable, you reached out and gently grabbed his hand.

“You don’t have to go on.” You squeezed his hand comfortingly, his own fingers entangling in yours after a moment in a silent thanks. He let go after a few minutes to signal the waiter.

“How do you feel about milkshakes?” He asked with a roguish glint in his eye. You smiled brightly in return.

“I’m all about that life.” He smiled just as brightly.

Kylo not only knew about fancy restaurants, but also where to find a damn good milkshake that wasn’t a diner. He had driven the two of you to a small line of trucks that were lit with fairy lights and lined with picnic benches, a food truck festival of sorts. You stood with Kylo beside Jabba’s Shakes, a look of pure contentment on your face as you sipped your milkshake.

“This has to be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. How does he get it to be so thick?!” Kylo chuckled at your obvious delight and sipped his own strawberry shake.

“That’s something even I don’t know. The man could totally expand if he wanted to, but he always tells me he’s content with his truck so I leave it alone.” He took a final sip and threw his cup in the trash, you removing your lid and gulping down the remaining ice cream. You threw the empty cup away and looked up at Kylo as he attempted to stifle a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” You pouted. He allowed himself to let a small laugh out before moving closer to you.

“You’ve got a little something right…” His hand held your cheek as his thumb removed the remaining milkshake on your upper lip, “...here.” He trailed of when he realized how close you were and what he’d just done. You leaned your cheek more into his hand, your eyes flickering to his lips as he got closer. His own eyes began to close when-

BOOM

The sound of thunder rumbled into the night as the skies opened up in a downpour. Families and couples scrambled to get back to their cars in a panic as you let out a squeal at the sudden feeling of rain. Kylo knew he had parked far due to how busy the festival was and panicked at how he would keep you as dry as possible. What if you got pissed at him for the sudden weather? Most women he’d come across always seemed to freak out when their hair or makeup were messed up.

Thinking quickly, he took off his jacket and placed it over your head as a last ditch effort to keep you covered. By the time he was able to get a good look at you, he noticed you were laughing in pure delight. He found himself laughing along as he watched you turn your face upwards to the sky in an attempt to catch the water on your tongue. By the time your laughter had died down, you found yourself looking at Kylo in very much the same way as when you first saw him.

His white shirt was soaked through, his hair sticking to his face and neck and his eyes darker than you’d ever seen. He too had stopped laughing and tucked the coat around you more, hands coming up to wipe rain drops from your face. You parted your lips, entranced by the way the rain slid down his face and almost connected the moles and freckles on his face like constellations.

He cupped your face in his warm hands after wiping away the remaining drops, thumbs lightly stroking under your cheekbones as his eyes flickered to your lips. You felt the last bit of patience leave as you surged forward the rest of the way and connected your lips in a rain soaked kiss, your hands coming to clutch his expensive drenched shirt.

Kylo let out a low groan at the feeling of your lips on his, the rain adding to the overall ecstasy of the kiss. It had always been a secret fantasy of his to share a kiss in the rain, but this was better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. He smiled into the kiss as your arms wound around his neck, his own lowering to your waist in order to lift you up.

Your hands entangled into his wet hair as he took your bottom lips between his own in a gentle suck, tongue following to dance with your own. The rain dripped and slid between your passionate kiss, his arms only holding you tighter the more wet it got.

After what seemed like hours, you broke the kiss to rest your forehead on his. Your mingled breaths coming out in harsh pants against each, his eyes still closed from the feeling of pure passion. You placed another kiss onto the bridge of his nose, prompting his eyes to open and look up at you in his arms.

“I think now is a good time as any to introduce you to my fireplace.” He husked out. You let out a breathy chuckle in response.

“That sounds perfect.” Before you could unwind your arms from around him, Kylo had adjusted you so that he was carrying you bridal style and running back to the car; your laugh drifting off into the night.