#but the darkling just does not fit that

[grishaverse-chaos]

honestly the thing that pisses me off about darkl!ng fans is how they act like he's anti-monarchy!! he literally isn't lmao, he only dislikes the lantsovs because they're anti-grisha.

he never has anything to say about the actual concept of monarchy itself and yet people act like he's against the whole thing because it's a corrupt system

in fact, in the books, the position of darkl!ng is quite literally an inherited title that gives him control over the second army - I know they got rid of that in the show (they shouldn't have done that imo, because it highlights his greed and hypocrisy) but watching people act as if he's against the monarchy when he benefits from an inherited title is..... honestly hilarious tbh

[astrababyy]

https://www.tumblr.com/astrababyy/738088417973420032/one-thing-i-really-liked-about-feyre-in-the-first

This post of your makes me wonder if SJM wasn't a onetrick pony and respected her own stories and actually wrote characters and not tropes of girlboss ™️ what would've feyre's character trajectory looked like? I'm interested to know what do you think her arc would've been?

I sometimes feel like the problem isn't even Feysand being a ship it's SJM molding Feyre (& nesta) so they are similar to their bat boy mates. Because like there's S&B with darklina being it's most popular ship. Sure it's not endgame and that's because Leigh didn't completely change Alina's whole personality to fit the darkling. Alina got to keep the characteristics that made her who she is which is what made the chemistry between the two interesting too unlike in SJM's stories where she obliterates her fmc's entire personality to fit their male li and in doing so it ruins any appeal in the "ship" itself. Feyre/Feysand and Nesta/Nessian are both examples of that.

hello, anon! i rarely ever receive asks regarding meta or characterization so thanks so much for this lol <3

as i stated in the post you linked, i do believe that feyre's natural arc would've had some sort of internal conflict regarding both her trauma from under the mountain and her being turned into a faerie. i feel that rhysand's comment about her "human heart" could've been emphasized better in the second book and would've served as an interesting contrast from rhys, her established mate in the story. their morals are vastly different from each other; how does this change their relationship? would feyre accept him for who he is? would she judge him, scorn him, try to help him?

especially in regards to the impending war, i think feyre struggling with her newfound fae instincts, being different from who she used to be, and trying to reconnect with who she used to be while accepting who she is now could've been very profound and paired well with her struggles with the trauma she faced from under the mountain.

the major issue with feyre's characterization is how she was molded to become rhysand's partner, rather than being able to fit with him naturally and seamlessly. the same issue occurs with nesta and cassian's relationship, where her character has to be altered just to fit in with the person cassian is. in feyre's case specifically, it got worse as the books went on. feyre gradually became less and less alike to her old self without a clear reason for why she was changing in that way. as i stated before, her becoming a less violent-averse person due to her faerie nature is understandable and would've been a wake-up call considering her transformation, but feyre becoming less empathetic and understanding of the plight of the lower classes, becoming so much more okay with spending money carelessly, supporting rhysand's frankly corrupt government structure, etc. are all ooc.

feyre, as a character, had a lot of potential and could've had that transition into becoming this warrior queen without losing all her morals and beliefs, becoming a vessel for the pro rhysand agenda. it's truly unfortunate that her character had to devolve in the way it did.

[caelesjjk]

sanguine | jjk | pt. 2

⟶title: sanguine pt. 2

⟶au: vampire au, arranged marriage au, royalty au

⟶ rating: 18+

⟶ genre: romance, kinda slow burn?, smut, angst

⟶wc: 12k

⟶warnings: some swearing, mentions of blood, blood drinking, biting, drowning, lots of sexual tension, a damn good kiss, Jungkook is the perfect man which makes for some very sweet moment, jealousy

⟶ summary: Marry the vampire king. Save the kingdom.

Your father is the king of a rare human kingdom that has been plagued by famine and sickness. And in a last ditch effort to save the kingdom, he has arranged for you to marry the vampire king to the north. Your hand in marriage in exchange for his help in saving your kingdom.

Everything you swore could never happen between the two of you begins to unfold as you spend more time in the vampire kingdom with its king and his subjects. Can you learn to love this place and it’s beloved ruler?

⟶ authors note: hello darklings, welcome to part 2 of the sanguine series. I cannot wait for you to read this and tell me your thoughts. So much happens in this chapter and the ride is just getting started. I also promise that the smut is coming. Not in this part, sorrrrrry. But so soon 👀

Special thanks once again to jords @jeonjcngkook , hali @haliiimede and Kay @tea4sykes for reading over this and convincing me it’s not crap and fixing all of my epic grammar mistakes. You guys are my hero’s honestly.

banner: @missgeniality

One last thing, this is a link to the playlist I made for when I’m writing Sanguine. It really sets the mood when reading too, enjoy!

Sleep evades you most of the day. You’re too exhilarated by the thoughts of what Jungkook plans to show you tonight. You’re unsettled, but even more curious.

You change your clothes several times, having no idea how to dress. Finally, you decide on a deep green velvet dress that just barely brushes the floor, its long sleeves and turtleneck have you hoping it will keep you warm in the new autumn breezes. The nights have become chilly recently.

You find a half cape made of fur to wrap around your shoulders before a knock echoes throughout your bed chambers. It makes you jump slightly from the sudden sound but you quickly recover, heading to the doors expecting it to be Jungkook on the other side.

“Ready to take our leave, my lady?” Yoongi bows to you as the door opens. 

“You’re coming too?” Confusion evident on your face. 

“I am.” Yoongi moves aside so that you can exit the room and walk ahead of him down the hallway. “Protecting the king and queen is in my job description.”

“Why will we need protecting?” You try to walk next to him, but he stays a step behind.

“I hope that you don’t, my lady.” Yoongi clasps his hands behind his back, some of his dark hair falling into his eyes as he watches you.

“Where are we going?” You ask.

“I think I should let the king give you that information.” 

“I’m the queen though, aren’t I? You have to tell me if I ask.” You lift a brow at him in defiance. Yoongi laughs quietly.

“Are you always this insistent, your highness?” He offers his hand to you as you approach the staircase. 

“Perhaps. How insistent must I be to get information out of you?” You place your hand into his, still not quite used to the cold feeling of vampire skin against your own.

“Let the king have his time.” Yoongi half smiles, helping you from the last step. You glare at him in disappointment, making him laugh quietly once more.

You pull your fur around you a bit closer and look towards the huge front doors of the castle where Jungkook and Seokjin are waiting. 

Jungkook looks…beautiful. Casual. Comfortable. His hair unstyled and hanging over his forehead. Brown dress slacks fitted against his muscular legs and tucked into knee height leather brown boots. His white button up shirt has more buttons undone than it does done up. It is absolutely maddening.

“Good evening, your highness.” Seokjin says, his cheery voice breaking you from ogling your husband for too long. You pray he didn’t notice.

“Good evening.” You clear your throat and bow as you approach the two of them.

“You look…” Jungkook starts to say.

“Is it too much? I had no idea how to dress for whatever it is we’re doing.” Your hands rub nervously at your thighs.

“Perfect.” Jungkook finishes, taking a step towards you. “You look perfect.” You feel heat rush to your cheeks at his words.

“Thank you.” You bite at your bottom lip, feeling lost for words when he’s so close. “You look nice too.”

“Was that a compliment, my queen?” Jungkook teases, holding out his arm for you to take. You roll your eyes.

“Do not get used to it.” You take the arm he’s offered, watching Seokjin open the doors so that the two of you can walk out first.

Outside on the stone path awaits a carriage, different from the one you remember riding in on the night of your wedding. This one seems smaller but still just as intricate in its gold embellishments and filigree wheel designs. 

Jungkook helps you inside, letting you slide to the other side of the bench seat before he joins you. Yoongi and Seokjin climb into the seat at the front, the former taking the reigns and bringing the horses to a gallop.

“May I know where we’re going now?” You don’t look at Jungkook, your eyes are too busy taking in the way the orange and red leaves glide down from the trees in the moonlight. They make an autumn colored blanket over the dirt road and waft out beneath the wheels of the carriage as it passes over them. Jungkook loves the wonderment on your face.

“To see the kingdom at night. I think the city of Asteria will be something you rather enjoy.” Jungkook finally gives you the information you’ve so desperately wanted since last night.

“Asteria?” You ask, breathless at merely just the name of it.

“You may hear others in the kingdom call it the city of stars. It’s the largest part of the kingdom where most of our subjects reside.” Jungkook leans forwards and looks out the window of the carriage with you. “It’s there, between those hillsides with the cliffs.”

As the carriage approaches the hillsides, you start to see more of what Jungkook is referring to. More lights. Soft and gentle and not too bright. Buildings, so many buildings. Large ones, small ones, some at ground level while others were built into the cliff side.

The closer that you got, the more you could hear. Voices of the subjects who lived here. Vampires. So many vampires. More than you imagined existed walking around the busy cobblestone streets. 

“This…these are all vampires?” You finally turn from the window to look at Jungkook.

“Yes.” He smiles gently. “It isn’t something we go around advertising. Keeps everyone safe that way.” 

You look at him dumbfounded for a moment before turning back to the window as the carriage comes to a stop. Yoongi and Seokjin don’t even have enough time to jump down from the front to open the doors before you’re swinging it open and jumping out, almost tripping on your skirt as you do. 

“Your majesty?” Yoongi scrambles down when he sees you, worry in voice.

You can barely hear him though. Every single one of your senses switching into overdrive as you take in the sight in front of you.

Flowers. There are thousands of flowers with their bright colors and heavenly fragrant smells. They’re lined in almost every windowsill on the main road in front of you. There are also shops and vendors placed throughout selling even more of them. It’s the most beautiful sight you’ve ever seen.

Your feet have adapted a mind of their own, propelling you forward towards all the hustle and bustle happening on the street. You almost forget that you didn’t arrive here alone.

“_____? Are you okay?” Jungkook’s hand comes to your shoulder and stops you from going further. When you turn to look at him you know your eyes must be blown wide as they can get.

“This is beautiful.” You bring your hand up to the one he’s resting on your shoulder and wrap your fingers around his. “Can we please go and see it?”

“As if I would deny you a single thing.” Jungkook smiles, moving your hand down from your shoulder and holding it instead. You look down at your intertwined hands for a moment before you’re taking off in a rush towards the busy market. Jungkook merely laughs at your excitement.

Overwhelmed is an understatement, as you try to take in everything along the busy street. There are large glass windows in front of all the shops, displaying some of the things you might find inside of them. 

Multiple shops are selling beautiful handmade clothing. Gorgeous dresses, embroidered shirts, sparkling skirts and dazzling leather. Your hands itch to run over the materials and feel them for yourself. But you’re too excited to go inside them, you need to see what else there is to discover in this beautifully hidden city.

You see jewelry shops stacked full of effervescent gems, chains of silver and gold, and bracelets made from both. There are also watches and braided leather. It’s absolutely incredible.

“See anything that you like?” Jungkook asks and you suddenly remember he’s still holding your hand as you drag him to all the shops.

“Oh. No, do not even think of it. It must all cost a fortune.” You shake your head at him.

“You continuously forget that you’re the queen of this whole kingdom, _____. Anything you want is yours.” Jungkook tucks a piece of hair behind your ear.

You look down at the blood drop shaped ring on your finger, wondering if this is the shop that made it for you when you married Jungkook. The ring doesn’t feel as heavy as it used to. It stopped burning your skin where it sits against your skin. It doesn’t remind you of the terrible days anymore. Now you only think of the vampire who slid it down your finger all those months ago.

“I have enough jewelry for now.” You squeeze his hand and move to the next shop. As you approach the window, you feel confusion wash over you like a massive wave. 

Toys. Children's toys.

“Why is there a toy shop?” Goosebumps cover your skin. “Vampires are forbidden from biting children.”

“You’re right, darling. We are forbidden from biting children.” Jungkook pulls your hand and brings you to stand at the corner of where one street meets another.

As your eyes focus on what he wants you to see, your breath leaves your lungs entirely. The sight in front of you is so shocking that your ability to think clearly has completely disappeared.

“What…children?” You whisper.

“Indeed. Born, not bitten.” Jungkook takes you closer to them.

“How? Vampires cannot have children.” 

“And who is it that told you that? Old legends and lore perhaps?” Jungkook rubs his thumb over your knuckles. “Vampires are capable of having children with other vampires. Works much the same way it does with humans.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing, beginning to wonder if anything you thought you knew was true at all. Your chest feels heavy with this new information.

“What other lies have I been led to believe are true?” You can’t take your eyes off of the children running about in the grass kicking around a ball.

“We can debunk them as they come up. There’s no need to overwhelm you more right now.” 

Before Jungkook can say anything else, you’re letting go of his hand and jogging over toward the children. Once you reach them, you lower down onto your knees in front of them and they all stop their game to gather around and regard you. 

Their parents, you assume, all bow to you and encourage their children to do the same. 

“There’s no need for that.” You smile at them gently. “Do you think I could play your game with you?”

One of the little girls amongst the children steps forward, a look of confusion painting her sweet face.

“Don’t you hate us, your majesty?” She asks simply, your heart sinking in your chest.

“No. I could never hate you, little one.” You reach out and gently touch the cool skin of her hand, thankful that she doesn’t flinch away when you do.

“You can be on my team, your majesty.” She smiles, her little fangs poking out and reminding you that even though she’s small, she is a vampire. 

But that doesn’t seem to bother you at all.

“I would like that very much.” You let her take your hand and lead you towards the area where they were playing their game.

Looking back over your shoulder, you see Jungkook standing nearby with Yoongi and Seokjin a few steps behind. His arms are crossed over his broad chest as he watches you with a fond smile. You smile back just before the children begin shouting and explaining the rules of their game to you.

You lose track of time. Not sure at all how long you’ve been playing with the children. Your skin is warm and flushed from chasing the ball around and running about. 

Jungkook still waits for you, he and Yoongi talking as you pick up your fur cloak you had discarded earlier in the game from the ground. His eyes meet yours while you’re watching him, neither of you breaking that eye contact for what seems like forever. 

“Did you enjoy the game?” Seokjin asks, suddenly at your side.

“I had a lot of fun, yes.” You attempt to smooth out your hair to no avail.

“I don’t think many queens would be caught playing games with children of the kingdom. It was rather heartwarming considering how you once felt about them.” Seokjin says, not meaning to be rude. You appreciate the honesty.

“I am not sure how I feel. But what I do know, is that I was far too harsh towards the people of this kingdom. Whether they are vampires or not, I never should have said the things I did.” You sigh, walking slowly towards Jungkook and Yoongi with Seokjin at your side.

“I was the same way, you know. I hated them. Vampires have the worst reputations in this realm. But they’ve never tried to dispel the rumors…makes them seem dangerous. Keeps them safe.” 

“I think that I have a lot to make up for. I have not been an easy person to deal with these past few months.” 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, your majesty. I think you’ll find if you keep your heart open here, you’ll be surprised by what can happen.” Seokjin smiles, the apples of his cheeks lifting in the cutest way.

“I’ll do my best.” You lift a hand to give his shoulder a squeeze, pulling it back a little too quickly when you feel how warm he is. “Are you okay? You’re burning up.”

“Ah, yes. No need to worry. It’s a werewolf thing, blood temperature is warmer than a humans and far warmer than a vampires.” Seokjin assures you.

“It seems I’ll learn something new around here every day.” 

“That will make two of us, my lady.” Seokjin bows to you as you reach Jungkook and makes his way towards another group of people.

“Did you have a nice time?” Jungkook asks.

“Yes, I did.” You smile at each other, knowing your cheeks are warming the longer that you look at him.

“Shall we return to the castle soon?” 

