#I have one lined at least…mayhaps I should work on that…

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

blorbo art should take zero effort and time to make. It should just manifest straight out of your mind whenever you want it to

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Thoughts on season two's episode four to six of RWBY down the line... That Cinder is about to cross. Am scared.

Season 02, Episode 04: Painting the Town...

- "...And a point where you just can't take anymore." The songs are so gooooooood. I am going to start working out to them.

- Penny can generate an aura?! WoWie.

- Awwwwwwwww! Ruby really is handling this so well!

- "I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower..." The crushing hugs will never end for Ruby. 😂

- If Penny's father isn't good... Am not sure what I would do.

- Ironwood is preparing... For no peace. Threats threats everywhere. Which, fair. Cinder and co have already infiltrated Beacon.

- Penny just lifted Ruby up like a kite and threw her in a dumpster... Which has a drawing of Thanos' gauntlet? 🤔

- Ruby really promised Penny not to share her secret. I can already see this causing problems. Hopefully it won't.

- Oh my Gods. Yang is so COOOOOOOOL! Neptune cannot take the speed. His googles are out of it and so is he it seems. 😂

- Wait. Is Yang's friend supposed to be Junior?

- Yup. He is looking well. Unfortunately. But his nightclub isn't. Filled with only his own men. LoLL!

- "Hurry, close the door. She's coming!" 👏🏻😂. I can't. So good.

- Greeted by a barrage of gun barrels. The vinyl record is stuck.. The bear thing the DJ is wearing looks cute. Must have it.

- Junior doesn't want revenge from Yang? And is actually asking his guys to stand down? What.

- Truly Neptune. What a woman. I wanna be like Yang when I grow up. ✨

- Miltia and Melanie don't care for his Sup. 😆

- The White Fang wear Grimm masks?! People wanted to make monsters out of them... Huh. Morbidly fascinating explanation, I will give them that.

- Sun: "Always sunshine and rainbows with you." 😂

- Special comrade... Torchwick?! The fuck.

- Fighting against the system. He does have a good angle I guess.

- Roman has a Megazord?! His employer is Cinder, right? Not only is she hot, she is also loaded... WoWie.

- Some White Fang member is just waving his arm around in the crowd like he is at a concert. 😆

- New Southeast operation? Hmmm. Go outside the city, get to play with Megazord... While also getting justice. Huh. Appealing.

- Just as Blake thinks about leaving, new recruits get called forward. The universe truly has such great timing sometimes. So relatable.

- Yang asked questions. Junior doesn't have good answers. Neptune has even worse queries. The rest of the team is having too much of good luck mayhaps...

- Yup. Torchwick sees them. Blake has a good head and dark vision. Lights out! And so are Sun and Blake.

- Megazord too apparently. Jumping like ninjas from one building to another, so cooool, Blake called for backup... Sun screamed for help. 😆

- They both just passed Yang and Neptune. Bike riding! Hopefully Neptune doesn't fall off.

- Fighting on the highway... Cars are being treated like throwaway toys. Shikes. Hopefully there was no one in them.

- Neptune should invest in a helmet. His weapon is a gun and a spear with a blade?! Holy hell. I want it.

- Blade goes in the Megazord. Neptune goes on it. About to be flung off soon. At least he had some practice on Yang's bike! That should help.

- Sun can do the shadow clone jutsu?!

- Neptune and Sun are off the battlefield. Oooof. They were thrown off together so will have one another for company.

- Weiss is here! Did Torchwick just smile at her? Her sword is the Avatar? Master of all elements! 👏🏻❤️‍🔥

- Off the highway now. Thank Gods.

- Megazord vs Team RWBY!!!

- They have names for their moves?!? 🤯👏🏻❤️‍🔥🤌🏻. Freezer burn is happening. Loads of smoke. Magic act where the team disappears.

- Megazord has lasers. Team RWBY has four members.

- Weiss fell but not before giving Blake a magic ability to combat missiles! Teamwork!!!

- And now Ladybug. Ruby came up with the names, didn't she? 😆🫶🏻

- Megazord has lost one arm. Yang is beating the shite out of it. And now it's throwing her around like a ragdoll. Fuck.

- Blake is worried. So am I... She gets stronger with each hit? And can use that energy? To fight back? Good Gods. I love her. That's not the only thing that makes her special though. 💖

- New song!!! Red-eyed Super Saiyyan Yang. One punch, and the Megazord has lost the other arm. AGHHHHHHHHH!

- Did RWBY just say Bumbleby?! Bumbleby is AMAZING!!!!!

- Ice Flower? Weiss and Ruby's special attack!!!!

- Bumbleby and Ice Flower brought the Megazord down!!!!!

- Roman is complaining about getting his clothes dirty. His hands don't matter in the face of such grievances...

- Yang fired something and an umbrella girl stopped it with her umbrella. Huh.

- Roman does know Weiss then? He referred to her seperately as Ice Queen.

- Neo bowed, Yang hit them. And they broke into glass?

- The fuck! Did Torchwick and Neo just teleport?! Is Neo supposed to be from the Matrix?

- Weiss cracked a joke?!?! 😂😭😂. It made Ruby laugh at least. Blake just turned away. She was that disappointed. Yang does not want to be dethroned as their in-house jokester... No likey. 😂

- Sun and Neptune are at a noodle shop that is now run by the keeper of From Dust to Dawn. Did he change professions after that almost accident with Ruby and Penny? 😆😅😆

- This ending song... Really riling me up!

- Sun fanart! 💖

Season 02, Episode 05: Extracurricular

- "There's a point where it tips..."

- Pyrrha's in the locker room. The lights here look so beautiful. The entire setting is actually very nicely done.

- A warrior is getting ready. Bye-bye Cardin! Your loss is guaranteed. Holy hell. She is fighting his entire team?! And winning!!!

- Four vs One. And the one is so gooooooood, all four of them can't take her on... Badass!!!

- Sparring in class. Blake hasn't been participating much? Huh. Wonder what's up.

- Mercury is here as well?! And he wants to fight Pyrrha. I don't know how to feel about this.

- Emerald is in the audience behind Ruby and glances at her excitement with wariness? Should I be worried.

- Pyrrha and Mercury seem evenly matched so far.

- Emerald either cannot take Ruby's cheerful attitude or her compliments for Mercury...

- Mercury deflected Pyrrha's spear and now knows of her semblance... Shite.

- He forfeited. But why does it feel like he got exactly what he wanted... Uh oh.

- Blake was sleeping in class? That does not seem like her. Hope she is okie.

- Is she stressed over the upcoming dance? Or their first mission on Monday?

- Sun asked her to the dance. I guess Blake is actually worried about everything and can't focus on stuff like this now. Ahhh.

- Thank you Team. Blake should go to the dance and have fun! And also dance a lot with Yang. Yes, I am partial. No, I don't care.

- Yang and Weiss are planning the event?! Oh Gods. 😂

- Team CFVY, or Coffee. 😆. Of course they were the ones setting up the dance. Can't sleep on all that caffeine so dressing up a venue it is!

- Who asked Weiss and Yang to do this? I want to meet them and personally thank them for it.

- Wasting time away is exactly what we need here and there. Blake. I hope you get some sleep in the library.

- Someone knocked. Definitely not Blake. It's Jaune with a guitar, a wink, and a song. But he only got to sing her name before th door was shut on his face... Jaune. Please find someone else.

- He is still there. The song wasn't too bad. He said yes to being done with the song. Weiss said no to him. Ooof... Not going to lie, I would probably do this too. Ask a lady out with a guitar. Need to learn to actually play it though.

- Weiss finally learns why she is called the Ice Queen, while Ruby falls because she thought the floor was ice... 😂

- Awww. They won't go if Blake won't. Cute!

- Pyrrha and Jaune having extra classes! Jaune landed on his arse. But he has gotten better! He still hasn't discovered his semblance. Huh.

- Oh my Gods. Pyrrha's face literally fell when Jaune mentioned Weiss. Oh Gods. My good man. Ask her out. She is the best.

- Now I really want Jaune to wear a dress. But I also want Pyrrha to be happy. And apparently that comes from Jaune. But he won't wear a dress if she has a date... UGHHHHHHHHH. This is impossible!

- Cinder and co really are spying on people and their strengths. They are going to attack Beacon, aren't they?

- Not about overpowering but about taking away their power. I am terrified. And a little turned on... But why did they add Pyrrha to the list? Shite.

- Cinder stitches. And then looks down at the needle while menacing music plays... Oh no. She supposed to be Maleficent?

- The music sounds like it's for a metric romance!

- Pyrrha and Jaune fanart! 💖

Season 02, Episode 06: Burning the Candle

- "There's a point where it breaks..."

- Two tableclothes that look the same. To everyone else but Weiss. She irritated that Ruby can't see the difference. 😆

- Yang is carrying a huge ass speaker like it's nothing. 😎

- Blake still isn't going to the dance. Yang is confident she will. Hmmm.

- No doilies, no fog machine. I only understand one of those two.

- Neptune is impressed over the fog machine. Weiss seems glad he is here.

- Sun cannot be bothered to dress up. Yang is extremely confident about Blake being at the dance... Huh. Gal pal powers. 😉😆

- Good Gods. Blake's eyes are still working? The dark circles under them are overworking. Ooof.

- Is Yang actually using the red laser thing?! 😂. It has to be Yang. No one else would dare...

- I was right! And it did work! 👏🏻😂🤌🏻. Blake and Yang need to talk.

- Ren just got out of the washroom in just a towel. Jaune and him need to talk too. Ren uses Samurai Shampoo. 😂

- Jaune doesn't know how to... girls. Ren just wants to put his clothes on.

- Nora is there?! Ren's hands over his crotch make more sense now. And his urgency to get into his clothes too. 😆

- Okie, I noticed this back in volume one. Ruby's headphones have her rose symbol on them. Nora's headphones have her hammer. How? Their tech just automatically learns the symbol they go by?

- Not 'together' together. Do they want to be though? Childhood friends to lovers... Cute!

- Jaune really likes Weiss. Good Gods. Pyrrha is the one who nudges him in the right direction?! Fucking fuckity fuck. This is hurting me. And I am gay. UGHHHHHHHHH.

- Ren and Nora know. Truly, Nora be right. Pyrrha should tell Jaune the truth too. Can never go wrong there. But holy hell. Why would she? Jaune really is head over heels for Weiss. 💔🤧

- They have really improved a lot from last season. The backdrops, the lights, the way it's animated. Already noticeable!

- "I don't want you to stop, I want you to slow down." Yang is my favourite character. I love her so much already.

- She is so calm in the face of Blake's quiet storm.

- Yang and Ruby lore! Summer Rose. Supermom. Awww.

- So, Ruby and Yang's dad, Summer Rose, Qrow and Yang's biological mum were in a team together. Okie.

- I do know Yang's bio mother isn't the best mom. Shikes.

- Little Yang and tiny Ruby! This story is already making me sad.

- Holy hell. Grimm monster encounter at that age. Fucking fuckity fuck.

- The art they are using, charcoal like drawings but not entirely... It's so well done!!! I love it.

- Thank you uncle Qrow for saving them!!! I can see his symbol. Half a wing with a gear within the rounded part and a mini gear in the big gear. Huh.

- He looks like such an anime character, with the way they are situating him in the frame. ❤️‍🔥

- Yang. I love her so much more now. I didn't think that was possible. Blake is being stubborn. Yang is being even more stubborn, yet soft still.

- The hug. The conversation. The wink. 💖

- Listen. Am obviously a little blinded by the fact that Bumbleby is already canon. But how can people not ship them after this?! So far, it's one of the most impactful scenes. For me at least.

- Jaune has a white rose. For Weiss. Awww! This is so bittersweet.

- Oh no. Weiss is asking Neptune. I feel a little bad for Jaune, and the white rose on the floor, but now he can be with Pyrrha! He deserves someone who is as crazy about him as he is about them. We all do.

- The sisters look amazing! Ruby cannot walk on heels. Samesies.

- Sun has buttoned his black shirt. Finally! And has a necktrap. Blake appreciates it. She looks nice! Her first dance is spoken for! Hehe :3

- That's all they show of the Bumbleby dance?!? AGHHHHHHHHH!!!

- Yang has bowed out for Sun to get in. ❤️‍🩹. This hurts me a lot more than any of them. Thank Gods for fanfiction.

- Sun's shoes are in Bumbleby's colours at least! Good on him.

- Blake's having fun I guess. That's what matters. And that Yang was right! ✨

- The dancers in the background are moving in such a synchronised fashion... They must have practiced a lot together! 😆

- Ruby may not be a fancy-pantsy-dancy girl, but I want to be. With the pants. And a girl. 😭

- Ozpin is imparting wisdom about fighting and dancing and lost time. Nights you never forget.

- Enter Emerald and Mercury. Oh no.

- Ooooooh! Nice song. Very appropriate for a dance!

- Team RWBY fanart! 💖

(No spoiling stuff! Or I spoil your future kids with presents before you ever get a chance to! There's a HIMYM reference there. If you get it, you cool! Sayonara!)

[t-lane-writes]

I still have reservations about posting fragments of my original novels / stories anywhere. But mayhaps I'm wrong? Maybe I should start posting them, if I want to interest more people in my characters and their adventures? I don't know...

Okay, I'll try...

WIP: Black Wings Genre: science-fiction Tag line: Humans’ efforts to terraform a planet are thwarted when some decide to save intelligent indigenous life.  POV characters: Kenaed, Zoe Irene, Mattan Nuada, Siesell Keeva Snippet from: Chapter One, Zoe Irene's PoV

#.

Zo’rene and Kenaed had parted ways shortly after The Flood. She had known he’d survived, spotted him in passing a couple of times over the years. But they hadn’t spoken, he hadn’t kept in touch with any of their old friends.  

They had found each other again less than four sun-a-rounds ago. One of those old friends – Zo’rene’s friend still – had celebrated his birthday and Kenaed happened to be nearby. Gam’ir had recognized him and dragged him to their circle and the next thing Zo’rene knew, she and Kenaed had snuck out into the shadows between the modulars to kiss like they were starved and make love before their brains caught up. That fire that used to burn between them ten years ago – it was still blazing. That one thing, at least, was exactly the same as before.  

Zo’rene reached for his hand and smiled like she was twenty-something and wanted to seize the world. He smiled back, eyes flicking to her lips, then her breasts and back up to her eyes. She burst out laughing.  

“Let’s go inside!”  

She opened the door to the unassuming modular and was hit in the face with the noise, the beat of drums and people’s voices and laughter. Dense atmosphere filled with heavy stench of herbs, strong alcohol and hot sweat. Kenaed’s hand in hers was clammy, but she didn’t let it slip out of hers. She led him into the middle of the tightly packed floor and turned to wrap her arms around his neck, as his hands rested on her waist. 

The melody played on strings and pipes, flowed through Zo’rene’s body and cursed through her veins to the rhythm of the drums, setting her blood aflame. When chanting voices joined the instruments, shivers ran through her spine from her groin up through her shoulders and to the top of her head. 

It was not like she hadn’t been to the circles for ten years, not at all. She was young, had friends who shared her enthusiasm for that kind of entertainment. She would come with men too, various men, but none of them was quite like Kenaed.  

The mere feel of his skin under her fingertips made her heart beat faster. 

In the circles, people gathered to sing, play instruments or drink, smoke herbs, and listen to the music. Others danced, and that had been Zo’rene’s and Kenaed's favorite thing. She used to love the way he moved, so confident in his physique, finding joy in feeling alive. They used to have so much in common; similar sense of humor, same goals in life – at least the ones they’d had ten years ago. They used to be a perfect couple.  

Now – he was different. The way he looked at her, that focus. It felt like she was the only person in the whole world. It could be flattering, but it was mildly disturbing instead. Zo’rene closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted this to work. This not-yet-but-maybe-one-day relationship. He was different, alright, but she was not that twenty-something girl either. 

