#bai he have different eye colors after season 3

[muffinsouffle]

Silly picture of a ancient monkey with his adopted children 😌

I hope you liked this post and have a wonderful day 💖

[gritsandbrits]

Ranking ten Thomas the Tank Engine designs 🚂

Bear with me I'm not super deep into Thomas Lore like that so I'm only doing the shows and books. These are 5000% my opinions so if you like them - great! I'd like to start the new year on a positive note. Also it's Thomas Day too, talk about Two for One! Heh. Now let's get into my top ten as that is the limit the app allows.

First on my list is the version that started it all - good ol' classic Thomas! With six small wheels and a short stumpy funnel, you can't deny this is one of the most iconic designs ever put to screen. What makes this design great is the use of real materials like plasticine and metal. It makes him feel that much more real. Like he's more than just a toy he's a working engine. 9/10

This halfway design from season 12. When I saw this for thr first time as a kid it threw me off. I was so used to static faces, seeing them move their mouths all of a sudden was jarring to say the least. Not to mention the PHYSICAL model makes it even more uncanny. Over time I got used to it. Still it was just weird change. 5/10

Now I'm counting all the CGI since it's all one big era (yes even BWBA). I think it's a great update on an already classic design, with none of the physical limitations. The bouncing did come off random though, and sometimes the CGI lacks the charm that makes the traditional model endearing. Overall I give it an 8/10

This artstyle on the Anchor Bay/Gullane media is simple yet it does a good job conveying that 3d low poly look. 6/10j

Now we get to the era succeeding it. This HIT model looks great except the face is sort of uncanny to look like. Like he's celebrating a win after running over a cop. Good job Thomas - cops have no rights. 6/10

Jumping back in time we have the TATMR model. Yes they made new models (well new at the time) to fit the American gauge standards. Don't ask me how that works I have no experience in modelling. But I've always liked his movie design plus I consider his acting to be the definitive voice that I imagine he'd have. 10/10 for devious design and brutal friendliness.

I don't mind the shape or the color, but his face is putting me off. Like I know Thomas is basically a GILF at this point in our time but he's known for his youthfulness. His face makes him looks old. Must be the eyes. 4/10.

Ooooh yall knew this was coming! I'm well aware of how controversial this show is. I have my own gripes but I actually don't hate this design. It follows the basics and it's adorable. But it's attached to a show that ignores almost everything that made the original so appealing. Also a bit of nitpick but since he's already blue, shouldn't his eyes be a different color to stand out? Preferably change it to brown or hazel. I rank it 3/10.

I would get bored when those Learning segments came on, i could tell even as a kid they were a forced attempt to make the show more educational to fit PBS standards. But this model has a certain charm to it that I can't bring myself to hate. Perhaps its the nostalgia talking. 4/10.

I like this depiction of Thomas. Don't know who the artist is but whoever painted it done a great job with his design. He looks so friendly too, and I love how vibrant the colors are. 8.5/10.

That's it! That's all I have for my top ten Thomas designs. Feel free to comment I love to hear YOUR rankings and any thoughts about the franchise in general. Thank you to any and all who supported my blog! Here's to a better new year and hopefully 40 more years of fun - Mattel not included. 💙💙💙

[e-wills-afterhours]

Vetrnaetr, Chapter 4

A/N: RTTE is not canon in this timeline. RTTE is not canon in this timeline. RTTE is not canon in this timeline. But ROB and DOB are.

I felt I had to reiterate that for reasons...which will become clear in this chapter.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3

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Astrid exhaled on her hands, warming them. She rubbed them together before withdrawing them into the protection of her woolen cloak.

Three days had passed since the summer's final cloudburst had doused away the remaining warmth of the fading season. Relentless storms should have left the ground muddy, soaking through boots and caking on everything—but winter had reared its ugly head like a Snow Wraith, freezing everything in its path with a mighty gust from its nostrils. The ground was solid; cold and unyielding, offering nothing of itself for most crops to grow. But, the summer harvest had been bountiful. Year in and year out, Berk made it through the harshest months on its blessings alone. For that, Vetrnaetr was always a jubilant affair: a time to give thanks to the Dísir and appeal to their mercies for the next year's harvest.

Winter brought low-lying clouds, heavy with diamond dust. Berk was often consumed in an icy mist, hidden away from the rest of the Barbaric Sea, trapped in its own kind of mystery. Ice floes formed a natural barrier that kept enemies out, but also kept the Hairy Hooligans in. For a season, Berk was sequestered, concerned only with itself. Almost as if the entire island went to sleep for a time, falling into a winter stupor when conditions were too unfavorable for regular work; the days too cold and short to accomplish more than what was necessary for survival.

"Gotta love Berk winters," Ruffnut said, nudging Astrid. "It's the time of year it's far too cold for anyone to give a shit about anything."

A pack of children ran by laughing, waving their holiday colors, just to contradict her. Their juvenile dragons lumbered after them.

"Except the festivals," Astrid sighed, gazing up at a Vetrnaetr banner being hoisted over their heads.

Bucket and Mulch waved from their ladders, and Astrid nodded in acknowledgment. She kept her arms folded within her cloak, trying to keep the numbness at bay.

"Sure, except the festivals," Ruffnut conceded. She sauntered closer to the stalls being erected in the village center: soon-to-be shops that would come alive with seasonal goods. "Food, drinking, and fucking. What's not to love? It's all very Norse, if you ask me."

Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn't."

Ruffnut smirked. She then turned to a series of brooches on display. Not yet for sale, they had been laid out in the dull, gray daylight to be inventoried. The shopkeeper was distracted, hollering at her husband as he hammered nails into the stall's bare bones; and Ruffnut was nothing if not opportunistic. Quick as a Nadder's spine shot, she pilfered a rather plain brooch from the very end of the line. The design was less conspicuous than most of the others, and therefore less likely to be missed. Astrid was not surprised, but plenty exasperated.

When the two of them were well out of range of prying eyes, Ruffnut held the brooch in her open palm.

"A Hideous Zippleback! Talk about lucky! I didn't even know what was on it."

Astrid frowned. "You took it without even knowing what it was? Did you even really want it?"

Ruffnut shrugged and pinned the decorative piece to her old, tattered cloak.

"One of these days, I'm going to say something," Astrid warned.

Ruffnut just scoffed. "Yeah, but not today."

She had a point. There were other, more distressing things on Astrid's mind than Ruffnut's lifelong idiosyncrasies and questionable morals. Most of Berk probably had an inkling than the Thorston Twins did not acquire a great many of their nicer belongings by honest means. They were at the bottom of the social hierarchy: freemen of the lowest order. The Hooligan tribe held no slaves, but three hundred years ago, Berk was a different place with different values, and a different kind of nobility. Astrid long suspected the Thorston lineage was rooted in thralldom and thus there was a lingering inability for the clan to marry much higher above its station—but she never asked, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut never spoke of it.

"No, the route marker needs to be higher!" came a whine that cut through her musings.

"Just because your dragon can't make sharp turns—!"

"Snotlout, you know she's sensitive!"

The girls stopped in their tracks to watch Snotlout and Fishlegs bickering. While not uncommon, Astrid recognized a painted course marker often used in dragon races. The post sat between them as Snotlout folded his beefy arms and scowled. He resembled a rather squat bear in all his fine, winter furs. Fishlegs, meanwhile, covered his dragon's ears and pouted, but Meatlug seemed oblivious to the other man's insult.

"I get to decide where we put it, Snotlout. Hiccup left me in charge of race preparations and you know it," he insisted.

"Just one more thing to add to the list of his bad ideas," Snotlout retorted.

Toothless stood by, watching the whole scene with obvious boredom. Astrid's stomach churned to see the Night Fury dutifully shadowing Fishlegs—it brought back the uncomfortable goodbye on the docks, when Hiccup had been so distant.

Her lips tingled with thoughts of the parting kiss they did not exchange. She missed him, but at the same time, she was furious.

He should have known she would be alright to look after Toothless and to oversee the race setup, regardless of what they were personally going through. She was always his right-hand woman, far better organized and efficient than the other riders ever were; truly dependable. Sure, she had told him she was busy, but that was only a short-term problem. He should've known.

As Vetrnaetr drew nearer, Astrid's to-do list grew shorter. A greater vexation was her mother reminding her at every turn how she had poked holes in the Hofferson reputation, and that fixing it fell solely on her shoulders. She felt besieged by expectations, and she had hoped Hiccup would unburden her. Instead, he laid on more stressors, lost in his own thoughts, withholding his affections, with his head so far up his own ass he did not hear a word she said; and so he could not begin to understand the things she did not say, that were no less important.

"I listened," he said that day in the pasture.

Astrid could laugh at that.

He was bright and intuitive, so he did not get a free pass. If he just extended his thoughts beyond what was right in front of him, if he stopped being so myopic…

He should have known!

"Astrid! Ruffnut!" Fishlegs exclaimed, spotting them standing there. His face softened and his chest swelled.

Toothless perked up upon spotting Astrid. He bounded over to her with a gummy smile, and she felt a little more cheerful, sacrificing the protective warmth of her cloak to reach out and pet the dragon. As she stroked his head, she could not help but think he gave more of a damn about her than his rider did at the moment.

"Aww, look at the two of you boys. Squabbling just like a married couple," Ruffnut teased. She wrinkled her nose, aiming a playful kissy-face at the two young men.

"Well, we wouldn't have this headache if your boyfriend made decisions that actually made sense," Snotlout huffed, brandishing a thick, stubby finger at Astrid.

She rarely agreed with him, but he had just brought the grand total up to five counts, in recent memory.

"You wouldn't have a headache if you could learn to be more agreeable," she retorted.

"Says the girl who used to drive us into the dirt with her crazy training exercises," Snotlout said.

"That's one thing I sure don't miss about the Dragon Academy," Ruffnut sighed.

Astrid flashed her a rude hand gesture.

"I think we could use another opinion," Fishlegs spoke. He narrowed his eyes at Snotlout. "Since we appear to be at an impasse."

Astrid hummed in her throat, clasping her hands behind her back as she surveyed the immediate area with dramatic scrutiny.

"The suspense is killing me," Snotlout muttered.

She took care to hit him hard with her shoulder as she passed by. The pauldrons beneath her cloak made for added effect. He scowled, rubbing where she had struck him.

"I don't think you should raise the marker in this area at all. The elevation of the land here is going to make it hard to clear the houses without a tail or wing taking a shingle or two with it. You'd have to fly low and the buildings are pretty stacked. I'd move it someplace higher, and more level. Less houses."

Fishlegs beamed before turning to Snotlout with a proud lift of his chin.

"Exactly what I said!"

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Well, it sounds better coming from Astrid." He turned to her, folding his arms again. His expression was far less complimentary. "Nice of you to actually grace us with your presence."

Her face fell and she bristled. "What are you talking about?"

Snotlout sniffed and rolled his shoulders. He took a step forward, gesturing around to the two other riders. "Oh, just that it's been a good while since you acknowledged any of us exist."

"What?" she replied, incredulous. Her breath made staccato puffs of steam with each chuckle in the frigid air. "That's not true!"

Snotlout raised his eyebrows and Astrid glanced to Fishlegs and Ruffnut for support, still grinning at his lunacy. But, she found Ruffnut starring down at her grimy fingernails with knitted brows. Fishlegs patted Meatlug and cast her shifty sidelong glances with an anxious wobbling in his bottom lip. Even Toothless let out a soft, low warble that Astrid could not help but suspect was in agreement with the others.

"It's not true!" she insisted, feeling her cheeks flush a darker pink than what the windchill alone bestowed.

"When was the last time we all hung out together?" Snotlout asked.

Astrid sputtered for a moment. "Just…Just yesterday, at breakfast—!"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Alright. When was the last time we all hung out together after you found yourself a man—Hiccup or otherwise?"

She stood there with her jaw agape, eyes darting from Snotlout's stony face to the uncomfortable fidgeting of Ruffnut and Fishlegs, the two of them looking anywhere but at her. As it turned out, folding her arms back under her cloak did nothing to shield her from Snotlout's accusation.

"I've been busy," she muttered.

"Yeah. I bet. Breaking hearts is time consuming business, I guess."

Fishlegs tried to intercede. "Snotlout—"

The shorter man just snorted, making a sweeping, theatrical gestures. "Oh, sorry. Was that a little too on the nose? I mean, two years of Hiccup moping and then she goes and strings Stefnir along until she drops him in the mud. It's not like I liked the guy, but—"

Astrid's hand balled into a fist and she flinched toward him. Ruffnut gripped her shoulder.

"Now, wait a damn second! It wasn't like that, and you know it!" She spat.

His eyebrows raised. "Do I? Then how was it, Astrid? Where was I off base? The part where you played Hiccup or the part where you played Stefnir?"

She hissed obscenities at him through clenched teeth. Perhaps more unsettling was the guilt and the self-doubt underlying her anger. There was a voice deep in the recesses of her brain that sat there for months. She had ignored it; gave it no audience. Still, it lingered, and she had felt it biding its time until the right moment to leap forward and hit where it hurt most: her pride and confidence in the choices she made; the choices she suffered for.

"Now, now, you guys…" Fishlegs interjected again—but he was merely a large kitten caught between two battling dragons.

Astrid stepped forward, straining against Ruffnut's bracing hand. She could have shrugged her friend off, but Ruffnut was acting as her only tether to some semblance of decorum. Otherwise, Snotlout would have been out cold on the ground.

"You know what your problem is?" she growled. "You can't handle the fact I was never interested in you!"

Snotlout scoffed, shaking his head. As dismissive as he tried to be, a muscle in his jaw twitched. He retorted, "Seeing how you do relationships, Astrid, I'd say I dodged a Plasma Blast."

If there was some proverbial belt, Snotlout had just hit below it.

"My relationship with Hiccup is a perfectly good one!" she snapped, sounding too shrill; too desperate to convince him—to convince herself.

"Oh, right. That must be why he entrusted his dragon to Fishlegs and put him in charge of the dragon-related preparations?"

Astrid's face was burning then, and she felt hers hands shake. Her chest grew tight with a myriad of emotions: sadness, self-pity, bitterness, and resentment, just to name a few. She glanced at Toothless and the dragon just stared back at her. All her vulnerabilities spilled out on the frozen ground before her friends, and she was unable to pull together a biting comeback.

"Thanks for the advice on the course marker," Snotlout said with a satisfied smirk. He tapped Fishlegs's shoulder with his fist in a gesture of backhanded fraternity. "Let's go, Fishface."

Fishlegs gathered up the marker with a parting wince of apology. Then, with a jerk of his head, he muttered, "Toothless."

The Night Fury hesitated, glancing between Astrid and Fishlegs with great confusion. His ears dropped and he crooned softly, pupils round and plaintive; but he went with the young men as Hiccup had instructed him to do. Astrid watched him go, feeling the indignation and hurt raging inside her along with everything else.

"Well, that sure was interesting," Ruffnut commented.

Astrid spun on her heel and stormed off. She could no longer feel the cold in the air through the heat of her embarrassment. Her fur-lined cloak whipped about her ankles and her skirt jangled with each step, proclaiming her anger to anyone within earshot.

Ruffnut groaned and chased her down.

"Come on, Astrid!" she said, half-jogging to keep up. "When has Snotlout ever been worth the trouble?"

"Why did you hold me back?" Astrid snapped. Though it had been a wise decision, she was looking to lash out and Ruffnut was in her radius.

"As fun as it would have been to watch you tear his throat out—and I mean, really fun; the blood and all—I just…" Ruffnut's pace slowed as she struggled to find the precise wording. She smiled, trying to lift the mood she immediately punctured with, "I don't want to say he has a point, but…"

Astrid stopped. "So you're on his side?"

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "I'm not on anyone's side. Just because you haven't been around doesn't mean you didn't have your reasons. I'd say, with Stefnir, you had two pretty decent reasons, am I right?" She flexed her lanky arms and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Stefnir's an absolute ass!"

"Okay, sure," Ruffnut conceded. "But he's a pretty fine ass."

Astrid growled with disgust and took off in another furious march.

"I was joking!" Ruffnut exclaimed, bounding after her again, long braids swinging wildly. "To be honest, I don't care where you've been or what your reasons are—even if it did doom me to a total sausage fest without you."

Astrid slowed her stride, softening a little.

"I figured you'd always find your way back. I couldn't see you avoiding dragon races forever. Not with your need to show everyone how damn perfect you are." Ruffnut grabbed her by the arm to stop her. "What I find strange is that Hiccup entrusted Toothless to Fishlegs. That dragon means more to Hiccup than his one good leg, and he didn't ask you to look after him."

"Is there a question in there, somewhere?"

Ruffnut pursed her lips and surveyed Astrid with narrowed eyes. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Astrid's threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Is that all anybody cares about? My love life? My decisions? My problems? Where was the concern when I was engaged to a controlling wart? Suddenly, my business with Hiccup is all anyone wants to talk about!" She started ticking off her numb fingers. "How it reflects on me, how it reflects on my family, whether it's going well, whether we're fighting! Geez! Why not go for broke and ask us if we're fucking!"

Ruffnut snorted at the idea. Then her lips parted with a gasp and her eyes widened. She stared at Astrid in disbelief. "Are you? I mean, I know you are together and all…but, are you?"

Astrid's hands fell to her hips, ears tingling with the embarrassment of saying one thing too much. "Are we what?"

Ruffnut's face split into a devious grin. "Fucking. Are you two fucking?"

Astrid chewed at the inside of her cheek and quickly looked away. She felt herself reddening by the second thanks to her accursed fair complexion.

"Oh my gods, you are!" Ruffnut practically squealed. "You and Hiccup are! You're fuck—!" Then she began to cackle, clutching her stomach as she tossed her head back.

"I never said—!"

"You didn't have to!" Ruffnut wheezed. "Your face did!" She doubled over. "You! You…and Hiccup! Actually doin' it!"

There were snorts interspersed with her laughter, echoing through the village on such an inconveniently still and quiet morning.

"Would you shut your damn face before I put my fist in it?" Astrid hissed, eyes darting to the few curious onlookers drawn out by the other blonde's howls. Blood rushed through her veins, pounding in her ears.

Her nosy tribesmen leaned into to one another, nodded toward the two girls and whispered, making her skin prickle with the shame she could not seem to shake. Whenever things seemed to reach a state of calm—a tentative equilibrium—she found her tribe had discovered one more thing they had yet to gossip about; one more thing concerning her, Hiccup, Stefnir, and the entire, ugly ordeal that just would not die.

Ruffnut straightened up, wiping away a tear and gulping for air. "You're right! You're right! It isn't funny. I'm sorry for you. I bet it's all pretty sad."

Astrid recoiled, her face twisting with confusion. "Sad?"

Ruffnut clapped a hand over her mouth. She whispered through her fingers, "No? It's—? Oh, no! He's actually good?"

"It's—! Hiccup is—! He. Is. Fine, okay?" Astrid sputtered.

Ruffnut snickered. "Yeah, but is he just fine-fine, or is he fiiiiine?"

"I'm going to kill you."

Astrid grabbed her cackling friend and dragged her to a less populated part of the village, past the smithy, by the cliffs overlooking the fog-obscured sea. There, alone together, she let Ruffnut laugh herself exhausted. After a minute or two, the other blonde simmered down to an occasional giggle and composed herself.

"Okay," Ruffnut sighed. "I'm done."

"Good for you."

"You must have it pretty bad for him if you're willing to risk whatever untarnished reputation you have left, huh?"

"What of it, risking my precious reputation? Is all that matters around here anymore?" she asked. "I've overheard Tuffnut complaining about your exploits."

Ruffnut shrugged. "I don't have much of a reputation to uphold, if you haven't noticed."

Point, Thorston.

Astrid turned toward the dark sea, jutting out her bottom lip with an exasperated breath that fluttered her bangs. Waves rolled out into the mist until sky and sea fused into a single wintery haze.

"For what it's worth, I don't give a shit what you do," Ruffnut said, trudging up beside her to gaze off into the distance—as if the mist could provide them answers to any and all problems. The dying grass crunched beneath her feet. "But, if it's so good between you two, then why is Fishlegs suddenly Hiccup's 'right hand'? That's your gig...so what's soured?"

Astrid tucked wayward strands of her hair behind her ear. They blew about in the wind off the cliffs, flailing wildly in the icy gusts, much like how she felt.

"Everything." she answered. "Just…everything."

Ruffnut tilted her head. "You've broken up with him, then?'

"No. Not exactly."

"Then it's not 'everything.' Right?"

Astrid stared at Ruffnut, who smiled and nodded. She appreciated the words of support, but it was not so simple. Even if she and Hiccup had not broken 'everything', their foundation was crumbling faster than it could be repaired. There were things she feared her friend just could not understand. The complexities of her relationship with Hiccup—its rise, fall, and plateau just above rock bottom—were difficult to articulate.

But Ruffnut stood there, overestimating her powers of comprehension; and Astrid's shoulders fell. She sighed and began to pace, relenting to the much-needed unburdening of her soul.

"He just…I ask him to be there, and he isn't. He spends more time in the forge and flying his dragon than he does with me. It's like I'm an afterthought."

Ruffnut snorted. "Uh, hello? Have you met Hiccup Haddock?"

Astrid huffed. Already, the other blonde was a disappointing confidante, but the words came pouring out of her anyway; venting was cathartic.

"Yeah, but I thought being in a relationship would carry a little more weight. Or maybe, I don't know, bump up a few notches on his priority list? Then, whenever he does make an effort, it's always half-assed, like his mind is on something else entirely."

"Okay, but he nearly died to be with you—because he's an idiot. Took a sword to the shoulder too, I believe."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I know we he did for me, but now he's always 'busy'. It's always some excuse."

Ruffnut folded her arms and arched her brows. "Maybe he really is busy?" she suggested. "Did you ever think of that?"

Astrid scoffed, "Please."

"No, really, Astrid. You see, the thing about you is you always have to be right. You cut others off at the knees with this high-handed, self-righteous attitude."

