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walkthefallout · 4 months ago

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Been meaning to do this for forever now, thanks @mementokore for the tag!

Get to Know your Mutuals

When I first made this blog, I was a teenager and obsessed with two bands: Fall Out Boy and Walk the Moon. I wanted something that smashed both together that sounded cool- so Walk the Fallout was created! Ended up working out and just sticking.

What is the Origin of your Blog Title?

Oh dear. I haven't been active in Fandom spaces for a long while, and that goes for the ships I shipped too. So this is gonna be a mash of what I used to be obsessed with + the ones I'm currently obsessed with!

OTPs + Shipnames:

Stolitz (Blitz x Stolas- Helluva Boss),Klance (Voltron: Legendary Defenders), Bloodweave (Astarion x Gale - Baldurs Gate 3) WyllStarion (Wyll x Astarion), probably way more, but we don't have the time for all that 💜

That's a great Question. I love cool colors - Purples, Blues, Greens, and the various shades in between!

Favorite Color:

Baldurs Gate 3, Hades, Assassin's Creed: Unity, I'm a sucker for excellent stories, gorgeous artstyles, and various ways to play the game.

Favorite Game:

Everything from Epic:The Musical. Just A Man, Dangerous, Different Beast, Legendary, WOULD YOU FALL IN LOOOVE WITH ME AGAIIIN - also Case 143 by Stray Kids- AND CAST THE BRONZE BY RAYNES- I love music. It changes all the time but there are the current earworms.

Song Stuck in your Head:

I apologize. Alot. Half the time for things that don't need to be apologized for/did not involve me to apologize for something. I also make alot of weird noises when I'm feeling strong emotions (embarrassed, happy)- squeaks, sputters, meows on the odd occasion- it's involuntary as hell and I don't realize it's happening till I'm doing it.

Weirdest Habit/Trait:

Reading, Writing, Listening to music, singing, going on walks/hikes, listening/watching Dimension 20 and the various things on Dropout

Hobbies:

I'm a Lighting Technician for a stage lighting company! We lighting for Concerts, raves, award shows, you name it! It's my job to test, clean, and repair any lights for all those different scenarios!

If you work, what's your Profession:

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

I want to be a Producer for TV and or Stage. I fell in love with the production side of things when I was in Drama in High School, and since then I've been teaching myself sound editing, video editing- I went to College for it once upon a time, but 2020 hit and I had to put a pause on that and focus on taking care of my family. Maybe someday I'll get back to it.

Something you're good at:

I'm good at writing! At least, I think so. I love to world build and put characters into different scenarios to see how they would react. I'm also good at listening to people's issues - I like making people feel heard!

Something you're bad at:

Socializing. I cannot initiate conversations or talk on the spot to save my life. I use a script when in talking to people at work - and even if I think someone is cool or chill- I just hold those feelings in and die :)

Something you're love:

I adore storytelling in nearly every aspect so far. Musicals? Leitmotifs IN said musical? Film, television, animation, books, you name it, I can't get enough of it. I love the creativity that people express due to their imaginations and experiences. I love people, Man. The possibilities for creativity and compassion are infinite.

Dimension 20. Holy moly, I cannot talk ENOUGH about the beautiful storylines and character arcs that these gorgeously talented storytellers make together. It's D&D, it's Improv, it's collaborative storytelling at it's finest, AND we get super detailed settings and maps and Battlesets? And that's not even talking about the actual players and DMs THEMSLEVES- i will go on forever.

Something you're can talk for Hours off the cuff:

Spiders, Coconut, cruelty/selfishness for the sake of it, AI of any kind, honestly. And forcing others to confirm to one specific way of thinking/life.

Something you're Hate:

I love collecting Things at different times. I collect CDs, rocks, posters, tarot card decks, Boots- my current collection I'm actively working on is Photocards and Lightsticks of different Kpop groups!

Something you Collect:

Something you Forget:

...Alot. All the time. My short term memory is garbage, I will forget what you told me the moment you tell me a second or third thing in sequence 😭

That... is an excellent question! Physical touch and Quality time, I think. If we can just sit against eachother and watch a marathon together, I'm SO good.

What is your Love Language?

Favorite Movie/Show?

Oh BOY. So many, all the time. Dimension 20, Helluva Boss, and Queer Eye are my favorite shows right Now, but my favorite of all time is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

As for movies, my favorite as of right now is Hundreds of Beavers. I am a SUCKER for Slapstick and clever storytelling that always comes back. It's for free on YouTube and I highly recommend it!!! Of all time though, I love the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Beauty and the Beast, Dirty Dancing, and The Boys in the Band. There's definitely more, but those are my main for now!

Chicken Enchiladas with green sauce are PEAK. Also, freshly baked Red Bean paste buns. I also love Poké and Sushi- fish is my favorite meat for sure especially raw. I also jsut love seafood in general. Even if I'm not sure I'll like something, I'll still try it bevause I love eating.

Favorite Food?

Favorite animal?

Owls! Screech Owls and Barn Owls specifically. I also love Dogs - labradors and Australian Sheppards, and cats! Also Ermines/Stoats!

What were you like as a child?

Great question. As far as I've been told, I was spoiled rotten but a pleasure to have in class! I made friends with everyone I was put next to, and I was also really bright with my school work itself, so I never got in trouble. I also was just a good kid, so I didn't do anything that was actually detrimental. As I got older, I got quieter though. Life happens, trauma happens. Things change, y'know?

Favorite subject in School?

Math, History! Math always felt like I was solving puzzles and every new formula was a new one to use/solve!

History was learning the story of the world, and I was obsessed with learning about all the different cultures, as well as the details of how my country came to be how it is.

Least favorite subject?

English. Ironic all things considered, but whenever it came to analyzing stories and interpreting them, my interpretations were always "wrong" and weren't what the teachers were looking for.

What's your best character trait?

What's your worst character trait?

Everything I do when it comes to others comes from a place of wanting to understand and help them. I make it a goal to be helpful and caring above all else.

I have a very hot temper. Specifically when things go wrong or someone is intentionally being mean/ignorant, my patience runs thin very fast 😅

I would live in a place of my own. With my own rules and my own space to genuinely relax and be myself with no expectations from others. Somewhere I could be quiet and not have to worry about taking care of other people every moment of the day.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

An excellent question that I really don't have an answer to. I guess my grandma? The older I get, the more it realize I still have so many questions for her- about our family, her life, her advice... telling her the things I've experienced and learned about myself. It is what it is though. And I can only hope I'm Stull doing right by her 💜

If you could Travel in time, who would you want to meet?

Tag who you want to join as well!! I'd love to make some new Mutuals and hopefully this helps you make some as well! Let's see here

@sweetbee0108

@dknope07

@twistedkarmaa

@paranoidmoonart

Thats all I got, have fun!

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illarian-rambling · 1 year ago

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Thanks for the tag @kaylinalexanderbooks!

Wip Questionnaire

Rules: answer as few or as many as you'd like!

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

For Honor's Outcasts, it was the Trench. There was this game I played a lot while waiting for my sister to get out of cheer practice called Seashine, and I guess I just imagined what would happen if people were trapped down there and how they'd survive. That's where Izjik came from. When I decided she needed a friend, that's how I came up with Sepo. (If any of you want to play the Trench simulator, Seashine is free on mobile)

For Mortal God, the first thing I came up with was the villain, Vermir. I needed a villain for an arc in my dnd campaign, and I figured some crazy lich trying to encase her body in steel while experimenting on the local population was threatening enough. Mashal and Astra were created as a way to get my... less than clever party to her hidden layer. I liked them enough that I decided to write a book about their story.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Honor's Outcasts' intro would be War Pigs by Black Sabbath. I think the intro sequence would be a bunch of their battles stitched together chronologically, so you could see everyone's abilities change and grow. Maybe some short sequences from End's siege of the Watchtower mirroring that too.

Mortal God intro would be Night of the Living Ted by Hillbilly Moon Explosion. It's got a country sort of vibe and even though the lyrics don't match at all, I think it fits the chaos of the story.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Good lord, that's a tough question. I like all my characters. If I had to choose though, I'd pick Izjik for Honor's Outcasts. She was the first one I made, and it's mostly her who drives the story forward. Also, her POV is just really fun to write.

Astra is my favorite from Mortal God, despite all the difficulties I've had with refining her character. She's just a lot of fun, and she's also a sort of plot catalyst like Izjik.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

I mean, any high fantasy books. I think Honor's Outcasts and the Lies of Locke Lamora would share fans because of the pirates and found family vibes, though Locke Lamora is a lot grittier and less magical.

Mortal God would have a place with the steampunk crowd. A lot of people also compare it to Star Trek? I've never seen Star Trek, so I don't know how accurate that is. In my own mind, I compare both series to Mistborn eras 1 and 2, in that they take place on the same planet, but the second series is some time in the future.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

The making of the Honor's Outcasts plot was an absolute roller coaster. Every book I wrote like it was the end of the series, only to go, wait no, this doesn't feel done.

With Mortal God, I had more trouble with the characters. I knew I wanted a romance, but I'd never written one before, so setting up that early chemistry between Astra and Mashal was rough. Also, riding that edge of making Ivander a likable jerk wasn't easy.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Uh, I don't really like to write pets. I always forget about them and my characters move around too much. Case in point, in Honor's Outcasts book 2, Sepo has a horse. When they teleport post haste to Unity, they leave poor Landhorse behind, and we never see her again. (She just ends up with their neighbors, don't worry)

Similarly, Astra has a cat named Mercher's Day. In book 2, she leaves him with her parents so he's not in danger when they travel north. The meta reason for this was because I knew she was going to have to leave her vardo behind at the end of the story and I didn't want to abandon poor Mercher in some icy city.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Transportation changes between the series due to the time jump. In Honor's Outcasts, the quartet's main mode of transport is by boat, at least until Twenari learns to teleport people. Even then, she can only do it once per day, and only with a physical piece of the place she intends to go, so they're still walking a lot.

In the time of Mortal God, trains have been invented and are a common mode of transportation for rich city folk like Ivander. Astra prefers her vardo. The DuClaire Extraordinaire is a steam-powered, steel crocodile-legged, self steering vardo wagon covered in bright paint and electric lights. It isn't fast, but it's her home and it can make it over almost any terrain. It's very much based on Baba Yaga's chicken house.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

The Honor's Outcasts series (still gotta come up with a real name for that) is written. I'm working on finding beta readers, saving up money for professional editing, and working up the courage to query.

Two books of Mortal God are written, with plans for a 3rd under way. I need to find readers for the first two and maybe a developmental editor before I finish the series.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

People eat found family up, so hopefully that'll mean they like Honor's Outcasts. There's so much found family in those books. Also, queer characters, no romance, and some spooky eldritch horror.

In Mortal God, I think the slow burn between Astra and Mashal will make the romance subplot people happy. There's also robots and I love robots, as well as some themes of classism and empire.

For both series, I think it's my worldbuilding that really shines. I read a lot of high fantasy with super detailed worlds and magic systems, so it's my hope that my books approach some of that.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I want to publish both of them. Not really for the money, but I just think it's the best way I can get my stories out there, you know? I long for the day when I'll be able to read fanfic someone wrote of my books.

I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @somethingclevermahogony @nbwriteschaos @autism-purgatory @cssnder and anyone else who wants in :)

Blanks under the cut

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

#writing #writerscommunity #writblr #my ocs #author #writeblr

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anthony7612 · 5 months ago

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ANIMATION SHOWDOWN - Q&A

Q: What inspired you to create "Animation Showdown"?

A: I had a thought in my mind. "So, Videogames had Mario, Sonic, Kirby, etc. What could be the Indie Animation equivalent to them?" And then my thoughts shifted to: "What if there was an Indie Animation Smashlike game?" And then, history was born. It's pretty much my gift to the Indie Animation community, showing off the dedication and passion it has.

Q: Can I make fanart/fancontent/etc. for this game?

A: Sure! Just tag #Animation Showdown or something like that so that I can see it. Alternatively, tag me.

Q: Will there be a blog?

A: I'm not planning on making it right now, but it would be awesome to share concepts and stuff about this game on a seperate blog. Maybe that blog will be the way on how I hire people to work on the game.

Q: What engine will "Animation Showdown" be made on and where will it be released?

A: Currently, my options are either Godot, Game Maker or Unity. I'm leaning more on Godot because of how easy it is to use. It will be released on Game Jolt and itch.io and will be playable on PC. Although with some external tweaking and apps, you can play it on Mac and Linux/Steam Deck.

Q: Any Mod Support?

A: I don't think I'll be adding Custom Character support. The only modding support you'll see is Custom Stages (With the Stage Builder) and Custom Music for Stages.

Q: Any Smash Bros. Gameplay Mechanics that will be brought over to the game?

A: I would love to do Assist Trophies! Caine (The Amazing Digital Circus) would be a great example of a possible assist trophy. As for Final Smashes? That's complicated. I know some characters that can get some, but for some? That's gonna be tough thinking about some Final Smashes for them.

Also, Items. Can't forget about them.

Q: Which character are you excited to play as?

A: I don't know. Maybe Hank? Mera? Lorelai? Weegee? The Chosen One?

Q: Any concepts for DLC?

A: My current candidates are Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus) and Yoomtah (Epithet Erased). I originally wanted Zooble in the base roster but I relegated them to the DLC Category.

Q: Any characters you want to bring to the game?

A: I really want to bring victim (Animator VS. Animation) and Cyn (Murder Drones) to the game. So they're on the list of newcomers. As for the others (Besides Shrike (Monkey Wrench), ENA, Dorkly!Sonic, Gogo (Punch Punch Forever) and The Dark Lord (Animator VS. Animation) )? They're gonna be a mystery.

