#but my idea is that she’s a noble that lives in the palace of various royalty and manipulated their politics to benefit her

[petroplant]

my version of the OC prompt! the hair description reminded me of those hair horns that were popular in 1590s venice so i decided to run with that lol, her name is valentina :)

[nobodysdaydreams]

TMBS Fairytale AU Show Version

Based on this lovely post by @cronch-goes-the-weasel and this awesome post by @sophieswundergarten and also this post that was one of the first posts I've ever made because for some reason I really liked the idea of SQ as a Disney Prince and thought the world should know about it, so much so, that I decided to get a tumblr just so I could tell people.

Warning: The content of this AU is long and insane. Reader discretion is advised.

Premise: As I have developed this story, some characters have no magic powers, some have magic powers that they have to study to learn how to use, and others have naturally occurring magic powers, to various degrees. Just roll with it, my brain is excited, but exhausted. Here we go.

Nicholas and Nathaniel are two poor orphan boys that grow up in a local orphanage, with no knowledge of where they came from. The boys both love studying magic and try to get their hands on any spell books they can find. Nicholas is adopted by a fairly well off family while Nathaniel is left behind.

Flash forward to years later, and Nathaniel has become an evil wizard who has taken over the world and declared himself king. He has a special school and is currently recruiting the most powerful magical or otherwise talented children to go through lifelong training to serve on his court and be his knights. His brother Nicholas, a kind-hearted and humble, but scattered brain wizard is the only one who can stop him.

The players in the story:

The Bad Guys:

Nathaniel/Curtain: Evil Wizard King. It's exactly what it sounds like.

Garrison: Chief member of Curtain's court (his right hand woman), and expert in all types of magic. She often advises Curtain against using dangerous magic, but he rarely listens. If we want to bring mythical creatures into this, I could see her being part fairy (more specifically an evil or outcast fairy).

Jeffers: Head of Curtain's current army (the greys). He can't use magic, but likes to think that he might be able to one day and attempts to do so often (it never works).

Jackson and Jillson: Curtain's jesters. They entertain him by doing little songs, dances, and puppet shows for the court, which Nathaniel Benedict, professional theater kid, appreciates. If we want to bring mythical creatures into this, they can be elves/part elf or some sort of quirky woodland creatures).

SQ: Prince and heir to the evil throne. His father teaches him magic (but not too much) and rarely lets SQ go outside or leave and explore certain parts of the castle. He spends most of his time painting and talking to wild animals in the gardens.

Martina: one of the best students Curtain has recruited and on track to become a knight and the head of his army.

The Good Guys:

Nicholas: a self-taught wizard/magic user who refuses to use dark or evil magic

Number Two: Wanted to be a knight ever since she was a little girl. She trained for years, and eventually became a knight that specializes in axe throwing.

Rhonda: a self-taught apothecary and healer that specializes in healing magic.

Milligan: man who was taken in by the team when he showed up on their doorstep with no memory. He has the sigil of what he believes to be Curtain's kingdom's symbol tattooed on his wrist and worries that this means he might have been a bad person once. Later, he has flashbacks of living and working in a palace with other higher ups, including Curtain, and fears the worst.

Reynie: An orphan boy who is ostracized by the others for being able to study magic. He answers Nicholas' advertisement hoping to gain the ability to study and develop his ability.

Miss. Perumal: Reynie's magic tutor who teaches him how to use his powers. She has some abilities herself, and if we want to bring mythical creatures into this, I could see her being part fairy.

Sticky: the high achieving son of deceased nobles who is under tremendous pressure to inherit his family's land and manage the family estate as his mother and father once did. He'd prefer to use his gift of intellect to study and help others, but his extended family insists that this is his destiny and he must spend his time learning things like manners and the ways of high society so he's ready when he comes of age. Sticky, feeling trapped and under pressure, sees Nicholas' advertisement, and runs away to answer it.

Kate: her main backstory doesn't have to change. She is a performer that goes from village to village in a traveling circus. She believes that she was abandoned by her father, who she recalls used to be some sort of knight. Eventually, she begins to long for more than circus life, and dreams of becoming a knight herself (but a good one. Not a bad one like the father who left her). She sees Nicholas' advertisement and decides to answer it.

Constance: She's extremely gifted in magic without ever having studied it, but she has no idea why. She can't remember much of her past and has been kicked out of orphanage after orphanage for things like accidently enchanting her bully's desk to be filled with bugs (Constance did not always mean to do this, but her emotions tend to manifest into real world events). Desperate to understand herself, she too answers the advertisement.

Now for the drama of it all. Nicholas discovers that the dark wizard that has cursed the land and declared himself king is in fact Nathaniel his brother. Meanwhile, the children have infiltrated Curtain's school and discover that Curtain plans to tighten his grip on the world by casting a final dark spell that will recruit all lords and ladies (the noble class, people with money, land, and influence), magic users, and knights to his side or otherwise will curse all who resist and leave them poor, alone, destitute, and without their memories or powers. However, Curtain has been struggling to get the spell to work and discovers that certain types of ancient magic can only be translated or understood by children (Nobody knows why. And I haven't thought that far ahead. Potential future twist maybe? But it explains why Curtain needs the kids).

Anyway, Curtain sees that Reynie seems to have a gift for magic and Sticky is quite knowledgeable when it comes to reading ancient texts. So he gives the boys an opportunity to study under him personally. At first, he identifies with Reynie as an misunderstood orphaned magic user and dismisses Sticky because he can tell by his manners and his knowledge of high society that he comes from money (like those rich snobs who adopted Nicholas). But eventually, Curtain realizes that Reynie is too hesitant to use dark magic (if you're hesitant to use it, it doesn't work as well), so he focuses on training Sticky as his apprentice, telling Sticky that he simply wants to learn more about the land's dark history so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. His goal is to get Sticky to decipher the codes and spells for him, and then Curtain can hopefully use his own magic to cast the spell, or if he must convince another child to do so, find one that is powerful enough and willing to cast the spell. Curtain also casts his own spells that give Sticky good feelings and make him want to comply. While under the influence of the magic, Sticky figures since he's just really intelligent, but doesn't use magic himself, then what's the worst that could happen if he helps Curtain translate a few things? After all, working with him will enable him to get more information about his plans.

Meanwhile, Martina and Kate are training as knights and develop a rivalry that turns to unlikely friendship that is torn asunder when Martina realizes Kate has been a spy. Constance has been doing her best to hide her powers ever since the children realize Curtain is looking for powerful children for his work. However, since she isn't good at tests like Sticky or the training to be a knight like Kate, she is placed under the care of Jackson and Jillson (who find her to be a delightful small child) in order to train to be an entertainer and court jester. Constance hates every minute of this, and lessons include juggling, puppeteering, and joke telling. Sometimes her powers do activate and cause chaos, but Jackson and Jillson believe this is part of the performance and a testament to her talent. SQ, fed up with palace life and ready to enter his Disney Princess™️ era, sneaks into the part of the palace his father has reserved for his school and pretends to be a regular student. While there he befriends Reynie and eventually learns of his father's true plans, but Reynie still never learns that SQ is the king's son (indeed, most people are only vaguely aware Curtain even has a son, and most imagine him to be this super powerful and intimidating guy).

The main conflict (basically season 1): There is a final fight between the children and Curtain where Constance reveals her powers. Curtain sees an opportunity to use her for his spell, but she overpowers him. Martina and Kate duel and Kate wins, offering Martina a chance to come with them, but Martina angrily refuses, humiliated to have been defeated, and calls Kate a coward for not finishing her off. Kate replies that that's not who she is, and she doesn't believe that's who Martina is either. Martina says that Kate doesn't know her.

Nicholas shows up at the palace to confront Curtain, who is still angry about what happened between them and claims that putting the world under his order is what is best. Nicholas is shocked that his brother has done this, because Nathaniel never used dark magic when they were kids, both of them believing it was dangerous and evil. Nicholas asks his brother what changed, and Curtain tells him that he grew up and realized that the "power of love" and "good magic" can't solve everything and that some people need to make necessary sacrifices. Nicholas seems heartbroken, and Curtain, in a strange moment of sentimentality, offers Nicholas a chance to join him in exchange for forgiving his friends and family of their transgressions against him. Nicholas refuses, and Reynie and Sticky succeed in undoing some of the dark spells Curtain has cast over the world. Realizing he is losing his control, Curtain responds by casting a simple sleeping spell on Nicholas and escaping with his followers (all other bad guy characters mentioned). Everything plays out much like it does in the show, with Kate and Milligan realizing that they are father and daughter.

Now season 2. Curtain kidnaps Nicholas and brainwashes him to join him and help promote his rule, claiming that Curtain's magic and his rule are good things. The others try to save him. Meanwhile, Martina begins to have doubts about their mission and voices them to Jackson and Jillson, who assure her that she is doing the right thing.

SQ confronts his father with the information he has learned only to be repeatedly dismissed and told that he must trust that this is for the best. SQ instead does some snooping on his own and discovers that his birth parents were once rulers of an island nation and that Curtain was their friend and advisor on their court. He then assumes that Curtain must have used dark magic to betray them, kill them, and take over. Terrified, he runs away under the cover of night, and eventually bumps into Reynie, the only person he remembers meeting at the Institute. The kids explain that they are going to rescue their leader, Mr. Benedict, who wants to stop the dark wizard (Curtain) from taking over the world. SQ, learning his father has a twin for the first time, makes the split second decision to join them in their mission, while wondering what else his father has lied to him about. The children discover that SQ can do some simple spells that his father taught him, is pretty well educated, and although not exactly athletic, does know some basic fighting techniques. SQ teaches them what he knows, and they teach him things he doesn't know.

Meanwhile, Curtain's spell that he used to make Nicholas join him and comply begins to have disturbing side effects. He goes to Garrison for help, but she tells him that she warned him against using that kind of magic, and that it can't be reverse. He tells her that he will find a way, no matter what it takes. He then discovers his son is missing, and when he's spotted with the society, Curtain claims (and believes) they've kidnapped and brainwashed SQ and offers a reward to capture and bring them to the palace. This leads the others discover that SQ is Curtain's son. At first, they worry he's a spy, but SQ eventually convinces them that he's on their side, and that he is ready to fight his father and figure out the truth.

The kids show up to stop Curtain. Martina fights SQ at first, and is about to beat him, when Kate saves him by distracting Martina. Martina fights Kate again and this time she wins, but can't bring herself to kill Kate, admitting that Kate was right about her and about Curtain. Martina then decides to join them, much to the dismay of Jackson and Jillson, who blow trumpets alerting the greys of their arrival. Jeffers and his men show up to fight Martina and Kate (and Milligan and Number Two, who show up just in time).

Reynie, Sticky, Rhonda, and Miss. Perumal try some spells to help Mr. Benedict, but it doesn't work. Then Curtain and Garrison show up. Curtain puts a simple sleeping spell on Rhonda and Miss. Perumal. The boys are horrified, but Curtain explains that they will awaken in a few hours, once they've been escorted to their cells. The boys demand to know what will happen to Mr. Benedict. Garrison tells them they have no hope of helping Nicholas and that she warned Curtain this would happen. Curtain angrily replies that he gave her everything, including a chance to develop and practice her magic with no limitations, but she was only interested in holding him back, and she shouldn't pretend to care about his brother. The boys, realizing that Curtain does care about Mr. Benedict, try to convince him to turn good, but he replies that he is good and they are the ones that need to change.

He freezes the boys with magic and is about to cast a spell on them, when Constance arrives and challenges Curtain to rematch. The original plan was to have Constance only intervene if necessary, because the others suspected that after last time, Curtain and Garrison might have figured out a way to siphon off her magic. Curtain, hungry for power and realizing that taking her magic might enable him to both save Nicholas and keep his power, offers Constance a deal. Join him, give up her magic, and help him save Nicholas and he'll release her friends. He even does a truth spell on himself to verify he is telling the truth (idk if the narcolepsy thing is in this, this is already so much I don't want to add more, but if it is, he falls asleep and this verifies that he's telling the truth). Constance is about to agree, when SQ bravely runs in and challenges his dad to a duel of magic and sword. Curtain, who does not recognize his son with a helmet over his head, believes this is just some random knight and tries to magic him away, but finds to his surprise that this random knight has some fairly good countering spells. So they duel a bit, but Curtain gets the upper hand. In frustration at his plans being delayed, Curtain begins casting a painful and damaging spell on SQ, causing him to groan and scream in pain, at which point, his helmet falls off. Curtain immediately drops his hands, horrified at what he's done, and runs to his son's side. SQ weakly asks if this is what his father did to his birth parents. Curtain vehemently denies it, shocked his son would ask that, and it's heavily implied that something went wrong in the past that resulted in Curtain trying to use dark magic to fix it, but that ultimately, he wasn't powerful enough, and it resulted in the deaths of SQ's birth parents (I guess this is an SOS AU now. I don't know anymore).

Curtain asks SQ why he would turn against his own family, and SQ tells his father about how trapped he felt in the sheltered palace life Curtain had set up for him and how betrayed he felt that his father had kept so much from him. Curtain replies that he was only ever trying to protect him. SQ starts growing weaker and weaker as Nicholas' side effects start getting worse. Garrison is sad to see them both in pain and dying, but tells Constance and Curtain that she's not powerful enough to fix it, and that most of the magic that would is too powerful, even for any of them. Curtain, upon hearing this, attempts a spell that will exchange his own life for SQ's, but finds he's not powerful enough to use it, and that the dark magic he's been using has left him too corrupted to effectively cast a self-sacrificing spell. Curtain starts to cry and tells SQ that he loves him, hugging him close to his chest. SQ replies weakly, gasping for breath that despite everything, he loves his father too. This begins to heal SQ (power of love and all that. Beautiful stuff. What? It's a fairytale. I can give it a fairytale ending).

Constance, seeing that love was able to heal SQ, decides to give it a try. She walks over to Mr. Benedict and tells him that the reason she denied his offer of adoption was because she was scared of him leaving her like she assumes her parents must have. But now, she wishes she had accepted his offer, and that they had more time together because she would love to spend every second of it with him as her family. This heals Nicholas.

Happy ending right? Wrong. Curtain takes SQ to the palace on the islands where his birth parents lived (which had since been abandoned, but SQ realizes the sigil of his birth parents is the same one Curtain was using). Curtain then goes off on his own journey to released the world from his dark spells, with Nicholas to help him. The twins complete the task and return to the islands to find SQ missing (and a message from home via urgent carrier pigeon confirms Constance has gone missing as well). The twins investigate and find a mysterious woman occupying the islands. They demand to know where their children have gone. She tells them that they will be fine, provided the twins are willing to comply and embrace their destinies. She then introduces herself as their sister and says they have a lot to talk about.

And that's all I got. Please don't ask me to finish this, I'm tired. But I hope you like it.

[lorei-writes]

Hey, Lorei!! 💕

For Esther: 2, 30 and 41

For Viva: 18, 21 and 25

For you: B

Myara! Hi! Hi! Hello!

Let's go! >:)

OC ask game

Esther

2. How easy is it for your character to laugh?

I'd say it depends on the setting.

When in the palace, surrounded by nobles, Esther generally tries to remain composed under all circumstances. She feels that her laughing freely would break the decorum. However, once she's surrounded by commoners or people she's familiar with? It becomes a much easier task.

One thing that never fails to get her is dark humour.

30. Who do they most regret meeting? 

Her paternal aunt. Or, well, the majority of her extended family.

The thing is, Esther's mother has lost all her previous familial connection while fleeing from under Obsidianite reign. The only extended family Esther has comes from her father -- and none of them were thrilled about him being married to her mother. Everybody knew that the twins were not planned children. At the same time, none of them offered any help, not when they were little, and most definitely not after her parents divorced.

If that wasn't bad enough, they re-appeared post Viva's crowning. Viva would receive condolence letters filled with requests -- condolence letters as their entire extended family lives assuming that Esther is long dead.

41. How do they feel about children? 

It's a bit of a touchy subject for Esther. She likes children and does fairly well with them. She'd like to have some of her own... But it's not that easy.

Esther has experienced long periods of severe malnutrition. The most recent one occurred right before she arrived at the palace. Recovery takes time, obviously. On top of that, Esther doesn't know whether any lasting damage hasn't already been done.

She's in her late twenties when she and Chevalier become an item. For various reasons, they cannot rush getting married, but time is still of the essence. (...I may have a skeleton of a plot line on the topic.)

Viva

18. What embarrasses them?

Hmm... Maybe not so much embarrasses her, but gets her flustered?

Being on the receiving end of affection while in private. She can put up a front while other people are around, if it's just her and her lover? There's nothing there to help her remain composed.

She's used to rough affection, to banter, play fights and other such things. Kindness, however? Gentleness and soft words? Not so much. The more tender people are towards her, the faster she crumbles.

21. Why do they get up in the morning? 

I'd say she has a dual reason for it.