She focused on his palms inching lower and lower down her hips to finally touch her buttocks. He pulled her flush against his body. They moved as one, with the rhythm. They could still be perfect. 

He leaned to her ear and said something she didn’t hear because of the noise. Pulled away a little, brow furrowed, and he mouthed, “Having fun?” She read his lips, smiled wide in response and nodded. “Ready?” he asked, and before she could answer, or ask – ready for what? he pushed her a little away and spun her around like he used to. She stumbled, caught by surprise, but landed safely back in his arms, giggling like a little girl. Felt his laughter rumble in his chest. 

Okay, so he wasn’t that wickedly defiant young man she had been madly in love with. He hadn’t forgotten how to enjoy life though, his eyes sparkled and small wrinkles she hadn’t known from before, appeared around them. Truth be told, Zo’rene’s thirst for adventure had also gone down a notch or five. They were older, and that was okay. They could still get to know each other as they were now and maybe fall in love once more. They could build something new. 

#.

Chapter Two (snippet)

may I tag some of you? I hope you don't mind...

@hithelleth , @echo-bleu , @drippingmoon , @ace-malarky

If you don't want to be tagged, I won't do that in the future, but I think at least two of you are okay with it? ;)

If anyone else wants to be added to my Black Wings tag, please,let me know. I would also be very, very grateful, if you reblogged this post (that is, if you enjoyed reading this snippet, of course)

[johnnycakesswitch]

Do you, mayhaps, have any Cherry headcanons? Or Cherry and Marcia? Cherry and Bob? Or the socs as a group? - 🍀

I shall tryyyy I honestly don’t give the socs as much thought as I probably should so let’s see

- Marcia was the one who gave Cherry her nickname when they became friends in like kindergarten and they both loved it because it sounded similar enough to her real name but was so much cooler to them

- Cherry seems like she would be popular and don’t get me wrong she definitely is, she knows a lot of people and has a solid friend group, but one of the only people she genuinely enjoys spending time with is Marcia, that’s her bffl they just get each other so well

- if we’re going off the musical as well I think Cherry likes Bev but in like a weird way kinda, she enjoys when she and Marcia hang out with her and thinks she genuinely has a good personality when you get to know her but she hatesss the way Bev is so mean to other people, like I’m pretty sure in at least the la jolla version of the musical it was said that Bev is the richest soc and it’s clear that she thinks really lowly of anyone else not on her level. She has the potential to be a really sweet girl when she wants to be, she just definitely has a huge superiority complex. Cherry and Bev’s friendship is one of those where you’re almost afraid of the other person because even though they’re nice to you, you know they’re not a nice person. Cherry is just glad she’s on Bev’s good side most of the time. Post book events, she steers clear of her as much as she can

- Bob and Cherry knew each other in middle school and she didn’t like him that much because he seemed mean but he really really liked her so by the time high school came around, he tried super hard to be sweet to her and show her his other side that she eventually fell for

- that’s why she felt so torn when everything went down because she knew how Bob was and she knew a lot of it was his fault, but she sees things from the most nuanced perspective because she knew his other side, she knew he had the potential to be such a good person, he just needed a better environment and support system

- she blames herself for everything a lot because she feels like she could’ve been more supportive toward him and maybe things would’ve went differently:(

- after the events of the book Marcia and Randy both kind of took her under their wings and became super protective of her, a lot of the other socs were kinda weird towards her after everything because rumors just go around and misinformation is spread and some people blame her for everything. She cried to Marcia after she finally had a breakdown and begged Marcia not to abandon her too because now she’s all she has left :’(

- that got angsty so let’s be happy again. I imagine based on lines from the book and the musical that a lot of soc parents tend to be emotionally or even physically quite distant like say they’re gone for work a lot of the time. Cherry and Marcia pretty much have free reign all the time because their parents are away a lot so they spend a lot of time together having sleepovers and just doing fun things together :) they looove to bake and do makeup and they could literally talk for hours and hours. Just bff things

- Marcia and Cherry are lowkey like Steve and Sodapop to me like they’re bffs who will go to the end of the earth for each other and would defend each other with their lives they love and care about each other so much

I don’t have a ton of ideas for them rn but you have planted a seed… I’m sure more will come

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Is it just me that kinda lost all interest in Aemond? It has nothing to do with Ewan, but with crazy aemondwifes. And now, with pictures revealed I truly don't care about Aemond as individual, I only care about him in terms of future relationship with Alys Rivers. That is all. With Aegon I want to see his scenes with Alicent, Cole, Helaena and his children and Sunfyre. Every picture of Aegon is captivating, TGC interviews are great, meanwhile Aemond is just sitting or staring at something which is boring. Also Ewan suffers from the same illness with Aemond as George with Daemon. Ewan claims Aemond was totally black in season 1 (based on what? being bullied and claiming Vhagar was him being black? accidentally killing Luke? Have we watched the same show?) and George claims Daemon is grey while on the show he clearly isn't. My guess is Aemond in Ewan's mind is different than what we saw and Daemon in George's head is different than we saw.

Hello!

Well, I can't speak for every person in the fandom but it is definitely different for me personally.

As for Ewan saying he wanted to present a completely black Aemond in season 1, it is important to remember a few things.

Firstly, actors don't have much control over the direction the story is taking. They film their scenes, sometimes doing different takes with different reactions - and then these scenes are put together to create the final product. Just remember Matt not being aware of the fact Daemon doesn't utter a single word during the whole Crabfeeder fighting sequence in episode 3 of season 1 - because apparently he did say something that was cut. Who even knows what scenes were filmed with Aemond for season 1 and ended up not being included in the show? At the very least, there was a take where Aemond has a cold and cruel expression on his face right after Vhagar killing Luke instead of the look of horror and kind of remorse we got to see.

Secondly, Ewan might have referred not only to the actual plot or to his character's moral compass but also to the emotional vibe we got from Aemond in the first three episodes we saw him in - and there hasn't been much positivity there, has it? Bitterness and hatred towards Rhaenyra and her children (justified but still), resentment towards Aegon (there's more to their relationship than that but still), impulsiveness and unforgiving stance etc. The only exception might have been a couple of seconds he shared with Alicent in episode 9. Mayhaps this season we are about to see at least some positive emotions coming from him?

As for the difference between the way Aemond and Aegon are being presented in the promo, there are several points to consider as well.

For now it looks like for the most part we've seen the bits from episodes 1-4 (that were shown to the press as well) - and in this part of the story the general focus in on Aegon, as it should be. His life has just changed dramatically: he is the King now, he has to assume the responsibility he evaded for so long, to reassess and in a way rebuild the relationships he had with the members of his family - and Tom talked about all of it in his interviews. At this point, and at least for some time, it's Aegon's story. So it's only natural we are getting to see so much of him in action. As for Aemond, his time will come later - so it wasn't even likely from the beginning that we would see a lot of him actually doing something (because of spoilers). Just compare the number of lines Aegon and Aemond had in the trailers - and I really doubt the latter will just be silently walking around all season. This is probably one of the reasons Ewan can't actually say much about his character without getting in trouble as well (besides him just being nervous and sticking to the safe things to say - and being the kind of guy who prefers letting his work speak for itself, as per Ewan himself).

Besides, Aegon and Aemond are two characters who are very much different: not only in their personality traits and attitude to a lot of issues but in their entire essence as well (I'm going to leave it at that for now, as I'd like to write a separate post about the Targtower brothers' dissimilarity), and in accordance with that Tom and Ewan are playing them differently. Aegon's face is very animated, and Tom is capable of demonstrating an insane variety of facial expressions - and this is indeed evident from pretty much every shot of him. Meanwhile Ewan, while possessing quite a range of mimic acting tricks himself (just remember Tom Bennett, for example), has about 80% of acting done with his eyes (singular at that in this case) - precisely because of the way his character is. And the true beauty and finesse of his portrayal could be found not in stills and half-second bits (that capture the spirit of Aemond quite well nonetheless) but within the actual scenes.

To conclude all that, if one's sympathies and preferences at any point move from Aemond to Aegon (or the other way around), it's completely fine - a matter of taste and all that. But I would prefer to gather my thoughts and draw conclusions after seeing the whole season (especially given that I love both Aemond and Aegon - and their relationship most of all).

[arbitrarygreay]

A common trap in genre shows is the way the endgame Big Bad faction takes over all bad things, and to an extent MFS did succumb to that temptation. There were many witch culture details from S1 that were never followed up on, squashed under the conflict with the Camarilla. One such case was that Witchplague was not wholly invented by Hearst. Like the vocal cord boxes, Hearst innovated the Witchplague from the large body of work already developed by witches on weaponized plague. Examples: 1x1, Abigail mentions one of her grandmothers died "rotting in a tent crawling with plague rats." 1x3, General Amis says "Our embassy was taken out by a plague bomb that no one's used in 50 years.", referring to the Spree as the attackers, but note that this plague bomb was apparently used 50 years ago. That's basically the first decade of the Proxy War era, and could have included the Chinese Civil War. But it's obviously pre-Spree, at any rate. 1x7, Adil mentions plagues being a downstream effect of witch military weather work. At this stage, they thought that Khalida's plague was just another one like those, and not something unique, much less engineered. 1x8, a mild plague form is used as a booby trap consequence in Citydrop. Not only are plagues an expected vector of offense by enemy combatants, they are well studied enough to create low-impact versions for training. Anyways, this indicates that witches have a good understanding of disease, including combating it. The Fixing tradition evidently goes centuries back, to have developed the "Christo-Pagan" line of technique. Which obviously therefore has implications for the impact of disease on history, and especially so in the colonial era. How does the existence of magic interact with what became genocide-by-disease in our world? Evidently it was not enough for any indigenous peoples to prevent being conquered by European nations, but there is still plenty of room for power dynamics to be nonetheless at a very different balance. (But also, given the total lack of any plot concerning Central or South America or Australia, it could be that there are parts of the world that fought off European colonization!) Which brings us back to that question of MFS not really having a Latine presence. While I think that the implications of magic border wards is the main culprit, there is also the theory that "Latino" never developed as a coherent identity in the MFS timeline for various reasons. Although, as a counterpoint, apparently the concept of "Latin America" originated with France, so if the French colonial empire is stronger in the MFS timeline, then the idea of the Latino should still be relevant, unless we go back to the theory that a lot more parts of Central and/or South America avoided extensive colonization. But there's also the aspect where Anglo culture is still hegemonic in MFS (or at least within US witch culture), as we do have plenty of ambiguously brown characters going by colonial era type names (for extra-diegetic aesthetic reasons, but still). Which has some spicy implications about the US's approach to coercive cultural integration. Given the notable presence of Indian members of the US military not expressing any Indian culture whatsoever, mayhaps that's the subtextual background for General Sharma's grudge against the US.

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

🫐 ☀️ and 🌺 (a jamie quote mayhaps?) for the ask game!!

🫐 a line from a published work that you’re proud of, but no one’s mentioned yet - or if you can’t think of one, an underrated line in general

In retrospect, his approach could be seen for what it was: an awkward attempt at humor, a terrible attempt at putting him at ease, which was very Trent. But, of course, Colin hadn’t known that at the time—he hadn’t seen Trent, awkward and kind of dorky and fellow queer, but Crimm, sharp ex-reporter and current biographer.

from "two (not) pieces of shit"

i don't know if this is particularly underrated, but i liked how the characterization in this particular fic turned out. in fact i got two other blueberries and at least one of them will also be from this fic dklgjfgh

🌺 favorite poetic quote from a published work

There’s a fantasy that’s been sitting in Trent’s head like a dusty snow globe on a mantelpiece, or a forgotten trinket on a shelf. Only it’s the sort of dusty that means it’s never touched but oft glanced at, the sort of forgotten that is pointed and purposeful.

i love a tortured metaphor/simile

(from "an odd sort of comfort")

☀️ asker’s choice of published work: request a quote from a published work (a certain work or series? a certain character? a certain emotion or trope if it’s there? up to you!) - for ✨ JAMIE ✨

okay so i misread this and long story short now you're getting a published jamie quote AND a wip jamie quote

for a published work--listen i swear i'm not just choosing this bc it's my only jamie centric thing (god i actually need to continue with this snippet at some point) but i just really like

But it had been sitting there on his doorstep with those big stupid eyes, and he couldn't just leave it in the rain—where anyone could see—so he'd shoved it inside a closet angrily (it was comically huge and squished between the walls) and tried to forget about it.

from this snippet because the idea of pre-canon/s1 jamie being like. really really grumpy and defensive and angry and mixed up about this Giant Stuffed Animal but also being like. it keeps LOOKING AT ME with those BIG EYES i can't just LEAVE IT IN THE RAIN. LOOK AT HIM. (but also the logic of "where anyone can see" like.... i just. i actually have a lot of thoughts about this snippet i should add more to it at some point lfkgjhfh)

as for a nice jamie quote from a wip:

O’Brien turned to look at Trent. “Fuck someone else, get it out of your system.” “Tried that, didn’t work,” said Trent. “We can try again if you want,” said Roy. “WE?” said Jamie. “Invite him to a party,” said Richard. “NO SEX PARTIES,” said several players at once. “Ugh,” said Richard. “Are we not going to talk about ‘WE’?” said Jamie, high-pitched and incredulous.

jamie has an entire bit in this fic that's just

[deerdeardarling]

'jazz hands' hey you guys wanna hear about the rival's moms/parents? too bad cause i've already put them on discord so HERE WE GO- PokeParents part 2:Rivals!!!

Blue (& Leaf): see i can't decide between single mom or his dad is just off for work, cause like there's gotta be a reason Oak treats him tough love yaknow?

Kris: another issue is that I also haven't played hgss which i will when im done with BW! so for now I'll just say her parents are average - i think i had a hc for a moment of her and Lyra being sisters or cousins but subjected to change.

Silver: it is Ariana. She got paid by Gio to make an heir - mafia type shit.

Wally: his mom passed when he was real young from illness, thats why his dad's so protective :[ (also subject to change as i have not played rse/oras lol)

Barry: ehhhh not like happily married but married still

Cheren & Bianca: lumping them together cause i think it's kinda known what they're parents like?? (as in they show up in game)

everyone knows about the cabbage twink-

Hugh: … can you guess? its america-

Calem: So rival protag in XY is said to be known from a family of substantial trainers, so I'll say his mom was one, maybe not form the league but battle mansions/towers/what-have-you; mayhaps pa works in corporate side(?)

Shauna: Pretty average parents, tries their best to make a good life, dad i think might be from a dragon trainer family which is where Shauna gets it from, her mom puts more pressure on her than her dad (but they still both do it-) on Shauna to try and get her into tech/stem - to do something with her intellect rather than what Shan's really wants to do.

