#There are 1476 days left

[kedreeva]

There are good things in this world still

Today, it is the winter solstice for me. This means the days will begin to lengthen again. The sun will return, and the trees will eventually become resplendent in greens once more. I will be able to lie in the grass and clover with Bug, and chase her around the yard.

Today, my partner came home after being out of state for work. It is so nice to see him again. We went to dinner at a local diner, his first time going since the diner moved back into town. The wraps were delicious and the fries were the perfect amount of salty for me (VERY SALTY).

Today, I drove my brother to the airport so he could surprise my little sister by visiting her and my parents for christmas. He left his dog here for me to watch, so I spent a few hours in my childhood home, cuddling a big dumb black lab mix. After, when it was time to pick Sark up from the airport, I asked my childhood best-friend's-mom across the street if she could check on the dog tonight and in the morning, so I could have a little more time with Sark. here is the puppy, asleep on my hoodie

Today, I put a handful of sprouts on top of Bug's crate, and she pulled them through the grating and onto her head. She got more of them in her face than intended, and in very comical ways horked them down instead of spitting them out.

Today, I laughed until I wheezed when the television played a realistic-enough rattlesnake sound that Bug reacted by LEAPING away from the ground with a stomp-kick, as if there was a rattlesnake near her. Instinct is a hell of a drug!

There are good things left in this world, however small. This is your opportunity to reblog this and share your good things with each other, or check the notes if you need a reminder.

[christinariccidaily]

Day 1476

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up

And long ago somebody left with the cup

[firelordsfirelady]

VII. Under Water

Author: @firelordsfirelady

Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancée, how will life change for the princess? 

Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal

Word Count: 1476

Destined to be Yin and Yang 

I own no rights to Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters/story.

Author’s Notes

The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16 

Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

See Y/N’s inspiration here. 

Destined to be Yin and Yang Soundtrack (YouTube)

I stood across from Zuko on the deck of the boat. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so the moon illuminated the area of the wooden floors in between us. Zuko’s obsidian-colored robes looked more like charcoal gray under the silver rays of the moon. His hands were clasped behind his back as he began his lesson.

“What is one of the most important skills you need in order to properly defend yourself?” Zuko asked as his golden eyes shined with anticipation for my answer. Taking a moment to think about my answer, I said the second thing that came to my mind.

“Knowledge of your opponent’s fight style.” Zuko’s head tilted slightly to the right as he asked his next question.

“How do you obtain knowledge of your opponent’s fight style when your opponent is a complete stranger?”

“You learn to read their body language?” The infliction of my words by the end made the statement sound more like a question. Zuko’s right eyebrow raised itself on his forehead.

“Is that a statement or a question?” The firebender asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You learn to read their body language.” I repeated with a firmer tone. Zuko seemed to ponder my words before he quickly moved to attack me with a quick fireball. In the blink of an eye, I had thrown my own water whip to meet the fireball before it could hit me. Judging by the placement of his feet, I had a gut feeling he wanted me to prove my answer. I watched as Zuko shifted his weight slightly to his back foot. As he did this, I also shifted into a defensive stance and prepared myself for another attack. Zuko sent three rapid fireballs my way, but I pulled a large wave over the railing on Zuko’s side of the deck. The force of the wave knocked Zuko on his feet and pulled his prone figure closer to me.

Before the prince could move to stand, I summoned a large stream of water from the ocean to encompass the prince and freeze into a thick ice cocoon around him. Anger flashed on Zuko’s face as I watched his hands begin to burn--dully at first but grew intense as he used his fire to burst through the ice. I wasn’t prepared for the swipe he made at my legs, and I was sent flying to the floor. My body collided with the deck with an audible thud as the force of the impact took the breath from my lungs. I didn’t have time to catch my breath before I was pinned to the deck with Zuko’s right hand around my neck and his left raised with a ready ball of fire in the palm of his hand. His hand wasn’t tight around my throat, but it was tight enough to indicate that he had won.

“You lost.” Zuko whispered before he leaned in close to my face. “Not bad for your first fight.” I fought against the chill that ran through my body and down my arms as I felt goosebumps rise on my forearms. I felt the familiar rise of my cheeks’ temperature, and I knew the light from the moon and the fire in his hand provided Zuko with enough light to see the rush of blood to my cheeks. From my angle, I could see his cheeks turn slightly pink as the reality of our bodies’ positions flustered Zuko too.

“Does this mean you’ll train with me again?” My question was asked in a low volume, and the prince smirked as he leaned in slightly closer. He smelled like rainwater and moss, and I fought against the embarrassing urge to deeply inhale his scent.

“Shall we meet at the same time tomorrow then?” Zuko raised an eyebrow as he leaned back and stood up. I followed him, but the edges of my vision started to darken as I quickly grabbed onto Zuko for support.

“Sorry.” I said as my vision cleared slower than the pace to which it darkened. “You almost had me seeing stars.” I let go of Zuko’s arm as I laughed at my own joke. Then I smiled at Zuko before I gave him a small bow. “Thank you for training with me. I look forward to tomorrow’s lesson.” Zuko’s cheeks began to tint pink as he gave me a small bow in return. Leaving him on the deck, I walked to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. Smiling to myself, I flopped onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling.

My head felt light and my heart raced in my chest as I thought about Zuko. This interaction with him had been different than any other with the Prince in the past three years, and I liked it. After the excitement of the evening faded, I quickly slipped into a deep slumber.

Strange images and scenarios filled my dreams that night. 

A flash of a bright blue beam shooting from the middle of an ice-filled ocean while I stood on the deck speaking with Lieutenant Jee. I heard Zuko exclaim something about the Avatar as I suddenly stood face-to-face with a young airbender whose hands and hairless head had blue gray arrows. He stood in front of the desk in Zuko’s room with a small leather journal held in his hands.

With a sudden blast of wind, I can see Kyoshi’s shrine in the distance higher up on the mountainside as I follow behind Zuko. As Zuko turned around to face me, I found myself face-to-face with the snide face of an older man with thick sideburns. His eyes narrowed as he stalked towards me with a sinister smile on his face. My eyes widened with surprise as I saw the faint glowing blasts of fire and could hear the faint sounds of explosions over the frantic sound of water splashing. The water was cold as I weakly fought against the hand gripping my hair tightly as its own held my head down. I desperately held on to the oxygen in my lungs as my thrashing slowed. My limbs felt like a sky bison’s tail as my vision started rapidly fading to black.

“Princess!” I let out a gasp for air as I was suddenly shaken. In a panic from what had just happened, I thrashed against the hands on my shoulder as I scrambled to sit up. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I felt adrenaline coursing through my body when a small amount of fire lit to illuminate Zuko’s face in the darkness. “Calm down!” He harshly whispered. I blinked rapidly at the sudden change in light. Looking around quickly, I found myself back in my bedroom aboard the ship. “You were screaming, so I came to see what was happening.”

My heart was beating violently against my rib cage as I struggled to steady my breath. I tried to steady my shaking hand as I moved a strand of hair out of my face.

“I am sorry that I woke you.” I looked at the small window of my bedroom that had a small blanket over it to block out the light. It was still dark behind the blanket, so I had assumed it was sometime before sunrise. I wasn’t as successful steadying my hand as I reached for the glass of water on the table by my bed.

“Are you alright?” Zuko’s voice was laced with concern. “You were fighting me like you had been fighting for your life.” I let out a shaky laugh because there was no way that Zuko could have known what I had experienced that caused my scream.

“It was just a dream.” I took a drink to wet the back of my throat. It was hurting slightly from the screaming I had unknowingly done. Zuko’s face softened as he looked at me as I set the glass of water back down. “I appreciate that you came to check on me.” The Prince’s cheeks reddened slightly in the light of the fire as he shifted on his feet.

“Good night then, Princess.” He said before he bowed and turned to leave.

“Y/N.” I said as he reached the door. “Don’t call me Princess. Call me by my name--Y/N.” Zuko grabbed the handle to my door and walked out.

“Good night, Y/N.” I barely heard Zuko’s last words as he closed the door behind him. As I leaned back against the wall behind my bed, I relished in the sense of excitement that overwhelmed my thoughts as Zuko seemed to show some cracks in his rough exterior. I slid back down in bed and pulled the blanket over my head as I closed my eyes.

There was one thing I was almost certain of--Zuko’s walls were starting to crack.

Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @junieshohoho @0kauy @coolgirl458 @hypnoticbeing @angelruinz @preeyansha @playboygeniusphilanthropist @ssonniiu  @chi-ara

[restinslices]

I love your stuff so much, could you write something with the reader getting jealous about Smoke? Someone getting a bit too close to him and the reader feels bad about it. And Tomas finds out and comforts her, finding it endearing.

And I love you💕 Idk why this was kicking my ass so bad. I did two drafts and idk if I like this but this is all I got😔

Word count: 1476

Tomas was not entirely stupid. 

Sure he had moments where he'd made something that should've been simple,  incredibly complicated but he wasn't stupid. He didn't think so at least. 

Anyone who's been around him for the past week might disagree though. 

Tomas had just returned from a mission along with his brothers, and naturally he was telling you all about it. If you were being honest with yourself, you weren't really listening. Tomas tended to ramble and his missions were usually the same as the last, so it was best to let him go on and on but still add commentary here and there. “Wow”, “Really?”, “No you didn't”, and other side comments would hold him. 

Your ears perked up and you started to listen more when he started mentioning women.

It's not that he couldn't speak to other women or he couldn't have female friends, you weren't that crazy. It was just the way he was describing them. Great fighters, moving with the wind, long flowy hair that danced in the sun. It was compliment after compliment, and as much as you hated to admit it, it made your heart squeeze. 

“Wanna tell me how they all looked in detail?” You said sarcastically. You expected Tomas to hear your sarcasm, realize what was wrong, apologize and keep telling his story. Instead he just chuckled and said 

“Then we'd be here all day”. 

Unfortunately for you, the day got worse. 

Another woman whose name you hadn't memorized was all over him. Giggling at jokes that weren't nearly as funny as she pretended they are and finding any reason to touch him. 

You should've said something. You should've communicated your feelings. That's how relationships are supposed to work. 

But you didn't. 

On one hand, you thought you had every reason to be jealous and if Tomas actually cared for your feelings, then he would've picked up on this and apologized. On the other hand you thought you were being unreasonable. Tomas couldn't help if some ditzy bitch liked him. Plus, you never told him how you felt, so you couldn't be mad at him for not understanding. In the same breath though, why didn't he tell her to get off of him and why did he feel it was necessary to describe how great these other women he met were? 