Viva has a strong sense of duty. She wakes up in the morning to provide for her loved ones. To protect them. To be the rock that others need. To do what she thinks should be done, as otherwise it'd be hard for her to look into the mirror.

However, it is also that... she sees a lot of wonder in the world? And she's hungry for it. She's deeply in love with a lot of the mundane, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she wakes up to taste fresh bread, or to play with stray dogs. In fact, I'd say that that is what enables her to carry on despite her self-imposed duties.

25. What are their thoughts on marriage? 

Another idea that gets her flustered. She's hopeless ( and helpless).

Viva's personal outlook on marriage is somewhat romanticised. She knows it is often used as means of obtaining influence or material privileges, but she could never see herself take part in it for that purpose.

What she'd rather aim for would be devotion. She wants love that is a continuous conscious choice, even in presence of hardships. She wants to grow together with her lover, to age with him, to support him, respect him, and to receive the same in turn. I suppose you could say that in her mind, marriage is an announcement of that sort of intention.

General

B) What inspired you to create them?

It was a convergence of a couple of factors.

I finished Leon's route and loved it. (Still one of my favourites). I thought it'd be interesting if his backstory was used in a different way.

I concluded that the Belle system hinges on subjective judgement, and thought it'd be interesting to see what may happen if the person chosen for the role was not so pure.

It was a very "what if" kind of situation. What if the Belle was not so pure. What if she knew the truth of Leon's identity. What would need to happen for her to come across as a person who does have a point. What if she had reasons for her revenge. How do I glue it together. What motivating forces could I employ at all sides. + I had this one dialogue line that was burning my mind.

I talked about the skeleton of the idea with @venulus and she pointed out that it would be possible for the other twin to be paired with Chevalier (my new obsession at the time). Pieces started falling into place after that.

[nazukisser]

manhwa titles & enstars characters ─── •

In this episode of "putting Qian's interests together" and coming up with something, we will be taking concepts from various manhwas and pairing them with enstars characters, along with a synopsis for a fic idea with them. (some may be altered a little)

cw: lots of death mentions (reincarnation)

who made me a princess | eden

fem!reader, drama, reincarnation, royalty!au, multiple love interests

you'd once read of a wonderful story of a princess who was adored by all, even turning an ice-cold emperor to a kind and caring one. however, she had a sister, one who had been slain at the hands of such an emperor, of which you find yourself in the body of. you promise yourself you must find a way to survive, in which you intend to seek the support of a mage by the name of hiyori, a wealthy merchant from a neighboring country, ibara, a duke of the empire, jun, and a knight from the royal guard, nagisa. as you fight for your survival and avoid the novel's storyline, the strings of fate start to weave a different path for you.

doctor elise: the royal lady with the lamp | rei

gn!reader, fluff, reincarnation, royalty!au

in your first life, you were a noble who had done many wrongs, labelled as evil and self-serving. you were surprised to have been given another chance at life, in the modern world, where you had decided to become a doctor to save people's lives, a way of atonement for the horrible acts you had done in your previous life. however, you've found yourself dead again, this time back in the body of your first life. this time, you've decided to continue being a doctor and helping people, finding a strange man with a seemingly impossible condition.

the abandoned empress | eichi

fem!reader, drama, reincarnation, enemies to lovers, royalty!au

you had been trained all of your life to become the empress, as the recipient of the prophecy. everyone had believed that it was the goddess's will for you to become the empress, and you had worked hard to become the empress that everyone expected, fallen in love with the emperor, eichi. however, as soon as a woman from another world descended from the sky at the royal palace's lake, the people soon turned their back on you, accusing you of the misinterpretation of the holy word and using the church to further your position in society, a misuse of the prophecy. Such allegations continued, and even the emperor could not defend his empress, and thus your execution followed soon after. you open your eyes to find yourself at an age years before your execution, and you swear to avoid becoming the empress at all costs to avoid your fate.

the emperor's companion | ritsu

gn!reader, fluff, royalty!au

prince ritsu, known for staying within the palace walls and his famous walks under the moonlight due to the curse of light, has been spotted several times, under the daylight, in the holy temple. away from anyone else he's known, you find him stuck to you, the temple's saint. in times of crisis and natural disaster, you're expected to gather the power of the goddess and assist the people of the empire, but how were you supposed to do that when the prince is always at your side?!

my life as an internet novel | trickstar & anzu

gn!reader, reincarnation, fluff, non-idol!au

the female lead of the novel, as well as the 4 male leads are gorgeous- so why are they so friendly to you? you were reincarnated as the best friend of the female lead, anzu, in a novel where the main character is surrounded by the four impossibly pretty male leads- subaru, hokuto, mao, and makoto. they're all supposed be obsessed with her, so why are they, even anzu, focusing on you?

the villainess flips the script | nazuna

fem!reader, reincarnation, fluff, royal!au

you regretted ever reading a revenge novel- if you hadn't, maybe you wouldn't have reincarnated as the aunt of the main character in a tragedy novel! as one of the first characters to die in such a novel as part of the main character's revenge due to making your nephew's life a living hell when he was younger, you try your best to make up for the horrible things she had done. you try to reconcile with him and avoid your death as you wait for nazuna, the son of duchess nito, to take him to the duchy of nito- however, you find yourself on the train to the duchy as well, and nazuna is nicer than expected to the woman who had supposedly used his brother's son?!

. i said i would do it. i did it in one sitting.

[myblacknightworld]

Randomly thinking about the merandette royal au again 😔✌️ sorry for the bad quality, I haven't used sketchbook in years and i don't rember how to adjust the pixel thingy

For those who don't know, I created this au on discord with @livehorses and another friend like, 3/4 years ago

More under the cut

So, more about this au - and I'm reading straight from my notes -

Mérante

Mérante is the king

For some reason in this au Regine is his step-sister, and Camille "works" at the palace as a companion lady or however they're called

When he was younger, and still a prince, he was bethroted to Odette, but the bethrotal was abandoned

When I say he is shook when he finds out where Odette is ✌️

Odette

Odette is from a noble family

HOWEVER her family was already on their last leg when she was younger

What can I say, they weren't making much money and some family members spent more than they could afford

Which is why her father was searching for a good husband. Rich.

The surprise when, lo and behold, Odette became friends with the prince and well, a bethrotal was struck

Unfortunately there was a fire at the family's mansion, her family perished and Odette sustained an injury that crippled her for life. Swell, right?

LIFE OF POVERTY

:(

But hey!

Nothing turns your life around more than catching a little thief who decides she's gonna adopt you as a parental figure, amirite?

Being in need of a job, because now she's got a kid (Félicie) and a half (Victor) depending on her and she's got next to no money, she decides to ask for a job at the royal palace

They start working at the palace and drama ensues because well

Mérante lives there and they were bethroted

Félicie

Félicie, like in canon, decides to run away from the orphanage with Victor

Thieving and robbing is so much better than being a child slave for some rich people

When she's 8, she tries to rob Odette, but Odette caught her

Odette lets her go after much begging and pleading, but Félicie decides to stick around because she's understood that Odette is a kind person underneath her rough exterior

They live like that for a while with Victor popping up from time to time

And then Odette says they're moving to the palace because she's got a job

Of course, she gets into so much trouble, but she also manages to make friends with Nora and Dora, two girls who work as companion ladies for Lady Regine (they hate that so much)

She's there when Mérante finds out Odette is working at the palace and well, after prying part of the story from Odette

She hires Nora and Dora for a marriage plot

More on the story, generally speaking

Regine has a plot to get rid of her step-brother via unspecified murder

It is quite important, yes

When there was the fire, Mérante did search for Odette, but couldn't find her and believed her dead

Which is also why Odette is angry with him when they meet again at the palace

She didn't know he did search for her and believed he'd abandoned her

So much drama!!!!

Anyway, after drama, hijinks of various nature, Victor who sneaks in and starts working as the royal buffoon, Regine who definitely hates there's someone there who could become queen and tries to send the two of them away

Marriage!

So now Odette is queen and Félicie finds herself a princess

Félicie becomes friends with Camille, after getting to know her when her mother is not there and she is not under pression

Enter Rudy (and his father) stage left

His father really, really, really wants his son to be married (or bethroted at least) before he croaks, and which reign just got itself a princess?

This is not a deus ex machina, why are you asking

Anyway, back to the main plot, a few months after the happily ever after for her brother, Regine decides that kidnapping the wife and child is a good idea, because then she can try to poison Mérante and blame Odette and Félicie

I am still straight up copying from my notebook btw

The unlikely alliance of Rudy and Victor does thwart Regine's plan, though.

And Camille does help Odette and Félicie when a second murder attempt ensues

My notes end here quite abruptly

Much sad

:(

[fellulahh]

MC and Diavolo accidentally switch bodies for the day

Taking a sip of the drink that Solomon had just prepared for her, MC narrowed her eyes at the white haired sorcerer. A small, cheeky grin appeared on his lips as he watched her eagerly.

Finishing the drink, MC set the glass down on the counter as she began to grow suspicious of Solomon. Although he was usually sly, there was something that seemed so cunning about the expression he had.

“What is it?” She asked quietly as he began to chuckle. “Solomon what did you do?!”

“You know that conversation you and I were having the other day?” He asked casually as he sat back in his chair.

Without any further discussion, MC knew exactly what he was referring to. Widening her eyes, she turned her head to gawp at the empty glass in front of her. “You didn’t!” She gasped in horror.

“MC don’t worry about it! It’s fine - I did nothing different than what we discussed.” He explained with a smile, “You said you wanted to get your revenge on the brothers after they all took that lust potion around you so guess what? I used the last of this body switching one in your drink.”

Although Solomon found it terribly amusing that MC had just drunk a syrup that would switch her body with somebody else, she wasn’t so thrilled. It wasn’t the fact that he’d slipped it into her beverage - it was actually her idea in the first place - it was the fact that she was now going to face the effects of the syrup.

“How does it decide whose body I switch with?” She asked quietly, glancing up at Solomon with a worried expression.

“The last person you touched.” He grinned, “I just can’t wait to see which one you turn into!”

“Solomon!” MC suddenly panicked as she shot out of her seat.

“What is it?” He asked confused, “you’ll only change bodies for a day?”

“That’s not the issue here!” MC waved her hands frantically, “the last person I touched was Diavolo!”

“Oh shit...” Solomon mumbled. “You mean?”

“I’m going to turn into Diavolo!” MC cried before letting out a sharp breath, “and Diavolo is going to turn into me!”

“Fuck...” Solomon breathed, trying to weigh up the options on what they should do.

“We have to go to the palace.” MC shook her head, causing Solomon to look at her as though she was being ridiculous. “We need to tell him!”

Sighing, she marched out of the room before she could even give him a choice. Time was against them as they raced through the house. The affects of the syrup could take place at any second. MC silently prayed that Diavolo didn’t have some important meeting with all of the high nobles.

She seethed to herself as they travelled across the Devildom. ‘This is a disaster!’ MC kept repeating to herself until eventually they made it to the palace.

Barbatos let both of them into the castle, surprised to see the state they were in.

“Barb where’s Diavolo?!” MC asked quickly, “I’ve got to see him right now.”

“He’s in his study?” Barbatos arched an eyebrow, “would you like me to call for him?”

“There’s no time!” MC shook her head, “please just take me to him.”

Following her orders - and given how urgent they seemed - Barbatos began walking through the palace at a fast pace. Solomon chose to hang back as MC followed the Prince’s servant.

The palace had never seemed so big as they continued turning left and right down various hallways until eventually MC was lead to a colossal door.

Knocking gently, Barbatos awaited Diavolo’s call before letting MC in. As she practically fell into the room, the Prince stood up from his seat in surprise.

“MC?” He asked concerned, “whatever is the matter?”

“My Lord I am so sorry.” She panted as she leant over, “Solomon gave me a syrup that would make me switch bodies...”

Talking had never seemed to hard as she tried to regain her breath.

“He didn’t realise that you and I were together earlier.” She continued, “I drank it to get my own back on the brothers but Solomon didn’t know that I hadn’t seen them today.”

Diavolo’s eyes never left MC’s face as she frantically tried to explain what was happening.

“He says I will switch bodies with the last person I touched.” MC finished.

Recollecting their catch up they’d had earlier, Diavolo remembered the hug they shared as MC left. “Me?” He asked with wide eyes.

“I’m so sorry!” She repeated with an anxious expression.

“What you mean to tell me is you drank a syrup that would force you to switch bodies with the last person that you touched? And that person is me?” He asked, trying to understand the situation.

“Yes...” MC answered as her face sunk.

Diavolo showed no emotion for a minute as he paced in front of his desk. Fear grew in MC’s body as she anticipated a scolding from the Prince.

But then, as he perched his firm butt on the edge of his desk, he looked up at MC. “So once this syrup takes effect, I will be you for the day and you me?” He requested clarification.

“Yes, My Lord.” She nodded.

“Well this sounds positively exciting!” He suddenly grinned, catching MC by complete surprise.

“I’m sorry...” she knitted her eyebrows, “you’re not angry?”

“Why would I be angry? I have nothing important scheduled for the rest of the week and therefore do not need to worry about you being me.” He explained, “and with me switching bodies with you I can finally grasp an understanding on what it is like to be a human!”

Diavolo seemed to find this incredibly exciting.

“I must say MC, my life was far more boring before you came along.” He chuckled. “I think you and I could have some fun with this. How long has it been since you drank the syrup?”

“About 25 minutes, My Lord.” MC breathed.

“Excellent.” He smirked, “Five more minutes should do it.” As he glanced at her, he noticed the worry in her eyes. “You seem frightened?” He questioned.

“I’m sorry My Lord, I just didn’t expect you to react so...well?” She spoke unsure. “I came here thinking you’d be furious.”

“While this isn’t quite how I imagined spending my afternoon, that’s not to say I am disappointed because of it.” He chuckled, “now come on, MC. Wipe that worry off your face!”

In all truth, Diavolo was just pleased he was involved in such chaos without being the one who orchestrated it.

“Now...lets not spend the afternoon fretting.” He smirked, “it’s time we had some fun!”

-

What did they get up to?

Now being in Diavolo’s body, MC decides to give Barbatos some super weird orders. “Can you get out and buy me some peaches without the pit?” “My Lord, all peaches have pits?” “Then find some that dont!”

“Barbatos will you carry me to the kitchen please?” “I’m sorry my Lord but I don’t think I will be able to support your weight...” “how rude! Would you speak to your King like that?”

After about ten minutes though, Barbatos guesses exactly what’s happened

“How did you know it was me?!” MC questions, “because Lord Diavolo always uses his fluffy pen to write out shopping lists! You used the dip pen - a rookie mistake.” “Ah.”

MC walks into Diavolo’s chamber and while alone, takes a sneak peak down his shirt, ‘it’s even better than I imagined!’

Meanwhile Diavolo - in MC’s body - remains sat at his desk trying to calm his mind. ‘Well maybe just one feel...’ he thinks to himself before quickly grabbing his newly accustomed breasts

“Oh my!” He grins to himself

FaceTimes Lucifer, “Hey cutie, how are you doing?” “MC?? Why are you at Lord Diavolo’s?” “We’re talking about you.”

MC pulls a prank on Mammon by messaging him, “hey Mammon, Lord Diavolo’s pretty mad at you...” “ha! If he was it’d be Lucifer messaging me. Prove it.” *MC sends a selfie in Diavolo’s body looking pissed off* “o—oh shit what did I do?!”

Diavolo goes to the House of Lamentation and tells all of the brothers that he (MC) is in love with Diavolo so they should all stop pining over her

He also does whatever he can to make Lucifer blush while in the human’s body. He knows she’s the only one capable of making his heart go soft. “Did you know your hair looks sexy pushed back?” “MC, please.”

Back at the castle, MC’s ordering for a new portrait to be painted of her (Diavolo) to hang above the throne. And of course, the pose she chooses is her dabbing

She also sends a selfie to Solomon, “Hello Harry Potter, it’s Lord Diavolo here to tell you u nasty”

Afterwards, she calls Simeon to tell him “It’s Diavolo here - I’m really sorry to tell you this but MC’s my favourite exchange student.”

When it comes to going to the toilet, MC tries incredibly hard not to look down but as soon as she catches a glance of Diavolo Jr she screams “oh my GOD”

She posts an inspiring article on the RAD newspaper with “words we can live by” and its ‘sex drugs and sausage rolls’

While not pranking the brothers, Diavolo’s ‘testing’ what it’s like to be in a human body. *punches wall* ‘interesting...that was painful*

He momentarily forgets he’s MC and has some of Mammon’s spicy noodles before immediately regretting it ‘oh HELL that’s hot!’

Accidentally mentions something to Lucifer that only Diavolo would know and the eldest brother’s like “...how did you know that, MC?”

