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equestrianwritingsstuff · 3 years

Note

For the BTHB: enemy turned caretaker with Villain whumpee and Hero caretaker ???

Thank you, your writing is amazing. Have a good day!!!

Thank you for the ask and lovely comment! I hope you don't mind that I gave the characters genders as my brain cannot write with neutral ones today, but feel free to imagine the characters as you like.

If you want to send in an ask: here.

Downside to the River

@badthingshappenbingo

Warnings: beating, intensive description of broken bones (including broken leg, ribs, and jaw), blood, minor vomit, losing consciousness, bathing, enjoying hurting others

Maybe she went a little too far.

Maybe, it was a possibility.

Likely? No.

Unlikely? No.

Did she? Yes.

Now, the real question was... did she care?

In the heat of the moment, that trilogy of words wouldn't dare cross her fired-up mind.

But afterwards? After the deed was done? After she tucked him into bed with a warm blanket?

Yes, she cared. She cared and regretted it.

Let's go back in time for moment, shall we?

July 15, 11:23 PM:

Her fist struck something hard, her ears heard a crack, but her heart felt victory. Her other hand dove in, earning the same satisfying sensation.

"Knock it off, will you?" The villain below her spat, blood circling in the sticky saliva. "I get your point ma'am."

Hero didn't listen. She kicked, landing a near-stunning blow on Villain's chest. He wheezed, coughing and wincing, but he didn't get much time for recovery before another kick sent him hurdling to the ground. He laid there, winded and exhausted, calculating his injuries for greatest to least- he doubted Hero would hurt him further; after all, he was already down.

Yet the otherwise positive premonition failed him. Hero slammed both fists into his temple. Way to kick a man when he's already down, Villain groaned to himself just as stars erupted in his already dimming vision.

He brought himself clumsily to his arms, legs still reclining against the wooden floor. They were on a bridge in the woods, a place that young couples would go for dates on. Though it was more than obvious that wasn't the intention for the late night visit.

Hero pounced, a flying fist meeting his ribcage. Crack! Hero pulled back for moment to allow Villain to collapse on the ground, grunting and moaning weakly, before hopping to her feet and jumping on his side.

"I get your point," Villain growled through clenched teeth.

"I doubt that," Hero retorted, and stomped on Villain's outstretched hand.

"Nngh," Villain replied, pulling in his hand instinctively, but Hero didn't allow for that form of comfort. She placed her shoe onto his wrist and pinned it down.

"Shut up, will you?"

Crrreeeeaaaakkkk

Hero stood up straighter, giving Villain minimal, but relief nonetheless. When the eerie sound didn't come again, she continued her pin of victory.

Creeeeaaakkkk

Hero looked around again, shrugged, but stopped. There was something different in the air.

It was raining.

Not just a drizzle, but a downpour.

Hero looked over the side of the bridge to see raging waters hitting the wooden beams.

Oh crap.

It was a flash flood.

Hero pushed herself away from Villain and bounded to shore. She jumped over pools of mud and water, leaped over fallen branches, and slid over slick slides of leaves.

Before sprinting back home, Hero took a glance over her shoulder at Villain who was struggling to get back on his feet. For a moment, a pure second of temptation, Hero considered going to save him.

No, she told herself, silently shaming herself for those types of thoughts. He is a monster. He brought this upon himself.

Hero looked up again to see the bridge collapse. Villain's arms and legs gave out as a beam smacked into his back, right by the shoulder blades. She didn't have to hear his holler to know the horrible sound that escaped his bloody lips.

As he fell, obviously dazed and disoriented, his skull smashed into a stray piece of wood and he was enveloped by the muddy waves.

July 16, 12:18 AM:

Hero laid upon her bed, aimlessly wrapping a strand of her hair around her index finger, making knots and toying with the invention. Her mind was wandering. Was he dead? Or dying? Was he alone and cold? Or was he not even awake, only his body awaiting inevitable death?

Hero looked out the window and into the dark sky beyond. The consistent tapping on her window told her that it was indeed still raining- pretty heavily at that. But the rain wasn't her concern.

"He is cold," she whispered silently to herself, shaking her head, blonde curls bouncing off her forearms.

She tried to concentrate on her Game of Hair-Knots, but her restless legs walked themselves to the window, her inquisitive eyes looking outside.

Where was he?

She forced herself back to her bed and plopped back onto the comfortable cushioning. She laid her head against the comforter. Should go back out there...

No. She aimed to defeat Villain that night. The task was over, mission finished.

She didn't defeat Villain. The storm did. The intoxicating flash flood that more than definitely was making Villain suffer with dreadful hypothermia.

Save him.

But he is better dead.

It's not right.

I'm saving the world.

You're saving yourself. Go!

Hero rolled onto her back, groaned, and ran down the stairs. She threw on a jacket, grabbed a flashlight and trotted through the booming thunderstorm.

July 16, 12:56:

"Villain!" Hero screamed over the gusts of bellowing winds. She waved her flashlight around wildly. "Villain!"

She was following the river. He had to have turned up somewhere. She shuddered thinking of the waterfall not to faraway from where she was.

It was too crazy of one, but if he fell...

Hero didn't want to think of the "what ifs".

After a few more minutes of looking, she came upon said fall of water. Heart lurching, Hero madly searched around it, desperate to find him before the drop off.

He wasn't anywhere in sight.

Hero ran down the hill that caged the powerful waves up. She tripped over sticks and branches, and even fell a couple times, but kept going.

She had to find him.

And that she did.

His body was laying haphazardly on a rock, completely limp and seemingly unresponsive.

"Villain!" Hero yelled and crouched next to the injured person. Shining the light over his wet face, she could see all the bruises she left, the odd angle his jaw was in, and the smeared trace of blood on his temple where he hit his head earlier.

She let the light wander over the rest of his drenched, and nauseatingly bloody, body. A large wooden beam rested on his leg. His leg, in question, was sticking up on the other side, bent inward with blood staining the pale material of his jeans.

Hero shot straight up to look closer at his leg. If she moved it, she knew it would upset his injuries even further unless, of course, she woke Villain up.

"Hey," Hero tapped Villain's cheek until unfocused eyes open. "Wake up," she whispered.

Villain took a moment to get his bearings, but the moment he did, he screamed. "Hurts, hurts so much," he sobbed. Hero kept her hands rested on his shoulder until he shook them off.

"Get your hands off of me," he growled, glaring at Hero.

She didn't blame him.

But she did ignore him.

"You are trapped under that beam," she informed the villain, pointing to the heavy board that laid upon his lower body. Villain's gaze, still full of hatred, followed her finger.

"I have to lift it. The second I do, drag yourself away. Got it?"

Villain seemed to realize how dire his situation was for he nodded his head. Hero gave an encouraging smile and proceeded to lift the beam.

"Wait," Villain said. "How bad is it?"

"Bad."

Villain noticeably gulped and furrowed his brow.

Hero lined up to the board and wrapped her arms around the slimy material. "Ready? On the count of three. One... two... three..."

Hero lifted while Villain pulled himself to his feet- or foot.

The wood slipped from her hands. Even though her muscles trembled from lifting the beam- thanks to the blessing of adrenaline- she looked at Villain, who was swaying on his foot.

Then she looked down, at his leg.

The bone was popped out of his pants, white and ragged, with cracks running downwards. Hero felt bile rise up her throat, but the nauseating feeling was quickly succumbed when she noticed Villain's eyes roll backwards.

"Crap!" She exclaimed and caught Villain as he collapsed into her arms. His head lolled on her shoulder, body the human equivalent of a ragdoll.

July 16, 2:12 AM:

Hero dragged Villain into the bathroom and quickly got him out of his sodden clothes and wrapped in countless blankets. His lips were an unnatural shade of blue, fingertips waxen in yellow candlewax.

"C'mon bud," Hero murmured, rubbing his wrists to stimulate warm blood flow. She periodically checked hie temperature and smiled as it increased by the decimal.

His hair was matted in dirt and blood- he needed that cleaned immediately before it got into any open wounds. Hero found so many, so many little cuts and deep gashes that she lost count. He would need stitches, antibiotics...

His leg. Surgery was a definite.

But bringing him to a hospital would be suicide for him.

But wasn't I the one who just wanted him dead? The one who left him for dead?

Hero shook her head. That train of thought wouldn't help the situation.

The moment his body temperature was raised enough to safetly bathe him without the risk of even more pain due to the sudden change from cold to hot, Hero filled the tub with warm, vanilla scented water, and lowered him gently into it. She took the showerhead and tenderly rinsed out his hair, picking out hardened bits of mud and dried blood.

He slept through her motherly care, sometimes groaning, but Hero was quick to soothe him.

The next task in cleaning him was shampooing his hair. She scrubbed her coconut scented soap into his hair, then rinsed, dipping his head back to avoid getting it into his eyes.

When the bath was done, Hero wrapped him in a thick bathrobe, tied the front into a bow and carried him to her room where she wrapped a blanket around his sleeping frame.

The last thing Hero did before sitting in a nearby chair was call her friend.

"Caretaker? I kinda have a situation here."

#villain whumpee #injured villain #unconscious whumpee #heros and villains #writing #bad things happen bingo #hero whumper #hero caretaker #storms #broken bones

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abybweisse · 4 years

Text

Epiphany? Lau’s tattoo...

...could be two regular koi and one that’s transforming into a golden dragon.

⚠️ Very long post.

After doing a doodle for @royalshinigami, I decided to do some research on fish tattoo designs in China. I quickly hit the effin’ jackpot. (I left out parts that I don’t think apply, so there’s more information on the website.) Here’s what looked pertinent:

First off, it’s convenient that this is a legend shared by the Chinese and the Japanese, so if we ever get a clear look at his tattoo, and if I’m right about the basic, overall design of it, then the Japanese fandom should immediately recognize the reference.

Considering the orientation of the swimming fish, how they travel up his arm, I think they are trying to make it over the waterfall. And the one on top, the one with its head coming up over his shoulder? It finally passed through Dragon’s Gate and is being rewarded by changing into the golden dragon. I believe the one at his shoulder represents himself, overcoming his obstacles and achieving his goals. Lau: A yellow/gold koi becoming a golden dragon.

Lau is highly adaptable, powerful, independent, rose quickly in the ranks of Qīng Bāng, is financially successful. The list could go on. Koi represents him perfectly.

Here’s where I consider the colors of the other two koi, because I think there might be three in total. We could be dealing with a tattoo that’s just in black, and if so, then these colors won’t matter. However, if they are in full color, then the one farthest down his arm (farthest away from Drgaon’s Gate) is black... according to the cover art for Volume IX. (I would include that image here, but I hit the image limit.)

The black koi could represent an earlier version or simply an aspect of himself, having overcome some obstacle. If it’s someone else, it would probably be his father.

If the one in the middle is not himself, it could be his mother. And if it also represents himself, red would be a good color for power and bravery.

The one at the shoulder might be changing into a golden dragon, so visually it would make sense (be aesthetically pleasing) for the fish to start out as gold, too. Perhaps this is a yellow and orange mixed koi, appearing golden, that symbolizes Lau’s fortune and wealth.