You were arguing with yourself for a solid week, and each day that devil on your shoulder got louder. After all, if Tomas did care about how you felt, he'd stop entertaining that girl. Everytime she was near, you left. Didn't you absence bother him?

But once again, that damn angel got in the way telling you to just be honest with him. He'd understand. How can you be mad at something you hadn't communicated upsets you?

But communication came with shame. How would you look telling Tomas that you got a little butt hurt about him talking about other girls and a girl that kept flirting with him? He'd either understand, or he'd be upset. That's how relationships fell apart, right?

No. It was the lack of communication. 

Maybe?

“I'm gonna throw myself down the stairs” you mumbled. 

“Why?” he asked. 

You somehow forgot he was there. You and him were in charge of washing dishes for the week, but neither of you had been talking. 

“I just hate washing dishes” you said, not completely lying. 

It went silent again, the only thing filling the air being the sounds of you washing and him rinsing. 

Then that silence was broken. 

“Are you ignoring me?” he asked. You didn't know how to answer. You didn't mean to ignore him. You were just in your head a lot. 

You didn't answer and he sighed. “Did I do something?”

“No” you answered without thinking. It was a reflex at this point. Tomas over thought things a lot and you'd have to remind him not everything was on him. Telling him he wasn't at fault was natural, but you weren't sure who was at fault now. 

“I mean… I don't know. It doesn't matter”

“It does to me”

“Does it?”. 

You closed your eyes and breathed slowly. You were being way too harsh and you knew it. Tomas was asking you to share what was going on in your head, and you were saying no?

You opened your eyes again. Your mouth opened a few times, trying to figure out how to put what you were feeling but it never felt right. 

“I don't know how to get this out. It doesn't even make sense in my head. It won't make sense out loud”

“Just say it anyway and I'll ask you questions if I'm confused”. You wondered how Tomas was so good and patient and wondered if he learned that from one of his parents. Or maybe his sister. Either way, you mentally thanked whoever he learned from. 

“Ok so, I just feel- no. No, I should explain first in chronological order. You came back and then… actually that sounds really accusatory”. You groaned and looked over at him “can you just tell me to shut the fuck up”. 

He smiled a little and shook his head. “I wanna hear it. We have all day”. 

“It's late at night. That is not true”. He didn't respond and he wouldn't until you confessed whatever you were thinking. 

“Chronological order then…”, after some more stumbling and backtracking you managed to get it all out. Why you were jealous, when it started, how conflicted you felt and how ashamed you felt for being jealous in the first place. The whole time he just listened, nodded, and furrowed his brows at some parts. You couldn't tell if it was confusion or anger. 

“I didn't mean it that way” he said when you were done. “When I said 'then we’d be here all day’. I just meant there was a lot of them, which I realize now still sounds bad but I didn't mean it in some 'they were just too beautiful’ way. I didn't hear your sarcasm”

“And I just kept conversation with her to be nice. I don't know. I didn't wanna seem rude”

“Being rude can go a long way”

“I guess. And I noticed your absence, I just didn't know why. I figured you needed space for whatever reason, so I didn't bother you”

“I think it's impossible for you to bother me”. 

Once again, he smiled and let out a small laugh. You looked back down at the soapy water and that's when you felt like a complete idiot. You were worrying him when you could've been had this conversation. 

“I'm an idiot”

“I don’t think so” and you could tell by his voice that he was smirking. “I think you're just really in love with me”

“Ok buddy”. You rolled your eyes, even if he was right. 

“It's cute”

“It's embarrassing”

“Loving me or-”

“Being jealous. I haven't been that jealous before with anyone else”

“I'm not like anyone else”

“You're white. You're quite literally like everyone else-” Tomas flicked water your way, some of it getting in your eye. 

“I'm gonna kill you”

“You wouldn't. You'd get jealous over the Grim Reaper”. You frowned but he kept smiling that stupid smile that was both loving and antagonistic. Then he laughed. A nice heartfelt laugh that ended up making you crack a smile. 

“Are you smiling because I'm laughing?”

“Absolutely not”,  you lied. 

“You really got a thing for me”

“I've never met you a day in my life”

“That's even more embarrassing then if you're that in love with me”. You went to make another smart comment, but he bumped his shoulder against yours “hey”, he said softly. So soft it threw you off guard. “I think it's cute. You're like a little guard dog”. 

“Were you dropped on your head as a baby and now your social cues are scrambled? A guard dog? I'd prefer if you stabbed me. Here-”, you went to grab a knife but he caught your hand. Any other time you would've hated this. Both your hands were soaking and something about the feel of that made you skin crawl, but you guessed you could deal with that. 

“I think it's cute that you love me so much. I just wish you'd be more honest about what you feel. I was worried”. 

You cringed. You supposed that was your fault. You and your dumb brain making shit complicated, which is something you swore was more of a Tomas thing. 

“I'll be better. I promise. I'll start now”

“Now?”

“Now. The texture of you wet hand makes me wanna die. Please unhand me”. He couldn't help but laugh as he let you go, and you couldn't help but laugh as well. 

You didn't know what you were laughing at. 

You were just happy to be laughing together. 

Finally getting back to requests. The crowd goes wild. Tumblr has this big space between lines so I cannot tell if the format is weird and I should add more space or if I’m tweaking. Oh well.

[ruiniel]

In Aeternum

Fandom: Castlevania series (2017-2021)

Relationship: Alucard x Reader

Count: 2.2k

Rating: M

Tags: Pining, Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Dark Romanticism/style, Castlevania References, Reincarnation, Post-Castlevania 2017-2021, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, F!Reader, Herbalist Reader, Magic, References to Speakers, Creatures, Shapeshifting, Second Person POV

AN: Bringing back a story written on the old blog for an ask (I believe it was from @mightyarsh? Let me know if not!). Oneshot for now, TBC if there's interest for more.

Edit: here's Part II

Summary:

Alucard centered story, where his s/o in ~1476 is a herbalist who eventually dies of old age. Fast forward to the 1790s, Alucard stumbles into you: a herbalist and magician, with the same appearance of the one he knew long ago.

“There you are,” you whisper gleefully to yourself, bending down. Your gloved hand reaches to pick the buoyant cluster of white and yellow feverfew at your feet.

The forest sings with life, and sun rays brush bright, dappled fingers over the forest ground. Your satchel is almost full, and you’re pleased to see you’ve crossed most needed supplies off your list for the day. Dusk will soon be upon you, and while you’re more than capable of protecting yourself against any manner of disturbances, the wisest approach would be to head back sooner than later. Carefully, you wrap your quarry in a rough strip of paper and tuck it inside your bag with other scented packages. You rub at your nose with fingers smelling of yarrow, valerian and meadowsweet, considering being done for the day. Looking at your compass, you aim to follow North, towards the town where you run your trade and livelihood.

You take a few steps, thoughts on the newest concoction recipes you’ve been provided by a member of your guild.

At first, you don’t mind the eerie shift in the air. A smell, a reek rises and engulfs you, and though you sense no movement, the tendrils of impending threat weave around your ankles. You stop short.

The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end; your heartbeat quickens. You know this instinctual warning, you’ve felt it before.

You’re being watched.

Eyes narrowing, you wait, then take a step forward. A stir deep in the tall, dark undergrowth has you lifting your left hand, your stance gone rigid, fingertips sizzling with a rush of hot, elemental energy.

You falter as the creature reveals itself, emerging from of the shadows descended over the wood like moving shrouds; you can’t deny the beast’s unreal beauty as your gaze skims over the white, shining hide, to the golden eyes catching the last drops of sunlight spearing through the trees, watching you with an interest bordering on human.

No, you realize, swallowing hard; its eyes are human, but for all your knowledge in the arcane arts, you can’t for the life of you place its kind. You’re all too familiar with the unmistakable scent of foreign magic, and now it crackles around the dire wolf like rising thunder.

A thought, a forgotten piece of knowledge crosses your mind. Shapeshifter.

If it weren’t for your less than favorable situation, you’d be hopelessly entranced by the rare apparition.

The creature remains still, observing you with curiosity while you place your right foot behind you and drop your satchel. Your fingers form the conjuration symbol of fire.

“I don’t know what you are or why you’re here, but I warn you, one wrong move and I will not hesitate to burn you to a crisp!”

Your voice shakes beneath your bravado, but you don’t get to finish your shaking threat. Before you can muster even a wisp of a firebolt the wolf bounds in a great leap, and in primeval fright you trip over your own legs, falling to the floor amid wilted leaves and dirt. Your unremarkable life flashes before your eyes and only late you notice you’re still breathing, still in your body; still breathing, not dead.

You swivel around, rising to your knees.

Your eyes widen; you balk at the ghastly sight and scramble backwards on your arms and legs, watching the wolf ripping out the throat of another apparition reminiscent of rotting corpses. Guts splatter the trunks of trees, skin tears and bones splinter. The pestilence of ancient necromancy fills your nostrils; your head is spinning, and through your daze and the vicious, threat-induced pounding in your head, you barely see two booted feet instead of a four-legged stance. Closer they come, as your panting breath hitches in your throat.

You lift your gaze, heart struggling between your ribs. Ahead, a widening pool of murky green blood drools beneath the carcass of his kill.

“You should... watch yourself better out here,” come the soft words, and as your shocked eyes move over him, you see broad shoulders, a well-knit frame garbed in black, and looking into his face, you’re struck by a deep, wrenching familiarity.

His unblemished features possess that same stillness, but also honesty and reluctant kindness; and something else. Indefinable, like grasping at a half-forgotten dream at the strike of dawn.

You can’t speak, and mutely stare as he kneels before you. The first impulse is to back away, but through the remnants of your panic you squint at him, and recognition flares. “You!”

You’ve seen him before. You remember now. You… you know him. He’s been a recent, frequent customer in your apothecary shop, coming by regularly to purchase herbs and powders used for an array of purposes. He never skimped on payment, even for the most expensive of wares.

Those otherworldly traits you remember: in truth, how could you forget. His presence is always the hallmark of the familiar, though in what way, you cannot say.

“You…” you repeat dumbly, staring at his proffered gloved hand.

You hesitate before reaching, allowing long fingers to wrap around yours as he helps you to your feet. The grip sends a rush up your spine and warmth down your body, and you marvel at how fast you turned from paralyzing fright to cursed reactions of a completely different kind.

“I never knew you were a shapeshifter, Mr. Țepeș,” you croak, deeply embarrassed by the uncanny rebellion within. You release his hand, perhaps slower than would be deemed appropriate.