That does it for now! If you have any questions about the fangame, send them to the upcoming Animation Showdown blog!... Or just send them to me.

See you next time!

#animation showdown #indie animation #platform fighters #q&a #qna

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ramxswords · 2 months ago

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The two former Tres Espada knew it too that keeping Grimmjow confined between the walls of Las Noches all day long wouldn't have served the male Arrancar any good, nor would it have made him any pleasure to indulge into the paperwork that they took care of. And that's why it had been a mutual agreement that they'd take care of that, while the former Sexta would roam the vast white dunes of Hueco Mundo in search for any remaining Arrancar they could recruit into rebuilding their former unity. But just like Grimmjow had correctly suspected, even someone as stoic and patient as Nelliel had her own limits and staying locked up in one place led to a lot of energy and need for action to get pent up inside her. Just some tag wouldn't have sufficed to burn it all out, and thus, she'd suggested the other options he'd so kindly proposed, of wrecking some chaos in their wake.

"We might have some remnants of our primal feral natures from when we were irrational animals drove by instinct, but while chaos is encoded in our primal natures, we're Arrancar, and thus above the rest of the lesser Hollow." She'd start explaining in response to his comment about her suppressing what was natural to them. "Unlike them, we'd regained our former human ability to use critical thinking, and thus, we are much more than our unhinged side. And that's why I refuse to describe myself as a crazy mindless being." This was a topic that meant quite a lot to Nelliel, being the basis on which she had built her pacifistic approach to life. Pointless destruction and violence were something she had a hard time grasping, so maybe that's why there were times when she couldn't fully understand her brother. However, this was one of those rare times when she didn't fully disagree with him, considering that she'd been the one asking him to join her on some destructive fun. Nell just wanted to point out why she didn't like calling herself unhinged.

"Though don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that we can't have some fun by using those primal instincts still left behind to blow off some steam, and that's why, while I wouldn't usually be the one saying we should blow stuff up, there's times like this when I do feel that itch too." Nell would smile at Grimm mischievously. "However, I made sure to find a way to repurpose this desire in a productive manner. I contacted Kisuke to ask if he needs any help emptying some plots of land and he said there's a few buildings he was actually looking for help demolishing, so he gave us green light to go wild and tear the places down for him!"

It also made her happy to see Grimmjow get all worked up over the idea that someone would've dared call Nelliel dumb, the fierce reaction yielding him a little chuckle from her. "Don't worry, it wasn't anyone who called me that. I just know that there are times when I can act a tad bit foolish... That's all." She scratched the back of her head a bit embarrassed and then pat Grimm's back to calm him. "So relax. Keep the energy for when we get to the abandoned lots and we can start unfolding ourselves!" This was going to be a good time for the both of them and Nell was looking forward to it.

@grimmjxw-jaegerjaquez

Continued from here [X]

Considering how much she'd been working lately, assisting Hallibel with all the administrative and boring side of stuff as rulers, it shouldn't have came as a surprise that the former Tres needed to unwind and blow off some steam too. Sure, Nelliel would sometimes act childish once in a while in her adult form, and more so while when she was in her child form, but what the female Arrancar had meant by acting 'a little unhinged' was more in the sense of letting loose and doing something uncharacteristic to her very organized and proud self.

"As opposed to my usual composed and orderly self?" Nell replied, an eyebrow raised at him. "Come on Grimm... I am not that crazy! Sure, I can be goofy sometimes and maybe I am not the brightest tool in the shed (cue that one time she unironically asked Grimmjow what orange juice was), but compared to your unhinged, mine is way tamer. So ya can't really say that I am unhinged by default!"

Ironically enough, his little guesses happened to actually be pretty much in toe with what she had been thinking of doing. "Yeah, something just like that! Maybe not start a random fight with someone, since ye know that's against my morals and not my stuff, but pranking someone and maybe blowing shit up? That's what I'd call a really good time! That, and raiding Itsygo's fridge and videogames stash." A little grin popped across her lips, indicating the intent of mischief lying beneath that innocent face. "Ah, I knew ya'd get it! And here I thought we've completely gone out of touch and ya couldn't get me anymore... Yeah, I would love it if ye accompanied me on this journey of mayhem and chaotic fun! Plus, I know that ya love anything involving destruction, so I bet ye'll love helping me blow stuff up in the human world!"

@grimmjxw-jaegerjaquez

#nel interactions #grimmjxw jaegerjaquez #nel and grimm interactions #double the trouble's twice as nice {arrancar siblings}#v1

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alphabet-mafia-member · 2 years ago

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MU'RAWA - AN AVATAR TWOW STORY

- This week was a bit rushed, so I apologize for the quality of this one, definitely is not my favourite. I'll be revisiting this one later.

- Also one funny thing is how TF I'm gonna fit a slow burn in a movie where the love interest has like maybe 30 minutes. Funny experience.

Check part two here!

III - RÄ’Ä TXÌNG (Swimming lesson)

You stand on the vibrant coral reef, surrounded by crystal-clear turquoise waters. The sun radiates warmth, casting shimmering rays upon the underwater world, and colourful fish dart among the coral, painting the scene with brilliance.

The ilu swim around you as you saddle them. Their heads emerge from the water now and then, attempting to nibble the food you had in the pouch over the walkway.

— You know these are not for now! — You grab the pouch, throwing it over your shoulder. Not far from the deep end, laughter and excitement echo down the shore, followed by splashes of water. You can’t help the smile creeping on your face. — Come on, let’s go there, yes?

As you walked down the weavings, the Ilu clicked and bellowed down under. Blurs of dark blue moved under the surface, the lighter ones glided with grace, in a fluid, effortless motion. The Sully boys seemed stuck in place, coming to the surface once or twice for air. Amused, you concluded your graciousness could not be that far from theirs.

You find a serene spot amidst the rustling wind, settling down with your unfinished saddle in hand. Many days were spent on it, you weaved every thread with the utmost attention. It was your next passing rite in the clan after all.

"This one is mine" The flames cast a dim light on the sandbank, Ao'nung showed the intricate leather-like piece proudly, you traced every detail, trying to learn every pattern, searching for ways to improve your technique "It got loose at least three times when I strapped it first."

Tsireya smiled, kind as always "The women from the clan will teach you how to weave properly, and I can help you, ma tsmuke. When you finish it, you'll test it on the waves outside the reef, near the wall. Sempu will see you fit for it." With a gasp, she grabs your hand. " Would you allow us to watch your ride?"

Weaving the saddle was more than a mere act of craftsmanship, you'd come to learn, it symbolized the bond between The People and Sea, a connection of trust and unity with the animals that lived their many ages before Metkayina. Each thread woven with care represented the wisdom passed down through generations.

As you skillfully intertwined the fibres, you honoured the teachings of your friends, honouring their ancestors' spirits. The saddle would become an extension of your identity, the second step of your journey into the water.

— You're too fast! Wait for us! — A whiny voice dragged you out of the memory, the youngest of the Sullys thrashed about on the water, visibly tired already.

— You are not good divers! Maybe swinging through trees, but... — It was not the first time Ao'nung's head had been smacked before, and the fact made you giggle. His eyes meet yours across the water, signalling for you. Setting the work at hand down, you dove deep, quickly swimming over to them. As you approach, the tiny girl giggles, splashing water at you. Giggling, you do the same.

— Tuk, no... — The boy reaches out, in a reprimanding manner and you tranquillize him with a smile.

— It's okay, Lo'ak. You trust me, right, Tukti? — She nods. Taking her hands you start swimming around, tagging her along. — Don't forget to move the legs. You need them strong, ma evi.

Your eyes wander, meeting the oldest one's before quickly looking away. Ao'nung notices your glances, smirking.

— Come on, we don't speak that finger talk, you guys. — Neteyam tries to persuade the teens, and you can see Tsireya's eyes soften.

— I will teach you.

His presence intrigues you, something is captivating about him, an air of quiet contemplation that sets him apart from the vibrant nature surrounding you both. There's a warmth in his gaze, a genuine curiosity that makes your experience in the reef understood.

You can't help but smile as you witness his occasional attempts to hide his fascination with the world around him. It's as if he's studying everything and finding beauty in the simplest of details.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Observing you from a distance, Neteyam noticed how your eyes sparkled with genuine joy as you engaged in swimming with his sister. Tuk had a wide smile mirroring yours as you took her by the hand under the water. You showed her how to move, leading her to the surface for air when needed.

You eventually let go of her hands, tending from a distance as Tuk swim amongst schools of fish. Your hair sways with each subtle shift, like strands of seaweed dancing with the ocean's rhythm. The way you glide through the water, body seemingly weightless, fills him with awe and admiration.

You only turn your attention to him back on the shallow banks. A smile bright on your lips, Tuk spent on your hip as you rock her tiny form.

— Tam, tam, Tukti — You whisper, Neteyam extends his arms, asking if you'd like to hand her over, You gently lower them again, amused. His eyes dart from where your hand rests to your face, holding your gaze. The familiarity of your chartreuse eyes brought an odd sense of comfort.

You also did not belong to the reef, but he could see how the water grew on you. You spent much more beneath the surface, your affinity for the ocean evident. It gave him at least a glint of hope. Maybe he too, could try and belong.

— Don't worry, I love her already. Like baby syaksyuk.

As he continued to observe you, a growing admiration filled his heart, appreciating the way you seemed to take the family in already. Tuk clings to you unflinching, eyes almost closed, and as your hand leaves his arms to pet her head, so does the warmth, surging a shiver on his spine.

— Thank you. — You nod at his gratitude.

Turning around, you meet blue-eyed gazes. Their eyes held a mixture of intrigue, amusement, and a hint of knowing. A mischievous grin played on Roxto's lips, his eyes twinkling with playful delight. He nudged Ao'nung, who wore a sly smile, exchanging knowing glances.

They had witnessed the few-worded exchange. There was an understanding between the friends, a silent agreement to let that scene unfold without interference.

Neteyam felt a warmth rise to his cheeks as he realized their watchful eyes upon both. You shifted your gaze, heart pounding with slight embarrassment.

Thank you for reading, liking and sharing! It means a lot to me!

If you like it better, this story will be posted over AO3 under the same title.

Check the next part here!

Eywa ngahu livu.

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death2normalcy · 3 years ago

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This is Lee Know!

Once again, that’s his stage name. He’s birth name is Lee Minho. He was born and raised in South Korea and he was born on October 25, 1998. He speaks basic English. His English has improved immensely since they debuted, and he has clearly worked very hard on learning what he can, when he can!

Video of Lee Know speaking English at one of their Maniac Tour concerts!

He is the second oldest in the group and is always helping the other members out and being there for them. Everyone refers to him as a tsundere, which I think means he comes of mean and cold, but he’s actually really soft and warm? I’m not 100% sure on that. But yea, a lot of people say he tends to appear more mean at first, but when you really get to know him, he’s just a big ol’ softie. And he really is. I have a whole tag dedicated to just Lee Know being soft.

He’s the oldest member of Danceracha, which is a sub-unit within the group that consists of the three main dancers, Lee Know, Hyunjin, and Felix.

Lee Know is mainly a dancer and vocalist in the group, but he’s done some rapping as well. His dancing is what he, arguably, is best known for, and he’s been doing it since he was pretty young. He was even a backup dancer for BTS before becoming a trainee! He helps the other guys with choreography a lot! Even though he’s most known for dancing, his vocals are fantastic, if underrated, and he’s majorly improved since his pre-debut days. He was one of the members who almost didn’t debut with the group, as he was eliminated during their survival show, but he was brought back, which was a great thing! The group wouldn’t be the same without him.

Some of his songs/performances I personally love:

Vocals: Waiting For Us; Ex; Surfin’; Wow; Falling (Harry Styles cover with I.N. during the Maniac tour, it’s short, but they both sound so good)

Dancing: Easy; his performance with the Mayfly Unity on Kingdom for ‘Wolf‘ ; Maniac; Miroh; Charmer...honestly, any song he dances too.

(The dance section was tricky, because all the songs I chose already have a video or two on the playlist I made, so just check out the playlist if you want to see the clips of him dancing, lol)

Lee Know has three cats, Soonie, Doongie, and Dori. He’s shared a lot of content of them over the years and clearly loves them very much. He’s also pretty open about his love for animals in general and tends to buy jewelry/accessories that supports or benefits animals in some way.

(The earrings he’s wearing in the photo above are from a company in Korea and a percentage of the proceeds for them go to WWF, an organization that protects endangered species!)

He’s also open (especially on Bubble) of his love for the outdoors, camping, etc. (He’s also pretty active on Bubble and regularly asks fans if we’re eating or telling us goodnight, etc)

I’m not sure what the rest of the fans think his defining physical characteristic is...wait, maybe his thighs? He’s a dancer, so his thighs are impressive.

But if I’m being honest, as much as I love the thighs, I’m more partial to his smile/laugh.

Lee Know is a fantastic cook and has been known to cook for his members at the dorms. (I suspect one of his love languages is cooking for the members, honestly.) He’s even done some cooking for official Stray Kids content, like a couple episodes of SKZ Code, vlogs that he put out, and even Vlives! He also shares food he’s cooked on Bubble pretty often.

Here’s a vlog of him making beef wellington for Felix!

His official SKZOO character is a bunny named Leebit. I assume it’s because his front teeth make him look a little bit like a bunny, but I can’t seem to find confirmation on that.

Fun fact: Lee Know is often referred to as a butt hunter and that’s because he frequently grabs or slaps the other members butts. They all do it, to an extent, but he’s arguably the one who does it the most and it’s always hilarious.

And I think that’s enough for Lee Know. Honestly, I could go on and on about him, he’s arguably my favorite. I love all the boys, but there’s something about Lee Know that I adore a little more. (Although, Chan will always be top favorite, if that makes sense). Here’s a playlist of videos about/of Lee Know.