That top one would be a “dragon koi”... a powerful and ferocious beast that represents new beginnings. Let’s not forget that Lau suggested to our earl and his servants that they pick up and move to some faraway land to start over. That’s basically what he was doing, too. Even though he was the highest official in Qīng Bāng by the time he was setting sail to England, this was still like a fresh start or clean slate.

So... regardless of whom each koi represents, I now theorize:

The one at his shoulder is golden and transforming into a golden dragon. A golden “dragon koi”. It represents new beginnings, wealth, and good fortune.

The one in the middle (if there really are three) is red, representing things like power, bravery, and intense love.

The one that starts on his forearm, farthest away from the top or Dragon’s Gate, is black, representing strength and obstacles that have been overcome.

If only one represents himself, then it’s the golden one at the top. The red one would likely represent his mother, and the black one would likely represent his father.

Since the Jester archetype is “Self” centric, it’s entirely possible that they all represent him... either at different stages of his life or simply different aspects of himself.

If the tattoo is just black, then all the fish probably represent him, and the color symbolism no longer matters, except for the black. And perhaps gold, simply because the legend of the dragon koi still applies.

And I might as well plop this down here, too, while I’m at it.

What are his ultimate goals? The title page for ch170 strongly suggests that Lau thinks he’s nearing completion of them. What does he hope to accomplish in Wiltshire?

I think I know what would make our earl no longer interesting to Lau: if the kid gave up. Lau might see himself in our earl, just like Soma could relate. But way more so than Soma, who never knew true loss until just recently. He doesn’t want our earl to lose his fighting spirit in the face of so much pain and hardship. It would be sad... and boring.

Thoughts? Am I really onto something here?

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jeonstellate · 3 years

Text

classified files: out of time — file ix

reese katherine reunites with her mother.

⍟༄ platonic!steve rogers x original character

⍟༄ depictions of grief, mentions of abduction and suicide

⍟༄ paragraph format — 1.3K words

masterlist | cf: out of time masterlist | bonus

[gif’s full credit belongs solely to its owner]

It was four o’clock in the afternoon. The sky was already dark, yet there was still a remaining light hue surrounding it. Only a small fraction of the sun remained visible in the horizon, no longer providing light and warmth to those who were still out and about. Instead, it was finally the moon’s turn to shine upon the city.

Reese Carter found herself in the topmost unideal place to be once night fell: the cemetery. She was sitting on a well-maintained land of grass, just across a tombstone made of granite. There was no ounce of fear in her bloodstream, because she had always been safe with her mother around.

“Mum— Mummy,” she murmured. The fluidity of her voice made it clear that she was so used to having her mother around and her stutter conveyed her broken heart for the reality. “It’s Reese— Reese Katherine, your little warrior. D’you remember?”

As per the Avengers’ request, she was wearing a wire — an instrument that they said would help to keep her safe. Unbeknownst to her, however, the wire — which was just an earpiece, really — allowed a two-way communication between her and them.

“You adopted me when I was seven months old, in 1948. You named me and let Auntie Angie pick my first. You gave me my birthday — June 18th, which was the date they finalized my adoption.”

The heroes had to stiff a collective gasp. The date of Reese’s so-called birthday coincidentally happened to be identical to the second date on Peggy Carter’s tombstone — which, considering that she inherited her traits from her blood-parents, could only mean—

“Oh,” they heard the exact moment when the realization dawned on her, “you died on my birthday.” There it was, the pain of self-blame oozing in her voice. “Did you remember? Was your— was your memories of me too painful?”

The Avengers poked their heads from their hiding spots, seemingly anticipating something that might require their assistance — although not as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but as self-proclaimed guardians of a semi-stable teenager. Their eyes trailed her figure, but they were careful not to stare too intently.

Reese looked up at the sky, “Did I kill you, mother?”

Tears streamed down her face. Under the moonlight, they shone like stars. Her eyes, instead of holding innocent light, held agony and resignation. Upon noticing, Steve Rogers instinctively wanted to comfort her, but was stopped by Tony Stark with a small promise of “later.”

It took a while before the teen recovered from the burst of strong emotion that overtook her. Yet, when she finally did, she chose to continue her story. “When I was twelve, we were about to head to Auntie Ana’s. I had forgotten my hat at our flat, so I went back to get it. You stayed behind because I told you I would be quick — and I would have been, if it weren’t for the three men that ambushed me as soon as I opened the door.

“I tried to fight them using the techniques you taught me. I would’ve succeeded, too, but they injected me with some drug. I lost consciousness then.” Reese didn’t bother wiping her tears away, partly because they kept on coming. Her attention was directed to her mother’s tombstone, but she had a faraway look in her eyes.

“When I gained consciousness, I found myself strapped on a table. I didn’t know where they were taking me — I just know I was in an aircraft, so it must’ve meant I was being transported somewhere far. I was so— so frightened, mummy. What if they hurt you to get to me? What if you thought I left you on purpose?”

Reese’s tears flowed harder than waterfalls, yet she didn’t wail nor did she move from her spot. She remained distracted by the unknown from far away and was somehow indifferent.

“I heard accented voices and they were getting louder. I froze in fright, but I managed to close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. The voices eventually got clearer and I knew they were in the room I was in. They were talking in English, so I understood what they were talking about: it was me.”

Two sets of footsteps echoed through. Except for the engines that seemed to rumble underneath, it was relatively quiet. On the far-end corner, Reese Katherine was strapped on a table on both of her shoulders and hips. She was conscious, but was pretending to be asleep to buy herself more time to think of an escape route — as well as some alternatives.

“Choosing Captain Rogers’ liaison to care for Subject 374 might’ve been the best choice HYDRA made for the interest of the Demigods project.” Being restricted on using her sight to assess her situation, Reese relied on her sense of hearing. Although stereotypes were often inaccurate, she based their appearances on their voices.

“Indeed.” Both of the voices were coated with thick, Eurasian accents. They were unfamiliar to her and, thus, could be quite intimidating to hear. “Although she protected Subject 374 quite too well, don’t you think? She singlehandedly delayed HYDRA’s operation by two years, how can we be sure she hasn’t inflicted her blood?”

“We have anticipated that, of course, and we are prepared to erase such influences by any means necessary. HYDRA simply cannot afford any compromise — not in Demigods, not in anything else.”

“I presume you have found a cure for Subject 374’s airway inflammation?“ Unbeknownst to the gentlemen, while they were preoccupied on conversing, Reese was slyly and gradually freeing herself from her bonds. However, she made no attempt at escaping just yet.

“Unfortunately,” there was no hint of sadness in his voice. “But we did find a way to prevent it from interfering in Subject 374’s future occupation as HYDRA’s greatest weapon.

“She’ll bring the world on its knees, starting from her mother and those that helped put HYDRA on the ground.”

Reese had enough then.

“I ran through the whole airplane trying to find a way out. I was surrounded by enemies; by people I couldn’t trust, so I knew I had to escape as fast as possible. When I saw the door unattended, I knew it was my only chance.

“I jumped without any parachute. I jumped knowing that the plane was flying over a vast ocean. I jumped knowing that I would die. I jumped knowing that you were waiting for me back home and that I’d never see you again. I jumped thinking that it was better than being used as a mindless machine to hurt you; to hurt Auntie Ana, Uncle Jarvis, Uncle Howard, and Auntie Angie. I jumped thinking I was moments away from watching over you next to Captains Carter and Rogers.”

The Avengers held their breath. Reese hadn’t give any indication that she was familiar, besides his sacrifice and the aftermath of his decision, to Peggy and Steve’s relationship. However, based on how comfortable she was on mentioning his name — like he had been a big part of her life despite not being physically there, they could only assume that she and her mother talked about him more often than she initially let on.

“At that moment, I finally fully understood why Captain Rogers made his choice. I never meant to leave in the same matter he did, especially when I grew up witnessing how much that affected you, but it was the only way. I had to die, mum, to save thousands. A life — my life — for the world.”

Her tears kept coming still, but she couldn’t care less. She was just so exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She wouldn’t mind falling into another abnormally long slumber and not wake up from it at all, yet still chose to put a façade for her mother.

“I’ll be okay. Eventually.”

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dungeonqueering · 5 years

Text

A world renowned test kitchen existed in Waterdeep. It did tours, tastings, live audiences, shows, and even had a restaurant and gift shop located inside. It was far more than a test kitchen, it was an entire campus dedicated to culinary ingenuity. Then, mysteriously, it shut down ten years ago. Guards were paid to patrol the yard, and the gates were locked. Then, three years later, it just as mysteriously reopened. The gates unlocked to commerce only, and the doors to the buildings themselves never seemed to open.. The guards continued to circle, but the smoke stacks and other outward signs of operation came to life, and wondrous and horrifying smells came to life from within. Merely a month ago, the factory began selling a sealed anniversary edition of their very first cookbook. Some copies contain an extra recipe, never before seen. Cooks who can find this recipe are promised a tour of the Test Kitchen.

They are each allowed to bring two assistants if they so choose, be they sous chef or family or server etc. Each chef represents one of the 7 deadly sins, with Okizar representing Pride and Sloan representing Wrath.

The seven are ushered into the campus yard where they are told to wait for Sylvia

The next room is locked, and requires a combination (99-44-100% Pure)

This leads to the legal room, wherein all the Chefs must sign a contract that has comically small print to be allowed to proceed.

To proceed to the next room, everyone crams into a small room with only one door. Sloan makes her way around the entire room, and then back to the original door, leading everyone into the next room.

The Ingredient Room

A room full of various ingredients growing in fantastic ways. Meatless Meat from Meat Trees, Bushes that grow dozens of spices all at once, Giant mushrooms, plants that have bechamel as sap, etc.

We first See some Svirfneblin, working to harvest “Meatless Meat” from the “Meat Trees”

They are from a faraway and underground land full of desolate wastes and fierce beasts, such as the Wangdoodle, hornswogglers, snozzwangers, and the rotten and vermicious knids.

Gluttony Boi is eaten by a carnivorous plant.

The Svirfneblin start acting fearful. Sloan looks concerned. A pack of feral Svirfneblin enter the room. Combat!

Sloantanic (Boat)

The boat goes absurdly and magically fast through a tunnel that seems to be ripping through the fabric of reality. It’s all an illusion, of course. DC 13 Int Saving throw, or be Frightened for 10 minutes. Subsequent saving throws deal 1d6 psychic damage if already frightened.

See: Boat Song

If anyone says “Stop the Boat” they are suddenly all at their destination with no seeming decrease in momentum, as if they had been there for some time.

Test Kitchen

The key to get in is two keys hooked via a small gear system to a single key. Thus, when you turn the one large key, it turns two smaller keys.

There are vats, cauldrons, ovens, stoves, and all manner of hyper-specific kitchen gadget emitting strange sounds, lights, and smells. Eggs being cooked in tubes, pots stirring themselves, pipes emitting scented smoke, etc.

The Svirfneblin are experimenting and trying out various recipes. The room smells chaotic.

Players are offered a chance to taste anything in the room. Roll 1d6. On a 5-6, they heal 2d6 HP. On a 3-4, roll on the wild magic table. On a 1-2, DC 15 Con save or be poisoned.