When Luke gets excited to see MC (or in this case Diavolo), the Prince tells the angel that he (MC) is going to marry Diavolo and Luke runs off screaming “YOU CAN’T MARRY A DEMON!”

If MC gets approached by anyone and they ask any questions, she answers them very ‘seriously’ “My Lord, I hear there are talks of the exchange program being extended. Do you have anything to say on this?” “Yes. Shakira Shakira. No further questions please.”

[tomurasprincess]

A Caged Dove Part 2 (Shouto Todoroki x Reader)

Summary: You are a princess from a smaller territory within the kingdom, summoned to the castle to meet with the heir of the throne in the absence of your parents. You think it will simply be a routine trip, until you realize that Prince Shouto has his own plans for you. Whether you agree with them or not.

Pairing: Prince Shouto Todoroki x Reader Rating: T+ for this chapter, but E+ for future ones. Chapter Warnings: Yandere themes, obsession, suggestion of forced marriage, murder Series Warnings: Noncon, dubcon, breeding, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stalking, yandere Word Count: 3.1k Note: Fairy Tale AU. (Still more Grimm than Disney). First part was my event entry into the @bnhabookclub, a group I am so happy to have joined. This series is actually something that I am really proud of, and I’m glad that it seems to be getting such a good response. I hope you all like part 2! Thank You: To @thewheezingwyvern, who continues to discusses this idea with me for hours, albeit with less screeching now that I’m actually posting. Woman, I really appreciate your help. @jojosmilktea​, thank you again for making the gorgeous banner for me! I am but a humble peasant compared to your banner making, and must bow to the queen.

One || Two || Three || Four || Five (Finale)

You are being led to your assigned bedroom in the Todoroki castle, a large extravagant room unlike anything you've ever experienced back at your own home. The ceilings are tall and vaulted, with a gorgeous ornate fireplace along the back wall. A large four-poster bed dominates the space itself with a canopy hanging from all four posts. When you step into the bathroom, you notice the large claw foot tub in the middle of the room, and you find yourself immediately wanting to use it.

It has been a long day, and you were barely able to fix yourself up for the meeting properly. A fact that is unusual, considering the nature of this meeting. The royal family sometimes take days to meet with guests, even ones they summon. Having an immediate meeting with him left you off balance and feeling very unprepared for the meeting.

And as for Prince Shouto himself, you really don't know what to make of him. On one hand, you can see the Todoroki royal bearing about him, the kind of manner you would expect from the heir to the throne. On the other hand, you see something in his mismatched eyes that you do not like. Something dark and possessive. It worries you in a way that you cannot explain, but there is nothing to do right now but play along.

Play along and hope that Prince Shouto will come to his senses, drop this madness. You are no fit companion for the heir to the throne, no future queen to sit beside him. There are far better options for one such as him, and you do not want the kind of responsibility this will lead to. You just have to prove to him that there are better options for him. Or at worst, wait for your parents to return from their trip and explain that you do not want this. Even the Todoroki family, as powerful as they are, cannot ignore the right of noble parents to refuse a match.

You sigh to yourself as you go to bed, hoping a better answer will come to you in the morning.

~~~~

You are woken up gently by someone calling your name in the distance, and you blearily open your eyes to see a handmaiden standing beside your bed. You realize quickly that it's not your own that you brought with you on this journey, and you instantly inquire about that. "Excuse me, but where is the girl from my household?"

"I am terribly sorry Princess, but I was summoned here to take care of you for your rendezvous with his Royal Highness," she gives a deep curtsy to these words.

"You are dismissed," you say gently, "I would prefer to use my own handmaiden. She already knows exactly what to do in order to get me ready for such a big event."

The handmaid's face turns panicked, her eyes flicking about as if she's worried that someone will hear what you said. "I am terribly sorry Princess," she whispers, "but I must be the one to do it or I could face a reprimand."

You recognize the word reprimand the way it's intended, the hidden meaning behind it clear. She will be punished, most likely severely, if you don't allow her to finish this task. Refusing or failing a task given to you by the nobility can have horrible consequences, even with the kind hearted royal family.

You give a sigh as you roll gracelessly out of bed. "Alright then, you may assist me." At your words, the panic leaves her face and she gives you a bright smile. What kind of punishment would make her so scared, you wonder, her fear being so intense that it makes you worried.

You shake your head before realizing that there is nothing you can do for her and that there is no way to find out. She seems too timid to get any real answers out of. You allow her to lead you to the bathroom with little complaint as she helps get you out of your nightclothes and into the bath. She helps you with every aspect of cleaning your body, of washing your hair, picking and laying out clothes for you. Then she assists you with putting on every piece of clothing before applying your makeup and fixing your hair.

By the time she is done with all of this, you almost feel like going back to bed. Taking this much time to get ready every morning is exhausting, and it's not something you need to do back home. She leads you to a full length mirror against the wall of your bedroom and encourages you to look into it.

What you see almost takes your breath away at the woman staring back at you. You are in a gorgeous, floor length ball gown, a dark red color with traces of silver swirling through the pattern. The jewelry is all silver, rubies inlaid in every piece in such a way that it almost looks like drops of blood woven into the metal itself. Your hair has been kept long, but with braids here and there that have been wrapped around the back of your head like a crown. You have never worn such finery in your life, never looked so beautiful. The perks of being courted by a prince, you suppose.

"Thank you, you did a wonderful job," you compliment the handmaid. "And I suppose it's your job to take me to Prince Shouto, as well?" You realize what you called him as soon as the handmaiden's eyes get wide and frightened, and you belatedly realize that you don't know if he gave you permission to call him that outside of being alone with him. You decide you need to confirm that one way or the other when you meet him, lest you get yourself in trouble.

The woman wisely chooses to ignore your possible slipup, merely nodding at you as she motions you through the door. You walk through several long, empty corridors, as you quietly take in the sights of the palace. You have never been here personally, but you have heard the stories, and it truly does live up to the reputation of splendor. Maybe a bit too much splendor, you laugh to yourself, as you can't imagine living here regularly.

Finally you reach your destination, an open air courtyard within the palace gates. It is surrounded by beautiful flowers of all different types and colors, and a large cherry tree in the middle of the area. It's under the tree where Prince Shouto stands waiting for you. He is in his full prince regalia, his suit jacket and pants black with silver accents here and there. An elaborate sword hangs at his waist in a gold scabbard. You glance up at his face to see him already looking at you, a small smirk gracing his face as he notices your attention.

You make your way slowly towards him, stopping at the acceptable range for a noblewoman of your station. But Prince Shouto does not seem to care about such a thing, as he immediately moves even closer to you, the distance between you bordering impropriety. This is the distance a husband and a wife would be from each other, you think in alarm. You try to take a step back, but he simply grabs your wrist and pulls you closer, wrapping one arm around your waist. He takes one slender finger under your chin to tip your face back so that he can stare into your eyes.

Your heart is pounding as you're frozen in indecision. Nothing about your training tells you how to react when a prince ignores all manner of modern decency to pursue a lower class noblewoman. Your eyes dart back and forth, a pathetic plea for help as you know no one would dare go against the Crown Prince.

He lets out a small growl that brings you back to attention, and you find yourself gazing into his eyes at the heat that lay in them. "Look at me, Princess," he whispers, "and no one else."

Your eyes widen at his possessive tone, and you try to think of a response until he suddenly pulls away completely. His face is back to his neutral look, and it's as if you never saw the darkness, the fire in his eyes.

Before you leave the garden with him, he reaches up to pluck a blossom from the tree right overhead. You give him a questioning look before he reaches down to tuck it into your braids. You reach up to gently touch the flower in your hair, before giving a slight smile at the rather boyish gesture. He smiles back at you and offers you an arm, and left with nothing else to do, you take it.

The next few hours are pleasant, if nothing more than idle chit chat. You take a pleasant stroll through the gardens as he explains the castle grounds. You occasionally drift into castle drama with one noble or the other, but never anything controversial. To your surprise however, he seems very interested in your own opinion on various political issues. Even when you two disagree, he listens to your opinion and even modifies his opinion when he finds you made a good point. This is rather pleasant, you think to yourself. Maybe your instincts were wrong after all.

"I am delighted that you agreed to go on this date with me, Princess."

You inwardly roll your eyes at the statement, but bite back a retort. You both know that you had no real choice in the matter.

"It has been rather pleasant, Prince Shouto. I am surprised, however, that you take my opinion into consideration. I am not as familiar in the area of politics as you are, as my own territory is small."

"You again do yourself a disservice. You are quite well read, and even in this talk we have had today, you have proven yourself to be a rather quick learner. Anyone who reads as much as you do must be. It is a surprise you have had no one court you before me."

"Thank you, Prince Shouto, that is very kind of you to say. That means quite a lot coming from you, someone who has been groomed for politics and ruling all his life." As you say this though, something strikes you as odd about what he said. "I'm sorry, but how do you know that I read a lot? Or that I haven't been courted."

He smirks as he shrugs his shoulders in a distinctly un-prince like fashion. "Oh, it is simply known. Many people talk about the Princess who would prefer to read in her library over getting married."

"That is not entirely true, Prince Shouto. If you don't mind me saying, of course," you hastily add. "There was one who wanted to court me, a local noble in my territory. But something happened to make him drop everything, leave the country."

Prince Shouto's gaze turns dark, almost murderous. "Is that so? Are you talking about the foolish noble who tried to run to the country of one of our enemies? He tried to steal something from the crown, was found guilty of treason and was swiftly executed."

You stare at him in horror as you try to reconcile his words with the friendly, sweet man who had wanted to marry you. You thought you had loved him, was looking forward to a life by his side. For him to be convicted of treason, to be dead, it left you speechless.

"I - I did not know that," you say quietly. "How did you know?"

"It is my job to know what's going on with my country," he says impassively, "and what's going on with people who try to take what's mine."

The wording of this strikes you as odd. Stealing from the crown was a capital offense, but the prince seems to take it almost personally. As if it was an attack on him directly. You shake your head and chalk it up to one of the many strange facets to Prince Shouto.

He takes you to an unknown building on the last stop of the tour and leads you down a long corridor until you reach two huge double doors. He pushes them open, motioning you inside. As you walk through the door, you can't stop yourself from letting out an audible gasp.

The room is a library, although that is a poor description for the vast beauty of this place. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line every wall, with tables and chairs in the middle for sitting and reading. On the far side of the wall sits a little reading cubbyhole, similar to what you have at home, for when you want to hide away from the world and immerse yourself in a book.

You forget all sense of manners as you rush away towards one of the bookshelves, turning your back to a prince in a shocking breach of decorum. But as you turn back to apologize, you don't miss the way his face is flush with pleasure at your enjoyment.

"Please continue, Princess," his smile turns sharp, "this room is for you, after all."

"What, what do you mean this room is for me?" You ask in confusion.

"As my wife, this library will be all yours."

Your eyes light up a bit at the thought of all of this being yours, although you're still slightly confused by his statement. But you decide to take his comment about continuing at face value, and you walk hurriedly to the first bookshelf you see before gently running your fingertips along the shelves. They are full of books that you love, all of the classics and nonfiction, the romance and the horror. You wander through the whole library, checking every section and simply breathing in the smell of old books.

But you notice a disturbing trend as you go through the library, something that becomes more and more obvious as you look around. This is not a complete library by any means. But the genres, the books that are missing, are all the ones that you do not like. You glance at the classics section, and notice all of your favorite authors are here, and the few who you dislike are conspicuously missing. The same with some of the nonfiction. Whole genres of books are missing, entire sections of authors.

As you get to the back section of the library, things become even more chilling. An entire bookshelf, full of all the books you have wanted to read but could not for one reason or another. There are classic first editions here that you could not buy even with a year's worth of your family's salary. Some of these are even books you had piled up by your bed, waiting to read.

You whirl around in horror as the dawning realization hits you, and you come face to face with Prince Shouto. There is a gleam in his eyes that makes you understand that he knows precisely what you just realized. "What is the meaning of this," you try to make your voice come out strongly, but instead it comes out in a low whisper.

"I told you," he wraps an arm around you as he pulls you flush against his body, "this is going to be your library." His smile turns dark as he adds the next part. "When you become my wife."

When. Not if. No room for argument. No wiggle room. Just an absolute statement from the heir apparent of the Todoroki Empire. "You said you were given permission to court me," you try to say reasonably, "but saying when makes it seem like it is already decided. When my parents return from their diplomatic mission, I can always make them withdraw their permission."

He laughs outright at that, a motion that you can even feel being pressed so closely against him. "Ahh, my poor naive little princess." He tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear that has loosened from your braids. "You assume that you'll even be given a chance to talk to them."

It feels like your heart falls all the way down into your stomach. "You can't keep me prisoner here," you try to say, but it sounds hollow even to your own ears. You are within the Royal Palace, in the arms of the Crown Prince. If he doesn't wish for anyone to see you, excuse after excuse could be made. And his family is so well loved that every single one of them would be believed.

You are trapped. Completely and utterly trapped. You can see no way of escape from this no matter how hard you try, and your breath begins to come out in short gasps. You can feel the walls closing in on you, as if you're being placed inside a cage from which you cannot escape.

If he notices your panic, then he gives no indication. He leans forward and kisses the top of your head. "I promise you, being married to me will not be so bad. You'll have everything you've ever wanted." He pulls you in for a heated kiss, his tongue deftly sliding into your mouth as he kisses you deeply. His hand comes to the back of your head, cupping it firmly so that there is no way out.

When he pulls away, your cheeks are slightly flushed, and you gasp for air. "Prince Shouto, please ---"

"There is a better word you can be using now, you know," he interrupts you.

A better term? You don't know what that would be as your mind struggles to keep up with everything that is happening. You try to slow your mind down, try to think of what he could possibly mean. And it finally hits you. You glance at him and see his amusement as he motions for you to go on.

A tear rolls down your face as you whisper the damning words. "Prince Shouto, my - my husband."

He smiles in sheer contentment at hearing those words from you, words that he's longed for ever since he first laid eyes on you. "Ah, now there's my good princess," he whispers as he kisses away the tear from your cheek.

A good princess, you think bitterly. You will not be thought of as a good princess when you free yourself. You only wish you could see the look on the prince’s face when he realizes his caged bird flew away.

~~~~

Tags: @burnedbyshoto, @shoutogepi, @thewheezingwyvern, @animewh0re, @dee-madwriter, @lildreamer93, @katsukisprincess, @yaoyorozuwrites, @redbeanteax, @kittygonyan, @bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love, @daedaep69, @heyybrittannia, @mimikarasu, @groovydreamertrash, @hisoknen,  @hoefortodo, @mhafanfics19, @oktamaki, @daringbanshee, @otaku-explosion, @hellomary16, @vanillaicebaby, @theravencawsatmidnight

[earnestly-endlessly]

Bridgeton AU!!!! yespleasethankskbye

Thanks for the ask @pinkoptics. I do love my period drama and when I watched Bridgerton I thought of all the ways I could cherik it. Now you can’t quite match the storyline entirely to the characters of x-men so I had to develop different ways to establish family connections and backgrounds. This is the idea I have currently, and it might change. The main idea of Bridgerton is there, but some of the characters are merged into others so that the characterisation makes sense. Also, this is A/B/O universe so those are the main differences. But I hope you enjoy what I have. 

Bridgerton AU

As London’s social season is fast approaching, Charles Xavier is about to make his formal introduction into high society at the annual Debutante Ball hosted by Queen Emma. Every year the queen hosts the debutante ball where young omegas of noble and gentry families are presented to the royal court. After being presented at court, debutantes are allowed to partake in all the exclusive social events of high society. More importantly, after their debut the young noble omegas are considered eligible for marriage. The season is anticipated by everyone in town, especially when the elusive secret columnist who writes under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown follows reports on the proceedings with her ever watchful gaze.

Charles Xavier is the only son of Brian Xavier and Sharon Marko nee Xavier. After Brian Xavier’s untimely death, Sharon is forced into marriage to Brian’s business partner and friend, Kurt Marko. Kurt Marko has a son Cain from a previous marriage (his wife passed away under suspicious circumstances but there was no proof of foul play). Cain is brutish and boisterous and terribly dim witted. He harbours jealousy towards Charles who is smart, well-read and friendly to all. Charles is also proud and ambitious. Together Kurt and Sharon have Raven who is very close to Charles and becomes overprotective of him.

Kurt Marko doesn’t care about his omega stepson’s societal status and is keen to marry him off as soon as possible. He has made an arrangement with Lord William Stryker II who has shown Charles great interest. Kurt Marko owes Stryker’s father hefty money as he has been spending the Xavier fortune on gambling and indulging his and his wife’s overly excessive lifestyle. By marrying Charles to Stryker’s son, he has solved all of his problems. His plan to marry Charles quietly off to William Stryker II is dashed when Charles receives attention and high praise from the queen herself at the Debutante ball. Suddenly, Charles becomes the most sought after omega of the season and every noble and single alpha is after his hand in marriage.