Lee Know’s Playlist!

Bonus fun fact: Lee Know is a lot louder than you’d expect.You’ll see if you watch any of the compilation videos. He surprised me with that one, not gonna lie.

And bonus pics:

#Lee Know #Lee Minho #Stray Kids #skz #skz thoughts #skz guide #i could go on about him honestly #i love him #some of these might be a little challenging for me #but lee know's was so easy

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waywardrose · 5 years ago

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On Babbushka

There is a group of well-known writers in the fandom who have been discouraged and put down by one of their own, Zannah - @babbushka. It happens behind the scenes in DMs. It happens in posts and tags.

In DMs, she has started conversations with seemingly innocent questions. When she doesn't receive the response she was aiming for, she diverts the conversation to criticizing and humiliating the person. She has attacked writers for tagging—or not tagging—a post in a way she deems appropriate. She has gotten into arguments over how characters were portrayed and then tried to claim victimization when the other person wouldn't knuckle under.

She will appeal to her following to attack any fan or creator who has an opinion that differs from her own. She will encourage friends to send rude anons. Those same friends will also DM the target with rude remarks.

Several creators have stopped writing altogether because of their interactions with her.

We are tired of being discouraged. We are tired of being talked down to. We are tired of being bullied. Enough is enough. Under the cut we share our stories, let the chips fall where they may. It's up to you, the reader, to decide whether to support her.

We can only warn up-and-coming writers, artists, fans, and supporters of her behavior.

Hope - @callmehopeless

The Australian bushfires of the 2019-2020 season were nightmarish—for those living through it and those witnessing. As the season went on, cries for help increased. Joaquin Phoenix used the time during his Best-Actor acceptance speech at the Golden Globes to call for unity, action, and accountability. Regardless of what we may think of him, it was a thoughtful speech.

Hope, who is an Australian, found Mr. Phoenix's message encouraging and reblogged a gifset of his speech.

That morning, Zannah made a post about Mr. Phoenix's shady past and his association with a known sexual predator. The main reason wasn't because his speech was inappropriate or not timely, but because she didn't think he should be the one to get the attention over other actors who had spoken of the bushfires during the Golden Globes.

While Hope confessed she was scared of the bushfires, scared for her loved ones, Zannah was more concerned with purity. To Zannah it was about the face of the message, not the message itself. It didn't matter that Mr. Phoenix was amplifying support for Australia, what did matter was that he had done bad things.

It was virtue signaling on Zannah's part.

Still, this remains a complicated argument. Can a person who has done bad things actually have something positive to add to a cause? Should we listen to a problematic person if they share an insight? Does it reflect poorly on us to agree with their isolated statement? Will we be canceled, too? What about the bigger picture?

In this case, the bigger picture was hundreds of homes were destroyed in the bushfires and families were displaced. People died, thousands of animals died. And it was because of climate change. Mr. Phoenix called for his rich peers to examine their respective lifestyles and to give back.

Yes, Mr. Phoenix has done bad things. Yes, he has associated with people who have done bad things. His words resonated with people on Tumblr, and they reblogged part of his speech. He said something that gave Hope hope.

Hope was asked by a third party how they could help. She came back with a resource guide for those who wanted to send aid to Australians.

When it became obvious Zannah wouldn't silence Hope, Zannah decided to sub-post about the interaction. There, she accused Hope of being a rape apologist for reblogging a gifset and finding a little comfort in it. Zannah placed her ego before someone who was facing a very real danger.

Side-eying an actor is one thing, shaming a person you know for finding solace during a scary time is another. Hope isn't responsible for which voice got picked up. The only "colors" being shown here are Zannah's. She put her own concerns about being perceived as morally pure above actually supporting a friend.

I'll keep this brief - I knew Zannah for many years. And on one of the lowest weeks of my life, when my suburb was burning down and I feared for my family: she convinced me I was a rape apologist for sharing Joaquin Phoenix's speech asking for action on bushfires. In all my life, I never felt more alone. To add insult to injury, she then posted memes mocking me - something that has stuck with me to this day.

I've had dear friends quit the fandom because of her kinkshaming. I've had people I love message me distraught over what she's said.

Enough is enough.

— @callmehopeless

Rose - @the-wayward-rose

This PM exchange started after I tagged my reblog of Zannah's fic Feast (Cameron Bistle x Reader) with cw: white reader. I had been on her taglist, and I wanted to show support because I liked the fic overall. For context, the reason for my tag is because of this sentence:

"But then you're blushing so pretty and squeezing his hand affectionately and reaching for the handle to the passenger side of his car, and then you're laughing when he swats your hand away to open it for you, and then you're beckoning him down as if to ask a question – only to place a chaste kiss to his lips instead."

This is from Cameron's point of view.

She asked the reason for the tag, and I explained it was because of the use of "blush" to describe Reader's appearance.

She misunderstood my premise. I did not mean only white people blush.

According to Merriam-Webster, blush means "a reddening of the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion" or "a red or rosy tint."

It is an autonomic response, though. It happens in all humans for body cooling and nonverbal communication. The main problem with using it universally is that melanin obscures the appearance of said autonomic response.

Here's an example of three runners:

The two pale women, left and center, are pink in the face. They are blushing. The woman of color on the right is likely blushing, too. However, the melanin in her skin obscures the blood in her cheeks. She is not pink.

That's the pitfall of the word "blush." The observer can't always see it. We know what it feels like. We all do it. The face and/or neck gets hot. The use of "blush" is shorthand in narrative, and I understand that. Nevertheless, when writing to cater to a reader-insert audience of unknown heritage, writers need to consider describing with universal terms.

Again, she misunderstood my premise. I clarified by asking how Cameron sees the Reader blush under an abundance of melanin:

She sidestepped the physiological explanation to go straight for justification. She tried to legitimize "blush" as "perhaps [this]" or "perhaps [that]" when I stated earlier that blush by definition is pink or is to redden. That's the logic. A noncommittal, covering-all-the-bases, complicated defense diluted the conversation.

With her earlier "I have friends of color, hence I can't be exclusionary" statement, I wasn't sure she would get my point. I take full responsibility for not explaining, too. I should've asked for some time to gather my thoughts, but I didn't. Truthfully, I was unprepared, because I didn't think my insignificant tag would be an issue.

Also, I was confused why she was trying to police my blog.

Her replies came rapidly—before I could mention my confusion—and felt aggressive in the moment. Maybe that wasn't her intention, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

That doesn't take away from the fact that words have meaning. It's why we use specific words. It's not understood in the narrative that her use of "blush" could mean a bunch of things. If I had known, I wouldn't have tagged as I did. How is a reader of color supposed to know that? How does Cameron see Reader's blush if she has darker skin?

As writers, we don't know who is reading. Someone could be very pale or very dark. A person with medium-toned skin can turn a shade of pink or red. A person with darker-toned skin will not. We can't assume all readers are medium to pale. We need to develop better writing skills. We have to include everyone.

Readers of color > White-writer feelings

When I stood my ground, she doubled down, stating I made no sense in my tagging and that I lacked the ability to learn from her. She then diverted the argument, attacking a ficlet I wrote a few days beforehand—which had nothing to do with this argument. The Christian imagery in that ficlet was upsetting to her and "in such poor taste" because she headcanons Flip Zimmerman (BlacKkKlansman) is 100% culturally and ethnically Jewish.

Flip stated in the movie:

"I'm Jewish, but I wasn't raised to be. It wasn't part of my life. I never thought much about being Jewish. Nobody around me was Jewish. I wasn't going to a bunch of Bar Mitzvahs. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah. I was just another white kid. And now I'm in some basement denying it out loud[...] I never thought much about it. Now I'm thinking about it all the time. About rituals and heritage. Is that passing? Well then, I have been passing."

By his own admission, Flip is ethnically Jewish, but not culturally. These are two separate things, and that should be recognized. While Judaism is ethnically and culturally entwined in ways that other religions are not, one does not equate the other. You can be one and not the other.

At the time, I didn't want her to sic her 3000+ followers on me. I wasn't going to argue further. I asked myself if the ficlet was important and worth anon-hate and realized, no, it wasn't. It was a throw-away.

And since I'm not culturally Jewish, maybe I had misstepped. And since Zannah is both culturally and ethnically Jewish, I asked for her guidance.

She flatly refused my request. I don't know how I was supposed to learn from her if she wouldn't teach me.

It sounded as if she wanted me to delete the whole fic. Like none of it was worth saving because it hadn't been Zannah-approved. I had gone against her headcanon, and the fic was too offensive to fix.

The last sentence was supposed to cover her back from criticism, and it placed all the responsibility on me. Obviously, she was above such petty concerns as someone else's blog or writing. Never mind that she had just attempted to get me to change my tagging system and rewrite my ficlet. On my blog.

Later, I figured out she was only criticizing and not offering a constructive critique. Her argument was not in good faith. It was retaliation for not giving her the obedience she thought she was owed.

This is the passage that offended her:

"It’s because of the way he fucks you. Like it’s confession—though he’s never been much of a church-going man. Every touch, every thrust, is a truth between you. Even when it’s rough and greedy. It feels like flagellation when you claw his back. He wears the sin proudly."

This is what I edited it to:

"It’s because of the way he fucks you. Every touch, every thrust, is a truth between you. Even when it’s rough and greedy. It feels like flagellation when you claw his back. He wears your marks proudly."

Yeah, I'm not pleased with the revised passage. It's lost its teeth, but I keep it.

The anonymous message(s) she mentioned weren't very anonymous, either. Unfortunately, I've since deleted the two messages. I had apologized to Anon for disappointing them. I said that if the fic was too much, they should unfollow and block me. I meant that in a self-care way. At the same time, I did not—and do not—owe anyone discourse. I don't have to explain my art when it doesn't hurt anyone. And no one was hurt by some purportedly misplaced religious imagery.

I have been silent about this since late January/early February. I was embarrassed. I had been bullied into changing my blog and my fic by someone who proclaims to never do anything of the sort. I had been a fool. Since this conversation with her, I have been blocked/blacklisted by third-parties, most likely at her behest, when none of this exchange had been necessary.

Kassanovella - @kylorengarbagedump

Zannah's followers have asked her about Kassanovella’s Fix Your Attitude. For context, it's currently one of the most kudo-ed fics for Kylo Ren x Reader on AO3. It had a bit of a renaissance earlier in 2020 because a TikToker wrote a song for it.

There is nothing wrong with not wanting to read a fic. If the subject matter doesn't work for a reader, they don't have to partake. Easy as that. So, these tags aren't a problem.

However, it led to this...

She lashed out, calling Kassanovella's fic a joke. A joke.

She implied her fics should be as popular as Kassanovella's because she works really hard on them. She admitted she's tied to the metrics. She implied she wouldn't be writing fic if not for the external validation.

Here's the thing about fanfic: readers like what they like. They don't care about a writer's effort. They only know what works for them. They comment and give kudos, reblog and like what they connect with. That is not under the writer's control. All a writer can do is try their best and concentrate on what they're passionate about.

To bash another writer's fic because it's popular is disrespectful. This whole bitter rant drips of entitlement and is an affront to Kassanovella.

Some time later, an incident happened in a chatroom during a streaming event for veterans by Arts In the Armed Forces (Adam Driver's organization). At least one fan brought up Fix Your Attitude while waiting for Mr. Driver to make an appearance. They were also disrespectful towards the other presenters by demanding to see Mr. Driver. It caused a big stink within the fandom, and Zannah had some choice words.

While mentioning the fic during the livestream was inappropriate, it was also inappropriate to throw all fans of the fic under the bus as she did in her tag. Sweeping generalizations and incriminations of a subset of fans certainly reads as if she resents those fans for a perceived slight.

Next, Zannah made an earlier disparaging comment about Kassanovella's fic, Little Bird. Unfortunately, that comment is lost. However, the messages supporting the comment remain. (For context, Little Bird is a Kylo Ren x Reader The Handmaid's Tale AU. It has been well received in the fandom, earning thousands of kudos on AO3.)

What an author wants to write about and sexualize is their business. Fantasizing about being dominated by Kylo Ren isn't cringe. It's a sexual fantasy. Some sexual fantasies can be disturbing to those who do not share the same kink.

Sexual fantasies are like ice cream. There's a reason why there are different flavors.

Also, "I will never ever be a person that tells an author what to do or not do" is an absolute lie. As evident in this post, Zannah most definitely tells authors what to do or not do.

Again, she bashes Kassanovella, claiming her writing isn't good. Her motivation for bashing Kassanovella can only be speculation. With Zannah's previously stated opinion of Fix Your Attitude, though, it indicates a certain level of negative emotions.

Anonymous

An anonymous person came forward with a case of Zannah policing their blog. Anon has a sideblog for their personal AU with Flip Zimmerman. They reblog gifsets and post headcanons. They were an enthusiastic fan of Zannah's and reblogged a few of the gifset she made. Anon tagged their reactions, and Zannah blocked them for it.

Anon went to Zannah and asked why they were blocked, because all they wanted to do was have fun and support fellow Flip lovers.

Anon was under the impression that because they were shipping themselves, and not Zannah, with Flip, she blocked them. Their personal AU doesn't align with Zannah's headcanon that she alone is married to this character and has his children.

While Zannah's reply may sound innocent, and perhaps it is, it also speaks to someone who has set herself up as the owner of Flip Zimmerman. (Wait until Spike Lee or the real Ron Stallworth hears about that...) It appears that if a fan does not comply with the Zannah-approved headcanon, where only she is married to Flip, that fan shall be blocked. If a fan uses tags on their blog that she does not approve of, that fan will be blocked.