"I do not!" Astrid argued. She waved her hand dismissively. "You're being ridiculous."

"There! You just did it! You used to do it all the time when the academy was still going. Thankfully, the rest of us had Hiccup as a buffer. He'd at least hear us out, but not you. Maybe Hiccup is busy and he is trying? Are you even hearing him out, or are you just telling him how he's doing it wrong, and how you think he should fix himself? Maybe the poor guy needs his own buffer against you?"

"That isn't it at all!" Astrid snapped with a glare that could melt iron. Ruffnut was unperturbed. "I don't want to 'fix' Hiccup! I just want him to be a better version of himself."

Ruffnut's laugh was hollow. "Okay, Astrid. I'm sure everyone likes to hear they aren't good enough. You keep setting that bar just out of his reach and get back to me."

"I'm not asking more of Hiccup than he is capable of giving."

"Yeah, but does he know that?"

Astrid puffed up with indignation. Of course Hiccup knew she was not asking him for anything too unreasonable! All she wanted was the minimum amount of effort she expected someone madly in love would make. Relationships were give, take, and often times, compromise—it didn't take a genius to understand that. Hiccup was intelligent, so it was irritating to watch him fall short day after day. He could be a better boyfriend, and Astrid wanted to make him better, to elevate their relationship to where she knew it could be. After all, they had both endured too much to throw it all away into a pit of complacency.

"What makes you an expert on this?" she asked, frowning.

"I'm no expert," Ruffnut answered. "Just an observer. Maybe he just needs you to meet him where he is. Don't drag him along kicking and screaming to where you think he should be."

"I'm not dragging Hiccup anywhere."

"If you say so. I don't know the facts here and I really don't care."

Astrid narrowed her sharp blue eyes. "Then why are you criticizing me?"

"I think you're being too proud. But, I mean, that's kinda how you do you, right?"

Astrid could not think with the outrage buzzing in her brain like a swarm of bees. She could only pin down words of dissent and a number of colorful swears that would make Gobber blush. To be told by Ruffnut, of all people, that she was the one who was not looking at matters clearly, was too great an insult.

She was proud, true; but she was clever. How could someone so inept at dating was lecture her on the proper ways to go about it? The other blonde did not know the situation, and most certainly did not have a complete grasp of her position, nor Hiccup's. A relationship went both ways; and Astrid certainly was going above and beyond on her part—seeking Hiccup out, keeping him informed of her feelings and exactly what she wanted from him. She had no patience for head games, and so she was forthcoming about what bothered her and what he could do about it. He never had to guess with her, and was that not half the battle?

Was that not what men wanted?

For someone as smart as Hiccup was, Astrid was surprised how much she had to hold his hand in their relationship. In her opinion, she had to guide him too much.

Ruffnut did not know, and yet she was perfectly happy to stand there and dole out pearls of wisdom like she was the authority on the matter. She had no right and even less understanding. Astrid did not trust herself to speak, lest she say something she could not take back, imploding the tentative rekindling of her friendship with the other blonde.

"I've got to go," she blurted, turning on her heel.

She was feeling far too smothered under everyone else's judgment lately.

"How many months before I can expect to hear from you again?" Ruffnut called, her laughter ringing in Astrid's ears.

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Everything seemed to be crashing down on Astrid's shoulders, one way or another. Her parents made a promise to the Svensons and she had been expected to uphold it. She tried to do the right thing and stay close to her intended, and the subsequent dissolution of her friendships had been branded her fault—not the result of just trying to satisfy everyone, to make as little a fuss as she could. A clean break was easier, less messy. Still, she was the heartless one by group consensus. She tried so hard to honor her parents' arrangement and the Hofferson name, but the crushing weight of the misery it wrought left her with little recourse but to pursue whatever shred of happiness she could find.

That small joy had been Hiccup, and he had kept her sane and breathed life back into her. Then, he had to go and publicly challenge Stefnir of his own volition, and she was called the instigator for it—a temptress and breaker of promises. Taking back her future reflected poorly on her entire family, so she was the problem; the weed in the garden.

She flung open the front door to her house, startling both of her parents. Her mother began to rebuke her, but she did not give the woman the opportunity to finish a sentence. She retreated to her room, yanking off her cloak and tossing it on her bed. The brooch clanked against a bedpost, and it flashed in the gloomy daylight filtering in from her window, catching her attention.

The ornament featured a stylized Deadly Nadder, impeccably crafted by Hiccup's fifteen-year-old hands. The brooch had been a Snoggletog gift from a much sweeter, more innocent time; and it made her throat tighten. Her eyes welled up, but she was past the point of crying.

That boy she had loved once was gone. She thought she found him for a time during the summer, wrapped in a desperate embrace on Dragon Island, but he had been an impostor: only a poor imitation of the Hiccup who hung on her every word and considered her first. What she had wanted, and what those midnight kisses promised her, was not what she had received in the end.

So, the old adage was right: fantasy fell short of reality. Everything she had tarnished her reputation for, everything worth risking what little remained, was just an illusion: an echo of a memory. She had been struggling to turn it into something tangible, but Hiccup could not be bothered to help. Ever since he had become the Pride of Berk, things had been easy for him. He did not have to try.

Fuming, Astrid dug around her belongings until she found a piece of parchment. One side was scribbled up with dragon notes from years past, so she flipped it over and wrote as small as she legibly could. Her fingertips ached from how tightly she gripped the charcoal pencil, pressing her anger down into every line. She was hemorrhaging raw truths, and each word was like a bur being plucked from her heart. She only stopped when she ran out of material, punctuating the entire tirade with a simple "A."

Satisfied, she plopped down on the edge of her bed, holding the note in her hot and trembling fingers. The written words rattled in her brain as if she had shouted them: a one-sided argument, flawlessly executed against a vague and diminutive daydream of her boyfriend.

"Sneaky!" she called, twisting around to scan her bedroom.

Her brow furrowed, unable to find her Terrible Terror, until a soft pressure on her knees surprised her. She glanced down to find two big eyes considering her excitedly. Tiny wings unfurled as her dragon spotted the note in her hand.

"I need you to take this to Hiccup. He went to Helgafell," Astrid said, rolling up the parchment and securing it to the dragon's leg. "Can you do that?"

Sneaky tripped over himself as he scrambled for the window. He was overjoyed to have a job.

As he flew off into the cloudy distance felt lighter. She knew her letter had some weight behind it, and she hoped Hiccup was ready to carry his share.

--------

Hiccup was beyond relieved to step off the ship onto the rocky, snow-dusted shore of Helgafell. Two days at sea on a karve with his father, a few burly tribesmen, and one sheep with anxious bowels, had left him feeling claustrophobic. For the entire journey, there was nowhere to go, no safe retreat to be alone with his thoughts. To add to his dismay, his father saw it fit to educate him on all of the other chieftains and jarls he would encounter at the Dísablót; and a history of their various clans and settlements.

Exciting stuff, it was not; and he had been a captive audience. The destination he dreaded for the past week was now his salvation from the miseries of seafaring. Travel by dragon, he firmly decided, was far superior.

He sighed, taking in the frigid, bare spit of land that was Helgafell. Everything seemed to be the same shade of dull grayish brown: from the dirt to the water lapping at the coast, to the gnarled, bare trees. Only the thin layer of snow and distant evergreens gave the landscape any natural variety. All other color was provided by the sails and tents, sporting different sigils. Rich furs and sumptuous attire were worn by almost everyone of status, weaving through the crowd, giving life to the otherwise uninhabited island. Helgafell was meant to be a religious center and nothing more; but during the sacred season of Vetrnaetr, it became a bustling makeshift village, complete with its own trade, social hierarchies, and politics. It was a ruckus: chattering, singing, the hammering of camp setup, and the bleating of animals. The aroma of wet leather, livestock, and boiling meat, blended together and settled over Helgafell like a cloud of masculine frivolity.

"We'll settle in over there, along the tree line," Stoick said, nudging Hiccup before pointing to a clearing past a cluster of stalls and carts.

Accompanied by their oarsmen, Hiccup and his father made their way to the campsite: home for the next three days. Snow flurries fell, but all of their tents were erected despite numb fingers. They worked through the runny noses and watering eyes, as well as the stinging wind that blew about their cloaks and furs about without mercy.

Hiccup was to share a tent with his father, which left no room for privacy. The island itself was tiny; there was nowhere to slip off to for some peace and solitude where he would not be found. Apart from the tents and the market, there was the central temple, and the naked trees provided no shelter. The initial happiness he felt to disembark the karve was snuffed out.

"There we are!" his father chimed, clapping him on the shoulders. "Home away from home."

Hiccup flashed him a weak and disingenuous smile before his father shuffled him into the tent. He stumbled under the force of his Stoick's enthusiasm, tripping over his feet and landing unceremoniously on his bed. The tent was warmer inside, which was a plus: a combination of furs and condensed body heat.

He straightened up as his father sat down on the bed across from him, eager yet composed, like they were on some very first father-son fishing trip. The chief cleared his throat, then leaned forward with a serious, wrinkled brow.

"Now, Helgafell is a different atmosphere from Berk entirely, Hiccup. There's more going on here than you know."

"What? You mean it's not just a bunch of prominent chieftains coming together to drink and compare superiority complexes?"

"Aye, it's that," Stoick conceded, and there was a small grin hiding beneath that large, red mustache, "but the Dísablót is a scared event: a ceremony of very deep religious fervor. Emotions run high this time of year, and the drinks are plentiful; and there'll be plenty of people looking for any reason to fight, caught up in the passions of it all. Don't give them an excuse. You are to stay close to me. You are to listen and observe. Do not speak to other chieftains unless you are spoken to. Am I clear?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, tugging at the heavy furs draped on his thin frame. He felt ridiculous, dressed up and ornamented in his finest clothes and silver. He wore tooled leather devoid of all dragon emblems, at his father's insistence; and far more layers than he would usually wear to keep warm. Dressing to his status was not something he did often, but he was his father's sole heir—the next leader of Berk—and the goal was for everyone to know it having to be said.

"Don't worry, dad," he replied, "I surveyed the company we'll be keeping, and I don't think I'll find too many people interested in conversation. They seem more of the grunting and pointing type."

"I'm serious, Hiccup. You'll need to tread carefully here. You'll see things that are very different than what you see on Berk. You'll hear things. You mustn't give anyone an excuse to regard Berk as an enemy."

Hiccup quirked an eyebrow. "You're worried I'm going to commit a social blunder that incites a war?"

Soitck shook his head. "No, no. That's not it." He pressed his hands together, fingers against pursed and thoughtful lips. "There is a larger world I've shielded you from. I can't find a reason to keep you in the dark any longer."

Hiccup could almost feel the ominous shadow lurking behind his father's words. "Whatever it is, dad, I'm sure I can handle it."

His father considered him with that unwavering pride. "I know. That's why you're here."

The large chieftain stood up and marched to the threshold of their tent, gesturing to the large and ornate temple that rose above the campsites. The structure was an authoritative presence with its height and austere angles.

"We have an important job to do here, son. We represent Berk before the gods and the dísir alike, to offer our sacrifice and be the bridge between the worlds of gods and men. Among the other chieftains, we represent the might and honor of the Hairy Hooligans."

Hiccup scoffed and stared down at his bracers, fidgeting with the lacings without real purpose. "Somehow I don't think the dísir split hairs over status, dad. In fact, I don't think they care much at all. I mean, sacrifices to appease them? I've often found the gods and the spirits care little for what we want. It's a one-sided relationship. We need them and they don't need us. I doubt any amount of tribute is going to fix that."

"Ahh, you'd best be keeping those thoughts to yourself; here and on Berk," Stoick said. "A chief is the spiritual center of his people. You lead by example, whether or not you personally put any stock in it."

Hiccup glanced up, brow knitted. He studied his father: a fiercely private man in matters of his faith apart from festival traditions. "Do you?" he asked.

There was a cryptic shadow in the lines of his father's face.

The chief replied, "Only as much as I can. I pray to Odin for the wisdom to lead, and to Thor to keep Berk safe. I believe the rest is a matter of forging my own destiny."

Hiccup nodded, gazing out at the temple through the thickening snowfall. To be honest, the whole concept of religion made him uncomfortable. His beliefs were his own and he practiced them as such, with varying degrees of reverence. Knowing he would have to be the keeper of the faith for all of Berk was just one more thing to add to the long list of responsibilities he did not want.

He turned to find his father watching him with that penetrating gaze of his—the same one he used in every attempt to read and understand his son better. That paternal stare always made Hiccup feel so small and transparent, though Stoick never seemed to know him any better for it.

A flash of white then caught his attention and broke the awkward lull in conversation. Billowing linens hovered outside their tent like a specter.

A woman stood there, with a basket in her hands and unbound, wavy hair collecting the snowflakes. She was barefooted, pale toes filthy with dirt. Her white dress blew around her, almost as if it had its own energy. She smiled, thin and mysterious, with astral eyes that looked through them into something far beyond. She offered the contents of her basket to Stoick, who politely declined. Craning his neck, Hiccup could make out her bounty of henbane seeds and shriveled mushrooms.

She inclined her head and went on her way without a word to anyone, onto the next crop of tents where she was received with enthusiasm. Hiccup moved from the bed to stand beside his father. He peered out into the snow, watching her move with an ethereal grace.

"Völva," Stoick said to Hiccup, gesturing to the women. "Some say they're not really human—that they live somewhere between this world and the next. Beware their feminine charms. It's said they'll ruin a man."

Hiccup's face fell.

"I've had more than my fair share of feminine charms, believe me," he muttered.

The völva moved from man to man, yet none of them heckled her, nor made a pass. While they raided her basket, everyone seemed to be wary of the petite and defenseless woman.

"Won't she freeze?" Hiccup asked, watching her walk over the ground with bare feet, with nothing to protect her from the harsh icy wind but the thin linen gown she wore.

"Apparently they are filled with the fires of Hálogi, and the fury of Thor's lightning. They are unable to feel the cold," Stoick explained.

"Huh."

The völva turned and gazed back at Hiccup—into him—and a wave of unease rippled through his gut. Her glassy stare traveled down his spine, plucking every nerve along the way. He could feel the violation of her otherworldly reach, digging deep for secrets and sins he kept buried. He was not one to put much stock in mysticism, but on the sacred ground of Helgafell, he knew better than to challenge it.

She smiled vaguely and he averted his eyes, pulling his hood up over his head. Only when she was gone from the corner of his gaze did he venture a sidelong glance around the lip of his cloak.

"C'mon, son," Stoick murmured, guiding him out into the snow with a firm hand. "There is business to take care of."

But what that business was, he did not bother to share. Hiccup and his father nodded to their oarsmen as they left what little shelter their camp provided, out into the throngs of Norsemen from all corners of the archipelago and beyond.

Almost instantly, it became clear how different Berk and the other tribes were. Hiccup was not naïve. He was well aware of the practices that had earned Vikings their fearsome reputation. He knew Berk had once been aggressors of the same cloth, but that was before dragons became too large a nuisance to avoid. Resources and attentions had to be diverted to defending their island instead of distant battles. News would still reach Berk: rumors of goings on across the Barbaric Sea; it was common knowledge that rape, pillaging, and murder was all under the permitted behavior of raiding foreign people in foreign lands.

But to see it paraded around so blatantly? Just about every other camp had thralls: some slaves for menial labor and others, for pleasure. Chieftains and their company sat in their tents or gathered around a campfire, drunk and rowdy, with thrall girls on their lap or at their feet. They were young girls, with barely the air of womanhood about them; and all zeal for life was gone from their faces. Their eyes were hollow and downcast. Meanwhile, the men laughed, swapping stories of conquest.

"And then the poor bastard begged me to let his family go. 'You can have the horses,' he says, 'but let my wife and kids be!' So, naturally, we took turns with his wife as he watched. Sobbed the entire time, he did! Might say we did him a mercy, running him through. Took the kids back with us and sold them to the highest bidder. Torched the farm," one bragged.

"Yes, but what of the horses?"

"Took 'em anyway!"

The story was punctuated with uproarious laughter.

Hiccup's hand balled into a fist, and it was hard to walk as his body tensed with the might of his hate.

"Best to block it out," his father whispered, guiding him along. "Don't listen. Don't think about it. Makes it easier."

Hiccup adjusted his furs, just for something to do with his shaking hands.

"Easier for what?"

"Politics. Business."

He recoiled. "Who sits down and drinks with men so vile?"

"You will. As Chief."

Hiccup shook his head. "No," he replied decisively. Never could he entertain such soulless barbarians, to compromise his own values for their benefit.

Stoick sighed. His face was ruddy from wind chill and his beard appeared grayer from the snowflakes clinging to it. More obvious still was the weariness: it was the look of a man who had carried so much, who was passing the burden to a son who finally understood.

"You will," his father insisted. "For your people. For Berk."

They trudged on and Hiccup rounded his shoulders, both to draw his limbs closer to his core for warmth and in moody resistance to the future being laid before him.

Year in and year out, he would attend religious ceremonies and various councils of chieftains, hearing them boast, witnessing their cruelty. All the while, he would endure in a neutral silence. For however long was prudent, he would keep the integration of dragons on Berk a secret. Every year, he would have to commit men or supplies to violent campaigns he did not believe in, whether directly or by trade agreements, to maintain fragile peace.

For Berk. Always for Berk. Never for himself.

His father slowed his stride as they approached a campsite with banners sporting a flaming boar. Hiccup recognized the image as the sigil for the Vandals of the Vale; an almost eidetic memory was useful for some things. He had spent the better part of one rainy evening, months ago, studying up on his politics under a watchful paternal eye; more of training for a birthright he did not really want. His father had practically breathed down his neck as he poured over the sigils of tribes he did not care about.

Much about the Vandals was still a mystery. What could not be ascertained from parchment, his father had sought fit to share during their two-day voyage. Hiccup had the tendency to stop listening between, "Things you'll have to know as Chief," and, "It's your destiny." What he had gleaned in the fleeting moments of attentiveness was the Vandals and the Hooligans were not enemies, but their peace was kept only by mutual favors.

"Stoick the Vast!" a booming voice preceded a short, rotund chieftain with a wiry blonde beard to rival his father's. "I was wondering when you'd show up! Still as big as a Monstrous Nightmare and every bit as ugly!"

Stoick chuckled and they embraced one another in a quick one-armed hug and back-slap combination.

"Einarr the Stouthearted," his father said.

"Stout in a whole lot of other ways too, eh?" the other chief grinned, patting his protruding belly.

"I told you to lay off the dragon meat," Stoick teased.

Hiccup felt as though he had been punched in the gut. 'What?' echoed over and over again through his head. At first, he was not sure he had heard correctly. He glanced back and forth from his father to Einarr, dismantling that sentence in his head before putting the words, one by one, back into their horrific order, with all its terrible implications.

Nausea rolled over him. His lip curled and he recoiled, but the two chieftains were too busy indulging in their banter to pay him any mind. He could not swallow, for fear he would become ill with the thought of consuming dragon flesh.

"I told you our soothsayer asserts dragon meat's supernatural effects on a man: the strength and virility gained," Einarr replied.

"Well, when you can light yourself on fire like a Monstrous Nightmare, I might find it in me to be impressed."

Stoick and Einarr chortled while Hiccup was still reeling, face contorted with obvious disgust. It took great effort to stifle his judgment as the Chief of the Vandals turned to him. The mood went from jovial to tense. Years had passed since Hiccup soured anyone's perception of him before he even opened his mouth. He nearly forgot what it felt like.

"So," Einarr said, puffing up, "this is him, then?"

"Aye," Stoick said, with all of that insufferable pride. "This is my son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock."

'The third," Hiccup added mentally, with the usual sarcastic bite the other men could not hear.

He nodded. The gesture seemed safe and polite enough.

"Not what I would have expected for the infamous 'Dragon Conqueror'," Einarr mused, looking him over with narrowed eyes.

Hiccup furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to respond, but his father nudged him.

"He brought down the Red Death. I saw it with my own eyes."

"I have no reason to doubt your word, Stoick," Einarr replied, though he seemed to do just that. "I'm not interested in your son's exploits. I need to talk business with you. After winter's thaw, we'll be sailing to the south, but I'm short on men and ships to make any real go of it."

Stoick folded his arms. "You've always had more ships than Berk. Have you lost your edge in a season?"

"Aye. A plague, brought back from the mainland. Lost scores of good men and we had to burn the ships that carried them."

"And how will you guarantee any of our people won't suffer the same fate, raiding for a cause they don't believe in?

Einarr waved his heavily ringed hand with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not asking you for men, Stoick. I know you won't spare any. I have long since learned not to waste the energy hoping you'll compromise your mighty principles. Ships and weapons—that is what I ask of you. Berk builds them stronger and faster than any village I know of. Will you help me, or leave me to the mercies of Earl Ahlstrom and his greed? He'll bleed me to the point I have to raid a dozen settlements before I break even."

Stoick stroked his beard, dusting snow from the braided strands of fiery red. "And what's in it for Berk?"

"Profit. A return on the investment."

Stoick seemed satisfied, nodding as Einarr spoke.

"With raided goods?" Hiccup asked incredulously; he could not believe that the Cheif of Berk—his chief and father—was considering being paid with tainted wealth procured by violent means.

Their people had not raided since his great-grandfather assumed power with the death of his more violent, intemperate brother. With the exception of the Dragon War, Berk was a largely neutral and peaceful entity, more interested in its self-preservation than the terrorizing of vulnerable foreigners. Their wealth was obtained by more upstanding means: trade and commerce. Rape and pillaging were but an unfortunate stain of the Hooligans' history; one they tried to distance themselves from. It was not a way of life any longer—or so Hiccup thought.