When Charles and the Marko´s are invited to the first social gathering at the Summers residence in Kensington Charles becomes hopeful of finding a suitable mate. Despite his independence and keen mind, Charles is also very much aware that in order to leave the Markos household he must find a suitable mate.

The Summers family lives near the Marko´s and are an unusually large family. Christopher and Katherine have eight children, Scott being the oldest of them. He has his eyes set on young miss Jean Grey who is also one of the more favourable omegas of the season. The Summers have four omegas to present for the debutante: Henry Philip ´Hank´, Alexander ‘Alex’, Anna Marie and Sean. Their three youngest, Katherine ‘Kitty’, Nathaniel and Gabriel are too young to be presented. Charles and Raven have been close friends with the Summers siblings since childhood. Charles is especially close to Hank who is awkward and doesn’t have the typical small stature of young noble omegas. Hank doesn’t want to sacrifice his studies and get married to a noble alpha. He wants a future in academia and spends most of his time holed in the library with his stack of books.

During the Summers ball, Charles is eager to be introduced to eligible alphas but realizes that Kurt has no intention of making his formal introductions. Raven is of no help either. As an alpha, Raven knows many of the alphas who have their eye on Charles and feels as if they would all take advantage of her brother. She even steers him away from the dashing Lord Azazel and the lovely Lady Braddock. There are also more disagreeable suitors such as Lord William Stryker II whose attempts of seduction are repulsive and aggravating. In his haste to remove himself from Stryker’s presence Charles accidentally stumbles into a tall, handsome alpha. In his desperation to get out of Stryker’s hands he attempts to engage the alpha in a conversation with no luck. It turns out that the alpha is rude, proud and standoffish. Charles deems his character altogether unpleasant though he begrudgingly admits that he is handsome, and his scent is pleasing. Thankfully Raven sweeps him away before he can make any more fool of himself. Raven explains to him that he just ran into Erik Lehnsherr, Duke of Hastings. Raven warns Charles of the Duke who is an acquaintance of hers. Despite her young age, Raven has tried to establish her place in the alpha community of the noble and gentry of London. In her experience the Duke is taciturn and aloof with no intention of marrying.

Much to his dismay, Jean Grey receives all the attention that night. This becomes even worse when the Summers family present their cousin and ward, Angel Salvadore, at the next ball who gains the attention of everyone with her beauty and charm. Little does the family know that she has secrets of her own that are best kept under wraps.

The days following the Summers ball Charles is called on by various suitors but Kurt Marko´s ominous presence and Raven’s forthright comments and criticism of the suitors repel most of them away.

Charles hopes that he’ll have better luck at the ball hosted by Viscount MacTaggert. At the ball, Kurt informs Charles that he has agreed to give Charles’ hand to Lord William Stryker II in marriage. Charles refuses to marry Stryker and storms off. As he seeks solace in the quiet rose garden, Charles is ambushed by none other than Stryker who attempts to take advantage of him. He’s instantly grateful when a tall, dark figure arrives in time to strike Stryker in the head and render him unconscious. Unfortunately for Charles, his saviour is none other than Duke Erik Lehnsherr himself and Charles reluctantly thanks him for saving him (though he assures him that he could have taken care of it himself). The Duke merely humors him and offers to escort him back to the party. Charles explains to him his predicament and Kurt’s acceptance of Stryker’s proposal on his behalf.

During Charles’ explanation, Erik halts him in his step and proposes an idea that is so absurd that Charles can’t help but laugh. Erik proposes that they pretend to court each other. With Charles on his arm everyone would believe that he has found his true mate and he would be free of the constant wooing of young, impressionable omegas. This would help Charles gain the attention of eligible Alphas of good standing, and to challenge his stepfather who has already promised his hand to Stryker. Unknown to Charles, Erik has made a vow to never marry and have children due to events from his past that involve his father Jakob Lehnsherr and his father’s associate Sebastian Shaw. Erik intends to end the toxic reign of his father’s and shaw’s influence by ending their legacy with himself. His last vow to his father was that he would never conceive children and involve an omega into the legacy his father left on his deathbed.

At first their arrangement goes exactly to plan. Charles’ new relationship with the Duke makes suitors seek him out at every ball and he receives severe calls a day from hopeful suitors. The whole affair draws the attention of the handsome Colonel James Howlett and the dashing General Steve Rogers (who harbours a scandalous secret that gets reported in Lady Whistledown’s column). When the queen herself invites Charles to tea at the palace she introduces him to her cousin Prince Warren Worthington III who shows Charles great interest Charles finally feels as if he can escape Kurt Marko’s clutches at last.

The only problem is that as Charles continues his ruse with the Duke…Erik, he starts to become fond of him. Once taciturn and cold, Erik seems to let his guard down when he is around Charles. As their charade goes on Charles begins to form a sort of attachment to Erik and finds that not merely does he seek his presence, but he looks forward to their chaperoned outings. Moreover, Erik gives him lingering, burning glances and subtle touches that makes his skin tingle. But Charles can’t harbour feelings for Erik when he has plenty of other suitors. Besides, Charles is sure that he doesn’t feel the same way about him. He probably sees him as a naïve, foolish omega with no worth.

Their whole charade takes a turn when lady Jean Grey witnesses Erik kiss Charles without an escort present in the maze by the Grey manor house. Jean Grey threatens to reveal the truth and Charles knows that it will ruin him and his prospects entirely. Raven challenges Erik to a duel since it’s her duty to protect her brother’s virtue. Charles manages to stop the proceedings before they go any further and pleas for them to stop, eventually begging Erik to marry him and end their foolish escapades. With reluctance Erik agrees to marry Charles. Raven is furious at Charles and claims that she can end this without Charles having to sacrifice his happiness and freedom. However, Charles is steadfast. Erik agrees to marry Charles but makes it clear that he can‘t and won‘t have children. In his desperation Charles agrees.

However, Charles does not know the reason behind Erik‘s refusal to have children and in the first weeks of their marriage he gives it no heed. Eventually, Charles finds out the truth and challenges Erik‘s decision which ultimately challenges their fragile relationship. Charles‘ belief that Erik was starting to care for him shatters which makes him question his growing feelings for him.

Their whole affair is closely followed by Lady Whistledown‘s column. Not only is the affair between Charles Xavier and the Duke the talk of town, but Ms. Salvadore‘s affair with young Mr. Armando Munoz who was believed to hold the affection of Alexander Summers. Things become even more complicated when Lady Whisteldown reports that Ms. Salvadore has a dark secret of her own.

[brandyovereager]

The Best Possible Arrangement

So excited to publish my first Kataang fic! I’ve been bouncing around ideas to write these two for a while now, and I finally finished something :)

Massive thanks to the beautiful @uh-ohspaghettio for all the encouragement and brainstorming sessions. This would not exist without her.

Read it on AO3

Summary: In an alternate universe where Katara and Aang never kissed or expressed their feelings for one another, Katara finds herself in an unpleasant situation. In order to be recognized as her father’s successor, the Tribe’s council decides she must be married. When faced with a group of undesirable suitors, Aang proposes an alternate solution that toys with emotions the two thought they’d suppressed years ago.

--

Katara was appalled.

It only took her a few seconds to go from appalled to near-seething.

After the war, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes developed a stronger relationship and many people in the Northern Tribe migrated down to live in the Southern. There was a more significant exchange of culture and ideas, contributing in part to the predicament Katara now found herself in.

Her father, Hakoda, had been chief of their tribe ever since she could remember. It had never affected her much, as in the South there wasn't much pomp and circumstance associated with the title. All it had ever meant was that when the men went off to fight in the war, her father was their leader.

The title of Chief in the Northern Tribe came with much more regalia, and with the post-war intermixing, the life of Katara's family had changed significantly.

They now lived in a palace, one bent out of ice by the best benders in the South Pole. Her presence was now requested at dinners and other receptions with foreign dignitaries. She was expected to dress often in finery unlike anything she was used to, draped across her by maidens specifically assigned as her attendants.

It was uncomfortable to say the least.

Katara was used to wearing clothing designed for function. It mattered more to her that she could bend in her outfits than that she looked elegant. She was used to informal activities and practicing her bending whenever and wherever she pleased. While she still did this to some extent, she now had to deal with pompous old men who found this unbefitting of a 'princess'.

She had no problem telling the sexist degenerates where to shove it, but this often got her (and her father) into trouble.

On top of all these unpleasantries that came with being the Chief's daughter, apparently there was something far more distasteful expected of her.

Sokka was the eldest of the two siblings, and the expected choice for Hakoda's heir. However, a month ago Sokka had pulled Katara aside and explained to her his wish to remain the Tribe's emissary, leaving her as their father's successor. Katara was more than happy to take Sokka's place--with their father’s full support--but the elderly misogynists on the council were not so pleased.

Since the siblings informed them of their intentions, the councilmen had been scrambling to find any reason to prevent Katara becoming Chief, and up until an hour ago it seemed they had come up with nothing. She should have known this would take more of a fight.

The roadblock they decided to place in her way: marriage. The council came to the agreement that she could not assume the mantle of heir while still unwed. They had called her into their chambers to tell her she was unfit to lead without a husband.

It was infuriating. She was sick to her stomach with how much she hated the very idea. It was degrading, sexist, and the perfect trap for them to undermine her. Her father agreed, and had spoken some choice words of his own to the councilmen, but they were unshakable.

She had two options in front of her: One, relinquish the title of heir to Sokka, who--being already married--was considered fit to lead by the council's new rule. Two, marry and have the council go behind her back and consult her husband on Chief's matters instead.

Becoming Chief didn't matter too much to Katara--she was only assuming the responsibility because Sokka didn't want it--but the councilmen's blatant prejudice against her made her determined to win. She would be Chief, and they would respect her as such, even if it meant she had to freeze each of them to their council seats.

---

By the time Katara got back to her room she was so worked up that she was likely to either scream or sob if someone even touched her. She was surprised to find someone waiting for her.

It was exactly who she wanted to see.

She didn’t know he was back yet, but she was overjoyed to see him right there in her bedroom.

Aang was her best friend. Growing up in the South Pole, the only one around her age was Sokka. The siblings were close, but she hadn’t had a real friend until they found Aang. Since then she had grown to love Toph, Suki, Zuko (begrudgingly), even Mai and Ty Lee, but Aang would always be her best friend. Katara doubted any other relationship she had would ever reach the level of connection she had with him. Their personalities were different in many ways, but they shared the same morals and unwavering hope that made them a perfect team. Even their differences complemented each other.

In the back of her mind Katara had always wondered what a relationship with him...of another kind...would be like. Would they connect so perfectly on that level as well? There had been times she thought he harbored feelings of that nature for her, but each moment Katara thought he was about to mention it, he didn’t. She’d since given up on such fantasies.

That didn’t stop her from wondering.

Despite spending the majority of her time in the South Pole, Katara never had to go too long without seeing Aang. He travelled often--required at various meetings and kerfuffles that occurred as the nations re-established peace--but he had a good percentage of time to himself. He chose to spend that time with her. His last venture had taken him to Ba Sing Se, where he was supposed to spend three weeks with stuffy diplomats, but he’d somehow managed to make it back in two. It was perfect timing.

He’d know how to handle this situation. There was no one she trusted more to do so. Whether he would help her find a solution, or simply comfort and ease her mind, she’d leave his presence better than when he found her. That’s just how it was with him.

Aang turned from where he was sitting on her bed to greet her with a smile, quickly fading into concern when he registered the look on Katara's face.

He immediately rose from the bed and engulfed her in a tight embrace. She buried her face into his chest, letting the tears start to fall as she took comfort in her best friend's hold.

It took some time, but she eventually calmed enough to explain the news she'd received in the council-room. She pulled back from Aang’s arms and sat on her bed--motioning for him to sit beside her. Soon enough, she was venting all of her emotions out to the airbender.

"They've managed to come up with a rule that ensures I will never truly lead the Tribe. No matter what I choose, they will never consider me their Chief. They will either cast me aside in favor of Sokka, or doom me to an unhappy marriage where I'll always be second to my husband in their eyes. Either way, they'll never respect me."

Somewhere in the middle of her talking, her tone turned from enraged to exhausted. It felt hopeless, like they'd managed to get her trapped.

Aang appeared thoughtful for a second, before grabbing her hand and looking steadily into her eyes.

"Becoming Chief, that is what you want, right?"

His voice was calm and firm, confirming her desires before he went on. She nodded her head.

"That's what Sokka and I decided. He and Suki wanted to continue their travels as emissaries and I want to stay here and help repair our tribe."

"Ok, then we're going to find a way for you to do that."

"One of the things I love about you is how hard you fight for what you want, no matter who tries to get in your way. When Pakku refused to teach you waterbending, you challenged him to a bending match in front of the whole tribe. When Sokka told you to stop healing the people in that Fire Nation village, you turned around and did it anyway. If you've decided to do something, there is no stopping you, and we're going to do the same with this."

"How, Aang? I have no good options here. As much as I might want to, I can't just waterbend all those arrogant men into recognizing me as my father's heir." That comment drew a chuckle from Aang.

"They did give you a way to become Chief, as unwelcome an option as it may be. It'll just take some searching to find a husband who won't try to undermine you."

"I don't exactly get much choice with that--another stupid tradition from the North--the noble young men of the tribe have to be given the opportunity to marry into the royal family. There would be a competition of sorts between them to see who 'earned' me as their wife." The disgust on her face was clear as she spoke the words.

It was terrible news though. Noblemen competing for her hand was just as demeaning as the council refusing to make a woman Chief. She would be treated like a prize. It was sickening.

It also meant that most of the young men there were sexist jerks themselves who only saw her as a path to higher status. Many of them would be happy to undermine her.

"That's awful, Katara." She gave a sad nod in acknowledgement.

"There is the possibility that one of the young men would make an acceptable husband." That elicited a small scoff from Katara, and a responding snicker from Aang.

"You can agree to meet them first, you know, before you decide? Just see what your options are before you give up on it. Then if you decide it's not worth it, you can leave being Chief to Sokka."

Aang began to softly rub his thumb back and forth on her hand. It was a familiar and comforting gesture.

"I know your choice seems terrible either way, but I'll be here to help make sure you end up with the option that makes you happy. You're not going to be doomed to a life you can't stand. We're going to find a way for you to be happy, no matter what, you got that?"

Katara felt his arms softly wrap around her and squeeze tight. From her cocoon within her best friend's chest she let out a soft "ok".

[hobidreams]

Moonlit Throne historical clarifications/references

i want to accurately represent the history from the joseon era, but sometimes for the sake of story/ease of accessibility, things had to be minorly changed. the following is a list of creative choices/changes i make in the writing of Moonlit Throne, as well as further information about the history/culture that i’ve found through my own research 💓 i hope this can also provide some more context for those interested. this list is to be updated as the series progresses so i always recommend you read the latest drabble before checking for more info here for risk of spoilers. please correct me if i get any info wrong!!

for even more information about the world, check out the tag #moonlit history!

last updated: after drabble 43!

new information for the latest drabble will be under the moon.

king gwanghae - as mentioned in the line “gwanghae flow” & in the rest of the MV, Daechwita was inspired by this historical king & the movie about him. Moonlit Throne is not inspired by any king. any event that is similar is purely coincidental!

topknot - various sources state that only married men were allowed to wear their hair up, though this is often not the case in popular korean media. even though Yoongi is unmarried, i chose to pay homage to the daechwita MV & give him a topknot throughout the series. *** same goes for the blonde hair color!

months - traditionally, they followed the lunar calendar in the Joseon era. but i thought that that would be a bit difficult to explain for modern audiences so i am choosing to use the months/modern equivalents of dates.

yoongi’s scar - i am aware that Scarlet Heart Ryeo depicts the facial scar as a reason that someone could not become king. i haven’t found much on this in the way of historical sources, so it’s not a factor in my series!

uinyeo - aka. reader’s mom, and eventually reader herself. at the time, it was believed that women could not be treated by male doctors due to the shame of showing a man their body, even in a medical context. this position was generally occupied by a woman that was ranked below middle-class & commoner (think merchants/fishermen/etc.) as it was not a very desireable role. reader’s mom, Eun-a, is the head uinyeo, which is why she is called “su-uinyeo-nim” by others.

***i haven’t found any information that says men couldn’t be treated by women due to the Confucius beliefs, so at least in this story, reader helps out the male physicians from time to time.

eunuch - eunuchs were impotent or castrated men (had all or part of their genitals removed) who worked within the palace walls, serving and attending the royal family. they had their own hierarchy, like head eunuch, etc. it was possible for eunuchs to marry & have families of their own.