Zannah's policing is disturbing. Going into a blog to look for something as a reason to block is disturbing. Any fan is allowed to use any tag on their blog how they wish. If the OP has said their post can be reblogged, how a reblogger tags is beyond the OP's control. To punish that reblogger for not behaving in a way she finds acceptable is uncalled for and unjust.

Anonymous

Backstory: Zannah does not view Ben Solo's arc in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as acceptable canon. However, she does view the story she created for Flip Zimmerman in BlacKkKlansman as completely canon.

This is not the first time she has been asked to clarify her position. Nor is it the first time she has avoided giving an on-topic response. A question asked in good faith should be responded to in kind.

If a creator doesn't want to address the issue, they can state that they don't. Deflecting from the question only muddies the waters. Fans feel dismissed. The creator feels hounded, and comes across as irritated and unapproachable. No one has a positive fandom experience.

There is nothing wrong with having a headcanon. What is wrong is Zannah mandating her headcanon for Flip on the whole fandom. As evident in this post, if a fan does not comply with her headcanon, they will be summarily blocked.

Also, there is nothing wrong with rejecting canon. Writers of transformative works have always done this. The problem is shaming fans who have accepted canon while not offering justification for that shaming. A creator saying they "can't help them" is the creator washing their hands of responsibility from articulating their thoughts when they themselves began criticizing the canon in the first place.

Again, this is a bad-faith argument. Creators can't ask for discussion and attention and then get mad when their viewpoints are challenged. Just because a discussion isn't going a creator's way doesn't mean it's an attack, either. It means people want clarification, and if one criticizes, they should be able to back up their criticisms.

While sharing our stories has been freeing, it's not our aim as fellow fans to cancel Zannah. We would hope she would take the opportunity to reflect on the damage she has done to the fandom. We hope we all can move forward with a more approachable and supportive scene.

No one person speaks for our fandom. The actions of one fan do not represent the entire fandom. Whether creator or consumer, you are welcome here.

[posted July 25, 2020]

#babbushka #reader insert #flip zimmerman x reader #kylo ren x reader

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gameofdrarry · 4 years ago

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Wizards Hearts Recs: Hogwarts Eighth Year

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 The Standard You Walk Past by bafflinghaze Rated: Mature Words: 46202 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Some Homophobia in the Wizarding World, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, flangst, Angst, SO MUCH FLUFF, And a bit of sap, Legilimency, Dreams and Nightmares, Slow Build, Prejudice Against Slytherins, Roommates, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Malfoy - Freeform Summary: On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened. That was, until Harry sleepwalked into Draco’s bed. Translation links available inside for Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Thai, Spanish, and Portuguese ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Montaigne Aspirations by countingcr0ws Rated: Mature Words: 16681 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-War, Head Boy Draco Malfoy, Head Girl Hermione Granger, Good Draco Malfoy, Hufflepuff Common Room, Hufflepuff Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Harry Potter Has Long Hair, Discussion of Abortion, discussion about consent, Mutual Pining, Hufflepuff Harry Potter, Hufflepuff Hermione Granger Summary: Draco’s been trying to be nothing but upstanding since you know what. Between crawling into places every day (oh, the woe) in his new yellow tie, avoiding heterosexual threats to the proper development of his young homosexual self, and being exhausted by how high maintenance Gryffindors are, Draco’s eighth year is still a lot better than he had initially expected. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Only Fools Fall (For You) by welpslytherin Rated: Explicit Words: 6212 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, The Great Lake | The Black Lake (Harry Potter), Skinny Dipping, Pining, Fluff and Angst, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, First Time, Mutual Pining Summary: It’s the summer of '98 and a certain blond Slytherin has amends to make and feelings to get over. Featuring skinny dipping, a bold Harry Potter, and a blushing Draco Malfoy. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Pinned! by whileatwiltshire Rated: General Words: 4193 Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Pining Harry Potter, Pining Draco Malfoy, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Draco Malfoy, Draco curses a lot in this! Summary: What's your game, Potter?" he asked calmly as Potter's face floated an inch away from him. After their second proximity incident, Draco had taken special care to note the specky git's whereabouts and behaviour; watching him with the corner of his eye whenever he could. And in his observation, he had noticed that while Potter did fumble around like a blind fool without his glasses, not once, once, did he pull anyone as close to his eye level to confirm their identity. It was only Draco. Only him. And Draco needed to find out why. Or, Five times Draco got pinned to the wall by Potter, who was surely, up to something. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Take All That You See by GallifreyisBurning Rated: Teen and Up Words: 19666 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Bullying, Boys Kissing, First Kiss, Coming Out, Leaked Sex Photographs, Off-Screen Reference to Gore, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy Has Panic Attacks, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, Disowned Draco Malfoy, Supportive Harry Potter, Minor Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Hogwarts Eighth Year, H/D Sex Fair 2020 Summary: Draco Malfoy has only two goals for his eighth year are Hogwarts: 1) stay as invisible as possible, and 2) get enough NEWTs to be accepted at a university abroad and get the hell out of the UK. Everything is going according to plan until he is unceremoniously outed by the Daily Prophet and subsequently disowned. Finding himself the unexpected focus of unwanted attention and harassment, he is suddenly dependent on the good will and protection of the last people he would have expected — Harry Potter and his gang of do-gooder Gryffindors (plus Luna Lovegood). With his world turned upside down, how will Draco make it through the rest of the year? And worse still, as he grows closer and closer to Harry, how will he get out with his heart intact? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 For every question why, you were my Because by HugsandButterflyKisses Rated: Explicit Words: 59924 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Coming Out, First Time, Mutual Pining, i'll update as we go on dw, harry is a lil clueless but hes got the spirit, Sharing Clothes, Masturbation, Slow Burn, Shower Sex, Halloween, just a lot of shenanigans by the slytherins Summary: Harry expects his final year at Hogwarts to be simple. Go to class, hang out with Ron and Hermione, and most importantly, no threats of dying. It seems fate, and the Slytherins, have other plans. or The Eighth Year fic where Harry and Draco can't seem to get rid of one another. But...maybe neither of them mind all that much. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 White Lies by cassisluna Rated: Teen and Up Words: 171013 Tags: Slash, Homosexuality, EWE, AU, Mutual Pining, Pining Harry, Pining Draco Malfoy, Hurt/Comfort, Potions Accident, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Era Summary: Draco drinks a potion that makes him know if a person is lying, and Harry, apparently at fault that Draco is this way, is forced to 'help' him with the effects of the potion. For the first time, they deal with each other with no lies to hide behind. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 knickers in a twist by technicolourbeat Rated: Explicit Words: 86461 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Reconciliation, Smut, Crossdressing, Boys in Skirts, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Top Harry Potter, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Semi-Public Sex, Riding, Topping from the Bottom, Draco Malfoy in a Skirt, Rimming, Lace Panties, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Public Sex, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Secret Relationship, Fuckbuddies, Shameless Smut, Sexual Roleplay, Fluff and Humor, Porn With Plot Summary: Draco loses a bet to Pansy and Blaise which leaves him wearing a skirt for a whole week. Harry discovers something about himself. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Blue Roses and Other Impossible Things by Cassiara Rated: Explicit Words: 40283 Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Homophobic Language, Angst, Fluff, First Time, Bottom Harry, Top Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts Eighth Year, POV Harry Potter, Virgin Harry, Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Bad Flirting, Loss of Virginity, Podfic Welcome, Pining, Getting Together Summary: After Harry saved Draco from the Room of Requirement there was a moment when Draco gave Harry a look. Harry didn’t know what to make of it, and he had a war to fight so he ignored it. Now though, they’re back at Hogwarts sharing a dorm and Harry is obsessed with seeing that look again. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 In the Midnight Blue by xanthippe74 Rated: Teen and Up Words: 5508 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Christmas, Light Angst, Developing Relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Anxiety, Dreams and Nightmares, Flying, Hopeful Ending, Winter, HP Wireless Festive Minifest 2020, Songfic Summary: On a Christmas Eve broom ride over Hogwarts, Harry shows Draco that he’s braver than he thinks. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Owl Was Well by fencer_x Rated: Teen and Up Words: 66823 Tags: Post-Second War with Voldemort, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts, Animagus, Animagus Draco Malfoy, Owls, Snarky Draco Malfoy, Snarky Harry Potter, Snark, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Sexually Adventurous Blaise Zabini, Humor, Toilet humor, POV Draco Malfoy, Invasion of Privacy, Brief Mention of Animal Death(s), Fighting, Minor Injuries, H/D Erised 2020, Slow Burn Summary: Draco Malfoy is not an owl, really he isn’t. He simply assumes the shape of one on occasion when he wants to find a bit of privacy—a goal entirely thwarted because Harry Potter doesn’t understand you can’t just grab any old bird from the Owlery and force it to send your missives and deliver your packages. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Nightmare Club by Elle Gray (Elle_Gray) Rated: Explicit Words: 85072 Tags: Post-Second War with Voldemort, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Tropes, Banter, Slow Burn, Humor, Trials, Light Angst, Sentient Doors, Male Friendship, Friendship, Misunderstandings, Pining, Jealousy, Jealous Harry Potter, Jealous Draco Malfoy, Accidental Voyeurism, Voyeurism, Forced Proximity, Snarky Draco Malfoy, Sarcastic Harry Potter, Smut, Sexual Fantasy, Masturbation, Blow Jobs, Frottage, Coming Out, Oblivious, Drinking, Drunken Shenanigans, Feelings Realization, Secret Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Herbology, Herbology Class (Harry Potter), Plants, working together, Veritaserum, Cuddling & Snuggling, Spooning, Pajamas & Sleepwear, Tea, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Awkwardness, Minor Harry Potter/Lisa Turpin, H/D Erised 2018, Community: hd_erised, Bisexual Harry Potter, Bisexual Draco Malfoy, Mental Health Issues, supportive friends, wanking, Harry in a towel, Minor slut-shaming?, Feel free to podfic this, Fanart also welcome, remix to your heart's content, tell me about typos you find as well, Gay Mentor Charlie Weasley Summary: Hermione and Ron are going back to Hogwarts to do N.E.W.T.s, Ginny isn't. Harry hasn't decided, until he has, in front of the Wizengamot and now he's responsible for Malfoy as well. A tale of enemies who learn to get along, get it wrong and get it on. Everything is purple, some things are on fire and no-one is sleeping properly. But don't worry, there's tea! ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Read All About It by Samunderthelights Rated: Teen and Up Words: 3247 Tags: Drarropoly: Founders Edition - A Drarry Game/Fest, Epistolary, The Owlery (Harry Potter), Secret Relationship, Drarry, Letters, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Boys In Love, Self-Acceptance Summary: The story of a budding romance between two young men, told through letters found in the Hogwarts Owlery. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Adventures of a Suicidal Gentleman by GallaPlacidia Rated: Not Rated Words: 47794 Tags: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief/Mourning, Suicidal Thoughts, suicidal Draco but he's fun about it, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Draco and his new best friend Misty the house elf, Draco is trying to keep his shit together, Pining Harry, Down and Out Draco Malfoy, It's less harrowing than it initially appears, Veritaserum Summary: Draco wants to kill himself, but he's trying not to be dramatic about it. Harry wants to sleep with Draco, but he's trying not to be obvious about it. Misunderstandings! Pining! Grief! Self-loathing but in a kind of charming way? Feat. Misty the house elf who takes shit from no one, an Astoria who has her own mysterious aims, a Draco who is determined to use humour to get through things, and a Harry doesn't know what he wants, except maybe to touch Draco's pretty face. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Sincere Gratitude from the (Heart) Mouth by _Melodic_ (Sae) Rated: Mature Words: 1049 Tags: Blow Jobs, Semi-Public Sex, Public Blow Jobs, Dubiously Consensual Blow Jobs, Smut, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Porn with Feelings, Redemption, Oral Sex, Getting Together, First Time, POV Harry Potter, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-War, Hogwarts Express, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Confessions, Romantic Fluff, Humor, Fluff and Humor, Fluff, Fluffy Ending Summary: Harry Potter knew, of course, that everyone was grateful to him for defeating Voldemort and basically saving the world, but he didn’t quite expect the way some of those would go about expressing their gratitude. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Black Me Out by JBankai89 Rated: Mature Words: 43928 Tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Trans!Harry, FTM Harry, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mild OoC, Transphobia, Hate Crime, ron & seamus bashing, EWE, PostWar, Hogwarts Eighth Year, References to Mpreg Summary: Since his first day at Hogwarts, Harry has had a secret. Not even his best friends knew, and returning after the war for his seventh year, Harry is looking forward to a nice, quiet, Voldemort-free year. What he hadn't expected was Ron and Seamus discovering his secret and reacting violently to the news, nor did he expect his old school rival suddenly showing romantic interest in him. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Try to Change by meshtams Rated: Teen and Up Words: 1567 Tags: Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Boys In Love, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Fluff, Musician Draco Malfoy, Song fic??, Gay Draco Malfoy, Bisexual Harry Potter, Tattooed Draco Malfoy, POC Harry Potter, try to change by mother mother Summary: Harry hears music coming from the forbidden forest, and naturally has to investigate. ❤️ Read on AO3

#hogwarts eighth year #drarry fanart #drarry recs #game of drarry #wizards hearts #wh masterlist

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tom--22--felton · 4 years ago

Note

Unpopular Opinion!

Don't read if you don't like my opinions...

Imma just say now. This is going to probably come off sounding harsh and like I'm jealous. Just know I'm not jealous, I just think it's annoying.and don't think Tom should be doing it. But I also understand it's exiting if he does.