Had he been that dense, that willfully ignorant to believe the goods they traded were all used for upstanding deeds? Weapons he had crafted for trade, he had never cared to know whose hands the ended up in, nor for what purpose. His work was his art; and to know it was commissioned for raiding? He felt betrayed; he felt foolish and obtuse. Funding such deplorable action for financial gain was not neutrality—not the sensible benevolence he had come to expect from his father. Permitting such violence was could not reconcile with his conscience.

"Hiccup—," Stoick hissed.

"Aye," Einarr replied. His voice grew low and dangerous. "Is there something wrong with that, boy? Has Berk become too high and mighty since the last summer's harvest? You've found other means of procuring your wealth since last year's campaign?"

Hiccup glanced at his father, searching that stony face for some reassurance that Berk did not bolster itself through indirect aggression; and he received no such peace of mind.

"Forgive my son," Stoick said, stepping forward to brush Hiccup out of Einarr's immediate judgment. "He is inexperienced in politics and certain, more unpleasant realities of the world."

If there were two things Hiccup could not stand, it was being both wrong and stupid; so completely made an idiot by his own doing. As difficult as it was to bear the weight of his father's glowing pride, it was equally uncomfortable to disappointment the man, though he had much more experience with the latter.

"I do not envy the job you have ahead of you, teaching him," Einarr scoffed.

Hiccup clenched his jaw and turned away. He could not look at Einarr, nor his father. He felt nothing but defiance—toward muddy politics, toward his inconvenient birthright, toward the whole godsdamned trip. None of it was him: not the pleasantries, the posturing, nor the façade of chiefliness.

Hiccup was the awkward square peg being hammered into a very round and narrow hole.

"Your proposition interests me. I think I may be able to help you, if we hash out the specifics," Stoick said.

Einarr seemed pleased, gesturing for them to join him in his lavish tent—adorned with stolen goods, no doubt.

What he said was nothing but a distant buzz to Hiccup's ears. His attention had been diverted, sharply and unexpectedly. Out of the throngs of Norsemen appeared a very familiar face—so familiar and out of place, that he just stared, bewildered. It was if a daydream had materialized to save him from his misery. His brain tried to rationalize what he was seeing, jogging up to him with a beaming grin.

A girl—woman—whom he had no reasonable expectation he would ever see again.

Her green eyes peered out at him from a tightly drawn hood. Her clothes old and tattered, and nowhere near as sumptuous as his own, nor that of the standard attire on Helgafell, but her radiance was not diminished.

She pulled down her hood, dark hair spilling out in stark contrast to her pale skin; he cheeks were rosy from the cold.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed. "I barely recognized you!"

"Heather," he replied, breathless.

She threw her arms around him and he bristled, the air rushing from his lungs. Something in the back of his mind told him he should not enjoy the hug as much as did, but it was drowned out by the thundering of his pulse.

"Hiccup. Stay put," his father said, brandishing a stern finger as he slipped into Einarr's tent to conduct their business.

Hiccup could do nothing but nod, unable to protest, unable to move. Did he even want to?

"Wh—What are you, uh…What are you doing here?" he stammered, peeling Heather off him lest the embrace grow too comfortable.

She grasped his hands in hers, and there was still some warmth in them that the encroaching winter had not yet stolen away.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," she said; and he wished she was not so thrilled to see him.

The light in her eyes offended his conscience.

[shijiujun]

山河令 Photobooks | WenZhou Intro Translations

Heya guys! I’m translating some tidbits from the official SHL photobook, starting with the below. Will post all the costume design inspirations up (all 14 of them) when I’m done, but you can check my Twitter thread on @/jiuxiaoer for updates if you are curious, am on Set 4 so far.

Photo quality isn’t great because I don’t have a good camera or scanner haha so bear with me!

***Please do not repost my photos and translations ANYWHERE***

Name: Zhou Zishu

Origins: The 5th manor lord of Four Seasons Manor. When Zhou Zishu was sixteen, he inherited the position after his beloved shifu Qin Huaizhang died of illness. Unable to keep Four Seasons Manor’s reputation from declining, he led the elite from the manor and pledged their support to Jin Province’s military commissioner, to which the Zhou family was loyal to. He then formed Tian Chuang (Window of Heaven). Zhou Zishu’s aim in establishing Tian Chuang was to give himself to the mission of upholding justice, helping the weak and to be a beacon of light in dark, uncertain times. He hoped to pray for fortune and happiness for all who lived, to ensure peace, but he could not help but feed the predator (Prince Jin) himself, turning into an caged beast (eagle) in the struggle for power. The numbers of Four Seasons Manor’s original members declined to zero, all 81 of them.

After painfully losing all his brothers and loved ones, disheartened and unmotivated, he decides to leave Tian Chuang. He hammers one nail every three months out of the seven required ones, a price to pay for him to steal the next three years away for himself and manages to buy his freedom. From then on, he puts on a disguise and hopes to spend the rest of his remaining days wandering jianghu. That is, until he meets his zhiji coincidentally at the end of a bridge in Yue Province, and that’s when he realizes fate has other plans for him.

Appearance: He seems arrogant and distant, is handsome and beautiful like no other. He only has two clear sides - black and white - and his face is slim and pale. HIs mouth is as thin as a single line, and all in all, this adds a tinge of heartlessness to him. His eyes are incredibly bright, his gaze half hidden and whenever he raises his eyes, one shudders.

Personality: Determined, mature, is magnanimous and open to listening to others. He is someone to be feared/respected, gentle and strong. He has the reputation of being “Saint Zhou”. He knows that some things should not be done, but still has to be done, and similarly, that some things can be done, but he is unable to. He is as deep as a frigid pond that extends thousands of feet deep, as calm as quietly flowing water, akin to two layers of grey dust (i.e. there are two layers to his character).

Accessories:

(1) Bai Yi Sword

A light and soft blade that has a handle resembling a crown, fit for a gentleman. The handle is flexible and has carvings that mirror that of the lines in white jade for embellishment. The blade itself has the two words “Bai Yi” inscribed on it in clerical script. It can usually be hidden around the waist and can be used at will whenever necessary.

It was forged by one of the first generation of master blacksmiths Rong Changqing and was originally called “Nameless” (wu ming), before it was changed to Bai Yi by Ye Baiyi. It was then gifted to Qin Huaizhang, and then passed down to Zhou Zishu.

The sword will display different types of characteristics to reflect the wielder’s different state of minds and personalities. In Zhou Zishu’s hands, the sword is clean, bright and decisive, and is truly a sword made for a gentleman. In Wen Kexing’s hands, one cannot evade or hide from the sword and can penetrate the toughest of objects.

(2) Two Pouches

One is white, with matching-colored strings and yellow tassels. The other is forest green, with dark wavy prints, paired with matching-colored strings and blue-gray tassels.

(3) Alcohol Gourd

About the size of a palm with an actual vine as a handle and a screw-on cap. The brown rope connects the handle to the waist of the gourd and is convenient to hold onto.

(4) Alcohol Vessel

Made of bamboo and wrapped with a brown layer of leather. Has carvings as illustration on the sides, the handle is colored and is spectacular with gold accents.

(5) Vials for Disguise

White jade liquid vials - with brown tassels to accompany the bottles which are coupled with red coral beads.

Name: Wen Kexing

Origins: Healer’s Valley Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao’s son. His parents are implicated in the Rong Xuan incident and die as a result, having lost everything as a young boy, he falls to the depths of the Ghost Valley and has to struggle to survive. Through hundreds of trials and challenges he becomes highly skilled, then takes on the mantle of a the new Ghost Valley Master. Although he has sunken deep into filth and darkness, he keeps his burning, genuine heart; although he resides in hell, he is still unbearably kind. In the pursuit of revenge, he swears to eliminate all the sin and filth from the world, to cleans the world with his own body and commands all the ghosts to clear the nest and head outside, causing chaos within the martial arts world. He originally thought he would live the rest of his life as something that is not fully human, a ghost, but suddenly meets the only light in his lifetime.

Appearance: Handsome and elegant, carefree; with well-defined features, with doe-eyed innocent eyes, confident and at ease; once you see him you’ll forget his origins/background. His face is fair and white, his eyes bright. It is as if a deity/immortal has descended into the human realms, so beautiful, akin to a demon(ness).

Personality: Seemingly evil and out of control, someone who laughs and rages for no reason, but has a passionate heart. He is heartless and distant to everyone around him, immensely arrogant, but is incredibly warm to people close to him. He is akin to the beauty of the last vestiges of the spring season, a kaleidoscope of colours within black.

Accessories:

(1) Fan

The design draft shows a white fan made with seashells and ivory. The fan guard would be made of carved ivory with clouds for prints, while the ribs and face of the fan are made with shiny shells which look like one cohesive piece when opened. Bright and elegant, beautiful beyond belief. However, because using these animal-made materials is prohibited, they changed it to a wooden fan in the show itself. A fan is a representation of a man’s status and where his culture lies and its beauty is enough to amaze the world.

The fan is not only a refined-looking belonging that lies in his sleeves, but also a light and convenient weapon. When faced with his enemies, he can take them out in a single move.

(2) Short Blade

The handle of this blade is made out of white jade and is encrusted with silver embellishments and red gems. The sheathe has some silver metallic carvings and a white tassel with jade beads. There are further carvings on the skeleton of the blade, and it can cut through nails and other metals, even gold and jade (an idiom to describe how firm, strong and solid the blade is). The blade is short and easy to conceal, and is Wen Kexing’s defense weapon he holds close to him.

(3) White Jade Hairpin

The hairpin that Gu Miao Miao and Wen Ruyu entrusts to him before they die, and this hairpin is the key to the armory. In Episode 31, Wen Kexing gifts this pin to Zhou Zishu, and in Episode 36, Wen Kexing takes it from Zhou Zishu’s hair and uses it to open the armory.

(4) White Jade Flute

The body of the flute is made with white jade and it gets its shape from bamboo. Both ends have silver embellishments, the silver parts were manufactured separately. The tassel is in silver with a honey-colored (amber) bead at the top. The final product got rid of the bamboo sections and extra silver embellishments to make it look simpler.

In Episode 4, Wen Kexing uses this flute for the first time to play the Bodhi Heart Clearing song. It is firm, with hundreds of turns and twists, no regrets, all to aid Zhou Zishu in recovering from his inner injuries.

(5) Alcohol Vessel

The vessel body is made out of bamboo with a brown layers of leather encasing it. Golden accents, carvings on the side and a dark-colored handle.

(6) Night Pearl Stone

In Episode 18, Wen kexing uses this pearl to look into the mountain valleys of Long Yuan Pavilion.

(7) Alcohol/Wine Holders

In Episode 3, Wen Kexing orders Ah Xiang to use this as a holder to help Zhou Zishu heat up his wine

[canary3d-obsessed]

Lost Tomb Reboot Lewks: Part 13

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for both seasons of The Lost Tomb Reboot and also vaguely for Daomu Biji in general

Look 66 belongs to Ah Ning, who has chosen, for this adaptation, to go with short hair, heavy makeup, and all-black clothes, but with a bit of a club vibe, rather than her more usual tactical vibe. 

The short hair is a weird choice. The whole schtick with DMBJ adaptations is that you have to tell who's who by their costuming and styling, since the associated actors toss roles back and forth faster than Wu Xie and Xiao Ge on a date with Liu Sang. 

Hot guy in a hoodie? Xiao Ge. Slightly dorky but ridiculously charismatic guy who dresses like Joey Ramone? Hei Yanjing. Man who's too old for fluffy bangs and puppy-dog eyes but is working the hell out of them anyway? Wu Xie. Ponytail, gun, and a whole bunch of disposable sidekicks? Ah Ning.

Ah Ning, Lost Tomb 1 version, with her signature ponytail & disregard for human life.

For this look, Ah Ning has gotten rid of her long hair, henchmen, weapons, and the part of her shirt that normally would cover her belly. This is an outfit that says "I am finally ready to fuck Wu Xie." 

Unfortunately she decides to accessorize this outfit with a giant deadly snake. 

This snake, unlike the equivalent snake in uhhhhhmmm a different DMBJ show that Ah Ning might theoretically die in, does not appear to be poisonous or have an unusual instant-kill-you ability. It just squeezes her a little bit, and the boys don't make any attempt to revive her, even though not-breathing is a super survivable condition, if it's corrected quickly. 

This non-poisonous snake accessory is all about killing a woman so that men can feel manpain, and I am kind of offended that this version of Ah Ning went out like that, after being a badass in every other adaptation. 

(more after the cut!) 

The hypothetical other show where a version of this scene perhaps also happens does correct this, by having her talk about her acceptance of the risk of death, and by having the fucking snake be POISONOUS. I am not naming the show because where’s the fun in that? If you watch TLTR first, like I did, you get to be worried about Ah Ning in every other show she’s in, which is exhausting but also kind of fun. (I don’t mind women dying in fiction, as long as their deaths are an important part of their own stories, rather than just being important for the growth of the men around them.)

Thanks to poor accessory choices, Ah Ning and her snake necklace go the same route as Ye Piaopiao and No-Longer-Mute Chick; fortunately Xiao Ge didn't fall for Tattoo Artist Ah Tou or she'd be in the morgue with the rest of them.

Look 67 is young Wu Xie's jungle adventure outfit, featuring a bright white popover jacket with cream color sleeves from Scotch & Soda’s Club Nomade collection. Scotch & Soda have have thoughtfully printed their name on the string so that those of you who share Wu Xie's clothing tastes will know where to shop. You know who you are. 

You would think highly visible bright white would be a bad choice for a jungle adventure, but apparently snakes in these parts are only attracted to goths.

Wu Xie is also wearing wired ear pods, which did not exist whenever this flashback supposedly happened, but if we're cool with sentient crustaceans and clams that can incapacitate a ruthless trained assassin (clams got legs!), we can be cool with ear pods.

The show conveys flashback-Wu-Xie's youth and naiveté by having him smile sweetly, not watch Ah Ning take her clothes off, and not attempt CPR after she gets lightly squeezed by a snake.

Looks 68 and 69 belong to Not Ah Ning, who is played by Liu Yuqi, who also plays Ah Ning. Her makeup is much softer and prettier as this character than as Ah Ning; this character’s job is to be pleasing to men, whereas Ah Ning’s job is to get male underlings killed on the regular, so I guess that makes sense. 

This outfit is an amazing body-hugging soft green jumpsuit with raised quilty detailing on the arms and shoulders. Her jumpsuit perfectly matches the couch she's sprawled on, which is her subtle way of telling Jiang Zisuan that she is a nice comfy place to have a lie down. 

She accessorizes this look with her usual soft wavy brown hair and a scattering of gold finger rings. I think she also accessorizes this with ass pads, because Ah Ning does not appear to be draggin’ this wagon in her scenes. I checked. For science.  

When the first outfit doesn't work, she ditches the subtlety and goes for a Chanel-style suit in black, white, and red, with a with a black leather bustier underneath. 

Unfortunately this is a wasted effort, because the Jiang Zisuan she tries this on is actually Wu Xie in disguise. 

Wu Xie only likes girls if they are 1. secretly manipulating him while acting like a tiny adorable sidekick, 2. trying to kill him repeatedly while adventuring together, 3. planning to kill him as soon as the roads are clear but willing to bone in the meantime, or 4. are a skin effigy with a sentient crustacean in their head.

Sorry, Not Ah Ning; this was a good effort. 

Look 70 features Wu Xie in a white thermal shirt, dark blue jeans, and fake facial hair. This is a good look for sitting with your not-quite girlfriend and wondering how you both managed to have romances with Bai Yu in parallel universes. (OP recently watched Love O2O, which is a trip for fans of DMBJ, Guardian, or feminism)

Fortunately Wu Xie doesn’t know that his second-favorite doctor/Zhan Rishan’s girlfriend also had a romance with Bai Yu or his mind would be entirely blown. 

This is a soft, comfortable look, perfect for torturing someone, with help from your first-favorite doctor, by pretending to poison someone with nicotine, all so you can have a few moments of quality time with a cigarette before said doctor takes them away again. 

Wu Xie's cigs are stored in a buttery-soft leather case that completely covers the brand name of the cigarettes, so apparently cdramas don’t go in for ciggy product placements. 

Wo Xie wears this outfit with a silvery-metal watch with a black leather wrist strap. The watch appears to be round, and it probably tells time. (If you’re new to the Lewks series: I lack watch knowledge and that’s not likely to change.)

Wu Xie finally peels off his fake facial hair so we can see his pretty face again, only to replace the facial hair with an entire fake face. Fortunately, this face, belonging to actor Wu Lipeng, is also pretty. 

Look 71 belongs to Wu Xie, initially (for this outfit) played by Wu Lipeng until his inevitable unmasking. So many actors have played Wu Xie, this whole disguise thing is barely worth blinking at. Wu Lipeng does a nice job changing his mannerisms to play Wu Xie, and this whole schtick eventually gives us Zhu Yilong's delightful performance as Wang Meng, so even though we eventually get way too much of not-Zhu-Yilong in the role, I’m good with it.

This outfit features black jeans, black tactical boots & gloves, and Ah Ning’s coin bracelet, although it’s mostly hard to see the bracelet. The outfit’s main feature is a possibly-leather jacket that’s been molded into a hideous and disturbing voronoi pattern. 

This jacket is probably very expensive and took a lot of work to craft, but it makes him look  like he’s wearing a Glad Force Flex garbage bag. I mean, I guess that's cool. 

This outfit is good for several episodes worth of adventures, including getting tied up and being sassy...

...and underwater cave exploration, which is totally a thing that a person with critically damaged lungs can do.  

This outfit is good for homoerotic wrestling...

...and also for heteroerotic wrestling.

This is also a good outfit for being gently cradled in the arms of your doctor, while you massage your throat in order to swallow what he's putting in your mouth.

The fingerless gloves are useful for helping Xiao Bai get out of not one, but two different situations in which she stepped on a trap without realizing it, requiring Wu Xie to get down on the ground and have a tense encounter with her foot. 

Scenes like this are where costuming really makes a difference. In this shot, we we watch a stunt hand (Zhu Yilong has never had that long of a thumbnail in his life) hold a wire steady, while a stunt foot is pulled out from under it.  

This shot includes a lot of visual texture and interest, from the hatch lines on the palm of the glove to the cross-striping of the boot lace. The complexity of this glove and this boot help to hold our attention when they’re in the frame, allowing the tension of the scene to build, instead of dissipating when the viewer runs out of things to look at.

Bonus Look 1

Carrying all that tragic baggage has given Jiang Zisuan spectacular arm muscles.

Bonus Look 2

Zhu Yilong with not-fake facial hair. 

Daaaaaamn.

[borkthemork]

Anne and Sprig?

Anne and Sprig Vibe Playlist

Genre: Indie, pop, acoustic (one song for that though, oop).

1. Rather Be by Clean Bandit

I might be cheating on this, but Rather Be is such a Spranne song so I had to start off the playlist with this. It has lyrics that talk about how — no matter the distance, difference, or weather — these two will make sure to be there for one another in the long run. It perfectly encapsulates them in such a catchy ditty.

We're a thousand miles from comfort We have travelled land and sea But as long as you are with me There's no place I'd rather be I would wait forever Exalted in the scene As long as I am with you My heart continues to beat

With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay Strollin' so casually We're different and the same, gave you another name Switch up the batteries

2. Safe Place to Land by Christian Burghardt

This is all about the compromise and honesty that comes through in Sprig and Anne’s communication with each other as the show goes on. They show off the best qualities in one another. They make sure to not press any boundaries.

They're ready to show unconditional love when emotional comeuppances happen, and in Season Three, this probably will be more prominent now than ever!

And I'm always gonna break your fall If you let me be your safety net even when I know you're wrong And I'll always be your tried and true Yeaaah When your wings give out on you

3. Geronimo by Sheppard

Geronimo encapsulates the eagerness to tackle the world with your best friend by your side. Even if that means going against frog-eating maggots or scorpions full of deadly poison then Anne and Sprig shall conquer the world bit by bit, regardless of how many naps they’d need by the end.

Can you feel it? Now it's coming back We can steal it if we bridge this gap I can see you through the curtains of the waterfall When I lost it, yeah, you held my hand But I tossed it, didn't understand You were waiting as I dove into the waterfall

4. carry me home by ​sød ven

To pull back from the high intense stuff, we are now mellowing down to something really tender. For Anne, I get the feeling that this song could represent the Plantar family as a whole, because they helped her understand how to become herself and navigate the confusion of what true friendship really is.

She'd been pushed around her entire life, and now people like Sprig were able to get her through the tribulations, and she doesn’t want to part with them even when they helped her get home. They are her family. No matter what.

Hold me tight Pull me up and carry me home (If I could have you) All this time I was lost and I didn’t know (If I could have you) Who am I? Now alive inside of these bones (If I could have you) Hold me tight Don’t let go Carry me home

5. True Colors by Cyndi Lauper

Yep. True Colors in this context is all about the unconditional love of someone who has went through a lot of troubling and tremulous times. With connecting this to True Colors the episode and the probable aftermath, I find it really sweet that Sprig wants to be careful in how he acquaints himself with the family while making sure Anne is doing okay with the current events going on.

After everything that happened, Anne deserves time to cope and rest.

You with the sad eyes Don't be discouraged Oh I realize It's hard to take courage In a world full of people You can lose sight of it all And the darkness inside you Can make you feel so small But I see your true colors Shining through I see your true colors And that's why I love you So don't be afraid to let them show Your true colors True colors are beautiful Like a rainbow

[unexpected-nightview]

Spoiler-ish (technically the screenwriter backtracking and trying to fix that clownery)

Okay just to keep track of everything : post by the screenwriter + pic with translation about said post + translated text (via google bc I don’t speak chinese...) + original text all under the cut.