Trevor: he does have canonical parents! who just. left him and his older sister by themselves in Kalos (i think it was for work but still man-)

Tierno: a Mama's boy me think - a mom friend in turn

(we know about the white kids-) Hau: his mom luvs him very very much!💛 i think Hala has at least one line about his son so. he's there hsbyuvefvsd

Hop (HERE WE GO-): Grieving mother. Postwick bros lost their dad when Lee was like 8 or 9 so Hop was 3 or 4. I do like the hc that He was the royal scientist thus giving access to knowledge of the royal family, the wolves, and the D.D. - but he was definately at least well respected in the community. Mum doesn't like to look at Hop too much because he looks so much like his dad…

Marnie: honestly the only ways i can see it is either Piers got them out of a bad family or a single parent that passed when they were young (tho she was prolly 6 or 7, older than Hop to be aware)

Bede (ho boy-): so before recently it was just Orphan full send but i actually read his card and found out it was cause "his family ran into some trouble-", we never know what that is BUT- if his mom is/was around she loved him very much but just. couldn't take care of him…

the reason i haven't covered ScVi is both cause i should do a rehaul and also i feel like it's pretty known what's going on with their families? idk maybe ill make a part 3 in the future, hope yall enjoyed!

alright due to that one post about PokeParents im gonna share my headcanons that i have on discord - but these will be edited from that a lil so, lets go!! Part 1 - Pokemon Protags Red - Same as Ash in the anime (they are parallels of one another!), His Dad left when he was a baby to go be a trainer but just. disappeared. still sends the very occasional letter and money but Red's never met him and doesn't care too. Mama is about the same as Delia. Leaf - Same as Blue since I follow the hc they're siblings, so I'll cover her in the rivals post! Ethan - So! with my Chosen au/pokeverse, hgss is technically the third gen, so either Ethan's mom and him moved to Johto at the start of game while his dad still works in Hoenn, or his mom's just single. Lyra - I've been playing around with the idea that she's Professor Elm's daughter (since, i think he's got a daughter in canon?) but i found out through that other post that she as a rival is the granddaughter to the daycare couple! I'll cover Kris with the rivals Brendan - Norman's kid, just like the games, there is a mom in the games but I don't have much on her since I still haven't played these games! (I'll get to the once i figure out whateverthehell is going on with citra-) May - Prof. Birch's kid! same as Brendan, don't have much other than what is already well known, her parents are happily married (-unlike Brendan's-) Lucas - Actually I have his and Dawn's parents switched! So Lucas has the rival!Lucas' parents from in game (who i know the dad works with Prof. Rowan, mom i think is just at the home.) maybe his parents know Palmer? Dawn... & Selene! - Yep, in my personal verse; ChosenZVerse, I have Dawn and Selene as sisters! Dawn as the older, Selene as the younger. Their mom was the former contest performer, and their dad is a deadbeat, but considering bdsp maybe he was involved with galatic? at one point?? (where the hell did i get this??) Hilda... & Nate! - second verse same as the first - USA DIVORCE!!! 🦅🦅🦅🎆🎆🗽🗽🗽(there's no flag on windows???) Serena - I'm gonna stick with this headcanon so sprinkling in some spice - I think Grace (XY mom) had a one night stand and decided to keep the baby (this is. supposed to be a symbolism for life-)

Gloria - aka my OC Fiona; who is the only other one than May to have both stable parents; I do have the hc that her mom's Unovan tho, with her Dad being Galarian aaannd! Victor - aka my other OC Malik! who is the younger brother of Raihan; both parents are still together but are working around the world. Their Mom's a successful business woman while their dad is a dragon expert/conservationist. runs in the family!

that's it! I'll either reblog or just make a separate post for the rivals cause that's prolly be twice as long lmao

[callahanisms]

dancing with red dragons

naturally doing the blacks means i should do the greens. plus there is a lot more angst potential here oops.

ser criston cole

he doesn’t appear to be upset. but deep down, he is. you’ve been in his life for so long. and this betrayal? it wasn’t necessarily a betrayal. you had a duty to fulfill. after all, your father bent the knee to rhaenyra and he has long since passed away, so it was up to you to keep that promise. criston doesn’t know what to believe, especially since you had left in the late hours of the night. he had woken up alone and cold.

“to dedicate themselves to a spider like the princess. perhaps (y/n) is more like the princess than i thought: a spider that sucks their prey dry until there is nothing left.”

alicent hightower

alicent could not fathom how you were ready to leave her at the drop of a hat. rightfully so, you were angry. after all, you were locked in your room by her orders while she had aegon crowned in the dragonpit. and she knew about your duties to rhaenyra, how you were fiercely loyal to her. you even went out of your way to defend her children in private. but you would not be swayed, not even with her begging you.

“i...i have no one (y/n). please! i need someone like you here in king’s landing with me, here to help me. aegon cannot do everything on his own. you know he is reckless, stubborn. but you can help keep him in line. please (y/n).”

aegon targaryen

he was hesitant to become king. his birthright, something that has caused him so much pain throughout his whole life. but when he heard the people cheering, he felt a rush of inspiration and finally at peace with his position. so when aegon returns to you, wearing the crown of the conqueror, he doesn’t expect to see you look so...grim. your family was loyal to rhaenyra and would always be loyal to her and her family. when you saw the crown on his head, you told him you would be leaving. after all, not only were you on opposing sides now, but his marriage and legitimate children helped retain his claim. your presence would dampen it. alicent would have you paid to leave king’s landing or larys strong may do something to hurt your family. either way, you had to leave. aegon was not willing to let you.

“we cannot let (y/n) leave, mother. they are an asset for our claim. we need the north and (y/n)’s house is very influential. keeping them here would mean having leverage so they can bend the knee. it works out quite well.”

aemond targaryen

you were someone who was religious. your family was also religious. in fact, your brother and sister had dedicated themselves to the faith of the seven as septas and septons. safe to say, you were more than horrified when aemond returned from his mission of diplomacy. not exactly a mission of diplomacy considering the outcome. the feast aegon threw for his brother was loud, far too loud for you. and you left the feast. aemond followed after you. after all, you were his lover for over a year. but you blew up on him. your allegiance was clear: it wasn’t with the greens. it would be with the blacks. at least they upheld the faith of the seven. the queen dowager didn’t even deserve to wear the seven pointed star. you’re a kinslayer! you slayed your own kin! you were so angry and upset that you were crying. you are destined for the seven hells! and what’s more, you are now betrothed! if this is what your brother condones, then my loyalty is no longer yours. i am no longer yours. and he was only silent as he listened to you, his heart shattering.

“helaena i...i don’t know what to do. it was an accident! i...i did not mean to kill him! and now i have lost (y/n). but also, why does religion dictate them? isn’t there room for forgiveness? and mayhaps we have lost an ally within our own faith.”

helaena targaryen

aegon never treated helaena right. so you did in private. you filled the sea of loneliness she felt. however, never did you think you would be stuck in the crossfire of the war of succession. your family swore an oath to rhaenyra and would stand by it, refusing to bend the knee to aegon. not only that, but your presence would threaten helaena’s status as queen consort (which was being debated). you had to go. lovers torn apart by unfortunate circumstances. you didn’t want to leave helaena. who knew how she would fare in the current state of the realm. you definitely knew you did not want to leave her alone with aegon even if he mostly ignored her.

“perhaps one day, (y/n), we can leave this place. we’ll fly atop dreamfyre and see the world, eat cake, drink wine. would it hurt to leave now? escape all of this? i don’t want the crown. i just want you.”

[wrotelovelytears]

Noted

Yes I took another shower (no I don't only take them when I write these posts)

❇I feel like Libras chill out as they age

☸Partially because Saturn is exalted in Libra, and thats practically the ruler of time

☸As they get older they become more comfortable with themselves so they don't seek out as much attention (less involved with drama and such)

☸Venus hates drama and once learned what increase drama and stress in ones life, its dropped

☸Lastly if they have Saturn ruled (Capricorn and/or Aquarius) or Earth in their big three as well. The Earth ruled (not so much including Capricorn) makes them more focused on their home life and what they can pass on. Saturn like state before makes them more in tuned with their internal balance, thus getting reflected outwards

❇I think the reason why Cancer Suns (mayhaps all water Suns) struggle so much is because of how emotions are perceived by society as a whole.

☸The Sun is a masculine planet and people commonly don't associate being emotional and/or sensitive with masculinity. If anything its seen as a more feminine trait (despite literally everyone having emotions). Because of that association Cancer (water) Suns get ostracized for displaying parts of human behavior most would rather forget.

☸They are more willing to show a broad range of emotions rather than keep them in.

❇I've talked a lot about Capricorns, and here I am, about to do it again. Capricorns are the most active Earth sign. Now I know some people are going but Virgos.... But Taurus and let me explain

☸Capricorn is a cardinal sign, meaning they don't start processes (like Virgo- a mutable) and they don't end them (like Taurus-fixed). Due to their constant need to continue what has already been started, they seek out the opportunities to add to things. They aren't as passive in their wants either because Saturn's long time energy. They stick things through, even if it doesn't get finished or go to plan.

❇Since I touched on Taurus and Virgo in that last point I want to explain their crucial roles as well.

☸Taurus is a finisher. Whatever ideas Virgo came up with and continuation Capricorn was doing is ended in Taurus. Now that might seem strange speaking that Taurus comes before both, and it makes more sense that the other two completing. We must also remember that Taurus gains from others, it thrives in community already established (Capricorn's work) and the ideas and notations that fuel it (Virgo's work).

☸For Virgo its the starter. As being the other Mercurial sign (Gemini the first), it constantly has new thoughts and ideas coming to it. Due to its Earth nature it wants to put those thoughts into a physical form, even if it never finishes it, at least its not just running laps in their head.

❇I think people should check their 12th house for the type of artists they enjoy.

☸The house of the ruler of said sign (traditional or modern) can show what exactly you like about them.

☸I found that almost all the artists (music, actors, painters etc) I like are either Saturnians or have a prominent Saturn placement (I have either Capricorn or Aquarius in the 12th, also Saturn in the 3rd so it explains why their voices, lyrics and overall communication style soothe me)

❇Libra Suns might also struggle a lot in society. Yeah Yeah I know everyone wanna say they likeable and that fun stuff, and have you asked a Libra how they were treated growing up/ how many people they can actually call on you would see someone clock out real fast.

☸Part of the reason for this is because the Sun hates being in Libra. That means Libras have to typically exert themselves a lot more than other signs because their natural disposition is not in line with what their ego truly wants.

☸Again with Venus hating drama, since Libra is an air sign you might find them talked about a lot, even when there is nothing to be talked about. They also find the need to constantly find balance (Venus) in their communication with others (Libra/ Air sign energy). It can lead to holding back thoughts, which the Sun doesnt like because it wants you to be expressive and maybe a bit egotistical.

☸Because a lot of their being deals with appearances and how others see it. You'll find them downplaying (or being downplayed) their struggles. As much as they would like the be open with them, they are very aware of how others treat people if they see something about them. In other words they learned early on to keep your secrets to yourself, less they be used.

So y'all probably noticed I'm less active on here. I'm having a lot of health issues that make it hard to write. I just wanted to let people know I still will be posting every now and then and I have to relax on overexhorting myself.

(If you learned something new or would just like to support me you can leave a wittle tip via the tip button or one of the links in my masterlist. Ko-fi: nymphdreams 🧸)

[chipper-smol]

Hollow Knight Telephone Round Two: Pale Jester Chain 2

Prompt: PJ finds his way into Lemm’s shop and begins ruminating about all the different relics with surprising accuracy and knowledge (much to Lemm’s annoyance and confusion)

By @werewolforeos

Lemm was alone, as usual. He dusted off the king’s idols so the illustrious stone regained its shine. He froze as the door to his ‘shop’ creaked, and the bell jingled- please don’t be another caffeine-wanting bug, he thought, turning around to greet the customer.

The masked bug was taller than he was, though not by much- most of its height came from its horns, eight tall spikes resembling a crown. Yet despite this regal feature, it dressed in a fool’s clothes- Lemm could almost imagine the bells attached to the cape’s ends, which luckily were absent. And all its clothes shone with a deep crimson.

“How can I help you?” Lemm muttered, eyeing the stranger’s staff. “Oh, mind that shelf, would you?”

“Oh! A friendly face in these caverns! My, my! What an unexpected surprise!” The bug replied with a too-jolly attitude. Lemm decided he did not like this bug. “Why, I was merely exploring this city- it’s quite hectic outside, no?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Lemm replied. “My shop here is safe, at least. It’s quite calm up here. Have you seen those husks?”

“Yes, yes. Quite the sad fate they have been left with- blinded by those unsightly orange lumps, yet stuck in their daily rituals all the same.” The stranger brought up his hands to his face, in a mocking display of shock. “Oh, heavens! We have yet to introduce ourselves to each other!”

Lemm rolled his eyes. “Name’s Lemm. Don’t have much else to say on that matter, but what’s yours, stranger?”

“Ah- they call me Jester, back up there. You have a nice name, Lemm!” A shiver went up Lemm’s spine as Jester spoke his name- he ignored it, it’s probably just the breeze. “So, Lemm! What do you do up here? It’s quite the nice shop~!” said the Jester, picking up a wanderer’s journal.

“Ah- hands off, please. The knowledge stored on these antiques is priceless.” Lemm tapped Jester on the hands. “I buy these relics of this old kingdom, for the sake of history and preservation. I’ve got many journals to decipher- so if you don’t mind, unless you have any relics for me…?”

“Ah, no, I do not have anything you might be interested in. Though,” the Jester mused, “Perhaps I might be able to assist in deciphering the script? It seems familiar to me.”

Lemm scoffed. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Tell you what, if you can decipher a full journal, I might part with it once I’ve copied it down somewhere.” “That sounds like a challenge to me~! Challenge accepted, shopkeep.”

Lemm gave the Jester a journal he’d deciphered already, to test how well he knew the old script of Hallownest. Putting his finger to the script, the Jester seemed lost in thought, as though looking at an old memory. “This is a passage about those blue cocoons, is it not? They call it Lifeblood.” Lemm blinked.

“That is… correct. But, could you translate the whole passage? I’m curious as to what your skills are.”

“The swirling blue liquid relieves pain, but if too much is taken at once, the Lifeblood seems to take over. We must carefully ration the amount given to the hospitals. Signed… Lurien, the Watcher.”

...That was, way too fast. “Hmm. I’m not convinced. Another.” Lemm trades the journal in the Jester’s hands for another.

“The circus was in town today,” the Jester reads aloud, “and I got to see Marissa’s show! Her voice is so soothing- it reminds me of my dreams.” Lemm was silent. This is ridiculous.

“Hm? Did I make a mistake?”

“Oh, no. I was lost in thought about- these signs here,” Lemm lies. “I hadn’t yet translated this passage, and had not seen this combination written as one word yet.”

“Oh! You’re looking at ‘plague’ there, shopkeep.” Cogs whirred as Lemm processed this information- these journals talk about many things, how did this Jester decipher these so quickly? And does he know things Lemm does not?

“These icons next to each other- ‘sick’ and ‘many’. Many sick make a plague, no?”

“Yes, yes. That does make sense. And here…”

“That’s a shopping list,” the Jester waved it away. “Honeydew, boofly meat, it seems as though this one was quite rich. Though it’s not that important,” he claims, “as those letters from the Watcher you’ve got there seem much more interesting to me.”

You’ve got to be kidding me, everything he’s said has been correct. Even the ones I hadn’t yet gotten to. Just who is this bug, exactly?

The Jester strided over to Lemm’s undeciphered journals, focusing on a specific grouping. “I hereby request the addition of a chamber for Lexi, my butler, inside my Spire. He wishes to stay as he works, and…” Jester pauses as he grabs the next passage. “I believe it would be a good idea to have him with me as I prepare for slumber. Hm, a little fruity, aren’t we, Watcher?”

Lemm just stood there, dumbfounded. “Er. I. Okay.” This is a lot more information than I expected to get in five minutes. Ignoring him, the Jester continued to rummage through the relics, stumbling across a stray king’s idol.

“Hey! Those were ordered to date and time!”

“And now they are not. Is there any issue there? If it is, you can always order them again.”

Lemm definitely did not like this bug. “Excuse me? You waltz into my shop, damage my collection, and strut about like you own the place with your knowledge of the signs used in Hallownest’s prime. Who do you think you are?” “That is irrelevant. I do wonder… where did you find this statuette?”

“A wanderer comes by every so often with many relics, and cleans out my geo stash. I mean- that’s irrelevant. Why do you care?”

Holding the idol at an arm’s length, the Jester tilted his head, studying the way it was sculpted. “This one was found in the resting grounds. I can smell the lavender,” he muses. “I’m surprised they had one of these there- the moths didn’t take kindly to that King. I suppose that’s understandable, given what he did to them.”