***Eunuch Kim has a 🍆! it’s just his testicles that were removed.

yoongi’s name - technically kings use temple names that end in jo or jong instead of their given names, but i’m keeping it as Yoongi!!

age - it’s revealed in the march 1858 drabble that Yoongi is officially turning 10 years old that year, but this is in Korean age. his birth year is 1849, which would make him 9 years old in age as we know it internationally. Korean tradition dictates that people age up at the start of the new year (Jan 1), not on their actual birthday. traditionally, they also add an extra year as they consider the baby 1 year old at birth, not 0 years old. to do the math, reader is two years older than him, which would make her born in 1847 & turning 12 that year!

*** the average life expectancy around that time was ~35-40, so their understanding of a teenager would be very different than ours, at least in terms of maturity. thus, even though the main characters are relatively young by today’s standards, i’ve written them to come off as older. UPDATED INFO: it seems court ladies could live up to rather elderly ages, even up to 70, so i’m not sure if the earlier statistic was just mainly for men.

birthdays - i couldn’t find any information about whether they celebrated the actual day of birth as well back then, only about 100 day milestones, etc. but it is part of Korean culture to celebrate the birthday in modern times, so i kept it in.

jeonha - similar to mama, this is how you refer to the king as an equivalent to “Your Majesty”. wangseja-jeonha is the full title for the crown prince. usually people just call him seja-jeonha.

women’s rights - how much freedom you have kind of depends on what rank you are. most of the upper court/noble ladies (yangban) are born & raised within the palace. they were very, very rarely allowed to leave (& if they were married off, then they would have to leave with like guards/people with them). it’s unfortunate but they were treated like property, passed off from father -> husband. from what i can gather, the lower ranked women (like the uinyeo) had a bit more liberty about going into town (or at least ive seen in media), mostly bc no one cared about them.... sad truth but truth nonetheless.

king’s authority - even though the king is the ruler of the entire land, he doesn’t have absolute authority over everything. generally kings in the joseon era had to listen to the advice of the court officials if they thought he was making the wrong choice.

Minister Choi’s execution - so actually there were several types of executions for people of different ranks. someone of Minister Choi’s status likely would have been given a less gruesome death via. poison (sasa or 사사). but i’m keeping it as a beheading to pay homage to the daechwita MV!

***i also came across an article that said only royal blood could be spilled on the palace grounds so i’m not 100% sure where the public execution square was located, only that there was one & it was separate from the palace. also a lot of dramas seem to ignore this rule, so i’m not sure.

perfume - this existed back then! along with cosmetics. they were a luxury item for mostly the upper class, but they definitely existed.

Queen Jeonghui’s birthday - fun fact! i borrowed this real life queen’s name first, for drabble 3. then i found out, it just so happens that her real birthday falls in November as well. it was a total coincidence haha. 

OC’s outfit/hairstyle - this is what she would have worn!

palace - the layout of the series setting is loosely based off Gyeongbokgung Palace! if you look at the map, i’ve set the private gardens at #24 (though the position of the island is different than how it looks in the map. it’s instead from the right side going towards the left), Yoongi’s private residence is #25. reader is moved into #23. #26-28 are libraries, which includes the crown prince’s private library.

*** also the palace is much bigger than you might imagine so to get anywhere takes some time & a bit of walking!

jipgyeongdang (집경당) - #22 on the map. along with #23 (below), were traditionally houses for concubines & palace maids before Yoongi moved them.

hamhwadang (함화당) - #23 on the map. where reader lives post December 1868.

sanggung - the highest rank available for women who served the palace/royal family. a woman could become a “favored sanggung” if she slept with the king, but not a proper concubine. normally from the “commoner” class.

sangmin - “commoner” class. made up about 80% of joseon’s people. were the farmers, fishermen, laborers, etc. these were the people that paid taxes and were ruled over by the nobles!

cheonmin - the rank below commoner, described in English as “vulgar commoner.” the upper classes considered these people “unclean.” among their numbers were butchers, sex workers, performers, shoemakers, and yes, uinyeo. they were normally given little to no respect at all within society.

concubine - women that had the honor of sleeping with the king. concubines had their own ranks within them as the king usually had many (think around a dozen). more info.

town - from what i can gather, directly outside of the palace is a small town. if you think of the Daechwita MV, it’s like the town that Yoongi walks through when he has black hair. this is where mostly people of the middle/lower class, like sangmin & those below that, live.

chuseok - Korean harvest festival! it means “autumn evening with the brightest moon”. it’s usually celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. that would put it anywhere around sept 9-oct 2 in our modern calendar depending on the year!

yangban - these are the “ruling class” or gentry of the joseon era. generally means their families own land, are somewhat (or very) wealthy, and they are well-educated. (think Mr. Darcy, for a British equivalent)

why does no one recognize the prince in town? - with a lack of access to pictures & internet, it was common for the normal citizens of the country to not know what their monarchs looked like. generally to identify people & rank, they had to rely on appearance. gold was a color only reserved for royalty, so only the king & his sons could wear the royal robes with gold embroidery. once Yoongi takes off those robes, it’d be hard to identify him from among regular yangban!

jeon - these are bits of shrimp/vegetables/fish/other small things that are deep fried in egg batter!

nokdujeon - this is like a small, savory pancake made with, you guessed it, mung beans!

Chun-ja calling Eunuch Kim “Kim-nim” - look. i’ll be straight with you i have no idea how a commoner would refer to a eunuch. i’m flip-flopping between his title (which i also cannot figure out bc idk which of the 18 political ranks he would be, but not for lack of trying y’all T_T) & his name with the respectful -nim. so just to be safe, i’m going with it.

***i also am not 100% on this, but i believe Eunuchs rank higher than commoners because they work in the palace? which is why Eunuch Kim uses “-ssi” for her.

hangul & hanja - so the Korean alphabet as we know it is called hangul, and it was invented in 1443. in the past, they used to use hanja, Chinese characters, to write documents.

female literacy rate - as related to above, it was rare for women to be able to read/write even up until the late 19th century. they weren’t allowed to learn hanja at all & only around 4% could learn hangul. of those 4%, it was mostly noble women, who received good education to be better wives.

***books were then thus read aloud by those literate to crowds, so people could still enjoy stories.

face - the concept of “face” is very much rooted in Asian culture. in Korea, it’s called chemyon, & is basically related to your reputation + how others see you. you can lose, build, or gain face through your actions or what rumors of you spread. for example, if parents have children with bad grades, they + the child lose face. people should strive to do things to build their family’s honor & face up. i’ve experienced firsthand how people go to sometimes extreme lengths to “save face” as the term goes. basically, if you’re going to do something shameful, it’s better to do it where no one can see. (this concept isn’t going to have a huge influence in the series, at least not so far & i use it rather lightheartedly in October 1865 but i just thought that it’s really interesting + important to know about Asian culture!)

French expedition to Korea (Byeong-in yangyo) - in October 1866, the second French empire tried to invade Korea (or Joseon as it was called at the time) because the king at the time executed seven French missionaries. after several months of fighting, Korea won with only four soldiers killed & 3 wounded (compared to France: 3 killed, 35 wounded). Joseon was able to stay relatively isolated from all the other countries, continuing the practice of isolationism.

gossip - i couldn’t find any laws prohibiting people from talking about court going-ons/battles, though i would assume that it’s punishable if you’re doing it to talk badly about the king. but even if there were laws in place, word gets around, as word tends to do. therefore, i’ve given Eunuch Kim a bit more freedom in his letters.

royal funerals - it could actually take up to 5 months for the coffin to begin its journey to the resting tomb, but i’ve expedited the timeline for plot purposes!

coronations - these actually weren’t super common in Korea or Asia in general, but it did happen once in the 1700s for King Yeongjo. i’m using that as inspiration for Yoongi’s crowning.

*** also i couldn’t find info on the exact wording that King Yeongjo used when he announced his succession to his deceased brother’s body so... i took some creative license there.

gama - how yangban & up women travelled, carried by their servants. here’s a visual!

the royal engagement - actually, Beom-su would not have lived within the palace walls. she would have lived in a detached palace that was further away from the main palace, and there would be a whole procession where the king goes to her during their wedding rites. however, i’ve seen several dramas have the bride-to-be hang around a lot, which seems to be true because she would have had to learn the customs of the palace, so i’m not sure how much she would have been around realistically. i’ve just chosen not to address it, like the dramas do.

Beom-su’s name - i chose this name for her because of one of the possible hanja for beom: “犯”, which i would pair with the hanja “秀” for su. her name would basically mean excellent invasion, which i thought was a bit cruel, slightly humorous, & overall fitting. it is normally a masculine name though! 

why are Beom-su’s father’s actions such a scandal? - so all the unmarried women living/working in the palace were considered the king’s property. he could sleep with them if he wanted to, but essentially they belonged to him. by laying hands on the maid, the minister committed a double sin because he not only was he assaulting someone, but he was infringing upon the king’s territory. 

civil service exam (gwageo) - this is an exam issued every 3 years that any man, commoner rank & above, could take in order to enter into civil service. it’s what Jimin takes to enter into the court! i’m not sure what month these were held or if it was just at the king’s discretion (could not find much info)

more on eunuch kim & the re-marriage process

royal tombs - these were often quite far away from the actual palace but looking on maps, i found that there were a few tombs rather close to the palace that people could have conceivably travelled to within a day, over several long hours on horseback!

on natural disasters - yes, in history, natural disasters like floods/earthquakes/eclipses were said to be the king’s fault because he wasn’t a good enough ruler! things like this could seriously derail the people’s trust in the king and was a big cause of concern.

on Queen Jeonghui being in court meetings - i couldn’t find actual evidence that said the queen couldn’t be at these daily meetings between officials. in fact, the real life Empress Myeongseong in the ~1870s was pretty involved in politics and was quite interested in matters of law, etc. so, i’ve decided to allow Jeonghui to be present and address the ministers alongside Yoongi!

Chunaengjeon - i kind of explain more about this already in the drabble itself but if you’re curious, it’s the only solo court dance in the Joseon era and the highlight of the dance is a moment where the dancer mimics a bird perched on a flower and smiles :’) i thought it was fitting for these two. here’s a video of a performance that i used as reference!

janae - there were quite a few different terms for couples to call each other during this time. “janae” was meant to represent wife and is kind of their equivalent to our... “honey”? it was mostly used among the commoners/lower classes to convey affection and closeness. (aka eunuch kim continues to be the cutest)

on adopting a child as a eunuch - the readings i found say that eunuch kim’s children must be eunuchs themselves if he adopts them directly, but they don’t mention anything about this particular case of a eunuch marrying a widow, aka the child is not directly adopted by Eunuch Kim himself. so Han-jae will not be a eunuch when he grows up!

american invasion of korea (shinmiyangyo) - this is a true historical event, as i’ve mentioned in my author’s note for “June 1871.” Americans repeatedly violated Korean soveriegnty and invaded their land, resulting in many, many deaths for the Korean side. they were hoping this destruction would force Korea to accept the trade treaty. Korea did not, and eventually were able to chase the Americans out of their land a month later. the wikipedia page goes into greater detail if you’re interested, and is a quick overview of the situation.

seong-min’s living situation - as i’ve mentioned earlier with the whole Beom-su situation, i’ve chosen to not use the detached palace again for this engagement as dramas tend to do.

the wedding ceremony - similar to my reasoning about the detached palace, i’ve chosen to focus on only a few parts of the marriage rites while only briefly mentioning the rest. why? well, while i would LOVE to explain all the details and intricacies of such an incredible process, i feel like that would take a lot away from the heart of the story and be distracting, especially at such a critical stage. so i’ve explained what i can, and given brief overviews where i am able. ofc i adjusted the parading ceremony because of the change of the detached palace custom. if you’d like an easy-to-read source on the whole process, please check out this link! basically the MLT chapter depicts a tweaked vers of steps 5 and 6. 1-3 happened behind the scenes, and i mentioned #4 in the “summer 1871″ drabble.

chungin - our equivalent of “white collar” workers, or the upper-middle class. this rank was made up of low-level bureaucrats, accountants, physicians, etc. some royal servants would also be part of this rank because they’re allowed to enter the palace. there is an exam (chapkwa) to become this rank!

conception dreams (taemong) - as uinyeo-nim explains in the drabble, these dreams were often seen as omens of impending pregnancy. depending on what you see in your dream, there are different interpretations. possible symbols are animals, fruits, elements of nature, children, and jewels. eg. if you dreamed of fruits, it was often considered to be a sign of having a baby girl.

other conception myths - i know from my own experience that Asians often have a lot of superstitions regarding conception and pregnancy and medical things in general. however, i couldn’t find any specific conception myths for the time period in question (most of my research only uncovered superstitions for after you’re already pregnant), so i’ve taken some creative license here, using the conception dreams and current beliefs as inspiration!

on Queen Jeonghui calling oc “dear” - since I prefer not to use Y/N, ___, etc. for reader’s name and just generally avoid mentioning it, it’s nearly impossible for me to convey the tone with which Queen Jeonghui would’ve been calling OC in this chapter. in Korean, she would be saying “[name]-yah/ah” depending on the ending syllable of the name. adding that suffix to the end of a name conveys closeness and intimacy between people. I’ve chosen to substitute it for “dear” to make things sound more natural in English. it’s not an exact match, but it’ll have to do!

[hitbythunder]

Among the Gods of Asgard -1

A dark!Thor x Reader, minor Loki x Reader story with all the drama and angst you’re craving. Including Alexander Skarsgard as Balder. --> Read also on AO3

Summary: The gods are being loved and feared in equal parts by their subjects, more the latter by the thousands of slaves working for them. Ten feet tall, powerful and immortal are the rulers of all beings within the Nine Realms. You, the daughter of an Asgardian merchant, fancy the three handsome princes of Odin - like any woman does - and dream of actually meeting them instead of watching them at public events. That is until, as a consequence of Loki's tricks, you are being forced into slavery at the royal court. Amidst this harsh new reality, you catch the attention of the god of Thunder who then seeks to make you his alone. You are nothing but a toy, a puppet, in the god's eyes and he will use you as he pleases.

Do not hope for mercy.

**** WARNING: dark story, manipulative Thor, heavy rape/non-con elements, no happy ending in sight

____________________________xXx____________________________

Asgard: the golden city at the centre of Yggdrasil, the World-Tree, where the Aesir - the gods - spent their immortal lives in noble estates and palaces. From behind the high walls of the golden palace, the royal family ruled over the city and all the other Nine Realms. Each god and goddess was gifted with special powers and enchanted weapons. Their subjects worshipped them, sacrificing their last penny if need be in the hope of receiving the blessing of the addressed god. Not all gods were inclined to help, however, some ignored the prayers of the common people and a few gods were even considered cruel. The king of Asgard and All-Father of the gods, Odin Borsson, was wise and just but he ruled with an iron hand over the Nine, his word being law to all beings dwelling in his realm. The gods lived in peace among the normal Asgardian citizens and apart from their might, which granted them a superior status, there was one distinct difference between these two classes: the gods were a lot taller than the ordinary people, each of them being at least ten feet tall – the males often taller.

Conclusively, their daily needs, desires and the amount of labor force necessary to satisfy all those were similar to their divine size. As were the pompous mansions and estates, with the royal palace leading the way. Behind its golden towers and walls, numerous chambers and salons housed the many gods and goddesses, the interior fittings matching the royal status of the resident. To afford all this luxury, slavery had become an adequate means and thanks to the many wars, uprisings or revolts within the Nine Realms, there was always ample supply of working hands. No wonder Asgard had become the richest city of all, its wealth being well accumulated over the centuries. Asgard, the city of gods and many wonders. That's exactly where _________ was born as the daughter of an upper-class merchant who traded various luxury goods across the realms. If the gods, or a member of the Asgardian elite, had any special wishes her father would make them come true – in exchange for a pretty penny of course. But money wasn't an issue for those customers.

Due to her father's skills the family had a very good life, absent any worries for money. While ________'s mother tried to teach her brother Einar and her that gold wasn't the only wealth worth striving for, the father succumbed to the former approach. His greed was growing each passing year. Despite being accustomed to the benefits of her father's income, the girl was neither haughty nor spoiled (well, maybe a little). Unfortunately, she didn't realize how the gold harmed her father - how it carved out his soul inch by inch - until it was too late.

xxx

When the celebrations for queen Frigga's name-day neared, prince Balder decided for a special piece of jewelry as a gift for his mother. The stones should be unique, reflecting her beauty and status as queen. But where would the god of light find a fitting piece? Luckily, he had already heard of the Asgardian merchant, Harald Leifson, who managed to obtain even the most exceptional objects for his customers. Thus, Balder summoned the man and stated his wish, stressing the importance of the punctual delivery as well as the quality of the item. The queen deserved only the best and anything less as a gift would bring shame upon the god himself.