“And you never mentioned you were a magician.” He smiles as you dust off the leaves and dirt from your clothes. “But then, these are not things commonly shared among acquaintances in this day and age, are they?”

Despite the near brush with a gruesome death and his unexpected, though fortuitous, presence, you still find a shred of mirth within you. A wry smile curls your lips. “No, I suppose it is not. Though we’ve come a long way from deeming magic devil’s work, and burning witches at the stake.”

His brows furrow at that, and something twitches in his jaw. You wonder if your words had somehow upset him, though in what way, you haven’t the slightest idea.

What was he doing here?

Whatever shadow crossed his expression is gone, however, and he shakes his head. “Indeed, we have. Still, I think you agree caution is key. And please, just ‘Adrian’,” he follows, as gallant as you remember him, as if there’s not a dead abomination he’d disemboweled lying only a short distance away.

“Very well, Adrian,” you find your voice. The word is easy on your tongue, like a fresh, blooming flower. Here you are, alone and at his mercy, for you have no inkling of his true power, but your fear sluices away with his closeness. You wish you knew the reason why. “I won’t tell anyone, if you won’t,” you add, astonished at the sudden shift in mood.

“You’re a long way from home,” he ignores your light remark, watching you strangely, a near wistful gleam in burnished eyes.

“Yes, well, I was out gathering supplies, and I’ve encountered no trouble thus far, but,” you pause, an eyebrow raised as suspicion rears its head. “...you were following me?”

He looks away. “I was hunting it,” he gestures behind him. “Stray creatures of the nether still lurk in the whereabouts of my home, and I’ve encountered too many bodies around abandoned pathways and ditches to allow the prowling to continue.”

You’ve heard of this. You know of at least two families who had recently lost someone; people disappearing without a trace, none ever returned.

Misery for their plight fills you, but now your curiosity has peaked at his words, and there brims a need to know more. “You mention your home… you live close by, then?” Throughout your sparse dealings, he always kept things professional, and despite having met countless times before, you obviously know close to nothing about him.

Adrian hesitates beneath your searching stare, biting his lip. “For now.”

You’re left to wonder at the meaning of his words, your gaze straying behind him. “Oh, how horrid of me! You saved my life. Thank you,” you bow your head, your gratitude genuine.

Adrian looks up to the skies. He smiles. “Darkness falls,” he says. “My deed will prove useless if you end at the hands of brigands or whatever other things haunt this part of the wood.” Unsettling amber eyes are on you again, and something warm and sweet settles in your belly. Now, of all times.

“I…” you choke, “I better get moving then,” you avert your gaze, bending down to retrieve your abandoned satchel.

“I could escort you to the edge of the forest, if you wish.”

The words take you by surprise. Your eyes cut to his again, and in the half-light, their gold is deeper, brighter. Wolf-like, but without the trace of a threat.

“... two wards are better than one, that sort of thing,” he smiles thinly, almost shyly, his gaze intent on your face.

“... that would…” do you want him to? After all, he is little more than a stranger to you, but then again, you are not exactly powerless either, were he to try anything. The thought shames you for some unknown reason, and deep inside, there comes the truth: shapeshifting powers aside, you want him close, you want to know him beyond the placid stares and the memory of those fleeting, close-lipped smiles; beyond the all too brief encounters. Something rooted deep pushes past all sensible misgivings.

You shoulder your satchel, meeting his stare. You sense no danger coming from him, none. Instead, a pang of sadness coils around you, leaving you breathless in your confused stupor.

Your heart beats so fast it might break your sternum, but in his shuttered expression you find nothing. A cool wind shivers through the branches, lifting his pale hair, sending strands astray as he silently awaits your decision.

You nod slowly with a sigh. “... that would be very kind of you.”

You walk in comfortable silence, exchanging questions of mundane import here and there, then falling to silence again. If there’s still a waver to your step, or a hitch to your breath since you nearly lost your life today, your travel companion makes no mention of it.

You tread through dust and leaf until you reach the forest’s edge, and before you lies a vale, and a town tucked within it. You glance over to see your new acquaintance walking in a smooth, determined glide, looking left and right.

When your eyes meet, the question forms immediately, more so since you’ll use any excuse to explain the staring. What has actually happened to you? More annoyed at yourself than expected, you ask, “I haven’t seen you around here often. Before, that is,” you nibble on your lip as his gaze flicks away from you in the fallen twilight.

“I could say the same about you,” he muses, “I’ve always lived close by, actually. But I’ve been… absent these past few years, let’s say.”

Odd. And yet. “Oh, I see. I had settled here after leaving my caravan and parents to find my luck in the world. They knew I needed to channel the talents they’d noticed growing and affecting my life more and more with each passing day. For all the dangers I’ve met, great or small, I’d found some use for my skill in herbalism, found odd jobs until I scraped enough which, along with the help my parents offered when I left, allowed me to rent a place of my own.” You look swiftly his way. “I’m rambling, I’m sorry,” but the look in his eyes cuts through your cresting apology.

“No,” Adrian shakes his head, “It is no bother,” he says, an odd quality to his voice. “No bother at all.” 

It’s a long walk to your cottage at the edge of town, through the same muddy, unpaved road you’ve trod day after day, month after month, year after year. You’ve been alone for so long it’s become a way of life, and you mull over that thought, making your way to the worn, crumbled building of your little shop.

Pausing before the door, you turn around to face your unlooked-for savior. “Well, then.” You smile, catching the peculiar stares of one or two neighbors. Irritation flares—of course, none would even think of minding their own business.

“Well, then.” 

The niggling prickle of something in your mind remains, but you know better than to linger with a stranger in the evening outside your home. The town is not so large as to be impervious to wagging tongues, and that is nothing you want to be a part of.

“Thank you, again,” you offer, not knowing what else to say, for he is so still again, staring through you as though seeking something. 

“Until next time,” is all he says.

“... Under better circumstances. I hope,” you try a jest, turning to unlock the wooden door to your cottage.

“So do I.”

The wind has become stronger. You turn around, wanting to add something that disperses from your mind as you find yourself alone, the night and a rising moon your only witnesses.

MASTERLIST: CASTLEVANIA SERIES x READER

More of my work is on AO3

BLOG MASTERPOST (all you need to know)

Likes/comments/reblogs always and forever appreciated

[diabolifabrica]

😈

(either a cursed Hector or a Hector who never defected!)

Send 😈 to meet a dark/evil version of my muse.

(hope this is okay and not rushed or too over the top for him)

Loyal Retainer: Devoted to the very end.

The war against Count Dracula in 1476. Hector is given his orders to hunt down the intruding vampire hunters, specifically Trevor.

He remembers all the pain he was given at the hands of humans. How the only care he ever known was of the one exception: and now she is gone. Taken away by the same miserable fools who sought to have him suffer as a child, cowards who couldn't deal with the problem they saw in a more permanent way. Went against their beliefs, of course. Yet not all lives were equal... funny that.

Frankly. Hector has become completely shut off to humanity. Why defend those who would only cast him aside as if he were trash? Even if he, too, is human, his mind is clouded with the idea that he is not one of them. His Master told him as such and his words had him considering and toiling over what it means. Of course he is human! But because of his position, because of what he can do, he may has well not be. Lady Lisa was the only exception he's found, and Hector came to the conclusion that just one among hundreds of thousands isn't enough.

He made his choice.

"So you've come at last. The only defense that your pitiful beings have left to save yourselves... Tell me, was it even worth it? Taking more than what you should have, meddling into what you cannot even begin to understand and destroying what is sacred? You'll not live to see day!"

He knows this one is a threat, he knows it could be possible that he may not survive the fight. Not against this one. the one his Lord warned against, the Belmont as he's called. So of course he is beyond prepared, even with this man being alone. Hector surrounds himself in a small army of demons, shining with the crystals of life stolen away and given anew through his demonic gift. Great wings, jaws and talons to tear and maim, magic swirling in the air and around this unwanted guest to rid the world of yet another warrior struggling for survival. Like he used to be.

Hector cannot help himself as he grins wide, showing teeth and the light in his eyes long since faded away. It's nothing but burning hatred shared by his partner and his Master. Perhaps one day, too, His Highness will come around to see things from this perspective as well. So all humans must perish if they don't suffer first.

Belmont doesn't stand a chance and the Devil Forgemaster won't give him one as he comes at him with everything he has, brutally beating him until he can't even get up the moment he's on his hands and knees. Hector isn't one to just let his devils do all the work, having gone in with the sword at his side to slide that blade under the brunette's chin. The tip barely pierced into his skin and causes a tiny trickle of blood to add to the mess he already is in, his own quiet rage in those blue eyes are forced up to stare at Hector.

There's nothing left other than his own biology that makes this servant of Dracula human. Perhaps not even that - more of a mockery of it.

"Poor soul. In the end you..." Hector then raised the sword and from one side to the other, slashes in a quick movement.

"... Tried."

He really did make his choice.

[alpaca-clouds]

Dhampirs in Castlevania

Something I wanted to talk about for a while, is how dhampirs function in Castlevania (and how I headcanon them, because we do not get a lot of information).

For the most part Alucard is really the only dhampir we get to know both in the games and in the series. In Super Castlevania IV Simon Belmont is a dhampir, too. In Castlevania Legends Alucard has a kid, who ends up being a dhampir as well. And in the upcoming Mobile game the main character is gonna be a dhampir as well. But that's it.

From all these characters from the games we barely know anything. Especially given that dhampir!Simon and the child of Alucard and Sonia are non-canon to the main timeline.

And when it comes to game Alucard, we mostly just know that he is immortal, given he sticks around from 1476 till 2035 without aging a day.

The series of course has to give us more information. Here we do see his pointy teeth, we know he has regenerative abilities that usually let him heal without scars (though for some reason his fight with his father left him with a scar), we get the information that he has aged faster than a human would (though not how fast, as we do not know his age) and it does seem that he can go longer than a human without food or sleep. And of course he has some abilities, like superhuman strength and speed, but also some magical tricks like shapechanging, though the series does not confirm if it is just a magic spell or some inherent ability. (In the games it is a spell, so to speak, given it can be taken from him.)

We do not know, whether he needs to consume blood for any of his abilities to work. She pointy fangs make it somewhat likely, but it never gets confirmed.

Which brings me to my headcanon stuff.