“Moths?”

“Yes, yes. Quite a long time ago, they lived in the lands Hallownest was built upon. Did you never get an education?”

Lemm blinks. “Well, I had school, but-”

“Shopkeep, this is something all bugs used to know. Did they scrap it out of the history books? ...Of course he would, that King would do anything for validation. I’m sure the guilt is eating him up from the inside.”

“Jester. The king is dead. Has been for a while. Have you not seen the state of decay this kingdom is in?”

“Ah, no. That Wyrm is still alive somewhere- I’m sure of it.” The Jester moved back to the door, holding his staff in one hand, and journals in the other three. “I do wonder,” he muttered under his breath,”why are these so familiar? Ah, Lemm, was it? Would you mind if I took these outside?”

Before Lemm could express indignance, the door opened once more- standing in it a drenched wanderer, who often stopped by to supply Lemm with his many relics. The pale white mask they donned looked up at the crimson Jester, an unreadable expression behind it. The wanderer gripped the handle of their nail- sharpened, coiled, pure. They recognized the Jester, and they did not particularly like him, Lemm thought. At least Lemm wasn’t alone in disliking his clown schtick. That being said, the Jester still held some relics- if a fight broke out, they could get damaged. Lemm quietly pried open the hands of the Jester.

“Ohoho! We meet again, little one! Do tell me about your excursions down here, won’t you?” The Jester was met with silent scorn. The shop was rife with tension, though the Jester seemed oblivious to it.

“Er, pardon me, but mayhaps you two should take this… outside.”

The wanderer stared at the Jester for another moment, before breaking their gaze away, and briskly walking towards Lemm. They rummaged in their pockets, producing another pair of journals, a Hallownest seal, and an arcane egg. The Jester giggled, the wanderer quickly turning their head towards him, and then sprinting back into the endless rain of the City of Tears before Lemm could give the wanderer the geo they were due.

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By @couch-cat

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By @arandoskeleartist

(audio file working on being uploaded)

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By @uncurdled-bean-curd

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By @the-trans-anon

Lemm was going to have a stroke.

He’d been having a perfectly fine day going through his relics without any annoyances running around, when a strange bug he’d never seen before entered his shop. The bug didn’t seem to have any relics to share, saying he was just exploring, and had been about to leave when he noticed one of Lemm’s king idols.

“What’s that?” The bug asked, reaching for the idol.

Lemm quickly yanked it out of his reach, not thrilled with the idea of someone manhandling his relics. “It’s an idol of the Pale King. The King himself was rarely seen so the bugs of Hallownest worshiped these in his stead.”

“Lies!” Before he could blink, the bug had grabbed the idol and jumped back towards the door. He held the idol up above their head, admiring it.

“Clearly it’s a tiny statue of me! Can you not see the resemblance?” He asked, looking towards Lemm and pressing the idol against his mask, eyes alight with mirth.

Lemm was about to snap at the bug to give him back the idol for gods sake it’s a historical artifact not a toy- when he too started to notice the similarities between the idol and the strange bug. Both had similar horns rising up as a crown, though the bug’s horns were much more curved than the King’s, and their masks looked nearly identical save for the black lines running down the bug’s face. The main difference was their clothing, with most of the King’s imagery in white and the bug’s clothes in a bright, fiery red. The more he looked, the more clear their uncanny resemblance became.

“...Are you related to the Pale King?” Lemm asked, feeling a headache start to form.

The bug looked confused, then put down the idol. “ Ah no, I’m afraid I simply jest my friend. Though we have similar names, I have never heard of your “Pale King” before. Though I have to say,” He looked back at the idol “your king was quite the looker.”

“Wait, what do you mean you have similar names? What’s your name?!”  

The bug looked about ready to answer, before he froze and looked up at the ceiling. “Ah, my apologies my friend. It appears the Master is in need of me.”

“The Master??!”

“May we meet again.” The strange bug bowed, and raced out of the shop.

“Wait! You can’t just say something like that and leave who does that!? Come back here!” Lemm ran after the bug, but he was nowhere to be found. “Shit.” He sighed, before deciding to look around for any sign of the bug. That bug had to have some kind of connection with the King, and like hell he was going to pass up a chance to get information about the reclusive Pale King. He needed to talk to that bug.

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By @lesiasmadness

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By @redcynder1234

Lemm angrily grumbled at the tiny hands that dragged him halfway across the kingdom. He had tried to fight the smaller vessel off back in the city of tears. When they had suddenly barged into his little relic shop, seeming urgent as he tried to drag the grumpy old bug out of his shop. Lemm had tried to wave them away, but the smaller bug had quite a lot of determination to show them something then and there, at least no husks dare tread in their path as they traveled. The infection may be gone for sure, but husks of former bugs sometimes still lingered around, it was nerve wracking for sure, but lemm was safe in his shop where he could get lost in his work for hours on end. However now with the little shadow dragging him out of the safety of his home, He was a little on edge.

Finally as it seemed the little ghost had dragged them to their location they pointed upwards. Looking up, lemm grumbled seeing an old rusty chain leading up an old well. “Absolutely not.” He growled out. Even as the small vessel flapped their monarch wings to start and climb the chain. Hearing his response however they stopped and looked down before pulling out something from their cloak. One hand on the chain they waved a king's idol in the air. “Yes you’ve been waving that thing at me through this entire journey! I still don’t understand why you’ve dragged me halfway across hallownest.” He barked angrily. If only the little vessel could speak. He assumed they couldn't speak a few visits back as they sold old trinkets at his shop but lemm never could be sure. It really felt like they were speaking sometimes.

The vessel seemed to wave and point it up desperately before disappearing up the well. “Ey! Little squirt! Come back here!” He barked up the shaft angrily. However when no shadow came to retrieve him he just grumbled angrily. “Stupid, familiar looking…” Lemm mumbled under his breath as he climbed up the chain. If his curiosity about what they wanted wasn't so persistent he would have turned straight back around and headed back to the city of tears. Plus, kings idols were a rare find and he wanted to get his hands on as many as he could.

As he scrambled over the ledge of the well, his old carapace not liking the climb in the slightest, he looked around. He remembered hearing about the town of dirtmouth. By its size alone lemm could tell the town must have been a lively and successful one before the infection's grip controlled and destroyed the place. It was sad, maybe to anyone other than lemm at the moment. Grumpy and tired he saw the cloaked vessel padding towards two pinky almost red tinted tents. “Little pest… just doing to leave me behind!” He barked angrily as he followed after the vessel. Nothing left to do this far into this journey but to follow the little gremlin. Plus, in case there were any more infected lingering about, he rather have another soul that could fight them off then be left to fend them off himself. He only knew how to work with small pliers and knives, not nails and needles.

The vessel seemed to be approaching a small crowd that had formed outside the tents. They had been there before the two entered town, but lemm could already tell from a distance they were all… scared? More weary if anything. As he got closer the little ghost had turned, waving the small king's idol wildly while pointing through the crowd. “Give me that.” He snapped while snatching the king's brand from their hands. “I swear if you really wanted to sell it to me you could have done it in the city of tears, instead of dragging me halfway across the kingdom!” He snapped angrily. Making sure it hadn’t been damaged he fetched a bag of geo from under his cloak and dropped it without even looking at the vessel. “You're lucky I'm not taking half of that for dragging me her- OW.” He barked when ghost suddenly yanked his beard. “I swear-“ he growled as he looked down, wavinging the vessel's hand away from his beard. However the vessel was glaring into his soul and pointing. Angrily he huffed and looked up, before his eyes widened. Huh? That was impossible!?!

Looking down at the idol in his hands he looked up. The normal silver cloak was gone, replaced with red jester clothes. His crown of thorns was bent in such a painful looking way it almost made lemm cringe at the thought; and yet as lemm held up the king's idol he could see the similarities. Far too close similarities to be a coincidence. However there was no way the king of hallownest was some low-life jester doing gags and tricks to please the normal class's eye. Especially to a dead kingdom. Yet thinking this could be the king's brother was almost laughable. The king was a wyrm if the small amount of text he deciphered was true. And wyrms were giant beasts that could kill anything in its path. Then who was this look-a-like in front of them? That must be why the vessel had dragged them here, they may be curious themselves but since lemm was such a history nut he would know more. Could have still told him that before dragging him here.

As the jester bowed and the small crowd nervously clapped. Seeming to be more doing it to please someone then actually liking the show. He paused as the jester disappeared back into the pink tents. He knew the vessel was still standing beside them, watching the relic keeper curiously. Lemm knew he shouldn't enter the tent and ask such a question, but so many questions could be solved about this kingdom if this stupid look-a-like statue was this strange jester. The pale king hidden right under everyone's noses. Yet it still felt wrong in some way but he couldn't figure out why.

Lemm didn't understand what caused him to head towards the menacing face-looking tents; but he headed inside their pink tinted curtains. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't the tent to be almost pitch black except for small lanterns hanging up around the place. He expected at least a little of the outside world's lights to cut through the fabric. Sure it wasn't bright already in dirtmouth, but the sheets had looked almost see through before, now they looked like solid walls keeping the relic keeper inside. A shiver ran down his back as he almost instantly regretted his decision. He was a relic seeker, not an explorer that went out and actually found the relics to study. However it was a bit too late to turn back now.

Walking down the hallway he saw another bug standing there. Playing a spooky tone upon the accordion in their hands. Lemm wished he could have just snuck around the bug but they noticed him before he got too close. “Mrmm… Sorry, but the master does not want visitors at the moment...” Lemm gulped softly. “Actually I am uh… here to see your jester I believe. I wanted to praise them for the wonderful show.” The lie came out of his mouth a bit smoother than he intended. Yet it seemed the other paused before nodding forward. “Mrmm… Continue then… but do not linger.” they simply stated. Lemm quickly nodded and passed by, making sure the king's idol was safely out of sight from the other bug's eyes. Once passed he calmed down a bit. The hallway led to a pretty large room, silken ropes hanging from just about everywhere above his head. Somewhere tied together, some were almost touching the ground. They were so long, but lemm had to admit it was a pretty sight. Something white suddenly appeared from above, it was the jester alright, carefully twisted around the silken fabric. Was he dancing? It kinda appeared like it. “H-hello?” lemm wasn't one for conversation but it felt a little awkward just watching the other. The other quickly looked down, a mask upon the other's face made the relic seeker shiver. However the others voice didn't sound nearly as threatening as he expected it to be. “Ah! Greetings down there, what brings you to the grimm kin’s tent.” He called down. Carefully sliding down the silken ropes to hang upside down in front of the relic seeker. Lemm nervously took a step back before stealing himself. “I wanted to ask you a question.” The jester tilted his head curiously. Carefully righting himself and wrapping his legs around the silken ropes to keep himself suspended in mid hair.

“Oh?” He hummed curiously “What question do you have for a little jester like me?” he spoke. Lemm gulped nervously before speaking. “Do… were… I….” how does he just ask someone if they were a king?! “Were you a king before?” He blurted out in her strange panic. The jester seemed to pause before bursting out laughing. Lemm huffed even if he knew how stupid that must of just sounded. “I’m serious!” He barked out, feeling a bit flustered. As the jester calmed he wiped a single tear that had formed in the mask's eye. “A funny joke for sure little bug, but there would be no way that I could be a king. I would probably put buzzsaws and little traps as far as the eye could see.” he snickered to himself as he joked, but lemm just huffed. “I am serious-” he barked again but the jester interrupted him “Then your answer is obviously no my small bug.” he chuckled “I could never be a king of something.” He chuckled. “Either way, I don't think you should be back here. If the master finds out you're here he may be quite mad.” The pale jester said with another chuckle. Lemm huffed angrily. “You look like the ruler that used to rule here--” “--That's enough.” the jester spoke with a huff. “I understand a joke but pushing it makes it unfunny.” the other huffed.

Lemm growled. “I’m not joking! I already said that.” he barked “You look like the king of his land, look-!” He held up the king idol that he had hidden in his cloak. The jester paused. If lemm continued to speak he didn't hear it, He focused on the idol in there hand. It made the jester feel strange, like there was something scratching at the back of their head but just couldn't figure out what was causing it. Like a memory long compressed and lost to time. Maybe it was better that they were suppressed but…. Flashes of memories went through his head. Bright white images with blurred faces. Hissing he took a step back before his head cleaned and something warm brushed his shoulder. Looking up he noticed grimm standing over him, his eyes seemed kind and light hearted but the jester could sense the small bit of anger in them.

The jester watched Grimm calmly lead the other outside the tents. Their words didn't fully register to him however as the two left. The strange symbol still was imprinted in his mind but the memories that had come along with them were gone. Strange, but it may be better for such things to stay hidden in his memory, but the jester was still curious. When grimm appeared beside him again through a burst of red smoke he seemed calm, but his red eyes shined in worry. “Ah yes I'm ok.” he chuckled nervously. “Just got a bit of a headache.” he said “What a strange bug.” he spoke, looking towards the entrance to the tent. Grimm only softly hummed “Indeed… Come, we have plenty still to do while we're here.” The jester paused before nodding, following grimm back into the tent.

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

By @darkautodraws 

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

By @daikoski​ 

The Pale Jester always had a knack for dancing.

—Or perhaps, certain kinds of it.

He’d discovered one time when indulging on a slower song from Brumm, that he had a knack for ballroom dancing of all things! But such a thing isn’t commonplace for his kind of performance, no, he much prefers storytelling accompanied with a fun little jig of sorts. Ballroom dancing—especially with the audience he tends to have—seems to be something a little too formal and delicate.

Which is why he finds himself taking on the endeavor of trusting seemingly delicate, flowing silks with the entirety of himself. Ahh, yes, that of aerial dancing! He notes them as seemingly delicate, as they’re more than capable of securing far more weight than originally thought, but also... he’s very sharp.

—Of course, he’s not so clumsy now to go and let his claws tear straight through the silk now, nor would he allow the plates of his body to catch on it either. Not like that one time, when he had first been trying to pitch the choreography to this performance...

Now that had been something. The clicking tear of threads being pulled apart and the swoop of his stomach as he plummeted before quickly catching himself with his tail, something of a boisterous, abrupt laugh escaping him.

“You’re not trying to escape from a web, are you? Try not to cut yourself down little Fool!” Divine had jeered affectionately, and he could have easily preened from the spark of laughter that ignited the rest of the Troupe before lowering himself.

(... he also most certainly tries to pad the sharp ridges of his body a little more ever since that incident, but that’s besides the point.)

Ah, but that’s beside the point. Such a joyous thing it is, to inspire such a reaction in others, even if it’s from a

slipup like that. Perhaps it’s even better when it is. (Aer all, the Jester in fact would like to think he uses his foolishness to endear

himself to others, not dolt around.)

The tent is empty as of now, though that’s no concern. The Grimmkin will flood the audience the moment he does so much as enter the stage—no, he’s searching for the more unfamiliar-yet-not guests to come in, if at all. Perhaps the little wanderer, the shadow? Or maybe even one of the town folks bold enough to come by? Oh, or the princess warrior! Though her kind are truly experts in silk, and he finds himself unsure of how she’ll take his performance. (It is due to her influence that he felt himself particularly inclined to this song and dance aer all.)

Ah, he should probably do some last checks on the rigging, make sure they’re steady and all that. That, and check on his costume, too.

“C’mon Jester, don’t tell me your talons are going all stiff on ya!” comes the snicker of a Grimmkin trying to goad him on, and he laughs, before launching into a sprightly comical bow, tail flicking. Actually, he feels as nimble as possible, thank you very much!

“Of course not, dear friend! I’m simply waiting to greet our beloved guests—” and speak and she will come, the familiar rubied-red cloak catches his eye, and he immediately pats and dismisses the ‘kin to greet the spider. “And here one comes now!”