“If that’s what you wish to do.”

“We can come here whenever you like. I admittedly do not do it enough these days.” Jungkook holds out his hand for you to take and you do without thought. 

“I’ll keep that in mind, your highness.” You let him gently lead you back towards the busy street you had entered the city on.

“May I ask you something?” Jungkook inquires.

“Yes.”

“Do you still have that kitchen knife strapped to your thigh?” His eyes seem to darken slightly as he watches your face.

You aren’t sure what comes over you, but you pull his hand to a stop, looking around to make sure no other eyes will hone in on what you’re about to do.

Swiftly, you lift the slit of your dress a little higher up your thigh, revealing the same kitchen knife that you had come by in Hoseok’s kitchen all those months ago.

“Just in case.” You smirk as Jungkook groans quietly. 

“You’re bewitching, do you know that?” Jungkook stares at your thigh until you let your dress fall back into place. 

“And you are out of your mind.” You laugh with a shake of your head.

“I merely appreciate beauty in the form of a woman with a weapon strapped to her thigh.” Jungkook's smile reaches his eyes revealing his perfectly shaped teeth, along with his own set of sharp weapons. It doesn’t frighten you as much as it likely should anymore.

“Masochist.” You tease, putting your hand back into his.

“Only for you, my queen.” He brings your hand up to his lips, brushing a kiss against your knuckles. 

It catches you off guard, to feel his cool lips against your skin. The contrast is maddening in an unexplainable way. The invigorating touch of his kiss and the burning hot fire that ignites in your belly.

The two of you stare at each other for a moment, letting it sink in that Jungkook has just done something very intimate with you. The most intimate the two of you have been and it was merely just a kiss to your hand.

“Are you okay?” He finally asks. You nod your head yes. “Good. I want to make one more quick stop before we take our leave then.”

“Of course.” You clear your throat.

You walk with him down the street until you reach a shop with leather workings in the window. All sorts of intricate belts and straps with the most beautiful details hang from the displays.

“Wait here a moment?” He asks, releasing your hand as he heads inside the shop. You nod and turn to see Yoongi standing behind you.

“Your highness.” He says, bowing slightly.

“You’re never too far from Jungkook, are you?” You smile tenderly and he does the same.

“He is my king and my oldest friend. I only wish to look out for him.” 

“Was Jungkook born or bitten?” You ask curiously.

“Bitten, my lady.” 

“He was human once.” You say more to yourself than to Yoongi, letting the thought sink in.

“A very long time ago.” Yoongi steps up a bit closer. “He was chosen to be the king because he refused to stand down when the king before him sentenced us all to death.”

“How?” 

“The former king disapproved of making treaties with the humans. But obviously, we require their blood to live.”

“That’s something I’ve been curious about…how do you get the blood?”

“Donations. Humans come to us by their own will and are paid handsomely for their donations. The people of your kingdom have been given this option now as well.” Yoongi looks in the shop window, making sure that he can see Jungkook.

“There are not many human kingdoms left.” You say, sadness evident in your voice.

“Jungkook hopes to prevent any more loss. We need each other to survive.” Yoongi bows once more when he sees Jungkook is walking towards the exit of the shop.

Everything Yoongi has told you just now, has your brain reeling. You were never kept in the loop enough as a princess in your fathers kingdom, it wasn’t your right. You didn’t know half the things going on in this realm that you really should have known.

“Have something for you.” Jungkook says, breaking you from your thoughts.

“You didn’t need to.”

“I rather think this gift is necessary.” Half his mouth rising into a smile. “Come here.” Jungkook lowers down onto one knee in front of you.

“What are you doing?” Your eyes widen in surprise.

“No one is looking, and if they do I’ll kill them. Place your foot here.” He pats the top of his thigh.

“Have you gone mad?” You hiss through your teeth at him.

“Trust me, darling. Aren’t you curious about what I have for you?” Jungkooks tongue slyly licks over one of his fangs as he watches your face.

“Fine then.” You look around once more before lifting your foot and placing it on Jungkook’s thigh as he requested. Your dress slides up and reveals your makeshift knife sheath.

“You are immaculate.” His eyes hungrily roam your exposed skin. Like he could quite literally consume you whole. 

His fingertips come to your skin, sliding up and burning in their wake. It didn’t matter that his skin was cool to the touch, he was setting you ablaze. They stop at the sheath wrapped around your thigh, removing the knife before far too easily ripping the material away.

“Jungkook…” You barely recognize your voice.

“You see, my queen. If you insist on carrying a weapon, and I so hope that you do,” he pauses for a moment, taking something out of the giftbag next to him, “You should at least have a proper sheath.”

Jungkook withdraws a black piece of leather from the bag, holding it up to show you. The leather looks so soft that it could possibly be velvet. Silver threads sewn into intricate designs up and down the surface. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of work.

You slide your foot through the opening, letting Jungkook glide the sheath up your leg until it fits snugly around your thigh. He lets his hands roam your skin and you instinctively feel the need to clench your thighs together to keep the foreign feelings at bay.

“It’s really beautiful.” You whisper to only him.

“You’re so deliciously soft. It’s fucking maddening.” Leaning forward, his nose skims your knee. Your eyes fall shut, lips trembling slightly.

“Why?”

“Every day is a new test of my restraint, my queen.” He moves his face back away from your skin, trying to breathe in air that wasn’t full of you.

“Are you restraining yourself from biting me?” You open your eyes slowly, just in time to see Jungkook rise from his knee to stand in front of you.

“Yes.” He answers, making you shudder. “But I never will. Not unless you ask me to. I would never hurt you.”

Before you had spent all this time with Jungkook in the vampire kingdom, you would have been disgusted by the mere thought of him biting you…drinking your blood. But now the only thoughts in your head are whether it would really hurt. Would he kill you? Would it change you into a vampire as well?

Yoongi and Seokjin return and give you an excuse not to continue the conversation further and decide to return to the carriage instead. 

“Did I frighten you?” Jungkook inquires gently.

“No.” You release a shaky breath. “I think I’ve just begun to forget that you’re a vampire. It must be very difficult for you to be around me.” 

“Don’t do that.” 

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t start blaming yourself. I would suffer a thousand years before I ever let you do that.” He declares, voice stable and a little stern.

“I just don’t like the idea of making your life more difficult than it already is.” You huff, scooting over across the bench seat to put more space between the two of you.

“It’s very selfless of you to feel that way.” His fingers tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, cool skin brushing over the skin of your jaw until they reach your chin, gently bringing your face around to look at him once more. “But you are the most important thing to me now. I will never do anything you do not ask of me. I mean that. I do not care about the discomforts it causes me.”

“Now who’s being selfless?” You tease, leaning into his touch when his hand slides to cup your cheek.

“Stubborn girl.” He mumbles quietly. 

The carriage suddenly feels very small. And very warm. The look on Jungkook’s face as he studies you, makes you shift in your seat. All of these new feelings for him begin to bubble at the surface and beg to be released. If only you weren’t such a coward.

“Have you gotten any word from Taehyung?” You clear your throat and slowly move your face away from his gentle touch. Jungkook smiles, but it’s more out of frustration than anything else.

“We expect to hear from him in the next few days. I’m sure he will want an audience.” Jungkook sighs, leaning back against the seat and running a hand through his silky hair.

“Will he come to the castle?” A different type of nerve pricks your stomach. You do not know much of Taehyung other than he is a ruthless leader always waiting for the next fight.

“If I allow him, yes. And I think it best to have these conversations with him on my terms.” Jungkooks jaw is tight and sharp as he finishes speaking.

“He wants to bargain for my fathers kingdom, doesn’t he?” 

“Yes.” He turns his body towards you. “But no matter what he says or offers, I will not let him take it. I made a promise to your father and to you.” 

You don’t speak of it any further on the way back to the castle. But your mind continues to reel with thoughts of the merciless werewolf king and his unwavering determination to rule your fathers kingdom. You know Jungkook will do his best to keep everyone safe, but at what cost?

The carriage stops in front of the castle's huge front doors, Seokjin jumping down from the seat at the front to open the door for you and Jungkook. 

“Are you hungry?” Jungkook asks, taking your hand to help you step down from the carriage.

“A bit, yes.” You continue to hold his hand as the two of you ascend the stairs, the doors opening as you approach so that you can enter.

“Shall I have Hoseok make something for you? Seokjin is probably hungry as well.” Jungkook points out something that you had not thought of during your time here. Jin is not a vampire and requires food as well. How silly of you not to think of such a thing.

“Could hear your stomach growling the whole ride back, my queen.” Jin teases as he comes up behind the two of you. 

“Perhaps a little.” You laugh quietly, eyes finally honing in on the group of people standing at the foot of the grand staircase. “Who are they?”

“You need to eat your meal, and I need to have mine.” Jungkook squeezes your hand but you suddenly feel uncomfortable.

A woman in a pale pink dress steps forward as you approach, curtsying to Jungkook but not to you. She’s very pretty, small and petite. Her hair is swept up neatly but the smile on her face is vicious.

“My king.” She says in an overly sweet voice that makes your skin crawl.

“Celeste.” Jungkook addresses her. “Shall I meet with you after you have your dinner?” He’s speaking to you but all you can do is stare at the woman in front of you.

“Will you be long?” You clear your throat, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Not long.” Jungkook smirks, sensing your unrealized jealousy.

“I’ll just head to bed after dinner. Enjoy your…meal.”

“Do not worry your majesty, I will take good care of the king.” Celeste practically purrs. You want to stab her in the neck with your kitchen knife. 

“I’m sure you will.” Grabbing your skirt in your hands you stomp off towards the kitchen to find Hoseok and beg him to talk you out of murder.

You slam open the swinging door of the kitchen causing poor unsuspecting Hoseok to screech and almost drop his mixing bowl. You’re pacing the floor before he even has a chance to recover.

“Did you know Jungkook has a woman that he drinks from? A pretty little thing. He had the audacity to introduce her to me. As if I give a fuck.” You grab a piece of bread off the counter top and bite into it with very little care.

“First of all, could you please stop barging in here like this? You’re going to give me a heart attack.” Hoseok sits the mixing bowl down, wiping his hands on his apron. “Second, don’t say fuck, it’s very unqueenly.”

You glare at him and savagely take another bite off the bread you were eating. 

“Why do you care who he drinks blood from? You don’t even like him.” Hobi laughs and shakes his head before your eyes meet his. “Wait…you do like him! When did that change?”

“It hasn’t! I mean not really…I don’t know! All I know is that I do not like the idea of him drinking from her.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s…I’m told it’s very intimate. Drinking someone’s blood…it’s very intimate.” You can feel sweat forming on the nape of your neck.

“So what you’re saying is that you don’t want him to be intimate with her?”

“Correct. There’s something not right about her.” 

“Then do you want him to be intimate with you?” Hobi stops what he’s doing and stands in front of you to halt your pacing.

The question throws you completely off guard. You should know the answer. You should not want the answer to be yes. You hate the thought of Jungkook being that close to anyone else.

“No! How could you say that!” You smack his shoulder.

“What do you propose he do then? He needs blood like you need food. You’re being unreasonable.” Hoseok rubs his shoulder.

“Who’s side are you on Hobi?” You pout your bottom lip, sad that you know he’s right.

“I’m always on your side.” He hands you another piece of bread before continuing. “But I think you need to tell the king how you feel.”

“Well that’s not going to happen.” You scoff. “I don’t…I don’t know how I feel about the king.”

“Yes you do. You’re just a stubborn ass that doesn’t want to admit it.” 

“You cannot call me an ass! I’m the queen!” You laugh, only slightly surprised at his words. Hoseok has always been honest with you.

“A queen that I have known quite literally my entire life. Would it really be so bad to love him, ____?” 

Love. You were especially unsure of what love meant. You felt the love of your father…from Hoseok as your friend. But you had never been in love. It was something you always assumed you would just know as soon as it happened. You also thought you would marry for love and maybe you hadn’t at the time…but now? Now you still didn’t know.

“I need to get some air.” You tell Hoseok, moving towards the door.

“At least take this food with you.” He hands you a basket with more bread, along with some cheese and fruits. You notice a second basket sitting on the counter.

“Who’s that for?” 

“Seokjin. He has to eat food too.”

“I’m aware of that now.” You look at its contents a little closer. “Why does he have more in his basket?” You raise a suspicious brow.

“He’s a werewolf. He requires more food than a nosy little human queen.” Hobi pinches your side, pushing you towards the door. “Out of here, you menace.”

You can’t help but laugh, still feeling slightly suspicious of Hoseok and his beautifully packed food basket. But you decide to let it go for now, turning to hug him quickly before leaving the kitchen and finding yourself alone in the dimly lit hallway.

It doesn’t take long to find your way into the garden. You weren’t sure where else to take out your annoyance and frustrations. 

Annoyed that you let that blood bag of a girl get under your skin.

Frustrated that you cared.

“Digging somewhere in particular?” Jungkooks familiar voice says from behind you. You don’t turn to look at him.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” 

“The hole you’ve dug has gotten rather large.” 

You roll your eyes, finally focusing on the ground you had been digging at. You’re surprised to see that he’s right, you’ve been so inside your head that you had no idea how long you had been digging in the same spot. This annoys you even more, taking your small shovel and shoving it into the ground in front of you as if it were a sword.

“Do you need something?” You stand from the ground, brushing off your knees in the process.

“You seemed upset earlier. I wanted to know why.” Jungkook stands with his hands behind his back, not coming closer.

“I am not upset.” 

“You are.”

You roughly grab a rake from where it sits against the concrete fountain, walking to a different spot to make more distance between the two of you.

“You are mistaken.” You start to rake some of the fallen leaves that were making a mess of your flower beds.

“Tell me what you are thinking then.” Jungkook comes a bit closer, trying not to smile as he watches you. You don’t answer for a moment.

“I’m thinking about stabbing you.” You throw the rake to the ground and trudge towards Jungkook who stands unmoving. “I’m thinking that you’re probably having sex with your dinner as well.” 

“I love when you threaten me with sharp objects.” Jungkook smiles widely and it makes your blood boil.

“You should have stopped feeding from her when we got married. It’s the least you could do.” 

“Would you like me to?” He asks. 

“Yes!” You throw your hands up.

“Done. You’ll never see her again.” 

“Then you’ll just get another woman to drink from?” 

“Are you offering to let me drink from you?” His infuriating brow raises.

“I…I don’t know.”

“Are you afraid that I’ll turn you?”

“No. I know that you won’t.”

“Not unless you ask me to.” His fingers come beneath your chin, grasping it gently to bring your eyes to his. “I will do anything that you ask of me. But I need to eat.” 

“Does it hurt?” 

“For a moment. But what follows is the opposite.” His fingers move along your jaw, caressing the skin.

“Will you…fuck me when you drink from me?” The words fall from your mouth before you can sugar coat them in any way. Jungkook growls quietly in his chest.

“Such a filthy mouth.” His thumb brushes over your lips. “Do you want me to fuck you, my queen?”

“I do not know.” You breathe, eyes falling shut when he closes the last bit of distance and his nose skims over yours.

“I think that you do know, but are afraid to admit that you may in fact want such a thing.” You can practically feel his lips ghosting yours as he speaks. Your breathing is ragged and the burning in the pit of your stomach is spreading to the apex of your thighs.

The earth feels as though it could crumble beneath you at any moment and swallow you whole. He was so close to you. Breath fanning your lips. All you have to do is lean forward and you can kiss him. Tell him that he’s right and you do want that. You want it so badly that it’s making you feel deranged.

But instead of giving into the desire, you pull back. You need to get out of his intoxicating presence and his addictive smell. 

“I should go.” You try to bow and almost trip, stumbling away towards the back stairs that lead into the castle.