First: We know that for the most part vampires and humans life apart from each other - or in societies with the humans as a subserviant class to the vampires. And while it clearly is not unheard of, that humans and vampires procreate, it does seem to be rare. My assumption is, that in fact most dhampirs get born out of rape with male vampires raping human women during raids.

Second: There is a big question on whether vampire women can procreate. We do not see it anywhere in canon, of course, but that does not mean it cannot happen. It just so is that obviously for the undead weapon to keep up female reproductive capabilities is a lot more work. And... honestly, I do not wish it onto anyone to have periods FOR FUCKING CENTURIES. So my headcanon is, that some vampire women remain fertile for a while after being turned, but usually loose fertility after one or two decades. Some loose fertility upon turning, though. And yes, this means that there are born vampire children around.

Third: Because usually dhampir children are born from human mothers with no vampire father to be around, humans see them in fact as cursed. (Yes, this is in direct opposition of real world believes about dhampirs.) Which is why most of them get killed in the cradle or put out into the wild.

Forth: Like in real world believes meanwhile vampire society believes that dhampirs are a bane onto their existence, because it just so happens that those dhampir kids not getting killed by humans often come to loathe their vampire fathers and set out to kill them. And given their super human abilities, they are in fact quite good with it.

Fifth: In reality, though, dhampirs are sorta a biological adaption for vampires. While vampires cannot drink the blood of other vampires, they can drink the blood of dhampirs. And given the dhampiric regeneration, they can actually give more blood than a human could, before running into troubles.

Sixth: Dhampirs do not necessarily need to drink blood. But if they overuse their abilities, they might need blood to recharge. Same goes with the limits of their regenerative abilities. While they can heal quite a few things, they have their limits and in that case need blood to regenerate.

Seventh: Dhampirs will always reproduce as dhampirs. No matter whether a dhampir has a child with a human or a vampire, the child is always gonna be a dhampir. Yes, this is an issue as soon as you realize that they reach reproductive age early and stay in it for quite a while.

And yeah... I needed a lot of headcanons to put them into place, which just happens if you write as much about it as I do xD

[bobbasmultiverse]

strawberries & cigarettes

5. crescendo

word count: 1476

monday rolled around. you'd finished your morning classes that day and then went to the cafe, stepping in ten minutes before your shift, having exchanged your 4pm class to another day so that you'd work a later shift. you'd smiled at hyunwoo from behind the cashier as he smiled back before he went back to the customer in front of him.

you picked up the key, opening the door guarded by the counter to the storage room, shutting it behind you as you grabbed your work clothes and apron, putting your bag and coat into your locker. you'd noticed the previously empty locker now filled with things, not much really, just an extra, neatly folded change of clothes with what seemed to be some extra hygiene things.

you turned around after you'd tied your hair, apron, and assessed the locker, opening the door and stepping out, just as the clock struck 3. the part-timers (fellow students) before you bid their goodbyes to both your boss and you before they each got their things and hurried out of the coffee shop.

resting against the back counter, you crossed your arms, hands yet to be clad in protective gloves as you waited for the chime of the door before you'd proceed to, not wanting to get your hands sweaty already.

"who's locker is beside mine? it was empty the whole week." you'd mumbled, turning around and leaning on your elbows on the front counter as you turned slightly to hyunwoo who quirked a brow at you to get off the counter, which you did.

he sighed. "he's another part timer, works during the semesters and quits during the breaks, a good kid, though. you'll like him." he stated, patting your head like a little kid.

"he's a week late?" you questioned, a surprised tune in your voice.

"personal issues, y/n, we don't question it."

"where's he now?"

he sighed. again. "on his way."

the door chimed just on time as in stumbled the 'good kid' as hyunwoo called him, bowing at the disturbed people before he approached the counter, bowing towards your boss.

"good afternoon, mr. son!" he basically shouted as you winced from the noise, now realizing why your friends and brother were always complaining about their fourth roommate.

soonyoung straightened, smiling at hyunwoo, his eyes tightening to slits as he hadn't noticed you yet, and you thought he never would when he very casually passed by you and walked into the storage room like you weren't even there.

sharing confused looks with hyunwoo, you both turned to the approaching customer as you put on your gloves, preparing yourself for your six hour shift, with soonyoung avoiding you as if you were the plague.

it was not his intention, at all, to act like an asshole towards you and completely ignoring your existence, it was just that…he knew you wouldn't remember, but drunk you was a quite memorable. he'd found you bent in front of your keypad, eyes squinted to slits as you very slowly punched in a few numbers, only for the device to beep and deny you access.

you'd turned to him then, eyes still in slits before they widened in recognition, and he could swear they were the widest he'd ever seen before you’d smiled at him lightly, waving before you'd turned once again to your keypad.

he'd felt awkward and upset. his plan with jeonghan had failed quite miserably, but there you were, right in front of him, so the least he could do was help you.

he'd heard you curse under your breath multiple times, and you'd almost punched the device before he'd grabbed your wrist, stopping your assault. he'd blushed furiously at the contact and got so shy that he simply left you in front of your dorm room, knocking rapidly before he bailed and basically barging into his dorm, scaring the shit out of poor mingyu who was enjoying his fifteen minute break before he'd went back to his assignment.

and currently, he was feeling guilty for abandoning your drunk self like that, but you seemed to be okay in front of him now, so he'd better man up and strike conversation with you since you were now co-workers as well, but that never seemed to happen.

later that night, you'd waved goodbye at hyunwoo, watching as he quickly jogged from the door to his car, getting in and settling for a moment before he drove off as you wiped the last table, dropping the rag and sighing at the pouring rain outside.

you didn’t bring an umbrella today. it’s an unfortunate, rare event, since you always have it as a ‘just in case’ in your backpack, but you had to take it out today to make space for your extra pack of cup ramyeon, for if you got stranded and couldn’t get a small snack through your shift.

you grabbed the rag with another sigh, turning around just to find soonyoung walking out of the storage room in his usual clothes, with an umbrella in his hand. that alone made you want to scream out loud, but you settled for a mental, quieter one. you couldn’t afford getting sick this week since you were going out with mingyu for the newspaper club you'd signed up for for the first time.

you’d probably have to sacrifice your bag to survive this. you passed by soonyoung, not acknowledging each other as you both did the whole evening. you placed the rag in its respectful spot, pushing the storage door closed behind you as you quickly put on your clothes and coat, folding your things back into the locker for your next shift in two days.

you'd walked out, locking the room and placing the key where you'd agreed on with hyunwoo, grabbing the extra set of keys he had for when he left earlier than the employees. the slight pout remained on your lips as you made your way towards the door, stepping out into the cold and locking the doors behind you.

turning around, you stared ahead, shielded from the rain by the sign above you, but not for long. it’s a ten minute walk to the nearest station and a fifteen minute walk back to your dorm, so you’d be soaked by the time you step foot into the campus-

“you ready?”

your head whipped to the sound, finding soonyoung standing in hearing range through the heavy patter of the rain with his umbrella shielding him. frowning, you looked around to find no one but you standing there. “are you talking to me or…?” you trailed off, staring at the, now, confused man as he looked around for a minute before turning to you.

he nodded, his lips forming into a pout as he stood there. “you shouldn’t walk back alone.”

“i’m not drunk, soonyoung. i can take care of myself. thank you so much.” you bowed respectfully at him, starting your march and keeping under the extended signs.

soonyoung stared at your retreating back, frowning to himself at what had just happened. he had purposely been ignoring you the whole morning, yes, but he was still a nice dude, and he knew some manners, one of which he shouldn’t let a lady walk alone at night, especially when she didn’t have an umbrella while it’s raining cats and dogs around her.

he called out your name, jogging to catch up with you and placing the umbrella over the two of you. “yes?” you questioned, turning to him.

it all felt like it was out of a kdrama, the rain surrounding you, his umbrella over the both of you, how close he was and the scarf that was wrapped around your neck. all indications of a kissing scene.

“are you trying to pull a doom at your service or-”

“i’m just doing what your brothers would have done. let’s go.”

he urged you, with a hand on the small of your back, to keep you close enough for the umbrella to fit the both of you.

he’d just basically brother-zoned you. and he’d just realized that. he needs a hard smack on his head, preferably with jeonghan’s pet rock or his favourite toy sword. now, all his plans are very visibly going down the drain right in front of him, as he waits with you for the lights to turn green so the two of you can cross the road.

and the silence dawned on the two of you as you both slowly got sucked into your thoughts for the week, only awaking after you’d stepped foot outside of the subway and the two of you were separated, each going home on their own since the rain had stopped just in time for your little walk to the dorms.

previous | masterlist | next

pairing: kwon soonyoung x wonwoo's sister!oc, xu minghao x wonwoo's sister!oc (ft. SVT)

genre: college au, love triangle, brother's bestfriend, fwb, angst, fluff

synopsis: two minor, what you'd call, incidents, lead up to the craziest few months of your life, where you make friendships and break some and you end with having to make the craziest choices of your life; to be young and free forever, or to have the best love of all time.

bobba talks | life's great. i think i failed that bio exam? and i'm def failing my physics and chem midterms. life's good, life's amazing. this is also not the best, hope you enjoy it tho

[kroashent]

kroashent

Dracula and the Law: Who Owns the Demeter? Part II - Jus Naufragii

Dracula has lived a long unlife. Let's start this legal excercise by placing the voyage of the Demeter in an earlier context. We'll assume that the cargo, the ship's point of origin and the makeup of the crew is generally the same, but change the year and where it makes landfall to see what happens.

Jus Naufragii

One of the earliest extra-legal remedies for a wreck came in the form of the Jus Naufragii or Lex Naufragii (The "Right" and "Law" of Wreck, respectively). For much of history, wrecks were treated with the ancient remedy set out in the case of Finders v. Keepers. The inhabitants or sovereign of a territory would lay claim to the wreckage, cargo and even passengers and crew as slaves if a ship wrecked on their shores. Local custom often justified this theologically by declaring that the wreck was God's punishment for the sins of those aboard. The custom was publicly supported by monarchs and nobles across Europe.

Jus Naufragii is not a small enterprise either. Breton Viscount Guihomar IV (1130-1179) once remarked that the right of wreck on a single "most precious stone" yielded 100,000 solidi/year. There is ample evidence of active wreckers taking the opportunity to draw in ships with false lights and other tricks throughout Asia, Europe and the New World.