Okay, so, I've talked avout this with a friend who follows Tom and has her own fan page for him. I'm a person that likes to sit back and watch for a while. Then if I see something I want to give my opinion on, I do so. But, I feel like the people who he follows think they are entitled and superior. Now, before anyone comes at me. I understand thst it would be exciting having your favorite celebrity follow you. I get that. But some NOT all act they they are better than everyone else. I honestly don't think he should follow fan pages. And the reason is because it's kinda not fair. He'll see those people's post a lot more than he'll see anyone else. I know a lot of people who have fan pages and try very hard with artwork, edits ect to get him to see it, whether he likes or repost it. And I understand he can't see everything because he probably gets thousands of messages and tags everyday. It's okay to be excited that he reposted or liked you post but over sharing it and constantly reminding every that he did is kind of annoying and might make some people feel sad, annoyed, feeling like they aren't good enough etc. I AM NOT JEALOUS. I COULD CARE LESS IF HE SAW SOMETHING OF MINE. I think it's nice he pays attention and appreciates his fans. That he does like and share some posts from his fans. But I really don't think he should follow fan accounts. The more that's added like cameo etc... the more it feels like the fandom is separated into several different parts. I've said that before. It kind of makes me sad and wish it would go back to when he didn't do all this stuff and juat posted about movies, his family, his life (to an extent), willow, other animals he comes across, friends. It felt more personal to me. Bow it just feels I don't know like we're in the Squid Games (it's a show on Netflix. It's pretty good tbh) or the Hunger Games for those who don't know Squid Games. Like, we have to fight or play certant games to be at the top and be the better fans and the rest of us are just bottom dwellers or something. The fandom has definitely changed. And the people who have been following him for years might notice more than those who have only been following him since last year. JUST MY OPINION AND WHAT I'VE OBSERVED.

Sorry for the rant... xx

I don't think it's actually an unpopular opinion. Or maybe it is, i don't know. But i agree with it 100%. When he only began following fan accounts, we discussed it here and i said i wish he didn't do it. And i still think so. Fandoms used to be about unity. Fandoms used to be a safe place to run away to from real life. Now it's exactly the same as real life - it's all about competition, of people thinking they are better than others just because they can afford things etc. I guess I'm lucky that i don't follow fan accounts that were noticed by Tom because I don't have to see some of them using every chance to mention him in their posts and stories. It would be pretty annoying. I'm really happy for those who can afford to buy tickets for his cameo parties and who he follows on social media. But guys, please, think about those who can't afford it or those who can't get noticed. Life is unfair as it is and noone needs constant reminders that fandom life isn't any better.

#anonymous ask t22f

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raevenlywrites · 4 years ago

Text

@woodhousejay tagged me to find the words sky, summer, soft, satin, and sin

Sky

The moon was an unremarkable gibbous in the sky, not full, not an elegant sliver, not a neat, tidy half. Chris hadn’t really expected anything, hadn’t really thought about it, but something about this flat, not-quite-three-quarters… blob, just…

Aaron put a hand on her shoulder, gazing up into the sky with her. “Pretty, isn’t it? It’s a good sign among my people. Means your enlightenment is growing to its fullness.” He gave her a sideways grin. “That’s the Jewish “my people”, not the wolf. Werewolves don’t actually have anything to do with the moon in particular. Other than thinking she’s pretty.”

Chris made a face, but smiled as she looked back up. “Yeah…”

A keening sound began low in Aaron’s mother’s throat, a thin echo of what would be her full howl. Aaron’s voice joined her, slipping from him as easy as breathing. It made the hairs rise on Chris’s arms—and made something low in her belly stir. The howl cut off and Aaron’s mom beckoned her further out into the yard.

“Welcome, la’fen. Come, sing with us.”

Arguing that she didn’t know how seemed ridiculous. Instead, she let Aaron gently push her further into the yard. She wanted to ask what Aaron’s mom had called her, but before she could, she started that same, keening sound.

This time she was ready when Aaron joined in. She looked to him, but his eyes were half closed.

Eyes were for the human. Scent was for the wolf. She closed her own eyes, focusing on the smells of the garden, of Aaron, of the night in general, cool and humid.

She felt that same velvety stirring inside, but this time, she let the wolf answer when it wanted to.

Chris knew she should have felt ridiculous making this soft sound low in her throat, but she wasn’t thinking anymore. She was simply feeling.

She was hearing different notes than before, the more subtle rises and falls of both their voices. The wolf didn’t try to predict what either of the others would do, simply answered what they’d already offered. It meant their voices were like a braid, twining in and around one another. Tying them together.

One by one, other voices joined the night. They were soft, but Chris’s ears were tuned for them, and through they joined song, she became aware of every other wolf out there, singing in the night. It didn’t last for long—it was kind of late, and people were probably trying to head off to bed—but that feeling of unity, of oneness… It had been a powerful thing.

Aaron’s mother turned a pleased smile to them, rolling her shoulders to loosen them.

“It’s a fine night to be out. Now then, let’s see if we can get your wolf out, dear."

Summer

The sun was fully up and warming the day into a thick, lazy pre-summer heat, the kind that turned thoughts wistfully to running through sprinklers, grilling outdoors, laying about half-naked in plastic lawn chairs. Bex stretched on the porch, arms high overhead, the barest sliver of belly showing—no, not belly. A white undershirt. She wore an over-sized men’s dress shirt, ends tied in a knot, and a long pleated skirt that made her look like one of those anime girls. Her brother was a nerd, maybe she was, too. Except somehow Bex made it look respectable, like punk on a business casual dress code.

“They won’t be home until closer til noon,” Bex said. “We have time to make it to the park and back if you want.”

"Sure. I have my little ward charm, so I should be golden. If I start to get tired we can head back."

Soft and Satin

She woke to a buzzing. Her hand moved out, but there was nothing on her bedside table.

The bed moved, and by the time she untangled herself from the cover to reach across, it was warm and empty.

"Aaron?"

"It's me. Dave wants to know if I can work my shift today or if he has to work seven days in a row."

He sounded a little guilty about that and she frowned, pushing herself up. The air was pleasantly cool on her skin after the cocoon of blankets. The satin chilled almost instantly.

She didn't want him to leave, but as she heard the clicking of his texting, she also knew he probably would. She felt a lot better and he'd missed a lot of work because of her.

"I'll be fine." She said it softly, but she meant it. She'd mostly slept through the last few days anyway.

Aaron stopped typing and looked at her.

"I mean, were not gonna just leave you alone--unless you want some alone time, I guess.

This was where things got tricky. A shifter wouldnt want to be alone, even when feeling well. Some were more or less social than others, but even someone more reserved would be comforted by the knowledge of a pack mate's closeness. But humans..

Humans were weirdly socialized to isolate, usually to their detriment. The human obsession with independence was ridiculous, and carefully guarded. It was like they all secretly wanted connection, and were afraid they were the only ones that did, so held that perceived weakness close. It was utterly ridiculous.

But Chris has been raised human, regardless of her reality. Just because shed enjoyed the constant hovering presence of her new boyfriend didnt mean shed be as welcoming of relative strangers. Shed never spent time with just Brian or Jenna, who were the only ones free today, according to Dave.

"Do you... want some space? You're feeling better, right?"

What was she supposed to say to that?

No, she didn't want him to go, but she wasn't going to lie and say she still felt sick so he would stay home with her.

"I'll be alright," she said carefully. "You go to work, I'll probably just sleep and finish unpacking anyway. I feel a lot better than I have."

Sin

Aaron fidgeted, clearly having more to say but not quite knowing how to broach it.

“But she won’t let you shift tomorrow. Not for the first time. Acts of creation are melachah—uh, forbidden work. We rest from creation like God rested from creation, and shifting into your wolf for the first time…” He shrugged. “There’s a lot of debate about it—there’s a lot of debate about most halachah, honestly—but our particular rabbi suggests refraining from shifting on shabbos all together, just to be sure. A lot of laws are to avoid the appearance of sin--”

He cut himself off, shaking his head. “None of this really matters to you. Just know that if my Mom steers you away from something, it’s probably because it’s the sabbath and not because you’re doing anything wrong. My mom’s a really good teacher. You’re gonna do great.”

Tagging back @willowiswriting @lunarmoment @fields-of-ink and YOU!

Your words are: Hide/hidden, shy, night, and gleam

#tag games #writeblr tag games #find the word #open tag #tag you're it #jewish werewolf chatter

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welcometophu · 4 years ago

Text

The Meaning of Home, Chapter 3

The Meaning of Home Chapter 3

Tags for all Welcome to PHU novels will be available at the PHU tag list on Pillowfort. This list is under construction as of Sept. 5, 2021.

[ Previous | First | Next ]

“You could have mentioned.” Pawel fills a bowl with chili from the slow cooker, then adds a scoop of spiced chicken and cheese, and tops it with sour cream. He hands it to his dad and points to the table. “There’s salad, too.”

“More meat, Dad,” Conor says, handing him his bowl. “Beans are weird. They have a really strange texture.”

“They’re also good for you.” Pawel doesn’t skimp on his son’s bowl; he’s seen just how much his kid can pack away. “And you need to eat salad, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Conor mutters. He slides into one of the chairs at the tiny round table that sits between the kitchenette and living room. When all three of them sit down, there’s barely room to move. Pawel’s afraid he’s going to take a bite and end up elbowing his father in the nose.

Still, it’s good to have real food with them, and know that both of them are eating something healthy.

Pawel sits back a bit from the table so he doesn’t knock knees, and holds his own bowl in his hands. The chili isn’t as spicy as he usually makes it at home, but that’s probably better for his father’s stomach anyway.

“Could’ve mentioned what?” Dad asks.

He sounds so innocent.

“That the guy who takes in fosters and happens to work with you is Leo Papa. As in my ex-boyfriend Leo,” Pawel says dryly. “We bumped into him and Emma and another one of his fosters—”

“Jennie,” Conor supplies.

“—At the grocery store,” Pawel finishes, as if Conor hadn’t interrupted. “And oh, funny thing.” He glares at Dad, who blinks back at him, calmly eating. “Turns out Leo’s married to Colt Harrison. My other high school ex.”

“Emma’s dads are the guys you dated in high school?” Conor asks. “They’re really cool. Why didn’t you keep dating them?”

“Leo graduated and left. Colt and I went to different schools. I met your mom.” There’s a lot more to each of those stories, but Pawel doesn’t want to get into the details right here and now. He’s not sure he wants to talk about the drama of his teen life with his son in general.

Conor already knows enough of the details, like the fact that he was born while Pawel was still in school.

“Colt’s really calmed down,” Dad muses. “He used to have a lot of attitude when he was a kid. I remember when you first started dating him, and he’d look down at our house. He thought everything should be served up on a silver platter. Being a dad’s taught him a lot more about reality than anything else did, I think.”

“Are you telling me he doesn’t drive a Porsche anymore?”

Dad barks out a low laugh. “Where would he put five kids in a Porsche? They’ve got practical cars. Although if they take in any more kids, they’ll need one of those big vans, or a miniature bus.”

“Emma wants Dad to find her parents, so she can go home,” Conor reminds them. “She says she’s not staying. I’ll be sad when she goes, though. And her house is fun. It’s kind of chaotic. I mean, Duke’s quiet—he doesn’t talk at all—but Matt’s always saying stuff, and he keeps changing into different animals. And Duke and Matt fight, even if Duke doesn’t yell. He still seems to get his point across, and then he chases Matt, and yeah, it gets messy. You met Jennie—she’s cool, for a little kid, but she’s always eating. Nevaeh’s really pretty. She’s learning how to drive.”

Conor shovels food into his mouth, a spoonful between every sentence. His spoon clatters back into a mostly empty bowl, a few beans lingering in the bottom. “Can I go call Alan? We’re going to game tonight. I got my homework done while you were cooking.”

“Salad,” Dad reminds him, and Pawel’s thankful for the backup, even if Dad himself hasn’t taken any yet.

Conor puts just enough lettuce and vegetables into his bowl to satisfy the requirement, and finishes it quickly. He drops his spoon on the table. “Gonna go call Alan. Bye!”

The place is small enough that even though the door to the guest room bangs as it bounces closed, then open again, Pawel can still clearly hear Conor shouting a hello to Alan.

“How the hell do they have five kids?” Pawel can’t imagine trying to wrangle more than one.

“There are two of them. There’s a better adult to kid ratio, plus you know Leo’s family helps out.” Dad pulls the salad towards him, heaping his bowl full. “That’s what family does, and you know it. Ours is just smaller than most.”

Him, his dad, and Conor. Yeah. It’s a pretty small family.

Which reminds him, he should probably tell his dad about Chelsea.

Dad points his fork at him. “I’ll agree, though, I didn’t see it coming,” he continues. Pawel stays silent; Chelsea can wait if Dad’s going to tell him more about what the hell’s been going on while he was absent. “Leo and Colt were good together; have been since they first met. But when Leo came in and said he needed a few days off to go pick up a foster kid—almost four years ago, now—it was a hell of a surprise. Matt had a tough time of it, too. His parents gave him up, put him right into the foster system because he’d Emerged as Clan. If Lucy hadn’t gotten him out….” Dad trails off, shaking his head.

“Leo said something about Lucy and Rowan,” Pawel says slowly. “I have two students whose parents are in a triad, and two of those parents are Lucy and Rowan. I’ve spent time with their family in Vermont.”

“Likely the same,” Dad says. “Lucy’s a teacher, and she keeps an eye out for Talented kids who might slip through the cracks otherwise. Apparently she’s been doing it since before the Emergence; it’s just easier now. She’s got a network of teachers, and one of them knows Colt, and that’s how it all came together. Matt did so well with them that when Lucy found out about a thirteen-year-old girl who’d run away from her family with her baby sister, she brought them straight to Leo and Colt, too. Rowan’s a lawyer, and he’s the one who works to make sure the kids are safe, and aren’t going to end up back in bad places. Nevaeh and Jennie’s parents didn’t want a little girl who sparkled all the time, and they were a danger to her, so they were declared unfit.”