“Hello, hello! Welcome, Little Hornet—” there’s a bit of distaste that shines through her expression at his thoughtless nickname, and he would reel it in had he not

already said it, instead opting to tuck the information away for next time, “—you’re just in time for this next performance! Sit down, sit down, make yourself comfortable!”

She’s ushered to her seat, which is something on the front rows amongst the many grimmkin. Idly he notes that neither of her siblings are attending, though he has no complaints.

This one’s less of a personal performance and more for all the Troupe to see, so he won’t be able to converse with her until aer. She comes here most oen to ask questions, aer all. A no-nonsense type of bug she is, and it’s only customary he’ll allow such aer a performance, and she seems to know the same. Nonetheless, he bites back a bark of amusement at the way she glowers at the chatty Grimmkin, a little bit crowded as it is.

Lights snap on, beaming bright and warm, and the show begins.

Distantly, he can hear the beginning notes of Brumm’s accordion, and ah, what a perfect guide he always is! The familiar haunting call sends a thrill through the Jester, and it’s with that he begins his performance.

He wonders briefly if aerial silk dancing has ever been seen within Hallownest. Perhaps so, perhaps not; he only learned due to the Troupe aer all, and Grimm hadn’t really shared where he had learned such an art either...

The whisper of silk that he coils around his hand is taut, strong and secure the more he loops it. It’s with quick, tight motions and a graceful swoop that he suspends himself right upside down, sharp mandibles pulling back into a pleased smile from behind his mask. That was a satisfying maneuver.

There’s a split second of concern regarding his costume—the fabric of his wings just do not seem to be cooperating this time around, but alas, it simply feels right to have them there!

The more he spends within the air, the more inclined, the more fond he becomes in fitting such an image. It feels even better when the silks are pulled and he’s practically in arms reach to the ceiling.

Though the Jester isn’t quite sure how to describe it; a certain kind of fun exhilaration, a familiar twinge in his chest at being lied to such a height—he’d first noticed it through the use of mere ropes and cranks, to trapezing and other such elevated storytelling (Ha! Perhaps if he finds more joyous stories to share, he could workshop that into a joke to tell Hornet...) to now dancing with aerial silks.

He lets himself be guided and pulled along, to sway and twirl with the call of the music and the warmth of the Heart with practiced ease and elegance. But of course; he’s more than prepared for this, and with each swoop and dip his smile widens more and more.

When the curtains close and all the Grimmkin have seen fit to disappear off to do whatever it is their hearts desire, the Jester remains lingering on the stage. To clean up mainly, but it is to keep a keen eye on the nimble princess as well. He watches as she simply hops up and makes her way down towards him, and he perks up in attention.

There’s some attempt at niceties, just polite, pleasant conversation on his part, to which she kind of shuts down aer a moment.

“Why the new performance?” Ahh, so some curiosity was piqued!

The Jester hums thoughtfully, letting the silks hold his weight up as he rocks too far back on his legs. It brushes whisper-so against him.

“Perhaps for no specific reason in particular, other than to further expand my capabilities as a jester!” He somewhat not-answers.

She doesn’t respond, instead opting to give him a very narrow eyed look, suspicion and more, and he feels compelled to continue.

“Well, perhaps not nothing. Hypothetically... if this old soul noticed a certain spiderling’s interest in acrobatics—and this is hypothetical, of course!” Hands up in the air as if in surrender yet jestful, he laughs, “and wished to, say, partake in something similar in an attempt to perhaps bond with her...?”

A pause and a beat. “Had it been to your liking, young one?”

He lets the words linger in the air, before dropping his hands down to tug at the silks once more. He wishes to be honest, so even though he feels... uncertain, telling her that, he doesn’t regret it.

Hornet’s expression does... something. It’s tiny—miniscule, even, and perhaps had it been anyone else but him, that faint little tell might have gone unseen. but he does see it, and he recognizes it quickly as some sort of conflicted emotion, a tension that he’s brought upon her.

It seems she very much teeters on something colder, fists gripping at the edge of her cloak before she almost quietly ekes out, “It had been fine.”

The Jester brightens up—why, from such a grumpy young princess like her, that could very well be the highest praise!

...Though it’s best he does not push further, nor goad her on either. Enjoyable their dances can be (with such strong, violent intent from her too!) he’s already finished his own performance, and she’s certainly due to rest sometime soon, nor would he want to upset her more in the first place.

And much to his surprise, she continues, “Such as... that part when you had dropped suddenly... I thought you were certain to fall and crack your mask in half.” Something of a surprised chuckle is pulled from him, and he hums. “Where you were supported by only one silk. It looked... dire.”

It’s vague enough that he can’t really pinpoint what part of the act she was talking about, but it brings forth words to his tongue, but just which ones?

Yes, just what was that phrase... right!

“That part! I was practically hanging by a thread, was I not?”

(So, he hadn’t been able to workshop that ‘elevated’ joke in time... but such is the way!)

By the Heart... he could consider this another job well-done, couldn’t he? No snapping, harsh remarks on the little spiderlings end, no such invasive shenanigans from any of the other grimmkin—the mischief they could get up to!

“It most certainly felt as though I had been too. These silks simply do not part when you want them to! I very nearly cocooned myself at one point!” He muses. A quick

recovery he always is, but it is still such a wrenching moment when there’s even the slightest miss of a cue.

“Tell me, I’ve never had the honour to learn or witness the art of silk in action. I can consider my act something akin to it, though it’s quite incomparable to that of a spider, and I find myself curious! Are there ever such... shenanigans like that?”

Perhaps it’s his curiosity as a now-performer, to find enjoyment in the silliness and mistakes along the way; a perfect performance starts from somewhere aer all, and he finds himself wishing to know more. Hornet probably knows what he’s doing—making good use of that ‘bonding attempt’ that he so mentioned earlier, and...

Is it in poor taste to joke around like this? She is one of the few weavers le... he wonders oandedly, when Hornet lets out something that sounds like a scoff-laugh.

“You would be surprised. Although we in particular favoured silk to be used in tapestries and story keeping rather than dance, it wouldn’t be... uncommon for a mishap to happen in a more verbose storytelling. Such as a silk shroud meant to mimic the silhouette of a corpse creeper ending up on the audience rather than the speaker themself...”

She does not specify if the one accidentally tossing a silken hunter on their audience is her, from her early days of practicing weaving, or anyone else... but she does look a little more relaxed, even if by a pinch. (And if he looked ever closer, maybe even a little embarrassed? It’s tiny, and far off, but maybe...)

(For some reason, he has a feeling he would have been too. Just a little bit.)

Hornet is about to speak more, unprompted (much to his delight), when she halts. One beat, two beats, and then looks at him.

“...you’ve never learned?” It's a small enough question that he nearly misses it. So like a whisper, edged with a sharp venomous hiss, and when the Jester is able to recollect himself from the sudden shock, he’s tuned back in only to see her cold regard and the turn of her back, needle gripped tighter, for she never goes anywhere without it.

“So now you’re curious.”

...Pardon?

He doesn’t give the reaction she wants, if the (hurt? angry?) scoff she gives at his bewilderment is not enough of a tell, then it’s the way she rolls her eyes before looking askance.

“...I will be taking my leave now.” She mutters something more about ‘he never learned about the weavers’ ... ‘not even of their culture?’ but the last bits of it are lost as she disappears from sight completely.

...

That... had not gone well? Or did it? It most certainly feels as though it did, but now their conversation has been cut short without him being able to give so much as a farewell. But he lets her leave. Not that he would stop her, especially knowing she’ll stop by sometime again, but he simply... watches.

She had been upset, in the beginning, and then the end. Upset at him. (Isn’t the first time.) (That’s one, aching pain in his chest today.)

...

The curtains have fallen, and as of now it’s time he recuperates for the next performance.

...That, or dust off that lantern of his to go and gather more flames for the Heart. The Troupe Master had allowed him to forgo such responsibilities in favour of honing his aerial dance aer all. Even with permission, he can feel the faint call of the flames, the flicker-spark as they burn deep within the depths of this poor, dilapidated kingdom.

(Or is it the call of the Heart pulling him away from his encounter with Hornet?)

(The enthralling change in attention is enough to jarr him just a little bit out of his thoughts, though he’s unsure if that’s what he wants or not. Distraction or focus?)

Deliberately, he redirects his thoughts to the spiderling, to their interactions.

...As a whole, it seems today has le him with very different emotions.

She had been testy at first, as always, but it seemed like he managed to converse pleasantly for her, even for just an exchange. And then she’s up and gone in not a moment later.

...There was an uncertain edge to her, when he had told her of his reasons for practicing such dance. The faintest scrunch of her fangs, as if trapped between pulling back into a snarling hiss or an uncertain smile. Or that if she did feel hostile, it was as though she was in polite company and couldn’t afford to be as such.

(And he knows very well that she does not quite see him as polite company, so why does she refrain as such other than habit?)

She was never one to hide her distaste towards him, but that had been something... different. What, he isn’t sure, but... odd, for such a small detail to stick out to him like that.

Ah, haha! But of course he recognized such a tell, not when he has the exact same quirk! Conflicted between strict decorum and honesty, where he’d much rather be honest and forthright than needlessly tense, as he’s so oen teased by his beloved—!

—His... beloved? No name follows that, and although it would be a complete term of endearment

as is, it doesn’t... feel complete. His beloved... one who knows him, knows his face despite the mask upon it

now...? His...

...Odd.

(...Here’s another chest pang.)

There’s a harsh little wheeze of a sour note, and the Jester perks up to see Brumm approaching, fiddling with the instrument before kicking into a slower, soer melody. He hadn’t realized he'd been standing there still, center of the stage, still with hands entangled in the silks, still very much not cleaning up or resting.

“Hello there, friend!” He greets, receiving only a nod in response and a curious look.

“Mrmm... Did something happen? Had it not gone well?” Straight to the point as always, too...

“I...” he falters, and for a second he feels terribly improper for such an obvious display of weakness, before continuing, “I do believe it couldn’t have gone any better!”

And it’s true! There isn’t much in his opinion that could be improved other than the few minute details, but of course, he is always striving to grow! Simply, everything had felt so right, he has no current complaints for himself!

Which is why... how odd it is that he feels so... down. This is by far one of his best performances yet, but that encounter with Hornet... it leaves him feeling tense. She had, while not the main reason he wished to learn such a dance, had been an influential part of it at least...

Because he cares for her like a... like a daughter. (Though that feels a touch too much, considering the fact she is the princess-protector of this fallen kingdom, and how terrible it is that she is to bear the responsibilities of the once so revered king...)

...So maybe a niece instead?

(Perhaps niece would work better—he can’t go and become too fond of the come and goers who eventually leave, just as how the Troupe will part from these ruins eventually too. But alongside that, there was an amusing term he had learned a few kingdoms back from a grub who had claimed him as their... ‘cool uncle’ in feeling!)

(Truthfully, he had never really learned the semantics of family lines like that—never needed to anyways. Taking up the mantle as a Jester of no-one but the

Troupe leaves him snapping up little bits of information from the many different places they’ve visited.)

(And here he is, subconsciously trying to claim a familial title for himself when he’s the last person someone would want as family.)

...

“I had believed perhaps this would be a more successful performance than my usual song and dance.” he admits, jovial tone a little lacking, far less overplayed than it usually is.

“Though I haven’t the faintest idea why... I thought perhaps it would make her happier that I do something she could potentially partake in. Aer all, I had never........”

Sharp words echo in his mind. ‘You've never?’

..........He had never what? The same phrase worms itself way into his mind again, this time from his own tongue. The things he has never done, but... what? Why is it that he feels inclined, feels like he needs, with all of his foolish heart, to make up for something he isn't aware of? Of strings le undone, of time he had owed but had never given...

There’s something tugging at him faintly, trying to unmoor itself from the deepest parts of his mind yet shrouded in the familiar, now comforting mist of blazing warmth and flame. He tries to prod at the thought a little further, before the feeling escapes him.

(Or perhaps the flame that so carefully protects his mind, so caringly had swept it up, crisping it with its bright beauty and letting it smolder into ashes so that these vague thoughts may no longer cling to him.)

He had never......

......Well, he’s never done many things! What he does now though is what’s more important than ever, and if he so desires to try and chip at all the ‘nevers’, what better way to do it than travelling with the dear Troupe?

Unconsciously, he tugs at the hanging silks. Something to fiddle with if anything.

(His head feels foggy again, chest tight. That’s three aching pains today. Or more? He can’t tell.)

Then there’s the low voice of his dear friend, and the Jester tunes into what Brumm is saying. “...Have you shown Master your new performance?” He doesn’t see, or rather, he can’t see the solemn looks of the musician, can only hear the little ‘hrmm...’ that vibrates from his voicebox.

The song he’s playing comes to an end, and he draws the last note out, long and mournful.

“Ah, but of course. Though I must say I haven’t performed it for him officially other than in practice—it would do me well to hone my skills further! You don't suppose he's free currently?” Brumm is offering a distraction, he’s aware, but nonetheless, he wouldn’t turn down a moment with the Troupe Master when he’s been nothing but kind during pain days like this.

“He should be. I shall inform him then.” He inclines his head. “...Take care.”

Brumm bids him a gentle farewell, soon disappearing into the depths of the tent and leaving the Jester to his thoughts.

So.

...Thrice. Thrice, that those aching pains have visited him within this same hour, and he frowns. Thrice, and he doesn’t have an inkling as to how and where they could have come and gone, nothing but a lingering phantom sensation in his chest.

(He had talked about it with Brumm one time, when they were both musing over the ambiguity of their characters; life before the Troupe, faded and gone, just as with everyone else. Life with the Troupe, all that they’ve known, but a satisfactory life it is.)

Where little weird memory aches aren’t impossible, or even uncommon, but are well taken care of. Soothed even, by the Heart.

Ah yes, the Heart. It’s taken the entire Troupe under its care, hasn’t it? They’re all here with the gied masks that brands them as one with the Heart, they’re here for a reason.

And the comfort that so fills him is something overwhelming, bright and unrelenting, such is the way of a flame within the dark. It washes over the last of the tugging memory pains, and he lets it. Lets it singe and smolder, lets it drape its curtain of red over his mind, so that the ache in his chest will disappear.

All of the lingering worries, all the doubts are held alo by a bare thread— —and the Heart snips through it with ease, and the Fool is at peace.

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

By @cloudcryptid

[kuroopaisen]

heart attack || bokuto koutarou

➵ your hot roommate likes to walk around without his shirt on. 

wc: 2.8k

warnings: implied f!reader, swearing, pure chaos

a/n: @stelleum jac darling, happy birthday! i tried writing you shipfic but i chickened out and wrote this instead (mayhaps i’ll finish the bkak fic one day, but for now it will sit in my drafts hh). i’ve already wished you a happy birthday so i won’t write you an essay here (although i’m fully capable of it), but i love you, and i’m so grateful to be counted amongst your friends. you bring such light and laughter with you, and i honestly feel like i’ve learnt a lot from being your friend. i hope you find this fic delightfully chaotic (just like you), and that it manages to make you smile a little -- you deserve nothing less (also big shout out to remy and ren for reading over this disaster fdsljk)

“he’s doing it again.”

“huh?” oikawa’s voice crackles from the other end of the phone.

“he’s walking around the house shirtless.”

it takes oikawa a few seconds to catch up. “oh, right. your hot roommate.”

you two have had this conversation many a time over the past two weeks. you’d quickly surmised that bokuto koutarou would be the death of you. probably by heart attack. oikawa had found that idea stupid.

“what do i do?” you ask, chewing on your lip.

“you could always ask him out.”

you scoff at the absolute certainty in his voice. “how dare you assume i wouldn’t shrivel up and die if i so much as attempted that?”

you don’t need to see your best friend to know he’s rolling his eyes at you. “why would you shrivel up and die?”