You don’t make it to the stairs though, a strong hand seizing the back of your neck and spinning you back around to face him. He doesn’t give you any time to protest, full lips coming down to cover yours, stealing away the breath in your chest and lungs. Your eyes flutter closed at the gentle way he cups your cheek and neck. 

Jungkook is kissing you. You feel such shock that you don’t realize you haven’t kissed back just yet. When your wits return your hands seize his hair, tangling in the dark locks and pulling him closer to you. He hums against your lips, his tongue begging at the seam to slip inside the cavern of your mouth.

You’ve never kissed anyone this way. You don’t know if you’ll do it right. But you part your lips and let Jungkook take the lead, his tongue skimming your lips once more before the kiss deepens and your tongue is moving with his. 

One of Jungkook's hands leaves your face and travels down your side to your waist until it reaches your lower back, bringing you flush against him. Your own hands come down from his hair and wrap around his neck instead. 

Everything feels so warm. How could a man who is cool to the touch feel so warm when he’s kissing you? 

When Jungkook withdraws his lips from yours, you feel dizzy, afraid to open your eyes. But you want to see his face, see if he has been as affected by the most perfect kiss you had ever experienced, so you will them to amble open.

The way that he’s already looking at you makes the fire in your stomach spread to your muscles and bones. His eyes are so dark, that crimson red ring that surrounds his irises just a bit brighter than usual. He looks as if he wants to devour you and you know that you would let him in an instant.

“Are you alright?” He finally asks.

“I am.” You ache to touch him again. “Are you?”

“I was afraid you would consume me. Steal away the small bit of humanity I have left…but it was so easy.” He smiles softly, reaching out to touch your warm cheek.

“You kissed me that way without knowing if you’d lose control?” You glare at him.

“I told you I would never hurt you. That was not a lie. But my desire…no, my need for you is something I’ve never experienced.” 

“Idiot!” You step forward and push against his hard chest. He doesn’t budge, but it gets your point across. “I should have stabbed you! You could ha-“ Your sentence is cut off by his lips on yours again. 

This kiss is much more bruising than the last. Jungkook wants you to understand that he’s in control of himself and that your life means everything to him. Your blood sings to him, it begs him to drink from you and not leave a single drop behind. But he won’t let that monster win, not when it comes to you.

Your fingers grip at the soft fabric of his shirt, needing something to anchor you to the earth before you float away. 

“I should walk you to your rooms. The sun will be up soon.” Jungkook's lips stay close to yours as he speaks, his lashes tickling your cheek when he kisses it.

“Okay.” You try to breathe in deeply, something to steady your mind. His lips move to your temple, pressing a kiss there before the defined shape of his body leaves yours.

“Come.” Jungkook takes your hand, leading you back inside. He doesn’t let go as you make your way through the halls and up the staircase to your rooms.

“I may have forgotten to say thank you earlier. For showing me Asteria. It really was incredible.” You stand close to your bedroom door, eyes falling to the floor when you feel unable to look at him. But he won’t have any of that.

“We have much to prepare for in the coming days…” His fingers brush your jaw and cup it to bring your eyes to his. “And we must also prepare for your coronation celebration.” 

“My what?” Confusion veils your face. “I didn’t think we would be having one.”

“The kingdom loves an excuse to have a party.” He laughs quietly. “And you deserve a formal welcome as Queen here.”

“I’m still not sure that anyone in the kingdom wants me here.” You step up a little closer, seeking the new found comfort Jungkook’s presence brings you.

“Anyone who has an issue with you ruling as queen here can easily be exterminated.” 

“You wouldn’t do such things.”

“For you? I think you underestimate the lengths I will go to keep you safe, darling.” A soft kiss to your lips that has your knees trembling.

“Masochist.” You smile against his mouth, teeth bumping his when he does the same.

“You should sleep before I throw you over my shoulder and have my way with you in my rooms instead.” One last kiss to your forehead as if he didn’t just threaten to have his way with you.

“I am rather tired…suppose I’ll need to call on my ladies in waiting to help me out of this dress.” You decide to tease him as well, letting the shoulder of your dress slip off slightly when you turn to open the door.

“Your husband is here now, isn’t he?” Jungkook glares, fingers itching to touch your exposed skin.

“You should rest, my king.” You bow to him, knowing your cleavage will spill out and his eyes do not miss it.

“______.” He groans your name, but you’re already slipping into your room.

“Goodnight, Jungkook.” You close the door when he tries to step closer, pressing your back to the cool wood, listening to him whine on the other side before it gets quiet and you know he’s gone to bed.

A few days have passed and Taehyung has not yet sent word of when we will be arriving in the vampire kingdom to discuss your fathers land.

It baffles you each time you think of it. Why would someone want the land of your kingdom so badly? It wasn’t as if it was more special than any other kingdom in the realm. 

You find yourself walking the halls just as the sun has fallen beneath the horizon, the clouds swirling with deep blues and hues of purple. A perfect twilight.

“My queen.” Yoongi suddenly appears, making you almost jump out of your skin.

“General.” You manage to squeak out.

“Are you well?” He asks.

“Honestly…I’m rather bored.” Yoongi smiles at your statement, the endearing gums above his teeth showing along with the dangerous shape of his fangs.

“Shall I teach you something then?” He questions.

“What will you teach me, General?” 

“I’ve heard you’re harboring a knife for safety.” He chuckles quietly. “I thought perhaps you might want to learn how to use blades properly.”

“You’ll teach me to fight?” Your eyes light up at his words.

“To protect yourself.” Yoongi begins to walk down the hall, looking back over his shoulder at you. “Are you coming?” 

“Yes!” You almost stumble trying to move your feet too quickly, but manage to follow him without injury.

Yoongi brings you to a large room downstairs, the walls filled with weapons of every sort. There are mats made of a padded material spread out across the floor as well.

In one corner of the room, you notice a very large pile of silver fur, and said pile of fur seems to be…breathing.

“What is that?” You ask, voice shaking slightly.

“That…” Yoongi smiles, “is Seokjin.” 

“Oh…” You continue to stare, never having seen Seokjin in his werewolf form.

He had taken some time a few days ago to explain that he’s in fact, a lycan, he was born and not bitten. The kind that depends on the moon to change are werewolves that were bitten by a lycan.

Jin hears the two of you approach and lifts his head, ears perked before he bows his large head to greet you. You return the gesture.

“Are you going to stay and watch me teach the queen how to use a blade?” Yoongi directs his question towards Jin.

Jin huffs through his nose once, laying back down with his eyes on the two of you.

“Is that a yes?” You wonder.

“It is. He also said that if I hurt you he will rip out my throat.” Yoongi smiles again, pointing the sword he had just picked up from a table towards Jin across the room.

“How would you know he said that? He didn’t speak.” 

“Because I can read his mind.” Yoongi says so matter of factly.

“You…I’m sorry. You can read his mind?” 

“Yes, my lady. He can read mine as well. It happens between beings like us after we’ve spent long amounts of time together.” Yoongi picks up another sword and hands it to you but you’re too distracted, almost dropping it to the ground.

“Can you read mine?” You’re absolutely fascinated and terrified at the same time.

“No, I cannot. We haven’t known each other long and you are very…human.” Yoongi adjusts your grip on the sword while you barely pay attention.

“What about Jungkook? Can he read my mind?” 

“That’s a question the king will need to answer.” You can hear the frustration in Yoongi's voice as he continues to try and help you hold the sword while you barely acknowledge what he’s doing. 

“Fascinating.” You mumble.

“If you will, my lady, hold the sword.” He finally says.

“Oh, yes. I’ve got it.” You’ve held a sword before, but have never needed to use one in any type of battle. 

Yoongi begins to explain that the movement is all in your wrist but the strength comes from using force from your upper body. He goes over the basics: how to hold the sword, how to step, how to avoid counterattacks and how to do some very simple counter attacks of your own.

You can feel sweat forming on your brow and dripping down your back. You haven’t done this much physical activity in quite some time.

“You’re doing well, your majesty.” Yoongi compliments.

“I wish I could know it all, all at once.” You sigh, leaning against the wall. Yoongi laughs quietly.

“With due time.” He places his sword back on the table. “We can train whenever you like, as long as the king doesn’t have me out and about.”

“I would like that very much, General.” You smile and he does the same as you place your sword into the holster.

As you do, the sheath pinches your finger and makes a small cut. You hold it up with a wince, seeing a small drop of blood form on the tip.

“All that swinging a sword around with no injury only to get a cut from a small pinch.” You wipe it against your thigh, wondering why Yoongi has become so quiet.

It did not click in your mind that this would be a problem.

“You need to get out of here. Right now!” Yoongi half yells and half growls, breathing rapidly through his mouth. The earthy color of his eyes was now soaked in a blood red.

“I’m sorry…” You take a step back towards the exit door, tripping over the table leg and landing on your back.

“Your blood…it’s screaming at me.” Yoongi groans and covers his ears with his hands, trying to stop himself from pouncing on you and draining you dry.

In the next moment, a mass of silver fur appears in front of you, blocking Yoongi from moving any closer. Seokjin growls deep in his chest, the rumble of it vibrating your bones. He turns his head towards you, nudging you with his nose and huffing, silently telling you to get out now.

You don’t hesitate, scrambling from the floor and dashing out the exit door and up the stone stairway. You look back once, only to run directly into the chest of your husband.

“What’s going on?” He asks, hands steadying your shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I didn’t even think.” You're prattling on and making no sense you’re sure.

“Shh.” Jungkook hushes you, cupping your face in his hands. “Look at me and tell me what’s happened.”

“Yoongi was teaching me to use a sword…for protection. I just…I nicked my finger a little…I’m so sorry.” You feel as though you’re unable to string a coherent sentence together.

“Did he hurt you?” Jungkook asks, jaw tightening.

“What? No, he didn’t hurt me. Seokjin was there, he stepped between us so I could leave.” Jungkooks face softens a little at that bit of information. You’re about to speak again when Jin comes up the stairs in his human form.

“Are you okay, your majesty?” He asks the question to you, but looks at Jungkook. They’re talking with their minds.

“I’m fine.” You tenderly take Jungkook's hands from your face so you can turn to face Jin. “Where is Yoongi? Is he alright?”

“He could have killed you and you’re wondering if he’s well?” Jungkook shakes his head, a slight smile on his lips.

“It wasn’t his fault. I was bleeding in front of a vampire…and he resisted.” 

“Yoongi will be fine, my lady. He just needs a moment.” Jin bows to you and Jungkook, obviously saying something else with his mind before heading back down the stairs.

“That’s going to get very frustrating.” You exhale loudly, turning back to face your husband who has an amused look on his face.

“I suppose my General filled you in on more than just swordsmanship.” Jungkook takes one of your hands in his, bringing it to his lips and brushing a kiss across the knuckles.

“Can you read my mind?” You ask, trying not to crumble at the feeling of his cool lips on your skin.

“No. That may take time to happen.” Jungkook turns your hand over to inspect the small cut on the top of your finger.

“Why does my blood not bother you?” 

“It does.” He stares at your finger, swallowing harshly.

“Then why are you torturing yourself by being close to me now?”

“Because I will never hurt you.”

“I know.” Gods, you want him to kiss you again.

“I should kill Yoongi for even thinking of hurting you.” Jungkooks mouth was suddenly covering yours. Was he sure he couldn’t read your mind?

You allow the kiss and the rush of warmth that spreads through your body before your mind catches up, pushing Jungkook back from you.

“You will do no such thing. Yoongi is your friend. Promise me right now that you will not harm him in any way.” You look at him sternly.

“Seeing as I’m afraid you may stab me if I don’t do as you say, I suppose I’ll let the General keep his life.” He grabs your waist, pulling you back against his body.

“I’m glad I’ve gotten my point across about the stabbing.” Your hands travel up his chest, fidgeting with the lapels of his jacket. Jungkook smiles as he lifts your chin with his fingers to look at him.

“I came to find you so that I could speak with you about something.” He whispers the words, breath fanning your lips.

“And what would that be, my king?” 

“I like when you call me your king…very much.” He playfully kisses your lips and makes you giggle. An actual giggle leaves your mouth.

“Stop changing the subject! What did you want to speak about?” You hold him at arm's length until he tells you what he needs to. His face becomes much more serious.

“Taehyung arrives the day after tomorrow. He’ll be here at sunset.”

“Oh.” You knew the time to meet Taehyung was coming but it was still surprising to hear the news. “Should we make arrangements?”

“That’s what I want to talk about, _____. I think it would be best if you stayed away while Taehyung is here.” Jungkook's eyes are on the floor as he speaks, he knows this won’t go well.

“Suddenly you want to keep me out of things? How did you think this conversation would go, Jungkook? That I’d be your good little wife and submit to your request? I refuse!” You push past him, starting towards the staircase.

“I thought perhaps you would be reasonable.” Jungkook sighs, his inhuman speed bringing him in front of you again.

“If you wanted a quiet and pliant wife you should have married your blood bag.” You scowl, fully prepared to pull your knife out of the sheath.

“You’re pulling away.”

“You’re pushing me out! Why? I want to know why.” You step up and shove your finger into his chest.

“Because Taehyung is already aware of our marriage. Now he knows that I have a weakness. I want to keep you out of harm's way where he can use you against me.” Jungkook takes one of your hands in his, begging you with his eyes to understand.

“If that’s the case, your highness, then perhaps we should be showing Taehyung that I am not a weakness and will not take his threats.” You yank your hand from his, walking up the stairs without another word from Jungkook.

Once again, sleep evades you. Every time you close your eyes you see the hurt look on Jungkook's face when you walk away and it makes tears threaten to escape.

The sun is still up, beginning its descent to drop below the horizon. You throw off your covers and make your way over to the window. Tiredly, you undo the latch and push open the panes.

It’s a strangely warm day out for this time of year. A comfortable breeze brings the scent of the flowers and trees floating into your room and tickling your nose. 

You breathe it deep into your lungs. It feels good to just breathe.

Out past the gardens, you can see a turquoise colored lake. Willow trees surround it and dangle their long branches across the water's surface. It’s stunning and enticing.

Not having been out in the sun for months, you decide to forfeit sleep and make your way outside the castle to the lake that felt as if it was calling your name.

You wrap a shawl around your shoulders, quietly padding through the halls and down the staircase towards the back doors. Quickly, you check on your flowers in the garden and thankfully they are all taking nicely to the soil and growing.

Looking towards the veranda across the garden, your eyes fall onto the oversized pile of silver fur that you’ve come to know. Seokjin lays in a ray of sun, warming his muscles and bones and soaking it in. You’ve seen him do this quite often. He must miss the sun as well at times.

His head lifts when he hears you begin to walk across the lawn.

“It’s okay, Jin. I’m only going for a walk.” You reassure him. He tilts his head to the side, huffing through his nose. “You don’t need to accompany me. Enjoy the sun.” Jin whines a little and lays his head back against the stones.

You make sure that he doesn’t decide to follow you before continuing the short journey to the lake. The long grass tickles your calves and fingertips when you flatten your palms to feel the silky blades. 

When you reach the bank of the lake you breathe in as deeply as you can manage. Everything smells fresh and earthy. The urge to get into the water is too hard to ignore even though you know it will be cold this time of year.

Gingerly, you slip off your boots and the shawl you had grabbed on the way out of your bedroom. The breeze makes you shiver when more of your skin is exposed to the outside elements, but you ignore it, standing at the water's edge in only a flimsy camisole and sleep shorts.

Unable to resist any longer, you step into the water, pushing away any protest from your body as the cold water rises up your body the farther you submerge. 