The Custom was not without opponents, and it was strongly condemned throughout history, and its ban was express in Roman Emperor Justinian I's Corpus Juris Civilis and Digesta (Both ~ 530 CE). The Catholic Church outlawed the custom repeatedly in 1124 (Papal Bull of Clement II), 1127 (Council of Nantes), 1179 (Lateran Council) and 1509 (Papal Bull of Julius II). In the 1180s, Genoa and its neighbors signed treaties with Iberian Muslims to spare its ships from the Jus.

While the direct influence of the Church and seafaring nation-states led to the disappearance of the law in the Med, it lasted longer in the North. France and Brittany signed a treaty with each other similar to the Genoese in 1231, and France and Venice entered an agreement in 1268.

Let's pick the year of 1476, the setting of the Castlevania anime, for our voyage. The Demeter is a Russian ship, with a Romanian crew. Assuming it wrecks in the Med, the right of wreck will not apply, as it had largely and effectively been outlawed. Along the Atlantic or the Channel, (Assuming that Russia is not a party to any protective treaties), its much more likely that the first to arrive will become the proud owners of 50 crates of dirt and one pissed off vampire.

------

The 17th Century brought a fairly major changes. A 1625 treaty between England and the Netherlands established a grace period of a year and a day for an owner to claim their wrecked property, while France and the Netherlands agreed that salvagers would be paid a "saviour's fee." In 1663, the Netherlands formally abolished the jus, with Turkey doing so in 1535 and 1740. Jus naufraugii is the custom of Dracula's time, one that would be left behind as the world changed, an ancient custom of divine retribution and opportunistic looting. The right of wreck is a product of Dracula's world. Let's look at how it fits into Mina's soon...

[1yuuki3]

Part 1:

Do you believe in fate?

Genre: Strangers to lovers, Fluff, Angst, YoongixReader, idolyoongi

TW: mentions of cheating,light swearing?

A/N: Hi, thank you for stumbling into my delulu word..

Wc: 1476 words

Synopsis: You were never one to believe in fate, You're life was made up of plans and bullet points , Organized to the very end. Until fate played a cruel joke and left your life in shambles. Nursing a broken heart in Spain, will this make you change your view on love and fate?.

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

" Y/N when are you coming home?" your bestfriend Aya asked you while face timing you.

"Just give me two more days and I'm coming home"

you said with a bitter smile on your face.

"Home" A word so familiar yet so far. Crumbling your heart into tiny little pieces.

Home was a hazel eyed boy named James. 

Whose smile makes your heart do flip-flops and butterflies go crazy in your stomach. But that was before he decided to break your heart.

Rather than wallow in self-pity, you decided to go out of your rented room 

and take in the sites that Spain can offer.

Walking around with your trusty camera you took pictures, 

but you call them memories.. 

A new chapter in life, A new chapter without him, you thought.

Throwing all caution in the air, you decided to get drunk and celebrate this freedom of yours. 

But fate has different plans for you.

As you walked aimlessly around the back alleys of Spain, 

You noticed a tiny bar hidden by an arch of flowers. 

If it wasn't for the sign that says "Tienda de Magia" you'd definitely miss it.

As you reluctantly entered, You felt as if your transported in time, 

when love and fairytales existed. Where happy never after existed.

Gentle guitar music peppered the air, creating a calm atmosphere, 

where you can easily leave all your worries at the door.

As you walk towards the bar you noticed a guy having a hard time ordering due to the language barrier.

You don't know what came over you or maybe it was your bestfriend's advice to 

"go fuck the 1st cute guy you met and get over that arse". 

You know she was joking and just want to make you smile.

"Ah,excuse me, do you need help?" you softly asked the stranger.

A pair of cat like eyes stared back at you as if you've materialized from smoke. 

He cleared his throat as if trying to calm the feelings in his stomach while staring at your brown eyes.

"Ye-Yes" he answered in that low sexy voice that can make girls swoon.

"I was trying to order a scotch on the rocks, but we got lost in translation" he continued to explain while scratching his neck.

"Let me do it" you said and gave him a smile.

He smiled his gummy smile and it did things to your heart as you slowly feel your cheeks turn red.

You talked to the bar tender who was eyeing your interactions, with a knowing smile on his face and turned his back to prepare your drinks.

"Yoongi" he shyly mumbled, "my name is Yoongi".

"Hi Yoongi, I'm Y/N" you said as you take his outstretched hand to shake.

As soon as your palms touched, as if there were a thousand pikachu's who suddenly hit you with thunderbolts. To say that the touch was electrifying is an understatement.

"What are you doing here in Spain?"

You asked trying to clear out any awkwardness in the air.

"Working and you?" he replied, He may have noticed the change in your expression, that he immediately said.

"No need to tell me, if it will make you uncomfortable".

You took in a deep breathe as if your life depended on it, You never really told anyone why you ended the engagement. Not even your parents. Only your best friend knows the truth.

You didn't do it because you still love him, You did it because you can't stand people looking at you with pity, 

The girl with the perfect life cheated by her fiancé.

You took a deep breathe and said

"He cheated on me, I saw him fucking his best friend in our bed, I never confronted him, I just left and here I am now getting drunk with you"

You looked at him, waiting for any sign of pity but there was none, Was that anger you saw? or was it the alcohol talking?

He took your hand into his and slowly massaged circles in your knuckles, not helping the butterflies or it is worms in your stomach at this point.

"It not your fault he cheated, even if I just met you, I can say you are someone special and your ex is stupid"

he said still holding on to your hand as if afraid to let you go.

"I'm not saying this so that I can get in your pants or anything, You're special Y/N"

he said as his face is slowly turning into beet red.

You laughed like you haven't laughed in ages. 

Holding your stomach as you laugh your pain away "This is what freedom feels like" You thought to yourself.

And just like that the moment was broken as a waiter shyly approached Yoongi.

"Hi,aren't you Suga from bts?Can I asked for your autograph." as he handed a tissue and a pen.

You noticed how Yoongi suddenly became uncomfortable, 

but still signed the paper with his autograph.

You heard the bartender scolding the waiter.

"You shouldn't have bothered our guests like that,

people come here to escape, to let go of the real world" and he gives you an apologetic smile.

"So, you're in a band?that's cool" you said.

"Yeah, that's why we're here in Spain for work" he replied

"That's cool, and I apologize if I don't recognize you, I'm just not really that updated with bands and what not"

You answered, In which he replied with a big sigh of relief, not realizing he was holding his breathe.

You were like a breathe of fresh air for Yoongi, being an Idol and in front of a camera can be exhausting, 

not that he's complaining because music is his passion, And he loves what he is doing.

But being able to roam around without people recognizing you is a relief.

"So want to get out of here Mr. I'm in a band? Before anyone recognizes you again" Y/N said playfully.

As you got out of the bar, laughing like life long friends.

Y/N took out her hat and placed it on your head as she drunkenly called it a "disguise" so that people won't recognize you.

You talked about everything and nothing. Surprised that you had a lot in common. You learned that Y/N is a music producer and you were pleasantly surprised that you know some of the songs she produced.

When you asked her why she was using a different name for the songs she produced, She simply said she wanted to make a name for herself and not just be the daughter of one of the biggest business tycoon in the country.

You noticed that your aimless walking brought you and Yoongi to a beach and both of you decided to just rest and clear your head from the alcohol.

"Hey, Can we have a picture if you don't mind?" You hesitantly asked it's for my memory box. I promise no one will see it you added hastily.

He gave you his signature gummy smile as he pulled you close to him.

Being near him makes you question things, but you blame this on the alcohol and the night.

After the picture was taken you went back to your comfortable silence. Just sitting next to him.

"Y/N? do you believe in fate? Yoongi asked while staring at you.

"I never believed in fate, for me it's like a made up story for hopeless romantics"

You replied.

Was your heart really that broken to make you this cynical about fate Yoongi wondered.

And in that moment Yoongi felt a sigh from you. As you gently placed your head on his shoulder..

"This feels so good" you quietly said.

"What? Yoongi replied in a near whisper.

"You, Me, the beach" you replied while looking at him.

As if your body has a mind of its own. You feel that you're moving slowly towards Yoongi and he is mirroring your action as well.

As your lips almost touched, A ringing phone pierced the silence and the magic was gone.

Yoongi silently cursed whoever was calling but still answered the phone.

"Yoongi-ah, where the hell are you?"

The caller said without waiting for an answer.

"I'm at the beach by the pier hyung"

Yoongi replied

"You better get back here, before our manager would notice you are gone"

You just listened silently as Yoongi was being scolded by whoever was it on the other line. 

As the call ends. Yoongi silently looks at you with an apologetic smile.

Uhm, I need to go now, I just left our hotel without our permission" He said

Grabbing his hand, you smiled reassuringly, You're sad that this night has to end but it was a happy distraction before going back to reality.

Grabbing his hand, you smiled reassuringly, You're sad that this night has to end but it was a happy distraction before going back to reality.

"Let's go get a cab you and I" you said.

"Will we see each other again?" Yoongi asked.

"If your fate is real, maybe we'll cross paths once again" You answered with a smile.

And that's how you parted ways, You clutching the polaroid picture, an evidence of a magical night spent in Spain. And him with your bucket hat clutched in his hands, praying that you'll meet again..

[thelongestway]

How to Spot Electoral Fraud From Poll Dynamics: An Introduction

Quick edit: I see the screenshots didn't copy right from my drafts - give me a moment, I'll get them back up momentarily. This mostly concerns p. 2-3.

Edit 2: Should be fixed now. Enjoy the read; use it well.

All right, everyone. Now that the polls are over and done, I would like to use this little situation as an object lesson in a very important thing in our current political climate of right-wing takeovers.

I want to teach the several thousand of you reading this how to spot electoral fraud from the dynamics of a poll, and specifically how to tell the difference between the result of a successful campaign and ballot dumping, because both happened during this game.

Buckle up, this is going to be long.

As you do that, I want to make three things perfectly clear:

1) What the @queereads-bracket administration does with this information isn’t my concern. To me, a poll between books on tumblr is ultimately just a game, and its actual outcome doesn’t matter.

2) What does matter to me, though, is that someone decided to commit voter fraud in Ursula K. Le Guin’s name in the semifinals of this bracket.

It matters to me because I have a) been on-and-off involved in volunteering for watching against electoral fraud for many years now, b) always loved that there was an author out there who wrote with a wonderfully anthropological voice. So even though I was campaigning for the other side in this specific poll, the thing that really pushed me towards doing the write up rather than letting it lie is that I was particularly sad to see this happen on Le Guin’s poll and in Le Guin’s name. She would have hated this.

3) I think Le Guin would have liked for these results to be turned into an object lesson, so I’m doing this. Go forth, queers, and use the knowledge that voter fraud is often detectable in your actual activism.