“Conor thinks they’ll adopt them. Since Jennie’s grown up with them.” Pawel’s still trying to assimilate it, putting “parents” into the same box as “ex-boyfriends” in his brain. He still sees them both as the awkward teenagers they used to be.

Colt would say he has never been awkward.

He might even be right.

“They’ve thought about it. I think Colt’s looked into it, but even with the parents out of the picture as they are, they’re still alive, so adoption becomes a tricky thing.” Dad picks up his empty bowl along with Conor’s and takes them over to the sink.

Pawel uses the freedom to stretch his legs under the small table. He’s barely eaten anything yet, so he starts working his way through his chili, letting his mind spin.

He should get in touch with Lucy and Rowan. They’ve talked before, more than once actually. Maybe it’d be good to let them know he’s aware of their efforts. That he knows Leo and Colt.

No, not like that. That makes it sound like he knows them better than he does. Until he ran into Leo in the store, he hadn’t seen him in more than a decade. It hasn’t been quite as long for Colt, but close enough.

Still. This sounds like something he should offer help with. Even if he can’t foster, he can help with Lucy’s ability to network down in Unity. He’s sure she could use that, and well, he owes her family for all the help they’ve given in the last year.

He scoops up the last mouthful of chili. That’s decided then. He’ll give them a call later. Or text them. Reach out, anyway.

“Bring me your bowl.” Dad waits until Pawel brings his dishes over before he adds quietly, “Never did figure out if you ended things on good or bad terms, but I know you moped about both of them enough to figure they weren’t easy breakups. They’re both doing well now. They’re good for each other. Leo’s a valuable part of my force, and Colt’s a voice to be reckoned with in the courtroom. They fight for Talented folks to be safe. So if you’re thinking of somehow getting in the middle of this….”

Dad’s voice trails off and he gives Pawel a look.

Pawel has no idea what Dad’s thinking. “Get in the middle of… no. What? I was just going to reach out and offer to be a liaison in Unity, if Lucy and Rowan don’t already have one. And thank them for all the help they’ve given us. And maybe talk to Colt and Leo about whether I can help Emma out. Since apparently people disappearing has become my specialty.”

Dad huffs and turns away. “Fine. Just don’t go making any trouble for them. They’re good folk.”

“I won’t. I’m just going to—” Pawel gestures at the couch, but that’s not really helpful for getting any distance or privacy. “Actually. Why don’t you go put your feet up. I’ll finish the clean up.”

“You cooked.” The protest is half-hearted.

“And I was home all day, so I can clean, too.” Maybe being home support is a good way to thank his dad for everything he’s done. It’s something Pawel can do, anyway.

The TV goes on loud enough that Pawel can hear it clearly over the running water. Pawel takes a moment to tap out a quick message to send to Lucy.

Heard you help find foster homes for Talented kids in need. My son’s met a few of the kids you placed in my home town. If you ever need a contact in Unity, I’d be happy to help.

He leaves his phone face up on the counter.

He’s up to his elbows in suds, scrubbing the inside of the slow cooker, when his phone buzzes. He glances over to see a response from Lucy.

I’ve actually got folks in Unity and Valiant, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk. I already know you’ve got a vested interest in keeping Talented kids safe, and a larger network means more help. Just like we’ve been telling you with our family in Burlington: lean on people when you need them.

Even people who barely know him are giving him advice.

He lets the screen fade; he’ll reply later when his hands aren’t soaking wet. Instead he finishes filling up the small dishwasher and gets it started. As soon as the rumbling begins, Dad turns up the volume on the TV so he can hear over the rattling of the dishwasher.

It’s just too much noise for Pawel. He makes his way to the guest room, knocking on the half-open door before he nudges it wide enough to step inside. Conor waves a hand, and Pawel takes that as meaning close the door, so he does.

“What are you playing?” Pawel looks at the screen, but all he sees is Alan, who waves at him.

“We haven’t started playing yet.” Conor’s voice is too loud, his headphones still covering his ears. Pawel taps at them, and Conor removes them and switches the sound to the speakers. “We’ve just been talking. Alan was telling me about all the things happening at home. I really like my class and my teacher here, but I really miss home. Except for Marjorie. I don’t really miss her.”

“But you miss me,” Alan says, grinning. “Hi, Mister Szczek.”

They’ve known each other long enough that Polish names, along with the random few words Conor knows and has shared, roll off Alan’s lips like he’s part of the family. Well, he and Conor are schoolyard married, so maybe he is part of the family.

“Hi, Alan. Actually, I’ve got a question for you both.” Pawel sits down on the bed next to Conor, leaning in so he’ll be on camera. “I picked up tickets for SongFest out in Buffalo this weekend. I was thinking you could join us if you boys want.”

“You got us tickets for SongFest? Do I get to see Rory and Thorne on stage? What about that girl? Trish? Is she doing music there, too? You changed your mind! You said I was too young for concerts.” Conor bounces on the bed enough that the laptop wobbles. Pawel reaches out to stabilize it as Alan laughs.

“You’re too young for clubs,” Pawel says. “And this is going to be a long day, out in the hot sun, assuming it doesn’t rain on Saturday. But I figured we could give it a try, and since it’s outside, the music won’t be quite as bad on your ears. You already don’t listen to half of what I say.”

“Mom says my dad and me have selective hearing,” Alan volunteers.

“She’s not wrong. Sometimes it’s better to just not listen. Can’t get in trouble if you don’t hear it,” Conor agrees. His gaze slides sideways, as if he forgot Pawel is sitting there. “Soooooooo,” he draws the word out before his gaze locks back on Alan on the screen. “Can you go with us?”

“We’d be driving out on Friday,” Pawel clarifies. “The actual festival is in Buffalo on Saturday, and it goes late. We’d have a hotel for both nights, and come back on Sunday.”

The smile falls away as Alan shakes his head. “I can’t this weekend. It’s my cousin’s birthday next week, and we’re doing a big family thing this weekend in Boston. She’s my aunt’s miracle baby, and we always get the whole family together to celebrate her. She’s three this year. She’s my oldest aunt and my youngest cousin. I’m youngest, before her.”

Conor ducks his head. “Oh.” He pulls his blanket onto his lap, picking at the fuzz on it.

“We’ll have to find a different weekend for Alan to come out and visit then,” Pawel says firmly. The boys have been apart for two months, and that’s a long time in a nine-year-old’s life. “Then you can introduce Alan to Emma.”

“We’ve met.” Alan sounds cheerful about that. “She’s pretty cool. She and Conor call me sometimes. I think she should come live with you guys when you come home.”

Conor makes a low scoffing noise. “She’s not like a stray dog. We can’t just keep her. She’s already got foster dads, and besides, my dad is going to find her parents. Then she’ll have to go wherever her home really is. Which will suck, because I really like hanging out with her, but it’ll make her happy, so that’s cool.”

“Yeah, that’s really cool you’re going to do that, Mister Szczek,” Alan echoes.

It’s very cool, right up until the moment Pawel thinks about how that means figuring out a plan, and then interacting with Leo and Colt to enact that plan.

“I’ll do my best.” Pawel touches Conor’s shoulder. “Why don’t you guys do your game for a bit. It’s a school night, so you still need to get to bed.”

Conor shakes his head, as if he can shake off the blues. Maybe it works, because he’s smiling when he reaches for his laptop. “Okay, Alan. Let’s do this.”

Pawel is clearly dismissed.

He exits the room, leaving the door propped just enough that he can hear the rumble of Conor talking as he puts his headphones back on, and nothing else. Dad’s half-asleep on the couch, watching a show through his eyelids, so Pawel sinks down there and joins him. As Dad snores softly, Pawel grabs the remote and stops the show. Dad can get back to it later, and he won’t notice Pawel channel surfing while he snoozes.

Time passes in a haze of snippets of comedy and drama. Pawel can’t seem to find anything he really wants to watch, and Dad has no opinions as he naps. Pawel keeps one eye on the time, and he’s just about to call out when he hears Conor yell, “Got to go! Bye!” The sound of the laptop closing is clear enough to make Pawel wince, but he knows that machine has put up with a lot from his son already.

Conor emerges a few minutes later, already in his pajamas. He heads straight for the bathroom, and Pawel can hear the water running as he brushes his teeth and gets ready for bed. By the time Conor makes it into the living room, the noise has disturbed Dad, who sits upright and yawns.

“Bed,” Pawel says firmly, not entirely certain which one of them he’s talking to. Probably both.

“Goodnight son.” Dad squeezes Pawel’s shoulder as he stands. He reels Conor in for a long hug on his way by, then disappears into his own room.

Conor stands there, hands clasped behind his back, his lower lip drawn in between his teeth.

“You want something,” Pawel says.

“Since Alan can’t go and you said you already bought a ticket, can we bring Emma with us to the festival this weekend?” Conor blurts it all out in a rush, biting his lip again when he’s done. “I know you don’t know her really well yet, but she’s nice and we won’t be trouble and it would really be a lot of fun.”

If Pawel takes Emma all the way to Buffalo, he can’t see her foster parents letting her go alone.

Pawel slides his palm over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hears the soft, defeated exhale from Conor.

“Okay,” Conor says softly. “I get it.”

“That’s not—” Pawel hesitates, peeking between his fingers at where his son stands there, waiting for an answer. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll talk to her fathers. Foster fathers.” Even without Emma there to correct him, he corrects himself. He understands the importance of terminology. Sometimes you have to make sure you say things the right way. Words have power, even when you’re nine.

Words might even have more power over children. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge the ones they want to use.

Conor darts across the room, plowing into where Pawel is still on the couch for a flying, tackling hug. “Thanks, Dad. I love you. Can I tell Emma you’re going to ask? Should it be a surprise? When are you going to ask?”

So many questions.

So many complications to this one simple request.

Pawel wraps his arms around his son, choosing to just hold on for the moment. He pats Conor on the back, and Conor slowly disengages from the hug, bouncing on his toes as soon as he’s upright.

“I’ll talk to Leo and Colt,” Pawel promises. “But you need to give me time.”

“It’s already Tuesday,” Conor whines. “You said we’re going on Friday. That’s not a lot of time. Wait, what about school? Are you taking me out of school?”

“That’s one of the things I’ll need to talk to Leo and Colt about.” One thing among several. And this is coming out of the blue, after all these years of silence. Because of course Pawel’s son has managed to dump him into chaos. It’s what the Szczeks do.

“For now,” Pawel adds, “go to bed. Let me take care of the adult things, okay?”

“Okay. G’night, Dad!” Conor slams the door to his room behind him.

Pawel’s left on the couch—his bed for the summer—alone with his thoughts.

So. They’re taking Emma to the festival. He promised. If her foster fathers allow her to go.

There are so many ways in which this could get awkward.

It’s up to Pawel to take the first step, so he opens his phone and brings up a text to Leo’s number.

Okay. Dinner. When?

He presses send. There, that’s started. It’s in the hands of his exes now.

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#welcome to phu #welcometophu #the meaning of home

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baldwin-montclair · 5 years ago

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Baldwin’s Nightingale (Part 16)

Characters: Baldwin Montclair/OC

Timeframe: After the S1 Finale, TV Show canon MOSTLY with some S2, Shadow of Night and Book of Life.

Summary: With Baldwin hunting an intruder around the environs of Sept Tours, Alisha spends time with her tenants, step-daughter and the various creatures at Sept Tours.

Tag requests: @christi14 @poemfreak306 @pookie-cleary @hofficoffi @stormyheart326 @simplytimeless @wonderlander594 @madamquacklemore @thereadersmuse @livia-valerie-rown1793 @kynthiamoon @she-who-is-named-katie @ordinarymom1 @fuzzyflowervoid @raspberrypierocketeer @maybelightning @lady-lazarus-declermont

The Story So Far

———

Alisha changed quickly, the long dress no longer seeming appropriate for the situation.

Instead, she pulled on some jeans, a vest top and a warm sweater, hoping to quell the chill settling into her bones. She also exchanged her heels for some ballet flats.

The roaring fires and many guests downstairs did nothing to banish that same chill.

“Three ways in,” Marcus was giving orders to his Knights as a very attractive man approached her.

“Madame de Clermont,” he gave a slight bow, “not the best time for introduction but I suppose it is out of my hands. Fernando Gonçalves.”

“It is nice to meet you, even under the circumstances,” she looked around, “I have to apologise, I’m still getting caught up on my in-laws, I’m sure Baldwin mentioned you-“

“You’re sweet to say but he most likely didn’t. I’m not a de Clermont, not by blood anyway.”

“Oh,” she pondered before realising, “so, you’re mated to one, like me?”

“Yes, my darling Hugh, rest his soul.”

Alisha nodded solemnly.

“From what Baldwin’s told me, he was very special, and loved by a lot of people. I wish I’d had the chance to meet him.”

“As do I.”

“Fernando,” Marcus called, “first watch south door.”

“Yes Seigneur.” Fernando called to Marcus and gave Alisha a respectful bow before attending to his duties.

“You changed clothes.” Ysabeau commented with a hint of disapproval.

“Restrictive dress, high heels, not good in a crisis.”

“You will be nowhere near any sort of action, I guarantee it!”

“Maybe not but I want to help the people here and it’s much easier to do so like this.”

“What is your directive, Madame?”

Ysabeau asked the question but it was far from a request for orders and more a test.

“Alright,” Alisha nodded, thinking, “We have a wedding feast already prepared, lets skip the fancy table settings, get everyone together around the table and fed, at least then they’ll be in the same place and accounted for.”

“It’s what I would do, which is why I have already arranged it,” Ysabeau gave her an approving glance.