Sniffing the sweet scent of a considerate amount of gold, Harald accepted of course and he already had a vague idea where he would get the desired jewelry. Soon later, the merchant returned from his journey across several realms having a splendid necklace with gems out of star-light in his possession. The following day at his shop, when Harald was polishing the necklace before he would deliver it, an unexpected new customer entered. Judging from the rich black silken tunic adorned with little gems and golden beads, the gentleman could only be a member of some rich family, probably pretty high up the society-ladder. “What marvelous piece you have there!” the man with brown short locks assessed as he spied the necklace between the merchant's hands, his emerald green eyes fixated on the glittering stones. “A beauty indeed and worth a good fortune too! 50,000 pieces of gold, hah, that's gonna be the deal of my life!” Harald mused and held the necklace up so that the other man could have a closer look at it.

“I wonder who can afford such a masterpiece... Your client must be truly bathing in gold to afford such like!” the noble man said, those mesmerizing eyes still focused on the jewelry in a fascinated and hungry manner. “Yeah, he better keeps up his end of the bargain. Otherwise he won't get it! God of Light or not, payment is due!” Harald replied in a very arrogant tone and carefully put the necklace into a box carved from ebony, fitting its exquisite content. The brown-haired man's face lit up at the mention of a god involved and with a cunning smile he made Harald an offer he simply couldn't resist. At first the merchant had refused but somehow the velvet-like voice of the eloquent gentleman could persuade him to take this even 'better deal': Harald sold the star-light necklace to the brown-haired man for 55,000 pieces of gold. Since the gentleman had to prepare the trunks of gold at his home estate, the payment would be delivered three days hence – after the queen's name-day celebrations. And as a sign of trust and goodwill, the new customer with emerald eyes gave Harald another necklace of gold and green-blue sapphires which he could sell on to the god of light. Hence, there would be another 50,000 gold pieces waiting for the merchant. A win-win situation.

If Harald hadn't been so blinded by the promised gold, he might have reconsidered this suspicious offer.

xxx

A few hours before the grand feast in the queen's honor, Harald was again summoned by Balder so that they could close off their deal. The merchant handed the ebony box containing the sapphire necklace to the god, eager to receive the awaited gold, but then it all went wrong. When Balder opened the lid he found the box to be empty and enraged he threw it across the salon. The wood shattering into thousand pieces against the wall.

Despite his begging and apologizing, Harald had been taken by the guards and brought down into the dungeons where he would wait for his trial in front of the king.

Later in the great throne room of the palace, the merchant's family watched as the gods presented their gifts to the queen, one item more precious than the other, and everyone wondered why Balder hadn't come up with at least something. Embarrassed and empty-handed, the fair god stood before his mother and had nothing to give except a tender hug and a soft kiss on the cheek. He would make it up to her and the merchant would pay for this insolence. The most stunning present, however, was given to Frigga by her youngest son, prince Loki, who held a marvelous necklace out of white gems that sparkled like star-light in his slender hands. The whole court present applauded in response and Loki, in full awareness of his brother Balder's stern face, proudly put the jewelry around his mother's neck. His trick had worked out just so nicely.

xxx

The very next morning, the king, his son Balder and a small number of counselors gathered once more in the throne room, Harald kneeling humbly at their feet. Never before had the merchant felt this much fear for both his and his family's well-being. Harald knew what the law had in stall for his crime.

Both parties stated their view of the case and the All-Father, being a just king, listened patiently to each. There was no need for him to heed his counselors, however, because the crime was clear and punishment was due. Harald hadn't kept up his part of a legal bargain and as a consequence he had tainted the honor of the God of Light, which was a grave offense against the gods and the royal family. According to Asgardian law, the merchant's reputation and wealth had to be diminished as well. Thus the fitting sentence was a fee of 25,000 pieces of gold for the deed per se. As for the god's offended honor, Haralds' children had to repay Balder for the not received worth of the necklace in hours of slavery. This way the family would be marked by shame for everyone to see, the children serving as a reminder of the deed for the next generations.

Unfortunately, Einar had already signed for the military service for the crown so the burden of the punishment fell solely to his sister _________. 50,000 hours of slavery, which equals 5 and a half years, at the royal court.

[krreader]

seven sins | chapter one.

pairing: bts x reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; historical!au ; princes!bts ; concubine!reader ; mentions of death ; mentions of suicide genre: smut ; angst word count: 2.9k+

summary: even in times such as yours, you still led a privileged life with nothing to ask for. that is until first your father, then your mother passed away and you were left to care for your two younger sisters. the position for royal physician seemed to be open and with your father having been a respected general, you thought you might be able to get it and provide coin and respect for your family. little did you know that your visit to the palace would put a completely different offer on the table.

a/n: remember that ultra hardcore smut story I talked about yesterday? WEL LTHIS IS IT BITCHES. yes, you read it right, it is bts (meaning all seven) x reader iN A SEXUAL WAY. so this is mainly inspired by the 2018 mma performance because the beginning part always gets me and I finally got punched in the face by this idea, so yeah, hope you like it lol (just a little heads up, korean royal history is really fucking hard for me to understand, I tried my best to research everything and even asked jiho for help, but apparently koreans know as much about their history as I know about german history, so you know, awesome. anyways, info for this chapter: korean princes or kings had various concubines and they had ranks for their concubines. if you’re a royal noble consort, you are pretty much one of the highest concubines at court, you are treated with a lot more respect, despite actually only being a prostitute. the only women higher than royal noble consorts were princesses and queens, obviously. so just thought I might say that and please don’t kill me if I ever make a mistake, I really try my best to make this as accurate as possible lol)

Your life used to be perfect.

Other girls who had been in a position such as yours might have wanted to climb the latter even farther up, but you had been content with were you had been.

You had been very privileged at some point, daughter of a kind mother and a father as the general of the king's army. You never had to go to bed hungry, nor cold. You always knew that the table would be filled with delicious food and that you'd always have a warm bed to return to.. and in times such as yours, that is more than most could unfortunately say.

You were loved by friends and family, were respected and looked up to from those who were 'beneath' you and were striving for becoming a physician like your grandmother had been when she was still alive.

Your mother often said that maybe you should start working in the palace, that with your father being a general there, he would surely be able to convince the king of your talents, despite you being a woman. But back then, you have had no desire to serve the royal family, despite the honor it would bring you. With your father’s position, your family was already respected enough and you’d rather care for the people who truly needed it, the people in your village that couldn’t afford a doctor when they really needed one, rather than the royals who called for a physician when they had a slight tummy ache.

You grew up with the stories of the royal family, the seven princes, the rascals that they were.. no, back then, you had always declined.

On the side, you trained with your father, something that not many men did with their daughters. But that's all your father had been blessed with, three daughters, two of them much younger than you.

Your father didn’t get to spend as much time with his family as he would have liked to due to his position and your mother was always out in the village helping those that didn’t have as good as a life as you did, so ever since your sisters were born, you were as much a guardian for them as your parents were.

All in all, you could say that you used to live your life to the fullest, had a bright future ahead of you and that you were looking forward to it every single day.

But you had been naive enough to believe that it would be like this forever.

Because nothing lasts forever.

Your father had died first, in a fight that had never been his in the first place.

Two kingdoms had started a war with each other that was making it problematic for food and weapons to come in. Trade routes were blocked, nobody was brave enough to go out there with soldiers lurking everywhere, ready to attack whoever entered “their” territory.

So the king had sent his best, your father, to settle this brawl.

But neither side had wanted to back down, neither side thought the other one was right, they both wanted what wasn't theirs.

Your father didn't die in battle like the hero that he was, he died by the hand of an assassin. Like the cowards that these bastards were. He got stabbed in the back and they left his corpse out in the fields to rot. 

It took days for the body to finally come back home, for you and your family to finally have confirmation and say your final goodbye.

The king mourned the loss of his general, not just that, but friend, too. He offered your family a large sum of coin, but as much as you had appreciated it, that wouldn't bring your father back either. No coin in the world would.

That day, when you finally laid him to rest, everything went downhill.

People were suddenly trying to use you, knowing that there was no one left to protect you. They knew the kind heart that your mother had and while they were too afraid to before, too afraid that your father would find out about it, they now used her kindness to get whatever they could from her. 

One day it even went as far as somebody breaking into your house and just taking whatever they wanted and when your mother had asked why, they simply said: ‘Because we need it more than you do.’

You thought people would help, would stand by your side, but nobody lifted a finger.

That was the first time that you realized that people only pretended to be your friend when they got something out of it. You didn’t trust anyone anymore, told your mother to lay back for a while and stay at home with your sisters, to protect them in case somebody like that came back.

Despite all this, you tried your hardest to continue pursuing your path as a physician, especially now that your father wasn’t with you anymore. Yes, you did have enough coin for now, but it wouldn’t always be like this. You wanted to provide for your family.. but you couldn’t do it for long.

The one who suffered most under it all was your mother, having just lost the love of her life, she became the saddest you had ever seen her.

The once so kind woman who always had a smile for everyone started crying each night. The once so beautiful woman, radiating with happiness became a dull shell of a person.

One night, she smiled at the three of you sadly and had said: “I love you all so much.. and you make me so proud. Never forget that,” you had hoped that this might be a good sign. That maybe she would start fighting again. Fighting for her children. Fighting to be happy again.

But a day later she was dead.

The official statement was that she had died of a broken heart, but you knew she had killed herself. Her last words to you were her way of saying goodbye, not her way of giving you hope for a better future.

You were angry. Angry, because your beautiful sisters had just lost their father and now their mother too. So while they could, you didn't have time to grieve.

Now with both of your parents gone, you knew that you had to be the one to bring in coin, otherwise your sisters would end up on the street one day. Again, you weren’t suddenly poor, but you wanted your sisters to lead the same life as you. You wanted them to never fear hunger or cold, you never wanted them to feel like the world was against them.

Your father had been a respected man, only then did people leave you alone and only then did you have nothing to fear, so you knew respect was ultimately what you needed.

You knew you had to come up with a plan.

You had successfully finished your physician training a few days before your mother’s death and what was the one position that you actually never wanted but that you knew would get you the coin and the respect you needed? The one as royal physician.

Your mother had always said it would be easy for you to get it because of your father, but you forgot the most important thing.

Your father wasn’t here anymore. He didn’t hold any position anymore.

And you haven’t been to court since you were a little girl. Nobody knew you. Nobody respected you.

“Why are you doing this?” you let out a breath, “You know me.. you knew my father, you served under him!”

“(Y/N), I'm sorry,” the guard at the doors looked at you apologetically, “I can't let you in.. only a selected few are allowed inside. And I only know you because you and I used to be neighbors, nobody else around here knows you anymore. And your father.. he’s not general anymore.. as much as that hurts to say.”

“But the position as physician is open, I know that! I want to at least try to get it!”

“You and I both know they won't take a woman as a physician. Your grandmother struggled for years until she had a good reputation and you just finished your training. You can't seriously expect to get that good of a position right away.”

See and that was it. You grew up with that mindset of a naive, young girl that your parents planted into your head, that you could get anything and everything you wanted and only now that both of your parents were dead, did you slowly see the reality of life.

Life wasn't as easy as you always thought it was. Your parents just made it easy for you.

But now that you were on your own, trying to protect your family and sisters.. you were confronted with the harshness of life.

You had walked back home that day in defeat, deep in thought about what else you could try. There had to be a way to get that position. You knew that all of your worries would disappear if you got it. You'd get enough coin and you'd definitely get back the respect.

On your way, you passed several children sitting at the side of the road, covered in dirt, some even a bit of blood, all looking at you with desperation in their eyes.

These were the people that needed your help, the people that you had always wanted to help. But with each passing child, you saw your sisters sitting there one day.. and you just couldn’t let that happen. They’ve been through too much.. it was enough.

You had to come up with something..

..and you did.

                                                   six hours later

You had waited until the moon and the stars were most clear and until all that could be heard outside were the drunks that were either slowly coming home, or still enjoying their night to the fullest.

You quickly peaked into the room of your sisters, then gently pulled the blankets higher up to their chins and kissed both of their heads with a small smile, “I'll be back soon.”

It was a stupid plan, but it was the only plan you got.

You knew that you wouldn’t get into the palace the conventional way, so you had to be creative.

When you were a little girl, there was a time when your father wasn't able to come home for a long period of time due to preparing new recruits for a possible war - that had never happened in the end. You had missed him a great deal and were stubborn enough to ignore your mother telling you that there was no way for you to see him.

You had been to the palace a couple of times with your parents, had even played with the princes a few times – until their mother scolded them for playing with someone 'lesser' than them. And through that, they - not knowing the consequences of telling someone a secret like that - had shown you the 'secret passages' leading in and out of the castle. These passages weren't guarded, because they weren't actually passages. They were weaknesses in the palaces' structure that you could use to get in and out if you knew how.

So imagine your father's face when you suddenly stood in front of him in the middle of the night with a toothless grin, because little you had just lost hers and wanted to show her father.

The thought of that moment made you smile, standing in front of the palace.. or rather.. the side of it.

“I really hope this still works.”

You had thought climbing this wall as a kid would be harder than climbing it as an adult? Wrong. You were panting heavily, nearly falling once, twice, but then you finally made it across and dropped yourself into the wagon of hay like you had when you were a little girl. Wasn’t exactly pleasant, but you didn’t break your back, so there’s that.

Still got it, you thought to yourself.

But this wasn't the hardest part. The hard part would be finding and talking the king without getting noticed and.. well, killed.

The king used to smile at you when you were a little girl, even joked every now and then that you were so pretty that you might even end up with one of his sons. Your father was his friend.. if anyone could get you this position and had pity on you and your family, it surely was him.

But how would you reach him? He was probably guarded by hundreds of men..

..well, you had a plan for that too.

You dropped down close to the changing quarters for the women. You knew that stealing was wrong, but you told yourself you were only 'borrowing' the Hanbok that the maids wore. You'd give it back once you were done with your 'mission' like it was never even gone in the first place.

You quickly put your hair up in a bun like your mother had once taught you and then went on out like you belonged here.

And nobody noticed.

Because see, if there is one thing that men can do perfectly, it's completely disregard a woman's presence.

Normally, that wasn't something that you appreciated, but under these circumstances, you were quite grateful that nobody batted an eyelash at you.

You were just another maid serving the royal family.

A common nobody.

You made your way across the palace grounds, keeping your head low and not looking at anyone unless you absolutely had to.

You snuck into the kitchen to grab a bowl filled with soup and then continued on to the king's quarters. And when his guards tried to stop you, you bowed and said, “The king is hungry. He asked me to bring him this. He said that if I even spilled one drop of his soup, he'd kill me for it.”

The guards sighed, one whispered: “Why is he so angry these days?”

“I don't know. I think it's because of one of the princes,” they continued talking, but that didn't matter to you, because they actually let you through and you couldn't help but smile once the door closed behind you.

It was very late, you thought nobody but the king would be in his quarters, but then you started hearing voices.. yes.. multiple.

“This is not up for debate, Seokjin. We've talked about this numerous of times, I will not repeat myself.”

“Father is right. It has to be you,” another voice said.

You hadn't seen the princes in a while, definitely hadn’t talked to them, but you knew it was them who were talking to the king. All you knew was that they were around your age now, were all enjoying themselves with various women and that Prince Seokjin would be the heir to the crown soon.

And.. well.. that's about it.

“This is easy for you all to say. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want.”

“That is the burden of being the oldest,” another one chuckled.

You took a step back from the door and thought about your next move.

Interrupting while the king was with – apparently – all seven of his sons was not a good idea. Interrupting at all wasn't a good idea, actually. So what was the best approach here? Probably to hide and wait and then go in when there was nobody else around, right?

Yes, yes, that was for the best.

You just wanted to do that, when the door suddenly got slid open and you were face to face with one of the princes.

Your eyes were wide, shocked, while he.. licked.. his lips?

“Hello, beautiful.”

“Who is it?! Is it Hyemi?” and then there was another and, “No, I bet it's Ryuna, she's the only one up this late,” another.

And suddenly all seven were standing in front of you with curiosity in their eyes as to who visited their father so late at night.

And well.. you surprised them all, because they had - obviously - never seen you before (or at least not at this stage of your life).

“Father.. did you call someone new for us?”

“I'm not..-” you tried to correct them, tell them that you weren’t what they thought you were, but the king got up and shoved the boys aside before you could do so.

You smiled, were ready to give the speech that you had prepared, fully thinking that he'd remember you, but once again, a man let you down: “I don't remember, but.. she's pretty, isn't she?”

Well, that was not..- “You see, your majesty, I'm..-”

“Promoted, apparently,” their father grinned from ear to ear, “I haven't seen my boys this happy about a woman in a very long time. And Seokjin is still looking for a wife. I think you could give him very strong and handsome boys, right? I mean look at you. And look how caring you are, bringing an old king food, knowing that he was craving soup but not telling anyone yet? Such a wonderful, young girl. You’ll be a great mother.”

You pursued your lips, kept trying to form sentence after sentence and your eyebrows kept furrowing because you really didn't understand what he was saying, until..-

“Welcome to the Royal Noble Consorts.”