1)Translation 

"Hate Your Lord Is Not Like Jiang Lou Yue" Finale 37-1 At the entrance of Yuzhitang Jiang Yuelou stands on the opposite side of the street, going back and forth across the street The flow of people and the glass windows of Yu Zhitang, watching the glass After Chen Yuzhi, the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. 37-2 Within days of Yu Zhitang Chen Yuzhi packed the things on the table, ready to hit kind. Chen Yuzhi noticed a scorching gaze, Lifting his gaze, it was Jiangyue Tower. Jiang Yuelou raised an eyebrow at him triumphantly and gave him one Bright laugh. Chen Yuzhi smiled back and took off the white The lab coat, walked towards the door. 37-3 Outside the entrance of Yuzhitang Chen Yuzhi locked the door, Jiang Yuelou crossed the street Come. Chen Yuzhi; Didn't you say that the police station was handed over in the morning? Do you have a lot of work and are you busy? Jiang Yuelou: No matter how busy you are, you have to eat. Besides, Today's special day, Lantern Festival, not with me Over? Chen Yuzhi turned around and smiled gently: OK, together Over. 37-4 Jingcheng Street Niwai Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi walked along the street, talking and laughing With. The people on both sides of the street, some are cooking, some Playing chess, some are drinking tea, and some are living and working in peace and contentment. Look like. Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi comforted and looked at each other laugh. Jiang Yuelou: Our efforts were not in vain, they Finally can live a stable life. Chen Yuzhi: Yeah, finally, everything is worth it From time to time, someone greeted the two. Passerby: Doctor Chen! Passer-by: Section Chief Jiang! Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi nodded in response with a smile. Passers-by greeted warmly: Chief Jiang, come to the house for soup Round, we made it ourselves, don't dislike it. Jiang Yuelou laughed: No, we are also going to go back do. Chen Yuzhi was stunned, and after passers-by walked away, he asked: Are you planning to do it yourself? Jiang Yuelou; otherwise? Chen Yuzhi: I thought you meant to go to the house at the door Kunton stalls, her family will cook some glutinous rice balls every day Applicable. Jiangyuelou: Do it yourself, it has a special flavor. Smile of Chen Yuzhi: Okay, listen to you. The two talked and laughed and walked. Not far ahead, A man in a rickshaw driver's clothes raised his eyes slightly The line turned out to be Zhan Junbai who escaped from the dead. Zhan Junbai raised his gaze and looked at it with hatred. From a subjective perspective, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi are getting closer Up. Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi didn't realize it was coming Danger, chatting. Jiang Yuelou: It’s been a long time since I rode a horse. This weekend, Go for horse racing? Chen Yuzhixiao: This time, I will definitely beat you. Jiang Yuelou is full of confidence: give it a try. While they were talking, the two had already arrived in front of Zhan Junbai. Zhan Junbai suddenly held a gun and shot at Jiangyuelou. He It is the one that was given to Yutangchun and then returned The gun in his own hand. Chen Yuzhi didn't hesitate to rush to block Jiangyue Tower In front of him, the bullet shot into Chen Yuzhi's heart. Jiangyuelou Want to block the future. Jiang Yuelou's unbelievable look, hold it fast with one hand Chen Yuzhi, who was about to fall, drew his spear without hesitation and charged Zhuan Junbai shot. The people scattered and fled. Zhan Junbai was shot, his body was shocked, crazy and terrifying Smiling and falling to the ground, he looked at Jiang Yuelou proudly. He felt no physical pain, he was immersed in revenge In pleasure. A string of beads on his hand broke and fell The ground, scattered around, that is Yutangchun's hand when he was alive Beaded. Zhan Jun white grinning smile: Jiang Yuelou, what I lost, you I can't get it either. He died, more painful than your death Right? Jiang Yuelou didn't care about Zhanjun Bai, nervously Pulling off Chen Yuzhi's jacket, he saw the bullet shooting through the inside The armor is almost penetrated, severely changed Fortunately, it did not hurt the body. Jiang Yuelou is anxious and worried: how are you, where did you hurt Is it there? Chen Yuzhi patted Jiang Yuelou's hand comfortably: I didn't thing. Jiang Yuelou annoyed Chen Yu's eyes: Both of us Go back and calculate! Zhan Junbai saw that Chen Yuzhi was not injured, and he was shocked. Unbelievable look; how is this possible?! Jiang Yuelou turned and walked towards Zhan Junbai, staring at him He: I've already gotten it right, you won't let it go, from I have been waiting since the day you fled, waiting for you come back. As Jiang Yuelou said, he opened his coat, and he did it too Protection: Zhan Junbai, I am different from you, you lose Go, I will never lose. Jiang Yuelou said, glanced at Chen Yuzhi, the two were right Depending on. Zhan Junbai was defeated and looked desperate. Jiang Yuelou raised his gun again, preparing to end Zhanjun White. Zhan Junbai moved his eyes from Jiangyue Tower to Chen Yuzhi, supporting With one last breath: Dr. Chen, can Can't help me Busy? Chen Yuzhi looked at him coldly: I won't help you intercede Yes, you deserve it. Zhan Junbai; it's not this busy...cough cough... Zhan Jun white mouth and more and more blood surges in the wound Out, dyed red beads scattered on the ground, like red beans. Zhan Junbai: Help me and him, be buried together... Chen Yuzhi's accident: You didn't sink him into the crab pond? Zhan Junbai smiled: I really sink him, how can I give up Got. If you don't say this, how can you hold the following people. Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi looked at each other, Chen Yuzhibai Mixed feelings. Chen Yuzhi: Where is he buried? Zhan Junbai; Chengdong. Xinglinli. Chen Yuzhi remembered Yutangchun telling that he liked it before he was alive Xinglin in the east of the city, I want to survive the spring and be buried in Xinglin One scene. Zhan Junbai; help me, okay... Chen Yuzhi shook his head: He was tortured because of you during his lifetime. After death, I definitely don’t want to have anything with you Ge. The only pleading look in Zhan Junbai's life; please You... Dr. Chen, please... Chen Yuzhi did not hesitate, turned and walked towards Jiang Yue floor. Jiang Yuelou raised the muzzle and ended Zhan Junbai's Raw. The picture is getting darker. 37-5 Jiangyuelou's home at night The door opened, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi came in. Jiang Yuelou's complexion is not very good, he is angry, heavy Sitting on the sofa. Chen Yuzhi was a little guilty, took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves Zi: What about making glutinous rice balls? I'll prepare them. Jiang Yuelou stared at him, did not speak, his eyes followed Chen I walked around. Chen Yuzhi looked back: Don't do it now? Jiang Yuelou got up and strode towards Chen Yuzhi: What to do What do you do, settle the account! Chen Yuzhi: I was not injured... Jiang Yuelou is angry; this is a fluke, what if?! Me The armor is prepared for you to protect yourself, not for Let you save people! Chen Yuzhi: But that's you... Jiang Yuelou is fierce: No one can do it! Besides, I'm not without it, I need you to rush out to protect me Did you know that I was almost scared to death.. Chen Yuzhi: Sorry, I was in a hurry, I forgot Up. Jiang Yuelou was stunned: Did you forget about the armor? Chen Yuzhi: It was too late to think too much... Jiang Yuelou suddenly felt very heartfelt, touched and touched. Fear, his fierce face instantly softened, and he raised his hand Gave Chen Yuzhi a deep hug. Jiang Yuelou whispered: Yu Zhi, in my life, I don't Fortunately...but how lucky it is to meet you. Chen Yuzhi responded in a low voice: Me too, Yuelou. How lucky to meet you... For a moment, Jiang Yuelou let go and pushed Chen Yuzhi towards kitchen. Chen Yuzhi: What? Jiang Yuelou: Make glutinous rice balls! 37-6 black screen subtitles: one year later 37-7 A small courtyard in a countryside day (faint) inside/outside The dusk is groggy. With the door open, you can see that Chen Keying is holding a small Play freely in the hall. In the courtyard, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi are sitting on a stone table before. There are some dried herbs on the table, Chen Yuzhi Pulling herbs. Jiang Yuelou held a newspaper in her hand, Newspaper headlines, Jin Dacheng became director, Jing Chengtai level. Jiang Yuelou smiled, put down the newspaper, picked up the tea cup, Make tea comfortably. Jiang Yuelou took a sip of hot tea and looked at Chen Yu Zhi: Alright, it's been an afternoon, and tomorrow Chen Yuzhi laughs: a few days later is the rainy season, so you have to take advantage of the sky Okay, just dry it thoroughly. Jiang Yuelou handed a cup of hot tea: no hurry at this time and a half Engrave, take a sip of tea slowly. Chen Yuzhi raised his hand to indicate, his slender fingers were touched Herb sap stained with emerald color. Jiang Yuelou simply handed the cup over, Chen Yuzhi low Head, took a few sips of water with Jiang Yuelou's hand. Jiang Yuelou: I have found the location of the clinic, what do I need Please leave the list empty, let's go buy it together. Chen Yuzhi raised his head and looked at Jiang Yuelou, making a cunning point Laughter: Everything else is easy to say, there is only one thing, I'm afraid it is It's not easy to buy. Jiang Yuelou: What is it? Come and listen. Chen Yuzhi: The original Yuzhitang plaque is pretty good Yes, it's a pity that I forgot to bring it when I moved. Jiang Yuelou: This is easy to handle, I will solve it. Chen Yuzhi laughed: What, the engraver of Yuelou, once Is it ripe for the second time? Jiang Yuelou froze for a while, reacted, you all know Up? Chen Yuzhi: Yes. Jiang Yuelou: When did it happen? Smile of Chen Yu: Secret. Jiang Yuelou raised her eyebrows: Secret? Then don't blame me Up. Jiang Yuelou said, got up, went to the hut and dragged out A plaque, carefully wrapped in cloth, Jiangyue Tower Raise your hand, the cloth flutters, revealing Yu Zhitang below Plaque. Chen Yuzhi laughed blankly. Jiang Yuelou smiled proudly. In the distance, the setting sun, crimson and yellow cross Jiang Yuelou stared into the distance, feeling: Yu Zhi, the sun It's down. Chen Yuzhi raised his eyes and looked along the Jiangyue Tower Go, the dusk is bleak. Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi stared at each other, tacitly agreeing Laugh, all affectionate, all affection, everything is silent in. The silhouette in the sunset gradually merged. --End of the whole play- Extraordinary ending Green poplar smoke is light outside, red apricot branches spring Noisy. In the Xinglin in the east of the city, one is well repaired But there is no tomb with a stele. In front of the tombstone, put some fresh Bouquets and memorial supplies. The camera pulls up, from the feet up, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yu 之入画. The two stood side by side in front of the tombstone, looking at jade Tang Chun's tomb is silently missed. Flashback, the scene before Zhan Junbai died. Chen Yuzhi: Where is he buried? Zhan Junbai; Chengdong. Xinglin Li.. Keke (kee Blood). I didn’t engrave the stele, in case someone knows the body Fortunately, he was troubled by me, and he couldn't be peaceful after death. The flashback is over. Chen Yuzhi: I did not agree to his request, if you You know Izumi, surely he is unwilling, right? No one answered, the wind blows the flowers. Jiang Yuelou comfortably embraced Chen Yuzhi and rubbed twice Lower the neck; if you really promise to help him be buried together, That's what insulted boss Yu. Now it's good Up. Jiang Yuelou said, let go of Chen Yuzhi, and looked back The cliff not far away. On the cliff, there is no one Lonely grave with lettering. Because of the terrain, the lone tomb can be In order to see the Xinglin and Yutangchun tombs under the mountain, and The lone tomb is always in the back of Yutangchun's tomb, no Will get a glimmer of light. Chen Yuzhi looked back, feeling complicated, sighing sound. Jiang Yuelou; gone, let's go home for the rest. The setting sun stained the branches and willows of Xinglin, Jiangyuelou, Chen Yu Zhi crosses the Xinglin side by side, and the rest of the discussion spreads from time to time Come. Chen Yuzhi: Yuelou, you said, people have an afterlife ? Jiang Yuelou took a deep look at Chen Yuzhi: I don't know Tao, but I hope there is. Chen Yuzhi laughed; even if he had, he drank Meng Po soup, Probably also met and did not know each other. Jiang Yuelou: Leave a secret sign, how about? If you meet again See, you won’t miss it. Chen Yuzhi ridiculed: Isn't that necessary for generations to come Met you guy? Jiang Yuelou jealous: Listening to these words, it seems not very willing? Chen Yuzhi: If it were you, I would be willing. Jiang Yuelou was deeply moved, and the two smiled at each other. The shadow disappeared in the depths of the apricot forest. The mountain scenery is steep, Zhan Junbai stands on the cliff, but He didn't feel cold, he was just cold in his heart. Zhan Junbai stared deeply at a touch of the apricot forest ahead Back, his eyes cleared and disappeared. Zhan Junbai murmured: Do you have an afterlife? The mountain wind blows and blows, as if it blows this sentence to the mountain In the ears of people. Yutangchun faces the apricot forest and back to the cliff. For some reason, weeping and whispering slightly; I don't know Tao. Zhan Junbai; They have an appointment in the next life... If, I We also have an afterlife, will everything be different? Yutangchun Yuguang glanced back slightly, his eyes earning Tangle and sigh; if there is an afterlife, I Hope, never meet you again. Jun Bai. I hope Hope, for generations to come, never see each other... From Huawei memo @ 直好好的

=> so basically, the shooting happens but Yuzhi was wearing some sort of bulletproof vest and he didn’t get hurt. They hug and both go “so lucky to have met you”. All is well in the world, this is the canon ending and fuck the rest~ 

2)Original text (extracted from the pic)

《恨君不似江楼月》大结局 37-1余之堂门口 日外 江月楼站在街道对面,隔着街道来往 的人流和余之堂的玻璃窗,注视着玻璃 后的陈余之,嘴角不自觉上扬。 37-2 余之堂日内 陈余之收拾着桌面的东西,准备打 样。陈余之察觉到一股灼热的目光, 抬起视线看去,是江月楼。 江月楼得意地冲他扬眉,赠予他一个 明亮的笑。陈余之回以一笑,脫下白 大褂,朝着门外走去。 37-3 余之堂门口日外 陈余之锁门,江月楼穿过街道上 来。 陈余之;早上你不是说最近警署交接 工作多,很忙吗? 江月楼:再忙,也得吃饭啊。再说, 今天特殊日子,元宵节,不跟我一起 过? 陈余之转身,温和一笑:好,一起 过。 37-4景城街道 日外 江月楼、陈余之沿着街道走着,说笑 着。 街道两边的百姓,有的在煮饭,有的 在下棋,有的在喝茶,一副安居乐业的 样子。 江月楼、陈余之心中安慰,对视一 笑。 江月楼:我们的努力没有白费,他们 终于能过上安稳的日子了。 陈余之:是啊,总算,一切都值 不时有人向两人打招呼。 路人甲:陈医生! 路人乙:江科长! 江月楼、陈余之微笑点头回应。 路人热情招呼:江科长,来家里吃汤 圆啊,我们自己做的,别嫌弃。 江月楼笑:不用了,我们也准备回去 做。 陈余之愕了下,待路人走开后,问: 你打算自己做啊? 江月楼;不然呢? 陈余之:我以为,你是说去门口那家 锟饨摊吃,她家每到这天都会煮些汤圆 应景。 江月楼:自己做,别有风味。 陈余之笑:好,听你的。 两人说笑着,走着。前方不远处, 个穿着黄包车夫衣服的人微微抬起视 线,竟然是死里逃生的展君白。 展君白抬起视线,仇恨的目光看去, 主观视角,江月楼和陈余之越来越近 了。 江月楼和陈余之浑然不觉即将到来的 危险,聊着。 江月楼:好久没骑马了,这个周末, 赛马去? 陈余之笑:这次,一定赢你。 江月楼自信满满:试试看。 说话间,两人已经到了展君白面前, 展君白突然持枪,朝着江月楼开枪,他 拿着的,是那把曾送给玉堂春后又回到 自己手上的枪。 陈余之毫不犹豫地扑过去挡在江月楼 身前,子弹射进陈余之心口处。江月楼 想要阻拦未来得及。 江月楼不敢置信的神情,一手扶住快 要倒下的陈余之,毫不犹豫地拔枪,冲 着展君白开枪。百姓们四散而逃。 展君白中弹,身子一震,疯狂恐怖地 笑着倒地,他器张得意地看着江月楼, 身体的痛他毫无感觉,��沉浸在报复的 快感中。他手上戴着的一串珠子断裂落 地,四散开来,那是玉堂春生前不离手 的串珠。 展君白狞笑:江月楼,我失去的,你 也得不到。他死了,比你死了,更痛 吧? 江月楼顾不得搭理展君白,紧张地 扯开陈余之外套,看到子弹射在内里穿 着的护甲上,护甲几乎被穿透,严重变 形,所幸没有伤及身体。 江月楼着急担忧:你怎么样,伤到哪 里没有? 陈余之宽慰地拍拍江月楼的手:我没 事。 江月楼气恼地陈余之一眼:咱俩的 账回去算! 展君白看到陈余之并未受伤,楞住, 不可置信的神情;这怎么可能?! 江月楼转身走向展君白,死死盯着 他:我早就算准了你不会善罢甘休,从 你逃离的那天起,我一直在等着,等你 回来。 江月楼说着,撩开自己外套,他也做 了防护:展君白,我跟你不一样,你失 去的,我永远不会失去。 江月楼说着,看了眼陈余之,两人对 视。 展君白一败涂地,绝望神情。 江月楼再次抬起枪口,准备结束展君 白。 展君白视线从江月楼移向陈余之,撑 着最后一口气:陈医生,能 不能,帮我 个忙? 陈余之冷眼看他:我不会帮你求情 的,你这是罪有应得。 展君白;不是这个忙...咳咳.... 展君白白嘴角和伤口越来越多的血涌 出,染红了地上散落的珠子,宛如红 豆。 展君白:帮我和他,葬在一起... 陈余之意外:你没把他沉进蟹塘? 展君白笑了笑:真沉了他,我如何舍 得。不这样说,又如何镇得住下面的 人。 江月楼、陈余之对视一眼,陈余之百 感交集。 陈余之:他葬在何处? 展君白;城东.杏林里。 陈余之想起玉堂春生前诉说自己喜欢 城东杏林,想要熬过春天,葬在杏林的 一幕。 展君白;帮我,行吗... 陈余之摇头:他生前因你受尽折磨, 死后,定然也不愿和你再有什么瓜 葛。 展君白一生唯一一次恳求的眼神;求 你... 陈医生,求你.. 陈余之没有犹豫,转身走向江月 楼。 江月楼抬起枪口,结束了展君白的一 生。 画面渐黑。 37-5 江月楼的家 夜 内 门开,江月楼、陈余之进门。 江月楼面色不太好,生气中,重重地 坐在沙发上。 陈余之有些心虚,脱下外套,挽起袖 子:做汤圆的东西呢?我去准备。 江月楼盯着他,不说话,视线随着陈 余之走动而动。 陈余之回头:现在不做吗? 江月楼起身,大步走向陈余之:做什 么做,算账! 陈余之:我没受伤... 江月楼气;这是侥幸,万一呢?!我 给你准备护甲是让你自保的,不是为了 让你救人的! 陈余之:可那是你... 江月楼凶巴巴:是谁都不行!再说, 我又不是没有,用得着你冲出来护我 吗?你知不知道,我差点吓死.. 陈余之:对不起,一时情急,我忘 了。 江月楼愣住:你忘了护甲这回事? 陈余之:当时来不及想太多... 江月楼突然感到无比的窝心、感动和 后怕,凶巴巴的脸瞬间软化下来,抬手 给了陈余之一个深深的拥抱。 江月楼低喃:余之,我这一生,很不 幸...但又何其有幸,竟能遇见你。 陈余之低声回应:我也一样,月楼。 遇见你,何其有幸.. 片刻,江月楼松手,推着陈余之走向 厨房。 陈余之:嗯?干什么? 江月楼:做汤圆! 37-6黑屏字幕:一年后 37-7 某乡下小院 日(昏)内/外 暮色昏沉。 屋门开着,可以看到,陈可盈抱着小 自在厅内玩耍。 院子里,江月楼和陈余之坐在石桌 前。桌上摆着些晾晒的草药,陈余之 正在翻拉草药。江月楼手上拿着报纸, 报纸头条,金大成开任署长,景城太 平。 江月楼笑了,放下报纸,拿起茶杯, 惬意泡茶。 江月楼自顾自喝了一口热茶,看向陈 余之:好了,侍弄一下午了,明日再 陈余之笑:过几日是雨季,得趁着天 好,晒干晒透才行。 江月楼递上一杯热茶:不急这一时半 刻,喝口茶缓缓。 陈余之抬起手示意,他修长手指上沾 染了翠色的药草汁液。 江月楼干脆将杯子递过去,陈余之低 头,就着江月楼的手喝了几口水。 江月楼:诊所的位置找好了,需要什 么物件你空了列一下,我们一起去买。 陈余之抬头,看向江月楼,狡點一 笑:别的都好说,只有一件东西,怕是 不好买。 江月楼:什么东西?你说来听听。 陈余之:原来那块余之堂的牌匾挺好 的,可惜,搬家的时候忘带了。 江月楼:这个啊,好办,我来解决。 陈余之笑:怎么,月楼的雕工,一回 生二回熟了? 江月楼愣了下,反应过来,你都知道 了? 陈余之:嗯。 江月楼:什么时候的事儿? 陈余之笑:秘密。 江月楼扬眉:秘密啊?那就别怪我 了。 江月楼说着,起身,去一旁小屋拖出 一块牌匾,上面用布仔细包着,江月楼 扬手,布飘扬开来,露出下面的余之堂 匾额。 陈余之哑然失笑。 江月楼得意傲娇的笑。 远处,夕阳西下,绯红色和黄色交 江月楼凝望远处,感慨:余之,太阳 落山了。 陈余之抬起视线,顺着江月楼视线看 去,暮色苍茫。 江月楼、陈余之凝视彼此,默契一 笑,一切深情,一切情意,尽在不言 中。夕阳下的剪影,逐渐融合。 --全剧终一- 番外结尾 绿杨烟外晓寒轻,红杏枝头春意 闹。城东的杏林里,一座修葺的很好 却没有刻碑的墓。墓碑前,放了些新鲜 的花束和祭奠用品。 镜头拉起,从脚往上,江月楼和陈余 之入画。两人并肩站在墓碑前,望着玉 堂春的坟墓,默默怀念。 闪回,展君白死前一幕。 陈余之:他葬在何处? 展君白;城东. 杏林里..咳咳(咳 血).我没有刻碑,万一被人知晓了身 份,他受我连累,死后亦不得安宁。 闪回结束。 陈余之:我没有答应他的要求,若你 泉下有知,定然也是不愿的吧? 无人回答,风吹花落。 江月楼宽慰地揽住陈余之,摩挲了两 下脖颈;若你真答应帮他合葬在一起, 才是辱了玉老板。如今这样,已经很好 了。 江月楼说着,松开陈余之,回头看向 不远处的悬崖。悬崖之上,一座亦没有 刻字的孤坟。因为地势原因,孤坟处可 以看得到山下的杏林和玉堂春坟墓,而 孤坟则永远在玉堂春坟墓的背影里,不 会得到一丝一毫的余光。 陈余之回头望去,心情复杂,唱叹一 声。 江月楼;走了,余之,咱们回家。 夕阳染红了杏林的枝柳,江月楼、陈 余之并肩穿过杏林,讨论的余声时而传 来。 陈余之:月楼,你说,人有来生 吗? 江月楼深深看了眼陈余之:我不知 道,但我希望有。 陈余之笑了;就算有,喝了孟婆汤, 大抵也是相逢不相识了。 江月楼:留个暗号,如何?若再遇 见,便不会错过了。 陈余之调侃:那岂不是生生世世都要 遇到你这家伙了? 江月楼醋意:这话听着,好像不怎么 愿意? 陈余之:若是你的话,我是愿意的。 江月楼深深感动,两人对视一笑,身 影消失在杏林深处。 山风料峭,展君白站在悬崖之上,却 并不觉得冷,他只是心冷。 展君白深深凝望着前面杏林里的一抹 背影,眼神明了又灭。 展君白喃喃:你说,人有来生吗? 山风吹啊吹,仿佛把这句话吹到了山 下人的耳朵里。 玉堂春面朝杏林,背向悬崖,眼中不 知怎的,微微泛起泪光,轻喃;我不知 道。 展君白;他们约了来生... 如果,我 们也有来生,一切,会不会不一样? 玉堂春余光微微往后看了眼,眼神挣 扎纠结,一声叹息;如果真有来生,我 希望,再也不要遇到你. 君白. 我希 望,生生世世,不复相见... 来自华为备忘录 " @ 直好好的

[writingtoforgetreality]

Caretaker Dan - The Devil´s Daughter Chapter Three (Lucifer Morningstar x Daughter!Reader)

[Lucifer-Masterlist], [The Devil´s Daughter-Masterlist]

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Summary: Dan and you arrived at his house where he took care of you. Everything that happened that day slowly started to sink in. Was it really the right decision to leave heaven? Was it normal to feel that way? Were you starting to regret it already?