“what if he says no?”

“he’s not going to say no.”

“but he could.”

“you’re hot, it’ll be fine.”

“but you haven’t seen him, tooru,” you huff, waving off his assurances like they’re nothing. “pictures don’t do him justice.”

“i can’t believe you’re an adult…” oikawa sighs.

“you’re one to talk.”

“at least i can talk to people i find attractive,” he grumbles.

“he’s going to be a professional volleyball player,” you stress. “you know what they’re built like.”

“you were friends with us all throughout high school, and yet i don’t remember you ever talking about any of us like this.”

“the only one of you worth talking about is iwaizumi.”

a moment of silence. “that’s fair.”

“anyway, that’s all besides the point,” you grumble.

“do the other guys know about this?” he asks. you don’t like the playfulness in his voice.

“as a matter of fact, they don’t.”

“why not?”

“if i told them, they’d meddle,” you stress. “directly.”

“you can’t stop me from telling them.” you can tell from his voice that he’s grinning.

“i’ll block your number and never speak to you again.”

oikawa doesn’t need time to decide that it’s a viable and realistic threat.

“wait, are you hiding in your room again?” he asks.

“duh.” you roll your eyes. “i wouldn’t be talking about this in the living room, would i?”

---

meanwhile, bokuto’s sitting on the couch, quite shirtless as he twiddles his thumbs.

when kuroo had first told him that the best way to win his roommate’s heart was to ‘just walk around shirtless,’ bokuto had been a bit doubtful.

of course, kuroo hadn’t won the heart of his partner by walking around shirtless, but boukto was loath to completely disregard his friend’s advice. he does, after all, have a partner, so perhaps following his advice isn’t the worst idea.

but you’d scurried into your room almost immediately upon catching sight of him, and bokuto fears that he’s frightened you.

he likes to consider you friends. sometimes you’ll watch movies with him -- on occasion, you’ll even commit to a full anime series (even though he needs you to explain what’s actually going on half the time) -- and there’s a certain ease of conversation between the two of you. in his mind, it’s only natural that he should develop a little bit of a crush. 

unfortunately that line of common sense didn’t follow through to the next step of actually asking you out. 

---

your sheer embarrassment goes head-to-head with your insatiable hunger and loses.

you peek through a crack in your door, trying to ensure that the hallway was clear. perhaps you could survive seeing him in the front room, but an encounter in your cramped little hallway was bound to end in humiliation.

you manage to skitter into the kitchen quietly, every one of your senses on high alert for the enemy (see: bokuto koutarou’s god-like body). 

you spy the back of his head on the couch from your new vantage point. if you’re quiet enough, chances are he won’t notice that you’re in the kitchen. if the universe really gave a damn about you, then it would let you be invisible for a few seconds. 

“hey!” bokuto calls from the couch, holding a hand up.

“hey,” you mumble as you make an active effort not to look at him. damn him and his masterfully sculpted biceps. they’re almost enough to make iwaizumi jealous. almost.

you dash over to your pantry, opening it up and rifling through a couple shelves. you don’t have the mental or emotional fortitude to stand around and cook a proper meal right now, so the next best thing is instant ramen.

“whatcha looking for?”

you almost shed your skin in fright.

there’s a warmth hovering over you, and you’re far too aware of what it is.

“something to eat.” you can only hope that those words came out legibly.

“oh, yeah, there’s not really much,” he shrugs, tilting his head at you.

you’re still not looking at him. has he done something wrong?

“ah,” is all you can muster in response.

“did you want to order in?” bokuto asks, a certain lightness to his voice. it’s similar to the tone he uses when he wants to pick what you guys watch on a saturday night.

“uh—” oh no. “i—i don’t—um—”

what are you trying to say? you don’t know. bokuto has no chance of deciphering it.

but, he simply beams at you. “i’ll pay!”

sure, he has more money in his bank than you could ever dream of having – damn professional athletes and their egregious pay checks – but you still don’t want him to pay for you.  

“it’s okay,” you manage to say, holding up a hand to wave it off. 

you don’t expect him to take said hand. 

“please, let me treat you,” he grins. “as a thanks for helping me out with the bills last week.”

ah. that’s right. bokuto may be a sports star in the making, but he’s horribly lacking in the common sense most people rely on to make it through the day. 

“okay.” 

it’s very hard to say no to him when he’s looking at you like that, with his golden eyes all big and round and his fluffy hair falling around his face. damn him. 

you let him fiddle away with one of the delivery apps – you admittedly aren’t paying much attention to what he’s ordering – and entertain yourself with the bare walls of your kitchen. 

maybe you could sneak back to your room until dinner came? 

“how was your day?” bokuto asks brightly, effectively trapping you in a conversation. 

shit. 

“uh– fine?” you swallow. “my lectures felt like they wouldn’t end, but i survived.” 

“good thing you did,” he beams, tilting his head at you. 

you blush, trying to ignore just how handsome he is. “how was practice?” 

sure, you want to turn your tail and run, but you really don’t want to hurt his feelings. 

“it was good!” he grins. “tsum-tsum’s been less annoyed with me recently!”

“oh, that’s great!” you mean it. from what you’ve heard about his team, this ‘tsum-tsum’ seems like he’s the sort of person who’s hard to keep up with. 

“he almost gave me a compliment today,” bokuto said, voice brimming with pride. 

“really?” ‘tsum-tsum’ doesn’t seem like the type to give compliments, but bokuto always has a way of seeing the best in things. 

“yeah! he said my cross-court shot wasn’t half-bad!” 

you’re not quite sure if that counts as a compliment, but you won’t pop his bubble. 

“and omi didn’t flinch as much when i patted him on the back, either,” bokuto nods. 

“do you still use that hand sanitiser i gave you?” it had been a mindless little gift, one you’d bought after finding out he works with a germaphobe, but you are curious nonetheless. 

“of course!” bokuto nods enthusiastically. “it’s my lucky charm.” 

your breath catches in your throat. does he not understand what saying something like that could do to a person? especially when it’s coming from the world’s best himbo? what are you even supposed to say to that?

for the first time today, the universe takes pity on you. 

there’s a loud knock on the door. 

bokuto perks up. “i’ll get it!” 

“wait!” you call out instinctively.

bokuto pouts at you over his shoulder, frozen mid-stride.

“you’re shirtless.”

bokuto blinks at you for a moment. “is that a problem?”

three more brain cells stop fighting the good fight and perish. “no?” you frown. “yes?” he’s staring at you. “maybe?”

he’s still staring, a unique concoction of confusion, earnestness and disappointment in his eyes.

“it’s… a lot,” is all you manage to sew together.

“a lot?”

“you’re… a lot.”

“i’m a lot?” bokuto looks like he doesn’t know whether he should be upset by that statement or not.

“yes… muscles.” it’s official. you want to die. there’s no coming back from this.

bokuto glances down at his chest for a moment, a perplexed expression on his face. well, he is beefier than most, and none of his teammates are quite as built…

“just let me get it,” you breathe, well-aware of just how red your face is. after what is bound to be a horribly awkward dinner, you’d need to hop online and look for a new place to live.

you take a deep breath as you open the door, hoping, praying that this exchange, at least, would go smoothly.

you freeze as you look at the delivery boy’s face.

no way.

“holy shit,” makki grins, eyes crinkled and red cap slightly askew.

“no.” this is the last thing you need right now.

“this is where you live?” he asks, trying to pop his head through the doorway.

“uh—” you push him back instinctively, mustering up all your strength to budge the headstrong six foot asshole currently trying to force his way into your apartment.

he freezes, and you know the worst has happened.

“is that your roommate?” he asks, taking a step back with an infuriating grin on his face. “or are you getting some?”

“oh my god makki, i’m going to—”

“do you know this guy?” bokuto’s suddenly behind you, hands clasped behind his back and head tilted to the side.

“unfortunately,” you mumble, trying to keep your expression as neutral as possible. if makki catches even a hint of weakness, he’d press at it relentlessly.

you look him up and down, frowning. “i thought you were working at a tech shop or something.”

he shrugs. “i lied.”

“why?”

“i dunno,” he says, as if lying about your part-time job is the most casual thing in the world. “it sounded more impressive than ‘delivery boy’.”

it’s not like you expected any more from him, but even this feels a little strange.

bokuto’s stomach grumbles from behind you. you remember that he’s right there – and makki’s staring at him.

“why is he shirtless?” makki tilts his head to the side. “who is he?”

“my roommate,” you admit through your teeth.

makki stares at him for a few seconds more, a smirk spreading across his face. “is this why you won’t let us come over to your apartment?”

change of plans. time to pencil in a murder for seven o’clock. after your scheduled self-implosion, which is bound to happen any moment now.

“give me my food.”

“not until you answer my question,” makki grins, holding the takeout bag above your head. damn him and his height.

you glare at him, fists clenched at your sides. “i won’t hesitate and you know it.”

the threat of a knee to the balls is usually enough to make any man quiver. but not makki.

“really?” he smirks. “in front of your hot roommate?”

“i’m going to kill you—”

“i can’t believe you’ve been keeping him from us,” makki tsks, holding out a hand to bokuto. “nice to meet you. i’m a friend from high school.”

bokuto shakes his hand tentatively, a bit behind on exactly what’s going on here.

“and you are?” maki asks, a disgustingly sweet smile on his face.

“bokuto.”

“nice,” makki nods, looking him up and down. you know this will be immediately reported in the group chat. you’re never going to live this down. and, makki now knows where you live. you expect that you’re going to get some unwanted visitors very, very soon.

“get out of here,” you grumble, taking full advantage of makki’s distracted gaze and grabbing the bag out of his hand.

“hey!”

“have a nice night!” you call, pushing him out of your doorway with one hand. “i’ll leave you a bad review!”

“no, don’t—”

the door slams in his face, and you feel like you can breathe properly for the first time in the past ten minutes.

that is until you remember that bokuto’s standing right behind you. 

“should we eat?” he asks, a little too close to your ear than you would like. 

you flinch, taking a step forward. your nose presses against your front door and you curse every conceivable deity that comes to mind. 

“yes,” you nod, lightly banging your head on the door. perhaps it’s what you deserve. 

“okay,” bokuto says slowly, as if he’s not sure about what to do next. “i’ll get some plates.” 

you take a moment to catch your breath. all you have to do is make it through, what? the next twenty minutes? surely you could manage that. surely. 

bokuto’s already over by the couch, two plates in hand, and still very, very shirtless. that’s the reason everything’s gone tits up today. because he wouldn’t constrain his pectorals behind a thin wall of blended cotton. 

but you sit yourself down on the couch after unpacking your food on the coffee table. you sit yourself down on the couch, unsure if you can find the strength to start eating. 

bokuto plops himself down next to you. it’s almost like he’s vibrating with excitement. why does he have to be so damn hot and cute?

the two of you sit on the couch in total silence. 

bokuto stares at you. you make a pointed effort to look anywhere that isn’t him. 

“are you okay?” he asks, a genuine pout on his face. 

“can you… can you put a shirt on?” it feels a bit like an admission, or some kind of surrender, but this has gone on too long. 

“oh, okay.” bokuto hops up, watching you for a moment before dashing off. 

once he’s out of sight, you sigh, resting your head in your hands. what is going on? when you’d gotten back from university, you hadn’t expected the day to go like this. 

bokuto reappears out the corner of your eye, now modestly covered with a white shirt. it’s almost worse, honestly – the shirt really compliments his tan. 

“are you okay!?” his voice pitches as he moves towards you, placing a hand on your back. 

you flinch, dropping your hands from your face and closing your eyes. “yeah, i just…” honestly it feels a bit like you’re in purgatory. but that might sound a little dark. “it’s just been a weird night.” 

“i’m sorry.” you can’t see bokuto’s frown, but you hear it in his voice. 

you finally brave a proper look at him. somehow, his hair looks more deflated than usual. 

“i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable,” he specifies, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“uh–” you swallow roughly, unsure of where to go with this. “thanks? i guess?” 

bokuto pouts at you, his gaze flicking down to the floor. “i was just trying to impress you.” 

every single thought skids to a stop. what? what? he was walking around shirtless because he was trying to impress you? well, it worked, but he probably didn’t expect it to leave you speechless. 

“you… were trying to impress me?” the words feel strange coming from your mouth, but you manage to meet his eyes. 

“yeah,” he nods, his own cheeks darkening. it’s nice to know that the embarrassment isn’t one-sided. “my friend told me it was the best way to win you over.”

whoever this friend is, you intend to have a very stern word with them.

“you could just… ask me out,” you blink at him, unsure of how to proceed. 

“i could?”

“yeah?”

“would you have said yes?”

“i–” you clear your throat, breaking eye contact. “i guess?”

“so… that’s a yes?”

“yes?” 

bokuto stares at you, cheeks even redder than before and mouth slightly agape. 

“what?” you stare back at him. is he broken? has his brain finally given up too? 

“do you wanna go on a date?”

“i–” it’s your turn to have your mouth hang slightly agape. 

“please?” he asks, eyes going round and sad. 

“sure,” you blink. you? bokuto? a date? when? how? what–

“woo-hoo!” bokuto cheers, pumping his fists in the air. “alright!” 

oh man, this boy is definitely going to be the death of you. probably by heart attack. but, maybe that’s not the worst fate. 

[kpop-cakepops]

Soulmate: Bells (part 1) // JeonghanxFem!Reader

Ummmmm so mayhaps this ended up being WAY LONGER THAN INTENDED AND WILL HAVE A 2ND PART.

Genre: IDK how to explain it other than VERY light angst mixed with fluff.

Warnings: none

Word count: 3,573 🙊

"I'm sorry Jeonghan... I really thought this would work out. I thought that this soulmate thing wasn't going to sway me" Sowon couldn't maintain eye contact with Jeonghan as she spoke.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a trembling voice.

"Jeonghan... I found my soulmate... and as much as I fought it, everything in me gave up..." She said

Soulmates. It seemed that the older he grew the more he hated the term. Soulmates? Who in their right mind would believe that a little sound you heard on your sixteenth birthday would lead you to the person you were meant to be with for the rest of your life?

Sowon, apparently.

Despite having sworn to each other that soulmates would not make them waver, despite swearing to be together no matter what, no matter how hard and bumpy the road got... yet there she was sitting across from him, telling him she had given up on all those promises.

"Are you telling me you cheated on me?" He asked.

Sowon's eyes met the ground, but the more she refused to talk the more it dawned on Jeonghan, she had. She had cheated on him.

"Sowon-"

"I'm sorry! Please, I'm so sorry. It was the last thing I wanted to do but I couldn't stop myself... Jeonghan it's real. I heard it, the sound of glass clinking against glass. It sounds ridiculous because it's such a trivial thing to hear, but the sound made everything feel so clear, it was like my heart just knew and... Jeonghan, I love him. I don't even know him, but there's this- this part of me that I just can't control. I want to! I want to know him" she cried out. Jeonghan felt like all air had been kicked out of him. How was he meant to respond to that? He'd never experienced what Sowon was talking about, he couldn't even bring himself to imagine it... all he knew was that he didn't want to lose her. "I can't do this to you and I can't do it to him either. I'm sorry... we need to break up"

Tears pricked at Jeonghan's eyes as he watched the girl he loved the most stand from her seat and walk away from him.

That was the last time he saw her.

***

"Turns out his soulmate is a guy named Wonwoo... and he's so much prettier than me too! I seriously, cannot believe this is happening to me again... I was convinced I was his soulmate" you held your phone between your ear and your shoulder as you struggled to pull out a book from its place on the bookshelf. It had been a week since you'd tried to convince Mingyu that he was your soulmate, only for him to find his real soulmate a few days after meeting you.