You let your body float on top of the pool, tendrils of your hair sticking to your face. Floating here may be the closest thing you can imagine to heaven. Light. Airy. Blanketed. Free. It was almost overwhelming.

As you begin to move your arms to move across the top of the water, something seizes your foot and pulls you back. Jolting upwards, you look around frantically but the surface of the water appears calm as far as you can see. You almost begin to wonder if you had imagined it happening.

But something feels wrong.

Swimming back towards the shore, your heart pounds in your chest. You almost make it before you’re being pulled under completely.

You hold your breath but you’re losing air too quickly. Daring to look down, you see a creature with pitch black eyes and orange fins sticking out in every direction on its face. It smiles when your eyes meet, it’s mouth full of sharp teeth.

You scream. It won’t do any good beneath the water but you scream and thrash and try to kick your foot free from its grasp to no avail. 

Looking up, the sun dances across the surface of the water in the most beautiful way. You’ve never taken the time to see it from this side of the water. And you suppose if this is how you have to die, there could be much worse views to have.

Losing too much air, your body begins to tire and your vision becomes blurry. 

You hope that your father knows that you love him. Even if he kept so much from you, you know his intentions were to protect you. You miss him. You wish you could have the chance to invite him back to the vampire kingdom and see it properly.

You also hope that Hoseok won’t miss you too much. You hope Jungkook will take care of him and make sure he can still cook for Seokjin. You hope he knows how much he and his friendship means to you. You’d be so lost without him in this life.

How you wish you could have at least said goodbye to Jungkook. Tell him that you didn’t hate him if he didn’t already know. That you had started to warm up to the idea of living here with him for the rest of your days. That…kissing him was the single best feeling you’ve ever experienced. If the gods would let you live now you swear you’d tell him.

Your surroundings begin to fade and the last sliver of hope you held onto goes with it. The claws of the creature scratch at your skin and pull you farther down.

A loud crashing sound reverberates around you but you’re unable to open your eyes to see what it is. But what you can feel is the creature releasing you very suddenly. If only you had strength left to swim back up to the surface.

Strong familiar arms wrap around your waist, jerking your body and bringing you out of the water in an instant. Why can’t you open your eyes?

“_____. Look at me. Open your eyes right now.” You recognize Jungkook's voice as it floats into your ears. “Come on, my darling, look at me.”

Water suddenly fills your throat, making you twist to the side to spit it out, coughing and choking slightly. You gasp for air to fill your lungs again and your eyes finally open.

You turn back towards Jungkook.

“There you are, my queen.” Jungkook smiles, softly stroking your cheek. He’s holding you in his lap, an arm behind your head holding you upright.

“You saved me.” Your voice feels hoarse and scratchy.

“I do wish you wouldn’t go swimming with nymphs, darling.” He teases. 

“Thank you.” You cup his cheek in your hand. But when you touch his skin, it’s not the usual cool temperature you’ve come to know. It’s burning hot and blisters are forming in places across his face and exposed arms.

“It’s okay…I’m okay.” Jungkook winces.

“Jungkook…what’s happening? What is it?” It takes your mind too long to catch up with the situation. 

Jungkook is a vampire and he is outside in the sunlight.

“Shit. What should I do? How do I stop it?” Your body aches but you don’t care, you force yourself to sit up.

Jungkook's eyes roll to the back of his skull and he falls onto his back from his sitting position. Panic floods your veins like wildfire.

“Jungkook!” You scramble onto your knees, throwing yourself on top of him. You cover his body with yours to block out the sun the best that you can. “Seokjin!” You scream. “Please hurry!”

You pull Jungkook’s arms beneath you making sure they stay covered from the sun. His beautiful flawless skin is covered in burns and chars. Fuck…how do you make it stop?!

Seokjin comes over the hill in his wolf form, lifting his head up towards the sky and releasing a long howl. After, he rushes towards you, shifting to his human form right in front of you.

You heard his bones crack and watched as his fur disappeared and turned into perfect human skin.

“What’s going on!?” He demands.

“I was drowning…there was a nymph. Jungkook saved me but the sun…” You hadn’t realized that you had started to cry until just now when you tried to speak.

“We have to get him back inside immediately.” Jin states the obvious but you nod your head in agreement. 

“As fast as your legs can take you. Please.” Your eyes meet Jins and he nods. Jungkook begins to shake beneath you, groaning in pain.

Seokjin shifts back to his wolf form, you move just enough to let him lay next to Jungkook and roll him onto Jin's back. The sun is starting to lower more but it’s still too much.  Jungkooks fingers grip tightly into Jin's fur just before the wolf takes off at a dead sprint. 

Your human legs and weak muscles from your near drowning don’t propel you quickly enough but you force them to move you back to the castle, shoving open the door and listening for any sign of where they have taken Jungkook.

Groans of pain take you to the right hallway where you find your husband laid out on the meeting room table, the other vampires scrambling to help him.

“Have one of the servants fetch a human donor right now!” Namjoon shouts at Yoongi.

“There’s no time for that! He’ll be dead before they return with one.” Yoongi tries to cover one of Jungkook's arms with a medicated towel, but he only screams.

“He can have mine. I’m right here.” You announce, ripping open the collar of your shirt to expose your throat as you walk towards the table.

“My lady…you don’t know what you’re doing.” Yoongi grabs your wrist to stop you.

“I’m the reason he’s dying, so let me do this for him now.” You gently touch his hand, you need him to let you go. Yoongi nods once before releasing you.

You climb onto the table where Jungkook is lying, his body shaking. You sit near his head, lifting it to settle in your lap. 

“Jungkook…I need you to bite me, okay? You need my blood to get better.” You press a kiss to his forehead and hold your wrist to his mouth but he doesn’t bite you. “Jungkook…please.” You beg.

He moves his face away from your wrist each time you try to bring it near his mouth. His body still shakes, sweat soaking his white shirt as he lies there in pain.

“I’m asking you to. Jungkook, it’s okay. I promise it’s okay.” You hold your wrist to his mouth once more, hearing him groan before you finally feel the coolness of his lips press to your skin. “That’s it…go ahead.” He presses a very weak kiss to your skin in preparation for the bite that follows it.

You flinch at the sudden feeling of fangs piercing your skin. It’s foreign and strange. Jungkook moans and it makes your head swim. His hands come up to circle your wrist and hold it tighter to his mouth while he takes a long, fluid draw of your blood.

Each time he drinks, your veins fill with liquid fire. It’s too hot. You’re burning up. Tingles shooting from your nerves too many at a time. 

You let your free hand come to Jungkook's hair, brushing it from his face and watching him. He is lust personified. Dark eyes practically flooded with red. His chest rises and falls rapidly while his tongue licks at your skin and catches any drop of your blood that tries to escape him. Deep rumbles of pleasure radiate from his chest.

You’ve never wanted someone so badly. You want him to touch you and feel you and taste. You want him here and there and everywhere. On top of you, beneath you, inside you. You want, want, want.

No, you need him.

“Jungkook…” Your voice sounds weak in your ears but you know he hears you.

“You’re fucking exquisite.” His voice is suddenly in your ear making you reach out to touch his body that’s made its way into your space.

“Are you…okay?” You focus on his face, seeing that the burns and chars have disappeared from his beautiful skin.

“Tell me how you feel…” His tongue is exploring your jaw and throat and you feel too much. 

“I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t have you.” Your arms slide beneath his arms to hold him around his shoulders.

“How do you want me, darling? I’ll give you anything that you want.” His words slither into your ear and spread until they bloom between your legs.

You grab at the buttons of his shirt, ripping them open to expose a torso sculpted by the gods. All the dips and curves of muscle are begging to be licked by your tongue and stroked by your fingers. 

Jungkook kisses his way from your ear to your jaw until he reaches your lips. Devouring your mouth with his own. He grabs your thighs and lifts you onto his hips, wrapping them around his waist.

“I want you so much.” You can barely get the words out between kisses and strokes of his tongue.

“Take what you want.. Every bit of me is yours” Jungkook drags his fangs across your jaw in the most enticing way.

“Your highness…” A voice that doesn’t belong to Jungkook says. 

“What?!” Jungkook's firm body leaves you as he spins around, snarling at the person interrupting your moment of passion.

“You should clear your head and think about whether you really want to continue this…here.” You recognize the voice as Yoongi now that the fog in your mind has a moment to start lifting.

Jungkook whirls back around to look down at you, your shirt ripped open, blood covering your arm where he had drank from you. You are beautiful beyond words.

You watch as the heaving of his chest begins to slow and the deep brown of his eyes becomes more prominent than the red that was there just a moment ago. His hair is tousled and his mouth was stained from your blood. How was it possible to look like an angel and a demon all at once?

“I’m…I'm sorry.” He bends forward and cups your face in his hands. “Tell me that you’re okay?” 

You try to catch your breath before you answer him, afraid that your voice will shake. The fog in your head lifts more and you suddenly don’t know what has come over you. You were ready to fuck the vampire king on the middle of the meeting room table in front of his most trusted friends. 

You scramble away from Jungkook, pulling at your shirt to cover yourself from all of the eyes in the room.

“I can’t. I need…I should go.” You bite your bottom lip to try and keep the tears from falling.

“______, please don’t go. We should talk about what just took place. My bite…” Jungkook follows you off the table, grabbing your wrist.

“I cannot even look at you right now, your highness. Please let me go.” You don’t look at him, eyes instead meeting Jins as he stands in the doorway. His face shows concern and sympathy that you can barely stand to see.

“Don’t walk away.” Jungkook quietly begs.

You don’t answer him, you simply continue walking out of the meeting room, looking down at the floor the entire time to avoid any more looks from the others. You felt awkward and uncomfortable…but mostly humiliated.

As you reach the bottom of the stairs, the oversized front doors of the castle swing open, a royal guard rushing inside.

“Your majesties.” The guard bows as Jungkook joins you in the foyer. You make sure to keep distance between the two of you.

“What’s going on?” Jungkook asks the guard.

“He’s here, your highness.” The guard seems almost spooked.

“Who is here?” You question. Jungkook visibly stiffens as if he is on high alert. 

“I can smell them.” Namjoon says, his deep voice making the hair on your arms stand at attention. 

Suddenly Seokjin is changing into his wolf form, growling quietly as he comes to stand between you and the open doors in front of you. Your heart begins to beat too quickly as the pieces fall into place and you remember who it is that is arriving earlier than everyone thought he would be.

“I’m not going to tell you to hide away. I won’t do that ever again. But Taehyung is dangerous, a loose cannon at best. I won’t hesitate if he threatens you in any way.” Jungkook is in front of you now, desperation in his eyes as he waits for you to answer him.

“I’m ready. I promise.” You whisper the words and Jungkook nods, thankful that he doesn’t touch you like you thought that he would.

“Ready for what?” A deep, buttery voice that you don’t recognize says from the doorway. You had not even seen them approach. “How sweet of you all to greet us.”

You presume this man is Taehyung. His long, dark hair is half pulled back and his smile is intimidating and full of menace. The long cloak he wears is made of thick fur and drags the ground as he walks back and forth, his golden colored eyes landing on you. 

“Have you come to discuss land or have you come to stare at my queen? Only one of those choices allows you to leave here alive, Taehyung.” Jungkook stands in front of you slightly and Jin lowers his head to snarl at Taehyung.

“So hostile and I’ve only been here for a moment.” Taehyung begins to walk in a circle around the three of you. “I suppose I can’t blame you for marrying a human when she looks the way this one does.” Those golden eyes flash and follow any move you make. 

You can feel his eyes rake over you, your soaked pajamas doing nothing to hide you from him. There’s also blood slowly drying to your arm and to Jungkook’s mouth. You can’t even imagine what all of this must look like to these strangers.

“You’re pushing your luck already, Taehyung.” Jungkooks jaw is wound as tight as it can be.

“Fine then. You want to talk? Let’s talk.” Taehyung practically growls, scowling at Seokjin before he moves to spit at him. “Traitor.”

You’ve had enough.

You reach down to your thigh and yank your knife from its sheath, rushing between Taehyung and Seokjin who was starting to cower and whimper. You can see Taehyung's guards moving behind him but they’re too late, your blade is at their king's throat.

“You have a lot of nerve coming into his home and spitting at him. I should slice you from ear to ear for even thinking such a thing would be allowed.” You seethe through your teeth, watching as the menacing smile returns to Taehyung's face. He raises a hand in the air, signaling his guards to stop.

“_____…” Jungkooks says from behind you, his teeth clenched.

“My king?” One of the guards comes up closer behind Taehyung. He has one golden eye and one pitch black eye. He’s smaller in stature than the others, black hair that falls into his face and full lips pulled into a scowl.

“It’s quite alright, Jimin.” Taehyung puts both hands up when you tighten the blade against his skin. He looks at Jungkook over your shoulder. “Managed yourself a rather feisty one, didn’t you Jungkook?”

Jungkook snarls loudly, his chest pressing up against your back and an arm wrapping around your waist protectively. 

“That’s enough! If you want to talk, I suggest you follow the king's advisor to the meeting room or these negotiations will be over before they’ve even begun.” You look at Namjoon, who is standing with his hand on his sword and a very large werewolf guard in front of him. He nods to you, straightening his stance.

“This way.” Namjoon says and you remove your blade from Taehyung's throat, letting Jungkook move you a few steps back and out of reach. Taehyung laughs quietly.

“It will be in your best interest that these negotiations go well, your highness.” Taehyung let’s Jimin stand in front of him now. You glare at the werewolf king, making sure he can see your distaste for anything that comes out of his mouth.

“We shall see, your highness.”

[stromuprisahat]

Alina fails to establish herself as a leader worth following

Siege and Storm- Chapter 13

Why would he? You're just some nobody deserter, who waltzed in as if she owned the place. Last they saw you, you were about to enter and destroy the Fold, then their leader's gone and hunted, more of their people murdered or forced to flee and they're kept hostage in their own home.

Alina headed from Grand Palace directly to Little Palace. Remaining Second Army Grisha are good as prisoners. How would they know they're supposed to kiss her ass now?!

I'm sorry, but did Alina forget to mention different tone of Sergei's question? Because this here reads like mere inquiry of a person trying to get a grasp on situation they're all in.

But of course, Alina's expecting a conflict, so that's what she'll get one way or another.

Touché!

Why is a teen boy with unfinished officer training the most reasonable person in the room? Sure, he counts as an adult, but there are older people with less sense. And apparently he anticipated Alina's new position. If that doesn't spell promissing higher-ranking soldier, I don't know what would.

That's a perfectly good question, Alina.

Either she's forgetting to mention his tone again, or she's hellbent on seeing Sergei as some annoying pest, who deserves to be disregarded.

Sergei has a point once again. I'm beginning to see why he trained for a higher position.

Alina cannot stand being challenged (Now, that it's finally happening.). Instead of soothing their well-funded fears, she's getting angry. And something tells me she's not a person with a firm grip on her emotions...

Again, Alina's pretty focused on viewing Sergei unfavourably.

... and Alina confirms she's completely unfit for the position, if her reaction to challenge is immediately aggression.

She should've answered Sergei's initial questions, soothe his worries, address his pretty fair points- that's what a leader does. It shouldn't come to shouting, AND she should've kept her barking dogs on a leash. THEY'RE HER GUARDS, NOT SPOKESPEOPLE! If she cannot control three guards and possible deserter, how can she expect obedience of a large group of justifiably scared and confused people?!

Words, words, words.

A girl, who just almost killed the lot of them claims their life-long protector's evil, and only SHE can attest to it. Of course they'll follow her now. You don't argue with a psychopath. You don't try to convict a violent madman of their delusion. Certainly not when they're holding a knife.