Words: 1,405

Warnings: Lucifer Season 5 Part 1 spoilers, slow burn (trust me, the story is good), Dan being a sweetheart (I couldn´t help myself. I´m literally his no. 1 stan.), (Y/A) = your age, (Y/E/C) = your eye color

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

The both of you got out of the car and you followed Dan to his front door, waiting for him to unlock it. Stepping inside, you were met with a warm light that illuminated your face. The man in front of you turned around. His house was warm, you took off his jacket and handed it to him. In the entrance hall was a small wooden clothes rack where he put the leather piece. Dan took off his shoes and you copied his actions. They were put right next to the door where a few other pairs were already seated. He went in what you assumed to be his living room. Crazy how one single person had so much space while you only ever had one room, a small one too. It was not like you were jealous but it was just a much nicer way of living. When you did not follow Dan he looked towards you with an expecting face.

“Come on in. I have some left overs I can microwave for you if you want me to?” his voice sounded more and more in the distance so you entered his living room only to find him with his head sticking in his fridge. The kitchen, dining room and living room were all connected, making the room even bigger. You were starstruck. Maybe you would be able to afford a place like this in the future. That would be a dream come true.

“Thank you, Dan.” your legs moved you over to the bar that divided the kitchen area from the big dining table. The bar stools looked inviting so you sat down on one of them, waiting for Dan to finish up your meal. Why was he so eager to help you? To him, you were just an ordinary girl. No angel, no daughter of Satan. Just ordinary, like everyone here on Earth. Overthinking was probably the worst to do in this situation. You should be thankful for his efforts and you were. Still, you could never be careful enough, right?

A plate was placed in front of you. Dan handed you cutlery which you took with a wide smile on your face. One that made his face light up, too. He would figure out what to do with you but that had time in the morning. For now, he just wanted you to eat something and get some rest afterwards. In the corner of your eyes you could see Dan sitting down on the chair next to you.

“(Y/N)?” he asked in the silent room.

“Hmm?” munching on some mashed potatoes, you faced him and waited for him to continue.

“I work with the LAPD. Tomorrow, I can see what I can do to help you. To do that, though, I´d need a bit more information from you. Your last name, for example. Age. Anything would be helpful.” his smile was careful since he did not know if you were comfortable with sharing so much with a stranger. The fear in your innocent (Y/E/C) eyes was answer enough. Yet, he had to begin somewhere. Your name was a start but he knew he would not achieve anything with this only.

“Um.” the tension could be felt all across the room and Dan knew he probably crossed the line and you would run out any second. But you seemed frozen on the stool. Thousands of thoughts were running through your mind. How could you tell him more of yourself when you did not even know much else?

“I´m (Y/A) years old. Last name? This might sound weird but I genuinely think I don´t have one? There isn´t much else to tell, really.” with a chuckle your tried to lighten the mood. Dan, though, was shocked by what you just told him. What a mysterious girl you were. Maybe sleeping a night over it would help you sort things out. Maybe you would be open to share more in the morning. Exhaustion was written all over your face and after you finished eating you thanked the man next to you yet again.

“You know what? You look tired. My daughter isn´t here for the night anyway so you can sleep in her room. Here, I´ll show you the way.” the two of you went over to a narrow hallway. One that was decorated with many pictures. Coming to a halt in front of them, you spoke up, this time your voice was not a whisper.

“Is that your daughter?” your eyes were trained on a picture. Dan with a blonde woman and a young girl with pretty dark hair. After hearing your question, he went back over to where you were standing, looking at the same picture. That was a while ago on one of his daughter´s birthday parties.

“Her name is Trixie.” he stated proudly. You could tell he loved being a father. This realization gave you a small sting in your heart. Had your father never been proud of you? Why did he abandon you right after you were born? That was not fair. Anyway, none of this was Dan´s fault so you tried to keep your emotions at bay.

“She´s beautiful.” again, your voice grew more silent. It was more of a mumble. “And the woman next to you? Is she your wife?” you had to admit that the three of them looked like a cute family. All of them were smiling from ear to ear, happy to experience this moment together. Forever captured in a picture. Displayed on the wall so each time you walk by, you were taken back to this exact moment.

“Ex-wife to be exact.” his statement made you look up at him, guilt shown.

“I´m sorry, I didn´t think...I-I shouldn´t ha-” your sentence was cut short.

“It´s fine, really. We´re still good friends. We might not be in a relationship anymore but we care for each other and we work things out together. Especially for Trix.” the usage of the nickname made you smile slightly. Your previous wave of guilt washed away by pure adoration for this family. They still managed to live a happy life, even after everything they had been through. Truly remarkable.

Dan showed you the bathroom, told you where the towels were and brought you to Trixie´s bedroom. It was huge and gave you some sort of comfort.

“I hope you can sleep in her bed. You know, everyone is used to different, um, well...mattresses.” you giggled at his attempt to start another conversation. You were never really a quiet person but after everything that happened today, you were rather exhausted and not really in the mood for long, meaningful conversations.

“The bed´s just fine. Thank you, really. I appreciate it.” the words came out in a soft way, making Dan realize that you simply wanted to go to sleep. If he just gave you space you would warm up to him, right?

“Well then. Sleep tight. I see you in the morning before work. Trust me, my pancakes are out of this world.” he excitedly told you. The smile never left your face. You wished him a good night and he closed the door behind him, leaving you alone in this room.

Falling backwards into the soft bed, staring at the high ceiling, you left out a long sigh. How did you even end up here? Where was your confidence the other angels used to get annoyed by? Why were you so small, so broken, all of a sudden? Maybe it was the realization that today was the first time you were truly alone. Michael would not come by to spend time with you. There would not be such things as game nights anymore. Were you missing the comforts of heaven already? No! You wanted to leave and it was the right decision. God could not tell you what to do anymore. Besides, Dan treated you like a normal being. Not like a special, fragile angel. All you needed was some time to get settled in. That was a normal reaction. After spending (Y/A) years in heaven, of course you would take a bit to adjust. Tomorrow, everything would be much easier already. Changing into a shirt and sweatpants that Dan gave you, you climbed under the soft covers. No matter how hard you tried to keep your eyes open, they continuously felt heavier. Soon after you were fast asleep.

~to be continued~

Next Chapter 

Published (09/07/2020) by Cathy

Tags: @fandomqueen2003, @natashaashleymarvelromanoff, @severewobblerlightdragon, @tenderlyunlikelyexpert, @zoseph, @comicbucky-s, @dad-ee-drea, @xbarrjallenx, @marvelofwitch, @aceofspace95, @julessbrown, @thevelvetseries (let me know if you want to be tagged <3)

[morkofday]

thank you once again @yibobibo​ for tagging me ♥ even if, like I said, this is pure torture. I have so many sons that I’ve given up on counting them sigh but here goes.

favourite male fictional characters.

I took it that this meant ten so am going with that (tho am not gonna try and put them into order). am also sticking to all the characters I loved this year. and gonna ramble and add gifs so cutting it here. 

1. Liu Sang

The Lost Tomb Reboot/Reunion: The Sound of The Providence

I have so much love for this boy it’s not even healthy. it’s a bit funny tho bc once I started tltr, I didn’t really like him and almost forgot about him as the first season ended. he just felt so annoying and bitter in what I saw him, even if I did get that he had a Tragic BackstoryTM (I felt for him but well. tltr really made him hard to like at first). but then they brought him back in the second season with his sad puppy eyes and inability to handle his thoughts on wu xie and being all touch-starved and pitiful and whatnot and baam, I had the adoption papers ready. he’s wonderful and so strong and so smart and amazing. and liu chang as his actor has been wonderful (and he’s so pretty my god, have you seen him??)

2. Shen Wei

Guardian

never did I expect to just. fall into this hole after a year? I remember what a mess I was when I first watched guardian over a year ago, right after finishing the untamed. I was in shambles even as I knew how it would end. and now I’ve done this all again while also reading the novel and. my love for shen wei, especially bc it’s zhu yilong acting as shen wei? astronomical. I want to write poetry about him and his stupid responsibilities that he chooses to carry silently and his devotion to zhao yunlan and his love for his ppl and his didi and. I hope that one day I manage to write weilan bc I have this one idea and you can come pry it from my cold, dead fingers if it doesn’t get out there (am also super happy about the edit I made bc my god does he deserve at least that)

3. Cloud Strife

Final Fantasy VII

ok so stepping into the video games territory now. I was waiting for the remake like crazy and it was everything to me once the quarantine hit during spring. the game is so beautiful and I felt like I looked at this gorgeous boy once and was ready to give him my heart (tbh am quite sure he owned my heart before I even learned to know him). he is tragic in so many ways (I’ve only scratched the surface of all of his pain I know) and I wish I could just. hug him a lot. he is kind and cares very deeply even if he hates to show it and I love it how remake showed him also just being a human disaster (some of his scenes are just. peak comedy). I would kill for his smile (I have already cried for it a dozen)

4. Geralt of Rivia

The Witcher (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

if there’s one grumpy, brickwall of a man I love, it’s geralt. I affectionately call him “papa wolf” while playing witcher 3 and his voice in it does things to me (I am just so fond of him ok, begone you dirty fuckers). I got introduced to him through the books and adored him in them bc he is so prickly and sarcastic and still so full of love even if he will never admit to it. he is the father figure I wish I could have in real life. (and yes, I’ve seen the tv series (or at least a couple of the first episodes) and it looks stunning but. this is my version of geralt and that’s the hill I will die on)

5. Xiaoge

Zhang Qiling, Daomu Biji (The Lost Tomb 2)

(wow finding a gif for him was a pain, apparently I gotta learn how to gif or?) ah, my dear boy who I’ve ended up just calling xiaoge bc he seems to prefer it over his real name/title/whatever zhang qiling really is. I got introduced to him through tltr where we really didn’t get to know that much about him bc he was just... there. huang junjie was absolutely stunning tho and his soft smiles made me super fond, but only in the lost tomb 2 did I really fall in love with xiaoge as a character. I was surprised tbh bc I didn’t expect it to be this drama? I had so many doubts about the cast in tlt2 but they all delivered! and I think cheng yi’s xiaoge is now my favorite bc he somehow captured that softness and the pain of him? (and we do not talk about that buxun storyline tyvm) tho now that ultimate note is on the way, I gotta say that xiao yuliang does a wonderful job as xiaoge too!

6. Wu Xie

Daomu Biji (Ultimate Note)

(sorry we have to go with a pingxie gif now but maybe it’s only fitting) tbh it’s hard to choose my favorite version of wu xie. I think all of the actors for him have done amazing job showing wu xie in different parts of his life (all of them are very distinct but still feel like the same person) but currently zheng shunxi takes the lead. I really wanted to put the reboot version of him here (bc I love that mature, relaxed and somehow very soft version of him and the angst is phenomenal and the thoughts he has about death... yeah) but I already have zhu yilong’s face here once so :’D wu xie is just one of those characters you cannot not like. he is so strong, so kind, so stubborn, so wonderfully stupid sometimes and in need of careful protection. I also adore it how smart he is and I could listen to him spew history facts for 10 hours straight (even if it was in a tomb full of blood zombies) ♥

7. Jiang Cheng

Jiang Wanyin, The Untamed

my darling boy! my beautiful angry grape! I love him beyond words. I love him in all of his raging, misunderstood, stupid, sassy, constipated, abused, tragic, bitter, big hearted glory. I could write novels about him (and I did and am still writing oh boy) and his love for ppl and his inability to show that love and his loneliness and his issues. I could also write another novel for all of his outfits etc. bc damn, what a fashion king. he is just so great. he owns my soul. he deserves happiness and in this essay I will

8. Isana Yashiro

Adolf K. Weismann, K Project

I rewatched k project this spring bc a) it’s one of my favorite animes ever (it just looks stunning with all the colors) and b) I love yashiro to bits. I remember falling in love with him when I first watched k project many years ago bc he was just so kind and bright. this time though, I ended up seeing another side of him and my god did I cry. he is... so sweet. he cares for others so deeply and is ready to sacrifice so much for them and his love for his two clansmen... yeah. I think I finally saw the tragedy of him too, all the pain and loneliness and insecurity he decides to hide behind his smile and obnoxious personality. he reminded me a lot of myself and watching him made my heart bleed in a good way

9. Qi Tiezui

Ba Ye, The Mystic Nine

(wow am going to riot for the lack of all the gifs hhh) yes, we’re continuing with the dmbj universe that sucked me in big time this year. the drama of the mystic nine wasn’t probably that earth shattering for me as it somehow got boring more than once but I did love ba ye to bits. he was just... so nice? I got it that he was somehow this “comedic relief” in the drama with all of his funny scenes and ridiculous mannerisms but I could see the brilliance of him. he is warm and smart and kind of a romantic too and he cares for all of his friends so deeply? it was also sweet how protective of him his two zhangs were (does that run in the family? the tendency to imprint into one smart but disastrous man and keep him safe? maybe) and I really hope I knew more about him bc he seemed to have a lot of knowledge and a lot of impact to ppl’s lives (I yelled when they mentioned him in ultimate note, I miss him ;;)

10. Dorian Pavus

Dragon Age Inquisition

(yes I’ve been replaying DA:I this year, this counts!) another darling boy! my lovely sass master son! I have so much love for him and his story in DA:I. he is my favorite companion (and his romance is my favorite too, probably obvious in the way am currently romancing him for the third time) and he has given me a lot of strength. the way he stands up against his father, how he’s ready to reform his homeland instead of walking away, how he’s so caring for those he sees struggling... it’s very warming and I feel like I’m safe with him. it feels a bit silly to say that but he really is that comfort character I will seek out when I just want to know am doing fine :’) (and I am so excited to see him again in DA4! probably?)

+ 11. Li Cu

Tomb of the Sea

yes I cheated a bit (with my own rules lol) to fit li cu here. I didn’t really expect to like him or tomb of the sea as much as I did once I started it? I’ve seen leo wu elsewhere before this (battle through the heavens, nirvana in fire) and his face always makes me think about a sad puppy so maybe I just grew fond over li cu instantly bc he was... so hurt? the first episode really slaps you in the face with all of it, showing him being abused, wounded, kidnapped, tortured, used and then just very, very scared and broken. he continues being that throughout the whole drama and I feel like tomb of the sea (or sand sea or sha hai idk) is the darkest and angstiest story in the dmbj universe. I know it deserves to be bc this is a dark time for wu xie but... my darling li cu. I wish him only happiness ;; he was so strong and smart and wonderful in this and it was just so amazing to watch him grow and find his own place in the world just bc he did something himself (even when he got dragged into all of this bc of wu xie) also I support the wu xie adopts li cu -agenda

Honorary mentions: 

Zhang Rishan, Xie Yuchen and Hei Xiazi from DMBJ universe. The Twin Jades of Gusu and Ouyang Zizhen from The Untamed. The Iron Bull and Fenris from Dragon Age games. Thane Krios, Kaidan Alenko and Jaal from Mass Effect games. The whole lot of Assassin’s Creed protagonists (especially Ezio Auditore and Shay Cormac). Adam Parrish and Ronan Lynch from The Raven Cycle. Neil Josten from All For The Game. Eduon and March from The Smoke Thieves. Qiling from L.O.R.D. Critical World. Luo Fei from Detective L (played by Bai Yu). 

well, with this I can really see that I have a thing for those who are tragic :’D I have a thing for grumpy, prickly and antisocial guys or those who hide their pain behind a smile. maybe it’s bc I am somehow both, even if I can’t show my anger or be mean to others and even if I feel like my smile never sticks either. I just find kinship in all of the characters who are on this list. and I feel like I aspire to be as strong and as kind and as loving despite all the pain I’ve been put through.  

thank you, this was so much fun! and sorry I made this so long and so complicated ^^’ but well, there are just way too many male characters I love haha

at the end I want to tag @i-am-just-a-kiddo​ @ashenwren​ @kholran​ @tiesanjiao​ @lan-xichens​ @aheartfullofjolllly​ @manhasetardis​ and @lzswy​​ ♥ feel free to do this in your own way or not at all! and thank you if you managed to read through my rambling :’D

[itsuki-minamy]

“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 3: THE SWORD, THE CAT, AND THE SEVEN KINGS (Part 2)

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

* Prologue: Side: The Boy * Chapter 1: The boy named Isana Yashiro * Chapter 2: Flames * Chapter 3: The Sword, the Cat, and the Seven Kings (01 // In progress)

Kuro put his left hand on his sword sheath, "Kotowari", with determination.

"Where are you? Isana Yashiro! Get outside!"

The people who are after the fox are roaring loudly in the city.

Listen to the rubbing of the wheels against the ground. Kuro doesn't move and turns his face towards him.

A boy with a metal bat rushes straight towards Kuro, riding a skateboard while spewing flames from all over his body in the form of anger.

Is it the red clan member he encountered earlier? He knows how he feel, but now he is busy...

Kuro frowned slightly and put his strength into his bent legs. To dodge the boy who is rushing towards him with a metal bat, jump high and descend into the street light. He misses the time he was talking about now.

Yata, a member of the red clan on the skateboard, stood up to Kuro's level staring at him.

"Hey, Black dog! Where is that boy?"

"Member of the red clan. What is that?"

"I'm asking where the guy who hid is! If you don't want to hurt yourself, give me a quick answer!"

He can't afford to be a kid. The eyes looking at Yata grew colder than necessary.

"I don't have time to deal with you. Stay away from it."

The murder signal is increasing. Irritation from others rubs off and the air becomes hot.

A suddenly blurry voice echoed in the room.

"Oh, Yatogami-kun! I think I can escape from here. I'm going to get there soon!"

Kuro has doubts and looks for the origin of the voice. Then, he sees a person waving from the rooftop in front of the building.

Without a doubt, the evil "King" who called himself Isana Yashiro.

"You damn..."

Keeping people confused with such a lie, what is he planning?

At the same time that Kuro sharpened his eyes, Yata sharpened his teeth.

"You…!"

"You can defeat such a person in one fell swoop, beat him quickly, and come here soon!"

The boy says that. You see, the purpose is for Kuro to hit the red clansman and escape in the meantime? The villain who keeps circling the tolerance meter, Kuro raised his sword.

"Sorry! I'll tie that guy up after I crush you!"

Yata, easily fanned, raised the outer corners of his eyes and barked. It seemed unlikely that his eyes, burning with anger, would put out the fire, and he decided it was impossible to leave.

Even though Kuro pretends to be calm, he is overwhelmed. He looks at Yata from the high place and says chillingly.

"If you try to fight me, expect no mercy."

"Damn!"

Yata kicked the ground and ran. From the skeleton wheels that skim the surface of the street, flames erupt like a raging wave.

Kuro extends his right hand and extends his invisible hand towards Yata.

However, Yata may have learned from the fact that he was caught in the hand of a different talent down the alley. He deftly steers his skateboard to avoid Kuro's extraordinary hand and heads towards him.