"Maybe you should stop trying to force every pretty person around you to be your soulmate, Mingyu's bell wasn't even like yours, he was waiting to hear a bike bell and you didn't even hear your bell either, and NO someone yelling Taco Bell isn't a bell. Are you nuts?" Your best friend Soonyoung was on the line eating something as he yelled at you. It was a cycle he was both annoyed with and used to, but he understood. After spending most of your life alone, he understood why you were so adamant about finding your soulmate, the person that was meant to be with you for the rest of your life. The person who would rid you of the fear of dying alone and in pain like those who were never able to meet their soulmates because that's how this world worked. No matter how much you tried, sometimes meeting the one person that was meant to love you, was an impossible task.

"Okay so maybe I didn't hear the bell but I heard a bell" you insisted as you tugged harshly at the book finally managing to free it from its spot but dropping it in the process. You scurried quickly to grab it but a pair of dainty hands beat you to it and pushed the book up to you.

"Thank you" you murmured not paying any attention and walking straight past the stranger.

"You're welcome" answered Soonyoung, and it was almost like she could hear his shit-eating grin.

"Shut up, I wasn't-" you were cut off by the sound of a tinkling bell as the door to the small book store swung open, and suddenly, as if by art of magic everything around you seemed to stop. It was like one of those five gum commercials, at least that's the only thing you could compare it to. All your senses were alive and you couldn't help but feel... aware... of what, you didn't know, but you felt aware. You were reverted to your 16th birthday, sitting alone in your large dining room with no one but your nanny and the sound of a hopeful bell ringing in your mind marking you for the future. "Wait... wait Soonyoung, I heard it. That was it. I heard the bell" you said as turned around quickly to find the person that had just handed you your book.

Your best friend groaned on the other side of the line "Oh god... are you being serious right now? Are you seriously doing this again?"

"Shit... Shit shit shit, where is he? I lost him. He was right behind me-" you rushed over to the spot where you'd dropped the book but no one was there anymore. Then it hit you... the door. The door opened and closed only moments after he handed the book to you, he must have walked out. "Oh no... he left!" You dropped your book and rushed out the door, your phone still in hand as a sense of panic started to fill you.

"Soonyoung, I can't find him. It was him and I don't know what he looks like!" you were starting to freak out. How could you miss him like that? You were also confused. Wasn't the sound supposed to be automatic? As soon as the two of you met the sound was supposed to trigger... for the two of you so why wasn't he there? Were you mistaken?

"Wait, Y/N are you being serious right now?"

"Yes! Soonyoung, it was the bell, but I missed him. Oh god, NOW WHAT?!" You asked as you walked down the sidewalk, eyes roaming every single person in sight in case anything... special or magical happened, but it was to no avail. No one seemed to do anything for her.

"Y/N are you sure you're not just-"

You cut your best friend off in annoyance. "I'll call you back later, I need to find this guy" you grumbled quickly hanging up the call after. You really couldn't find him, he had been in front of you just moments before but he'd disappeared almost as he'd come. A second wave of panic passed you as you looked around helplessly. Tears were pricking at your eyes because despite being childish and immature most of the time, the feeling you got when hearing that bell was nothing like anything you'd felt before... and yet... your soulmate didn't look for you. Your soulmate should have heard the bell too, right? So where was he?

Slowly your biggest fear started materializing before you in the shape of nothingness, in the shape of loneliness. Your soulmate didn't seem to want you or at least didn't seem to care enough to come back and find you.

Except, he had found you. Your very soulmate was staring at you from the bookstore's window with a gaze of confusion, a part of him hated that your sole existence meant he couldn't choose love for himself, that because of the woman on the other side of the glass he could no longer be with the person he chose. That he was predestined to love someone he knew nothing about... yet the other half of him felt an unexplainable urge to walk up to you and hug you like he'd missed you his whole life. Of walking up to you and wiping away the tears you were earnestly trying to hide as you stared at every single person that walked by.

That's why Jeonghan found himself avoiding the bookstore like the plague after that day. He would walk by on occasion wondering if it'd be okay to walk in, but then he'd see you sitting outside the shop waiting for something to happen, and he'd turn right back around. Eventually, you stopped showing up, and although he'd never stopped to talk to you, Jeonghan subconsciously wondered where you'd gone and if you were okay.

After a month of not going, Jeonghan finally dropped by the bookstore when Joshua called him to help him with a new shipment. His friend had grown increasingly curious as to why Jeonghan had been avoiding the store when it seemed the store had been his safe haven since his heart-wrenching breakup.

"Mind telling me what you've been up to lately?" Asked Joshua when the last customer was out the door.

"Studying for exams" Jeonghan lied as he moved the stack of books to be donated into a box.

"Alone?" Asked Joshua curiously.

"Yes alone, who else would I study with?" Asked Jeonghan as he moved his floppy red hair out of his face.

"Oh... alright" Joshua answered.

Unable to hold it in, Jeonghan's best friend spoke again. "I found my soulmate," he said. Joshua knew it was a touchy topic for Jeonghan, but he was his best friend and it was important for him that Jeonghan know.

The red-haired man cleared his throat uncomfortably, he had found his too, but that was not something he necessarily felt like sharing with the world. He had tried convincing himself he was keeping it a secret to show that he was in control of his own mind and emotions, but in reality, he was scared and embarrassed. Scared that he'd be proven wrong about you, that you'd be everything he wanted and dreamed of, and embarrassed that due to his own capriciousness he was hurting you.

"Okay" was all that Jeonghan could muster at the news.

"I want you to meet her," said Joshua as he put unsold books into the same box Jeonghan had been filling.

This caused Jeonghan to pause for a moment. Joshua wanted him to meet his soulmate, "what for?"

Joshua sighed and stood up straight, his big eyes looking straight at his friend. "Because she's important to me and you are my best friend. I want you both to get to know each other."

Unable to say no to his best friend, Jeonghan nodded his head, "okay."

The lack of drive in his usually playful best friend worried Joshua and it pained him to know that if he even tried to bring the worries up, Jeonghan would simply disappear for a few more weeks again. "I invited her out for dinner, her friend will be coming too, so you don't have to worry about third-wheeling"

With a thin forced smile, Jeonghan stood and dusted his hands in front of himself. "Okay"

By the time they finished packing up the boxes, Jeonghan was ushered out of the store. He watched as his friend turned the "open" sign over and locked the door. Subconsciously, Jeonghan's eyes stopped on the silver bell hanging from the door. Memories of the way you had looked on that day, panicked and frantic as you searched the area for him. It made him wonder yet again, what you were up to and if everything was okay with you.

The wait at the restaurant wasn't long. It only took about 5 minutes for a girl to walk in with a bright smile on her face, one that was instantly matched by Joshua's the moment he lay eyes on her. "Hey" she greeted happily.

Jeonghan was too busy watching the two interact to even notice the way you'd followed Joshua's soulmate into the restaurant like a dejected little shadow. The truth was, you hadn't exactly planned on being there. You had been spending the last few weeks feeling sorry for yourself and ignoring your two best friends, for some reason you had started to get comfortable with that way of life, that is until In-na came barging into your home squealing about her soulmate... you couldn't exactly say no to her invitation, and free dinner wasn't exactly a bad idea.

And then you sat down.

You didn't notice him at first. When In-na had told you you'd be meeting her soulmate, you hadn't been thrilled, it almost felt like a slap to the face, but you knew your friend better than to believe her to be evil like that. You knew she had good intentions in mind when she told you her soulmate would be inviting his best friend so you wouldn't feel too much like a third-wheel. It was rude of you, for sure, but since the moment you sat you'd been on your phone texting Soonyoung about how much you hated being there, and trying to convince him to pick you up, but Soonyoung was ignoring you for ignoring him.

"This is my best friend, Y/N" you heard In-na introduce you and for the first time since you'd arrived, you were forced to face the two guys in front of you.

And then you wished you hadn't.

It was him. Everything in your being was SCREAMING that it was him. Every fiber in you knew that the man with hair dyed a deep red, that was sitting across from you at that very moment was him. But something was wrong with him. His big droopy eyes looked like a flashlight that had run out battery, all signs of light were gone and something in you stirred. Was it sadness? Worry? You couldn't pinpoint it.

Then there was Jeonghan, who, unbeknownst to you, saw almost a reflection of himself when he saw you. The burnt-out gaze and the bags under your eyes, except he was the cause for your sadness and then something in him stirred, but unlike you, he knew exactly what it was.

Guilt.

Jeonghan was about to excuse himself to leave but you beat him to it by painting a smile on your face, "nice to meet you guys"

You were mad. Angry. Fuming. He was pretending to not know you. He had pretended from the start because you could tell, even if you didn't want to, you could read him like a book because, despite him not wanting it, you two were entwined for life. Quite literally biologically wired to be together, because that's how society worked, that's how it had worked for centuries.

"Nice to meet you too" greeted Joshua softly, but his eyes we not set on you, just like In-Na's weren't. They were soulmates, after all, they were blind to the world around them... and it was simply disappointing how unlike them you and Jeonghan were.

Dinner was long, the energy emanating from you was directly absorbed by the man sitting across from you. He was uncomfortable, the way you were acting just didn't seem to sit well with him. From the way you picked at your food without taking a single bite, to the way you looked like you would rather be anywhere but where you sat, he felt... worried?

"Who wants ice cream?" Asked In-na and Joshua who, contrary to the 2 extras sitting beside them, were having the time of their lives. You wanted so badly to say you didn't want ice cream, to tell her to take you home, but the light blush that spread across your friend's cheeks and the almost sparkly gaze Joshua stared at her with, didn't allow you to make such a request. So instead you remained silent, and to no one's surprise so did Jeonghan.

"I know a great place, I'll go pay for the food, and then I'll drive us there," Joshua announced.

With that, he walked in direction of the front counter, leaving behind the love of his life and the two dysfunctional soulmates that refused to so much as look at each other. "Isn't he amazing? Isn't he, Y/N?" In-na gushed.

You smiled genuinely, if anything good had come out of that dinner it was the amount of joy it brought your best friend. "He's awesome, In-na. You two really are made for one another"

She clasped your hand in hers and grinned softly. "Thank you for coming. I promise we'll find your soulmate soon" she mentioned mindlessly. It was beyond frustrating to see Jeonghan lift his head from the corner of your eyes, his expression almost clueless.

"I'm going to go outside, I need to make a call real quick, yeah?"

In-na nodded, but you doubted she even heard what you said as her eyes were trained on the man paying at the front counter. With a sigh, you stepped out of your seat and took yourself out of the restaurant. The fresh air outside and the fact that you were no longer around Jeonghan seemed to decompress your lungs.

As if on autopilot, your fingers tapped at the screen of your phone calling Soonyoung.

"I don't know if you realize this, but I'm ignoring you" the man on the other end snapped as he answered the phone.

Hearing his voice made your heart twist in relief because despite being a dumb jerk sometimes, Soonyoung was your best friend. He was your comfort and that's precisely what you needed: comfort. "Soonyoung..." you hadn't noticed you were on the verge of tears until you spoke his name.

All signs of pettiness were gone from his voice as he answered, "y/n. Are you crying?"

"Listen, I get that you're upset with me, but I really, really, need you to come pick me up" you begged, forcing yourself to swallow the lump in your throat. "I promise you can go right back to ignoring me once you drop me off home"

"Where are you? I'll be there in 5 minutes."

"I'll send you the address. Just please come."

You hung up the call, hands wiping at your eyes quickly until a hand reached out before you, the same hand that had handed you a book back then, except this time it was handing you a tissue. You sniffle a bit before snatching it from him and blowing your nose obnoxiously.

Jeonghan didn't say anything as you both stood side by side waiting for Soonyoung to pick you up. He was still feeling guilty, but what exactly was he supposed to say? I'm in love with someone else? No, of course not, because the more he watched you, the more he forgot what Sowon looked and sounded like, and the more he stood in your proximity feeling all types of emotions... the more he forgot what 'loving' Sowon had ever felt like. Was he supposed to tell you that he hated you for something that was entirely out of your, his, and even Sowon's control when all he could focus on was how nice your hair smelled and how good the warmth of your body felt even when he wasn't touching you?

Exactly 5 minutes went by in loud silence until a car drove up to the curve. You pushed yourself off the wall you'd been leaning on and turned to look at your sullen soulmate, who had instinctively followed suit stepping away from the wall in alarm. You huffed in frustration as you watched him. You wanted to tell him off so badly, and yet his big eyes were now telling you he was just as confused as you about all the sudden feelings you were both feeling, you were so flustered you ended up walking away. Then you thought about it twice and turned right back around and stopped right before Jeonghan, your hand grabbing his causing his eyes to meet yours directly for the first time that night. "You, if you run away again and pretend to not know me, I will find you and... I don't know what I'll do yet, but Joshua will tell me where you are. I will make sure of it." you warned him, "bye." The bite in your words made him wince.

He wanted to answer and maybe even apologize but you didn't give him a chance to as you walked up to the car that was waiting for you across the street. A man within the car was glaring at him through squinted eyes, surely he was trying to intimidate Jeonghan, but all Soonyoung really did was make Jeonghan uncomfortable.

"Stop staring at him and drive" you grumbled bringing your friend back to reality.

At that moment both In-na and Joshua stepped out of the restaurant with bright smiles. "Where's Y/N?" asked In-na, big eyes searching the area for you.

Jeonghan didn't find it in him to answer her. The buzzing feeling in the hand you'd held was too intriguing to him.

"Can I have her address?" Jeonghan blurted.

The couple stared at him as if he'd grown a third head. "Um, why would you need that?" asked his best friend in confusion.

Because maybe having a soulmate isn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be.

[destiniesfic]

hi! I completely agree with you that we should just enjoy things, take what works and not waste too much energy on hating what doesn't. that said, i respectfully disagree with you on the "interpreting" thing, at least in some respects. significantly aging down alicent, her close relationship (the text would've hinted at it, instead of the mostly neutral **they weren't horrible to each other BEFORE** vibes) with rhae prior to her marrying viserys, her "you want to usurp rhaenyra??" pikachu face-ing that clashed even with the things the show had previously established about her character, ep 10 rhaenyra, and i could go on, tbh, those were all distorsions. i'm focusing on alicent because her character work might be the worst offender, and endemic of a lot of problems the show's writing suffers from. like no one could convince me that the alicent who isolated and beefed with a literal child for years, the one who had most of her lines painting rhae in horrible colors, like "bastard blood shed" alicent? "mayhaps the whore will die in childbirth"? alicent? has anything in common with the show's version. sure, there were elements of interpretation, too, some of which i actually agreed with, but condal et co suffer from the same curse d&d did: thinking that they're so much smarter than grrm, that they can write better. 95% of times, they can't (funnily enough, some of the show's best original moments had nothing to do with them, after all). anyway, always great to read your thoughts!

Well, I'm going to own this one.

Sooooo that is on me.

This is also all at the root of what I meant when I said something about "how the show portrayed women" in the original ask, which is what I consider to be the source of the majority of the book-to-show translation woes. Assuming the source text was primarily written by men who paint women in the least favorable light, sure, fine, but this led them to take it way too far the other direction, imo. My most trivial beef about this is actually found in Rhaenys, whose book counterpart 100% would have dracarys'd everyone at the coronation. F&B has her, not Daemon, tallying the dragons and urging their use! Show Rhaenys is so cool, but book Rhaenys is cooler, and I don't think boxing all of your women into "voice of reason" roles is the feminist win!!! that the writing staff want it to be.