Sloan shows off a covered machine that has spinning and whirring parts. It produces an untested Scotch Egg, made from MyStErIoUs InGrEdIeNtS. Pride person eats it despite protestations, and it causes them to turn into a griffin. They have to be taken to be de-feathered and are disqualified.

There is a small room just off of this room where the “Ultimate Romantic Dinner” is being developed. The players may make suggestions. The Lust person, trying to seduce Sloan (so they can get the fortune via marriage) invites Sloan to try the romantic dinner. Sloan agrees. Roasted Lamb crusted in Fey mustard, served with grilled shadowgreens and potatoes grown with dragon fertilizer. Causes Madness, which doesnt affect Sloan as she is already mad.

Lickable Wallpaper

The Bolognese tastes like Bolognese! The Pasta Salad tastes like Pasta Salad! The Mashed potatoes, remarkably, taste like fried brussel sprouts. We’re still working out the kinks.

Wild Magic Beer

We fight a wangdoodle, Hornswoggler, snozz wanger, and/or Rotten vermicious Knid

But only AFTER anyone who has tried this new fizzy beer has done so. Roll once on Wild Magic table each.

Envy tries to sabotage the brewing vat, but falls in.

Geese What Lay Golden Eggs

All recipes that involve eggs get them from the hatchery. There are five geese that lay golden eggs. They are delicious. Sloan offers everyone an omelette, which turns out to be those fancy japanese ones that you cut and they fall over your inner toppings. Everyone who partakes heals 2d6.

Bubble Room!

A fun room with flavored bubbles. The machine that creates them releases them too much, and visibility is heavily reduced. Another fight ensues, with visibility only out to ten feet. Greed Person is found slain after the bubbles disappear.

The Itis Room

What goes better with a nice meal than a post-meal nap? There are several beds where everyone can take a short rest.

Sloth lady lays on an experimental bed despite protestations and is petrified.

Control Tower

Final Fight with Sloan and any of the critters we’ve seen before. Sloan makes it clear that she wants to lose, but she cannot be destroyed until someone else controls and owns her test kitchen. It must be earned by striking the killing blow with a special trident that is just a comically large fork.

Slaying her with that fork after having bested her reverts ownership of the Test Kitchen to you. The curse is lifted and you may do as you wish with the campus.

Vault

Roll 4 x Hoard

Silvia Sloan is a tall Half-Elf cursed to have a bond with her Test Kitchen until her death. She can only be slain with the trident she uses as a walking stick, which is a comically large fork. She has gaunt features and tan skin, as well as raven-black hair and hazel eyes. She wears a Yellow-Green and Red-Purple Chef’s Coat, and matching hat. Her movements are broad and eccentric. Sloan wants to be defeated, but feels the need to give ownership of the Test Kitchen over to someone first. She freely gives the Fork over to the party before their final fight, which is the final test to make sure they can keep the kitchen safe after her death. Ideally give her an emotional final request before the party double taps her. The fork is a +1 Trident that grants the wielder proficiency in Tridents and, if the wielder is a cook, grants them the ability to both attack and deliver a morsel to an enemy on the same turn. This can be done twice before a long rest.

Gluttony is a rotund orc man with a jovial attitude named Imsh. Wants to try all the flavors.

Lust is a Tiefling celebrity Chef named Palette. They/Them. Wants to marry Sloan for her fortunes.

Greed is a Halfling man who is literally just Skinner from Ratatouille. Named Merric.

Sloth is a High Elven woman who specializes in slow-cooking over extended periods of time. Very slow personality. Named Shanairra.

Envy is a Human Man named Ivor. Jealous of Sloan’s success.

Pride is represented by one of the Player Characters, and Silvia represents Wrath. You may need to adjust sins based on your players.

Raw Ass Lines for Sloan to say

“Is it my soul that calls upon my name?”

“Never Between Friends”

“You should never never doubt what nobody is sure about.”

“All my dreams become realities and some of my realities become dreams.”

“Hold your breath, make a wish, count to three.”

“No other Test Kitchen mixes their mother sauces by waterfall. It’s the only way if you want to get it just right.”

“The suspense is terrible.”

“No touching, no tasting, no telling.”

“Time is a precious thing, never waste it. *Throws clock into a vat*”

“Adding shoes gives it a little kick.”

“We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.”

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”

“Adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

“You’re an Inhuman monster!”

“So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

BOAT SONG:

Round the world and home again

That's the sailor's way

Faster faster, faster faster

There's no earthly way of knowing

Which direction we are going

There's no knowing where we're rowing

Or which way the river's flowing

Is it raining, is it snowing

Is a hurricane a-blowing

Not a speck of light is showing

So the danger must be growing

Are the fires of Hell a-glowing

Is the grisly reaper mowing

Yes, the danger must be growing

For the rowers keep on rowing

And they're certainly not showing

Any signs that they are slowing

The actual monsters used can be tailored to the appropriate CR of your party. Whenever they try to roll to identify the monsters, they fail to as these things don’t actually exist, or at least shouldn’t. A high roll simply reveals that these monsters are some that no one that you’ve heard of has ever seen them before.

For me, I’m using the stats for an Ankheg, a Basilisk, a Dryad, and a Quasit. As well as, obviously, a Svirfneblin (Deep Gnome), and a Level 5 Half-Elf Cook.

#Willy Wonka And Te Chocolate Factory #Willy Wonka #DnD #Homebrew #Dungeon

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lovepmd · 5 years

Text

My Team HeadCannon from Explorers of the Sky

Ryan Takudo

Species: Shinx

Age: 15 Years old

Gender: Male

When Ryan was a human, he was a 15 year old university student in Nimbasa City University. Since he was a kid, he was inspired to become a Pokemon specialist when he visits to International Pokemon Convention in Hearthome City, Sinnoh. To fulfill his dream, he took the Trainer’s Exam and pass with flying colours. Obtained Tim when travelling to Hoenn with his friends when he stumbled a wild Treecko and decides to catch it. At school, his intelligence was shown as he can solve questions that was meant for higher education level. With his teacher’s approval, he finished his elementary and high school within a short time, 3 years to be exact. He took Zoologist as his major in the university, specialized in quadruped and electric type Pokemon.

One day, when he was alone at home with his and pet Pokemon, he saw something flew past by the window. He then goes out and saw an ultra-rare shiny Celebi, lying on the forest floor injured by the Darkrai. He then tried to help the Celebi but stopped by the pitch black Pokemon and knocked him out cold. After waking up, he had severe headache and being attend by his Grovyle. The Celebi had already attended by the wood gecko earlier thanks to his skills using wild berries as medicine. He realized that everything around him was stiffed, as if it the time has been stopped. Then the Time Travel Pokemon explained that his world was indeed paralyzed and must find a way to undo the situation, but not until he and the rest were running away from all sorts of Ghost-type Pokemon that hunted them down. In desperation, he and his Grovyle jumped into the Dimensional Portal created by the Celebi to redo the time but a mysterious force hit the portal and cause haywire which ultimately separated them. Unable to remember his past life, it’s up to him and his new partner to help him recover his memories and finishing his ultimate role before time runs out

Characteristics

At first, he have some trouble adapting his new body and stumbles a lot while trying to walk, but he manages to walk properly fairly quickly

Quick learner and very observant, possibly may learn a new move by simply observing and practices a lot, which some of his human traits were carried over when transformed into a Pokemon, without him realizing at all.

When in dungeons, he’s a quick thinker, critical in making quick decision when in danger, analytical in scanning the opponent’s movements in order to dodge incoming attacks. Excels in battles but not fairly well navigating through dungeons… sort of… (He’s embarrassed to admit it)

Despite being a quick learner and critical in making tactical decision, he’s quite hasty and sometimes his body work faster than his brain. He felt like being late is not an option. But luckily his partner can calm him down

A bit of geek when something interesting perk him up. Highly curious and tend to act before thinking thoroughly…(his biggest weakness which sometimes cause big troubles to the team)

He tends to smug whenever he was winning at something but almost always failed spectacularly in the process. Later, he utilizes his ‘trash talk’ ability when battling. Kinda like ‘a battle of mind before a battle of fist’ according to him, much to Mia’s disapproval.

Ability

Ryan can summoned how much voltage does he wanted to use when using electrical attacks, like Magnemites evolution lines. He learn this ability when he first trained with Zarco, a local Electrivire when he asked for his help to master his electrical offensive moves. For example, when he wanted to use the move Spark, he will say “X VOLTS, SPARK!” where “X” is the voltage amount that he wanted to summon.

Example when he executes a move: “10,000 VOLTS, DISCHARGE!!”

Trivia

He has unusual traits as a Shinx. His eyes were blue in color instead of shiny golden color, a trait which carried over from human figure. He also have 5 pointed star shaped tail instead of four. This makes everyone scratching their heads about it, but this enable Ryan to gather 30% more electricity than any normal Shinx were and can glow 25% brighter.

He started to develop a crush on his partner when at the waterfall scene before exploring the Crystal Cave. Towards the end, he realized that he fall in love with her and affirm his love for her at the end of the story.

Mia Heather

Age: 15 years old

Species: Eevee

Gender: Female

Who doesn’t know Mia, a.k.a the “Walking Tome of Knowledge?” Her passion for adventures started when she visited the guild during the Guild’s Exhibition many years ago. Stories and tales which she heard from the guild members further fuels her interest to become an explorer in the future. One day, she found an odd looking stone with a strange engraving on her daily evening stroll at the beach, which she decides to use it as a lucky charm.

From that day, she began to study the rock, read all kinds of reading materials she could find in order to find out what stone it is. This also spark her interest in treasures and folklores. But one thing that she’s geek of is plants and berries. If Pokemon learn botany, she would be the top student in the class. With her exceptional knowledge in plants, she is a crucial asset for the team, especially when ongoing long missions which could take days to complete. She met Ryan one day after her another failed attempt to join the guild and instantly, their friendship sparked. With her new friend on her side, she finally succeeded joining the prestigious guild and her steps to become the greatest explorer became closer.

Characteristics

She always wanted to join the famous Wigglytuff’s Guild for years now, but her timid nature and lack of confidence were her biggest obstacle to overcome, which is why she doesn’t share her plethora of Pokemon and botany knowledge so often to others.

Despite that, she’s the one who never leave any teammates behind and willingly to stay, even in critical situation.

Her battling style is all about speed. She believes that speed will outcome every potential danger. Her running speed is use to its full potential but one thing she’s lacking is raw power. Usually Ryan will help her, but her timid nature sometimes get in her way, especially when she’s about to faint, hence the Run Away ability

She’s a quick adapter, meaning that she’ll fit in most of the tight situation by providing support to other teammates. Her Adaptability ability is not limited in her moveset, but her surroundings as well. Sometimes, she would lead the team, but her shyness overpowered her fairly quickly, especially meeting new Pokemon

Good sense of navigation, have sharp hearing (obviously…), exceptional memory and also second-in charge of the team. She’s also quite a neat freak as she always organized their stuffs in batches, even items in their treasure bag which she claimed for easier access… well for her and not for others actually…

Possessed exceptional knowledge in plants and berries, which allows her to differentiate good and bad berries and make special brews for emergency medicine or juices while undergo a very long missions. Also, she a good survivalist which helped the team a lot.

