#I trust my followers xD I hope you'll like it

[nioumin-draw]

After a trolls AU list there my favorite fanfiction Severitus list :

A patchwork family @aspionagee ( Snape adopt Draco and Harry , I love it because this little family is very special , Snape also learn to be a good dad for his two boys 🥰🥺) Complete

To trust @clairdeloon-abie ( ravenclaw harry adopted by Severus 🥺 lovely story , Harry have problem to trust people specially adult and lose any reason to live 😭😭 in this story and Snape will learn him that he'll always be here for him and how life is important 😭😭 ) Complete

Second chance @anonhpwriter ( ⚠️ contains CP in this one ⚠️but the most important: if you like sweetness and fluff who will make your teeth rot and shake your heart go head XD 😂 because there a lot and I love how close Snape and Harry got close as father and son that why I love this fanfic and I add on my list and without this fanfic I couldn't discovered Severitus 💞💞 ) part 1 and 2 Complete part 3 WIP

As potter is to Snape @scarlettwriter91 ( honestly I there many reasons to check anx like this story buuuut I let you discovering it by yourself while you'll read it 😉) Complete

True heart @mandancieforever ( one of the very first Severitus story I discovered with second chance it's because of it I love Severitus and want read more 🥺 and draw art of it , she deserves more support ! ) WIP

A Thousand Words ( still WIP unfortunately but very good fanfiction...I hope the author will come back again)

Obscured ( with a Slytherin and Obscurial Harry Potter 👀 .. Snape have a lot of work for fixing the broken boy ) @illisius WIP

little freak, Jezebel (you sit high atop the kitchen counter) @alexandriastark76 WIP

Harry's new home by Kbinnz Complete

Mine (on potions and snitch website that been suggested by my follower the talented @squid1442 who also do Severitus art 🥺)

I love reading and make art for Severitus fanfic 🥺🥺🥺

Any other Severitus story to suggest to me ?

[blackwolfstabs]

Wolf! Frank & Joey Headcanons

(requested by @screamqueen10)

!!! (these are NOT shipping headcanons. just ones of these two interacting because let's face it, they've definitely got an alpha complex going on haha)

──────── GIFs are not mine

as stated previously in this post, Frank is the alpha, but Joey is the alpha-female. this causes them to fight almost over everything. their tempers are short, so it doesn't take long for one to phase and strike and the other follows.

if these two fight, you'll need some sincere divine intervention. someone like Peter, Rickles, Lazar, or Lambert would be the most promising to break them apart.

Frank likes to test Joey, purposefully going around Abigail or Caleb to act as if he were hunting them.

Joey challenges Frank's authority out of her loathing his arrogance and ambition. she feels that he thinks he's entitled to the pack's business just because he's the alpha. (example from something i've been writing from my Abigail Werewolf AU):

Another trek across the travertine to the left side of the yard had her panting in trying to fight the heat. She hadn’t realized someone had come out, until she heard a distinguishable voice. “You mind tellin’ me why you’re out here wandering around like you can’t stand to be inside with the rest of us?” Frank. She was not in the mood to put up with his shit. She stopped on the grass but didn’t turn around to look at him. “Actually, I do.” Frank’s ears twitched, “Hmm.” Clearly, there was a problem. “So, something’s definitely wrong.” He caught her soft growl and the almost painful lower of her hips. “What’s got you all moody, Joey? Is it Shark Week?” She could’ve wished. But she knew that was a jab. “No,” she rolled her eyes and actually glanced over her shoulder. “I’m fine. I just wanna be alone, right now.” But the red wolf didn’t move, just tilted his head with a poor excuse for a pitied expression. “Oh, did we run out of candy again?” he teased. It was fake anyway. “No!” she snapped, baring her teeth in a warning as her hips lowered even more, but this time, it was more defensive, the fur on her hackles bristling in the sunlight. “Then, what?” he demanded, more serious now. “I told you. I want to be alone.” Now, Joey turned around to retrace her steps towards him. “You’re not the alpha of this pack, and you’re not the alpha of me. I don’t have to tell you shit, so back off,” she growled, thrusting her muzzle forward to make him pull back a little. The other’s eyes darkened as they narrowed, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. “You’re not my fuckin’ alpha either, so I suggest you watch your tone.” Her ears turned back, which led him to continue. “You won’t sit the fuck down and you’ve been whining all day.” There was a slight falter in her demeanor. “Oh, you think we haven’t noticed? Kinda hard not to when fuckin’ wolf telepathy is a thing.” By now, his own fur was rising, and his lips were starting to reveal more of his teeth.

i know no one asked for that, but i told you i would share some of my werewolf!au stuff 🤭

Frank is much easier to control as a wolf than a human. Joey is the opposite, she's more controllable as a human than a wolf.

because Frank's the "confirmed" alpha, it's his instinctive duty to check on all the pack members, even if it's subtly. he won't admit it, but he does trust Joey's instincts, both human and wolf, (which he also appreciates) so he tends to make his "check-in" on her more noticeable, likely engaging in conversation.

Joey's extremely smart and that irritates Frank.

they growl at each other just because. if Frank growls, Joey will growl back at him even if it wasn't directed towards her, and vise-versa.

they can never "play fight" without it turning into them trying to dominate each other. they just piss each other off xD.

are those ok?? again, this was harder than i anticipated but it could be because i'm sleep-deprived haha. i hope you like them and lmk if you want more! much love 🩶🩶🩶

[blackjackkent]

It legitimately feels weird having reached the weekend and not doing any BG3 liveblogging. XD I've gotten so attached to it over the past few months.

Tragically, though, I did not receive an invitation to the Patch 7 beta which means Rakha's playthrough is on hold until sometime in September. For those who have been following along with her, I appreciate your patience and hope you'll enjoy picking up the thread when I resume for her Act 3 adventures. <3

---

In the meantime... lots of other writing to do. I've actually had a productive morning so far:

Made a lot of progress on that Jaheira one-shot that compelled me out of nowhere yesterday. XD

WIP snippet under the cut for anyone interested, bc I'm pleased with where it's going, tbh. XD

She claps Caden lightly on the shoulder and gives him a nudge forward in the direction of the Promenade's northeast side where the tavern waits. "Go on, then. Take us rooms as well and I will join you later." He catches her hand, gives it a quick, affectionate squeeze, and then jogs away obediently. Aerie, as always, keeps to his side like a shadow, and Imoen and Minsc fall quickly into step behind him. To Jaheira's surprise, though, Rasaad stays halted next to her. She raises an eyebrow at him. "Something the matter, monk?" she asks softly. "I would ask you the same," he says; his voice is calm and placid as ever but he is watching her with a curious, intent expression. "This business you must attend to - it is something that troubles you." A slight pause. "Is it to do with the Harpers?" "Ah-- no." Jaheira smiles in spite of herself at his concern. "No. It will be many months, I think, before I can trust myself to think of Harper matters again. No, this is... a personal matter." He nods, lets the silence stretch for a moment. "In truth, I do not feel prepared for raucous celebration myself tonight," he says carefully after a little while, when she doesn't elaborate. "I would not intrude on your solitude if that is what you wish, but if company would aid you..." Jaheira draws a slow breath in, lets it out in a long sigh through her nose. "It is kind of you to offer," she says quietly. "But..." She hesitates, thinking it over. "Well," she adds, more to herself than to him. "It might be good not to be alone..." She fidgets her boot heel absently into the roadway. "Where I must go, I would not drag Caden and Minsc and Imoen back to. I would not inflict those memories upon them again. But you... you were not there..." She breathes out again heavily, rattling her lips. "I would not wish to keep you from resting, if you do not mean to celebrate..." she says doubtfully. A slight smile tugs at his lips. "I think being alone with my thoughts at present would do no one any service," he says with dark humor, "least of all myself." He cocks his head at her questioningly. "Where is it that you must go?" She swallows and looks away from him, up towards the northern pathway that leads out of the Promenade, deeper into the city. "Irenicus is dead," she says quietly. "His lair beneath the city remains, where we were first captured and tortured; with its master finally gone, it might be explored again in safety. I must..." She feels a sudden tightness in her throat and swallows it away, forcing her voice to steadiness. "I must return there and find Khalid's body, and see him properly buried at last."