With that out of the way, I will start with a short summary:

Last week’s poll between Ursula K. Le Guin’s book The Left Hand of Darkness (LHOD) and Derin Edala’s Time to Orbit: Unknown (TTOU) had been spoofed in favor of LHOD by either one person with a bot, or two-four people manually creating accounts for the last 90 minutes of the poll.

How I know this: Le Guin’s previous maximums on the @queereads-bracket poll was approximately 1450-1476 people, reaching these numbers in previous polls against other top runners such as The Locked Tomb and The Murderbot Diaries series, and going no higher even in their biggest races. In the case of the TTOU/LHOD poll, the final maximum was 1658. Which, in itself, would not have been suspicious: these are the semifinals, and the audience for the @queereads-bracket polls has been growing.

However, vote acquisition for Le Guin has been slowing down for the entire last day of the vote, hit its previous maximum of 1480 people about 2,5 hours before the poll was due to end, after which it stopped almost completely for an hour. Then, approximately 90 minutes before the poll end, the voting in Le Guin’s favor picked up again and quickly reached a remarkably steady 2 votes-per-minute velocity. This increase in votes happened without much visible promotion, advertising, breaking Tumblr containment (i.e. spreading to other platforms such as Reddit), or engaging a popular internet personality in support (as far as it is known to me). The voting continued that way until the polls closed, resulting in approximately 150 new votes in favor of Le Guin submitted in rapid succession (a full 4% of the total vote) and a narrow win by 2 (sic!) votes.

Theoretically, it might have been possible for someone to quietly organize 150 completely new people away from the main voting platform, then have these 150 people hold off from voting until the last minute so that the other party does not have time to organize back, and then have their silent friends press buttons for 90 minutes at an exact pace with no detectable dips and stops. But while theoretically possible, it can be confidently said that such a feat of organization is both extremely difficult and highly unlikely. It is, however, a lot easier to have either one person use a bot and give it a steady pace of votes, or have 2-3 committed people sit down and create burner accounts for the last 90 minutes of a vote, giving their opponents no chance to rally.

If whoever was behind that last push actually did community organizing—my hat is off to you, and I want to pick your brain, because you’ve achieved something I consider to be nigh impossible. But I don’t think you did. And I want you to know that I see you, and that I hope a lot of queer people learn from what you did and use it in defense of their rights in the future.

Now, for those who want full details and numbers, this write-up has several parts:

Part 1: Theory and vocabulary behind polling predictions and fraud watch – this is a brief layman’s summary of key aspects of poll watching and how online polling differs from IRL polling.

Part 2: What actually happened? Poll event timeline and voting dynamic – this is a walkthrough, using my real-time commentary to a group of friends on the LHOD/TTOU poll above to show how forecasts are done, how they change in real time as a poll progresses, and how they can be used to uncover voter fraud in process or soon after the votes are counted.

Here, I want to note that I was involved in the poll on the TTOU side and the walkthrough reflects that—you may even have seen the propaganda I submitted. So you get this analysis from the point of view of an observing participant. It is my hope that this is not detrimental, but in itself valuable—after all, in real life, everyone is a subject of the political process.

Part 3: Possible remarks on and objections to this analysis – these are the possible limitations/additional information that didn’t fit into the analysis proper.

Final words – self-evident.

WINNER: Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

Science fiction, classics, speculative fiction, anthropological science fiction, distant future, adult

Runners-up:

🥈 The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells 🥉 Time to Orbit: Unknown series by Derin Edala 🥉 Nimona by ND Stevenson

View the spreadsheet of all books from this bracket here

View the full seeded matchup here

This is Left Hand of Darkness's second win, after previously winning the Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket!

[venuscrsnow]

Unspoken Words pt. 1

Era: Alexandria, pre-negan

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word count: 1476

Warnings: none (for now)

Authors Note : ahhhh my first story(I posted) I hope you like it, please let me know your thoughts! Help is welcome! This chapter is probably a bit choppy at the end, but I tried to rewrite it a few times and it got deleted so that’s all I got for now.

Enjoy xx

—————

You felt his gaze on the back of your neck, making you even more nervous under the scorching sun. It had been a while since you had spoken to Daryl. The last time you had tried to join him on one of his supply runs beyond the walls of Alexandria, he had already left by the time you got to the gate. Even though your primary duty was to keep watch and protect the gates of your small community, you couldn't resist the urge to go on these weekly outings with Daryl. It was your thing, between you and Daryl.

When you first arrived in Alexandria, you and Daryl didn't have much in common. In fact, you're pretty sure he didn't even notice you for the first few days. But the man with the crossbow caught your attention right away. You're not sure what it was, but the first time you saw him riding on his motorcycle through the gates, you felt an attraction to the man. After a few days, you mustered up the courage to ask him if you could join him on his next outing. "What am I gun’ do with ya out there?" he asked the first time. And the next few times, it was just a blunt and simple "no." Although it wasn't encouraged to go out alone, and a certain man didn't want to take you with him, you took matters into your own hands. That same night, Daryl caught you outside almost becoming a meal for the walkers, and so he decided to take you with him from time to time. And so, a friendship slowly developed between the two of you, at least as far as it could with Daryl.

And suddenly, from one day to the next, Daryl started acting like you were a stranger, like you two didn't finally start to open up more to each other. He knew how hard it was for you to pretend like the world wasn't ending outside the walls of Alexandria. It was hard to get used to this new world, but it was even harder to pretend like the past three or four years – you weren't even sure how long it had been – hadn't existed or that everything went back to normal. More than half the people here hadn't even killed a walker, let alone had one right in front of them.

At first, you didn't think much of it when he brushed you off for the first time. It wasn't unusual for him to go out with others or alone. But it had been two weeks since the last time he had asked you to come along, and you two hadn't really talked much since then. You counted him as one of your closest friends here, and you thought he felt the same, which to his current actions he didn’t. Every time you sat with him on the terrace to smoke, he would get up shortly thereafter. Every conversation you started was ended by him after two sentences. You didn't really see each other, even though he lived right in the next house.

And now, he had been watching you for 15 minutes as you stood on the stupid railing, keeping watch. You wanted to jump down and strangle him. You wanted to ask him what was wrong and what had happened between you. The last time both of you went out, you already felt strange vibes from him. You were always jokingly flirting with him since you knew he would never see you like that, so you just started to have fun. You thought to yourself that there was no harm in having fun. Right?

When you heard knocking on the ladder, you jumped, and your heart started beating faster. You secretly hoped that it was Daryl who realized how much of an ass he was right now. But it was just Rosita climbing up with a bottle of water. You caught a glimpse of Daryl. He was still looking at the railing, and when his sight met yours, you forgot to breathe for a second. You put your feelings for him in a box and buried it, but the more he ignored you, the more your feelings started to come back, and the more you got frustrated.

"Just go and confront him already, it's been two weeks, Y/N," your best friend interrupted your thoughts when she realized you were staring in his direction. She was the only one who knew how you felt deep down. "Well, since he's the one having a problem, he can come talk to me. God gave him legs and a mouth." Rosita started to laugh. "Well, since he's not going to, you need to do something. Otherwise, you two will drift apart and never talk. And I think we both know that's the least you want." "Yeah, I guess." She was right. The friendship you two had meant something to you, and since he would never see you with those eyes, it was also the only thing you two would ever have.

"So, go talk to him! I'm going to keep watch, so just go!" She pushed you back and stepped right in front of you. "W-what? Right now?" "Now or never. He's already standing down there with the others. He won't dare to ignore you in front of everybody. They will know that something's up." Without thinking twice, your legs were climbing down and walking in the direction of the man in question. He was standing there with Rick and Aaron, watching over a map. You couldn't really understand what they were talking about, but with each step, your heart was beating faster, and your legs got wobblier with every step.

"Oh, hey, Y/N! What's going on?" Both of the men greeted you while Daryl just stood there. "Hey, guys, nothing. What are you doing with the map?" you said. "Oh, just marking some area.. Are you coming to the party later?" Oh, right, Deanna's welcome party for the new group that arrived a few days ago. You really didn't want to go, but there was no way Rosita was going to let you stay in. "Y-yeah, sure. Uh, actually, I kind of wanted to talk with Daryl about something, so I need to borrow him." "Hm?" His head snapped up. He didn't expect you to want to talk to him.

"No problem, Rick and I will go. We have something to do," you said, and with that, you two were standing alone. You felt the air between you get kind of awkward, both of you standing there and looking at each other. You didn't even know what to say. "So?" you stared up at him and asked him with a sweet but sarcastic voice. "So, what? You the one that wanted to talk?" He crossed his arms and looked away. Oh brother, your pulse started to shoot up, but you tried to calm down. You didn't want him to actually know how furious he made you. You went straight to the point since he wants to play dumb. "So, why are you ignoring me? Did something happen?" He didn't say anything for a few moments and just turned his head and stared at you. "Dunno what ya talkin’ about." Was he really serious right now? You two went from talking every day to basically no contact, and now he tries to play all cool and dumb. "Okay, what's the fucking matter with you?!" you snapped at him. Enough is enough. He's a grown man and acts all childish for reasons nobody knows. "First, you don't go on runs with me, then you ignore me when I go over to your house, the only time we talk is in front of others! So either you tell me what's your problem with me or what I did to you. It's unfair, I thought we were friends!" You didn't care that you sounded pathetic. Daryl really started to hurt your feelings. "Look, I'm not one of ya little friends, Kay? I took you out with me so you wouldn't get yourself killed, but I can't take you everywhere with me. You're getting on my nerves. I can't look after you every damn time." You looked at him with shock in your eyes. Where was this coming from? You really thought he liked you and liked spending time with you. His words didn't even make sense. "You know what, Daryl, fuck-" Before you could even finish your sentence, you heard Rick yell Daryl's name.

[bongsuvn]

Art by Not A Starchild

EMPEROR LÊ THÁNH TÔNG RULING A SAPPHIC PREGNANT CASE

(Tiếng Việt ở dưới)

Hồng Đức’s Book on Good Governance was a legal document compiled under the Mạc dynasty on the basis of laws in Early Later Lê dynasty, mainly works issued under Emperor Lê Thánh Tông’s Hồng Đức Era (contents mostly about marriage and property). Article 7 of this document mentioned a unique case judged by a local official. According to the laws of Early Later Lê, pronounced sentences must be sent to the imperial court, kept in the Ministry of Punishments, and viewed by the emperors.