Ability

She will receive a special orb which gives her ability to use a specific move pool that is associated within her evolution line. This means that she can use up to eight different type of moves within the evolution line. Her chosen moves were as follows:

Flame Charge (Flareon)

Thundershock (Jolteon)

Water Pulse (Vaporeon)

Psybeam (Espeon)

Feint Attack (Umbreon)

Icy Wind (Glaceon)

Magical Leaf (Leafeon)

Fairy Wind (Sylveon)

To activate it, she’ll have to tap the orb and summon the move she want, but up to three moves per duration. This will last up to 5 minutes before the orb glows dimly. It will be reusable once the orb glows brightly again. Once a move is summoned, it will stored in the orb as ‘memory’ and Mia can remember the moves she had summoned before.

She usually wears the orb at her neck, just like a cat wearing a neck bell. It is hidden underneath her neck fluff.

The orb have a shape like DNA structure inside it and gives out a warm rainbow glow, in which could lit up a small room. Many Pokemon mistaken for a Mega Stone. Even Ryan was surprised at this because he thought that Eeveelutions have mega evolution forms. Mia wishes that it is the true Mega Stone… but she’s grateful on what she’s given.

Trivia

No one actually knew her origins. Heck even she doesn’t know as well. All she knows is that she lives at the Mimi the Chansey’s Town Clinic and Daycare for a good ten years before she started to live by herself at the Sharpedo Bluff.

Her features were a bit different from normal Eevees. At the end of her paws, there was a patch of white furs, kinda like she wears a socks. Her size were slightly bigger from average Eevee, but a bit smaller from a Shinx (about 40 cm in height).

Willy the Wigglytuff is actually her adoptive father figure. Stories goes by when he found a blanket at the guild’s entrance which containing a small Eevee, along with a note attached to it, stating that she came from a faraway land. Until she was 10, she was send to the Town’s Clinic and Daycare for her to live. Willy assumes her role as a father to take care of her. When she decides to join the guild, he was secretly ecstatic. Everyone in the guild doesn’t know this fact, even Charlie the Chatot.

Ryan have helped her numerous time along the way, which eventually develop a crush to the said Shinx. She actually denies whenever someone said that Ryan is her boyfriend, making her blushes madly and flustered. After took an advice from Saria the Sunflora, she firmly decides to tell him the truth in the near future, much to her amazement due to her shyness but it was too late because Ryan fades from existence. After Ryan reappears and finally confesses to her at the beach, she was overjoyed and accepted his confession. From that day, both of them became couples

Hope you’ll like my small headcannon from my team in Explorers of the Sky!

#submission #text #long post #explorers #explorers spoilers #!!! v good i love them

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mirai-eats · 5 years

Text

To Return

Hualian, 3,369 words, rated G, complete

Forest Guardian AU, Fairytale Elements

There is a forest far beyond the horizon where a fallen prince is tied to its ancient roots.

read on AO3

Once upon a time, a prince of a faraway land tried to save his people from death and disease with his own hands. One man could only do so much, and as the war wore on and the death toll rose to the thousands, he pleaded up to the heavens for help. The gods turned their backs on him and he desperately sought help on earth where he was scorned, then down to the demons of cold hell.

They wanted a life for lives. No, not his life, they said, he was too willing. They wanted those most precious to him. He turned away and didn’t look back.

A figure of neither heaven nor hell, moral nor immoral, found the prince and said he could help him bring the war to an end and cure for the plague. Skeptically, the prince asked for what they wanted in return.

“Your life for me to do as I please.”

The selfless prince agreed too quickly and watched the war tumble to a halt with an overwhelming victory to the rebels where they usurped him from his throne and scattered his riches and reputation into the jeering air. The plague tapered off with no more lives to kill, the king and queen its last victims.

With nothing left, not even a name, he was grabbed by the hand and pulled away by the immoral moral person. “I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain, now you must complete your part.”

“You did not fulfill anything!” the prince retorted.

“I ended the war, I ended the plague, now all that’s left is to take your life.”

The prince, an honest man, could do nothing but follow the immoral moral person through high planes and forests, over icy mountain peaks and dipping valleys, across rivers and seas, and finally, from beyond a desert pass, laid a glittering forest steeped with age and might.

“Stay here and protect it,” said the immoral moral person. “This is your new home.”

The prince’s life was tied to the roots of the trees, a leash upon his snowy neck, and told to sit and watch the tree line until they died. Only then may he be free.

This is what Hua Cheng was told, in the painted breath of storytellers and awed shouts of children. In the name of the prince, he had become a shadow of a man, his soul tied not to his body due to a pact he dealt with a god of the underworld to keep him alive long enough to find the prince. It had been so long, his kingdom buried in time, the story of the prince who tried to save his people was the only memory of its former glory.

No one believed it to be true anymore. It was nothing more than a simple fairytale to warn children from trying to play god.

Hua Cheng was as old as the trees and knew it to be true. It’s been so long even his own memory was clouded, but he knew the path well and has been seeking out the glittering forest for almost a millennia.

Weary in his ageless body, he stumbled into another forest with trees that touched the heavens and the leaves that draped the ground with whispers of its magic. It was dead silent, not a bird to be heard nor a squirrel to be seen. Hua Cheng took in a deep, steadying breath full of early autumn chill and felt his bones sag with misery.

He took a step into the treeline and felt a zing of something. It shot through his body with a shudder and he felt this might actually be it. But where were the glittering trees?

The moment he was submerged fully into the trees it felt as if the world was muted, a soundless bubble trapped the forest in a timeless loop of silence. Every step he made reverberated loudly up into the trees, his breath too loud in his ears. The trees were leering over him, its green to orange leaf-covered fingers ached to grab him. He placed his hand on the hilt of his scimitar. His chest was full of ice, his ears pounded to the rhythm of his racing heart.

A low, breathy hiss broke the pressing quiet. Hua Cheng jolted and looked over where the sound was coming from. There was something scrabbling at the base of a tree, the leaves stirred up from its frantic movements. He snuck closer, light on his feet as not to alert whatever was doing that.

Stuck amongst the foliage was a snow-white ferret with wide, dark eyes scrambling around amongst, hisses pulled from its sharp teeth and its hind leg trapped and twisted through a withering hydrangea bush and the gnarled roots of the tree.

He tutted and reached out to help shift the branches away and received a sharp hiss and sharper claws. He jerked back and cradled his wounded hand. The cut wasn’t that deep; three shallow lines marred the side of his hand and oozed steadily, but that was nothing compared to past wounds.

“Little ferret, let me help you,” he said softly.

The ferret seemed to have understood him and froze, its starless gaze fixed upon Hua Cheng. He gently reached over, wary of its teeth and claws, and tugged the branch back enough for the ferret to leap free. It scampered off amongst the trees, the flick of its black-tipped tail the last thing he saw. He stood and licked the blood off his hand then wiped it on the side of his trousers. The bleeding had already stopped.

From then on, as he wound through the pathless forest every once in a while he would catch a glimpse of white and the sound of something scuttling amongst the leaves.

He didn’t travel far. In fact, he was pretty sure despite walking relatively straight he had been going in a circle. The dying hydrangea bush, the color rotted away from its petals long ago, remained a landmark he’d passed not twice but four times. The heavy air weighed on him like a wet blanket, chilled and muted to the outside world. There was a spell on the entrance that would turn unwelcome guests away.

“How do I get into the forest?” He asked aloud, his voice breaking the din of nothing.

“You can,” a voice answered him.

From behind a large maple tree emerged a man dressed in snow-white, his face veiled off from under a weimao hat traced with fragrant jasmine flowers, his voice rang like clear bellflowers. He stood atop a mound and looked down upon Hua Cheng like a god on his alter.

“What do I do to gain entry?” Hua Cheng asked.

“You have,” the man said. He bowed his head, the pale curtain fluttering with the subtle movement. “I tested you, and you passed, and now you have found the door to this realm and picked the lock open. I stand here at the doorway ready to let you in, but only if you can tell me one thing.”

Hua Cheng nodded, his jaw set in determination.

“Why have you wandered so far to this forest? There are no riches nor strange creatures lurking in the trees, nor are there friends to see. No path leads to here or through. Are you lost?”

“No, I believe I’m exactly where I need to be.”

The man froze, still as the ancient trees circling them. “Why have you sought out this forest?”

“You said one thing,” Hua Cheng noted.

The man hummed. “I guess you are right. Very well, come on in.”

With a turn and a flutter of his expansive sleeves and pale veil, the very land seemed to transform around them. The trees stood taller, arching toward the heavens, and the air was filled with clicking and chirping of its habitants. A swallowtail butterfly fluttered by, dancing along his line of sight. The ground grew greener, the smell of pine and dirt filled the breathless air with color. It was as if life was splashed down upon the forest.

The man was walking ahead, down a clearly worn path that wounded through the trees. He paused at a bend and turned, the veil lifting slightly in the sweet breeze just enough to see inky black circling his neck and pale lips saying, “Come along.”

He scrambled up the ledge the man had been perched upon and down along the path to where the man waited. Once he was upon him he turned and continued walking, the air starkly warmer in the forest the man unlocked for him.

“You were the ferret.” It wasn’t a question, but he needed to confirm.

“I am the ferret, yes,” the man said. “My apologies for scratching you, I needed to be sure you wouldn’t try to harm or abandon me.”

“How often are you saved?”

“Never.”

Hua Cheng’s heart ached. “Does this mean I am the first to be let in?”

“Yes.” The man suddenly stopped and turned. “Would you like to see something wonderful?”

“Of course.”

The man took him everywhere, to a cliffside that overlooked the whole of the forest where the verdant green were traced with golden orange and the sky was an arching silver, to the small birds’ nests full of smooth eggs. Tumbling waterfalls of crystal tears trailing the rockface, and meadows of whispering cornflowers, daisies, cosmos, and so many more he couldn’t name, but they smelled so sweet and left his head light with their tender touch. There were families of deer where the man sat amongst tracing their delicate heads with gentle fingers, while wild bears trodded along the shores of the river rapids. The forest fed them fruit and roots, Hua Cheng not daring to suggest roasting one of the rabbits for a meal to the gentle man. He saw how tenderly he had held a mockingbird in his hand, singing a tune along with her sweet song; there was no way he could hurt a single life.

“I have a question,” Hua Cheng said after their meal, the sun dripping gold over them, the trees’ shadows lengthened with the fading day. “Is this what they call the glittering forest?”

“I suppose so, yes,” the man said. Hua Cheng felt his heart lurch, gripping his apple core hard enough for the juice to spill down his wrist.

“May I have your name?” he asked, his voice straining past his racing heart.

“Hm, I haven’t had a name in a very long time,” the man said. He bowed his head and continued, “My apologies, I have nothing to give you.”

“Xie Lian…” Hua Cheng breathed. “The guardian of the glittering forest, a prince lost in time. I am looking for him and you...”