[otomefiend]

Hello! Thank you so much for your translations! I hope you're doing well.

Please, if you know by chance, can you explain me Alfons's behaviour in Elbert's route?XD The certains phrases made me to write you because I just really can't understand this person.

In chapter 24, there was a moment when Elbert was asking Alfons to give him a key from warehouse (where mc was). And Al was just like "If you hadn't come, I would have been a prince" and "she is mine". OMG Maybe he is Elbert's love rival or just provoking him?? But why? I really don't get him.

I don't speak Japanese and I'm using google/deepl translators))

Hello dear Anon!

Thank you for your kind words. 💙

Al is very cryptic on the best of days but let's have a little gander at that scene.

Spoilers below the cut (a short summary of that scene with a few thoughts of my own). Lots of words, so apologies in advance. 😅

~~~

Elbert is desperate to know what happened to Kate, to which Al answers in his own humorous way that he locked her in a dark warehouse where she's waiting for her prince to come and save her. El first questions the choice of venue but pretty quickly concludes that Al did it to protect her. Al, of course, is pretty miffed with the amount of trust those two baka kiddos have in him and obviously would never be caught red- handed saying such a thing. He's the type of guy who would never admit to being your bestie, even though he'd kill for you without thinking twice.

What does he do next then? He holds the key to the warehouse without handing it to El. He clarifies that he locked Kate up cause she was in the way (yeah yeah, this is the closest we'll get Al to admit he did it to keep her out of harms way) and he'd leave her behind if not for Jeffrey. Elbert tells Al he's a stinky liar and thanks him for protecting Kate. Then, he asks Al for the key, wanting to go straight to Kate. Al stays silent and withholds the key (measuring El's intentions? Going with his own whim, as he likes to say?). El seems puzzled to which Al says that one wrong move would have led to Kate's heart being taken by Jeffrey. Might be a little nod to the fairytale where the Queen asked for the Snow White's heart as the proof of her demise. Might be Al's humorous way of speaking since he likes to make light of serious things. Kate's heart is a motif that was brought up earlier during her deal with Elbert. It definitely speaks to El's curse. I thought this line was very apt. It's clearly a warning directed at Elbert. Al smiles and El answers that "he knows/ understands it".

Then Al brings up Elbert's nightmare and states that the latter clearly hasn't dealt with it yet. (Moments earlier he had a conversation with Kate where he revealed the purpose behind El's trip, that El himself was withholding from her. He also stated to El/thought to himself the day before that Kate is stronger than El gives her credit for and that he should come clean with her about his darker urges. I'm making an educated guess that he wants both El and Kate be on the same page when they're making decisions about their relationship).

Al then follows with the challenge "As you're hesitating, scared you'll hurt her yourself... are you okay with someone else snatching her heart?" and he clearly elicits a reaction from El with that statement. (I love how this scene depicts their complex but close relationship.) "If you hadn't come, I would be the prince", "Even now, if (as long as) I don't give you this key... she belongs to me." Again, he seems to appeal to Elbert's greed since he refers to snatching the heart and possessing it.

Al then steals Victor's schtick by saying that "It was all a joke" (which always makes everything seem more sus, lol), then gives El directions to the warehouse. When finally alone, he concludes "Just as I thought, you wanted to give up on your desires." "Don't you think this is enough push/encouragement?" Followed by a lonely sounding laugh. 🤧 (the woes of your bestie getting a gf)

So to answer your question, Al seems to be provoking El. Why? So El finally stops hesitating and comes clean about his hidden desires and his darker deeds. Al cares about him and wants to help in his own way. Even if it'll lead to something painful in the end. We will never know what exactly lies in Al's heart (in this route). He's very cynical about love yet seems to love El in his own way. He also seems to have a soft spot for Kate (love their scenes but I pretty much love anything Al related so it's a given), partly because of Elbert and maybe because she reminds him of El? Or maybe because of her outlook and determination? Who knows.

~~~

[solarbird]

if you're bailing from here for the obvious reasons

If you're bailing from here for the obvious reasons...

...please consider giving Mastodon or Pixelfed (particularly if you're an artist) or another Federated social media a shot?

I'm on mastodon - @moira@mastodon.murkworks.net - and honestly while it takes a little figuring out, I get so much more interaction there than I ever did on Twitter, it's not even close. And we do have the start of a decently-sized art community, it's viable and there's plenty of room for more.

I don't hate bluesky but they've spent a _lot_ of time trying to figure out how to keep nazis and other fash on the service and I just don't trust anyone working that hard to do that kind of thing.

Also, mastodon in particular is a _lot_ better than it was a year ago, particularly around search and stuff like that. Seriously, it's not even comparable. And quote-posting is in active development and coming Developer Soon.

Anyway once I figured it out I really liked it, and if you're going to leave here I hope you'll come over.

(And if you like monster movies one of my favourite events is #monsterdon which is a weekly group monster-movie watch with commentary. It's massive and so much fun. Honestly it's worth having an account just for that. xD )

I'm not bailing yet, but I have been pretty low-activity here for a while just because, well... I like the Federation. A lot. Plus if tumblr ever gets their ActivityPub implementation going you'll be able to follow tumblr users from mastodon (et al), like you can follow people on threads.

(still in beta so there are only some people on threads you can follow, but I do follow some people who are on threads, and I do it _from_ mastodon.)

[lilac-den]

I didn't expect you to continue the snippet... But yes, author, you did MC justice😭😭😭, And yes, I recognized my certain errors😭...

Now I'm aching to write a snippet for MC and the Countess, aching to write a snippet where Maverick caught news MC's sick when he's with the other ROs and just ask them to follow him when they tried to stop him from seeing MC (He's like: It's MC! Why are you stopping me!?... Before realising they haven't meet MC yet...)

But, first of all, how's the Countess like? Can you elaborate more along with Lieutenant Welt? Can we know how would the ROs trying to warn Maverick not meet up with the new lady he's recently interested before the society caught even more news and try to attack him or that the lady might be using him while he's trying to explain it's MC? (Yes, the last part is what I really aching to write now! But I want to know more about the Countess!!!)

(PS. Thank you for liking the snippet. 💕💕)

Well, let's start with the Countess and Lieutenant Welt XD you'll see more of the former but with Welt:

- He has a good number of younger siblings.

- He is the second child of a Count, his sister being the heiress much to his relief.

- He dreams of having a wonderful wife (he's into women) and a big family but he is still working on finding the right girl. He thinks he's too plain without knowing a fanclub of his has existed since his knighthood.

- Probably the only one who has enough understanding to read Maverick's moods (at least what might be upsetting him).

As for regarding Maverick and the group...They have a big amount of trust and they know Maverick wouldn't go insane over a person (though they would like to meet the person who made him such a lovesick fellow). Plus, knowing Maverick, he wouldn't hide MC from the group. The bigger issue is how Maverick is going to stop Rydigan and Ittania from trying to run for MC and, most likely, overload them with past life information like:

Rydigan: Rick, come on! You have to let us see them!

Ittania: You can't just hog them all to yourself! We got to make them remember us!

Maverick: MC doesn't even remember us! Calm down before-Will you two please-Enid, help me out here!

Enid: *sips tea* No.

By the time Sylphina and MC comes to Maverick's home for the tea time meet up, Rydigan would be overjoyed and be extra friendly while Ittania just ends up trying to hug her, which Maverick would be nervously tense in the hopes MC doesn't freak out from the chaotic affection. Enid would be the most well-behaved one, though her staring might unnerve MC.

Countess Sylphina would be a bit protective of MC, but she has been friends with the four as well so she trusts them enough. She's a charming and friendly person, and she is beloved by the commoners. She got a county from the king because she saved it from an illness outbreak a few years back. She is influential for a Countess due to being one of the main source of produce for the kingdom.