(For someone, who insists the Darkling ruled through fear, she sure makes a show of avoiding "his" methods.)

What about starting with "The Darkling used the Fold to destroy Novokribirsk."? Power means nothing, if used incompetently.

... or I will have you in chains. Honest at last!

I am a soldier. Since when?! LOL

And how does that have anything to do with the obedience she requires from them?!

Chance makes it sound as if Alina were their saviour. Sure, she believes it, but considering her demonstration a moment ago and the rest of her speech, "option" would be more fitting.

It's understandable Alina's emotional! She almost ~murdered~ someone!

Yeah, but if she wants to lead, she'll have to learn to FACE her fuck ups, not run blindly from them, leaving others to fend for themselves and deal with the consequences...

... and that's almost untrained Alina with two amplifiers and a few dozens disobedient minions.

Now make it three and a whole country. I'm sure she'd make much better ruler than the Darkling could ever hope to become. Kind and peaceful...

On the other hand, it would be amusing to watch from safe distance.

[oph3liatlou]

— WHITE ORCHIDS

pairing(s) - prince!nikolai lantsov x sarcastic!f reader

word count - 920

warnings - none, just pure fluff.

proofread? - yes

note from author - totally not based off nikolai and zoya 🫣

summary - nikolai is looking for a queen, for ravka - he knows what’s best for the country yet, he can’t stop thinking about you.

Nikolai was forced to pick a Queen for the Ravkan court - and quite soon. He sighed gently looking over possible suitors for himself.

He had always been a man of business but, he also tended to follow his heart - which, made options practically impossible. He thought of the perfect person for himself.

“Hello?” You asked, pulling him out of his day dream. You didn’t care that he was the future king, nor did you care about labels like moi tsarevich. Regardless, you liked to believe Nikolai thought of you as a friend. “Are you even listening to me?” You snapped, in your usual blunt way.

“Huh?” He asked looking up from his idle staring, now looking at you. Your beauty radiated, warming his otherwise dullened heart.

“Sorry…yes, yes - I’m listening.” He says, smiling softly as he gazes back at her through his green eyes. “What were you saying again?”

You rolled your eyes at him in annoyance. “If you were listening, you would have known what I said." You grumbled, as you flipped through a stack of papers. Nikolai had asked you to help him narrow down the suitors for a Queen - he said you had great judgement.

Nikolai ignored the fact that you were obviously irritated with him. “Well, let’s see…” He looked over your shoulder at the papers you were reading. “Do you have any favourites for me? Any names that stick out at first glance?” His voice had his usual arrogance and charm to it.

You shook your head in disgust. “All of these people are-“ You went to say an inappropriate insult, but decided against it. “-unqualified.”

Nikolai laughed. “Well, that’s quite…frank, isn’t it?” He chuckled again in amusement. “We do have some time, I can arrange for some new suitors after all. Perhaps we can also consider other countries?” He suggested.

This brought a small chuckle out of you - even though it was still sarcastic. “Like any Fejerdan or Shu Han would marry you…”

“I don’t see how that’s so far-fetched. Plus, we could make an alliance out of it.” Nikolai said, slightly annoyed at your comment. “I’m the future of Ravka - also handsome and intelligent…who wouldn’t want to marry me?”

You raised another eyebrow at him, looking up at him from your papers. “Was that a rhetorical question or - should I answer you?” You smiled sarcastically.

Nikolai smirked at you shaking his head. “I do enjoy your…remarks - it’s amusing.” He said playfully. “So go ahead - who wouldn’t want to marry me?”

“Lots of people.” You scoffed.

He gave you another smile. “You are quite the wit.” He said, “Does my status alone, not make me desirable?”

You sighed. “Ravka is poor now, since the Darkling destroyed it. Your status doesn’t matter anymore.” You paused before continuing. “You should change the currency into gold, that way we’d profit more with the ports and the ships.” You trailed off flipping through more papers.

Nikolai thought on your solution for a moment. He knew you were right. “Doing that would also make Ravka more desirable for the other countries - not that I really want to marry into them.” He muttered the last sentence under his breath.

But you heard him anyway. “Why not?”

He wasn’t sure if he needed to explain himself or not. “The Shu Han have their strict cultural rules, the Fejerdans have their…obsession with blood.” He said carefully. “I doubt they’d want to make an alliance with Ravka - and I doubt I fit their criteria.”

He had a point. “Well, then what do you want?” You continued. “Because I hate to break it to you but, these women are all useless.” You grumbled pointing to the papers again and walking towards the window.

Nikolai sighed. “I know these candidates are not…good choices. Which is why I had asked for your help.” He paused thinking and then speaking again. “I have…a personal preference, you know?”

You laughed turning back towards him. “You’re seriously an idiot if you marry one of them-“

Nikolai was getting a little annoyed at your statements. “You’re saying I should ignore the expectations and rules of the monarchy and instead, marry someone I desire?” He asked in a teasing voice. “Because, I already have someone in mind I’d want to be my wife.” He said charmingly.

You knew what he was getting at, you had known all along but - you were also too stubborn. “Good for you,” You paused. “I guess you don’t need my help anymore then.” You also, didn’t want to make the situation more awkward.

He was your best friend. And admitting it, would make it all too real.

Plus the fact that he was a prince and you, we’re just a simple Grisha.

Nikolai chuckled, he knew you knew. It was all just unspoken words. “Who’s to say she’d want to marry me anyway…” He stated.

“She wouldn’t.” You admitted. “Not yet anyway.”

“You sound quite confident about that.” He said teasingly. “Are you suggesting that I need to win her over?” He asked with a smirk.

You smiled at your banter. “I’m sure she’d appreciate some flowers.”

Nikolai rolled his eyes at your suggestion with a smile. “You seem to know a lot about her.”

You smiled with a nod before turning to leave the room. You paused for a moment. “I prefer white orchids.”

Nikolai was at a loss for words for a moment as his eyes followed you walking into the hall.

[rist-ix]

I think it’s a hugeeee spoiler or not, but would Valtor tbhtbh marry bloom? Like, propose her, and do the whole thing, even just like they both together, and Darcy doing the ceremony. Or he don’t think that’s it’s necessary? Hope you doing good!

Gonna be honest, memes aside I don’t think marriage is necessarily the cornerstone in their relationship than it is in other fictional — or even real life — pairings.

Big part of that might be that Valtor, for one, lives outside of any official systems. There are villains that do crime but still kind of have a clear position in society (the Darkling is a General and coups his way to tsar-dom, most vampires in any vampire story do pretend to lead a somewhat normal life, villains with a royal title automatically has a rank that comes with a fitting one for their romantic partner etc.)

Valtor does not. His crimes are motivated by pettiness and his hunger for power, he builds up political figures to do his dirty work when it’s practical, but does not have any political ambitions for himself — he doesn’t wanna be king of the cosmos, he just wants to be the most powerful, and that everyone knows it. He's kind of a cryptid that way, because he appears, wrecks shit, and leaves as he pleases. The most official thing in his life was probably his imprisonment on omega, and marriage tends to very much be an official kind of thing in nature, even if it’s held in private and off the record. Official-ity IS kind of the purpose.

The only real power Valtor seems to believe in is, well, power. And they already do have a magical connection, which I think would be more important and meaningful to him than - what he considers to be - a social ritual.

Add to that that Bloom is a guardian fairy, very grounded in day-to-day life, and a princess, where marriage tends to have political implications, and I don’t think she herself would be very interested in putting a legally defined term on their relationship, unless we're talking about a redeemed Valtor maybe.

That being said!

I am not very set in this headcanon! I'm pretty sure pulling a marriage off in a fic would be MORE than doable, and really interesting on top. It's just not very intuitive for me, so I’m gonna stick to the plan and go with my gut. Doesn’t mean it’s not gonna happen in a future fic, or that it’s not a really cool concept.

[taoofshigeru]

The Evolving Nature of Keywords and Antagonists in Octopath Traveler II

Octopath Traveler II is a masterpiece. I find new ways to appreciate this fact all the time. I hit on one specific facet somewhat recently, so want to walk through each of the main quests and go over the extent to which the creators picked out powerful character-specific keywords which do heavy lifting on multiple levels.

I made a similar post about the keywords from OT1, if you're interested in reading that, but essentially, the "keyword" for a character is a single word chosen to represent their journey. It's used to in OT1 to denote the lead-in to Battle at Journey's End in the climax of a character's route, and in OT2 to fit into their "In Pursuit of _" route boss theme.

The keywords chosen for OT2 have had a lot of thought put into them, and represent not just the journey at a glance but how a character's objectives can change, and even how they relate to their primary antagonist.

(I recommend having the tracklist for the OT2 soundtrack beside you for this, if you're not already familiar.)

Ochette (For Legends)

Ochette is on a journey to find the creatures of legend in order to protect the island. Her journey also takes on meaning for her first chosen companion (Mahina/Akala) and Acta, who become legends in the final act of her journey.

In contrast, her opposite number Petrichor is trying to kill or incapcitate the creatures of legend. Cateracta is the only one that dies on account of her efforts, but Tera and Glacis both suffer at her hands. As does the darkling. Petrichor brings not just death, but suffering on those she seeks. It contrasts nicely with Ochette's first contemporary scene, which has her hunting a gator down specifically for eating too much of the local wildlife and disrupting the balance of the forest. There's a strong ethos about how death is faced, and why a hunt is undertaken. (i.e. to protect the larger environment versus for personal gain)

Hers is the storyline that deals most directly with the balance of life and death, and the importance of a good life and a humane death. In that sense, it's less important for Ochette to directly confront Petrichor because a good life and a humane death can be given regardless of what evils others inflict upon the world.

Castti (For Memories)

Castti, an amnesiac apothecary, is on a journey to restore her lost memories. She's also on her journey to extend a helping hand to those in need, in order to honor the besmirched memory of Eir's Apothecaries.

Her opposite number, Trousseau, was the one to taint Eir's Memory, and his poison has taken hers (either chemically or through trauma). Because his continued actions as a mass poisoner threaten to further sully the memory of Eir's Apothecaries, he needs to be confronted and put down directly for the memories to be laid to rest.

Also, the fact that non-evil Trousseau shows up in her last memory at the end is an indication that it's also a fight for Trousseau's memory in her heart. She can't remember the kind man he once was because it would lead her to hesitate about what needed to be done, but she does want to remember her lost loved ones fondly. Even Trousseau.

Throné (For Freedom)

Throné is fighting for her freedom from the Blacksnakes, and her opposite number, Claude, holds the keys to the collar literally wrapped around her throat. So he has to be fought, for obvious reasons. Fighting him also secures the kind of freedom Throné's never had for the nameless baby whose crying voice can be heard at the end of her route as the camera zooms out.

Still, we see that it's not just Throné suffering under Claude's thumb. We see her adoptive father lost the woman he loved to Claude, and orphans like Mira being raised to take the place of whatever snakes might lose their heads in any given heist.

And, despite the "Not my tits, not my problem" way she handles the power vacuum created by Claude's death, her actions do cause chaos that allows some other Blacksnakes and abused orphans like Mira to break free. Which is not to say they become good. They're still seen running rigged casinos and the like after her path is complete. But hey, freedom to be good implies one also has the freedom to be evil, or else it's not really freedom!

(Sidenote: The baby at the end of Throné's route is such a great narrative tool for pushing the readers to ask more questions. Did Throné originally have qualms about killing Claude due to the power vacuum that the need to free the child overrode? Did seeing the woman first, then her child with Claude, make her realize this would keep happening unless she killed him for real, despite her dislike for killing? Did Claude, a questionably suicidal immortal, engineer the whole setup to erase her doubts about killing him?)

Osvald (For Revenge)

Osvald sets out for revenge and gets his revenge at the climax of his route in a direct confrontation with Harvey, his opposite number and the number one object of his revenge.

This is only somewhat subverted, as Osvald's revenge succeeds in large part due to the power of love (as a father who loves and wants to protect his daughter). Really, revenge being the one goal that doesn't evolve as much fits with Octopath's general "revenge is actually pretty reasonable when you've been wronged to that extent" ethos.

Partitio (For Prosperity)

Partitio is on a journey to bring the world prosperity! Economic well-being! For all his friends. And everyone (save maybe a few shitty loan sharks) is his friend.

But he gets TWO antagonists. Roque is doing it For Wealth (choice of words mine), a similar but distinctly different and much more selfish end. One of the more obscure definitions of prosperity is "attainment of the object desired". Roque was fought because he needed it knocked into his noggin that trains can be good for more than warfare.

Ori has, like him, experienced extreme poverty and suffering (though her experience as a wartime orphan was more extreme) and wants to ease the world's suffering. She just initially prefers to do so by ending the world. However, Ori is never fought because Partitio was always fighting the battle for her heart, knowingly or not. And, at the very last, he reached her. ;_;

Agnea (For Hope)

Agnea Bristarni is on a journey to spread hope. And boy, does she ever!

But she also gets two antagonists. Dolcinea Luciel, the boss of Agnea's route, performs not For Hope, but instead For Applause (The first phase of her boss fight has theme music explicitly called called "In Pursuit of Applause"). It's a form of selfishness that does have to be confronted directly, albeit onstage rather than in an actual fight to the death.

Tanzy, Agnea's other opposite number, has already lost all hope. And that void in her heart was taken advantage of to make her a pawn of the moonshades (and ultimately, a sacrifice). Tanzy remains unfought, because the battle was for Tanzy's hope all along and Arcanette won that fight before the story began.

However, very much worth noting is that Agnea is the one character to not get a "The Journey for _ Ends…" theme on the soundtrack. Instead, her route boss track, juxtaposed squarely between "The Journey for Prosperity Ends" and "The Journey for Truth Ends" is the Song of Hope (which she sings herself!). I think this is a thematic choice that reflects that the hope Agnea strives to bring is more ephemeral as a concept. ("Like trying to grasp hold of a cloud", to paraphrase the ending of Hajime no Ippo.) I think this has a lot to do with why the game has the epilogue. Because while all eight travelers go on living and trying to better the world and themselves in their own way, Agnea's journey for hope continues.

Temenos (For Truth)

Temenos' quest is rather straightforward. He's a detective on a murder investigation. He's looking to discover the truth behind the pontiff's death, behind Roi's death, and eventually behind Crick's death as well.

But in a pretty heavy subversion, his "Journey Ends" track plays in the boss fight with Kaldena, well before he actually gets to the truth. He's the one character of the eight to directly fight his HTAPOTCO counterpart outside of his specific story arc. Because the track was incomplete and his journey for truth wasn't over yet. To add to the synergy, Arcanette was the one most responsible for concealing the truth from him, from the depth of the moonshades' duplicity to the truth of her own identity. And she's already succeeded insofar as her goal was to bring about the endless night, so by the time she's actually fought she's happy to spill all the beans, and you fight her not For Truth, but For The Dawn.

Hikari (For Kingship)

Hikari Ku wants the throne so he can govern with compassion.

He's also the third character to get two antagonists. His brother Mugen is a comically evil king who governs with an iron fist and sends his army to make war with their neighbors. He's fought directly in Hikari's final battle, Hikari becomes king, and he's able to begin repairing the damage and attempting to make a better, more compassionate world.

However, Hikari's opposite number in the moonshades, Oboro/Kazan, has a different view of kingship altogether. Arbuably the center-stage antagonist who gets dialogue prior to Vide's resurrection, Oboro rejects the notion that even a king truly can ease the suffering inherent in the world. It's impossible to change, no matter how hard anyone tries. (After all, he was a master strategist and he did his best strategic thinking to reduce war casualties, but it never did a lick of good.) So, throughout the story, he's helping Hikari's cause without believing in it.