The man, Xie Lian maybe, froze. “That… could be me. I’m not sure, it’s been so long my memories are nothing more than mist. You may call me as such. But what may I call you?”

“I am the third son, so you can call me San Lang,” Hua Cheng said. “If you are unsure of your name, may I call you gege?”

Gege tipped his head with a nod, the veil swaying to and fro. “You may.”

Hope’s seed which had been planted when he’d first stumbled into the forest tentatively grew a green shoot, buds of an unknown flower were ripe and green on its delicate stems. He didn’t want to nourish this small, budding thought if it would once again lead to him ripping it out from its delicate roots.

They finished their food and gege took him someplace to rest for the night. Stars were tracing the horizon, and with the sun gone, the moon hung low and bright, a silver crescent amongst the deep blue.

“I do not have a home for you to seek shelter in,” gege said. “This tree is firm and reliable, surviving many a storm and snow.” He patted the trunk of an ancient pine. “You may rest here for the night; tomorrow I can show you the creek which has the most delicious blackberries along its shores and the nest of foxes that reside a little south.”

“Where will gege sleep?” Hua Cheng asked.

“Ah, my home is here.” He pointed to a tree stump, hollowed out with jagged edges. The tree that it felled laid intertwined with the ground.

“Did gege fell that tree?” he teased.

“It-it was an accident.” Hua Cheng could almost see a blush on gege’s cheeks. “Sleep well, San Lang. I will see you with the sun.”

With another flourish of his expansive sleeves and pale veil, his figure morphed into that of the white ferret with a black-tipped tail. With a chatter, he climbed into the tree stump and curled up at the bottom with a sigh.

“Good night, gege,” he said softly and climbed up the tree and found a sturdy branch to lay across and fell asleep almost instantly.

He awoke when the moon was high above his head to voices talking. He leaned over carefully and peaked down between the branches to see gege, glowing white in the pale moonlight speaking softly to a man in front of him draped in imperial armor and radiating his own light.

“-but the treasure, Jun Wu,” gege was saying.

“You don’t need to worry about it,” the man, Jun Wu, said. This, Hua Cheng realized, was the Jun Wu, the emperor god of the heavens. “I must be going now, I only wanted to see how you were doing.”

“... Can you tell me…” gege hesitated, “What was… my name?”

Jun Wu seemed to soften at his words. “Never you mind that, you haven’t needed one and I dare say you won’t ever need one.”

Hua Cheng seethed from his perch. It took everything not to jump down and punch the daylight out of Jun Wu, a god of heaven or not.

Gege only nodded. “I see. Have a good evening, then.” With a flash of light, Jun Wu was gone. Gege sighed and shrunk back into a ferret, but didn’t crawl back right away, only simply sat on the forest floor.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng spoke up. Gege looked up, his beady little eyes fixed to where Hua Cheng was hidden amongst the branches.

“How much did you hear?” Gege’s sweet voice echoed in his head.

“Only the end, my apologies I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“You’re fine, San Lang.” He still sat on the ground as a ferret, his back arched and rounded like a small hill. With an audible huff, he laid down and stretched out, his head rested in front of his paws.

“Won’t you go to bed, gege?”

“Soon.”

Hua Cheng pursed his lips and decidedly climbed down. gege raised his furry head to watch him descend and sit down next to him with his back leaning against the tree. “I will sit with you then,”

“There is no need,” gege argued. “San Lang should get his rest.”

“I won’t be able to rest knowing you’re not,” Hua Cheng said stubbornly.

With a chitter, gege changed back into his human self sitting next to Hua Cheng, the length of his veil practically obscuring his whole body.

Curiosity itched his skin, his hands twitched to where gege was sitting so close to him he could feel the gentle warmth of his body.

“Gege, may I…” his throat closed up. “If you feel comfortable, may I see your face?”

Under the shadow of the moon, gege was a ghost. He couldn’t see the trace of his jaw or the slight pull of his lips like he could in the daylight. Hua Cheng could not gauge a reaction from him.

“You may,” gege said.

With bated breath, Hua Cheng reached up and pulled aside the curtain, his hands visibly shaking and he hoped gege didn’t see. The smooth parting of the light-as-air veil seemed to take another millennium before he could see his face. His breathing stopped.

Hair rich like mahogany framed a snowy face Hua Cheng would never forget. Dark eyes and a slim nose with pale lips set to a peerlessly beautiful face that had been painted over and over. His throat was traced with an inky cuff that marred his marble skin, a leash to tie him down. How could he ever forget the prince’s face? So kind and open, but its unshakable confidence whittled down to a humble shell.

“Dianxia,” Hua Cheng breathed. “Xie Lian, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Xie Lian? That was the name you spoke of before,” Xie Lian’s smooth brow furrowed. Hua Cheng finally pulled his hands away from his weimao but leaned in close to drink in the face he hadn’t seen in so, so long. “Am I the one you seek?”

“You are, you are.” Hua Cheng let out a breathless laugh. “Dianxia, my prince, I’ve finally found you.” The children’s tales and storyteller rhymes were suddenly made true right before his eyes.

“I am?”

“You are!” He wanted to leap and bound with joy. He’s found him at long last, the only one who had ever mattered in Hua Cheng’s own immortal life. “Xie Lian, your name is Xie Lian, you are a prince of the people who was made wrong. You… you saved me, and I swore to find you and serve you once more.”

“I am…” as if a candle was lit inside his heart, Xie Lian rose to his feet and removed his weimao, the moon seemed to glow from within him and the stars danced around him. The forest was glittering! Hundreds and hundreds of little flecks of light seemed to emerge from the foilage and dance to an unheard rhythm. Fireflies, Hua Cheng realized.

“Oh,” Xie Lian said softly. “They’ve been gone for so long, faded with my memory and my name.”

Hua Cheng rose to his feet and watched the fireflies sparkle and dip and twirl across the green fern, pale leaves, and budded flowers left to sleep under the blanket of night.

“My life is tied to the forest,” Xie Lian said. “I am no longer a prince with a kingdom to rule. Xian Le fell along with my soul.”

“May this humble servant beg of Dianxia to stay by his side?” Hua Cheng took Xie Lian’s hand and knelt to the ground, his other hand placed over his heart and bowed his head as he, a humble servant, should.

“You- I don’t know if you can stay here. I’ve never had anyone here except the life that already lives amongst it,” Xie Lian stuttered. “And I am no longer a prince, there is no need for a servant of any sorts.”

“How about a companion, a friend, even?” Hua Cheng raised his head to look up at his prince framed in the night sky and waltzing stars.

“A companion would be very nice. Please.” Xie Lian gently clasped Hua Cheng’s hand between his own- Hua Cheng’s heart leaped- and pulled him up to stand equally. “Don’t kneel, I’m not worth kneeling for anymore.”

“May I bestow a gift to you?” Hua Cheng asked eagerly. He traced a finger to the leather pouch hanging from his neck.

“So soon? San Lang we only just became friends.”

“And to celebrate our newfound friendship.” Hua Cheng pulled the pouch over his head and opened the small thing to show the contents to Xie Lian. He leaned forward, his breath a warm whisper over his chilled hands.

“Oh San Lang, it’s beautiful,” Xie Lian sighed. Inside was a brilliant coral pearl, the red so rich only the brightest cardinal and richest rose could compare in color. It pulsed softly with light.

“Keep it, it was once yours and now I will return it to you.” Hua Cheng tenderly placed it in Xie Lian’s hand and took his other hand to cup the satchel, his hands caressing Xie Lian’s holding what he held dearest.

“Will you really stay with me, San Lang?” He looked up at Hua Cheng with wide, hopeful eyes.

He could never deny him. “I will never leave your side, gege.”

#hualian #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #hob #heaven officials blessing #hua cheng #xie lian #fic #accidentally wrote in one whole sitting

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florafey · 6 years

Text

Malogranatum - Part 1

Feast of the Gods

There wasn’t a living soul- mortal or deity- who could perfectly capture the sight that was the Midsummer’s Feast upon Mount Olympus. The single time a year where the gods and goddess came together in a swirling clash of personalities, colors, riotous behavior, scents and tastes. The grand ballroom of Zeus’ palace was the epitome of hearty celebration every Midsummer.

This year was no exception. But for Persephone, it was an entirely new experience. Never before had she been allowed to attend the Midsummer’s Feast. Demeter’s overprotective hand had always kept Persephone on Earth, her band of nymphs keeping her company as she strained her ears for any sound of the revelry above. Most years she wept to herself, overcome with misery at her exclusion, for which she could find no reason. But not this year.

Demeter had finally deemed Persephone old enough to attend the much-anticipated Midsummer’s Feast. Persephone had been a young woman for many years but in the eyes of her mother she remained just that. Young. It had taken pleading and coercion and promises swathed in flattery before Demeter finally relented and gave her daughter permission to attend. And so with pride and happiness beating in her chest, Persephone dressed herself in her finest pink silk dress, pinned back her rambunctious waves of hair, and obediently listened to her mother’s endless list of directions she was to follow for the entire night.

“You must always stay close by my side. Even if Hermes is with you, I want you near me. Don’t let anyone persuade you into eating or drinking too much. As joyous as it may sound, you will regret it in the morning. And upon my soul, Persephone, do not think about dancing!” A calm breath and then, “This is for your own good, my love. Do you understand?”

Persephone nodded her complacency without a word of argument. She had long grown used to the restrictions Demeter placed her under. And, notably, Persephone had long grown tired of them. But rather than argue with her mother and risk severing their relationship- Demeter had never been known to compromise-, Persephone found it easier to find ways around her mother’s orders. In front of her mother she was the quiet, blushing daughter that trembled at the sight of any man or god, but when Demeter’s back was turned, Persephone knew exactly how to let herself live freely. Whether it was slipping away from her band of nymphs for the day and later claiming forgetfulness, or letting Hermes take her to faraway lands when Demeter was visiting the mortals, Persephone had found her fun.

Demeter, of course, was none the wiser. So Persephone allowed her mother to take her hand and lead the way towards Mount Olympus, following along in silence as they entered the raging celebration of Midsummer. Almost instantly Persephone was awash with the giddy feeling of delight. The party around her had so much potential for a wonderful night. She could see it manifesting already as Dionysus swallowed a mouthful of wine from his perch on a fountain bubbling with the drink. She could see it as Aphrodite allowed herself to be swept off her feet by a large, half-clothed god as their laughter echoed off the marble walls. She could see it as Hermes and Apollo pursued Eris in a playful game of chase. Merriment was everywhere. Persephone promised herself that she would not have a miserable night simply because her mother willed it so.

But in order to experience the night to it’s full she would have to do the hard part first: slip away from her mother without causing her to worry. If Demeter looked up only to see her treasured Persephone gone, she would raise the Underworld and Earth until she found her again. So Persephone desperately needed to be inconspicuous. And for that, she would need some help.

Thankfully Hermes was not too caught up in his flirtatious chase that he didn’t catch Persephone’s eye. He interpreted and understood the glance like only a close friend could and left Eris to the mercy of Apollo. Demeter barely hid her disdain as Hermes wound his way through the crowd of deities to bump shoulders with Persephone. The young goddess gratefully embraced her friend.