[senseichaos]

Hope I'm not taking too much space in the asks, but I just have to say it.

I really, really didn't expect such a huge respond for my headcanons. Right now it has like more than 80 notes?

What the fuck happened?

I didn't expect that many people to like my headcanons. It feels so weird. I kinda understand now your reaction when you got a lot of followers xD

Also Sensei, you called me mootie, right? Is it short for mutuals? Making sure, because English isn't my first language. And especially on tumblr, I don't get everything right xD

And lot's of love to you too! I hope that you'll have a great day!

Yes mootie means mutual! Sorry that you didn't understand 😅

Trust me the more Hazbin hotel stuff you post on here, the influx of people becomes more HUGE. Soon enough you'll be drowning in notifications..

Have a great day/night!!!

[lillxart]

A snip from Ch 8 from "Taliesin and Snow White the Wandering Witch"

(un-edited, well no that's a lie XD)

Now, after living as High Queen and a God, Snow White viewed Riften as a city ripe for exploitation. To do absolute good for the betterment of the people, or to further crush it in her jaws for her entertainment. Both options were equally appealing, it would all depend on what kind of mood struck her. 

“What is that smell?... Revolting!” Taliesin being with her though, she would have to do a bit more thinking than normal when getting herself involved in any kind of trouble.

Taliesin was able to get them inside without having to pay the guard, being a Thalmor after all, but they were to report directly to the Jarl and state their business in the city. Snow White just needed materials for her sword, so it’d be a simple matter to just admit they were there to buy something. Upon entering the gates though, the smell was less than agreeable to her elf Justiciar.

“You'll get used to it, milk drinker! >wo Let Riften’s natural musk put some hair on that probably clean shaven chest of yours!” 

“My what?” 

“Hey, you, get over here. I wanna talk to you.” A brutish looking Nord with steel armor beckoned.

Ahhhh good ol’ Maul -w- Snow White didn’t interact with Maul much in her previous life, but the sentiment still stood. She was about to head over when Taliesin tapped her shoulder.

“Are we just going to follow any stranger that calls you out?”

“Of course we are! :D that’s how we get quests!”

“Lovely chat as always…” Taliesin rolled his eyes, giving up on trying to show her common sense and just rolled with it.

They approached Maul, a dark scowl on his face. He looked like a wet dog left out on the porch, the thicker parts of his beard barely kept and the rest of his chin covered in five o’clock shadow. Snow White and Taliesin both wondered if he thought he looked more threatening that way, or if he was just uninterested in better self grooming. “I don’t know you. You in Riften lookin’ for trouble?”

“You could say that, and I bet you know just where I can find it don’t you?” Smirking, Snow White held out a bribe of one hundred sixty gold. 

Maul’s eyebrows jerked upward for a moment, before he took a shift glance around to make sure no one was watching. The crook quickly took the coin purse, rubbing a finger against his nose in a sort of ‘I wash my hands of it’ gesture. “Pleasure doin’ business with you. So what do you want to know?”

.....................................................................

“I hope you still have some coin left over after that hefty bribe you gave to that thug. There’s no way I’m sleeping in a tent right outside one of the most crime ridden cities in Skyrim.” Taliesin huffed.

“Oh trust me sleeping inside the city is way more dangerous than outside! ^^”

“And you know this from personal experience?” Taliesin noticed how specific her questions were; been to Riften before it seemed like.

“Ohyeah. Though I might be a little rough around the edges here. Just um, don’t get lost ^^;;”

“Me get lost? Hohohohno, who was the one who went floating down the river because they were too busy chasing butterflies to notice the drop down the cliff? No, I think I’ll be the one who keeps an eye on you, thank you.” Taliesin still can’t believe she actually fell off a cliff all for a blue dartwing.

“Their wings are pretty…! >O<”

............................................................

I was thinking about having Maven have ties to the Dark Brotherhood, making them the head honchos in Riften instead of the Thieves Guild. They'll still be there, but they won't be in power. Since this is Snow White's 'second playthrough' of her life, I figured I could change some things to make it different.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Ok ok, taking inspiration from your horror carnival idea, I thought a bit of how Disney villains would be in a carnival.

The magical villains can be the magical acts. Fortune telling, magicians, you name it they got it. Maybe even trying to one up each other (I definitely want to see Jafar and Mal go against each other. Dragon VS giant snake).

The hunter gang could be like animal tamers (good luck with that when they have to deal with Scar or Shere Khan). And Gaston definitely is doing the strongman work on the side.

Other villains who happen to just be, mostly, regular people, like Cruella and Sykes, or the twist villains like Hans and Ernesto, could promote the carnival with their fame and money. Maybe Hades as well since I guess godhood technically counts as royalty?

Yzma and the Evil Queen SOMEHOW wound up being in charge of the food, as well as their performances. I wouldn't advise eating the candy apples or drinking the drinks. Fortunately Silver is the head chef too so he can double check the food before it goes out.

Frollo is that one manager that nobody likes. If there's one thing they all can agree on, is that Frollo is a dick.

The weasels (not just the TP, but we're focusing on them now) and villain sidekicks can be the stagehands. They make sure everything runs smoothly behind stage. They have to know SOMETHING about this stuff if the villains trust them all to help them with their plans (dear God, imagine Greasy trying to sneak in the woman's dressing room as a stagehand. Frollo would not be pleased).

That's all I could think of for now. What do you think? Do you think this carnival has potential or will it fall apart? XD

I LOVE THIS IDEA!! All of this is just-

You know the circus is in town when you see Chernabog hanging over the whole damn town 😅😅😅 Just follow the giant winged satan and you'll find it XD

Imagine at shows Hades sits in a big throne (A sort of seat of honour I guess) and he releases a lotta smoke when the show is about to start- just hyping everyone up and giving the acts something cool to come creeping out of. Like you notice the show is about to begin when you see the glowing red eyes of Jafar's staff coming out from all the smoke in the middle of the arena, the mystical green light emitted from between Mal's fingers, and then big, fat, slightly terrifying tentacles start to creep out from the smoke, too.

Hades sucks up all the smoke again back into his body and everyone watching knows the show has begun.

Ohhhhhh! I love the thought of thr hunters gang being animal tamers!! Especially with Scar and Shere Khan (And Zira? Oh!! And Brutus and Nero!) being the animals XDD Goodluck to them. That'd be a good show to see! XD

Oh!! "Come and see the Pure Paragon- Sir Gaston! He can tear a log in two! He can lift 10 men! He can fight a Wildebeast! How does he do it? We dont dare ask... Come see for yourself!" Gaston would love the attention.

I loveeee the idea of the high profile villains promoting the carnival!! That's oddly wholesome and it makes my heart warmm! Like Cruella could have pamphlets made and tucked into the clothes she sells or set on the seats at her fashion shows, Ernesto might do something super extra by having thousands of the pamphlets dropped on the audience at the end of a show ("Be sure to visit 'La Casa de las Voces'!- that is my tent! I hope to see you all there, mi familia!"), Hans using his prince-hood (?) to make sure the carnival gets to set up camp in primo positions in cities, Frollo announcing the Carnival's arrival to town and having his guards wear the carnival's logo somehow (It is his circus after all! It has to do well), etc.

Imagine also Cruella creating costumes for the carnival!! Like she's not strictly apart of the carnival, she's not act or anything, but everyone knows she's the designer and fits in there just as easy as anyone else.

Oh thank goodness Silver is there too XDD I also love the idea of those 3 being a team! Like there's the older, matriarchal one- the unstable crazy one- and the one that talks the other two into not poisoning everyone XD

And!! The thought of all the sidekicks running around making sure the show goes smoothly even though they're kind of bumbling fools is so cute and fun XDD They're doing their best and most of the time it works out... but there are definitely moments where, like, the wrong rope gets cut or some animals are released too early because they growled at them and scared them 😅😅😅 Imagine Iago and Sir Hiss and Co-Stagehand Managers!! <3<3

Greasy get your creepy ass BACK to the stage, Ernesto the drama king is having a meltdown again and we need you to translate.