He may be directly confronted in the climax of The Journey For the Dawn, but he's never fought because the battle here was not to gain the throne, but to convince Oboro that Hikari's rule could make a real difference once he was sitting on it.

---

And that's the eight. Wish I could say I could end it on a more profound point, but I don't really have one. I guess, writing this convinced me the story design in OT2 being spot on was very much by design. And the fact it was the result of intentional writer choices and not just an accident makes me feel a deeper connection to the game.

[aleksanderscult]

I think i remember leigh writing something along the lines of that 'wanted best for his people and he was a tyrant' etc, basically a nuanced view. Do you have it? I don't remember where it was.

I think you mean this, right?

It's from her acknowledgements on "Demon in the Wood" (graphic novel). If this is not what you mean, tell me.

She always gives a very nuanced characterization about him which makes me mad because I don't understand her point of view for him at all. It only confuses me more.

"I want the readers to make their assumptions about him. I don't want to affect their view of him". Look. If you give your own opinion of him which will consist of ten pages then it's going to be the reader's problem if they want to "adopt" your view or not. Also, your readers are not stupid. They can distinguish their own assumptions FROM your own opinion. And if they can't, then they're not fit to read books and complicated characters. It's called critical thinking. You take an opinion, read it, see if it makes sense with the canon we have from him and make your judgement. Easy peasy.

Now about that note. I agree that Aleksander isn't purely a hero or a villain. He sees himself as the hero while Alina and the others see him as the villain. We, the readers, mostly see him as something in-between and, at the same time, something entirely different. A human that has lived for too long and as a result of his immortality and tragic events he has reached a point of desperation that make him act relentlessly against the corrupt monarchy and in favor of a persecuted group of people and a country that he has lived and loved for almost all of his life.

Therefore, his characterization is (I believe) something more than the archetype of "good hero" and "bad villain".

Is he a survivor? Yup. In all the meaning of the word.

Does he want safety for his people? Isn't that why he didn't give up on life already? It was the ambition that drove him the most and kept his heart beating.

Is he a tyrant? I think that term needs to be studied. Back in Ancient Greece this word had different meanings.

1) A ruler who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. The Darkling did that (good for him).

2) A person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others. If Leigh means that then I'll have to disagree. First of all, we didn't see enough of the Darkling's rule to know if he was that cruel (unless she knows something we don't). And even from what we saw, it seems the word doesn't apply to him. He was sitting on the throne and listening to reports, signing paperwork, making an alliance with his enemy to feed his army. So where it the "cruel methods against both his own people and others" came from? He didn't have a beef with otkazat'sya that lived in Ravka and he certainly didn't want to hurt his own Grisha (unless they committed treason). So Leigh just threw that word in like it was nothing.

And, lastly, he brutalizes and exploits those who trust him most.

Brutalizes. Hmm....

Genya: she committed treason so he punished her.

Sergei: he committed treason so he punished him.

Baghra: committed treason so he punished her (and very lightly actually).

Yeah.. right...umm. Look. If he had attacked them or killed them for literally no reason then I would say "Yes, he brutalized them". But there was always a reason for his actions against them. He didn't see Genya on board and said "I'm bored. Gonna ruin your face 'cause I've got nothing else to do".

And he exploits them.

To exploit someone is this:

If my memory serves me correct, his soldiers (his Grisha) knew what they were serving him for. And he didn't use them for something completely selfish like "gaining power for myself because I like it" but he needed power to make Ravka better. So he didn't do it for selfish reasons.

The one instance where the term "exploit" may apply is when he gave Genya to the Grand Palace knowing what a pervert the King was. But then again, wasn't the Queen's responsibility to keep her safe?

[ofbreathandflame]

At some point, we've got to hang up the idea that the 'Grisha are an oppressed group comparable to real life, and the Darkling is a misunderstood hero of the story." The allegory is always going to fall apart before it can hit the ground running. It's a very unserious argument. What are we even arguing at this point? The person with very spooky, unlimited power, who is immortal, and can very well live a normal life if they wanted to is comparable to being discriminated against for very real, very obvious things such as skin color, features, gender and sex. Like if someone wanted to kill me for being black or being gay, or anything of the matter-- the fear is not founded in anything tangible. It is just a justification for violence which I am powerless to stop.

Being afraid of an immortal, shadow dude with the ability to live beyond normal years, can kill me in an instant, can create shadow creatures are a valid fear??? Being afraid of someone with natural superhuman abilities is a...valid fear.

The allegory is going to always fall apart, same with properties like X-Men (to an extent: I do think Magneto is well-written allegory at points in his run) . It doesn't work so please stop trying to make it work. Darkling is a good character in an otherwise mediocre world, its totally fine to like him without having to play the mind games here.

But also--I think this is why a character who represents a true villainous revolutionary will always be Erik Killmonger, my beloved. There are so many layers to his ideologies, that even the muted nature of Disney does not smear it. A revolutionary for the people can still be an agent of oppression. I found myself agreeing with Killmonger all the way throughout the movie, on an ideological level. I empathized and understood his visceral rage, I felt that. But I also think that at a personal level, he (1) wasn't the person fit to lead that change (2) he had a power problem. On the surface level, it's very obvious that Erik feels the plight of his people, that is a very real emotion. On a deeper level, we can argue that he has an ego problem and he doesn't see his own people as well...people (see: his casual disposal of his loyal girlfriend, his killing of his personal guard, admitting that he's killed even his own people--the people he supposedly wants to free). I think many WOC can attest to the intricacies of oppression within our communities - especially where the cis men in our communities lie. (also see: the intricacies within Black Panther Party; Ron Karenga torturing black women; many more black men-led revolutionaries throwing black women and black lgbtq+ under the bus in these movements, etcs)

Anywho - I suggest you guys read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison if you are interested in such complexities. It is one of my favorite books ever and I think it deals with oppression within oppression very well.

[viridiave]

a very long post about opinions on the OT2 character themes

> disclaimer: these are the ramblings of someone who has not formally studied music or music theory and is just going off of the vibes that they got from listening to the character themes over and over. so uh please take these opinions like the opinions that they were meant to be

> also MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD, PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

OCHETTE

Ochette, the Hunter

- I love this theme. The first time I heard the samples on the Octopath website I fell in love instantly and was convinced that Ochette was going to be my starter just because of how EPIC it sounded. When the full version came out, my feelings on it being epic did not change one bit because it captures the spirit of going on a grand mission SO WELL, and the theme itself feels like it represents Toto'haha as a whole more than just Ochette, reminding us every time of the gravity of their situation. Of course I have maybe too many problems with her actual story but damn if it doesn't do a great job at being cinematic. You can just tell the dev team had so much fun making scenes with the scale of the Legendary Beasts in mind

- also I'm not the only one who hears a slight choir in the background right.

In Pursuit of Legends

- easily one of the best pre-battle themes in the game - the high wind instruments just send chills down my spine no matter what situation Ochette is put in, and when we hear it for the last time in Ochette 3 - oh BOY does it feel incredible. Speaking of Ochette 3

The Journey for Legends Ends

- Out of all the Journey Ends remixes Ochette's version of it is undoubtedly one of my favorites - easily cracks the top 3. In my first run of OT2, I saved Ochette 3 for last, and having it be against the fight against the Darkling?? The high wind instrument sounded like WAILING and I can't get over how fitting that is given everything that the Darkling had gone through until this moment. The whole island is at stake but our attention is all on the Darkling's suffering and honestly? That whole sequence made me forget about the problems I had with Ochette's story and got me to cry a bit because holy shit

CASTTI

Castti, the Apothecary

- I don't have too many strong feelings about Castti's theme, but I dearly appreciate how subdued and somber it sounds. It fits Castti's journey of finding her memories so well and I just generally have no complaints.

- HER LEITMOTIF HOWEVER - the theme used in every flashback sequence incorporates it so well that I cry every goddamn time that it's used. THIS IS THE THEME THAT HER CHAPTER 3 ENDED WITH. IT'S SO SAD AND LOST THAT IT JUST AKSJAKS WHAT DID NISHIKI INJECT INTO THIS THEME???

In Pursuit of Memories

- I love For Succor from the first game. Easily one of the most cinematic-sounding pre-battle themes. In Pursuit of Memories takes everything that made For Succor amazing and TURNS IT UP TO 11 AND WOW THOSE TRUMPETS ARE SENDING CHILLS UP MY SPINE. Castti's leitmotif messes up my brain a lot it's great

The Journey for Memories Ends

- As much as I wanted Castti's rendition of this song to crack the top 3 my god the renditions that DID just made me feel way more BUT HECK IF THIS DIDN'T MAKE ME FEEL A LOT OF THINGS

- Having her theme be up against Trousseau feels incredibly triumphant. Like she's being backed up by Eir's Apothecaries as she fights like Jesus they went SO HARD

THRONE

Throne, the Thief

- I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this but. I especially don't have strong feelings about Throne's theme. I like it enough, I'm a sucker for strings and I think it suits her well, but I feel like it blends too much into the rest of the soundtrack. It could be the instrument choice, it could be the chords? I promise I like the strings. I also love how it played in her ending. I feel nothing but happiness for Throne when I see her endcard I love it so much

In Pursuit of Freedom

- To be completely honest I have to strain my ears to actually hear Throne's motif in the pre-battle theme but I don't have a lot to say about it - definitely blends in too much with the violins.

The Journey for Freedom Ends

- OKAY THE LOW ELECTRIC GUITAR RIFFS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE RENDITION? GOD-TIER - FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE AND THEY'RE REALLY GOOD BUILDUP

- As for the rest of it it's fine I guess? Like I like hearing it and battling with it but I think the first time around I was way too confused with the bombshells that Claude dropped on us for me to properly appreciate the music

OSVALD

Osvald, the Scholar

- At first I thought this was a pretty generic somber theme that REALLY loves its cellos, but in my second playthrough I grew to appreciate it a lot more. Without changing a single note, Osvald's theme goes from somber to triumphant over the course of his story and it's kind of insane to me?? Like it fits way too well with the bittersweet ending that he has but has so much room for hope and somehow his character theme captures that so well??? Gods bless you Osvald

In Pursuit of Revenge

- Gotta say - I don't have a lot of feelings on this either. Other than to say that it's badass and imposing as all hell

The Journey for Revenge Ends

- OKAY I HONESTLY DID NOT THINK THAT THIS THEME COULD EVER FIT A FUCKING. DRAGON BALL KAMEHAMEHADOUKEN DUEL BETWEEN HIM AND HARVEY BUT THE ELECTRIC GUITAR MELODY PROVED ME SO WRONG. THIS THEME GOT ME REALLY HYPED UP

- Honestly the fact that I was maybe rooting for Osvald too hard to just kick Harvey's ass because he hurt Elena probably helped BUT STILL AWESOME THEME

PARTITIO

Partitio, the Merchant

- God. The moment I heard the electric guitars I was already sold but then the SAX kicked in and it's like 'YO ALRIGHT WE'RE BALLING'

- this post really started out with me describing actual feelings. Don't worry we're still going to talk about feelings but I don't have much to say about Partitio's theme other than it's awesomea and that people should play it in bars

In Pursuit of Happiness

- man this game is really giving me a great appreciation of the power of electric guitars. I see the appeal now. I especially see it in Partitio's leitmotif cuz man it really makes me want to end poverty. Unfortunately I don't have Partitio's business acumen OR his exuberance so I like. The most I can actually do is look into charity and volunteer work but this theme reminds me that that's good effort too

The Journey for Happiness Ends

- Gotta say? I don't have a lot of strong feelings about this rendition. Like I love Partitio and his story's ending to BITS but I think the fact that we're fighting a whole-ass steam-powered war train had the more staying power for me in this fight. Not that his theme was bad by any means because MAN that electric guitar solo goes bonkers

AGNEA

Agnea, the Dancer

- HANDS-DOWN MY FAVORITE OF ALL THE 8PATH2 CHARACTER THEMES - IT JUST SOUNDS AMAZING NO MATTER WHAT CONTEXT YOU PUT IT IN. I also love that it just ends up existing in-universe as full on diagetic noise for Agnea's encore at the end of her story? HELL I ALREADY SAID I'M A SUCKER FOR STRINGS BUT AGNEA'S THEME JUST SOUNDS SO HOMEY AND WHIMSICAL AND IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME REALLY WANT TO DANCE. AND I SUCK AT DANCING!

- Gil's piano version also just flat-out brings me to tears. God bless you Agnea motif. Why is it so good at being emotional. The evolution of this song throughout Agnea's journey just hits me on so many levels. Music and dance as a form of human expression and communication is fully on display with Agnea's story and her theme reflects that perfectly

In Pursuit of Hope

- how do I gush over Agnea's leitmotif even more without just repeating myself. it's just so good. it's so hype even if the situations themselves are relatively low-stakes. like she's just having a really intense talk with the manager of the theater and the battle theme goes HARDER THAN IT SHOULD

Song of Hope

- HONESTLY WHAT CAN I EVEN SAY ABOUT SONG OF HOPE THAT HASN'T ALREADY BEEN SAID. SONG OF HOPE BEING THE FINAL FORM OF AGNEA'S THEME LIKE IT'S A SUPER SAIYAN HAVING THEIR POWER LEVELS GO OVER 9000. THE FACT THAT IN-UNIVERSE IT'S ACTUALLY HER SINGING IT. THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE SONG THAT BEATS DOLCINAEA LUCIEL. THE FACT THAT THEY'RE BOTH SINGING IT ACTUALLY IT'S SO GOOD

- man I wish sometimes that whenever Agnea uses her EX Song of Hope we got like. a little jingle of her theme and her singing the lyrics. I love Song of Hope so much it's my second-favorite Journey Ends theme. Yes I know it technically doesn't qualify but come onnnn

TEMENOS

Temenos, the Cleric

- okay now I'm REALLY going to get flack for this. I actually don't like Temenos's theme. There's specific reasons for this and most of them have to do with his story. It was already one of the character themes that I felt relatively neutral on when I first heard it, and my first impression was that 'mmmm okay. what's throne's theme sound like-'. The demo came out and gave us Chapter 1, and suddenly it makes sense why it sounds so funky - it represents his character from Chapter 1 so well! It tells us a lot about Temenos - that he's lackadaisical, full of doubt, and that there's more to him than meets the eye. It's true to his character as a detective who likes to mess with his assistant sometimes

- But then Stormhail happened, and it's like. The whimsical tones of his theme really didn't suit the tone of the rest of his story OR his character going forward. Crick's death has dramatically changed the feel of his story, and from that moment on it's pretty clear that Temenos is out for revenge more than he is out for truth - but his theme doesn't reflect that. In fact it feels like it's acting in defiance of the tone shift, feeling almost dismissive of the emotional plot points of his story. On a meta level I think it's interesting how it reflects Temenos's state of mind, sticking to his pursuit in order to avenge everybody he lost and keeping his emotions bottled up. Emotionally however it feels incredibly dissonant - especially when it plays over his endcard.

In Pursuit of Truth

- Honestly for how much flack I gave his character theme I have to give it to his leitmotif for being incorporated in incredibly interesting ways for his battle themes. I did NOT think that the Celestas?? Glockenspiels??? Whatever those brass instruments were - they were INTENSE

The Journey for Truth Ends

- Same words that I have for In Pursuit of Truth like oh my god I didn't think they could make his funky-sounding leitmotif sound so badass but they DID and it felt immensely satisfying to kick Kaldena's ass as the music played. Savor that satisfaction because my god the rest of his story arc does not have a lot of that

HIKARI

Hikari, the Warrior

- I'm partial to Eastern instruments and chord progression! Hikari's theme sounds incredibly regal and it tells us a lot about his character - he's noble, kind, and a great leader. It's a theme that's fit for a king and honestly what more can you ask for?