“Persephone! Looking radiant as always.” Hermes returned the hug and caught sight of Demeter over Persephone’s shoulders. “And Demeter, always a pleasure. I’m relieved I caught you two before anyone else could sweep you up. It’s been far too long since I was in your magnificent company.”

If there was one thing Demeter hated, it was the relationship her daughter had with the messenger god. His smooth-talking ways were known throughout Olympus, which was partly why he got on so well with Apollo, and Demeter didn’t trust him farther than she could throw him. Certainly not with her treasure. Hermes had always respected Persephone and the boundaries she had shyly, but firmly, laid down for him, but with all the protecting Demeter told Persephone she was doing, Persephone wondered how much her mother trusted her as well. Clearly not much more than Hermes.

The stinging thought was pushed to the far corners of Persephone’s mind when her mother spoke, “Hermes. Delighted to see you enjoying yourself.” She eyed the half-full goblet of dark wine. Hermes took the slight well, his smile lighting up his face and reaching his eyes.

“You know what they say, beautiful goddess. Midsummer can only happen if enough wine has been drunk!”

Persephone couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her mouth. “Nobody says that!” she declared between giggles. Hermes caught her eye and winked. Demeter made a half-hearted attempt to conceal the turn of her lip. Hermes was efficiently persuading her that she had been right to shield her daughter from this for so many years. Persephone could see her the interaction was going off the rails, so she shot her friend a meaningful look.

Hermes was quick to make amends. “Demeter, as splendid as it would be to dance the night away with you, I have been sent by Zeus to request your presence.” The lie was easily believed; Zeus often wished to greet his fellow gods and goddess, especially if it had been a while since he last saw them. Call him what you may, but Zeus was not a cold god. Not that Persephone knew of, at least.

Demeter smiled thinly at Hermes and seized Persephone’s hand in her own. Zeus and Hera were seated on their marble-hewn thrones at the forefront of the grand ballroom, quite a distance from where the three stood now. In fact, Persephone could barely make out Zeus’ dark curls through the swirling, partying crowd that separated her from him. It didn’t help much that she wasn’t very tall. She envied the beautiful, long legs that Aphrodite so skillfully possessed.

But before her mother could pull her along with her, Hermes interrupted. “Oh, and Persephone, Athena has been pestering me all night about you. She misses you terribly.”

Persephone took her cue, knowing it to be partially true. She spun to face her mother. “I’ll be alright with Athena, I promise. I’ll come find you afterwards.”

She squeezed her mother’s hand and shot her a pleading look. Demeter looked doubtful, almost as if she knew what her daughter and Hermes were up to. But neither Hermes nor Persephone were stupid; they knew exactly what to say to get Demeter to relent. Athena was a strong-willed, trustworthy goddess whom Demeter knew very well. Persephone had known Athena since she was a young child, and she had come to rely on Athena’s maternal behavior almost as much as her own mother’s.

“You come find me straight afterwards. Not a moment later,” Demeter said sternly. Persephone nodded and grinned at her mother, murmuring her promise. Then she had vanished with Hermes through the crowd of singing and dancing deities.

Once out of earshot, Persephone thanked Hermes for the service he had provided her.

“Think nothing of it,” he said airily. “It does no good for anyone to be that cooped up for that long.” He cast her a look and said, “Especially you.”

Persephone wrinkled her nose. “What does that mean?”

“It means-” Hermes gently steered her away from a drunken Dionysus who was calling to her, “it means that you are as wild and carefree as the flowers you so carefully look after. Do flowers bloom if kept in the dark?”

Persephone knew what his point was but she couldn’t help from asking, “You know something about gardening?”

Hermes snatched a full goblet of wine from a golden tray as a sprite whisked by them. He pushed it into Persephone’s hand. “Only that the most hearty flowers come from full lives in the sun. Nothing less.”

Persephone wasn’t sure if she liked this new, somber train of thought that was so foreign coming from her lively friend. But she was saved from replying when she heard a female voice calling her name. She turned and saw Athena perched atop the base of one of the many marble statues that supported the arching ceiling. Bright purple silk hung from the goddess’s narrow shoulders and fell to her knees, exposing a length of her legs and bare feet. Athena stretched her hand out for Persephone and she happily took it, allowing herself to be pulled onto the marble base next to her friend. Hermes remained standing, leaning lazily by the goddesses’ legs. As Persephone watched him sip his wine, she saw his earlier concern fade and give way to lighter, happier thoughts. Such as Athena’s long limbs.

But Athena was focused on Persephone and not Hermes. She wrapped the younger goddess in her arms and pulled her into her chest. Persephone closed her eyes in bliss as Athena ran her long fingers through her waterfall of curls. Athena muttered something about if only her own hair could resemble Persephone’s, and Persephone giggled.

From their seats on the statue base, Persephone and Athena had a clearer view of the ballroom. They were elevated close to five feet off the floor which let them see across the ballroom and over the sea of heads. A few of the other statue bases were occupied as well by some gods or goddesses playfully chasing each other and seeking refuge or desiring a better view, or simply lounging against the marble.

Persephone could see the nymphs and sprites from which the music was coming from, their bronze instruments glowing in the light from the chandeliers. The thrones that Zeus and Hera sat upon were clearly visible from their vantage point, as well as Demeter who was now a small figure clothed in gold. She was conversing with a few deities that Persephone didn’t recognize but she was grateful that her mother wasn’t looking for her. Hera’s bright blonde hair was like a star pulled up in crystal beads and pearls. Not for the first time Persephone found herself staring at Hera in awe.

Athena nudged Persephone. “I know that look. I don’t like it when I’m not the one being admired.” She snottily sipped her wine. Persephone’s lip curled into a smile and she playfully rolled her eyes at her friend. Athena often joked about her beauty and the attention it drew her but Persephone didn’t know a more humble goddess than the one of beauty. Persephone relaxed on her perch, stretching her legs out in front of her and taking in the revel. She and Athena were quite content where they were and over the next hour many gods and goddess came to them to whisper hellos or exchange pecks on the cheek. Dionysus, roaring drunk with more than half the night to go, wrapped his arm around Persephone’s waist and hugged her so tightly that she was almost pulled off the five foot drop onto the floor. Athena had to tug her out of Dionysus’ grip and Persephone laughed until tears brimmed in her eyes. Food came to them and they ate. Hermes stayed nearby, careful not to impose on the two friends but still keeping a watchful eye on Demeter’s daughter. Demeter had since caught sight of Persephone sitting with Athena, and because her daughter was sitting in such a way that she was in eyesight if Demeter so desired, she was allowed to stay. Thankful for this, Persephone did not mind Hermes’ presence.

One of the best parts of Persephone’s night came shortly after the incident with Dionysus. One of her favorite gods decided to make a fashionably late entrance. Helios, the sun god, the closest thing Persephone had to a father figure, swung the grand doors open and strode inside the crowded ballroom as though it was his own palace. His midnight skin shimmered in the light of the chandeliers, his white shirt made brighter by the contrast and hanging open to his sternum. He was barefoot, as was everyone else during Midsummer. Gold jewelry sparkled on his fingers, in his ears, and around his wrists and ankles. His thick dreadlocks were hanging neatly to his waist. As always, a jovial smile lit up his face and made its way into his light brown eyes. His white teeth were as blinding as his clothing.

Athena gasped with pleasant surprise when her head was turned by the sun god. Helios was known and loved by all. Persephone included. She knew Helios would not expect to see her in attendance and therefore wouldn’t look for her, so she slipped off the statue base and hastened towards him. She laughed as Dionysus bellowed her name as she passed him and promised herself to pay him attention after she greeted Helios.

The sun god heard Dionysus’ voice and turned to see the goddess in question running towards him. He let out a great, booming laugh, his white teeth flashing brilliantly, and swept Persephone up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his bare skin.

“I’ve missed you!” She exclaimed. Helios pressed a kiss to Persephone’s cheek and said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on you, little flower. Helios sees all.”

Persephone hadn’t forgotten Helios’ strange habit of occasionally speaking about himself in the third person. Her grin widened.

“Mother didn’t tell me you would be here tonight. I’m pleased to see you, Helios.”

Helios set Persephone back on her feet. Now tilting his head downward to look at her, he said, “There is very little your mother does tell you,” in a strange tone of voice.

“Yes, that’s true.” Persephone couldn’t tell if Helios sounded irritated at Demeter or not. She hoped not. The gods and goddesses had profound talent for holding grudges, her mother included.

“How did you convince her to let you come, anyways?”

Persephone’s grin turned into a rather sly smirk. She shrugged innocently. “I promised a lot of things.”

Helios’ laugh boomed out again. His long dreadlocks shook with the rest of his body. Persephone couldn’t help but laugh along with him, the lighter sound of her voice mingling with his and blending in quite well with the rest of the party.

“You’re a sharp one, Persephone.” Helios worked to control his amusement. “Now, I thought I saw my radiant Athena. Where has she gone off to?”

True to his word, Athena was no longer where Persephone had left her. Their raised dias was now empty. Instead, Athena had been swept away by Artemis and Nike, the three of them deep in a joyful conversation. Persephone watched as Nike caught her eye and winked. Nike was one of the deities Persephone barely knew and she wished it wasn’t so. In fact, Persephone wished she knew all of the gods and goddess a little better than she did. Her life on Earth was not one to turn her nose up at and she loved it well enough, but a small part of her longed for the fellowship that was found on Mount Olympus.

Helios was gone from Persephone’s side before Nike’s wink fell. Athena smiled up at him and allowed him to press a kiss to her cheek and neck. Persephone turned away before she could see any more.

Dionysus gladly supplied Persephone with a cup of wine as soon as she was within an arm’s length, and the young goddess happily sipped the strong drink. Her mother was out of sight and thus, out of mind. She hoped Demeter was perfectly distracted with Zeus and Hera and if not, couldn’t find her to take her home. She was not ready to go home. She doubted if she ever would be.

The music grew louder and Persephone found her feet swaying along the marble floor. Dionysus seemed delighted, and joined her in her dancing. Hand in hand with laughter on their lips, the two of them weaved in and out of other dancing deities and allowed themselves to be caught up in the music. Persephone caught sight of Helios and Athena dancing nearby, with Apollo and Aphrodite doing something quite different than dancing. She giggled at the sight of them and danced on. Dionysus was known for being able to hold his liquor but he was beginning to sway ever so slightly. His movements were not as graceful as Persephone’s but he didn’t seem to take much notice. As the two of them passed Eris and Nike, the goddess whooped in high-pitched voices and shouted encouragements that got swept up in the noise of the ballroom.

When Persephone’s chest was heaving and her lungs burned, she finally slowed. Dionysus glided to an ungraceful halt and knocked back the rest of his wine. Persephone handed him her half-drunk cup and he swallowed that with just as much ease.

“A pleasure, beautiful one.” Dionysus did a wonderful job at slurring his words. He bent in a bow that was so wobbly Persephone had to help him rise. She giggled and led him to a fountain running with golden-flaked water, where she sat him safely away from the ledge.