Ahhhhh, this is such a good idea, I love it!! I hope you didn't mind me adding 😅 You can ignore any or all of it if you want XDD I think they could make it work, as long as they all try to remember they are on the same team here. I REALLY WANT IT TO WORK.

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today XLII

A/N: And we're finally back with another update! I posted on my last update to Can You Imagine? That I was going to try and get on a system of posting an update weekly, rotating which fic I'm updating, which means this will probably be updated about every three weeks going forward. So that said, I hope you all enjoy being back to this story, and I hope you'll stick around for the coming updates- I told you this wasn't abandoned XD Skål!

Summary: When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

--

Asta felt like she was going to explode. Talking to Olaf had brought up all the grief she’d felt over the years, everything she felt she had locked away when she left Kattegat, and now it was threatening to burst out of her if one more thing happened to bring it out of her. That’s why she needed to talk to Ivar- if anyone would know how to stay sane in the face of everything they were facing… Well, it wasn’t him, but he could help her sort through things at the least. 

She let Hvitserk lead her back through the town quickly, indulging herself in the protective arm he’d wrapped around her shoulders. How would she be able to stand it if something were to happen to him, or to Ivar? She’d already lost so much… Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it- and not like this, when she wasn’t sure she’d handled what had happened so far just yet. If she went through it in her mind- the father she hadn’t known, Heahmund, the father she had, Aethelred, her mother, Freydis, Lagertha, Bjorn… And those were only the deaths. What about Alfred, and Torvi and Ubbe who she hadn’t heard from in… who knew how long at this point? 

Her mind turned back to something her beloved Freydis had once said to her, after the death of the Bishop Heahmund. When she had confessed her heart had broken with news of his death, Freydis had told her that her heart would repair. But that had been before everything else she had lost. She wasn’t so sure anymore that was true. Very suddenly, she held out her hand and held it to Hvitserk’s chest. “Wait,” she said, and he looked down at her confusedly.

“Princess?” he questioned. “What is it?” 

“I think I need to be alone,” she confessed. “I need… I need to think. Please.”

“Of course,” Hvitserk replied. “Where will you be should we need you?” 

Asta swallowed, looking out over the mountains. “I’d say wandering, but that wouldn’t be of any help, would it?” she said with a quiet chuckle. “There’s a clearing not far from here, take the path out of Vestfold and follow it to the east. I’ll be there.”

Hvitserk nodded a little. “Be careful,” he warned her. “Keep your sword about you at all times, just in case.” 

“I will, thank you, Hvitserk,” she replied. “Will you let Ivar know?” She didn’t worry about clarifying, sure enough of him to believe that he would know what she was asking him to tell his brother. And happily, she saw she was right, as Hvitserk asked no questions. Instead, he kissed her on the head and wished her well before heading toward the palace. 

Now all alone, Asta started down the path she’d indicated to Hvitserk, keeping an eye out as he’d requested. Besides, as little as she trusted Oleg and his men, she didn’t want to take any risks.

In the days since Asta left Wessex, she had noticed something about the way she’d picked up Viking customs. She didn’t pray the way she once did, not anymore. She had grown up praying in church, on her knees in the pews, hands clasped together and head bowed. Now, she just… prayed. The rituals had all stayed behind in England, and in their wake was left comfort and familiarity, a relationship as opposed to religion. Freedom she hadn’t once known.

Unlike Kattegat, Kiev had been stifling. She had to hide so many things there, for fear of what Oleg may do if he learned, even having to resort to hiding away to say a prayer. It wasn’t because Oleg had something against Christians- on the contrary, the man claimed to be one himself- but rather because everything he believed about her would begin to unravel if he learned this one truth about her. Asta knew Oleg would never understand how a wanderer who came to Kattegat, and became the wife of Ivar the Boneless, had become a Christian in her time there in Kiev- and to not partake in the rituals of the Kievan Rus would simply make him question things even more. She knew if he continued to pull on that thread, it would inevitably lead him to the truth- that she was English, and nearly everything he knew about her was a lie. No, she couldn’t allow that.

Thus, she waited until she was well enough alone to pray, and even sought out a hidden place to do so. Somehow, she found that just stepping into that space released the restraints she felt she now lived her life in, and she let out a long breath as she felt the peace of it wash over her. “I don’t know what to do,” she confessed quietly, her voice nearly a whisper. “My life has changed… so much in the past years, Lord. My family are all but gone, my past buried so deeply inside me that I can hardly tell where the truth ends and this lie begins. Add to that how miserable I feel with each and every lie I tell, and I just… I’m so lost. Telling my story to King Olaf has brought it all back, every part of myself I’d silenced, and I know now that I cannot continue on this path I’ve set myself on. But what happens to Ivar and Hvitserk, if I reveal the truth? They’ve known me for years now, won’t Oleg know this? Know what they’ve done in helping me to conceal this? What will he do to them for covering the lie? I need You to show me what I am meant to do, to give me the strength to do it. I’m so afraid, Lord… of losing anything more than I already have.” She swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath. “Help me overcome these fears. Bring me back to You. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.” 

The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted Asta, and she turned back to see Hvitserk running down the path. “Asta, you need to come now,” he said, urgency lacing his voice. “They are going to kill King Olaf.”

Asta’s eyes widened as she processed the words, and she blinked a few times. “What are we doing?” she questioned. “What does Ivar want us to do?” 

Hvitserk shook his head. “Nothing,” he answered. “He wants us to attend the execution, but we will not interfere. He wants to keep Oleg’s trust still.” 

As little as Asta liked the idea of just letting this happen, she nodded. “Alright,” she replied. “Then we should go.”

They nearly ran back to town, to the docks where the execution was to take place, so they wouldn’t miss any of it, and by the time they wormed their way up to the front Asta could see that Olaf had already been tied down to a chair. Ivar, Oleg, and Igor were there as well, standing up at the front to watch the execution. Hvitserk moved to lean against a post nearby, while Asta came to stand beside Ivar, watching as two men stepped forward and began to pour oil all over… the wood piled around the chair? Oh. It was then that Olaf began to speak, and Asta’s eyes widened.

“There is someone beside me,” he said.

Oleg frowned. “There is no one beside you,” he said. “You are all alone.”

“No, there is someone beside me,” Olaf reiterated. “Although I cannot see Him, I know He is here.”

“How do you know, you old fool?” Oleg demanded.

“Because He speaks to me,” Olaf said. “I hear His voice.”

Asta swallowed as she realised what he meant, and a chill ran down her spine. Anticipation began to build in her. Listen.

Hvitserk glanced over at Asta, noticing the suddenly attentive gaze she had pinned on King Olaf. He hadn’t confessed to this earlier, but he’d heard the tale end of her prayer. He knew now what the woman was struggling with, so he asked, “And what does He say?”

Olaf answered, “He says, ‘He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. I am the resurrection and the life. I shall walk beside you. Always. Always.”

Asta was stunned. I shall walk beside you. She glanced over at Ivar, who she could tell understood the point of Olaf’s words, and had grown concerned. Why, she couldn’t say, but she knew what it meant to her. She had to do what was right, and the rest wasn’t up to her.

Still, she was distracted from trying to figure that out by Oleg’s interruption, as he instructed Igor, “Don’t listen to him, get on with it.” When he shoved the boy forward, a torch in hand, Asta felt anger boil up inside her. He was really going to make a child do this? He had the gall to order a man’s death, but not to go through with it on his own? To do it himself? She wasn’t sure her opinion of him could get any lower than this. Then, she noticed how anxious Igor clearly was, and her heart clenched.

“This isn’t right,” she murmured from beside Ivar. “He’s a child…”

“I know,” Ivar whispered in return. “But we cannot stop it. Not without raising suspicion.”

She swallowed again as she heard Olaf trying to comfort Igor, even as the young Prince was preparing to end his life. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, though in Asta’s experience that rarely actually helped.