Well.. that wasn't exactly the plan.

[duxhess-kryzewan]

since Mandalorians seem to be very passionate people maybe something with dance lesson, like a tango? it may be very innocent, even awkward or just the total opposite

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Obi-Wan."

He crosses his arms in frustration, a rather unbecoming look for an up and coming Jedi he realizes, but he can't bring himself to care. He was not doing it.

"It's custom in Mandalorian nobility," Qui-Gon says, "And it would be rude not to neglect the Duchess when she has only just returned to her home."

Obi-Wan sighs, "Then why don't you do it?"

Qui-Gon laughs, "Because I'm much to old to be escorting such a young lady, and I think she'll be more comfortable with someone her age. Besides, you two have developed a friendship over the last year, I think she would be better suited with you on her arm."

There's something to his tone when the word 'friendship' that makes him uncomfortable. He didn't know if he would consider their connection a friendship, per say. More of a complicated series of arguments peppered with moments of intimate connections. He cared her - deeply, he would add - but he never was quite sure what they were. There was a code he vowed to uphold, after all, and there was a planet she was destined to take control of.

"I don't know if friendship is what you would classify it as," he says, "We quarrel an awful lot."

His master smiles knowingly at him, "As friends often do. Now off you go, you don't want to keep the Duchess waiting."

With a sigh, he finally concedes to his masters orders, "Fine."

He swears Qui-Gon winks at him when he leaves. _____

They had spent so much time on the run and away from her  palace that he had almost forgotten how she looked when in her noble attire. Gowns were not very practical when running from gangs of bounty hunters.

"Obi-Wan." She greets with a polite smile.

"Your grace." He bows slightly, more out of formality than anything. She was, after all, now truly in charge.

"I appreciate you doing this for me," she says, "I understand this is rather out of your element, but with the celebrations here in light of our new era of peace I only found it fitting that you and Qui-Gon be in attendance. You are after all the only reason I lived."

"Of course, we are more than happy to help in your quest for peace on Mandalore; it's my greatest hope that your peaceful ways will help Mandalore prosper."

Something in her eyes soften, "It means the world to me, Obi-Wan. I owe much to you and Master Qui-Gon. It was his idea after all. For you to escort me, I mean."

He freezes. Qui-Gon had set all this up? Was he trying to get him expelled from the order? His master certainly had little to no regard for the rules, but this was extreme even for him.

Instead of dwelling on it, he switches the topic, "I regret to inform you that dancing is not a skill they teach at the temple. You may want to reconsider your decision."

Satine chuckles, "Nonsense, I'm sure you'll be fine, and there's certainly no other person I would rather have at my side to get me through such an event. I presume your lack of dancing abilities is why Qui-Gon suggested you practice with me."

Oh yes, he and his Master were most definitely going to have words.

"I'll follow your lead, then."

Her smile is warm and inviting and it spreads a sensation through him that he still couldn't figure out despite being around her for a better part of a year.

She takes his hand in her own (bless her for leading, because he certainly wasn't going to make the first move) and tugs him to the center of the empty room.

"Ballroom dancing is passionate, but not as complicated as one might think." She explains, "Just follow my lead."

When she tugs at his free hand and places it on her hip he's certain he had begun blushing profusely, though she (thank force) hadn't mentioned it.

A hand drapes on his shoulder and she steps closer to him, the space between them dwindling to barely nothing and he's certain that she can feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Just follow my lead," she instructs with a smile, as if he was going to do anything but.

She steps backwards, prompting him to move forward with her and within seconds his feet bump hers and he fumbles some.

"I'm rather horrid at this." He notes, hoping the joking nature of his comment will mask his embarrassment.

"Just relax," She says with a laugh, "You had told me about the various fighting styles within the Jedi, right? Think of it as if you're learning a new form."

He snorts, "I won't be fighting anyone with a tango anytime soon, Satine."

She lets out another laugh, "You never know, Obi-Wan, perhaps one day this will save your life."

He can't but laugh too.

"Again?" She asks.

He nods, and once again she begins to move backwards, each step she takes precise and measured and he begins to think of every form he's learned since he was a youngling. Perhaps she brought up a good point; movement in all forms required patience and precision.

"See," she says, "You're getting the hang of it."

Plus, having control of his breathing was certainly helping him mask just how nervous he was holding her that close. No longer were they hidden away deep in the forests or shrouded in the cover of darkness. Now they were in the middle of Mandalores palace surrounded by her subjects. The time have together was quickly draining away.

She leans in, close enough to whisper in his ear, "You know there's no one around right now, you can actually hold me if you wish."

He about passes out then and there; rarely is she so brash about their relationship. More so than him, of course, but even her comments are made with some restraint.

But he does as she instructs and slides his hand from her hip bone to wrap completely around her waist, tugging her just a bit closer than she already was.

"Dip me." She instructs.

He blinks, "I beg your pardon."

She laughs, "Dip me, it's part of the dance. Honestly, Obi-Wan, have you never seen anyone dance before?"

Truthfully he hadn't really. Dancing was never something people did at the temple, and he can't recall a time on his various journeys to other planets that he'd seen anyone do so either.

But he does what she asks despite his trepidation, gently tipping her backwards. Not too far, because the underlying fear that he'd drop her was nagging at the back of his head, but just enough that she would be satisfied.

"See? Nothing to fear. You're going to have to twirl me too, just so you know."

Twirl. Right. That was something he could do; much less of a chance of dropping her.

Her gown flares out when he spins her. It's slow, nothing extravagant but just enough to truly accentuate the craftmanship her personal tailors put into her dress.

He catches her before she can make a final full turn and pulls her towards him, her back pressing against his chest and both his arms coming to loop around her waist.

She laughs, "Feeling bold, are we?"

The sound of her laughter sends another shockwave of adoration through him and - since he was feeling a bit bold, as she put it - he presses a chaste kiss to the exposed skin of her neck.

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me." He teases, nipping his teeth against the same spot on her neck.

She sighs contentedly and drops her head backwards against his shoulder, "You leave in two days time, don't you?"

In an instant he feels the warmth from her touch rush out of him. Instead, a chill replaces it. He was leaving soon, and it hadn't quite dawned on him yet that this truly might be one of the last times they're alone. Soon they would be forced to go back to their separate lives. That is, unless she asked him to stay.

And he would. If that's what she had wanted from him, he would stay with her.

"I do."

"Hmm," she hums,  "Then I suppose we should make this count."

She pulls from his grasp only to turn herself around and take his hand once more. If it were anyone else, he would have objected to dancing for even longer. But Satine wasn't just anyone.

"As you wish, dear."

So he humors her, twirling her around as many times as she wished (and only managing to stumble twice) for as long as she wanted. It wasn't much, but it was all that he could give her.

Unbeknownst to him, Qui-Gon had watched through the cracked doorway, smiling at them.

[wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey]

Kdrama recs Part 2

Hello @camsthisky and anyone else who cares! I do apologize for the delay on this post--it has only been 84 years since Part I of my kdrama recs, I know, and I thought about going for a full century but this is me finding a way to de-stress after watching the first episode of I-Land alkdjfadlksj I’m gonna die of heartbreak but whatever

Speaking of heartbreak, there is a lot to be found in Korea’s wonderful historical dramas, so like, be warned—or, if you are an angst-loving monster like me, settle down for hot guys and good cries

Let us begin! (or, if you want romantic modern dramas see Part 1)

1. Scarlet Heart Ryeo/Moonlovers: 

aha ahahahahahaha *weeps* You may have heard people talk about this show. You may have heard ME talk about this show. This thing was my first kdrama ever and it RUINED ME 

Disclaimer: I have seen this show once and rewatched it twice and on the rewatches I can never quite make myself watch the last 4 or 5 episodes because things get tragic and messy and I get mad. HOWEVER there is a lot of good in the first part of the show and because this thing was all the rage in everywhere but Korea itself, there’s like over 300 fanfic for it and several good fix-its, including one by my good friend @thelonelybrilliance

Ok so anyway this show which could also be called An Abundance of Princes starts with a young woman from modern times getting thrown back into ancient Goryeo during an eclipse and finds herself in the body of Hae Soo, the cousin of the wife of one of the princes, and thus she gets embroiled in royal affairs which are, quite frankly, a mess. See, the evil eyeliner prince (whom I love even when he’s the worst) is plotting with his mom to get the Crown Prince out of the way aka dead BUT who should return to the Palace but the 4th Prince, Wang So, who has spent at least half his life living as hostage to a powerful family. 

So has a scar that cuts across his eye and which in this society makes him a horror to look at or smthing idk he just looks extra hot to me but anyway he wears a mask and is known as the wolf dog (or as the MURDER ANGST CUPCAKE thanks @abadpoetwithdreams). He might seem a little rough around the edges at first because his life has been hell but he really just wants to love and be loved okay people need to be nice to him wtf

Other princes include: 

    1.  the Crown Prince, Wang Mu, a good egg, not particularly charismatic but he tried to protect his lil bro when no one else would

    2.  the 8th prince, Wang Wook, who reminds me of a fellow named Shane and I don’t mean the cowboy

    3.  the 10th prince, Wang Eun, a dumb adorable spoiled bby (played by Baekhyun from EXO)

    4.  the 13th prince, Baek Ah, a tol soft boi, an artist, a BAE, a BRO, a SHIPPER ON DECK

    5.  the 14th prince, Wang Jung this son will fight everyone he’ll fight himself he just loves to fight! Not always wise but he’s a good boy and I like him a lot 

    6.  just realized I skipped the 9th prince but nobody cares 

One quick note is that IU plays Hae Soo, and I enjoy her a lot in the first half of the show where she is still spunky and rebellious...sadly her character kind of falls apart/gets too weak for my liking as the episodes progress

The MAIN reason why I feel it my duty to recommend this show to everyone despite the fact I have never met anyone who wasn’t traumatized by it is LEE JOON GI

Yes, this man:

 I mentioned him in the previous rec post—he played Bong Sang Pil in Lawless Lawyer (AND IS NOW CURRENTLY STARRING IN FLOWER OF EVIL WHICH WILL BE ON ANOTHER POST AHDFOIASDHGALDSKJF FRIQ I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT MAN) 

BUT SERIOUSLY LOOK AT HIS PHOENIX EYES!!! HIS RAZOR SHARP FEATURES! HIS BIG ADORABLE EARS! HIS BEAUTIFUL EXCESSIVE BANGS! 4TH PRINCE WANG SO LOVE OF MY LIFE

SOMEONE PROTECT THIS BBY

2. Hwarang: Ok so right off the bat I am going to smack down a disclaimer that I can’t stand the female lead. TRULY CANNOT. Thus, I don’t like the romance, and only care about the love triangle as far as it just shows how sad and lonely one of the guys is. (Also there are scenes of dumb old men plotting and I don’t like them either). At the end of the show, I am happy that the one guy is NOT stuck with the female lead as his wife. Good for you sir

Sounds like a show to steer clear of then, right? WRONG. This is a show that you skip through because the scenes that are good? Are GREAT

Picture this: It is the Silla era of Korea, and the queen is ruling as regent in place of her son, who has been hiding all his life because everyone wants to kill him. Well, son is now grown and must soon come into the light and take the throne. Queen who both wants her son as king but also really likes being queen decides to do everyone a favor and form an elite fighting squad out of all the prettiest and most talented sons of nobles in the land, with the idea that they will be loyal only to the throne, and thereby keep their dads from plotting to destroy everything. 

Let me tell you something, these ARE the prettiest boys in the land. Good hair, good jawlines, beautiful smiles—the cast lineup includes Park Hyung Sik and his cute lil elf ear, Park Seo Joon, Taehyung (yes from BTS!), and Choi Minho from Shinee, plus two other actors who are lesser known but who are drop-dead gorgeous. Anyway. Sorry, but they really are all beautiful. 

The fun thing is they don’t all get along right away, a few of them are VERY much opposed to the other for various reasons, but they all have to bond and become brothers in arms. And what they don’t know is that the real king snuck in and is one of them. 10/10 I would die for the boys! (also Tae has an older half-brother who is a lower rank than him but whom he looks up to and that makes for cuteness and pain) Once you skip the boring or annoying parts of the show, the rest has so much delight, laughter, and oops pain, lots of pain. I want to go re-watch. 

Two other things I should mention about the show: a super soft side romance between secondary characters and a game of, as they call it in the show, HOT SOCCER 

^pretty boy 1 (with the cute elf ear sadly on the other side of his head)

^pretty boy 2 (sad cheekbone bby) and pretty boy 3 (happy cheekbone bby)

^pretty boy 4 (the prettiest of them all, and he knows it!)

^pretty boy 5 (aka Taehyung danced around the set of a historical drama and made everyone adopt him as their bby) 

3. Faith/The Great Doctor: This is a longer kdrama at 24 episodes and they didn’t have much of a budget so special effects aren’t the best or anything but I just got really attached to all the characters? This is another modern girl goes back in time but UNLIKE SHR it actually has a happy ending, so if you need a historical drama cleanse after that tearjerker/enrager, this could be it for you

Eun Soo has to navigate the ancient kingdom, keep people believing she is a heavenly doctor with special powers, and keep Choi Young alive so he can fulfill his promise of returning her to her own time. The problem with that is Choi Young does have kind of a death wish because of reasons—

Eun Soo is a plastic surgeon who would really like a rich handsome husband one day but them’s the breaks for you, aka she has had no luck in that department. Back in ancient Korea, Choi Young (played by Lee Minho in sadly the only role I really love him in) is a high-ranking beloved captain who can fall asleep anywhere. Oh he can also make electricity with his hands! :D

The story begins when the sleepy sad captain tries to escort the new king and queen to their palace. This was during the time period when ancient Korea was basically a puppet kingdom/tributary of ancient China (Yuan). The king (who is very smol and lacks confidence, but still has a good heart for his country) lived as a hostage in Yuan for many years, and his wise tol queen is a princess of that land, and someone needs to sit them down and make them talk because they actually love each other a lot. Anyway, when the queen gets injured by assassins, Choi Young goes searching for a legendary doctor, winds up in modern Korea, and steals both Eun Soo and a SWAT shield, because hey, it looked cool I guess

Lots of fun things in the show: Choi Young has a crew of soldiers who are BEYOND loyal to him, and while he doesn’t think much of the king at first because he’s been burned by kings before, they slowly become bros and shippers on deck for each other. Eun Soo does not lose her spunk or loyalty unlike other people I could mention *cough*HaeSoofromScarletHeartRyeo*, and it cracks me up when she curses people out. There are also a bunch of people (mostly bad guys) running around with special powers or gifts, including a flame lady and a flute boy, and the latter wears delightful anime wigs, keeps his sword in his flute, and plays his flute to kill—literally! I love flute boy very much 

sorry it’s black and white but DO YOU SEE THE SWAT SHIELD

4. My Country: A New Age:

ANGST ANGST ANGST PAAAAAIN BUT ALSO BEST INTRO BEST FAVES BEST ACTORS

Picture this: two young men, who both hail from childhoods of trauma, who grew up together and are best friends, and who are tragically forced apart and end up on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens to upend the current rule of the kingdom. This IS the star-crossed brotp you’ve been waiting for!

Seo Hwi is the son of a general who died a criminal, and all he wants is to live simply and earn enough rice take care of his younger sister, who has seizures and a sweet crush on Hwi’s bestie. Hwi is the best softest most loyal boy with a good and true heart, a great deal of courage, and a talent for wielding a sword, and just wait till you see the best one-shot fight scene ever of him in battle, it is INCREDIBLE! (He is played by Yang Se Jong, who I now want to see more of) Hwi has an abundance of charisma points in that he picks up a small band of loyal soldier friends and they become the best little found family, lots of brotp-ness in this crew—do not mess with any of them because they will all FIGHT you

Seon Ho meanwhile is the illegitimate despised son of a powerful nobleman, only tolerated because the legitimate son died. Seon Ho loves his friend and is very protective of his friend’s little sister who crushes on him but his dad is a high class grade A power-hungry jerk and that causes complications of course. Seon Ho also has a good heart, he’s a gentle soul really, but he always gets stuck in bad positions and unfortunately makes a couple of difficult/bad choices so he hardens himself as much as he can but the consequences always kill him and he just wants to save his friends and destroy his dad and the stupid hierarchy that treats bastards as lesser. WHY IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? 

Seon Ho he is played by Woo Do Hwan who has so much talent I die so many times over in this show just because of the way he portrays Seon Ho like that sad sad boy is one of my favorite characters evER! Is he problematic? At times maybe but I am HERE for him he just needs LOVE AND AFFECTION AND AN ABUNDANCE OF GOOD FRIENDS BUT INSTEAD (SOMETIMES THRU HIS OWN FAULT BUT HE ADMITS THAT) HE JUST SUFFERS AND SO I SUFFERRRR

*grabs a towel and dries up my tears*

Hwi also falls in love with a woman named Hui Jae (or was it Hee Jae i can’t remember) and they are very cute together, she’s pretty cool but the show’s one failing is arguably that they kind of underuse her in the plot as the story goes on? But I still like her and she still has a good role, and she is both brave and kind and not afraid to step in or tell people off, also keep a weather eye open for patching up scenes! 