- also when the bridge plays with the peaceful tones of high wind instruments my heart is just. It is at ease. All is right in the world. tHEN IT'S BACK TO THE INTENSE PARTS WAHOO

In Pursuit of Kingship

- OKAY BEFORE THE GAME CAME OUT I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LISTENED TO THE LEAKED SOUNDTRACK OVER AND OVER BECAUSE OH MY GOD HIKARI'S LEITMOTIF GOES SO HARD - I literally SCREAMED when I first heard the leaked version and honestly through the choppy audio and the chunky part of the video - you all know the one - this theme was the one that convinced me that Octopath Traveler 2 was going to be something special. I screamed out loud to several people I knew that this? Seamless transition into Critical Clash II?? It sounded like Latin Honors.

The Journey for Kingship Ends

- So, picture me on my first run, intending to finish the second game this time in reverse OCTOPATH order, meaning I started with Hikari's final chapters. Sure I switched Temenos and Throne around for the order but that was fine, I'm in Ku, and we're about to finally kick Mugen's ass because I fucking hate Mugen. The chapter begins with Kazan literally summoning a sandstorm to open the gates of Ku. I am already so hyped. Then Clan Mei arrives. I am even more hyped. THEN WE FINALLY GET TO KICK RITSU'S ASS, AND HEY OCTOPATH 2, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS A BOSS RUSH??? I get to Mugen. I beat his first phase. I fight Hikari's intrusive thoughts and win. Mugen does some eldritch shit. AND THEN THIS FUCKING THEME KICKS IN AND I WAS JUST THROWN BACKWARDS INTO MY SEAT

- IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE BEST RENDITION OF THE JOURNEY ENDS REMIXES - THE MUSICAL PROGRESSION FROM THE FIGHT AGAINST RITSU, THEN A TASTE OF FOR THE DAWN WITH MUGEN'S FIRST PHASE, THEN CONQUERING THE SHADOW, AND THEN THIS - IT WAS SO GOOD?? AND IT SOUNDS SO TRIUMPHANT LIKE - HIKARI IS ON THE CUSP OF VICTORY AND PEACE IS AT HIS FINGERTIPS. KU WILL FINALLY SEE THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY. THAT IS WHAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE AND IT'S THE MOST AMAZING THING AND I LOVE IT

so yeah i'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on the character themes. feel free to disagree with my opinions! I welcome it!

[grishaverse-chaos]

The Darkling

why I like them: could have been SO GOOD in theory okay? I will never shut up about this because "character who everyone thinks is evil is actually just the victim of a smear campaign and some really bigoted propaganda" is SUCH a good character concept and I wish darkling fans were right about him because it would be so fucking cool and aesthetic

why I don't: he uh. he isn't that. he could have been so fucking iconic and instead he was just a vicious murderer. who grooms teenage girls.

favourite episode/scene: LOVE the bit where alina stabs his hand in s1e8. tbf that's more of a fav alina moment than anything else lmao, let me think... okay fr I love the "fine. make me your villain" scene bc it just really showcases who he is as a character and how he sees himself (hint: those two things are not the same)

favourite season/movie: imo he's better written in s1 of the show than in s2, idk though. and I do love his story in the kos duology lmao

favourite line: that one bit in rule of wolves where he says "everything I have done has been for ravka" because it's so clearly Not True and yet.... he clearly thinks it is.... so where does intent stop and impact begin...... it's deep okay

favourite outfit: purely for shits and giggles I'm going to say his black kefta in s2 where there's bits of gold bc I loveeee people being haunted by those they've wronged and I think alina haunting him really fits into that theme

otp: no thank you! in all honesty he prob could have been Fixed™ if he'd had a genuine relationship at an earlier age but he didn't so I refuse to inflict him on any other character. darkolai is interesting to consider though bc I feel like the ways they see themselves clash so heavily.... it's about self image and it's about villainy and law and justice and power and and and. they would Not be a good relationship but I think they should interact more for the Narrative

brotp: his sister ulla! they'd have such a fun sibling dynamic lmao I think it'd be sweet

headcanon: tbh I don't tend to think about him much beyond the big narrative stuff so I'm struggling to think of something that fits the genre of "headcanon".... but let's humanise him a little! I bet he reads really literary fiction and gets ever-so-slightly pretentious about it lmao

unpopular opinion: is it unpopular to say that despite his original good intentions he's a bit of a dickhead and not as smart as he thinks he is? in some corners of the fandom it totally is but idk

a wish: at this point there's not much more that could be done with his character beyond what's already been set up (him being mercy killed so he's not suffering in the thorn wood for all eternity) so I'm going to say that I hope his stans get better reading comprehension bc dear GOD some of the takes I see (posted in the alina tag btw I'm not deliberately seeking them out) are absolutely horrendous. is that too salty? perhaps. idc though it's my blog and darkling stans are free to block me if they don't like my takes

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: I swear if he goes NEAR alina genya or zoya again I will reach through the fourth wall to kill him myself. only half joking btw I'd be so pissed. imo they've all had the closure they need narratively and for him to seek them out again would be a dick move of the highest degree

5 words to best describe them: used to have good intentions. that might be cheating but idk if I can pick 5 random adjectives lmao

my nickname for them: I call him darkles sometimes (bc it's funny and also I think it'd piss him off if people called him that in-universe) also a lot of less positive nicknames ("that prick", "shithead" etc) but idk if that counts

[valiantstarlights]

Lovely beings of the Dreamling tag, I need your help. 🙇‍♀️ I'm writing a Shadow & Bone Dreamling AU where Dream is the (sad wet cat) Darkling and Hob is the (soft dom) Sun Summoner.

It's inspired by this GIF set of Mr. Ferdinand Kingsley by the talented @issylra 🌼

The problem is: who do I put in the position of power? Both versions are very compelling and (to my lack of shame) I am a greedy hoe who wants both.

So! I have written samples for both versions, and I would like for you to read them and then vote which version you prefer. (Feel free to defend/explain/keysmash about your choice in the tags if you choose to reblog. 😊)

Both versions are under the cut! Please read them first before voting! (And thank you in advance for helping me. 🖤)

--

prompt: sharing a bed + assassins

--

(sad wet cat) Darkling Dream in the position of power

"The bed is large enough to fit both of us," Dream says, because it's true. He is just stating the facts. The inn is a day's ride away from the capital. Jessamy and Matthew will take turns guarding the door. Fjerdan assassins are on their tail and want them dead.

Facts are easy. Unlike his muddled feelings about the man in the room with him, facts are black an white. Safer to navigate. There are no grey areas about them.

"Yeah, I can see that," is Hob's reply. He has his hands on his hips as he regards Dream. "You sure you want to share a bed with me? I wouldn't want you to be scandalized when we wake up in the morning and you feel my--"

"Both of us need to rest," Dream interrupts before the image could fully form in his head. Hob on his side behind him, slow, sleepy hot breaths against his hair, arms around him, keeping him warm and safe... These thoughts have no place, no right to consume his waking mind. "And you, most of all, since you are the one they are after."

A lie. Fjerda has long wanted Dream dead as well, but Hob does not need to reminded of that knowledge and be burdened by it.

"I can take care of myself, you know," Hob tells him. A counter. A challenge. A fact. Dream remembers their first meeting, and Cain's broken nose. He cannot refute that. But he also cannot say that he worries still. Not because Hob is the Sun Summoner, but because Dream cannot bear to think of him being in peril in the first place.

"We ride at first light," Dream says, and sits on one side of the bed before lying down, still in his black kefta. His armor must always be donned. In place. No chinks in them.

Hob sighs and sits on the bed as well, before he extinguishes the balls of light he has conjured. His skills are getting better. No wonder Fjerda is getting nervous.

"Good night," Hob says in the dark as he lies down beside him. Dream can already feel his warmth, and their bodies aren't even touching yet.

Dream hums, and longs to close the distance between them.

He doesn't. He dares not.

But Hob does not care for things like propriety and personal space. Never had, with Dream. Hob closes the distance between their bodies as if it were as easy as breathing and not a daunting journey across the ocean that it is in Dream's eyes.

"Cold?" Hob asks next to his ear. "You're shivering."

Dream didn't even notice. He knows Hob can feel the quickened beating of his heart, but he doesn't notice himself shiver. The words get stuck in his throat for a moment before he says, "Sleep, Hob. We have another day of travel in front of us."

A non-answer. Hob always forgives him this, even when it frustrates him. And Dream knows he is frustrated, judging by how his arms tighten a little around him. Not so tight that it hurts. But just tight enough that Dream cannot wiggle away in the night.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hob says in a sarcastic tone, his lips so close that it brushes against Dream's nape.

Sleep comes easy to Dream that night, and he cannot spare a thought on why that is, because first light comes, and with it, the imperative to escape.

But unlike what Hob assumed in the night, Dream is not scandalized by the shape of Hob's manhood that nestled innocently against the upper swell of his buttocks, just below his lower back that morning.

No. It only served to stoke the flame growing larger in the pit of Dream's stomach. One day, he is sure that the fire will raze all his carefully built walls and consume him utterly. He fears and anticipates that day in equal measure.

--

(soft dom) Sun Summoner Hob in the position of power

"Come, darling," General Gadling says, and pats the empty space on the bed beside him. "I won't bite."

Dream hesitates. He knows it is improper, for the General, for the Sun Summoner himself, to invite someone as dirty as Dream to share a bed with him.

Yet he wants. He longs to know what it's like to fall asleep surrounded by General Gadling's scent, and the man himself beside him. To wake up and trace his features while he sleeps. He had been looking so stressed lately.

Because of Dream? Because of all the trouble he caused?

The proper reply to General Gadling's order would be to firmly state that he would be fine sleeping on the floor.

"You're thinking too much again," General Gadling says, now rising from his comfortable perch to lead Dream towards the bed with his own hands.

Dream should refuse. He remains quiet and pliant, the nerve endings in his hands alight at the general's touch.

"I told you, didnt I? I won't bite." When General Gadling smiles, it's a smile fit for a rogue, but it's tempered by fondness. By gentleness. He has smile lines around his eyes. Dream wants to kiss them. "I mean, not unless you want me to."

An image of General Gadling biting his neck and sucking on the same spot, leaving a vivid mark on his skin, has Dream flushing.

"Do you, my star?" General Gadling asks. He has gotten closer somehow without Dream noticing. "Do you want me to bite you?"

"N-no," Dream lies.

"You don't sound so certain," Hob says. He tucks a strand of Dream's hair behind his ear, his touch lingering on Dream's jaw.

"We should sleep," Dream tells him, and forces himself to move away from the man and towards the bed, sitting on the neater side, back towards him. Dream hates that he wonders how many others shared General Gadling's bed before. He's so kind and handsome, a living saint, both in skill and in deed. Surely there have been others before Dream.

He is not so naive to think that he is the first, or the only one.

And yet, Dream is the one sharing his bed tonight.

No, not sharing his bed in a carnal way. Just sharing the bed. For sleep. Like how he and his siblings shared a bed. And meals. Sometimes even clothes.

And besides, it was only for tonight, while the otkazat'sya staff and the other Grisha find the ones resposible for the assassination attempt against Dream.

General Gadling sighs. "Very well. But please, go ahead. I have something I need to check on before I could join you."

'Something?' a traitorous part of Dream's mind asks. 'Or someone?'

"No," Dream says, when General Gadling moves towards the bedroom door. "Please. Stay." Dream bunches the thick blankets under his hands so he could force the stubborn, humiliating words out of his mouth. "I am... The attack has left me..." He looks up helplessly at the general. He could still feel the press of cold steel against the tender part of his neck, just under his chin.

If General Gadling had been a second too late...

"Oh, my sweet Dream." And now General Gadling has knelt in front of him and drawn him in for an embrace. Dream clings to him and, to his utter shame, starts to cry. "I should have made him suffer more."

Dream shakes his head. Dead was good. Dead means they can't hurt Dream anymore. But alive could mean that they could potentially hurt General Gadling. "I'm glad he's dead," Dream says quietly against the general's neck, in between hiccups. "I'm glad you're not hurt."

"I'm glad you are not hurt." Dream shifts as he feels a new sensation against his temple. Is...Is General Gadling kissing him there? Dream shivers as the small kisses makes their journey from his temple to his forehead, and then his cheeks. General Gadling seems to be unable to stop himself. His kisses are growing more heated, and Dream finds he does not mind. "I am glad you're still here with me."

With me. Not with us.

"Will you stay with me?" Dream asks him. General Gadling has stopped just before he reached Dream's lips, and now Dream can't look away from his mouth, slightly red from all the little kisses he bestowed Dream.

"As long as you want me to."

'Forever, then,' Dream thinks, as he moves to makes space for General Gadling, so they could both slide under the covers. When General Gadling wraps Dream up in his arms, he finds that he is finally able to breathe easier.

"Good night, General," Dream says quietly against the golden kefta, nuzzling it a little. He may not be allowed this indulgence, but for the moment, he does not care.

"Good night, my darling," General Gadling says, lips brushing Dream's forhead as he speaks.

His siblings warned him what would happen if he got caught by the Grisha. But they did not warn him about General Gadling, and the care he would show Dream. If the cage they mentioned is being caged inside General Gadling's arms, then Dream would choose it between freedom any day.

[angry-kid-with-no-money]

Okay soo I’m procrastinating like five other things I should be doing right now- mostly school work- but I’ve been having many thoughts about a grishaverse/aftg crossover au and I needed to get them all out so

Tada

mandatory spoiler warning for shadow and bone trilogy

-Neil as Alina, obviously. Non-negotiable. He would be the overpowered MC if there was magic in aftg and we all know it

-obviously in the books, alina does not have a family that we know of, but in my little au, Nathan works for the Ravka gov and Mary gives up Neil bc she can tell he’s gonna be a powerful grisha I guess? I don’t care that that’s not really a thing, it is now

-anyway- Andrew is Mal. I’ve talked extensively about how similar I think Mal and Andrew are as characters, especially in the way that they are both so protective over the people they care about, to the point of being self-sacrificial but they cannot cope with someone doing the same for them, in fact both of them get angry with their significant others for attempting to ‘save’ them. I also think for both of them, this behaviour stems from seeing themselves as less than the people around the, we see it more obviously with Mal but I think Andrew is the same

-so in this au Andrew and neil are childhood friends, they grow up together in the orphanage and stuff. I haven’t thought much about fitting aaron and nicky into this so they may just be not related in the au tbh

-the two of them join the second army as we know- Andrew as a tracker and Neil as a junior cartographer- and during an attempted crossing of the fold, neil’s summoner powers reveal themselves

-in the books, prior to using her powers, alina is described as pale, sallow, sickly-looking, generally unattractive, and we discover that this sick appearance is caused by her suppressing her powers. Anyway, I think that prior to using his powers, neil has very dull blue eyes and his hair is more brown than auburn but afterwards we get the bright blue eyes and auburn hair Andrew is obsessed with

-the darkling is kevin btw- originally I had him as Ichirou but wrote myself into a whole I couldn’t get out of so evil kevin it is

-ichirou is Vasily, and riko is nikolai, the king is kengo and annoyingly in aftg riko’s mother is not named so we’re sticking with Tatiana

-back to kevin- I debated between abi and Kaleigh for a while but I’m gonna go with Kaleigh as Baghra just because I love her and I get more creative freedom with her personality. Wymack is ilya so he’s dead, soz

-we also get the absolute joy of Andrew, kevin, riko, and Ichirou fighting over neil despite neil being madly in love with Andrew and not even realising it

-even though alina was somewhat reckless about the amplifiers she was still wary of the risks and such, I think neil would be far more reckless, I don’t think he would has hesitated as much to kill the stag or the water serpent and instead the issue would be kevin’s men being closer behind them than they’d thought and catching up at the last second

-I don’t think anything would have slowed neil down once he’d set his sights on the goal of collect all three amplifiers and destroy the fold, he would have been non stop going and dragging Andrew along with him, up until he realises he has to kill Andrew at which point everything comes to a crashing halt

-neil would be much less willing to believe it, he would be convinced Andrew had made a mistake and there was still a firebird out there somewhere, just denying it and denying it and denying it until he physically can’t anymore, and once he’d accepted Andrew was the amplifiers he’d be helplessly looking for other ways that didn’t involve him dying up until the last second. Even then, I think Andrew would be doing the majority of the work towards neil killing him.