“I can’t,” Igor replied.

“Think of me as already dead,” Olaf advised. “Nothing more can hurt me. Not the thunder, nor the deep swell of the waves, nor yet, the tongues of fire.” 

Igor turned back to Ivar, as if silently asking whether or not he should go through with this, and while Ivar nodded to encourage him, Asta glanced over at Oleg. He was clearly quite unnerved by this, seeing that Igor preferred Ivar’s encouragement to his own, and that, at least, brought a small smirk to Asta’s lips as she turned to watch the execution again. Let him stew on that. Children rarely sought strength from the person who pushed them too far, anyway.

The boy knelt down in front of Olaf, lowering the torch toward the pyre built at the King’s feet. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be,” Olaf replied. “My lands are in order, and I am ripe for Heaven.”

He offered Igor a reassuring smile, and Igor finally lit the pyre, before standing and beginning to back up. Ivar reached out and wrapped his arm around him to pull him back, protecting him from the flames that grew quickly to ensnare Olaf within them. To the surprise of most there, however, the man lifted his hands as if in prayer, and gave nothing even close to a cry of pain as he was consumed. Oleg shook his head and stalked off.

For once, his behavior left Asta unbothered as she watched Olaf’s life fade before her eyes. She hadn’t known him for very long, but she had quickly realized how wise he was, the depth of his knowledge, and the fact he had asked the question that had been the catalyst to her awakening was something she couldn’t simply overlook. It hadn’t taken very long at all, but King Olaf had become quite an influential figure in her life. But the Lord worked in mysterious ways, she knew, and all paths crossed for a reason. She found herself thanking God for Olaf’s life, and for the chance she got to meet him, swallowing as she blinked to clear the wetness from her eyes. The crowd began to disburse, and Ivar asked her if she was coming along with him, Hvitserk, and Igor, but she answered that she wanted to be left alone for a while. 

She stayed until there was nothing left to stay for, a lone figure on the dock. 

Eventually, Asta returned to the Great Hall, and she quickly became aware of Ivar at her side. “My love,” he whispered, disguising it with a kiss to the side of her head. “Are you alright? Hmm?”

She nodded slightly and leaned her head over against his. “Just tired,” she answered. “I don’t think I’ll stay for the feast tonight. I need to get some rest, think about some things.” 

Ivar frowned, not convinced at all that Asta really was ‘just tired’ as she said. But, he wasn’t about to force the truth out of her in front of this crowd, so instead of trying he simply nodded and kissed her head again. “I’ll come and join you soon,” he promised. “And I’ll bring you food and drink. Go rest.”

Asta smiled up at him lovingly, reaching up to cup his cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “You don’t know how much of a comfort you are to me.” She leaned up to kiss him softly, and rested her forehead against his, taking a deep breath as if she could draw some sort of strength from him. Ivar returned her kiss before pressing one of his own to her forehead, and releasing her. 

She wandered off to head to their room, stopping to press a kiss to the top of Igor’s head and telling him she was proud of him, and when she got in there, the sounds of the feast now distant, she felt a weight come off her shoulders. Running a hand through her hair, she went and flopped down on the bed. It was then that her door opened, and she looked up to see who had come in.

If there was anyone she had expected to see, it wasn’t Igor. Still, she smiled a little when she saw him, sitting up to greet him. “Igor,” she said. “Can I help you with something?”

“You did not seem like you were well when you left the feast,” he told her. “I wanted to come and see what was wrong.” 

Asta let out a touched sort of sound and smiled at him, reaching out to invite him to come and sit with her. “Oh, sweet boy,” she said affectionately. He did as she offered and settled in beside her, so that she started to run her fingers through his hair. “I’m more worried about you than you need to be about me. How are you after today?”

Igor swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to kill him,” he said. “I’m not even sure what he did wrong.”

This brought forth a sigh from Asta, who ended up laying back with Igor and holding him close still. “Nothing,” she said. “Your uncle wanted him dead because he feared the loyalty King Olaf could inspire in the remaining Vikings. This sort of thing isn’t exactly uncommon in war, but…” She paused and gave a soft sigh. “It wasn’t right, especially not the way it was done. Your uncle made the decision, and he should have seen it through himself- not passed it off to his young nephew. I can’t tell you how sorry I am he did that, and how much I wish he hadn’t.”

Igor shrugged a little as if he wasn’t all that bothered. “He said he wanted to teach me how to be strong,” he said. “So I had to be the one to do it.”

“Killing a man doesn’t make you strong, darling,” Asta told him. “Although you are strong for enduring what your uncle made you do today. But killing in itself isn’t what defines strength. In fact, your uncle showed a lack of it when he didn’t kill King Olaf himself.”

“He did?” Igor asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.

She hummed as she nodded. “He did,” she confirmed. “Never forget this, Igor. If you ever decide to execute a man, you must always be willing to carry it out yourself. If you aren’t so convinced it’s the right thing to do that you have the strength to do it, then it isn’t right. Do you understand?”

He nodded at her. “I think I do,” he confirmed. 

It was just then that the door opened again, and Ivar was coming in with a plate full of food, a cup balanced carefully on it and leaned up against his arm. He blinked a few times when he saw his wife and Igor laying together. “Did I miss the invitation?” he deadpanned.

“Yes,” Asta teased him in response. “I was just telling Igor how he couldn’t trust you anymore, and he could only trust me.”

Ivar raised a brow and asked Igor, “Is that true?” 

“No,” he replied. “She was teaching me about strength.”

“Ah,” Ivar said. “This makes more sense. I did not think she would betray me that way.”

Asta chuckled softly. “Mm, but he could be lying, you’ll never know,” she joked. 

Ivar smirked and brought her food and drink to her. “Then I suppose I will just have to trust you,” he answered, and once the food was sat on the small table beside the bed, leaned down to kiss her softly.

That was when Igor gave a fake gag and got up. “I’m going to go now,” he announced, causing Asta to fall into a fit of giggles. “Enjoy… that.” He shuddered and then walked out of the room.

“Should we have stopped him?” Asta asked, looking up at Ivar and trying not to laugh, especially when he shrugged.

“I wanted to see if you were doing better anyway,” he said. Her laughter died down instantly. “Mm, you are not. Hvitserk told me you had left the village to pray. You only leave for that when something is bothering you. What is it?”

Asta swallowed and looked away from him, sitting up slowly as she took in a deep breath. This wasn’t a conversation she had expected to have this way, but… she had asked for a path, hadn’t she? The time had simply come to take it. She looked back up at him, and said, “I think we need to talk.”

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[transarsonist]

I just want to be able to hold you and kiss you and physically show with my touches and actions that you matter to me.....

It's interesting to me that both of us are unsure because of hurt from opposite ends, but seem to have a similar middle ground of respect and space for future love.

I know I'm not brave right now by staying on anon, but sending an ask off anon seems really scary to me at the moment. Maybe soon, when I'm braver.

I just love talking to you, getting to know you more, seeing how you respond to me, seeing more and more of who you are and what you want. With my whole heart I want that Main Love for you, whether it's me or someone else. And I want that Main Love to give you the freedoms you need while matching what they're also comfortable with.

I'm gonna try to sleep soon, and I hope my Yuri dreams tonight include you. And even if they don't, my Yuri thoughts on the way to work tomorrow will.