But I do consider that take to be a reinterpretation, even if it's one that rubs me the wrong way. It's based in a philosophy rooted in one question: "What if the people who recorded history kinda sucked about women?" The biggest core divergence was aging Alicent down, I think, but I wouldn't consider that a "distortion" without the rest, and I generally think the writing for episodes 9 and 10 was kind of all over the place. If we'd had episode 6 and 7 Alicent through the entire back half of the season it would probably look a lot more like F&B, even though we began the story with her and Rhaenyra as friends. And honestly, the Queer Lady Sicko in me really wanted that, because who among us* hasn't had an intense, homoerotically charged friendship that's blown up spectacularly in a way you've wanted to go to war about?

Anyway, thanks for your ask and for keeping me honest. I totally get all of what you said! I haven't sat with this material as long, so I'm still refining my thoughts on it, and I appreciate you giving me more to think about.

*for a certain subset of us

[yamagucji]

How they treat their injured s/o

em request. “hey uhm i sprained my ankle badly today and i was wondering how tsuki, sakusa and tendou would do when they found out that their s/o sprained their ankle because im feeling really single nowadays and your account is the only way for me to not feel single fjfjdjd but uhm i hopw you can add in some speckles of angst ✨✨ ofc there should be fluffs to hehe” -anon

pairing. tsukishima x gn!reader, sakusa x gn!reader, tendou x gn!reader

note. i didn’t get to work on this as much as i wanted to bc i wanted to have it out in time! i hope you still like this all the same </3

Tsukishima

“how clumsy”, he’ll say, with a taunting look on his face

yes this beanpole is gonna tease you for it to hide the fact that he’s mildly worried

he’d just keep teasing you to no remorse tbh😿 until he sees you limp/wince in pain

ohhh that’s when he drops the act

if he’s a distance away from you and he’s holding something, he’d quickly set it down and come your way

“ow,” you wince, grabbing ahold of the wall beside you

in a flash he’s right next to you, getting a firm grip of your waist so as to anchor you

“h-hey, take it easy,”

oh so you care me now😾

you sigh in frustration, “since when did you care?”

he’ll look the other way but bring you against his chest, pouting at the fact that he’d been pointed out

“i’ve always cared... idiot,”

“now let’s put some ice on the pain,”

“...okay y/n?” 🥺 mayhaps you’re forgiven

he’ll set you down on a chair and go to look for an ice pack

and he’ll come back in a matter of a few minutes, with not JUST an ice pack, but some snacks and maybe even a pain reliever (if you take them)

“here, no- no, let me do it”

you’ll attempt to do it yourself but he takes the ice pack away from you and instead does it himself

so he’s on his knees tending to your injury, choosing to caress your skin with his thumb

“...how are you feeling?” 🥺💓

and if you say you’re feeling better, he’ll reward you with a genuine smile and maybe even a kiss on your temple

“that’s good to hear, i’m glad”

but if you’re still slightly mad at him from before? he’ll apologize in his own tsukki way

Tendou

aw bless this boy

when you come to him he’ll notice something’s wrong judging by your actions

he tilts his head, “everything okay?”

and as you’re telling him what happened, he’s already got you seated down on a chair and inspecting your injury

“hmm, doesn’t look that bad. but we should treat it incase it gets any worse, okay?”

he’ll get up and leave a big smooch on your nose, probably looking for medical supplies/ice pack as he’s humming a tune

ah he’ll probably hum something along the lines of, “my s/o is injured... and that’s no good... it’s time for their boyfriend to save the day” ok idk how to write lyrics mk

he’ll come back to you with another kiss, “stay still babe, i’m gonna take care of you,”

🥺🤲 hand in marriage rn

he’ll stay with you and force you to rest because he “wants to get better as soon as possible so the two of us can go on little dates,”

he’ll stay... until one of his friends hit him up to ask him to practice or hang out

“ah... sorry but i’ll be back, i promise!”

wait what happened to taking care of your s/o 😐

so he leaves you and spends the next FEW hours away and completely unaware that he’d broken his promise of taking care of you

so when he comes back and sees you limping your way to grab something from the shelves, he feels absolutely guilty

“oy, what are you doing? you should be resting!”

“well i was trying to get this... but i couldn’t ask for help since you weren’t here” 🥺 yes bub speak your truth

best believe he’ll try and make it up to you the rest of the day

he’s been promoted from boyfie to personal butler 😌 jkjk

Sakusa

you don’t tell him about the incident and instead pretend to act like everything’s fine

because it’s... sakusa kiyoomi. it’s natural to think he’ll be very indifferent about your injury or just not be sympathetic :(

so when he meets up with you for the day, he’s completely oblivious to the pain in your body

though, he will notice the fact that you’re walking a bit slower

with slight irritation he spoke, “can’t you walk a little faster? what’s up with you today?”

h- hhhng can he at least sugar coat it😔

“oh... sorry omi! guess i was just a little space out haha” and you force yourself to take bigger strides despite the pain

it resumes to that quiet, peaceful walk, with sakusa staring straight ahead of him and absolutely not noticing the mild limps

until... you trip on the ground, that is

you can’t see it behind his mask but he’s definitely grimacing

“how clumsy can you-” he hissed (not literally😭) until he saw you whine in pain

he takes his hands out of his pockets and hesitantly helps you up, even brushing the dirt off of you yes the sakusa did that

“i’m sorry omi... i wasn’t looking where i was going,”

“tch, forget that. are you okay? why does it look like you’re in even more pain?”

so you go to tell him the truth, leaving the act altogether

“are you serious?” 😾 “why didn’t you just tell me?”

you can tell he’s slightly frustrated with the situation, but that’s only because he feels bad that you don’t trust him enough to care about you

he ditches whatever plan the two of you had and brings you home. he’s mumbling in irritation, all the while keeping his hold on you to make sure you don’t hurt yourself even more

now... be prepared to be pampered with extra care AND be scolded at the same time

sir am i your s/o or your kid,,, pick one 🧍/🧍‍♀️

yk😳 it’s a good time to take advantage of him while he’s going all soft for you

“um... omi?”

“hm?”

“can you kiss it better?” 🥺🤲

he’ll look at you with bored eyes, but it contrasts with the blush that’s on his face

hesitatantly, he’ll run his fingers over your cast and give it a peck

“there, is that better...love?”

call me weak or whatever but that was by far one of the most loving kisses ever given

[narrators-journal]

Help from the help

Narrator, do you have a thing for these sorts of power dynamics mayhaps? Do you maybe want to get railed by Illumi while you’re his maid? Yes. Yes I do.

cw: I dunno, maids? Illumi being awkward maybe?

In total, you'd seen Illumi Zoldyck maybe five times during your time as a temporary maid for his family. Three times when you'd cleared dinner dishes, once when it had been your turn to clean his wing, so you'd been making his bed and he'd come in and ordered you to not forget to clean his bathroom too, and once when you had been putting a load of laundry into the washer and turned around to find the tall, dark-eyed assassin so close you actually ran into him a bit, he'd apparently come in to try and find out if a piece of clothing had been washed. Aside from those times, you'd hardly seen him. Despite these sparse encounters, you were rather smitten with him almost from the first time. It wasn't like he was insanely better looking than any other Zoldyck, Kikyo was very pretty, Silva was nowhere near the worst to look at, even Milluki had his charms and wasn't hard on the eyes, but something about the doll-like assassin drew you in more than the rest. Probably the unattainable aspect you mused to yourself one day as you made your way upstairs with a laundry basket full of cleaning supplies, heading to clean said son's wing of the home today. Or maybe I just have a thing for men with long hair, you continued as you went, finding the upstairs cleaning closet and fetching the vacuum as you lost yourself in your thoughts. You were spacing out pretty hard, just mulling over all of what you found attractive about Illumi, entertaining yourself with ranking which Zoldyck you'd date before the rest, stuff like that while you worked, so you didn't notice until you'd turned the corner at the end of the hall leading into Illumi's wing that you had that static-y, fuzzy feeling his aura left you with creeping up your spine. Confused, you looked around, giving a small yelp when you realized Illumi was damn near leaning over you from behind,           "Uh, s-sir??" you squeaked with wide (e/c) eyes before quickly clearing your throat and speaking again in a more composed voice "is there something I can help you with...master Illumi?" He simply stared at you, straightening at least when he had gotten your attention,             "I was wanting to ask something." He finally explained, walking around you to be in front, which helped you relax a tad bit, as at least now you weren't relying on somewhat intimate senses to gauge where he was,            "Well sir, if this is about some cleaning issue, I wasn't the one to clean your wing yesterday, that was a different maid," you chirped, using your happy demeanor to hopefully hide the filthy places your brain had shot to after his words.            "I know, I ran into the maid yesterday. I'd rather ask this of a woman closer to my age." he said flatly, and if he noticed any giveaways for your lascivious thoughts he didn't acknowledge them as he went on, "you see, father has told me I lack experience with women, and if I'm to find a wife I need to learn. So, would you help me?" he asked, making you blink, your brain temporarily screeching to a halt.         "Uh, I don't see how I could help with that, master Illumi." you pointed out, laughing awkwardly while he looked at you coldly, and you knew you might've offended him,         "(Y/n), I know very well that you are attracted to me, you more than any other maid should realize I have no trouble attracting women." and just like that, the color drained from your face. Your heart felt like someone was trying to squeeze the blood from it while you scrambled to reassure him, the task not made easier under his calculating, unreadable gaze. Finally, after a moment of floundering, you gave up and just went quiet, resigning yourself to the embarrassment of so brutally having your crush called out,           "A-alright, so...what did you need help with?" you asked, your voice somewhat quiet, which seemed to amuse or please the long haired billionaire in front of you,           "I need practice with seducing a woman, and if I am to try, I'd prefer to seduce someone I find attractive. So, I chose you." The words made your breath catch in your throat, but before you could put together the words to ask your next question, or even the power of thought required to register that last part, he spoke again, "No, I am not a virgin, I just don't have a plethora of experience, and my father says that I need more if I'm to get a wife." he explained, and you decided not to push it further or ask about why his father was concerned with the issue,           "Alright, so what do you want me to do to help?" you asked instead,           "I would like for you to let me try to seduce you. You have my permission to tell me if my attempts are off in any way," You nodded, agreeing to help the struggling assassin. After that was settled, he left you alone to continue cleaning. What followed was possibly the most awkward period in your life. True to his word, Illumi did try his best to try and seduce you over the next two weeks, and true to his word, he did need work at it. Part of you was somewhat charmed at how awkward this intimidating murderer was when it came to trying to flirt, but the rest of you lowkey wanted to be one of his hits rather than hit on for that same reason.

At first, his lines were rather cheesy, stuff that you guessed he heard his parents use or from movies, but as time went it became pretty obvious that the lines weren't exactly the issue, his delivery was.          "y'know, this might work better if you were more...expressive," you advised one day after he'd tried another miss of a pick-up line, and all you really got in response was a slow, owlish blink,          "Expressive? I'm expressive," he argued, but you shook your head,                  "You have a tendency to sound bored or uninterested when you speak, and it's currently what's making you sound so awkward...sir." you explained, and for a moment he looked a tad lost, but than hummed,          "What should I sound like then?" he finally asked, "Hisoka?" Your stomach dropped at the thought of Illumi trying to imitate Hisoka's way of flirting. You'd run into the brightly colored magician a few times, mostly whenever he'd stop by to be tortured for interfering with jobs, and you'd been hit on each time by the man. You didn't know if you could survive Illumi being as brash, forward, and creepy as that.          "I wouldn't suggest following his lead, but m-maybe finding a middle ground? L-like, sound more...coy? Flirtatious? But don't sound quite as...aroused, as master Hisoka does." you advised, and Illumi seemed to understand better.           "so, what if I did this," he than walked towards you, backing you to the wall of room you'd been cleaning in his wing and than caging you between his arms before leaning down so your faces were closer together before he spoke in a much more playful, husky voice, "Would you let me bed you now, (y/n)?" and you couldn't even respond. It was like he'd knocked the wind from your lungs in one try, leaving you feeling as if you were going to melt down the wall. Thankfully, Illumi inferred your answer from there and smirked a bit while his hands slid down and than around you, pulling you closer to him so you didn't have the option of sliding downwards anymore.         "I didn't expect it to be so easy to win you over, (y/n). I've only changed one thing and you're already putty." he purred, and all you could muster up was a pretty brainless reply,          "It's a pretty big...change." even in your derpy, hormone-addled state that sounded kinda dumb, but it got you a small laugh from Illumi. After that, the assassin took you by surprise and actually went in for a kiss, though he pulled away when you squeaked,          "What?"         "ah, n-nothing, just didn't expect you to...do that." you squeaked out, your body now fully aware of just how close his was, and of a small spot of pressure.        "I did say I would try to seduce you, that includes getting you to have sex with me." he pointed out, and his return to a disinterested, aloof voice did nothing to stop his words from being gasoline on a bonfire to you. So, when you couldn't form any other arguments, he kissed you again, and this time you were swift to return it. You wouldn't admit it, but you were a little surprised at just how good of a kisser Illumi was. Yes, he'd said he wasn't a virgin, but after some asking around you'd learned that he at most has has sex 4 times, all for jobs, so you were not expecting his kiss to knock you on your proverbial ass like it did. Though, you were glad to be in one of his side rooms when it did, because the way he dominated your tongue with his, and slid his hand down your back, over your ass and down your thigh to pick up your knee may have gotten a pretty inappropriate noise out of you. So, when he finally broke the kiss to step away in order to strip, you were already panting while following his lead and losing your own clothing. Once fully disrobed, he wasted no time in scooping you up and pressing you back into the wall with another kiss, letting you wrap your arms around his neck and your legs around his hips for support. Then, he set to work on getting more moans out of you. He started with pressing his body to yours, and you rewarded him with a mewl and a hip wiggle when you felt his swiftly stiffening member against your stomach, you also gasped and moaned when his lips moved from yours and down your throat, zeroing in on your sweet spot within seconds and nipping and sucking at it until you were sure to bruise. After that, you were already soaked enough for him, but he kept going, keeping you up with one hand on your ass, using the other to rub your clit and send shockwaves of pleasure through you so powerful you curse and arched your back.            "it's been a while since you've gotten off, hasn't it?" He asked, using that playful purr you'd later curse yourself for teaching him to use, but for now you just nodded. It really had been a long while since you'd had sex, if at all, but either way the way he played your body like an instrument had all other times currently beaten. That decision was set in stone when you felt him leave your clit for a moment to slip a finger inside of your already soaked cunt, giving a few testing thrusts just to make you moan again, then he pulled his hand away and instead grabbed onto your hips to lift you up more, which earned a squeal when your hips pressed more against his member on the way up. He quieted you down briefly with another kiss while your veins coursed with lightning and he lined himself up with your entrance. He pulled away just as he pushed into you, wanting to hear you whine his name as he filled you up. Once you were full, he began to move, briefly setting a slow pace, but once you were moaning more he was quick to get rougher. Pretty soon you were a mess of moans and curses, clawing into his shoulders a bit, which got you pretty mercilessly rammed into as punishment, but the pain only seemed to further feed your lust at this point, along with Illumi sprinkling in hungry kisses while he slammed his dick into you repeatedly. Though, he made sure to use one hand to hold your hips in place while the other was in your (h/l), (h/c) hair to keep you from moving up the wall or turning your head to avoid his demands for kisses. In a short time you could feel a knot in your stomach tighten, your orgasm quickly approaching. So, with one final cry of his name, you let yourself fall over the edge, Illumi soon following after. Though, part of you was a bit sad that he pulled out to spill his seed onto your stomach and not fill you up with the warm fluid, but you kept your complaints to a small whine, which earned you a look that you gauged as intrigued.          "Did you want me to come inside?" he asked, and while his voice was back to being flat, and notedly not changed by the activity he just partook in or the fact that he was holding you up, you could hear the hint of maybe surprise in it.          "A little..." you admitted with an embarrassed, breathy laugh before trying to unwrap your legs from around him so you could get dressed, but he moved his hand from your hair to your thigh, keeping it in place,          "Well than, I'll have to fix my error."