“Perhaps you should rest awhile, Dio,” she advised. “At least before dancing again. I don’t think you’ll be able to make another round.” Her laugh interrupted her mid-sentence and she fought to get her words out clearly. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so happy. Innocently happy with barely any reason to be. Persephone’s entire body felt warm and flushed, both from the dancing and the wine but also because of the pure, unfettered joy she felt from being around her people. She hadn’t realized how deprived of this she was.

Eris and Nike found her by the fountain and managed to convince her that Dionysus would be fine. Apparently this behavior was completely normal for him and nobody would bat an eye at a drunken wine god. Persephone thought that figured.

Athena had returned to her earlier perch upon the base of the statue, visible from anywhere in the room due to the slight elevation. As Persephone neared, Athena caught sight of her and beckoned to the food she was holding as temptation for Persephone to join her. Ares was standing near the dias, his arm slung around a grinning Hermes. He helped lift Persephone next to Athena and went back to his wildly inappropriate conversation with the messenger god.

Persephone hadn’t realized how hungry she was until Athena pushed a grape in between her lips. She swallowed it hungrily and reached for more. Athena laughed and gladly shared her bread and cheese.

Once their small feast had been devoured, the two close friends resumed what they had been doing earlier in the night: watching the party around them and quietly sharing secrets about the deities they saw. Soon after the food was gone, Aphrodite pulled herself up next to them and pressed herself next to Persephone so they could all fit. The dias wasn’t very large but the three of them were perfectly content to share personal space. Athena’s curvaceous body was leaning against the statue, with Persephone tucked under her arm. Aphrodite’s long legs were thrown over Persephone’s shorter ones and reached onto Athena’s lap. Athena was gently holding Aphrodite’s legs and Persephone had a hand curved around Aphrodite’s waist.

None of them were oblivious to the gods standing near them, nor had the conversations those gods were having gone unheard. But the three goddess instead busied themselves with much more interesting matters. Such as Zeus and Hera’s last fight. Athena had heard it was over a mortal woman whom Zeus had impregnated, and Persephone had heard quiet chatter from her nymphs that Hera was strongly considering leaving Zeus once and for all, but Aphrodite seemed certain enough to swear that it was due to Hera’s unfaithfulness and not the god’s.

From where they sat, the three of them could clearly see both deities in question. Zeus sat comfortably in his gilded throne and in that certain moment Hera was currently standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder. She was turned away from him, speaking to Demeter who had a small smile gracing her features. Persephone was both pleased and relieved to see her mother in such a position. That meant Demeter was enjoying herself, which further meant she wouldn’t be looking for her. Which further meant that for the time being, Persephone could continue enjoying herself.

The forefront of the ballroom where the King and Queen of the deities were occupying was where the older and more dignified of the gods and goddess chose to spend the evening. There was no such thing as a deity who didn’t know how to party, but the difference in atmosphere between Demeter’s side of the room and Persephone’s was visible. Next to Zeus stood Poseidon who had been joined a while ago by Helios, whom had since begun behaving with proper decorum. Behind the three goddess, Dio and Eris had challenged each other to a bet to see which one of them could finish five goblets of wine the fastest and still be able to sing an entire ode perfectly without slurring their words. Nike was officiating the bet along with an amused Artemis. Apollo looked on while Ares exchanged bets with Hermes as to who the victor would be.

Persephone turned back to the forefront of the ballroom when Aphrodite nudged her. She glanced in the direction Aphrodite nodded towards and caught sight of her mother watching her. Persephone sent Demeter a genuine smile to let her know she was alright. Demeter smiled in return, her’s more of a thin line of tolerance and perhaps a bit of worry.

“I think they’re speaking about you,” Aphrodite whispered in Persephone’s ear. Persephone thought so too as she watched Hera glance over to her and then turn to Demeter, her lips moving with question.

“Perhaps they’re talking about which god you would be best with,” Athena whispered, an eyebrow raised suggestively and a playful gleam in her eye. “You know, for when you wish to marry.”

Persephone tried not to blush but failed. Her mother had told her countless times that she was to never marry neither god nor mortal, nor was she to ever find her way into their beds. But Persephone kept this information to herself and allowed herself to linger on the idea.

“Don’t tease, Athena,” Aphrodite chastised lightly. “You and I both know- oh!” She had seen something out of the corner of her eye and now whipped around to stare past Zeus and Hera’s thrones. Aphrodite’s sentence out of mind, the other two craned around in hopes of seeing what had caught their friend’s attention so quickly.

Persephone didn’t know what to look at. “What is it?” she asked quickly. “Aphrodite, what do you see?”

Athena, however, had seen and knew. Without responding, Athena touched her fingers to Persephone’s jaw and pushed her head a few inches to the right so her eyes could lock on the object of her and Aphrodite’s fascination. And Persephone saw. At first, she wasn’t sure who she was looking at but her sharp mind quickly worked out the only god she hadn’t yet seen that night. The only god who should have been there but wasn’t. The god who she was staring at now and had caused her entire body to freeze in place and go rigid with a feeling she couldn’t identify and didn’t want to. The eldest son of Chronos and Rhea. The god of wealth and riches. The god of the Underworld.

“I didn’t expect to see him tonight.” Aphrodite had found her voice. “What a nice surprise. It isn’t everyday a goddess can rest her eyes upon Hades.”

Athena reached around Persephone to smack Aphrodite’s hip.

“What?” Aphrodite protested. “I’m just speaking words, sweetheart. Don’t act like you disagree.”

“Why didn’t you expect to see him?” Persephone asked. She hadn’t moved her gaze from Hades. The god of the Underworld had caused Poseidon to turn from Helios and nod his head in respect. Hades returned the gesture and accepted the wine Helios offered. Something the sun god said caused Hades’ mouth to curl up in a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His irises were dark pools of wet tar, actively expelling the light of the party around him. When he shifted, Persephone spotted the black ink marks on the base of his neck that disappeared underneath his dark, fitted clothing. Tattoos. Many gods had them, along with a few goddesses as well. Helios had many markings made in gold ink across his back, and Nike’s colorful ink was visible from where her thigh peaked out from under her dress. While raising Persephone, Demeter had often told her daughter how her body was to remain pure and unmarked.

But Persephone found a fascination with it rather than being turned away. The hidden meaning of something so important that one desires to never part with the memory.

“Hades is often...disinclined to join the rest of us.” Persephone was glad to be forced back into the present by Athena’s voice. Aphrodite sighed dramatically and leaned back against the statue, stretching her long legs.

“Yes,” she agreed. “But we’re all very happy when he does.” She received another smack from Athena and this time Persephone found herself smiling at the two.

“I’ve heard he and his brothers don’t get along very well,” she remarked. Hades turned his head towards the open room as if hearing her words and knowing he was being spoken about. Persephone, on instinct, shifted closer to Athena’s larger form and half turned her face away. Athena giggled and let Persephone curl into her.

“He often has that reaction,” Athena said with a lilt of amusement. “And oh, look, he’s found you.”

Persephone’s breath caught sharply in her throat as she saw how true Athena’s words were. With Aphrodite leaning back, Persephone had a clear view of where Hades stood with Helios and Poseidon at his side. His eyes were turned to hers and the moment she met them, she could not pull away. His dark irises found hers and captured them in their steel embrace. If Persephone had thought she hadn’t wanted to leave an hour ago, she certainly didn’t want to right now.

Something about the god of the Underworld frightened her. Something about the high cut of his cheekbones or his sharp jaw or his obsidian eyes. Something about the way his fingers curled around the stem of his wine glass. Something in the way he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly when Persephone met his eyes, as though he had honed in on something desirable and wasn’t ever going to let it go. But through all of this, through the shivers that raced down her spine and the hairs that stood up on the back of her neck, Persephone was not repelled.

No, she was not certain that this god was not dangerous. In fact, she was fairly certain that he was dangerous. If her mother was with her, she would pull Persephone away and hiss in her ear how she was to never, ever speak with him, just like she had done so many times before. But Demeter was not with her and Persephone was her own woman.

So the young goddess held the god’s gaze for as long as she dared before tilting her chin up and glancing away, unbothered. A silent challenge had been issued. Persephone’s heart was hammering against her ribs but she schooled her expression into neutrality and allowed Athena and Aphrodite to sweep her up into another line of conversation.

The night continued as though the unspoken interaction had never happened but both individuals were well aware of the riveting energy that had been exchanged. Persephone giggled and chattered with Athena and Aphrodite and even accepted another dance from Dionysus, who had lost his bet with Eris but seemed happy enough to have consumed five more cups of wine. Persephone was surprised he was even on two feet. But through the laughter and the dancing, Persephone could not shake the heavy stare she had felt from the god of the Underworld. And a small part of her was singing because of it.

If you made it this far, wow! Thank you so much for supporting my very first original piece that is separate from any one fandom. Well, I suppose Greek Mythology is its own fandom...

But anyways, let me know what y’all thought of this. I had the time of my life writing it all out and matching characters to personalities, the whole nine. I’m currently developing a cast and it’ll be out pretty soon.

Again, thanks so much you goblins. I love you all.

#persephone #hades #hades and persephone #greek mythology #mythology #retelling #malogranatum

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eleanor-writes-stuff · 6 years

Text

a language that i never knew existed before - Day 22

For the anon who requested jealous Kylo/Ben in any setting: here’s a canon-verse post-defection Ben getting jealous over... a lot of things, really.

Jealousy has always been foreign to me, especially romantic jealousy, but I tried my best. Thanks for the prompt, and I hope you like it!

Only three ficlets left, you guys! I’m freestyling it from here on out, and I hope you’ll like what I’ve got in store for everyone.

25 Days of Reylo Also available on AO3

A week after Ben defects to the Resistance, Rey leaves him to dine in private with his mother and joins her friends for dinner for the first time since the unexpected turn of events.

It’s a quiet, awkward affair thanks to the widespread rumor that Ben gave up the galaxy for her, made all the more awkward when Rey pushes aside her half-empty plate and clears her throat.

“I know that this is… odd, for everyone,” she acknowledges, eyes flitting from Rose to Finn to Poe to Kaydel. “But the general and I would be really grateful if…”

Rey falters, drops her eyes to the table. “If…”

Under the table, Rose reaches out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, and when Rey looks up she finds an encouraging smile on her friend’s face. “If?” Rose prompts.

“If you guys would let Ben sit with us tomorrow,” Rey says in a single breath, nearly tripping over her own words. In the silence that follows, the nervous flutter of her heart seems almost deafening to her ringing ears. She resists the urge to close her eyes, to walk away, to hide forever–

“I mean,” Poe begins contemplatively, twisting the fork in his hand. “The man did try to kill us, but he’s also singlehandedly turned the tide of this war.”

“I guess everyone’s capable of change,” Finn adds reluctantly, after a rather obvious jab to his side courtesy of Rose.

All eyes turn to Kaydel, who’s been calmly picking at her meal throughout. “If it makes the general happy,” she shrugs without looking up from her food.

And so the next morning they drag an empty chair over to their table, leave it next to Rey, and wait for the former Supreme Leader to join them for breakfast.