💕💞💕

-🐱

i really want that too but, honestly your words are enough right now your consistency is enough. they feel like hugs and kisses to me

and i contest that you arent brave, you've been really hurt and you're actively choosing to work to heal and take a chance with the very same situation that hurt you before instead of taking the easier route and seeking out another monogamous person. that takes some real bravery and strength and i dont want you to make that smaller than it is. its huge. dont rush for my sake ok? let yourself heal and grow and when the time is right im sure you'll be able to make the desicion that will lead to your happiness, whether its finding someone else or choosing me.

thats all i want for you too, and even if this leads to nothing i hope you know that you'll always hold a place in my heart. you'll always be my friend. and i hope you find a partner that you can trust with your Whole Heart who never betrays you and always makes sure your needs are met, whether its me or someone else

i need sleep as well but im really glad we had this talk, i feel like i understand you a lot better now, and thats what i was reaching towards when i'd been asking you to unmask before.

and gods. this whole fucking situationship is Yuri XD i hope one of my followers writes a Manga about this cause i'd read it

[hegrowth]

Same anon here, I do want to clarify that shaming you was not my intent at all (and I'm not the anon who did before because shaming is for losers). I guess it's just difficult to see you...seemingly so wound up over it. You tend to over-explain, and while that's not an inherently bad thing...it's also not beneficial to you. Because in the end, it's incredibly approval-seeking behavior, when the only person whose opinion on the thing that matters is yours. You'll be the one with the responsibility of running 20+ blogs if that's the route you decide to go. You'll be the one with the responsibility of running the multimuse if that's the route you decide to go. In the end, the decision and the consequences / responsibility of said decision all fall back on you, not someone clicking a button on a poll. I understand feedback is nice sometimes; I just worry you're hinging your decisions too much on the feelings of people who...really see little-to-no effect from the choices you're needing to make. (I also do want to clarify, I used anon then and now because I get really nervous about my words reading poorly and tone regulation - I'm on the spectrum)

firstly, hello again ! and thank you for following up, I appreciate it. also, your words don't read poorly at all. you've been very open and honest to my perception, and clarified yourself where I wasn't sure. so you're doing good, and I definitely don't think you wrote that message or this one with the intent of shaming me, so no worries !

trust me when I say what people answer in my polls has very little say in what I decide to do ! honestly, what most often happens is I make a poll and then after seeing how people respond I realize what I want to do. I use the polls as a sounding board more than anything, because that's how I do my best thinking. you can ask any of my close friends, the amount of times I'll ask for their input on something, thank them for their input, and then go in the complete opposite direction of their input XD seeing how folks respond helps me gauge where I am myself, so to speak. do I consider the answers provided ? sometimes ! are some of my polls geared towards finding out what other people think / want ? absolutely ! but in general simply having the input of others helps me make up my mind for myself, usually in spite of the input. I hope that makes sense, I've realized its hard to explain. owo;

its kind of a. I'm asking even though I already know the answer ? but not quite, because I don't know the answer yet. its just something I feel. its like, asking my friend if I want grilled cheese or salad for lunch because I can't decide. in asking I realize I want salad, if that makes sense. and sometimes my friend says I should have a sandwich, and I'm like that's an even better option ! it both helps me realize whats in my own mind, as well as sometimes revealing additional options. I hope that makes sense !

as for over-explaining things... yeah, you're absolutely right. but honestly I've never perceived my over-explaining to that end ? I've always felt the need to over-explain to reduce confusion or misunderstandings, or because I perceive that something might be taken a certain way and I want to clarify, etc. it's never really been a matter of making people happy, but being as accessible and transparent as possible because I worry about people not understanding what I'm trying to say. because I know I'm bad at explaining things, honestly ! but I see what you're trying to say. I just. like having all the information on the table, whether it was asked for or strictly necessary or not. and I know I have a habit of over-explaining, definitely, but its just. never been about me or what I want from people, but for the benefit of other people. and maybe that is people pleasing in a way ? but its like.

I honestly operate to help other people. I really, really do. I am painfully aware of how I perceive things and my own neurodivergent quirks so I try to be as mindful of how others perceive things and how their neurodivergent quirks may influence them. if I overexplain something or clarify something random, its because my brain detected an eventuality where I, on the other side of the interaction, reacted or thought a certain way and I want to remedy that for another person. I hope that makes sense. and like, I guess that really is people pleasing ? but again I've never expressed this behavior with the intention of receiving validation, just to make things easier for myself and others, assuming we're all anxious and neurodivergent.

just to provide an example, I'll start writing something and then be like well, what if someone thinks xyz or oh this could be read in a bad tone so I divert to clarify, and end up over-explaining myself. again, I hope that makes sense.

and I mean, again, you're not wrong. I am a people pleaser. but, I'm also socially inept and likely on the spectrum myself. honestly, if I don't look to other people on what is and isn't okay then... I struggle. a lot. let me tell you, I was ready to give up on this whole venture because that anon (not yours, to clarify) really fucked me up made me feel bad about myself. and then... I saw people on my dash making new blogs, and remaking, even though they recently remade or already had a new blog. and I felt safe in my decision, because if other people do it then I can too ! so in my brain I was like, if other people can run multiple blogs and not spend equal time on each then so can I ! if other people can put all their muses on one blog, then so can I ! if other people can remake and move blogs and still have people follow and interact with them then so can I ! if other people can make a blog, change their mind, and do something else then so can I ! if other people can exist being slow or only writing a little then so can I ! like. I needed that validation. and maybe that isn't healthy, but it boosts my confidence a lot and makes me feel like I'm... humaning correctly, to put it plainly.

I have to look to the behaviors of others to build my own behaviors and understand what is okay and right. because otherwise I don't know what I'm doing and I feel like an alien. by following in the footsteps of others I know I'm following a safe path.

so I am a people pleaser. and I overexplain things. and I need the context of others to help me make decisions. that's me ! but, I'm really not... well. I don't feel like I'm hinging my decisions on the input of other people, nor do I feel like I'm winding myself up. like I said, I've been taking things slow and feeling them out. but I can definitely see why people may worry about those things. and I really appreciate that concern. ♡

owo thank you for your words, and for raising some very valid points ! I honestly feel a bit better now because like. I've explained myself and how my brain works and why I operate the way I do, so hopefully people understand. not that anyone needed to really know why I operate the way I do, but I worried people were like ?? wtf is puffin doing this time. uwu; and in the process over-explained myself ! but that's just me at this point. I hope what I've said makes sense. ♡

and again, I am very thankful for your words and appreciate the time you've taken to write them. sending hugs !

[pencilofawesomeness]

Hello hello!

Tis the SS Anon again *taps fingers*

For the final chapter of the story gift, I wanted to have the group all together, in a Situation(TM) like you wanted lol

I was gonna have them sit down and actually talk things over trauma-wise and all that, but I'm stuck on how I want to get it started, so I was hoping you could give me ideas

(Also I'm sorry for all the bugging, I wanna make sure I have my bases covered lol)

Hello~

(oooooo group-up, how fun~ *zoom eyes*)

Uhhhhhhhh as for your question, idk how exactly to answer without the context of the Situation your beautiful mind has surely cooked up. I trust you fam, I really do. Maybe someone asks first, and they deflect until it becomes evident that they're all deflection; maybe the Situation has left them tired enough, exhausted enough, that they've lost the energy for pretense and pretending and all that is left is hollow honesty, leading unto comfort; maybe some antagonist in the Situation let something slip, and questions follow. Who knows?? You, probably. XD

Either way these characters are as protective as others as they are defensive around their own secrets, but that almost cancels each other out if to best protect the other they have to out themselves. It's quite interesting.

I have no idea if that was the help you were looking for, since I do not know the context, but as I said, I trust you, mysterious SS from our server. You'll do great :)

[marylander97]

「ღ N e r o - Young Devil Hunter ✯

[immajustvibehere]

Chance Encounter

Chapter 9

Chapter 1 // Chapter 8

warning: I maybe should have read through this more than once xd

summary: You are now on "serious" money earning business with Arthur. The week ends at the Saloon.

1700 words, less than 10 minutes reading time

Things were slightly different between you and Arthur. Arthur sticked around camp more and even though this didn't mean he had less work, he always found time to be with you. It's not like this was romantic time, not at all, but he seemed more comfortable in showing that he cared and enjoyed your company. Often, you'd drink the morning coffee together or he'd help you with some chores, such as looking for fire wood or herbs. Occasionally he picked you up at night when you had finished working for the fence. You were honestly very grateful for that, because even if the camp wasn't too far from Rhodes, the chance of getting robbed or killed by the Lemoyne Raiders was unsettling.