Then, Kuro switched his target from Yata himself to around Yata. He concentrates his consciousness, increases the pressure of the power of different abilities, and pinches the surface of the street behind Yata with invisible hands.

Kuro's invisible hands squeeze the asphalt, car stop barriers, and even street lights, bend to pieces, and attack Yata from behind.

"Damn!"

Yata appeared to be swallowed up by the debris. However, he ditched his skateboard and jumped out of the dust onto the sheer rocks attacking him.

Yata, who jumped high using the wind pressure from the steep rocks, jumped to the spot where he was standing in the street light and swung his bat with a joyous voice.

Kuro escaped through the air passing him. The metal bat that cuts through the sky makes a loud metallic noise and hits the streetlight.

In midair, Kuro jumped a step higher, using Yata's face as a springboard, and reached with his invisible hand at the sign on the rooftop of the building that he noticed. Kuro, who was a bit sensitive to the word "sister", feels free to tear off the sign that appears to be an advertisement for a book titled "My Sisters Struggle" and drop it on Yata.

A powerful member of the clan. It won't do much damage, but if he's going to stall, Kuro drops Yata under the sign and jumps onto the rooftop of the building where the boy was.

Kuro has no reason to compete with the red clan member. All Kuro has to do is find the evil "King" before them and kill him for that "reason" before it turns into a great battle.

The boy was no longer on the roof where he had been screaming.

Kuro takes out a small emblem from his pocket, which he cut from the boy's neck when he swung his sword. Kuro tightly gripped the emblem, which is the emblem of Ashinaka High School.

"I will not let you escape."

++++++++++

Get home safely.

The boy arrives at Gakuenjima's bedroom, which is his current home, and walks over to the bed in his beloved room to lie down.

"Oh... I'm tired..."

He literally thought he was going to die.

He was glad that Kuro was a silly, serious and good person. His sick sister's lie that he thought had happened once, and among the fireworks he had, there was a flash ball for the production of events (there was a mysterious sales season called "One Step Before Military Supplies!") , and the fact that the costume was left on the ceiling saved the boy's life.

He dazzled with a flash ball and quickly donned the costume, escaping from Kuro who thought the boy had run away. Fortunately, he got away with the costume because it belonged to a popular dog character often seen walking around town on campaign. After all, it was right after a flashy video of a person with the boy's face killing a person. He was grateful that he could move around without being seen by people.

Along the way, he escaped while disturbing the people who were looking for the boy and the people who set fire, and he managed to return to Gakuenjima. He was unable to fulfill his mission because he had used the fireworks that Kukuri had asked him to bring. He will have to apologize to Kukuri tomorrow.

Following the boy who was weak and lying on the bed, the kitten who overcame a difficult adventure jumped to the headboard and meowed cutely.

"What was that, who are those people?"

The boy closed his eyes with a soft duvet. When he lowered his eyelids, he did not have time to desperately reflect during the trip, the image of a person who looks like him with a gun comes to mind.

"Was the person in that video... really me?"

Do not understand. It must have been a mediocre day. The days of floating fluffy while watching his friends' smiles without having to think about anything are about to be reversed.

"Somehow, it seems to be troublesome..."

"Hmm. I've been doing it quietly until now."

The boy's eyes suddenly opened when there was a close response to the boy's soliloquy. There was white skin there.

A member lying in a gentle curve. Rounded butt, narrow waist, flat chest and gently reshaped over sheets, smooth shoulders. There was no fabric to cover them, just long hair that flowed along her body.

A girl.

Naked

A naked girl.

At the same time as the recognition, blood pooled on the boy's cheeks.

"Waaaaaah?"

The biggest scream that came out today.

Whether he's about to get hit by a flaming metal bat, a flying fireball, a sudden aerial walk, or a sword that's about to cut his through, his voice so far hadn't come out.

"Who you are?"

The girl woke up with a mysterious look as she jumped back and saw the boy with his back pressed against the wall.

A pretty girl of fifteen or sixteen. She has strange, large, almond-shaped eyes, with different colors on the left and right like a cat. One blue eye and one gold eye lined by long gleaming eyebrows.

The girl from the deep looked down at her body and made a slight "Ah." look, but soon turned to the boy with a smile in full bloom.

He doesn’t know why a beautiful naked and unknown girl can give such a pretty smile.

She said happily.

"I am Neko!"

++++++++++

Ashinaka High School. Known as Gakuenjima.

The evil "King" wore the emblem of this school, which is the entire school island in Tokyo Bay.

It's ok to cross the bridge to the Gakuenjima entrance, but it seems that you can only enter the school grounds through the automatic gate at the entrance. Outsiders were told that they would not be able to enter without a guest pass issued by student association staff or officials.

It seems that if you have a matter, you have to go to the window for the visitors, but even if you make a statement in the window, it will be difficult for Kuro to get a guest pass issued.

When Kuro tried to direct his skill towards the door, he was greeted with a bright and gentle voice.

"Ah, what do you need?"

When he turned around, a girl who seemed to be a student from this school was smiling. She has shoulder-length brown hair and side ornaments.

"Kukuri, what happened? Do you know him?"

"No, but he seems to be in trouble."

A girl named Kukuri shakes her head, surprised by a schoolgirl who appears to be a friend. He was impressed by the kindness with which she called, probably because he was carrying some suitcases.

"I'm looking for a man named Isana. Do you have any ideas?"

"Isana...? Oh, Shiro-kun, I'm a classmate."

The girl answered so easily. In such a large school, Kuro leans towards the luck of suddenly meeting that man's classmate.

"Where is he currently?"

“Where… I think he went shopping. Oh, but I think it's about time he came back. Oh, would you like me to guide you to the student dormitories?"

The girl took out a PDA from her pocket and gave Kuro a guest pass. Being able to issue a guest pass probably means that she is a student association officer. At the same time that he is lucky, he thinks of the abominable idiot and the face of the evil "King", saying that Heaven is not on the side of the bad guys.

The girl smiled when she sent him guest pass to Kuro's PDA.

"Yes, this is fine. Follow me! I'll show you the men's dorm."

Kuro bowed deeply to the girl.

"Sorry. Thank you for your cooperation."

"It is an exaggeration. It is a matter of course."

"My master said" There are few people who can do what is natural." I will never forget what you did for me."

The girl laughed shyly.

"Hahaha, you are an interesting person. What kind of relationship do you have with Shiro?"

Kuro tightened his expression and put his hand on the sword at his waist.

"I have something to give him."

"What? Lost property?"

"It is a guide."

The girl bowed her head.

++++++++++

The boy stuck to the wall and was frozen in front of a naked girl who affirmed "I am Neko."

Who is this girl? When she appeared? Why is she naked?

Despite being confused, the boy decided to do something about the third question, so the boy took the coat from the chair and offered it to a naked girl claiming to be a cat.

"And for the moment..."

"No!"

Neko turned around and jumped on the desk to escape. She is terribly light. Really like a cat. But it shouldn't be naked and squatting. It seemed like he could see many things that he shouldn't be able to see, so the boy was sweating coldly and tried to force her to put on his coat.

"Girls shouldn't stay like this!"

"The clothes are annoying, so I don't like them!"

He felt as if he heard a bell ring.

The boy is relieved. Neko who was supposed to be wearing a coat disappeared in an instant. When the boy was confused by the girl who suddenly disappeared, just like when she appeared,

"Do you want to play? Well, it looks like fun!"

A screaming voice came from above. When he looked up, Neko lay down on the furniture and looked at the boy who was wondering when she had moved. The bare chest is crushed by the corners of her face.

When he didn't know what to do... he heard a voice calling him from outside the window.

"Oh, Shiro-kun! I brought a friend!"

It's Kukuri's voice. The word "friend" made him uncomfortable, and the boy rushed to look down from the window.

"How is your sister, Isana Yashiro?"

Next to Kukuri, there was a sword god, Kuro, who ironically raised the edge of his mouth.

The boy attracted a lot of attention.

It is bad. There is only a feeling of having been killed.

Kuro turned his palm towards the window where the boy was. The boy suddenly noticed that mysterious technique and retired to the room. Kuro grabbed the window frame from the boy's room with a mysterious power that seems to be capable of grabbing a distant object and jumped into the room immediately.

The boy somehow thought of engulfing him in smoke again, but this time Kuro didn't even give him a grace. As soon as he lands in the room...

The chill ran, and the boy moved according to his instincts, rolling on the ground and avoiding the sword by a short hair.

Crisp and light, Kuro's sword sits right next to the boy's face.

Really dead. The boy struggled to his feet and tried to escape. The naked sword pursues the boy.

"No!"

It was the girl's nudity that protected the boy from the sword.

The mysterious girl who calls herself Neko seems to have no shame to be naked, and stands in front of Kuro with her arms outstretched.

Suddenly, he froze before the bare wall. The face is tinted bright red.

"Hmm... embarrassing!"

Neko grabbed the boy's hand as Kuro involuntarily walked away. She pulls him hard by the hand.

The boy jumped out of the room and ran down the hall to the bedroom, being dragged by Neko.

Thanks to her nakedness he was saved. However, she is still naked and running in public places is bad.

The boy puts the coat he was holding on Neko.

"This! Put this on!"

Neko, whose head was covered with the boy's coat, was fluffy and small. At the same time, the sound of the bell resounds again.

Immediately, Neko's back running in front of him moved away. The boy staggers at the feeling of confusion. Out of nowhere, Neko suddenly sped up. The corridor has grown.

The corridor, which is not very long, suddenly becomes long enough to run 100 meters in a straight line, and naked Neko turns her back on him and walks away.

"Eh, what?"

The boy is confused and involuntarily stops and looks back. Then this time, the hallway behind the boy got much longer. The entrance to their room, which he had been in before, can be seen in the back, and Kuro who came out of the room to chase them looks like a bean.

Without knowing why, the boy worked again. Follow Neko's back tightly. Beyond the boy's line of sight, he gently jumped out the window. He hopped onto the external emergency stairs of the next building, jumped over the railing, and climbed out onto the next rooftop.

When he thought she really was like a cat, the long corridor suddenly shrunk and the boy was about to crash into the window.

"Wow, is that back? Is that girl's doing...?"

There is no doubt that the naked girl who calls himself Neko has a mysterious power. Maybe the hallway wasn't really stretched out, only the boy assumed it was. But now it is not the case when he is thinking deeply about it. After all, Kuro is chasing the boy from behind, and Neko who just snagged the boy's jacket on her head is trying to run outside, generously exposing her naked body.

The boy imitated Neko and went out the window, more dangerous than for Neko, he followed the bundle out of the window to the emergency stairs of the adjoining building, over the shackles and railings, sliding and clinging to the rain gutter.

The boy turned around, finally reaching for Neko's back who had already descended and was running down the street. Kuro was standing on the rooftop of the building next to the bedroom. Looking down at the boy, he can see his right hand pointing towards him.

It is bad. That mysterious hand will grab him again.

He can't think of a way to escape from that hand, ignoring the distance, the boy stiffened.

Neko who was running ahead looked at Kuro. Neko's eyes, strange eyes with vertically long pupils capture Kuro's appearance.

Hear a bell again.

Then, a small twister erupted on the rooftop where Kuro was. From the center of the twister, a huge bipedal ghost cat appears. A giant monster with a body reminiscent of a professional wrestler looked at Kuro with crescent-shaped eyes and laughed through exposed teeth.

"What is that?"

When the boy took his eyes off her, the cat was furry and naked.

"Strong!"

"That seems strong, but that's not the case... what the hell are you?"

"Wagahai is a cat."

"I heard... a cat..."

Neko smiled a big smile.

"It's a cat that has been with Shiro the whole time!"

Inside the boy, the girl in front of him and that kitten that was friends with the boy overlapped.

Certainly this naked girl appeared in the wrong place with the kitten sleeping next to him. Does that mean this girl is in the shape of a cat? No, the opposite? This girl transformed into that kitten. Rather, if she had the ability to display illusions, it would mean that she had an illusion that made her look like a kitten.

In other words, the boy intended to spend time with the kitten and was actually stroking and hugging a naked girl.

When the boy recalled the dizziness, it seemed like Kuro on the rooftop had already countered the giant monster.

Neko is unmoved by the fact that the giant monster cat has been defeated, and starts running again with a smile and a guard from Kuro. The boy also hurriedly followed her.

While chasing Neko, he noticed that she seemed to be invisible to other humans. It is an incident, a naked girl running around the campus during the day, but no one seems to make a noise even if they run among the students who are busy preparing for the school festival.

Neko running like the wind, with the boy's jacket over her shoulder without closing the front, crashed into a student who was walking with a basket full of oranges. He thinks she plans to make a maid cafe at the school festival. The schoolgirl dressed as a maid looked surprised and dropped the orange she was holding, the boy stopped his leg chasing Neko and stopped, helping her to pick up the orange.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes... there was something invisible..."

Looking at the student who gets confused and says "What...?" Without confidence, he is convinced that Neko is no longer visible except to him and Kuro.

Is it possible to not only show illusions but also make herself invisible? What is this super power that affects a person's cognitive ability?

While he was picking up the oranges and thinking about it, Kuro's footsteps were approaching from behind.

Kuro, who is running with his black hair tied back, is about to turn his palm towards the boy.

Before the boy answered, the bell rang again. Immediately after that, the phase of the place where Kuro is located changed.

Like a deception image, only the path where Kuro was floating in the air, and the place where the path was supposed to be was a wall.

On the crushed stone pavement that turned into an aerial tower, Kuro is standing looking at the boy who has collapsed. If Neko's power is the power to alter perception, there may be a way to step forward, even if it seems like he's gone. But humans can't easily ignore visual information.

The boy looked at the student in front of him, but she didn't seem to notice anything unusual. This illusion seems to work only for Kuro and the boy.

After picking up the orange from the student, the boy raised his hand slightly, greeted her and started running.

The escape and the chase in a world that seemed to lose itself in an image of deception continued for a long time. The boy was chased by Kuro and he is not sure why he is running because he accepted Neko.

It seems that the girl's appearance is not visible to other people, so why not leave her completely naked? Remember that it was not a problem, and that the main purpose he had now was not to dress Neko, but to escape the pursuer Kuro who was trying to kill him.

It was supposed to be a crisis situation, but the reason why he jumped in thought was because Neko who was fleeing to the front seemed to be having fun. Neko was laughing so hard it seemed impossible to think it was a life-threatening escape drama.

"Think, Isana Yashiro! The play is over!"

It's okay to chase after Neko and jump to the back of the school building, but he hit a dead end. Kuro approaches from behind.

Furthermore, the sound of the bell echoed.

"Nya nya nya!"

From the ground between the shrine and Kuro, a huge wall with the face of a ghost cat grows skyward as it screams.

"Anyway, this wall is also an illusion!"

From the other side of the wall, he hears the brave voice of Kuro, who inspires him. Humans can't ignore visual information that easily, but it seems that Kuro decided to believe his rational judgment rather than crazy perception.

Neko lightly tugged on the boy's elbow, who was staring at the wall, involuntarily. He can move a few steps sideways.

In the next moment, the painted wall of the ghost cat's face was scattered like petals from Kuro's assault.

The scene where the illusion was shattered was quite beautiful, and he decided that the illusion wall was an illusion and collided with it, and broken Kuro was echoing.

However, he smashed through the ghost wall, smashed through the place where the boy was standing, and hit the actual wall beyond his face.

It was quite a surreal scene because the look that broke the illusion was great.

"Nyahahahahahaha!"

Neko laughs out loud when she sees Kuro, whose face is buried in the wall.

With awkward and awkward movements, he hit a wall and turned his flushed face away, and Kuro looked towards Neko and the boy.

The voltage of his anger is only increasing, the boy sweats coldly.

However, when Neko saw Kuro, she really enjoyed with her big eyes. It was like a cat playing with prey.

Kuro looks at Neko and turns around. Nek

o stands happy, trying to protect the boy behind. The original purpose was lost in its pursuit.

Then the sun set, the night passed, and the sun rose again.

[tabloidtoc]

Life & Style, January 18

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Uber Drivers Tell All 

Page 1: Photo Flash -- John Legend celebrated his birthday aboard a private yacht in St. Barts where he slid down the craft’s waterslide 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: The Top 10 Champagne Looks -- Joey King, Saoirse Ronan, Eiza Gonzalez, Gillian Anderson, Leona Lewis 

Page 5: Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Scarlett Johansson 

Page 6: Kelly Clarkson’s daytime talk show tied with Ellen DeGeneres’ long-running series in the year-end TV ratings battle -- The Ellen DeGeneres Show lost advertisers and A-listers and audiences after former staffers came forward with stories of a toxic workplace while The Kelly Clarkson Show which was recently renewed through 2023 has become a household staple in its sophomore season and gaining viewers in daytime’s key demographic of women and ending 2020 on a season high -- Ellen is putting on a good front but deep down she feels threatened by Kelly’s success and she’s done everything she can to prove that she’s changed but she still can’t win back her fans plus Ellen is convinced that Kelly is trying to steal her famous friends even going so far as to demand that if a celebrity agrees to appear on Ellen then they can’t go on Kelly; it’s one or the other from here on out 

Page 7: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky celebrated their first Christmas together in her native Barbados where the couple went on a sunset cruise around the Caribbean isle with her loved ones -- Christmas is a really important time for Rihanna and it’s not often that she gets to see her family and friends all at once and she wanted A$AP to be a part of it -- he was a bit nervous meeting everyone but he was worrying over nothing because they all adore him -- she’s really close with her family so it was important for him to get to know them before things begin to get serious

* Throwback -- Billie Eilish 

* Biggest Spenders of the Week -- French Montana, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Gal Gadot, Katie Holmes 

Page 8: Critics slammed Demi Moore’s new movie Songbird calling it a Michael Bay-produced travesty that exploits the coronavirus epidemic for thrills -- the film takes place in the not-so-distant future during a COVID-23 outbreak with Demi playing a wealthy woman who sells immunity bands on the black market for a hefty price -- Demi jumped at the chance to star in the movie; with its topical storyline she expected it to be a box-office hit and she’s disappointed that it’s flopped and is shocked at the backlash and she certainly never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings 

* Hilaria Baldwin proudly showed off her post-baby body posting a photo of herself holding 3-month-old son Eduardo while wearing nothing but her bra and underwear but instead of being praised for her postpartum pic she was inundated with cruel comments after Amy Schumer reported the snap seemingly roasting Hilaria for setting unrealistic standards for new moms -- while the comedian soon apologized and deleted the image it wasn’t long before she replaced it with several other shots and making fun of the controversy -- there’s a fine line between being funny and being cruel and Amy overstepped the mark in Hilaria’s eyes

Page 10: The Week in Photos -- Kacey Musgraves visits Oscar the Grouch and Sesame Street 

Page 11: Gwen Stefani on The Kelly Clarkson Show 

Page 12: Animal Instinct -- Oliver Hudson plants a smooch on a goat, Mayim Bialik with her new co-star Monty the cat from her show Call Me Kat, Padma Lakshmi cuddling on the couch with her dog Ms. Divina 

Page 13: Jerry O’Connell got a slobbery kiss from his dog Phil in L.A. 

Page 16: Stars Behaving Badly -- Selma Blair topless in a impromptu shoot off the highway in Palm Springs, Sean Lennon pretended to attack a replica of the Empire State Building during a lighting ceremony in NYC, Jameela Jamil and Jason Mantzoukas let their middle fingers fly 

Page 18: Say What?! Miley Cyrus on being single during the pandemic, Dolly Parton on her fashion and beauty credo, Kristin Chenoweth on starring in Holidate with 5-foot-2 Emma Roberts, Keke Palmer joking about her skin issues, Jason Momoa who’s been wed to Lisa Bonet since 2017 

Page 20: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez planned to tie the knot in Italy but after being forced to postpone their nuptials twice since the pandemic struck Alex has gotten a case of cold feet -- the pressure of a huge wedding was very overwhelming and in the end Alex decided it wasn’t necessary anymore -- J.Lo also hinted as much saying they’ve talked about canceling the destination wedding altogether because at their ages and they’ve both been married before should they get married or not -- the very next day Jennifer was pictured without her engagement ring sparking speculation that the couple had already reached a decision that they would no longer be walking down the aisle and Jennifer’s heartbroken because she wanted a big splashy wedding since this was going to be her fourth and final trip to the altar

Page 21: Courteney Cox was recently reunited with boyfriend Johnny McDaid after spending nine months apart due to the COVID-19 crisis but the long-awaited meetup in Ireland was far from romantic -- this was a make-or-break trip to either figure things out or go their separate ways and shortly after arriving Courteney laid all her cards on the table and she made it clear to Johnny that in order to move forward things had to change -- with her living in LA and Johnny based in Ireland the time difference is a real problem and FaceTime calls are few and far between and texts go unreturned for hours or sometimes not at all and it’s a daily struggle and Courteney’s at the end of her rope 

Page 22: Cover Story -- Uber drivers tell all -- the scoop on celebrities’ best and worst moments as rideshare passengers -- Brooke Shields’ boozy cruise, Tom Selleck requires a quiet car 

Page 23: Justin Bieber threw a party on wheels, blind items

Page 24: George Clooney uses a pseudonym, Kylie Jenner was 2 hours late for her ride

Page 25: Cash-carrying Prince Harry is a huge tipper, Tom Cruise is not a cool customer, Jennifer Lawrence makes the back seat her bed 

Page 26: Lori Loughlin breaks her silence -- after completing a two-month prison sentence for her role in the infamous college admissions cheating scandal Lori emerges to find her life and family in pieces -- Lori wants to move forward as a family in a positive direction but her daughters have so many walls up now

Page 28: The Bachelorette’s Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams: Two dream weddings -- with a wild ride of a season behind them leading ladies Clare and Tayshia are happily planning their respective nuptials 

Page 30: The truth about Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson’s engagement -- Khloe’s new ring from Tristan sparks wedding speculation -- Tristan swears he’ll never ever stray again and Khloe is desperate to make their relationship work because she loves the little family they’ve created 

Page 32: Who Lives Here? Kathy Griffin 

Page 36: Fashion -- shop these haute hues -- Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year are Ultimate Grey and Illuminating Yellow, making them musts for every fashionista’s wardrobe 

Page 40: Diva or Down-to-Earth? John Legend grabs groceries -- down-to-earth, Heather Locklear pumps her own gas -- down-to-earth

Page 41: Gal Gadot assembles a glam squad -- diva, Zac Efron cuts his friend’s hair -- down-to-earth 

Page 42: Social Stars Posts of the Week -- Angela Kinsey and her dogs, Kim Kardashian and longtime pal La La Anthony, Laura Prepon building a snowman, Kevin Jonas and wife Danielle 

Page 44: Horoscope -- Capricorn Zooey Deschanel turned 41 on January 17

* They’re Not Together, But They Should Be -- Aries Jennifer Garner and Aquarius Justin Hartley 

Page 46: Made Ya Look! Emily Blunt strikes a stylish pose 

Page 48: What I’m Into -- Jonathan Van Ness  

[heyyylittlemo]

Ask game

1. Where did you hide the body??

Me: *pause* No, where did you hide the body—

*police stare at me with disbelief*

Me: there’s no—there’s not a single body here—well stop looking at me like that, you’re the cop! You should know! Why are you asking me for! Body? Whaaaaaat. Ahaha.