Oh yeah, eVERYONE in this gets hurt/stabbed/shot/bloody, such a shame they have to take their shirts off to clean and bandage the wounds ;)

Last character I must mention is Bang Won, played by Jang Hyuk in his second interpretation of the historical figure. Bang Won is the fifth? son of the guy who becomes emperor/king, and he has his own plans for the country, so when Hwi catches his eye, he recruits him to his cause.  What you need to know about him is that he has issues with his dad, is slightly unhinged, and cannot and should not be parted from the fan that he constantly carries around with him. Gotta say, Jang Hyuk is FANTASTIC (heheheheheheh) in the role, able to convey all kinds of emotion in the rise and fall of his voice, in the tilt of his head, the tears of his eyes, the flick of his fan. Give this actor all the awards! 

To sum up: if you like to cry for days after watching a drama, if you like excellent heart-wrenching brotps, if you like conflicted characters, if you like amazing music and setting and plot, if you like guys with good hair and arm muscles (and 

abs, thank you shirtless scenes what) this show is a Must Watch 

DID I SAY STAR-CROSSED BROTP I MEANT SWORD-CROSSED BROTP ADKJFADLSKJFLKJDFALKDGKLJL </3

~

Ok I was going to leave the historical drama post at this for now but...I’m going to cheat a little and include the one historical C!drama I just finished.Yes folks I am talking about:

5. Nirvana in Fire:

Ok so maybe the switch from kdrama to cdrama makes you uncertain. Maybe the fact that this show has FIFTY-FOUR EPISODES makes you go hell no I don’t have enough time for that. Well if you overlook this show for those reasons, you are making, and I do not exaggerate, the greatest mistake of your show-watching life!

Look, first, this drama has one of the best, most intricate, most satisfying plots in history, with like 20 characters you would die for, and second, the episodes are only about 42 minutes each, which is shorter than most kdrama episodes, so you can deal.

Once upon a time there was a general/family who were just too good to exist in corrupt old China, so naturally they were framed for treason and there was a giant massacre and everybody died, including the eldest prince who was like um dad maybe this is all a horrible mistake and the king was like no u are the mistake. Sad times.

One of the many younger princes named Jing (A NOBLE HEART, if not always the cleverest) returns home from wherever he was, finds out that not only did his prince brother die, but so did his best friend/brother in the whole wide world, Lin Shu, son of the general. Because he insists on the innocence of said bros/family, Jing becomes an outcast prince and is shuffled off to fight in wars where he can’t cause any trouble. Meanwhile, Princess Nihuang, Lin Shu’s brave, awesome, amazing, wise, incredible girlfriend, refuses to marry anyone else, and because she is too cool to be messed with, nobody tries to banish her

Cut to I think eleven years later, when the two most powerful princes are vying to be the crown prince and heir to the throne. They both try to recruit the aid of a renowned clever and sassy strategist named Mei Changsu, to help them with plotting and PR and such.

Well little do they know that Mei Changsu is actually the not-dead Lin Shu, with a completely new face (for reasons), and that Mei Changsu is a chess master setting up a long con for the dual purpose of obtaining revenge/justice for the dead and of raising Prince Jing to the throne, since Prince Jing is the only man with a good enough heart and strong enough will to make China a better place for all the people. But just to make it hard on everybody, Mei Changsu is dead set on not telling anyone who he really is—again, for reasons. He is not always successful in keeping his secret.

I literally don’t know what else to say because there is so MUCH to say, so many characters to love, and I mean LOVE. How do you get a cast this good? How is everyone so different yet so important? How do you feel bad for the emperor even when he’s slimy? How do you have to stop yourself from rooting for the prince who would destroy some of your faves? I can’t praise the charisma and acting talent in this show enough! And the music! IS GORGEOUS!

1 strategist too sassy for his own good and too clever for everyone else’s good + 1 prince who loves his mom and his dead best friend and his dead older brother more than anything else in the world + 1 gentle wise mom + 1 eternally loyal princess who would defend her loved ones with the sword if necessary + 1 sassy Elrond healer man + 1 grumpy sulky baby who loves being a better fighter than almost everyone + 1 loyal to the death, brave badass general who is going to have a stress breakdown if the strategist doesn’t take better care of himself + not 1 but 2 good boys who deserve to be protected but who are willing to throw themselves into battle if necessary + 1 antagonist tiger prince who I love and am not ashamed to say it = THE BEST OF TIMES

^he hardly ever wears his hair down but when he does <33333333

*checks calendar* how soon is too soon rewatch something, asking for a friend

[sciatu]

PALERMO - GLI INTERNI DELLA PALAZZINA CINESE

Quando il re e la regina di Napoli fuggirono dalla loro Reggia di Caserta inseguiti dalle truppe del generale napoleonico Marat, la regina Maria Carolina, che tra i due era quella che comandava, preferì non risiedere nei nobili e cupi palazzi dei principi palermitani stabilendosi in una palazzina a cui il proprietario precedente aveva dato una originale forma e colori “cinesi”. All'epoca le “cineserie” erano molto in voga tra i nobili e abitare in una casa che ne richiamava le forme era qualcosa di particolarmente elegante ed originale. 

La regina pretese una sistemazione più consona alla sua nobile origine e tra i vari affreschi volle che apparissero anche i volti dei suoi amatissimi figli che definì “Le mie tenerezze”. La palazzina ha nelle sue forme l’aspetto di un sogno, di un luogo dove il tempo non esiste e forse per questo che la nobile Maria Carolina la volle: i sogni vivono oltre la realtà e se sono sogni straordinari, la nascondono, facendola dimenticare. 

Maria Carolina, aveva molto da dimenticare: il marito inetto e fannullone, l’essere ospitata nella “Terra di là del faro” come le carte borboniche definivano l’odiata Sicilia, nel mezzo di Principi che si sentivano più nobili di lei, dimenticare sopratutto i francesi nella sua reggia a Napoli, quegli odiati francesi che avevano tagliato la testa alla sua amatissima sorella Maria Antonietta. Dimenticare la ribellione dei nobili progressisti e degli intellettuali che lei aveva favorito quando era giovane. La palazzina quindi era il luogo ideale per mettere da parte i cattivi ricordi e vivere in un presente che non aveva nessun riferimento con quanto stava accadendo nel resto d’Europa. Un luogo di sogno, sereno ed intimo che la regina avrebbe lasciato solo alla sconfitta di Napoleone tornando a Napoli dove avrebbe fatto tagliare la testa a tutti i vecchi conoscenti ed artisti dalle idee progressiste ed aperte che avevano messo in pericolo il suo regno. Nella Palazzina Cinese, sognando tra figure eteree ed esotiche, Maria Carolina aveva addormentato con la paura anche la coscienza, lasciando libero sfogo alla vendetta.

When the king and queen of Naples fled from their Royal Palace of Caserta chased by the troops of the Napoleonic general Marat, Queen Maria Carolina, who was the one who commanded between the two, preferred not to reside in the noble and gloomy palaces of the Palermo princes settling in a building to which the previous owner had given an original "Chinese" shape and colors. At the time, the "chinoiserie" were very popular among the nobles and living in a house that recalled its forms was something particularly elegant and original.

The queen demanded an arrangement more in keeping with her noble origin and among the various frescoes she wanted the faces of her beloved children to appear, which she called "My tenderness". The building has in its forms the appearance of a dream, of a place where time does not exist and perhaps for this reason that the noble Maria Carolina wanted it: dreams live beyond reality and if they are extraordinary dreams, they hide it, making it forget .

Maria Carolina had much to forget: her inept husband and slacker, being hosted in the "Land beyond the lighthouse" as the Borbonici documents defined the hated Sicily; to forgett being in the midst of Princes who felt more noble than her, forget especially the French in his palace in Naples, those hated Frenchmen who had cut off the head of her beloved sister Marie Antoinette. Forget the rebellion of progressive nobles and intellectuals that she favored when she was young. The building was therefore the ideal place to put aside bad memories and live in a present that had no reference to what was happening in the rest of Europe. A dream, serene and intimate place that the queen would have left only after Napoleon's defeat by returning to Naples where she would have cut off all the old acquaintances and artists with progressive and open ideas that had endangered her kingdom. In the Chinese building, dreaming between ethereal and exotic figures, Maria Carolina had also asleep with fear her conscience, leaving free rein to revenge.

[five-miles-over]

‘Aftermath’ Part 5: Beneath a Moonless Sky (Commodus x OC)

Read Part 1: The Impossible Dream here

Read Part 2: Proud of Your Boy here

Read Part 3: Point of No Return here

Read Part 4: Look Down here

Summary: While in the palace, Caesonia ponders about her own test of courage and fidelity to her father. Meanwhile, Commodus finds himself attracted to his Pink Fairy when he learns about her past.

Warning: angst, obsession, and also a bit of fluff at the end.

People should know when they’ve been conquered, her father used to say. Caesonia looked out of her tiny window, watching the orange and yellow rays fall from the concrete and presumably into the horizon. Of course, when he said those words, he usually referred to Germanic barbarians, not young women.

Caesonia’s fingers dawdled near the cold wall, tracing abstract patterns against the grey material. Didn’t philosophers used to call life one big prison that houses all men? They spoke of a metaphorical one, while she was in a real one.

That wasn’t to say that her prison was akin to a cell in the palace’s dungeon - it was a bit more spacious and she had a blanket to cover herself with. Would you be proud of me, father? Being a dutiful citizen and serving my sentence as I must?, Caesonia thought longingly. Or have I disappointed you being a meek coward this whole time?

All Caesonia had ever wanted was to make her father satisfied to call her his progeny, despite never being the son he so desperately craved for. Perhaps he would’ve agreed that she did the right thing by remaining in her prison day after day. She didn’t seem to be giving the emperor or his guards any sort of trouble, and for a month, all was well.

Yet being the daughter of a general, had she failed the test of courage by never daring to escape her cell? Surely one of bravery would have done so, swearing to defy the emperor’s orders and fight back. The window was small, but she could’ve squeezed through and jumped out of it. Whether she would survive the three-story fall was a secondary question, but at least she would be free.

Ever since that Spaniard gladiator had arrived in the city, it seemed fashionable to defy the emperor - anyone who followed his orders was considered a weakling or a fool. Being a young lady, Caesonia never needed to worry about whom to side with; ever since she’d come of age, her father never encouraged her to delve into politics.

However, things were different now with the recent…change in dynamics. The emperor was back in power, and the Senate now in disarray, but the people were still deciding whom to give their loyalty to. From the conversations she could overhear in her cell, not even the servants were sure of their true allegiance. Only time could truly tell who would win this ultimate battle of leadership.

Her thoughts were adjourned by an announcement from a guard. “The Emperor of Rome is on his way, prisoner!” His declaration was interrupted by a quick slap. “How dare you call her merely a prisoner?” The voice was none other than that of Commodus’s. “She is a lady and must be addressed as such.”

Caesonia straightened herself, adjusting her toga so that she may be presentable before him. She saw him coming towards her, bearing a piece of pink cloth in one of his hands. Narrowing her eyes closer, she recognized it as her pink cloth - it was from the dress she wore to witness the Spaniard fight His Majesty.

The guards parted for him. “Good evening, my lady,” Emperor Commodus lowered his head for her, a rare honor for anyone, let alone a prisoner. “Good evening, your Highness,” she curtsied before him, her lower lip quivering as her eyes met his.

“Do you by any chance know of this, Lady Caesonia?” He offered her the cloth.

“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Yes, it looks similar to a piece of a dress that I own. Except, my cloth was stained with dirt and blood; the one you are holding, Caesar, is clean.”

Commodus, relieved that he truly knew whom his Pink Fairy was, signalled for the guards to let her out into the halls. “I had the laundresses clean it, my lady. Would it displease you if I asked you to walk with me tonight?”

“Not at all, your Highness.”

He hummed in agreement, going outside of the palace and into one of the gardens in the southern wing. Surrounded by various species of roses, narcissi, and gladioli, it was quite the colorful ensemble. And in the center, there was a large fountain with water spouting from a statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor in history.

It was quite dark, with the sky being surrounded by nothing but black, velvety clouds. Yet, the starlight and the faint glow from the palace was enough luminescence for them to see each other.

The emperor invited her to sit next to him on the marble bench. Noticing her silence, Commodus softly asked her. “Do I scare you, Lady Caesonia?”

“No. This is not the first time we have met, your Highness.”

“Where have we met before?”

“In Germania, Highness. I came along with my father on his battles.”

Commodus raised an eyebrow at the idea of a young girl being brought to a battefield, especially one of nobility. “But why? Surely a girl like you would’ve been entrusted to her mother at home. A battle camp is no place for a young lady.”

Caesonia closed her eyes for a moment. “My mother died during childbirth, Caesar. And I had no siblings.”

“My condolences to your mother,” the emperor nodded.

“Thank you, Caesar,” she forced a small smile.

“Did your father teach you to fight?”

“He did when I was young - until I was twelve, everyone called me Cassius Quintii,” her eyes twinkled under the indigo sky as she narrated. “I was raised as a boy, and I fought like any soldier’s son.”

“And then what happened?”

Caesonia continued, “My armor…my armor became too tight for my chest, and my father knew why. He stopped teaching me, and started leaving me in the company of various ladies present - concubines, noble ladies, and even…” Her voice faltered, hesitating to mention Lady Lucilla.

“My sister, no?” Commodus finished, “She used to leave you in my care and go off to speak with her lover.”

Looking further at Caesonia, the memory suddenly came back to him. When he came to Germania hoping to speak with his father about his succession and eventual coronation, he was given a girl to watch over. It was utterly humiliating, him - a prince - being brought to a battlefield to baby-sit. Until his father’s letter describing the four virtues, he thought there was no clearer of a way for his father to convey his opinion about Commodus.

Caesonia added, “All I’ve wanted was to please my father, but I think he’s still angry that I was never the son he wanted…and that I took away the chance of him having another child.”

“And yet you still plead for his life in court even though he made yours uncomfortable?”

“I love him nonetheless, and I think he deserves to live. Perhaps that was my mistake.” Caesonia looked down, placing her hands in her lap.

His expression softening, Commodus gently stroked her cheek, causing her to turn towards him. With those same fingers, he lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers. Caesonia held his forearm to steady herself as she attempted to reciprocate his kiss, having never experienced such intimacy before. She did not want to be punished for refusing him and she was afraid of angering the emperor with her boldness, but her touch only captivated him.

“You’re perfect,” he whispered, lowering her onto the marble delicately as if she were made of glass. Commodus marveled at her submissiveness, having never felt so much power in his arms as he did in that moment. Her eyelids lowered and her lips parted slightly when he climbed on top of her, the heavy weight of his armor crushing her chest. He captured her lips again, and felt her arms encircle his broad shoulders.

As their kiss deepened, her muted sighs only strengthened a new desire surging through his veins. It was far too different than merely lust, Commodus thought, it was almost a feeling of jealousy, or hunger perhaps. In that moment, he was ready to kill anyone who tried to claim her, or touch her, or snatch her away from him. She needed to be his and only his.

Gasping for air, the two of them broke apart too soon for either’s liking, still lingering in each other’s embrace. It had felt like an eternity passed before the emperor rose from the bench. Commodus suppressed a chuckle as he watched Caesonia’s knees buckle when she tried to stand up. Lovingly, he wrapped the cloth around her neck like a scarf and strode away from the bench. Walking five steps behind him, she followed him out of the garden and into the palace.

The emperor could not help but glance behind as they made their way through the halls. She looked ethereal among the light of the torches. Her smooth hair and her cheekbones called to his fingers, clamoring for his caress. It was taking every fiber of his being not to roughly push her against the palace walls and kiss her again until they were both breathless.

He stopped before another empty bedroom, seemingly much more comfortable, and spoke to the guard, instructing him to keep her here for the time being. “Good night, Lady Caesonia,” he bent down to kiss her hand.

“Good night, Caesar. Thank you for your benevolence,” she nodded in return.

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The next morning, Caesonia rose from her bed to find a plate of pink-bottled perfumes and creams, along with a little rouge, by her bedside. Perhaps a maid must’ve placed it while I slept, she thought. In the midst of the cosmetics, there was a folded piece of parchment. Carefully, she unfolded the note and read,

“If you ever asked me if I’d seen a rose blooming from another rose,

My reply would be yes, for my eyes have been blessed by one of those.

On the night your soft, finely curved lips met mine,

I witnessed your rosy cheeks bloom from that rose-like face of thine.”