Your third week as member of the Van der Linde gang had just started. You carried two heavy hay bales in each hand when you heard Dutch call your name. This was unusual. Since his first greeting you hadn't really exchanged many words with him, aside from good mornings and good nights. You had major respect for Dutch, mostly because of his appearance. It still surprised you every day how clean and glowy his hair looked, how spotless his shirt and vest. There was an immense contrast between him and every other man of the gang, with the exception of Trelawny who also cared very much about getting a bath every other day.

"Yes?", you stopped and saw Dutch who stuck out his head from his tent.

"Mind joining us for a moment, my dear?", he smiled kindly. The pet name made you cringe, but it was Dutch, so talking back was off the list.

"Of course", you put down the bales, swept hay off your shirt and followed Dutch into his tent. It surprised you to see Arthur leant against a table.

"Arthur and I have been talking", Dutch started, "He told me about the bounty hunter incident you two had a while ago. I, of course, trusted Lenny's account when he told me you were good at shooting... but shooting bottles is - hah", he chuckled, "a bit different from shooting people." You simply nodded and looked at Arthur, hoping to find a clue on what this was supposed to be about. That's when you saw your revolver on the table, next to a holster and a belt.

"While Mrs. Grimshaw might not be too happy about this, but I would like to suggest you leave camp more often. Help the boys bring in real money. We always need more helping hands and there are enough people staying here who can manage the cooking", Dutch smiled and put a hand on your shoulder, "What do you say?"

"Sure. Of course", you answered briefly, you eyes wandering from Dutch to Arthur and back. You didn't agree because you had enough time to consider or were really sure you wanted this, but you sensed it was the right answer to give...and besides, you'd be glad to get out of camp more often.

"Ahh, Arthur knew you'd say that", Dutch seemed satisfied with the outcome, "I guess you'll need your gun back, as well as a decent holster." "Thank you Dutch", you acknowledged and took the belt and holster which Arthur handed to you. "That'll be all for now. I expect you'll do well out there", the slick man encouraged you.

"I'll try my best not to disappoint", you replied.

"I know you will!"

That being said, Arthur walked you out of the tent, still holding your revolver, which he handed to you after you had fastened the belt around your hip.

"'m sorry this turned into a whole show", Arthur apologized and lifted one of the hay bales you had dropped earlier while you took the other one. "Do you really feel ready to do some...different work?"

"Yes! As long as I don't have to do it with Micah", you stated with a grin. Arthur laughed: "Ya know...the whole thing was my idea...I had to get Dutch's approval but...I wanted to have you around when I'm out on missions." You blushed and only managed a feeble: "Oh really?" "Yeah, ya bring a good deal of luck and we honestly need that, ya know?"

Both of you placed down the hay bales and you had barely cut the strings to make it easier for the horses to eat, when Lenny came over. "You two ready?", he asked. "We sure are! Let's go!", Arthur agreed. You looked unsure: "Ready for what?"

"Well, you are allowed to ride out, aren't you?", Lenny grinned, "I heard about this homestead close to Valentine. Easy money."

"Am I ready to rob a homestead?", you asked with so much doubt in your voice, you sounded pathetic.

"You sure are!", Lenny put his hand on your back and pushed you to your horse. You weren't so sure if you were ready, especially if there would be shooting and killing. What if someone got hurt? "Y/n", Arthur called your name to get your attention back, "it'll be alright. We're doing this together." The last sentence was said in a whisper, Lenny didn't hear or at least didn't react to it. Strangely, this calmed you down a lot. Arthur wouldn't risk your life, maybe not even the chance of having you kill someone again. You are going to be fine.

The homestead really was easy money. You watched out while Lenny and Arthur went inside. There was only a man and his old father to knock out, but oh boy they were rich. With the two men hogtied on the ground and money in Lenny's hand, your two outlaws came running out and hurried you on your horse. You were gone and away before anybody could have noticed you. After you had put a safe distance between you and the homestead, Lenny stopped and handed out the money. You got the same amount that Arthur and Lenny got and just like that, you were 40 dollars richer.

"I...I don't think I deserve that much. I barely did anything", you stuttered, a bit uncomfortable to have made so much money by just...standing there.

"You did your part y/n", Lenny encouraged, "You just got lucky nobody was around, otherwise you'd have scared 'em away." You also looked for Arthur's approval, who nodded with a slight smile on his lips. Your ways parted, as Lenny was off to Valentine, Arthur back to camp and you to Rhodes. You had made the decision, since you had plenty of money you didn't need, to go to the gunsmith. He sharpened and cleaned your knife, which actually belonged to Arthur. He had given this to you as your first weapon and you have treasured it, though never used it for defense or anything like that. Still, it needed sharpening and cleaning, so did the sheath which leather you cleaned and treated appropriately . Then you bought a new knife for yourself.

When you returned to camp you left Arthur's knife in his tent. He noticed it an hour later when he had returned from the woods. You sat beneath the big tree, stitching one of your socks.

"What's the meaning of this?", Arthur inquired, his knife in one hand.

"I thought I'd give it back. I used the money to get one for myself and I did feel bad for not having it returned earlier", you explained.

"That's very thoughtful of ya...but I remember it in worse condition", Arthur joked.

"Yeah", you chuckled, "it was so blunt you wouldn't have been able to cut through a rope." You looked at each other. How handsome he was. Two of his shirt buttons were open and you could see the sweat glistering on his neck. You watched his hands as his fingers carefully inspected the blade.

"Thank you", Arthur said, a bit lost in thought. You smiled as answer.

The next few days were similar to this one. Arthur would take you on missions, always taking either Lenny, Sean, Hosea or Charles with you. Once, more for fun rather than a big catch, he took you to the saloon in Rhodes with Karen and had you watch how you properly rob drunk men. Karen did the robbing of course, you the watching. Arthur was drinking his beer close to you, shooting angry looks to any man who tried to approach you. It made you blush when someone wasn't so easily scared off and Arthur would stand up, growl a "Leave the lady alone" and pull you away.

"Arthur! I'm fine, I can handle it", you argued, hiding a smile. Secretly you enjoyed how he couldn't leave it alone. The two of you watched Karen, who was leaning across a table and exposed her cleavage, while her hand fiddled for the money in the distracted man's pocket in front of her.

"So...you want me to do the same?", you asked Arthur, crossing your arms, "How about I go to the table over there?" You pointed to a table with only men that Karen hadn't visited yet. The truth was you were way too uncomfortable and shy to try Karen's tricks, you just wanted to see if Arthur would encourage it.

"No", he mumbled. "Why not?", you asked daringly. "Cause I say so", was Arthur's short answer. There were some intense moments of eye contact. Arthur looked flustered, there might even have been some blush on his cheeks, but you weren't sure if he was just drunk at this point. Between you was this weird sense of understanding, you knew what would follow, and so did Arthur...but first, there was a conversation to be had...to really make sure you are on the same page.

"Where's Karen?", you asked, only breaking the eye contact for a few seconds.

"Probably off to earn some more money", Arthur answered with a grin, not bothering to take his eyes off you.

"Looks like the 'how to rob drunk fools' lesson, is done then...", you continued, "The next few drinks are on me, Mr. Morgan? You fine with that?"

The cowboy laughed and looked at you: "I'll gladly accept that offer!"

The last few days were exciting and exhausting, you knew you could let go when Arthur was there. That's why you were more than ready to get shitfaced and see where this would take the both of you.

-----x

Sooo, I figure I'll take a little break from this fanfiction for now...I mean...I'm not sure where and how you'll wake up after this very interesting night. Oh, the possibilities!! Very sorry to end this on a sort of cliff hanger, but I might have to write some one-shots first before I come back to this.

If I've updated this fanfiction, the link to the next chapter will be here: Chapter 10

Thanks to all the wonderful people who liked, reblogged and commented on the chapters so far. I see you and I highly appreciate it!