It is possible that in a review of the verdict, after seeing the unique nature of this case, Lê Thánh Tông had decided to issue a law for similar cases that might happen in the future. The full text of the order issued on April 20th, 7th year of Hồng Đức Era (1476), did briefly report the content of the case as follows:

“Two women lived together. The married one took aphrodisiac during menstruation, and was immediately pregnant after receiving her husband’s seed. After the husband left for faraway business, her libido remained strong, so she copulated with another woman in the same house, who also just menstruated. Therefore, the husband’s seed was transferred to the second woman, leading to pregnancy. After birthing, people accused her of adultery and immediately sent her to the local judge, for the sin of having a child without marriage. The woman pleaded not guilty: ‘She and I live together, go everywhere together, and lie down together. She can testify for my innocence.’

The judge then ordered to see the child and found them to be soft and limp, as if boneless. Suspecting that the child wasn’t born from copulation with a man, he asked: ‘You two live together as sisters, but did you have sex with each other?’ 

The unmarried one replied: ‘Yes!’ 

He asked again: ‘The day when the husband left, did you two have sex?’ 

She answered: ‘Yes!’ 

He asked: ‘How was your period on that day?’ 

She replied: ‘I just menstruated.’ 

The judge gave his verdict: ‘If two women have intercourse then give birth, the child will have no bone. Originally, the married one received the seed of her husband and became pregnant. If she did not pass his seed to another, she would be the pregnant one. Now that the husband’s seed was passed to the unmarried one, she would have a child. The child would, therefore, resemble the husband. Since the seed was transferred by another woman, the child would have no bone.’”

Ignoring the fictitiousness of the case, the most interesting thing about it is that the trial did not emphasize nor mention the taboo of a Sapphic relationship. It seems that in historical Vietnam, it was fine as long as it did not violate the ethics between men and women.

==================

VUA LÊ THÁNH TÔNG XỬ ÁN HAI NGƯỜI PHỤ NỮ SINH CON

Hồng Đức thiện chính thư 洪德善政書 là một văn bản pháp luật được biên soạn dưới thời nhà Mạc trên cơ sở tập hợp các luật lệnh của nhà Hậu Lê được ban hành chủ yếu vào giai đoạn cai trị của vua Lê Thánh Tông với niên hiệu Hồng Đức mà nội dung chủ yếu đề cập đến vấn đề hộ hôn và điền sản. Tại điều mục thứ 7 của văn bản này có nhắc đến một vụ án, theo đó thì sự việc xảy ra tại một địa phương, đã được quan chức ở đó xem xét, phán xử. Theo lệ định thời Hậu Lê thì các bản án đã tuyên đều phải gửi về triều đình, lưu giữ tại bộ Hình và được hoàng đế xem qua.

Có thể trong một lần đọc duyệt bản án, thấy tính chất và tình tiết mới trong vụ án này mà Lê Thánh Tông 黎聖宗 đã quyết định ban ra hướng giải quyết đối với các vụ việc tương tự có thể xảy ra trong tương lai. Toàn văn nội dung chiếu lệnh được ban bố vào ngày 20 tháng 4 năm Hồng Đức thứ 7, tức năm Bính Thân (1476) đã thuật lại sơ lược nội dung vụ án đó như sau:

“Hai người con gái ở chung với nhau, một người đã có chồng, uống thuốc tráng dương, vừa lúc sạch kinh, được tinh khí của chồng liền có thai. Ngay khi đó người chồng phải đi xa, dục tình của người đàn bà đang mạnh bèn giao hợp với người con gái ở cùng nhà, cô này cũng vừa sạch kinh, được truyền tinh khí của đàn ông mà dẫn đến có thai. Đến tháng đẻ, mọi người cho rằng cô này ngoại tình liền tố cáo lên nha môn để xử tội không chồng mà có con. Người con gái đó không nhận tội, liền kêu oan lên quan trên rằng: ‘Hai chị em cùng ở với nhau, đi thì cùng đi, nằm thì cùng nằm, đã có chị gái làm chứng.’

Quan khám án thấy vậy bèn sai bế đứa trẻ đến xem thì thấy nó mềm nhũn như không có xương, ngờ rằng sinh ra do không phải giao hợp với đàn ông, liền tra hỏi rằng: ‘Hai chị em ở chung, có giao hợp với nhau không?’ 

Cô em gái đáp: ‘Có!’ 

Lại hỏi: ‘Ngày nào chồng cô lớn đi xa, và ngày đó chị gái có giao hợp với em gái không?’ 

Đáp rằng: ‘Có!’ 

Lại hỏi: ‘Ngày đó kinh nguyệt thế nào?’ 

Đáp rằng: ‘Vừa mới sạch kinh.’ 

Quan khám án phán xử rằng: ‘Hai người đàn bà giao hợp với nhau, sinh con, đứa trẻ tất không có xương. Nguyên người chị gái nhận tinh khí của người chồng mà có thai. Nếu không truyền tinh khí của chồng cho người khác thì chính mình đã có thai. Nay đã truyền tinh khí của chồng cho cô em nên cô em có con, đứa trẻ tất hình hài sẽ giống chồng cô chị và sẽ không có xương là do cô chị truyền tinh khí cho.’”

Không bàn câu chuyện thực hư ra sao, cái thú vị của câu chuyện là ở thái độ của việc xét xử này, nếu theo như ghi chép, không nhấn mạnh vào sự cấm kị của mối quan hệ đồng tính nữ, miễn là không vi phạm lễ giáo giữa nam và nữ.

__________ Tham khảo: nguoiduatin.vn/le-thanh-tong-xu-an-quan-he-dong-tinh-nu-sinh-con-a77573.html

__________ Tác giả: Lương Thế Huy

[ohifonlyx33]

Love how Tolkien did a freeze frame montage at the end to tell us where all his characters and their children ended up for the next 120 years or so. Some highlights include Pippin getting married and his son Faramir marrying Sam's daughter, the Lads getting named Counselors of the king, Sam packing the family up for a road trip to Gondor, and just generally everyone trying to keep in touch a little bit with everyone.

1427. Samwise is elected Mayor of the Shire. Peregrin Took marries Diamond of Long Cleeve. King Elessar issues an edict that Men are not to enter the Shire, and he makes it a Free Land under the protection of the Northern Sceptre.

1430. Faramir, son of Peregrin, born. 1431. Goldilocks, daughter of Samwise, born.

1432. Meriadoc, called the Magnificent, becomes Master of Buckland. Great gifts are sent to him by King Éomer of Rohan and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien.

1434. Peregrin becomes the Took and Thain. King Elessar makes the Thain, the Master, and the Mayor Counsellors of the North-kingdom.

1436. King Elessar rides north, and […] comes to the Brandywine Bridge, and there greets his friends. He gives the Star of the Dúnedain to Master Samwise, and Elanor is made a maid of honor to Queen Arwen.

1442. Master Samwise and his wife and Elanor ride to Gondor and stay there for a year.

1451. Elanor the Fair marries Fastred of Greenholm on the Far Downs.

1454. Elfstan Fairbairn, son of Fastred and Elanor, is born.

1455. Fastred and Elanor make their dwelling at Undertowers on the Tower Hills, where their descendents, the Fairbairns of the Towers, dwelt for many generations.

1463. Faramir Took, son of Peregrin, marries Goldilocks, daughter of Samwise. 1469. Master Samwise becomes Mayor for the seventh and last time, being in 1476, at the end of his office, ninety-six years old.

1482. Death of Mistress Rose, wife of Master Samwise, on Mid-year's Day. On September 22, Master Samwise rides out from Bag End. He comes to the Tower Hills, and is last seen by Elanor, to whom he gives the Red Book afterwards kept by the Fairbairns. Among them the tradition is handed down from Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers, and went to the Grey Havens, and passed over Sea, last of the Ring-bearers. 1484. In the spring of the year a message came from Rohan to Buckland that King Éomer wished to see Master Holdwine once again. Meriadoc was then old (102) but still hale. He took counsel with his friend the Thain, and soon after they handed over their goods and offices to their sons and rode away over the Sarn Ford, and they were not seen again in the Shire. It was heard after that Master Meriadoc came to Edoras and was with King Éomer before he died in that autumn. Then he and Thain Peregrin went to Gondor and passed what short years were left to them in that realm, until they died and were laid in Rath Dinen among the great of Gondor. 1541 In this year on March 1st came at last the Passing of King Elessar. It is said that the beds of Meriadoc and Peregrin were set beside the bed of the great king. Then Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea, and with him, it is said, went Gimli the Dwarf. And when that ship passed an end was come in Middle-earth of the Fellowship of the Ring.

[belschine]

Hi! Tumblr crashed when I tried to answer this properly so I’m gonna try with a proper text post under the cut instead.

To keep things simpler I’m gonna separate mental/emotional exhaustion and physical exhaustion/injury. I’ve been having a long day (or week, or month...) so please forgive me if I forget someone, although I’m not doing the non-canon characters

Physical rating

Trevor > Simon > John > Shanoa > Jonathan > Julius > Grant > Hector > Charlotte and Eric > Christopher > Juste > Richter > Alucard > Maria

Trevor lost an eye and that chest scar of his looks like it should’ve killed him, Simon just got cursed, John’s having his life sapped away by the Vampire Killer.

I imagine that Dominus, even though it didn’t kill Shanoa, probably still took a toll on her.

Jonathan, if he uses the VK, is probably less hurt by it than his father thanks to ‘proving himself’ to Sara with that cool mental battle with Richter. I still don’t think it’s completely harmless, though, but that’s just how I feel about it and not canonically stated anywhere.

In 1999 Julius is the strongest Belmont and perhaps the strongest just normal human out there, but I feel like the very last battle Drac could put on would be the most vicious. I also loosely headcanon (as in I believe it but if it’s too inconvenient I will roll with something else) that he used a modified version of the Dominus spell - explaining his amnesia and giving a good reason to the complete, permanent destruction of Dracula’s body than just “it was prophesied” - so the Shanoa thing applies to him too somewhat.

Grant just spent probably like 3 months or so going from staging a rebellion to getting transformed into a monster to joining another rebellion and winning that time. Good for him! But that sounds exhausting.

Hector’s awesome and badass but he does still seem to eat shit a lot. Sorry, Hector. Charlotte is noted to be a really powerful witch, and Eric seems pretty tough. It’s been a really long time since I’ve played Bloodlines, since before the whole fax fiasco went down, so I’m not 100% on that one.