“And the boy who lost his father, his mother, where are they?”

“In the sitting room.”

“They probably won’t feel much like eating but they should still have something, just in case.”

“I agree,” Ysabeau gave a curt nod, “which is why you will bring them some food, talk to them.”

“Me?”

“You are Madame de Clermont-“

“Not to them, they know you and they trust you. Those people have lost someone they love, it’s not the time to subject them to me and my training wheels. I don’t have your way with people.”

“You don’t, that is true. But, they already have one of me, they do not need a copy. Besides, you too have known loss recently, be you, be honest and connect with them.”

Alisha nodded, reluctant, but resigned.

“I’ll need a translator.”

“Your tenants are extremely well educated,” Ysabeau answered with a hint of offence, “they will understand you.”

“Alright, I’ll go see what the kitchen-“ Alisha stopped when Marthe approached with two plates and holding a bottle of wine under her arm.

“No need.” Ysabeau stated.

———

As their tracker, Baldwin, backed up by Verin, took to hunting the killer from the site of his crime. Gallowglass and Stasia secured the perimeter to ensure there were no potential problems.

Freyja was charged with control of the immediate environs of Sept-Tours.

Baldwin was easily the strongest in the family but never the fastest, which is why Verin was taken aback when he sped from her, towards something he sensed that she did not.

By the time she made it to his side, the offending vampire was on his knees, snarling and struggling with Baldwin’s arm around his neck.

“He’s infected by the rage,” Verin stated plainly, the black appearance of his eyes betraying his affliction.

Baldwin sank his teeth into the creature’s throat, searching through it’s memories.

He saw the murder of his tenant, some deer and a sheep but nothing beyond.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Verin admonished when Baldwin dropped the vampire on the ground.

“What is it?” Gallowglass asked as he joined them in the clearing.

“We know nothing about the disease or how it spreads and you fed on someone that you know had it?” Verin was yelling but Baldwin didn’t say a word, instead, he walked to the small stream to wash the blood from his hands and face.

“I can sense your wife,” Stasia stated plainly.

“Aye, but there’s no way granny’s letting her leave, nor would she even make it out this far.” Gallowglass answered with a frown.

“And it’s not just from you,” Verin told Baldwin as she stood over the dead creature’s body and noted a strip of material tied around the arm, “it’s coming from th-“

Baldwin’s hand was on her wrist before she could touch the fabric.

Instinctively, she growled but the deeper, more commanding one she received made her bow her head slightly, breaking the eye contact, retracting the challenge.

Baldwin released her and she stepped back, away from him.

“What is that?” Gallowglass asked when the tense moment subsided.

“It’s Alisha’s but she brought no clothes from New York, I purchased a new wardrobe for her. Whoever sent me this message was in her home.”

“You fed on him, did it not tell you anything?” Verin pushed.

“Just the shepherd, some animals, everything before that is blank.”

“Could that be a temporary side effect of the rage?”

“Or magic,” Stasia suggested.

“Possibly,” Baldwin shook his head, none of what he was sensing made sense, “and since I do not know this dead creature, I assume he is not the person sending me this message.”

“He was mad with the sickness, most likely turned and set loose.” Verin added.

“If we were to create a list of potential grudges we would be here a while!” Stasia retorted.

“None of those are particularly new,” Verin reminded, “we need to ask ourselves why now?”

“I assume you have a theory on that, sister?” Baldwin’s words dripped with warning.

“Not one I’m inclined to share.”

“Wise decision,” he turned back to the dead creature, “we can ponder the possibilities once we secure the borders and make sure he was alone.”

“Whoever dropped him here, they could be on a different continent by now.” Gallowglass pointed out.

“Trust me, there isn’t a piece of land on this earth that’s safe for them.” Baldwin assured.

“Well this one is neutralised. At least you can return to your wedding evening.”

Baldwin shook his head.

“We’re not nearly done. Every inch of this place must be secure.”

“How?”

“Four quadrants,” he decided.

“That was a game,” Verin rolled her eyes, “one of father’s misguided attempts at fostering family unity.”

“I’ll take the first quadrant,” Baldwin ignored her protests, “Gallowglass two, Stasia three and Verin Four.”

“I suppose I asked for that.” Verin complained at the seasonal muddiness of that section.

“Not at all,” he determined, “we do this four times, by the end, we will each have searched every quadrant so that if one misses something the others won’t.”

“Thorough.” Gallowglass agreed.

“Excessively,” Stasia added, prompting a glare from Baldwin.

“We have tenants, guests and family here,” he corrected, “even this measure does not completely reassure me.”

“We must first dispose of this poor creature.” Gallowglass suggested, trying to break the tension.

“The furnace.” Baldwin responded without a thought.

“That’s for animal remains.” Gallowglass answered quickly.

“He killed a tenant for no reason, what is that other than an animal?”

“A pawn, a victim, you can’t-“ Gallowglass grabbed Baldwin’s arm when the older vampire turned to leave but quickly found himself face down on the forest floor with Baldwin’s knee on his back and the other trapping his arm.

“This is not a democratic process and I do not know what fanciful notions any of you may be entertaining, but my marriage has no bearing on how I intend to lead this family. Any comments?”

Verin had many, it was obvious from her expression. Still, he did not begrudge her thinking them so long as she was not careless enough to voice them.

“Good,” Baldwin stood and offered an arm to help Gallowglass to his feet, which he accepted, “Verin and Stasia will get started on their areas, we will dispose of the body.”

Gallowglass voiced no objection a second time.

———

Alisha?” Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her from the silent reverie she shared with the fatherless farm boy.

His mother was still asleep as she sat holding his hand in comfort.

“Marcus,” she excused herself for a moment, letting him lead her from the boy to the window, “is everything okay?”

“They’re doing the final sweep now.”

“Did they catch the killer?”

“It was never about catching him, you realise that?” He reasoned and she nodded in solemn understanding.

“Did they stop him?”

“They did,” he answered carefully, regarding her with concern, “are you alright?”

“I’ll be better when they come back, and really,” she glanced at the bereaved family, “nobody has suffered more than they have.”

“I’ll stay with them.”

Marcus greeted the boy with familiarity, they clearly knew one another and she left them to talk.

By the time she rejoined the gathered guests, all talking amongst themselves, quietly at first, then louder until recriminations and accusations were passing between them.

“Miyako,” Alisha was grateful at seeing the familiar face, “they’re scared and confused, where’s Ysabeau?”

“On the ramparts with the witches, she told me to fetch you this.”

Miyako handed Alisha the violin case, the one left in Baldwin’s tower. As his daughter, she obviously had access to it.

“What is this?” Alisha looked at the sheet music Miyako handed her with the violin.

“I have no idea,” the vampire shrugged, “it was on top of the instrument, I assumed you placed it there as a choice.”

Alisha shook her head with a smile, either Marthe or one of the de Clermont’s other servants could have subtly left it whilst cleaning, a request.

“Do you require accompaniment?” Miyako asked.

“You would...play with me?”

Miyako looked momentarily offended.

“Grandfather was very strict about our learning music, he believed it instilled discipline and patience. I may not have your instinct but I can play several instruments more than moderately well.”

Alisha smiled widely, tamping down the urge to hug the other woman, partly to make it easier to hide the tears of heightened emotion pricking the corner of her eyes.

“I don’t doubt that, and I meant no offence, I’d be honoured to play music with you.”

Miyako nodded and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“I know Grandfather had a cello here somewhere but I’ve been unable to find it. I suppose I will have to play second with the viola.”

Alisha followed after until a thought occurred to her.

“Wait,” she stopped, “what instruments does Baldwin play?”

Miyako shook her head and kept walking.

“That is his secret to tell!”

———

“Quadrant clear!” Stasia reported with palpable irritation after meeting up with her other siblings, all finished and waiting.

“It would have been much easier without the heels!” Gallowglass teased.

“Then the search is complete,” Baldwin confirmed before Stadia could respond to her Nephew, “but now the hunt begins.”

“Do you intend to hunt down those responsible tonight?”

“No,” he glanced in the direction of home, “but be assured that you will each be notified when I decide on the action that is to be taken and you will share nothing more than the fact that we stopped the culprit. I won’t worry Alisha unnecessarily, not until I know more.”

“A bit early in the marriage to be keeping secrets.” Verin poked.

“I could say the same to you in reverse, does Ernst know all of your secrets?”

Verin fumed in silence.

“I thought not,” he turned back to Gallowglass, “go back to Sept Tours and bring my wife to the Chateau, we will be spending the next two days there.”

“And what of us, are we to remain at Sept Tours, awaiting your command?” Verin asked spikily.

“No, you can leave whenever it pleases you sister.”

———

Backlit by candles, Alisa Montclair performed for her husband, the same music she played when she first felt his presence.

This time, however, instead of sensing his gaze in a crowded concert hall, he was propped up against the pillows in their bed wearing just his dark pyjama bottoms. She stood illuminated at the foot of the bed through the thin gauze of the four post bed it was a much more intimate setting than a crowded concert hall.

Wearing just an ivory coloured and very thin silk slip, she was very much aware that he could see so much more than a human could, the candles highlighting her every curve in the silhouette of the candles.

Never had playing been such an erotic experience for her.

When the song ended, she performed a curtesy in response to his soft clapping.

“That was beautiful my darling, thank you,” his voice was thick with emotion and desire.

“You are very welcome, my Lord,” she put the instrument away and approached the side of the bed, “if it pleases you, it pleases me.”

She crept towards him and straddled his lap.

“You please me,” he sighed in contentment, “and not just because you’re beautiful and talented. You demonstrated tonight that you are ready to assume the responsibility that comes with being Madame De Clermont, as well as Mrs Montclair. I understand you played for our guests as well, accompanied by Miyako.”

“Who told you?”

He lifted his phone from the bedside.

“Don’t worry, I only wanted to show you this. You can be rest assured I will be switching it off for the duration of our time here together.”

She settled into a seated position between his strong thighs, his chest reminded a cool marble statue, immovable.

He lightly rested his chin against her shoulder and pulled up the video on his device.

It was of her and her step-daughter, playing together as the crowd was silent.

“Who took this?”

“Marcus, he sent it to me, I’m sorry I missed it, you play so well together” he mused, lightly kissing her shoulder and continued up her neck.

“She’s very talented,” Alisha grinned in memory of Miyako’s revelation, “so what instruments do you play?”

He sighed in resignation, switching the phone off and placing it back as promised.

“Piano, Harpsichord, Organ-“

He was cut off by her burst of giggles.

“Organ?”

“Yes, why is that so funny?” He smiled, happy to hear her laugh.

“No reason,” she shook her head.

He growled a little, but she could easily read it as a playful, exasperated expression.

“Alisha,” the stern tone that drove her wild was back as he lightly nipped at her neck with his teeth before soothing the area with gentle suction.

“It’s just,” she gasped at the sensations he was firing within her, “you already enter a room like there should be organ music playing in the background, I didn’t realise you could compose your own theme song.”

His chuckle was low and she felt the deep rumble of it in his chest.

“Are you calling me dramatic?” He murmured quietly against her ear.

“Big yes,” she nodded, involuntary shifting in her position due to his uncanny ability to make her laugh and turn her on at the same time.

A slight groan erupted from his lips as she realised that her fidgeting was having a direct effect on his own arousal, judging by the sudden bulge growing against her tailbone.

“What else?” She asked, armed with this new knowledge she targeted her innocent squirming to very slight and easily denied stimulation.

“What else what?” He asked in confusion, his breath a little more stilted than before.

“What else do you play?”

He didn’t immediately answer but the reason for that was clearly the diverted blood denied to his brain to feed a hungrier organ.

Just as sudden, his hands on her hips instantly stilled her movements. She took in a sharp breath, realising just how much self-control her husband had.

“I can play one more instrument,” he started, clarity returning to his words, as one of his hands drifted up from her side to ghost up her chest and clasp her breast through the thin material, radiating his granite coolness on the sensitive area.

“W-what’s that?” She asked, her ability to move and tease him hampered by his arm braced across her torso.

“Guess,” he teased, his finger tracing circles around her puckered nipple as he continued to nip and lick at the skin on her throat.

She realised too late the Venus trap she had fallen into and now she was under his complete control, her body practically bared to his whim.

The slight inhale from Baldwin told her he had sensed the wave of arousal that washed over her upon realising her predicament.

“Um, flute?” She whimpered.

“No,” he answered gently as his free hand settled on the inside of her thigh.

“Is it a wind instrument of any type?”

“Cold.”

“Percussion?

“Colder.”

“Reed?”

“Arctic,” he grinned, his hand gently and slowly inching its way up to its target and building anticipation as it went.

“There aren’t any more.” She argued, with a shudder of excitement as he neared his target.

“You’re forgetting the most obvious one.” He directed her vision to the violin case with his hand, loosely around her neck.

“Strings?” She gasped.

“That is the one you forgot but this instrument is so rare it belongs in no classification. The music she makes when you touch her just right...”

The slight mewling gasp she let out upon his fingers tiptoeing lightly over her panties made him smile.

She understood his meaning instantly, he could play her as well, if not better, than she could play her own violin, and he did, his fingers diving, dipping and playing her body like an expert musician stopping only to relieve her of the slip.

“I want you see you, all of you, take them off,” he ordered, “and lie down.”

His tone had the edge of command and it made her desire stronger.

She shimmied her way out of the underwear and lay on her side beside him, trying - and failing - to look sultry.

“I have seen you naked already sweetheart, why so shy now?” He teased, making her blush more pronounced.

“Because you were also naked,” she retorted, “and you were too occupied to study me.”

“Do you think I haven’t already committed your every peak and valley to mind,” he ran his hand down her waist and over her hip, “I have, I wager I could draw from memory your every freckle, especially this one.” His hand rested on her buttock and he pulled her to lie on her stomach.