*cops shake head*

*whispers to my friend* Guys I think I pulled that one off

Police: you know we can hear everything you’re saying

me: 👁👄👁

2. Favorite rock? The 1975. Dominic Fike. Arctic Monkeys. Bad Suns. The killers. Pale Waves. Etc. That good good shit 👌

3. Most aesthetic season? Fall. Love them orange colors. The leaves falling. Though spring is also neat if you have a bunch of flowers bloomin in shit and winter is only aesthetic when it’s snowing. Boring ass summer tho just be heating me up.

4. When texting do u shorten words or spell out? I used to write stuff out all the time mostly but now it’s like half and half bcuz its just faster and nobody got time for it 🤣🤣

5. Vintage stuff? Hell yeah, but maybe not anything too expensive since some old stuff IS hyper expensive.

6. Colors that pop or blend? Not sure I understand what u mean abt them blending ahaha u mean like when they’re so similar to another?? Well I think it’s nice but honestly I prefer a pop and a bang, y’Know?

- At this moment I realized I was answering the last few questions from a completely different ask and felt like a dumbass 😂 anyways the actual number we’re on is three so imma just kickback

3. Worst dream u have ever had? I had sleep paralysis but was imbetween that and a lucid dream. At first I was paralyzed and could see my bed but my eyes felt closed and open at the same time?? A giant dark demon looking dog had towered over me and began to tear at my neck. It looked and felt very real I started to try to scream and it felt like a scream was coming out but no sound exited. Then I went into a lucid dream where I was being chased by this dog and running for my life I was running by and nobody could save me nobody in the dream when it caught up to me I was back in my bed and it was trying to eat me again. I was so terrified I couldn’t sleep for a whole week.

4. Lyric that comes to your mind? “And I don’t think I can be there. I’m paralyzed,I’m terrified of being alone. When you said I deserved what had happened.”

5. Blood make u uncomfortable? Yes, I passed out once when getting my finger pricked and a VERY small blood sample and another when dissecting a fish.

6. Even or odd numbers? Well I like the number 5,7,9, 3 so odd. (Like me 🤣🤣)

7. Something I hate that I love? Anything I’ve ever loved becuz love can be frustrating. Bruh.

8. 1st initial of someone I hate? Hmm...do I hate someone tho? Not that I can think of...

9. *Skipping down the lane* NOPE

10. Corn dogs? It’s funny cuz when I think of corn dogs my mind will always go to when we first moved to our current house because at our initial town we never had Sonic and while we were getting the house fixed up and moving stuff we use to always get Sonic since it was the closest to us most times to eat and that was a bunch of corn dogs and hotdog days 🤣 so thnk u corn dogs for ur service

11. I’m not a huge movie person so...I looked up movies from 2005 and movies Inlike from this time are Brokeback mountain bcuz it’s gay af, Shark Boy and Lava Girl damn I rewatched the shot out of it when I was younger, Narnia and the Chocolate Factory(although it low key creeped me out as a kid, and idk why).

12. Least fav music genre? Most country, most EDM, dubstep, screaming/really hard rock, some pop music, mumble raping.

13. As someone who waits on tables, my job is my least favorite restaurant experience 🤣🤣 just dealing with ppl...like ok, I’m half Hispanic right?? But I look white. Well, I work at a Mexican restaurant and so sometimes racist costumers will say shady shit just bcuz I guess they think it’s appropriate to say it to me just bcuz I’m not Hispanic in their eyes?? But it pisses me off and I feel like I can’t say anything without causing a drama which I hate and when the “costumers always right” it can be hard to budge and stand up and say “bitch wtf did u just say??” And there’s just folks who take things the wrong ways or ask too much at once or give u a hard time or just say something that sticks onto you for the whole day. One bad move can turn my whole day upside down.

14. 3 things never come near me? Cockroaches, Needles, and close mind ppl

15. Worst way to die? With regrets. Something really brutual, random, or where something just happened to go wrong (accident). Being killed by someone u love.

16. Unusual habits? Doing a Michael Jackson esque “hee-hee” after every sneeze I make, being extremely clumsy and making every task 100% more difficult, having the ability to talk as if I have an accent that comes from nowhere in particular just stupidity also I can’t speak my own language half the time 🙃getting words confused or misusing them in a sentence so I sound dumb having a very weird imagination and thoughts, I swear it like I never went to school and don’t know how the world works, plus many many more

17. Clothing style u want? I want to dress in a way that screams who I am and is a blend of both femininity and masculinity. A little vintage. Grunge. Urban maybe?? What do I know abt fashion 🤣🤣

18. Song or artist that deserves more? Dijon, hands down. I love his stuff. He’s like Frank Ocean meets light-singing beautiful lyricist with a more rock vibe?? Hidden gem. I also think Durand Jones & the Indications needs more love along with BadBadNotGood they sound like old-times but are new!! Oh, and Pale Waves is like a female The 1975 and kicks it. Bad Suns is a good alt rock band that no one seems to recognize :,D Toro y Moi too! His song with Flume “The difference “ is a banger!! Kid Cudi is my man when I want a blend of rock and rap. Also Dominic Fike,King Krule, and Roy Blair, who are all amazing!! Ok I need to stop 🛑

Duck I answered the past questions from a different post I’m sorry 😐

17. Emoji never used? There’s a bunch since I reuse the same over and over again. Lmao

18. 3 sentence Gatorade horror story? A faint quiver overtook the small freezer the Gatorade lay in; no one had come by in days, hours, weeks; when was the last time he met the lips of a thirsty body? They’d forgotten about him, as his last sips remained glued to his hollowing entrance. ‘Help, ‘it wanted to say, but it’s frozen lips could not be moved; It’d stay here, die here...just like the rest.” What am I doing with my life 🤣🙏

19. Do u know what an old bay is? A bay that is old? And old ocean? Idk!!!

20. Can u dance? Sometimes I dance when I’m alone but nothing spectral lol

21. What first comes to ur mind when u see ropes? 2 extremes. Sex and death. Hm. Ok. Moving on.

22. Make an obscure reference. “Even a bra couldn’t hold these nipples” *Holds a water gun to chest*

23. Fav balloon color? Pink or yellow.

24. If u were in court would u be innocent or guilty? Depends, what am I in court for 🤣 lmao jk honestly idk bcuz I don’t think I’d wind up in there

25. Are u hungry ? Nope

26. Unlucky number? Hm I don’t think so but I have a lucky number “123”

27. What’s “JMD”stand for? I’m guessing...Jamming my d—- 💀lol jk ahaha why am so dirt

28. Random inside joke? *chirpy squeak* I’m making a double batch of cookies

29. What sends chills up ur spine? Seeing disgust food or smell disgust or talking abt disgust things like gore

30. How many questions are in ur inbox? A pathetic zero ahaha no one want to ask me anything 😂

31. Someone real who scares u. 2 of my ex friends. One when I was 10 said disturbing things and I was kinda forced onto the friendship and everything they said make me fear for others lives...and then a different ex friend who seemed normal at 1st but became both low key psychopath cult leader type stuff and I booed out of there—-.

32. Run or hide? Uhh probably hide because I’d say even if ppl say “u can run but u can’t hide” u CAN just hide! that’s the point of hiding they not find u xD also why not combine them? Hide then run somewhere far away once I got them off the trial.

33. Last person who made u angry? A frickin beetle that flew at me and pinched me in the middle of singing in the shed xD also my autocorrect

34. What’s going on in ur head? I should probably pee soon—

35. Little thing that makes u Smile? A lot of little things bruh.

36. Are u a descisive person?

Not sure.

*pAuse *

Ok, I guess I’m not then 🤣

37. Would ppl say I’m paranoid? Hm maybe about certain things social situations, singing in front of others what ppl think abt me etc etc

38. Store least likely in? Any southern clothes shop, Abercrombie & Finch types shit, lol

39. Do I like hats fave type? Hm not wear many hats but I think they’re cool any type is cool for different ppl and their aesthetici just can’t rock a hat.

40. Bow ties or ties? Don’t really care but now want to see more bow ties

41. Who? You.

42. What? Reading this shit

43. Where? In ur ass

44. When? Now.

45. Why? Not even u know why.

46. How? We all want to know

47. Do u collect anything? Vinyl records.

48. What tome is it? Time to get a watch

49. Fav transportation? My car or walk is possible

50. Would u ever kill someone to save someone? Don’t want to think about that

51. Make a joke. Yo, it’s time to make a joke—so the other day I was working. And I was practicing my Spanish, yes? Anyone whose trying to learn anew language k n o w s that sometimes words can be so close to another u just confuse then! So apparently churros in Spanish is a desert but if u say it more harshly (it literally sounds almost the same) it makes a whole different meaning—diharrea, but like I didn’t know that so I legit just walked up to this person and asked if they would like some shit to eat. So yeah, that was great. Let’s not forget that I mixed up blood, watermelon, and sangria which is a wine. I legit once said I had mixed wine in my vines and another time watermelon 🤣

52. I’m really confused so I skip

53. Would ur dash be confiscated SFW? By dash do u mean this account? Um not 😬

54. Do I like to cuddle? Hell yeah and manhandle ppl all the time it’s my affection

55. What makes u angry? Close minded ppl or ppl who jump too fast to conclusions, strict schedules just dumb stuff that people try to force when I just want to be carefree 😭✌️

56. How many voices are in ur head? 😐

57. Do U consider urself mentally stable? 😐

58. Are u easily offended? Well U just called me mentally unstable and asked it there was voices in my head!!

59. What’s wrong with taking the backstreets? Uhm...

60. Any questions u want ppl to ask u? Nothing in particular but it’s be nice if someone care to ask me something abt me from personal question to my opinions on shit to 19 days fandom related junk 😌

Woooo I’ve finished this game! Thanks to @seiji-amasawa for introducing me to this ^^

[castielslostwings]

All I Want For Christmas (Are Earplugs)

Ficlet: 3k of fluffy, explicit (at the end) Christmas-y DeanCas. 

The challenge: "Write something about Cas being stuck in the gas n sip where "All I Want For Christmas is You" plays on an endless loop for 3 months until he's nearly homicidal 😂 ...and then dean shows up and they bang in the storeroom while it's playing and the song is still awful and plays every 45 minutes but at least Cas has a positive memory to associate with it now!"

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21656614

Or check out this excerpt (cut because Tumblr will eat my smut):

Corporate doesn’t even hold off until Thanksgiving is over to move onto Christmas, not anymore. In the age of instant gratification and having everything a person could possibly want only a finger swipe away, waiting until after Thanksgiving to break out the Christmas theming would render it all relatively pointless. Thus, the day after Halloween, that’s when it starts these days. Castiel doesn’t get it, not really, especially considering the Gas’n’Sip is, well, a gas station. No one is looking to their shelves for holiday sales and the opportunity to grab this season’s hottest items before they sell out. Not unless one considers snack cakes and travel-sized tubes of toothpaste to be the perfect holiday gifts. Not that Castiel’s judging.

It’s just that those realities make the auditory horror Castiel’s subjected to for nearly three months straight all the more baffling. Why he has to suffer so the Gas’n’Sip can claw uselessly at retail relevance is beyond his understanding. It’s not as if they’re succeeding. That little “Last Minute Gifts!” display doesn’t get any sort of play at all until the twenty-third, and even then people have to grimace their way through choosing between cheap shower product sets and crappy mugs with teddy bears holding chocolates stuffed inside them. By November first, Castiel’s already practicing the most tactful ways to interrupt those poor procrastinating saps and suggest simply buying lottery scratch-off tickets.

The thing is, the decorations aren’t so bad. A little tinsel here, a few red glittery signs there, couple of candy-filled endcaps with Santa theming, whatever. Even the little Christmas tree that sits next to the register and Castiel can’t stop knocking into with his elbow every time he goes to make change is more festive than frustrating. None of those things are particularly bothersome at all. In fact, Castiel barely even notices them (aside from diving to catch the tree and keep it from crashing to the ground every ten minutes). And the twinkling, color-changing string lights that Castiel spent the better part of a day stapling around the top of the store, along the windows, and over the register are actually fairly enjoyable to look at. So much so that he strung a set around the shelves of the storeroom for when he’s stuck back there organizing or doing inventory. Very cheery.

But the songs. The songs are the worst. Well, no, that’s not exactly it either. The holiday songs on the corporate-provided CD that loops endlessly on a forty-five minute spiral in the background definitely still play in Castiel’s head long after he’s dumped the coffee, turned out the lights, and locked the gas station doors. They infiltrate his quiet moments in the evening after he’s returned home, dance across his mind obnoxiously when he should be enjoying his free time away. It’s only the beginning of December and already Castiel’s starting to lose his mind. Last night, full of a spectacular dinner and tucked warm and snug in bed with Dean squirming underneath him, Castiel was screwed out of an actual orgasm by the painfully catchy crooning of Mariah Carey relentlessly belting out those high notes in his head.

Because really, at the end of the day, it’s not all the holiday songs, it’s that holiday song. The bane of retail workers everywhere, Castiel’s sure of it, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is single-handedly making his holiday season as un-merry as it could possibly get. A grating earworm that’s starting to feel more “nails on a chalkboard” than singing at all, Castiel’s forced to enjoy it on a repeat cycle every forty-two-point-five minutes of every single workday. And now, it’s messing with his off-time, his intimate evenings with Dean, those relax and reset moments that Castiel counts on to get him through the next day and the one after that. Retail is hard enough on a regular old Tuesday, never mind during the holiday season when everyone’s so desperate to squeeze in as much merriment as possible that they’re willing to steamroll right over people like Castiel to do it.

Most of the time, Castiel doesn’t mind being a faceless cog in the machine, hell, he enjoys it some days. There’s a quiet dignity in his job, in providing food and fuel for weary travelers just trying to get from Point A to Point B. Keeping the coffee pot full, the hot dogs warm, the cigarette cartons stacked. Perhaps other people might look down on him for being satisfied with that type of work, that type of life, but Castiel has no interest in what other people think of him. Well, anyone besides Dean, of course. And Dean loves him, is proud of him, and that’s more than enough to make his days, every single one of them, merry and bright.

So it would be Castiel’s preference that he subsists through the rest of the Christmas season without murdering the one man who makes his existence tolerable, and that fucking song is beginning to threaten that theoretically simple wish.

Today, for instance, it’s four in the afternoon and Castiel is working a double. Which means that since the Gas’n’Sip opened its doors at six AM, Mariah Carey’s syrupy-sweet caroling has set his teeth on edge going on fourteen times. Fourteen. Chinese water torture would be kinder. Two hours and two more rounds of the nightmare in G Major later, Castiel texts Nora, his manager, and begs her to let him change the music. “ Just for the today, just for the rest of my shift”, he pleads, even going so far as to say he’ll tune the radio to their local Christmas music station.

Nora sends back, “ LOL, Castiel you’re so funny”, and Castiel dies a little bit inside. Business is slow and the lackluster trickle of customers comes to a stop completely around ten PM, leaving an entire hour for Castiel to count down the minutes to the next time that awful song is going to play without any kind of distraction. When the bells tied to the doors finally jingle signaling a customer around ten forty-five, relief doesn’t even come close to what Castiel feels. That doubles when the face that appears across his countertop is Dean’s.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel says warmly, and he’s not exaggerating when he thinks he may never have been happier to see the man. Although, it’s never unpleasant to see Dean.

“I'll have some beef jerky and a pack of menthols,” Dean replies cheekily, leaning across the counter for a kiss which Castiel gladly provides. Not the menthols, though.

“Funny,” he murmurs and then sighs heavily. “Dean, I’m going to lose my mind if I have to put up with this—” Castiel jams his finger in the direction of the ceiling speaker above his head, “ Horror show for another three weeks.”

Dean looks up from where he’s fingering the different flavors of Bubble Yum and slides a pack across the smooth surface, reaching for his wallet to pay. Castiel waves him off, grabs a couple of singles from his own pocket and runs the transaction absently. “It can’t be that bad,” Dean says and Castiel’s fingers halt mid-button-push.

“My ears feel like they’re bleeding, Dean,” he protests with a glare. “Every forty-two-point-five minutes exactly it comes on and I’m in hell.” Clocking Dean’s badly-suppressed smirk, Castiel works his jaw and folds his arms across his chest. “Perhaps I’ll call Bobby and offer him a free month of advertising in the Gas’n’Sip window. All he’ll have to do is play a particular CD on repeat in the auto-repair bay from tomorrow until Christmas.” Satisfied with the way Dean’s face pales and the smirk disappears, Castiel feels absolutely no need to remind him that approving free advertising isn’t remotely in his job description. Honestly, if Dean can’t figure that out from the knowledge that he isn’t so much as allowed to change the store’s chosen music, that’s on him.

“Don’t mess with my classic rock, Cas,” Dean warns him. “Some shit is sacred, you know.” Annoyed again, Castiel raises his hands and gestures around him emphatically. “Alright, alright,” Dean relents. “I see your point, it sucks.” Sucking his lip distractedly in between his teeth, Dean glances around the store. “So, where are your security cameras at?”

Rolling his eyes, Castiel points to several different corners and just above his head behind the register. “There, there, there, and there. Don’t you think if I could have moved them, I would have? Changing their direction sends a notification straight to Nora’s phone.”

“That’s not what I—what about the storeroom? There any cameras there?”

Castiel narrows his eyes and regards Dean curiously. “No… There was one, but it broke weeks ago and Corporate hasn’t yet responded to Nora’s service request.” With a mild hum and another glance around that includes a sweep of the deserted parking lot outside, Dean wanders over to the doors and locks them. “Dean?” Castiel doesn’t protest, just watches as Dean flips the sign that says, “Back in 5 minutes!” Castiel rarely uses it himself, but every so often nature calls and the store has to be locked in the meantime. It’s interesting that Dean remembers that.

“C’mon,” is all Dean says on his pass back through the store, reaching out to grab Castiel’s arm and tug him out from his little alcove and across the floor to the storeroom.

“Dean, what—”

“How long until that song plays again?” Dean asks as he pulls Castiel inside and shuts the door behind them.

Checking his watch, Castiel does some quick mental math as well as cocks his head to listen for whatever song is playing now. “It’s next,” he groans, but Dean just grins.

“Awesome timing,” he replies, grabbing Castiel’s waist and manhandling him around until his back is up against some stable-looking shelving. “We’re gonna play a game, alright?” Dean’s bright green eyes are sparkling and shining and Castiel definitely knows that face. He also knows he should stop him, should tell Dean no to whatever mischievous thing he’s plotting, but it is only minutes to closing time and hell, Castiel’s day has been pure, undiluted shit.

“What sort of game?” Castiel asks, unable to keep the note of amusement out of his voice as he watches Dean’s eyes dart down to his own lips. Without answering, Dean leans in, kisses Castiel’s bottom lip and then his top, pulls back just far enough to look down and slot their groins together in a way that won’t have anyone’s belts causing unwanted, painful havoc. Then he’s back, tongue poking at the seam of Castiel’s mouth, and despite everything, Castiel recognizes that this is Dean asking for permission. If he really doesn’t want to do this, in his store or at all, he need only close his mouth.

As much as he appreciates the asking, though, Castiel knew what he was getting into when he stepped inside the storeroom. Dean has a bit of an exhibitionist side, and this isn’t their first rodeo in a semi-public space. Though the likelihood of being walked in on is extremely low, there’s still a bit of a thrill Castiel gets over doing something naughty, and maybe he’s more into it than he lets on. The whole concept has him hardening up nicely and Dean’s grinding isn’t hurting either, but just as they’re setting a pretty nice pace, the first notes of The Song come on.

Growling into Dean’s mouth, Castiel reluctantly pushes him back. “I can’t,” he says, frustrated. “I don’t want to associate having sex with you with this demonic lullaby.”