-the last battle of siege and storm would just be neil in a haze of rage and grief, absolutely merciless because Andrew was always the voice of reason, the one to stop him from going too far, but he can’t anymore because andrews Dead

-I think the aftermath, where neil finds out that andrew’s been brought back to life would a haze as well. He doesn’t quite believe it’s real but also it has to be because he doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if it wasn’t. it’s neil’s idea to fake his death, not to protect his egacy but to keep Andrew safe, to start again somewhere knew

-if you thought they were codependent and attached at the hip in aftg, it is nothing compared to how they act post andrew’s resurrection

-yeah, sometimes neil misses his power, missing the feeling of being invincible, but he’d rather never have that again then even risk losing andrew’s presence by his side

-I still have not read rule of wolves/king of scars so pls don’t talk to me abt that

-I will maybe add more in the future, especially of the middle of the trilogy because I mostly just hit the beginning and end

[stromuprisahat]

I read an interview once, where basically Leigh Bardugo explains that there always has to be a death in a story, or at least in hers for the narrative to have any consequence. What is... Stupid? There is no need for one of the characters to die, despite all their hardships throughout the story. If the arcs are well written in this sense, there is no reason. I mean, has Leigh ever watched Chinese dramas ? All this makes me think that she will surely kill Kaz if she ever does a volume 3 to Six of Crows, and I hope that never happens.

Let's say LB has some fucked up notions about how storytelling works. Or some serious issues with describing what she wants the audience to perceive.

When I look at deaths intended to be impactful, we have:

(Nikolai- who was supposed to die at the end of second book for Alina to be framed for it. I'm still convinced it could've made pretty interesting twist.)

Baghra- performative suicide, designed to scar her son some more, is very much in character for her and it's fitting nail in the Darkling's coffin.

Malyen- absolutely zero consequences. He could just as well lose his tracking mojo alongside his fake amplifier abilities.

Aleksander- why even kill him, when he'll gets dragged out of underworld some three years later? He could've been otherwise indisposed for the world to go to hell.

Matthias- his storyline of acceptance was rushed. The only reason for him to die is to remind the reader stakes are high and not even the Crows can always avoid danger, make Nina a bit sad and free to hook up with a new, more progressive character. I think it might have been more interesting if his correction took a bit longer, and he'd got killed for example by his past mentor, not some random boy, who'll get conveniently re-assigned to the crown prince and relevant for further plot nonsense in retrospect.

David- whose death was completely pointless. It's just another kick into Genya. Decent writer could've used the attack on Ravkan capital itself to make LameHeroes accept war is immoral. No need to get rid of the group weirdo.

It's true fiction shouldn't avoid death, but since it's fiction, it should have true impact on the story. Not just shock value.

I'm not sure she'd kill Kaz. He seems like her fav and look, how well is Zoya doing!

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐙𝐨𝐲𝐚

⤷ female, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading! 

a/n: honestly ... this is the relationship I want ...

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ  

SFW🌿

⭑ At first, it was a love triangle -

⭑ Both Grisha women were vying for your attention, and it was MAYHEM. ANARCHY. CHAOS. 

⭑ Genya would wake up extra early, attend to the queen and then herself (more so than usual-)

⭑ Zoya’s ego seemed to be inflated, while secretly she felt the most insecure she ever had. Which probably is a red flag, but she’s never had to fight for someone’s attention. Not ever. 

⭑ You were confused, completely and utterly. 

⭑ Because there were these two absolutely GORGEOUS women who wanted ... you. And that’s not to say that you aren’t attractive, but this has never happened before. 

⭑ You weren’t the most popular growing up, sports were never really your thing. 

⭑ You knew you liked to make people smile, or laugh, or feel like the world was something worth living for. 

⭑ And that’s what they saw in you - hope. 

⭑ Because just by being around you they felt uplifted 

⭑ So that’s why they fought for your attention

⭑ And I don’t mean squabbaling. I mean ... trying to one up the other. Being more romantic, or being the one to talk to you after training was over. 

⭑ And lets be honest ... it wasn’t the worst feeling. Even though you knew at one point you would have to choose. 

⭑ But one day you were talking with one of your friends and she said, “why choose?”

       “Well... I have to...”

“Who says?”

        “Everyone?”

“Fuck everyone.”

      “I know you do-” you played it off as a joke, not taking her seriously. But that planted a seed in your mind that you couldn’t get rid of. 

⭑ I think Genya would be the first to agree to polyamory. Although she likes to fit in with the people around her, the thought of having more than one person excites her. And Zoya is a very beautiful woman ... Genya secretly had a crush on her for years

⭑ Zoya on the other hand ...

⭑ Well, lets just say she doesn’t share with others

⭑ But no one was pushed into this relationship. 

⭑ There was no rush

⭑ So over time, it happened organically ... you and Genya started the relationship and let Zoya know she could join at any time

⭑ She would point her nose in the air and ignore the two of you

⭑ Until one night, when the moon was high and the Darkling had gone to sleep. She had seen you and Genya kissing, and something inside of her had cracked. Not in a broken way, but in a birthing way - like a bird freeing itself from an egg.

⭑ “Maybe ... this isn’t such a bad idea...” Zoya muttered one afternoon

⭑ Your poly relationship moved around the Little Palace quickly, and I mean ...  very quickly.

⭑ It was hot gossip, and I mean who could blame the other Grisha? Not many exciting things happened at the Little Palace. 

⭑ At one point, when the gossip was at its peak, you thought the Darkling might actually come and talk to you about it. But that never happened. 

⭑ A few days after Zoya said yes, the three of you sat down in the gardens and talked about boundaries. What was appropriate, what you definitely did not want to do. 

⭑ It wasn’t so much as creating a set of rules ... but guidelines that helped keep the relationship positive and healthy

⭑ You’re all a force to be reckoned with ... and in a way, you sort of run the Little Palace in terms of hierachy 

⭑ And Genya is accepted within the ranks. You and Zoya make sure of that

⭑ But she keeps hidden (for now) what the King does to her (she knows that the two of you will ruin him.)

⭑ Zoya always wants to go on fancy dates - chandeliers, makeup, jewelry. While Genya likes being near the water/outside. You love nature, so you had an idea that you would dress up and walk amongst the forest, the trees, the grass. 

⭑ Zoya thought that idea was stupid, until you three actually did it and she felt so ethereal

⭑ SO MUCH SASS ALL THE TIME

⭑ And some people are like, “bro did they really just say that,” and you’re like ??? 

⭑ Absolutely NO ONE fcks with you, (or Genya, or Zoya for that matter.)

⭑ Power houses, because you train together - 

⭑ Oh and no one holds back, so it’s serious training 

⭑ Relationship Tropes: 

  ✧ Rival x Flustered, Never Been Shown Affection x Rival (But both rivals are soft and supportive of one another)

  ✧ Touch Either One Of My Girlfriends And You Die x3

  ✧ Asshole (Genya) x Also An Asshole But It’s Tough To Tell Because Of Their Cute Exterior (You) x Even More Of An Asshole (Zoya)

✧ “Trust Me, Given The Legal Opportunity, I Will Kill You” (Genya) x If It Were Not For The Laws Of This Land, I Would Have Slaughtered You” (You) x “If I Were Not Holy I Would Beat You Senseless.” (Zoya)

  NSFW🔞minors dni!

⭑ They both LOVE TOYS; dildos, nipple clamps etc

⭑ Genya has a HUGE mummy kink, while Zoya has an even bigger daddy kink

⭑ They both love playing with your tits and pulling, biting, licking your nipples

⭑ Have had library sex 

⭑ Sometimes Genya likes to watch as you and Zoya touch each other 

⭑ Mutual masturbation

⭑ “I’ll watch and learn how you like to be touched.”

⭑ Leaving marks on each other to find when getting dressed

⭑ Sex is way more light-hearted and fun than you would think. Zoya can be very serious when she’s trying to seduce you, but paired with Genya as well - you guys cannot help but giggle

⭑ Making out after training, or mid-training - everyone is sweating, their heart-beating fast and no one can stop their desire 

⭑ Probably have been caught a few times\

⭑ Sex is the only time where Zoya lets others tell her what to do - she’s a switch but moreso a sub

⭑ Genya is a dom 

⭑ Aftercare is wonderous. Both Genya and Zoya become very very cuddly, and like to stroke your high and nuzzle into your neck. 

[mama-qwerty]

You know how ferrets will gather up and hoard stuff? I imagine Eclipse does the same. Callie can't find her serving spoons so she goes to search his room

The gremlin would TOTALLY hoard stuff. ~~~~~

"MOM! WHERE'S MY APPLE HOODIE??"

"How should I know? Clean your room and maybe you'll find it."

"I DID AND IT'S NOT HERE!"

"I don't think it's in the laundry, so look again. It's gotta be there."

"IT'S NOT!!"

"THEN I DON'T KNOW SILVER, STOP YELLING ACROSS THE HOUSE!!"

Callie heaved a sigh as she shook her head. She loved that little hedgehog to bits but sometimes that boy couldn't see something even if it were right in front of his face.

Besides, she had her own problems.

She opened another drawer. They shouldn't have been in here in the first place, so it was no surprise when she didn't find them. With a grunt she closed it again, her brow furrowed.

Her measuring spoons were missing. She'd looked everywhere--in the dishwasher, under the counter, in every drawer in the kitchen--they just weren't anywhere. Like they'd grown legs and wandered off.

A lot of stuff around the house seemed to have developed that ability lately.

Clothes. Her spoons. Bits and pieces out of the trash. A few of her hair ties. (Okay, the cats may be behind that mystery, as she'd caught Bloom tossing one in the air to chase a few days ago.)

She and Silver always seemed to be missing something. If it were just Silver, she could brush it off as his forgetfulness. He often just put things down and forgot where.

But it wasn't just him. Callie was nowhere near a neat-freak, but she liked things in a certain order. (Because, she too would lose things if she didn't have a specific place to put them.) And those things were walking away, too. Things she knew she'd put away properly.

So, if she was losing things, and Silver was losing things, that left one other person in the house as a possible suspect. And he hadn't complained about anything going missing.

With a sigh, Callie headed toward the stairs. It was time to ask her second son a few questions.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse hunkered down in his closet, hugging his knees to his chest. His gold-on-black eyes flickered over his treasures. Things no one else cared about. But they were special to him.

His newest acquisition was a small set of spoons all connected with a little plastic ring. They fit neatly inside each other, but could also spread out like a little fan. He'd seen them in a drawer in the kitchen, and they never seemed to be used, so he figured they were okay to take. They were neat. He liked spreading them out and then tucking them back together.

He smiled. This stuff was his. His. And it made him happy.

A knock made him gasp, and he scurried out of his closet and closed the door behind him. Then he moved to the bedroom door, and opened it a crack. Callie stood in the hallway, and gave him a little smile.

"Hey, Monkey. Can I come in?"

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

She shrugged. "'Cause I wanna talk to you."

"Can't we talk downstairs?"

Callie raised an eyebrow. "Some reason we can't talk in your room? You hiding something?"

"NO!"

Eclipse groaned inwardly. That sounded suspicious. And by the look on his adoptive mom's face, she thought so, too. He cursed himself and begrudgingly opened the door wider to let her in.

"Thanks, oh suspicious son of mine," she said with a little smile as she walked in. He didn't have a bed to sit on--he slept in a hammock hanging in the far corner of the room--so she lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the floor. She patted the spot in front of her. "C'mere. I wanna ask you something."

With a sigh, the little darkling moved to sit down, copying her pose. His tail curled around to the front, and he absently grabbed the end to squeeze and tug.

"Silver and I have been having some things going missing around the house lately," she said, her voice soft. She ran a hand down his head as she spoke. "I was wondering if you had anything go missing, too."

Eclipse kept his eyes trained on the tail in his hands. He shook his head. "Nuh uh."

"Oh, well, that's good. Because it can be really frustrating to have something you need disappear. And, depending what it is, it could also be a little hurtful. If it was something that meant a lot to you."

Eclipse ducked his head a little lower.

She knew. Somehow she knew what he'd been doing.

He hadn't thought about making anyone frustrated or hurt--he just saw the stuff laying around the house, not being used. If it wasn't being used, that meant it wasn't wanted, right? Better for him to pick it up and keep it safe instead of abandoned, neglected, and tossed aside without a second thought. Because that was a horrible feeling. A terrible, horrible, awful feeling.

He bit his lip as he felt his mom's eyes watching him. She didn't say anything else, and it didn't feel like she was mad at him, but her gaze felt heavy all the same.

"Do you know what happened to everything that's gone missing?"

The question was soft and gentle. Not accusatory. Not blaming. Not angry.

Eclipse swallowed hard.

Without a word, he stood and walked to his closet. He pulled the door open, standing with his head lowered as the light from his room spilled inside.

His gaze was on the floor, but he saw his mother push herself to stand, and move over to look inside the closet. After inspecting the pile of stuff, she turned and hunkered down to tuck a knuckle beneath his chin and lift his gaze to meet hers.

"Tell me about this," she said, her voice still so soft. "Help me understand."

Eclipse stared at her for a few seconds, before pulling his face away and stalking to another corner. His brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms.

"Doesn't matter," he hissed, turning away from her. "Just take the stuff and punish me.

"Why do you deserve to be punished? Did you take these things to be mean?"

The question caught him off-guard and he turned quickly. "No!"

"Were you going destroy them? To try and hurt me and Silver?"

"No!"

"Then why?"

"Because I never had anything of my own!" he yelled, his teeth clenched and hands balled into fists. "No one had anything on the Black Comet, and everything that was there belonged to all. I never had anything that was just mine. And all that stuff was just left around the house, not being used. Abandoned."

A look of understanding seemed to blossom over Callie's face then, and she moved closer to him, gently taking his hands in hers.

"I understand," she said, a little smile on her face. "I do. And I'm not mad. But you can't just take other people's things. It's not that big a deal here in our family, but if you take something that doesn't belong to you, that's stealing, and it's wrong. You could get into a lot of trouble if you stole something from a store or someone else. Understand?"

He furrowed his brow. "Even if they're not using it?"

She nodded. "Even if they're not using it. It's still theirs, and you can't just take it. Promise me you won't do this again?" He thought about it for a minute, before nodding. "Good. Tell you what, let's sort through the stuff in your closet, and we'll see what you can keep. And next time we go to the store, you can pick something out just for you. Okay?"

Eclipse looked at her for a long moment, before a little smile spread over his lips. "Okay!"

~X~X~X~

Over the next half hour, Eclipse pulled everything out of his closet, and Callie separated it into three piles--one for Silver's things, one for hers or the house, and one for the things Eclipse could keep. She sacrificed a few of her things, and some stuff from the kitchen and living room for his pile, making a mental note to pick up replacements the next time she went shopping.

But the happy smile on her boy's face was well worth the additional expense.

~~~

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