She felt the slight playful nip of his teeth on the flesh under where his hand had rested.

“Baldwin!” She squealed in between giggles.

“Apologies,” he kissed the spot and continued placing light kisses up her spine, “so plump and inviting I couldn’t resist.”

“Hmm, charmer,” she accused, folding her hands beneath her head and glancing back at him.

In the candlelight, the rich copper tones of his hair were more obvious and the style was less strictly managed and more wild than usual. Between that and the darkness of his eyes, he was a vision of feral beauty, equal parts terrifying and magnificent.

“I‘m not as fragile as you think, you do know that?” She asked, hoping he understood her meaning.

“Vampires play rough sweetheart.” He warned, placing a tender kiss between her shoulders.

“I trust you,” she turned and captured his lips with hers.

He hastily joined her in complete undress and immediately she was enclosed in soothing coolness. It was a welcome contrast to her passion inflamed skin yet did nothing to quell her desire.

She yielded easily to his claiming of her, this time, however, the fit was more challenging on account of their position and she gasped at his fullness within her.

“Do you need me to stop?” He asked and she shook her head emphatically.

“Don’t you dare!” She moaned.

Accepting her answer, he slid his hand down between the mattress and her body, slowly building her arousal as he gradually increased his tempo.

Alisha was lost in a myriad of ecstatic sensations, between the spot within her that he somehow manage to reach every thrust to his ministrations upon her clit.

When he enclosed her throat in his hand to better access her scent, he felt her breath catch as his senses picked up a wave of pheromones from her that urged him forward. A subtle change in her scent intrigued him, something beyond her sweet apricot aroma. It was both unknown yet familiar at the same time.

“Baldwin,” she moaned, the very sound seeming to him more holy than any sermon or choir he had ever heard.

She was almost at her end, he judged from the way she tightened around him. He too would not be long after.

“You are bound to my will, remember?” He murmured low against her ear.

“Always!” She turned to look at him and he kissed her deeply, feeling her melt into him.

“My will,” he answered, “is to feel you come apart in my arms, can you do that for me?”

She nodded mutely as he kissed her neck, nibbled playful at her earlobe.

“Oh God,” she gasped, signalling how close she was to the edge.

“That’s it,” he coaxed gently, “just give in, I have you.”

Her movement was extremely restricted and yet, she felt unbridled, free and for the first time in a long time, safe.

Baldwin held her tight to him throughout her climax.

“You changed my life.” He kissed her temple with tenderness of which no-one could imagine him capable, and took his own pleasure.

After several seconds of quiet contemplation, he withdrew from her and rolled over onto his back. She was the first to let loose a satisfied sigh.

“So, I changed your life?” She grinned, moving to rest her head on Baldwin’s shoulder as her hand closed over his heart, still beating faster than his usual vampire rate.

He chuckled lightly.

“You never fail to surprise and impress me little nightingale.”

“To be fair, you did most of the work, next time I get to ride you like the stallion you are.”

“Noted,” he peered down at her, tucking her hair behind her ear, “and I meant your studies.”

“Huh?”

“Mi hai cambiato la vita,” he grinned, closing his eyes, “you don’t have to be modest, your grasp of Italian is commendable, and yes, you have changed my life.”

The drop in her stomach was made more pronounced by the way his relaxed posture grew more rigid. She realised that he hadn’t spoken the words in English and she had been too out of it to differentiate.

“Alisha,” he sat up, bringing her with him, “vampire’s are programmed to sense panic, it’s how we identify prey. What did I say that upset you?”

She averted her gaze, no words came to mind.

He framed her face in his hands, giving her no choice but to look at him.

“Alisha, tell me what’s wrong!” His tone was calm, gentle even, yet she knew he was not leaving this without an answer and with his senses, a lie was not an option.

She had to concede that the choice was made for her.

“Baldwin, there’s...” she took a deep breath, “there’s something you should probably know.”

——

PART 17

#adow #a discovery of witches #adow baldwin #adow baldwin fic #baldwin’s nightingale #adow fic

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annaofthenorthernlights · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Frozen (Disney Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney) Characters: Anna (Disney), Kristoff (Disney), Sven (Disney: Frozen) Additional Tags: Post-Frozen 2 (2019), One Shot, Fanfiction Summary: Queen Anna and prince Kristoff receive an invitation to a royal celebration by the kingdom of Svezia. It contents the information about a parade taking place. All guests are expected to bring their horses for the mounted parading. Will Arendelle participate in this show off?

Anna held the letter in her hand and mused over the fact that the conditions might get tricky.

It had been a few weeks since the wedding and she was happy with things going fairly smooth, with her stumbling on her duties here and there. And she was proud of Kristoff, the way he had stepped into his tasks as prince consort, facing positions of which he hadn´t even known before, they existed in the first place. He had taken part in parliamentarian discussions about education administration for less fortunate citizens. Another part that had took more and more of his focus was the unity of guilds´ policies. He had set his mind of optimizing their trading and working conditions. She would let him have his way. Anna recognized the passion growing in him, that was astonishing.

Only now, she would not know how to confront her husband with this invitation they had received this morning. She had asked Kai to call for the stablemaster. She needed his advice.

Mr. Hansen was announced and entered the royal office.

Anna explained to the experienced horseman, that in short time he would have to indulge in teaching his majesty, him riding a horse.

Mr. Hansen was a keen man, straight forward. A characteristic type, Kristoff liked very much. But now, Mr. Hansen swayed his weight on his feet, to the toes and heels, slowly, hands locked on his back, considering the queen´s request. After a while, he curled his lips and then sighed, “by all respect, your majesty. I´m sorry. I´m aware this is what is asked of the young prince. But I doubt he will like it. Not that he wouldn´t like the animal, but this is not his type of riding partner.”

“I know that. And believe me, I hate the thought of leaving Sven out. But I can´t possibly riding on a horse, and him not. How would that look?” Anna shrugged and sighed.

“Maybe her majesty would discuss this with his majesty in the first place. Once he agrees, I will help the best I can. Besides, I´m sure he would learn it easily. You know, I wouldn´t know about riding a reindeer. But with his balance routine it might not be that difficult to swop the style.”

Anna thanked the man and then braced herself on telling Kristoff.

She would find him in the library, going through a documentation he was looking for earlier.

“Hi there,” she approached and laid a hand on his shoulder, bending down to perk a kiss on his cheek.

“Hi sweety,” he replied and grinned up to her, always delighted to see his delicate wife. His face sobered when he noticed her looks. “Hey, what´s wrong Anna? You look worried. Anything happened?” He got up that fast, his chair tipping over in the haste, putting his hands softly on her shoulders.

Anna sighed and shrugged. “I don´t know. No. Nothing, at least in particular. We received a letter from King Berthold and Queen Maria of Svezia. You remember?”

Kristoff thought hard, then he nodded. Far back in his mind he had heard those names before. “So, what´s so terrible with that letter? Declared war?” he mused jokingly.

Anna frowned and shook her head, “that´s not funny.” Kristoff tilted his head, apologizing to her. “So, what is it then?”

“It´s an invitation to their royal festivity, celebrating their round anniversary.” Anna looked down at the letter, then glancing up with pressed lips, nearly whispering, “it beholds a request…”

Kristoff knew that facial expression of his lovely spouse. He started musing, “okay, they want us to dance all night through till we all drop dead. Or we must parade like the overdressing aristocracy, riding white horses with ribbons in their manes.” He laughed; the thought was too hilarious.

Anna still didn´t laugh, she pulled a face, remarking, “almost. Just, without the dancing part.”

“Wait what?!”

She would read out the part, where the royal guests were asked to bring their finest horses for a show-off parade, to the greatest delight of their hosts.

Kristoff glared at her, then at the letter, then back at her. “Okay, say you´re kidding, right?!”

Anna still didn´t laugh.

“Okay, I´m not going to mount a horse! Especially not showing off like an idiot all decorated like a Christmas tree.”

Anna sighed, “I know you don´t like that. The thing is just… Well, this time, I mean for that occasion… You can´t bring Sven.” She kind of ducked her head in, like expecting some sort of explosion happening.

She hadn´t said that hadn´t she? Kristoff stared, shocked, in disbelief. He had turned all pale, then red. Anna had seldomly seen him like that. She dreaded, having hurt his feelings. She didn´t like it either. She loved Sven.

“Anna, please say, who don´t want me to drag into this.”

“I´m sorry. We can of course deny the invitation or the participation. It´s just. Normally, we should go along with such things.”

“What things?”

Anna didn´t know what to say. She hated the piece of paper in her hand by now. But then, she like the idea of a journey, and taking part in some festivity.

“Why would Sven not be good enough?”

“Well… em… Maybe he wouldn´t fit that nicely into things…”

“What things?”

“Well… em… Maybe he´s just not so royal…”

No, she could impossibly mean that. Not Anna! What had gotten into her?

“I will not sit on a horse!” Kristoff´s voice had turned icy. He shook his head and with no other word he would leave the room. The door slammed and Anna sank down on the chair.

****************

How could she?

Kristoff´s mind raced with troubled thoughts, just as fast as Sven ran up into the mountains beneath him. Sven! He was his best friend and loyal companion. He had carried Anna like a maniac down the mountains back to Arendelle. He had run like the wind to have Kristoff snatch her up, just from beneath the stomping giant´s foot.

Not royal….! How could she?

After a while, he would let Sven slow down and give him some rest. Kristoff dismounted and let the animal have some time for rolling on the ground and chewing some gras. Meanwhile he strolled along the woods.

His anger had subbed and given way to disappointment. Sven! His best friend, not royal….

But then, had he not known that some day that very question might be a topic? What prince would ride if not a horse? But then, Anna had always appreciated their riding with Sven. So, what was the issue?

The royal duties and demands. Maybe she had been swept off with the imagination of that parade. He would not blame her for that. She could tell him so. It would be easier. But then, all those fancy events were normal to Anna. Surely, it hadn´t occurred to her, that he wouldn´t know what that all would look like. Then on the other hand, would it be so terrible to at least try to sit on a horse? It would not hurt unless he fell clumsily from the steed. He grimaced and looked over to Sven. The friend, sensing his companion´s doubts, trotted over, nudging his buddy into his chest.

Kristoff chuckled and stroke his best buddy under the chin, then embraced his head with compassion.

*******************

There must be another way!

Anna mused over her terrible attempt to convince Kristoff, that they could not show up with two different animals. And, sitting in front of him, like she sometimes would, was not allowed this time. She hated the thought of having hurt him that much. She had to think of another solution!

Dear Sven! He had run like the wind so many times for her. Bringing her down to Arendelle in time and having Kristoff snatch her in the last instant before her being smashed. All thanks to the brave reindeer.

Of course! How blind had she been! How blindfolded by that dumb letter, having entangled her with the stupidity of false meaning about royalty!

The idea spread not only in her mind. It made its way all down into her heart. That started pounding with a fierce stroke.

Anna ran out of the library, down to the kitchen. On her way she met Gerda, asking her to help with packing some clothing and necessities for a few days travel. She would explain later, why.

Then, she rushed on to see Olina, the cook. She would need supplies for a few days. They would leave right in the morning at sunrise.

Then, Anna would go to the stables, waiting for her husband to come back, after Kai had told her about Kristoff´s leaving earlier with Sven. Of course, he would. She waited, and if she had to sleep in the strow. It was royal enough to her!

********************

Indeed, Anna had drifted of and dozed cosily in Sven´s bed.

When Kristoff led the animal into the stable, he halted abruptly, surprised, and then not surprised to see his ginger-sweet love lying in the golden nest. She had done that before, many times. When she had awaited his returns form a harvesting season. Or when they had a dispute about any nonsense. They had it all sorted out before. They would, now, too.

Sven made his way to his food bowl and water barrel and started his evening meal.

“Hey feisty-pants, what´s up?” Kristoff traced a finger down her cheek, wiping away some strand of hair out of Anna´s face.

Her eyes fluttered open and when she spotted her man, she sat up immediately. She breathed heavy and blurted out her apologies and how sorry she was about hurting him. She didn´t want that!

Kristoff smiled and nodded, “yes, that was something.”

Anna then took his hand and grinned proudly, “I got an idea and it´s perfect!”

“Now I´m curious,” Kristoff said, “what´s that now?”

Anna straightened her neck, got up, and went around to give Sven a nice hug. The animal grunted happily and nuzzled into Anna´s chest.

She then turned back to Kristoff and declared proud, “I have it all arranged. Tomorrow morning, we set out for a few days journey!” She paused, waiting for him to applause.

“Aha. Okay. Well, and where to?”

“To the enchanted forest!” Pause.

“Aha. That´s nice. To see Elsa and company. And what has that to do with the invitation?”

“There!” Anna came closer, got down to the floor and grabbed Kristoff´s hands, looking into his eyes, “we will find a companion for Sven, fitting for me to ride.”

Kristoff stared at his wife, comprehension dawning on him.

Anna continued, “I´m sorry for having called Sven not royal. That was the most idiotic thing I have ever said,” she squeezed her love´s hands, “he is majestic and the most royal riding animal on earth. A horse would not be as honourable next to him. And Ryder once offered an animal to me, remember? Together, we set out with the royal reindeers of Arendelle. Our riding companions. Worth more than any horse breeds in the world.” She waited for a while. And when Kristoff would not answer, captivated by what she just had said, she asked quietly, “what you say?”

He would say nothing.

Kristoff pulled her close into his chest, buried his face into her neck, and holding her tight. Mumbling he exclaimed his thanks. For her great heart and love!

#frozen fandom #fanfiction #kristanna #conflict and resolving #love #friendship #sven

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