Read the rest on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21656614

[pigeoncentric]

i did an A:TLA rewatch and took notes because that’s just what i do, and here’s the notes if anyone wants to see my thoughts

i haven't watched atla since about a year before korra started airing, so like, around 2011. i should also mention that i never watched korra through to the end, but i guess i'll do that after this. if i feel like it. i do know that the biggest bottles were never popped

i have such a clear memory of the first episode. it must've been on nickelodeon pretty often, even though when it was airing, i only watched it occasionally. i remember they also aired the library episode super often.

aang's voice is so tiny and sweet

i gotta turn off my dumb adult brain and put my dumb kid brain back on so i can better appreciate the nickelodeonness of it all

sokka and zuko's first interaction.......

zuko's intimidating approach and then his tiny teen voice

SOKKA AND ZUKO'S SECOND INTERACTION............

zuko's like "i'm going home." with aang. he must be feeling an incredible mixture of feelings, thinking he has the avatar and can reclaim his Honor. but he also must be terrified to go back, and in disbelief... fortunately he's not going home like he said and there are even more confused feelings in between

i just remembered that iroh's voice actor dies between seasons :(

thinking a lot about dante basco... no thoughts in particular, just a lot of them... and how he shipped zutara lmao

"my troubles cannot be soaked away!"

hei bai looks like a ben 10

mounts list (added to as i progressed through the series): zuko's rhinos. earth armored ostriches. metal noshing mole. north pole goatyak. azula and friends' fur geckos. sabertooth moose lion if you're not a wimp. appa-sized beetle. moose with aquatic features. Eel Hound.

you can't out-mom-friend katara. even when she's yelling and being reckless

it's true... airbenders are weak to nets.

the n*tfli* captions are making several mistakes. eat my ass ne*f*ix and hire me to do flawless captioning instead you dumb fucks

YEAH! even by episode 13 in season 1 we already know zuko is a good boy! well also by episode 12. and earlier. well i've seen the series before.

i've just learned that zach tyler eisen is the voice of aang and i have to give him huge props for having the perfect voice. i pay a lot of attention to voice acting, usually in a nitpicky way, and i've never heard an english voice actor whose voice is perfect on the level of ikue ohtani... and when he was like 12 years old. incredible. i'm not being remotely sarcastic

i gotta be 100% honest. i had completely forgotten the existence of zhao and that he's actually a pretty important character, at least in season 1. also his voice actor is pretty good. generally the voice acting is good in this show, and i'm picky.

god the animation where aang makes one catapult catapult the other is so good. also appa just picked up and grabbed a guy. with his fist. wait how many toes does appa have? is that 18 in total? also appa has scutes on his ventrum. anyway i love that appa can pick up and grab a guy but generally chooses not to. gives it more weight when he does choose to

zuko tells turtle seals to be quiet and then touches them unkindly :(

zuko busted out of katara's ice orb instead of melting it :\

zuko put his hood up like iroh told him to but aang just has his naked bald head in the snowy cold :(

seeing zhao grab and bag the moon spirit fish made me feel sick. such a foul act

god. the quality rope. i noticed sokka mention it and was like, "was this a chekhov's gun or a red herring" and then a few minutes later there was a pointed pan over to the quality rope.

anyway examining the quality of the voice acting here leads me to a thesis i might gather evidence to prove: american english voice acting for cartoons is far higher quality than american english voice acting for anime dubs. or is that just something obvious that everyone already agrees on

anyway anyway, the episode ended without the quality rope being put to use. unless i missed it, which is entirely possible.

jesus i heard azula's first lines and got an instant flashback to all the tumblr drama about grey delisle and her tumblr account and how she pretended it wasn't hers or something let's just erase all of this from my brain right now

this is kind of out of nowhere and borderline inappropriate but i'm glad characters in avatar are illustrated with nipples when they're shirtless... it always disturbs me a tiny bit when shirtless characters are depicted with zero nipple, not even a hint of nipple. (Aladdin.) not just because it implicitly stigmatizes something everyone has, but also because this scenario always plays in my head where it's like, a little kid sees a cartoon character without nipples and they think, "so i'm not supposed to have these..." and they start feeling weird and bad about themself... all you need to depict a nipple is a single unobtrusive dot. nothing visually offensive or explicit about it.

even to an audience who doesn't understand any cultural context, you can't not see the significance of zuko and iroh cutting off their topknots...

fandom seems to see sokka as the silliest one when in fact at least 40% of his entire role as a character is to be the tsukkomi

underrated moment: "you've got an elbow leech." "WHERE?! WHERE?!"

zuko should be a good boy and only steal if it's from pirates

stealy zuko stealing money and buying iroh a teapot !

god i forgot what a tiny baby voice toph has... so tiny

zuko trying really really hard but doing a bad job hammering (tears)

azula set up zuko and mai for a lucky sukebe...

when zuko's mom told him not to forget who he is, she didn't mean to remember that he's a prince and an heir as he revealed to the unsuspecting earth kingdom village. she meant to remember that he's someone with at least the base level of empathy and compassion, unlike most of his immediate family...

i still think aang's voice actor did a great job but i bet it sucks to be a young boy doing an excellent young boy voice and then when you grow up a little and presumably experience some puberty you just Cannot do the young boy voice anymore. hopefully in most cases where that happens, it's at least not abrupt

placing a bet that the writer for episode s2:e10 (the library) is different than most of the other episodes. i don't like it very much, at least in the first several minutes. if it's a name i recognize from the credits of several other episodes, i might be a bit disappointed in them. seriously, there's one stinker after another. and with such a great concept of an episode...

i didn't recognize the name of the guy who wrote this episode so i thought i was right but no, he wrote a bunch of episodes. must have been off his game for this one... either that or i'm in a very unforgiving mood and don't realize it... also when i went on wikipedia to look at who wrote which atla episodes, i learned that the animation for the show was split between two animation studios, and they're both korean. ah, i guess that doesn't mean all the animation took place overseas, as DM movie has a headquarters in the US. according to wikipedia.

oh, they're BUZZards... i get it... i gotcha.

aang with a vengeance is both scary and sad to see. but he does understand that property damage is nothing compared to a life

people who love azula are the exact same as people who love vriska: [comment redacted]

they have american birds in the avatar world. i keep hearing an eastern wood-peewee going "pee-pee-uwee" in the background :3

the serpent's pass seems geologically implausible.

sokka should really get face paint all over his face when he kisses suki. or like, the cartoonish image of when someone is covered in lipstick lip smacks, but it should be suki's makeup color

appa's been through so much and now he has to meet a boarcupine?!?! fortunately he still knows how to pick up and grab... but still :(

he touched appa's scutes and read them like a palm...

longshot translated his meaningful stares into out-loud words for katara and friends

zuko forgot that azula always lies :(

zuko should know that being redeemed in his father's eyes is the opposite of what he wants...

i LOVE aang's passionate tsungi horn dance

there are spring peepers in the fire nation

god the dripping of the rotten clams is so excessive

you know how ultrasonic humidifiers can create water vapor without heating it into steam, by vibrating it super fast? let's try that with waterbending, it'll be cool

two different bad guys have been skipped across the water like a rock

i love the fake time lapse of cleaning the river... and it showed how with pollution in real life, stopping the source of the pollution is not enough. it needs to be removed as well

sokka deserves LOTS of credit just for being able to handle a boomerang.

GOD THE SLOW PAN OVER THE BEAUTIFUL SWORD (in 3:4)

sokka also deserves LOTS of credit for being able to admit he doesn't know everything.

i managed to forget that zuko turns his back on iroh, while remembering that at some point, iroh gets buff

the voice of sokka's master is the voice of the boulder. right? right? no? are you kidding me? i suck at this

seems like kissing azula would have immediate consequences, like something melting

zuko is poorly socialized

zuko still forgot that azula always lies. even when she's being somewhat humanized in an episode like this.

so avatar roku had earthly attachments he did not let go of, presumably. such as his wife. did he have unfettered access to the avatar state? that's what i would ask him during this expositionfest if i was aang.

so sozin could do heatbending... that's amazing. i think i missed that the first time around.

that's right, zuko came back and his hair is long enough, but he hasn't recreated his topknot.

hawky is the only atla animal that poops on camera.

if you're gonna bend sweat, you might as well bend spit, and it's a little easier to obtain

wait so... is combustion man also a heatbender? i'll have to look into it later. [looked into it later: the avatar wiki has termed it "combustionbending?" are you shitting me?]

ooh it's the bloodbending episode! i'm pumped.

someone made a post about how when they watched this show and they were a kid they were thinking about how the characters are hot, and now they're watching as an adult and the characters are all tiny children... that's how i've been feeling. also season 3 episode 8 aang's voice sounds a little bit pubertous.

anyway damn this bloodbending episode is outright traumatic. good shit

oh, now zuko's topknot is back.

appa's armor covers each individual toe <:3c

i seriously misremembered the course of zuko's character development. and the timeline of the invasion in general. but now i understand that zuko has to tell his dad to eat shit face to face.

watching zuko's "zuko here" practice speech hurts 100% as much as it did the first time i saw it. and when he's delivering it to the gaang it's impossible to watch. i didn't put my hands on my head-- they just went there unbidden.

i kinda can't help picturing dante basco's face every time i hear zuko talk. the whole time. it's sometimes not optimal to know the faces of voice actors. especially when you're like me and you're not good at pushing out unwanted mental images.

what the fuck, combustion man? he just loves assassination so much you can't take back any orders. also i can't help but imagine that if you put a slice across his third eye his combustion would be fully inhibited. well i guess that's not a problem anymore.

i like that the gaang are a variety of heights, and that they're all noticeably shorter than most of the adults they meet. it just makes it feel realistic

if it was a US max security prison and prisoners were escaping they'd probably just fucking murder them

i love how when mai starts up the gondola again and azula is like "what is she DOING!" and ty lee just makes an "iunno" noise

tfw your best friend abandons you because you wouldn't let her murder her own brother

chit seng didn't get to free his girlfriend and best buddy :(

funny how azula seems almost docile when she's getting everything she wants. typical narcissist. well ok not the least bit typical.

sokka ate the rose. i remembered this scene Too clearly. but i didn't remember that.

um... was that the full moon? when katara bloodbent that guy? i should've looked at the sky... i went back and looked and still didn't see if it was the full moon. maybe the wiki knows. i don't care enough to look it up properly.

i was wondering when the melon lord would show up

none of the teens understand the obvious solution of defeating the fire lord by beating him INTO SUBMISSION (or oblivion) instead of killing him. just like in every anime fight ever. it's over when you acknowledge you've lost or you can't fight anymore, not when you die. (for the #1 best example of ending a fight the right way, see the way luffy defeats crocodile.)

so i know aang's gonna defeat the fire lord by essentially hitting him with a forced purification beam to the face and make him realize the errors of his ways or something. the fun part is how we get there

bumi bending entire houses through the air

aw i forgot the turtle island didn't have a cute face.

jyong jyong firebent a jet platform to fly around on?!

i guess the firelord can fly around like bakugou katsuki

i forgot that aang took away his firebending... and sokka hops up to him like "well, look at you, buster"

i'm glad i decided to watch this again. even if i didn't do a great job paying attention tbh. well i did spend a bit of time carving a little wooden spoon while i was watching. anyway i was thinking i wouldn't move right on to korra but rather read some of the atla comics that i know exist but have never read whatsoever. i wonder if i can find them in some kind of library...

  i found the comics illegally on the internet and read a whole bunch (up until the end of the "zuko finds his mom" arc). i didn't write my thoughts down as i was reading, so i don't remember them. that's how my worthless brain works. i do remember that i found the comics satisfactory as an accurate extension of the show, and that i feel ambivalent about how azula is written/treated in the comics.

i don’t know if i feel like rewatching korra yet.

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization Members at An Amusement Park

Suggested by: 4ddictwithapencil. You can find the original ask here. You mentioned Disney, so let’s just assume that they’re all in Disney world in Florida. The links for the hotels and such lead to either pictures or Youtube Vids that I could find where you can actually tour the room<3  I highly recommend looking up the hotels online if you don’t know what they look like!

Xemnas

Favorite Park: Epcot

Favorite Hotel: The Royal Suite in The Four Seasons Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Wildlife Express Train and Spaceship Earth

People move out of his way when he walks toward wherever he’s going. Lines to rides, lines to food, front seats at different attractions? They always move aside for him.

Purposely moves away from most of the Organization members to find stuff he’s interested in. Spends a lot of time in the regular exhibits instead of the actual rides

Likes a lot of the desserts that you can find across the parks, such as the Macarons aux Framboises at Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie in Epcot. All the fancy stuff is what he’s all about

Spends most of his time in the World Showcase in Epcot, examining the various countries. Loves going to the different shops and seeing the merchandise he can buy.  He’s the guy that buys the $1000 merchandise you always dream about getting.

Xigbar

Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios

Favorite Hotel: Park View Suite at the Four Seasons Orlando Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Expedition Everest and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Will hit on one of the Disney princesses and get into a near scuffle with Gaston. Doesn’t like to wait in lines, though, but will somehow sweet talk his way to the front of the line

Excellent at any shooting games, like the Toy Story Mania game.  Will always get the highest score out of all of the Organization members.

Never goes to Disney without stopping by Italy in Epcot to get himself a bunch of cannolis or sushi from Japan.  Could honestly just stay there and eat a little from each country.

That guy that uses the gym at the hotel every morning before anyone else wakes up

Xaldin

Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom - or Typhoon Lagoon!

Favorite Hotel: The Cabins at the Fort Wilderness Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Jungle Cruise and DINOSAUR

Loves the animal attractions!!!  Nearly gasped aloud when he found out that there was a place in Animal Kingdom where you could actually watch the vets take care of and do examinations on the animals.  He thought it was awesome and super interesting!

Will get up early with Lexaeus and get the two of them coffee to start the day as everyone else wakes up.  Is no longer allowed to get coffee for Zexion because Lexaeus says he gets too hyper.

Also likes the Disney Water Park, even though it gets really crowded and there are too many small children there.  He doesn’t care about the children themselves; it’s just that the parents don’t watch them and he gets annoyed.  Loves all of the water slides, though, and can definitely sit and relax with an ice cream cone at one of the lounge chairs.

Vexen

Favorite Park: Epcot

Favorite Hotel: Any room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: It’s A Small World and Star Tours

Unapologetically likes it’s a small world and will happily - loudly - sing the song for hours.  Also likes Star Tours or anything to do with space because he finds it interesting.

Likes to spend time at Downtown Disney - and hates that they changed the name to Disney Springs.  Definitely bought himself a fake, light-up lightsaber that he annoys the other members with.

Will definitely go to the spa and get a facial, complete with cucumber over the eyes and a mani-pedi to go with it.

Lexaeus

Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Copper Creek Cabins at the Wilderness Lodge

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Maharajah Jungle Trek and Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor

Gets up early and stays out at the parks late to stay with the other kiddos after the adults have all gone back to the hotels.  Wants to get his money’s worth and wants to make sure everyone has done what they wanted to do that day.

Usually forgets to do what he wants to do, but always has fun watching other people.

Carries one of those giant reusable cups that you can refill at any Disney restaurant so there’s something for everyone to have when they inevitably forget to refill their own drinks.  Also always has a churro in one hand.  He loves the damn things.

LOVES the giant Turkey legs.  Once ate four in one sitting.  The manager of that particular restaurant was so impressed, there’s a small plaque with his name on it next to a picture of him and Goofy both holding turkey legs.

Zexion

Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Disney’s Boardwalk Inn

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Mission Space and Mad Tea Party

Will not go on It’s a Small World.  Never again.  Those creepy ass dolls haunted his dreams for months.

When he met Belle for the first time??? Heart eyes.  They talked about books for about twenty minutes until one of the Disney park guys said he had to move on because there were kids who wanted to meet the princess.

Likes to buy souvenirs, particularly if they’re things like puzzles, books, or little Disney science experiments.  Before they implemented the program where they would send your purchases directly to your room, he used to make Lexaeus carry his stuff around for him.

Saix

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, The Captain’s Deck Suite

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Soarin’ and Muppet Vision 3D

Has a plan okay.  Knows when each ride gets super crowded, knows which to go to first, knows what to save for last, knows which they should use their Fast Passes on, and knows when the lines for food are going to be faster and shorter.  He came prepared and is ready to take on Disney World like a WWII soldier storming the Bay of Normandy.

Cannot go to Disney with the whole group.  They will argue all the time and nothing will get done.  Much prefers for them all to separate and go off into groups of two and three so everyone can have a good time and he can stay organized while he has fun.

Axel

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Animal Kingdom Lodge in the Royal Asante Presidential Suite

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Space Mountain and Test Track

Loves action packed roller coasters and anything that makes his adrenaline shoot up.  Could ride space mountain six times in a row and not get bored.

Usually the guy who helps everyone have fun in long lines by telling jokes and playing games.

Can eat whatever he wants and will not get sick after he rides a ride, but put him on the spinning teacups and he’ll get so ill and dizzy that he’ll be out of commission for the rest of the day.

Demyx

Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios

Favorite Hotel: All-Star Music Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Festival of the Lion King or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

The man isn’t really into the whole rides and excitement.  I mean, yeah, he likes it obviously, and he won’t leave the park without going on all of the exciting rides at least once, but he’s more into the music and the atmosphere.  Loves Hollywood Studios because of the various shows and music things, etc.

Most likely to spend his time taking pictures with and dabbing with the princesses, but Tinkerbell is his favorite person to see.

Always up for seeing any concerts in Hollywood Studios under the mickey hat.

Luxord

Favorite Park: Epcot

Favorite Hotel: The Grand Suite at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Favorite Ride/Attraction: The Great Movie Ride and Carousel of Progress

Kind of like Xemnas in the sense that his favorite place to be is the World of Nations in Epcot.  He really enjoys just sitting outside at one of the restaurants and drinking cappuccino and people watching.

Will somehow end up spending hours at the golf course at Saratoga Springs with Xemnas or, on one memorable occasion, he joined Larxene at the spa for a massage.

Marluxia

Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: The Treehouse Villa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Living with the Land and The Oasis Exhibits

His favorite thing is, obviously, the Annual Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot, but he does like looking at the animal habitats in the Animal Kingdom.  Has definitely stolen a few leaves and plant buds to add to his garden at home.

Ends up chatting with someone near one of the nature exhibits and is so informatory that a crowd forms because everyone thinks that he works at the park.

Larxene

Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios

Favorite Hotel: Bora Bora Bungalows in the Polynesian Village Resort

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (rip this great ride) and Haunted Mansion

Anything that makes her jump and her stomach head up to her throat? She’s totally into.  Will spend most of the time in line at the Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror trying to make the other Organization members jump.

Buys a lot of Disney merch, particularly T-shirts that she can sleep in.  They’re so soft and comfortable and they always last a long time, so she has a growing stack that’s taken up a permanent spot in her closet.

Roxas

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Pop Century Hotel

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Kali Water River Rapids and Splash Mountain

THE FOOD.  Oh God, the food.  Dole Pineapple Whip, the Gray Stuff at Belle’s Castle, the giant Turkey Legs, the churros, the mickey ice cream cones.... will want to try everything and will have a huge stomachache by the end of the day.

Loves the Lion King Musical Performance Show.  He thinks it’s one of the coolest things he’s ever seen and he will absolutely be singing along with all of the songs

Xion

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: The Art of Animation Hotel

Favorite Ride/Attraction: Kilimanjaro Safari and Illuminations Light Show

A literal princess.  Likes to experience a little bit of everything.  The pretty colors and sights and smells and EVERYTHING are just so wonderful and new to her.

Has to get souvenirs from every single store they pass.  Loves giant stuffed animals and little knick knacks because they are literally too cute for words.

Was extremely disappointed when they told her that she was too old to get a makeover at the princess boutique, but then (surprisingly) Xemnas sent them such a horrific glare for hurting her feelings that they gave her a makeover anyway.  She had sparkles in her hair for the rest of the week.

[jeepersjiminie]

3 & 23 for kookie??

Unfortunately, I had already wrote a prompt for #3, however I was able to come up with a lil’ something for #23 (:

Reader Warnings:

*Light mentioning of sexual assault*

“What is your biggest regret in life?” Jungkook ask you with curiosity sparking in his coffee colored orbs, your backs supported by the multiple pillows and blankets that were tossed around the bed of your old Dodge truck. You both had decided earlier in the week that a small picnic and star-gazing date would be a perfect way to start off the summer season that was just around the corner, packing up handmade sandwiches and freshly cut fruits to keep your hunger at bay, while Jungkook stuffed all the necessary comfy materials he could find into the backseat.

“My biggest regret?” You repeated in confusion at the sudden intense question, shifting your body that laid comfortably along the woven blanket underneath you to sit up and face him.

“Yeah you know, the one thing in your life so far that you wish didn’t happen, or would’ve happened differently,” Jungkook explained in further detail, craning his neck away from the endless onyx sky to look you in the eyes. “You have to have at least one.”

You stopped and looked to him with a nibble to your lower lip, multiple memories and flashbacks running through your brain at the speed of light as you tried to avoid the one story you never wanted to revisit, especially to a new love interest, like Jungkook, that was so important to you. There had to be something you could tell him, a lie even, just to brush off the statement he craved and change the topic to something much more happy and upbeat. However, by the way he sat up and adjusted his focus solely on your figure, you knew there was no maneuvering around his curiosity now.

So you dove right in, letting the dam burst and your past personal life come flood out quicker than you could stop it, revisiting the moment in your life that you never would wish even onto your worst enemy. You hardly spoke of your time before meeting Jungkook, preferring to keep him away from the backstabbing, selfish people that were involved it, and the hardship you dealt with on a daily basis because of it. Henceforth, when you explained to Jungkook that your teenage years, and early twenties, revolved around being abused both physically and sexually, you weren’t surprised to find him astonished and speechless across from you.

“Because of that, I’ve discovered trust is earned, not given,” You stated confidently while giving Jungkook a weak smile that barely lasted in your lips for more than a second, fiddling with the fringe of your jeans that frayed over the course of wear and tear. You had grown from your experiences, the good and the bad shaping you into the person you were today, and you were proud to show it.

“Y/N,” Jungkook uttered in a hushed whisper, eyes glassy and sympathetic as he reached towards your hand, intertwining your fingertips within his as he applied the smallest amount of pressure into a squeeze.

“I’ll always be more than willing to wait for your trust, and when you’re ready to give it to me, I’ll be at the end of the tunnel with an ecstatic grin and open arms,” Jungkook promised, tilting your knuckles up to his mouth to place a small peck against them. You knew one thing for sure after you’d gone home that evening, laying in your bed while watching your ceiling fan spin around and around consistently,

Jungkook had already earned your trust a long, long time ago.