Christopher, Juste and Richter are pretty self-explanatory - they’re Belmonts, and the Belmonts get more powerful with each generation. Juste and Richter’s damage is mostly emotional, so we’ll get to that. I don’t have any thoughts on Christopher in the physical category beyond this either.

Alucard’s not human, so he’s got a leg up somewhat, but in SotN specifically it’s also notable that Dracula appears to stand down after Alucard passes on Lisa’s last words rather than be killed by Alucard’s hand directly.

Maria is fine. She’s 12 so she could fall off a building and walk away. You know how it is to be 12

Mental/emotional rating

Alucard in 1476 > John and Simon > Maria > Julius > Alucard in 1999, Grant, Trevor and Sypha > Jonathan and Charlotte (?) > Hector > Juste > Richter > Christopher > Eric > Alucard in 1797

Shanoa just lost her brother and left a cult, but things are looking up for her now that it’s over and she’s experiencing catharsis, so I’m not sure where to put her on a scale for that. Honestly she simultaneously fits at both ends in my mind.

Alucard in 1476 is obviously bad. He more or less goes out of the situation committing the closest thing to suicide he can get as a vampire.

John and Simon probably both know they’re going to die.

Maria is definitely not going to think about it for a long time but what she’s been through would have messed up an adult, let alone a child. She also just lost her parents so. Yeah.

Julius may have forgotten everything, but his dialogue in Aria suggests he still has PTSD over it anyway. As if amnesia wasn’t enough!

Alucard in 1999 is at the point where it’s like, at least it’s fucking over, but also I assume he’s left to believe Julius is dead and has been left to grieve his friend. Grant, Trevor, and Sypha are likewise grieving Alucard, an interesting inversion of this... *chuck supernatural voice* CIRCULAR NARRATIVE

Jonathan and Charlotte are grieving and stuff but it’s a cathartic experience too I think I havent played Portrait in so long I’m sorry. I need to get on the grind again maybe over winter break. In my defense I also got lead poisoning since the last time I played it which did make me forget a lot of other things from that time period as well (I’m ok ^_^’)

Hector is still grieving his wife and his revenge was kind of pointless and doesn’t actually make anyone feel better. But he made a friend.

Juste just nearly had to kill his best friend. He didn’t in the end, which is great! But still a really stressful thing to go through. He’s clearly agitated and upset about it. He also lies to Lydie about what happened, likely to try to protect Maxim, given his own family’s history of being driven to the fringes of society due to their power.

Richter was absolutely fucked over from fighting Dracula, but I think in the end things would’ve been worse for him if he hadn’t. He was socialized to believe it was what he existed for either way, and the second it’s over he’s basking in the glory of victory... For but a moment. Needless to say, it doesn’t last.

Christopher is like... whatever in his first time around I guess, but fighting your 15 year old kid has got to suck. Even if I do think he probably wasn’t a great dad to lead to that outcome

I honestly don’t know where to put Eric on this he’s just chilling I think. I have the same excuse for Bloodlines inaccuracy as for Portrait I’m sorry

Alucard’s conversation with his dad in SotN was probably really cathartic for him, even if he does try to go back to his old ways as soon as the fight’s over and kill himself again - there’s something to be said about how recovery is harder than continuing to perpetuate your own misery, and Dracula continuing to oppose humanity in all his resurrections after 1797 is a testament to this. So they’re kind of parallels when you think about it!

[jayflrt]

a study in demons

PAIRING ▸ yang jungwon x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ angst, established relationship

WARNINGS ▸ not centered on relationship, falling out

WORD COUNT ▸ 1476 words

YANG JUNGWON IS LOST IN A SEA OF WORDS.

He knows it was a terrible idea to go into his new series blind. Writing for an audience who only knows him by username has its perks, but with the constant pestering for updates, Jungwon’s starting to wonder if he’s even seen as a normal human with a normal life. At this point, he feels like a machine, a product of what his readers want.

One chapter a week. Promptly during the evening of every Sunday. One announcement following the publish to notify his readers that there’s an update.

Jungwon knows he’s burning himself out. He feels it in the way he listlessly stares at an empty Google Doc; the way he struggles to think of the next sentence; and the way he exhausts himself after a few paragraphs. The plot doesn’t make sense anymore, the writing feels lackluster, and the characters don’t feel as three-dimensional as he wanted them to be.

He looks through the comments for motivation, but the few negative comments are always sticking out like a sore thumb, always getting to him.

[ @user33666 ]: this book is getting boring

[ @user33666 ]: just wrap it up already we can tell you’re running out of ideas

Jungwon hates that he lets the little things get to him. They’re just pixels on a screen but he can’t help but watch each number change, each vote go up, each comment thread multiply. Each user has strings tied around his fingers, binding him to his keyboard despite Jungwon having no energy to write.

But he has to. That’s his job.

“A job?” his girlfriend asks after listening to his concerns over the phone. “It shouldn’t take up that much of your energy, Wonnie. It’s a hobby.”

“You’re right,” Jungwon replies, letting out a long, winded sigh. “Y/N, I don’t have the energy to finish this book.”

“You’re writing it for free. You don’t owe anyone anything.”

“I don’t but I want to,” Jungwon says. “I love my plot but I just can’t seem to figure it out.”

“Why don’t you sleep on it for a little?” you suggest. “Maybe it’ll come to you when you wake up.”

With college classes and writing, Jungwon doesn’t have complete control over his schedule and often pulls all-nighters to study or meet chapter deadlines. He decides to take your advice and settles on his couch, letting his exhaustion wash over him. Falling asleep these days is as easy as taking a breath, so Jungwon lets it happen.

When Jungwon wakes up, nothing’s different.

He sighs, defeated, and sits up. He doesn’t know what he expected from a nap, but he got no sudden revelation or lightning strike of inspiration. Just as Jungwon was ready to report to his girlfriend that the suggestion didn’t work, he notices something on his desk.

Two printed out sheets of a storyline sitting crisp and prim on his desk.

His storyline.

Unless someone broke into his house in the middle of his nap and placed them on his desk, there’s no way the papers could have gotten there. Jungwon is very particular about how he organizes his things and he would have noticed if he left papers lying around.

What concerns Jungwon the most, though, is the content. The storyline written on the papers is the perfect way to tie his story together and segway into the next chapter. All the descriptions and plot points are the words and ideas he had been struggling to think of.

This is impossible. There’s no way he came up with this on his own.

Jungwon clutches the papers and, after a moment of hesitation, sits down and gets to work. With the guidance of the plot sheets, it only takes him an hour and a half to finish the next chapter. He looks over his newly-finished work in awe, amazed that he can write something like this in so little time.

Yet, this only makes his stomach twist.

Reluctantly, he publishes the chapter and decides to study while he waits to see the turnout. After a few hours, Jungwon’s phone won’t stop blowing up with notifications, and his heart drops. 

For a moment, he thinks he’s done something wrong. They must be laughing at his writing. He must have made an embarrassing typo.

He opens the app with reluctance and his mouth drops.

They love it.

His notifications are filled with praise and votes. They’re all sharing the chapter across several social media platforms and gushing over the writing. Jungwon can hardly believe his eyes as the votes have doubled since the last update and the views are skyrocketing.

[ @user33666 ]: this chapter was INCREDIBLE!! i recommended it to my friends because of how good it was <3

[ @user33666 ]: THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD I WISH I COULD VOTE MULTIPLE TIMES

Somehow, Jungwon’s not satisfied.

“So you’ve realized?” a voice calls from behind him, its mocking inflection layered with overlapping tones and pitches that make it sound demonic. “You know it’s not your own work because you could never be that good?”

Jungwon doesn’t respond at first. Slowly, he turns to face the dark, shadowy figure hovering in the corner of the room. He thinks he’s gone mad for a moment and blinks repeatedly. He tries to trap the scream that threatens to escape in his throat but to no avail, jumping back and crashing back into his desk.

“Who are you?” Jungwon demands, voice raised to a shout.

“Question is, who are you?” the demon taunts. “Are you a true writer or do you rely on demons for help?”

Jungwon’s gaze darts to the papers on his desk. His voice drops to a whisper when he says, “Wait… it was you? God, I must be going crazy.”

“Do you know how to start the next chapter? Do you even know what you have to do?” the demons jeers, getting closer until all Jungwon can see is darkness. “You need me.”

The demon disappears into thin air.

Jungwon can’t breathe. He wants to cry at this point. Is he that much of a failure of a writer that he can’t do something so simple on his own? Yet, no matter how hard he ponders over it, his mind is blank. He has an overflow of support coming in, but can’t find the motivation to think of a decent plotline for the next chapter.

That night, Jungwon comes to the realization that he needs to make a deal with the devil to keep his reputation.

“I need help,” Jungwon calls out weakly as he stares up at his ceiling.

He’s not even sure if the demon would show up, but he calls for it anyway because desperation is an ugly look on Yang Jungwon. He normally consults his girlfriend but he knew you would think he was crazy if he told you there’s a demon helping him write his book.

“Came to your senses, did you?” the demon’s voice resounds from the corner of the room. “Jungwon, demons don’t work for free.”

Jungwon swallows. “What do you want from me?”

“Are you willing to do anything?”

After a minute, Jungwon responds, “Yes.”

It’s been six months.

The final chapter.

Jungwon has everything he wants: a contract to publish his series in print, an offer to turn them into a TV series, and hundreds and thousands of fans reading his work. He never expected to blow up this big, but he sacrificed far too much to get to where he is now.

Strangely, he feels worse than when he had nothing.

At least when his book fell short, he had you. You were there to fill the empty gaps that lingered, to bring him happiness he hadn’t felt with anyone else. You were there to console him when life was getting too hard, and the world was caving in on him. You were there to hold him when he needed you most.

And now, because of one stupid, impulsive decision, the demon told him to get rid of you and Jungwon obeyed.

It isn’t even just you. Jungwon’s entire social support circle fell apart. He barely speaks to anyone since the binding deal he made, and while the internet validation is nice, he just feels hollow.

He misses you.

Usually, when Jungwon uploads the last chapter of a book, there’s a giddy rush of excitement, a satisfying feeling of completeness. This time around, Jungwon is hit with a pang of sorrow. As expected, the positive reviews come flooding in instantly and Jungwon is so immersed that he checks each and every comment.

“Is this worth it?” Jungwon mutters under his breath.

“You tell me,” the demon responds.

This time, when Jungwon turns to face the demon, he sees himself.

And Jungwon realizes who the demon truly is.

A Study in Demons: Self-Doubt