@julianmarie @photo1030 @little-honeypie @stupid-stinky @quxxnkitkat2 (and many more who I can't tag because Tumblr won't let me? ^^')

[enhypia]

HS ; couples

couples answers questions with the choice of drinking instead of answering

pairings: lee heeseung x gn!reader

genre: fluff, angst if you squint really hard

words: roughly 1.4k

masterlist ⸺ series masterlist

~guides and warnings~

italics - reader speaking

bold - heeseung speaking

[enclosed] - interviewer speaking

italicized bold - both reader and heeseung speaking

[enclosed bold or italics] - question (depends on who's speaking)

heavily inspired by: rec.create lie detector games, cut truth or drink

warning: contains and mentions of !!! drinking, swearing

i don't promote underage drinking, save your livers

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

hi! i'm (y/n)

hello, my name is heeseung!

and we're together

we're couples!

[you guys were invited here today as couples for a fun little drinking game, you guys were aware of that right?]

yes

we are

[okay, for this game, questions will be asked and if you refuse to answer, you drink, it's that simple. should we start?]

let's go, i can't wait to drink

so you won't be answering the questions?

i mean, it's free alcohol

*hee shakes his head in disbelief

[how long have you been together?]

we actually just had our 3rd anniversary last week

so 3 years now <33

[how did you two meet?]

pffft- *(y/n) laughs

can we just choose pass

shot!

*hee offers the shot glass to (y/n) and both take a shot, laughing after

we're drinking this early on damn

we met through a mutual friend

i was brought as a wingman

i think you can guess how it went

[but how did you guys become a couple?]

we got closer after meeting and i think it was obvious to the both of us that we were interested in each other

yeah but it still took a lot in me to ask you out

he stuttered the first time he asked me on a date

did i?

*(y/n) laughs at the memory

you went "hey, so uh you wa-"

*hee cuts (y/n) off by squishing their cheeks

we don't need a reminder

*(y/n) swats his hand away

but it was cute, don't worry

*(y/n) pats his head making heeseung smile

[okay, how about we officially start the game now?]

*both nod and played rock paper and scissors to determine who gets to ask first, (y/n) wins

*(y/n) reads the card and chuckles

[was it love at first sight?]

it wasn't

like i said, i was supposed to be a wingman so in my head, they were already off limits

i don't believe in love at first sight so *(y/n) shrugs

[do you have/did you have doubts with us being together?]

goddamn *(y/n) drinks

*heeseung is wide-eyed

no honey, not like that, i will answer, it's just that i need the alcohol boost

*the shock goes away

i was about to shed tears not gonna lie

*(y/n) rolls their eyes

when i agreed to becoming heeseung's significant others, i had no doubts, i knew what i felt was true and i knew his was too. the doubts were mainly on myself?? like "what if he just wakes and he doesn't love me anymore" but everyday heeseung proves to me that that will never happen

*(y/n) smiles at heeseung

*heeseung looks away trying to hide the smile and blush appearing on his face and he takes a shot refusing to meet (y/n)'s eyes

*(y/n) picks up a card and laughs

[if i become a zombie and had to eat people to survive, would you stick by side?]

heeseung gets scared easily i don't think he will

but if it's you...

*(y/n) raises an eyebrow

wait let me think about this more clearly

see! *(y/n) laughs

*heeseung continues to think

omg just say no!

but it's you !!!

i know it's me but baby we both know you'll run the other way once i start to eat people

...... you still love me right?

yes heeseung, i still love you

*hee :D

okay! next question!

*he picks up a card and laughs

oh i like this one.

[would you date any of my friends?]

*(y/n)'s mouth drops in shock

*(y/n) ultimately decides to play with heeseung

i mean.. *(y/n) reaches for a shot

*the grin on his face disappears

yah!

*(y/n) bursts into giggles and takes a shot

yah~ !!

[would YOU date any of my friends?]

*hee's eyes narrows and takes a shot for revenge

*both laugh at their antics

the answer is no guys, i love his friends but they're pretty much like annoying siblings

sorry (y/n)'s friends, (y/n) is the only one for me

but i'm pretty sure someone who used to be in my circle would jump at the chance

really ?? who ??

*(y/n) gives the look

AH! -

*scene cuts as he says a name

moving on.

*(y/n) picks up a card and laughs

[do you wish i offered to pay for more dates?]

MAN I WISH I COULD PAY MORE ON DATES

i like paying for our dates, but arguing with them is hard

yeah there was one time we spent 10 minutes bickering about who will pay, so we just made an agreement

we take turns per month, like for this month i'm the one paying for all the dates, then on the next month (y/n) will be paying

but everytime it's his month, he always tries to go out a lot, and when it's my month he opts to stay in

hehe

hEHE ??

*heeseung picks up a card and reads the question intently

*he is in deep thought

what is it?

[will you agree to an open relationship?]

ohhh

open relationship is when it's okay if you see other people right?

yup and i don't think i'd agree to it. you?

me as well

sorry im selfish, heeseung is mine, i do not share ;)

*heeseung laughs

yeah, sorry it's not for me, i don't think i can stomach seeing another one hold (y/n) , find your own

*(y/n) raises glasses to cheers and both take a shot

[it's okay not to drink if you answer]

yeah we know

but it's free alcohol

and drinking makes it more fun

*they hi-five

okay! next question,

[if i had to move away for many years, would you wait for me?]

yes.

wow no hesitations

yes i would wait for you

*(y/n) :O

yes

okay we get it

*they laugh

but i will, you're worth waiting for

your patience says otherwise

are you doubting my ability to wait?

do you hear yourself when you're playing?

that's with games, you're not a game, you're not something i play

*(y/n) blushes making heeseung laugh

shut up okay i get it

i also do not actually trust my patience

SEE ?!

*heeseung bursts out laughing

so instead of waiting i'd probably just go to them and/or visit them a lot

or just move in with me

*(y/n) avoids heeseung's stare

is this still related to the question or the present

huh? *(y/n) acts clueless

WAIT-

*camera cut

*we see both of them sporting a blush with big smiles on their face, and the alcohol evidently lessened

[freestyle! ask any question you want]

wah, i don't know what to ask

*he is thinking, everybody shut up

just keep it simple

no i want it to be hard

i can just actually follow the rules and drink instead of answering

*hee pouts

no you won't

*(y/n) :P

okay!

[did you like ... when we first met?]

oh the 'friend'?

yeah

*(y/n) drinks

*heeseung :O

*(y/n) xD

no heeseung, i did not like them, i really just saw them as a friend

ohh ouch sorry buddy

*they share a laugh

oh it's the last one

[question for both: what does loving each other feel like?]

awww that's a cute one, i'll go first

loving heeseung feels like the comfort your favorite songs bring you. it feels like the excitement you get whenever your favorite show releases a new episode. it's the deep sigh in content you release whenever you smell your favorite scent. it's just, loving him feels like everything your favorites make you feel.

*heeseung is not tearing up, definitely not, that's just sweat, he is also 100% not blushing, it's just hot

*he takes a shot and (y/n) laughs at his antics

now how am i supposed to beat that?!

let me be more romantic gosh

respectfully, no.

*both laugh

okay uhh, loving (y/n) feels like riding a rollercoaster. from all the emotions while waiting in line to exiting the ride. loving them is like the feeling of hitting a high note you previously couldn't. it's winning multiple prizes at the arcade. loving (y/n) is like the softness of a sunrise and the absolute wonder in staring at a night sky.

*(y/n) takes a shot not even bothering to hide their blush

why are we so cheesy and poetic when we're intoxicated damn

*heeseung laughs and agrees

forgive us if we're cringey

not our fault you're single

heeseung! :O

*he stays unapologetic

and that's it!

thank you for having us~

bye~

»————-　♡　————-«

bonus: youtube comments

masterlist ⸺ series masterlist

a/n: sorry this took so long, i caught up with everything i missed in my classes, i'll try to update the series more frequently. i will also be posting timestamps later since it's been days since i last posted. i hope you also like this one!! jay's will be posted next, please look forward to it <33