Rey catches sight of him hovering by the entrance while everyone else is busy discussing the day ahead, raises a hand to beckon him over–

His eyes land somewhere to her right, fixed on a seemingly random point between her and Finn, and the next thing she knows he’s scowling and turning and leaving.

The Bond is blocked that day, like a pipe clogged up by something she can’t quite identify.

A month after Ben’s arrival, the Resistance plans a celebration.

It’s nothing grand, barely a feast according to those who remember what that was like, but it’s the first celebration of any kind that Rey will ever experience, and somehow word of that reaches Leia.

Poe finds her two hours before the party and marches her over to the general’s quarters, and the next thing Rey knows she’s sitting on the ground while Leia runs soothing hands through her hair and slowly fashions it into an intricate braid befitting the occasion.

“Are braids… important to you?” Rey asks haltingly, staying as still as she can. “You don’t have to answer, it’s just that, well, you’re always wearing them, and I’ve noticed that they change, sometimes, when things happen, and Kaydel said something about your home planet once–”

“Alderaan,” Leia says quietly, hands stilling for a moment. Rey winces to herself, realizing belatedly that maybe she shouldn’t have brought up the lost planet and all the grief that comes with it on such a happy day. But when Leia speaks again, her voice is wistful instead of sad, with an airy, faraway quality to it rather than the weight of sorrow.

Leia keeps weaving. “Braids are a language all on their own, to my people. We lost a lot when our planet was taken from us, but this… this we kept. If I had a daughter, I would’ve taught her all about it the way my mother taught me, the way her mother taught her.” She laughs then, a rare, beautiful occurrence that’s increased in frequency ever since her son’s return. “I had Ben instead, but he made a perfect student nonetheless, always climbing up on tables and chairs to reach my hair and practice.”

Rey nearly, nearly turns around and ruins all of Leia’s hard work. “Ben can braid?” she asks, smiling at the thought.

“Oh yes, I taught him nearly everything–”

The door connecting Leia’s quarters to Ben’s opens, and the man himself appears with a frown on his face and a datapad in his hands.

“Mom, I’d really rather not–”

He looks up from his datapad, pauses as he takes in the sight of Leia on the edge of her bed and Rey on the floor next to her, a half-formed Alderaanian braid between them, and all Rey can think about is Ben in place of Leia, running those large hands of his through her hair, being so, so gentle with her as he honors his mother’s tradition–

She’s forcibly yanked out of her daydream when a spike of something ripples through the Bond, an indecipherable mess of a dozen emotions tangled together.

“I’ll come back later,” Ben says, and shuts the door behind him.

Leia sighs heavily and goes back to work without a single word.

Six weeks after he first arrived, the leadership grants Ben permission to leave the compound and train with Rey.

She guides him through the forest with their hands intertwined and leads him to her favorite spot, a little secret she’s kept to herself all this while and can’t wait to share with him.

Ben’s smile is as wide as her own when they finally reach her meditation spot, her excitement leaking through the Bond and seeping into his receptive mind.

“I think this is my favorite place in the galaxy,” Rey admits quietly as she tugs at his hand and urges him to sit down on the large, smooth stone she added the day he arrived, a darker twin to the one she’s been sitting on ever since she stumbled upon this place.

They settle into a peaceful silence, surrendering themselves to their surroundings, to the nexus of the forest. From this spot on the riverbank they can hear the distant crashes of the waterfall and feel the sun as it rises above them, drown out their thoughts and concerns with the sounds of the forest surrounding them, birds calling to each other and tiny critters scampering past and beyond that, below that, life itself, an ancient pulse beneath their feet that sustains the entire continent.

Rey gives herself over to it, syncs her own heartbeat to the heartbeat of the planet, of the Force–

“I can’t,” Ben growls, his red-hot irritation snapping her back to reality. When she opens her eyes he’s already up on his feet and pacing along the river, and Rey watches as he runs a hand through his hair and yanks at the ends.

“I was never any good at this anyway, the padawan who couldn’t master even the most basic kriffing task like a failure–”

She jumps to her feet then, crosses the distance between them and places a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Hey. No. You are not a failure–”

Ben doesn’t look at her, shrugs her hand off. “Easy for you to say,” he scoffs, and there it is again, that disturbance in the Bond that makes everything seem awful and wrong and–

And suddenly, Rey understands what it is.

“Jealous,” she realizes out loud, and from the corner of her eye she catches Ben as he abruptly stills. “You’re jealous,” Rey confronts him, nearly laughing in incredulity as he hangs his head, a wordless confession. She pushes a little more, untangles the complex knot to understand– “Of me. Of me? Over me, too, but of me, Ben? Why would you possibly–”

The first time he tried to join them for breakfast, Finn had a hand around her chair – around both hers and Rose’s because he’d been laughing so hard just moments before that he needed the support but Ben didn’t know that, Ben didn’t see anything other than Finn’s hand on her chair and Finn’s hand being the first to ever take hers and Finn’s hand reaching for her, always reaching for her and just like that, he made up his mind to take all of his meals far, far away from them.

When he walked in on Leia braiding her hair it felt like a slap in the face because that should’ve been him, that could’ve been him, he’d been itching to touch her for weeks, months even, but instead he’d kept his distance and now his mother was the one partaking in this intimate ritual with Rey, his mother who’d been the one to teach him, his mother who used to share this with him and only him–

“Oh,” Rey whispers to herself while Ben continues to stare at the ground. “Oh.”

Silence hangs between them, filled with all the things Rey can’t bring herself to say.

Finally, Ben does it for her. “And now… now here you are, effortlessly connecting with the Force while I keep reaching and reaching and reaching for this thing that I’ve had since the second I was born–”

Rey takes his clenched fists in her hands and slowly pries his fingers loose so that she can tangle them with her own. “Ben, that’s not… that’s not how it works.”

“Of course it’s not,” he laughs bitterly, but his hands stay in hers and that’s a start, at least. “I’m supposed to be a Skywalker, Rey. I’m a kriffing Skywalker, and I can’t even meditate right. What is wrong with me?”

Everything, he blurts out into the Bond.

Nothing, Rey counters firmly, fiercely as she guides him back to the rock and kneels down next to him.

“Did I ever tell you about the first lesson Luke taught me?” she asks, treading lightly on thin ice.

Ben tenses at the mention of his uncle, but otherwise shows no signs of reacting to it. So Rey leans in, presses her forehead to his to feed him a memory from a lifetime ago – Luke’s leading question, the blade of grass, her revelation.

She stops there; he’s seen the rest before, witnessed her question herself for succumbing so easily to the call of the Darkness.

“Now do you understand?” Rey whispers, eyes still closed as she wills him to see what Luke showed her all those months ago. “You don’t have the Force, Ben. None of us do. It’s not something for you to control; it’s something for you to connect with.”

Rey falls back on her haunches, waits for Ben to open his eyes and see, for him to understand that there’s nothing to be jealous of. The thing with Finn and his mother and her, they can work through that later. But this, the Force, the one thing he’s always been able to rely on… this she has to show him.

He stays quiet for a while, and Rey gives him the time and space he needs, backs away from the Bond to let him work through his thoughts in private, to let him rip everything he’s ever known into shreds and piece it together again.

That heavy, ugly knot of jealousy is the last thing to go, but when it does Rey feels it in her soul, snaps her eyes up to find Ben already looking at her, waiting for her.

“Will…” He slides down from the rock, kneels on the ground with her and holds out his hand. “Will you teach me?”

She smiles, laces their fingers together and leans in for a quick kiss. “We’ll learn together,” Rey promises him, and so they do.

Damn, this got out of hand. So much so that at some point I actually walked away from this and tried to write a shorter version based only on the braiding scene, but then that one got too long as well so... It’s official: I’m hopeless, you guys. Both at keeping ficlets ficlet-length and writing jealousy. Sorry, anon! I really did try, I promise.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please don’t hesitate to like/reblog/comment!

#reylo #reyben #kylo ren/rey #rey/kylo ren #rey/ben solo #star wars #rey #ben solo #kylo ren #ficlet: language that i never knew #my fics

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outlanderfandomproject · 6 years

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Barks & Glances

poster by @smoakingwaffles

Hey guys! This new story is the result of a collaboration between @kkruml, @smoakingwaffles and @whiskynottea and it’s inspired by the 101 Dalmatians!! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!

Chapter 1. Chocolate and Ginger (by @whiskynottea)

Hello!

My name is Pongo, and I am the most adorable chocolate Labrador you’ve ever seen, if I may say so myself.

My ancestors were retrievers from the north. They lived in a faraway land, called Canada. You know, beautiful lakes, snow, waterfalls. I’m sure you’ve watched documentaries about it. I certainly have.

What was I saying?

Oh yes. My ancestors. They were trained to bring game back to hunters and this was what they mostly did. That’s why I have a soft mouth. But I don’t do that. Dead birds and rabbits are not my kind of game, thank you very much. Thank God, Jamie – my human – isn’t a hunter. But he does have a small red squeaking ball and I retrieve it faster than any other dog in the park.

Not to boast, but I’m the best. And he knows that, every time I return the ball to his feet, wiggling my tail.

Ah… Jamie. Let me talk to you about him, shall I?

I’ve know the man all my life. Three years and I think I counted more than 1000 days in them. But I might be wrong. I’m a dog after all, not Albert Einstein.

Anyway.

Jamie found me when I was a little puppy, deserted on the street. The people that bought me, they surely didn’t know that dogs bark. And cry. And pee. And poo. I think they believed I was like a moving stuffed animal or something. Every time I tried to talk to them, they hushed me. And when I was lonely at night and I cried… Well, they abandoned me. During winter. In the cold, freezing Glasgow.

Sometimes humans are worse than lemurs. Do you know the lemurs, that steal your food? Not the one that stars in ‘Magadascar’ and likes to move it. The others, the real ones. How do I know what they do? I’m a dog! I love watching TV!

So yes, some humans are worse than lemurs. And I don’t like having my food stolen AT ALL, mind that.

Fortunately, these people left me outside Jamie’s apartment building. He found me crying at night and he took me in. Next day he plastered posters with my picture – and I was looking adorable – and the word ‘FOUND’ on top of my head, but no one sought me. So Jamie kept me. The man was lucky, wasn’t he?

Lucky, but sometimes stupid.

He thought he was funny, but I’m saying stupid. Why? He almost named me Cotton from the Cottonelle toilet paper advertisement! And I say almost, because Murtagh, his godfather, hit him on the head when he voiced this thought. I guess that hitting a human on the head brings some sense back to him, because Jamie named me Pongo after that. And we’ve stayed together in his little apartment in Glasgow ever since.

I love our house. It is such a mess, with canvases around the living room and an easel on the corner, in front of Jamie’s chair. He has many paints and he calls them all with different names. The acrylic paint, the oil paint, the watercolor paint. But if you want to know, they are all the same. And he hates when I eat them. If you ever meet Jamie don’t try to eat his paints. The pencils either – he hates that as well.

Jamie is an artist. And I am a kind of an artist myself, you know. I’ve done this masterpiece with my paws – one purple, one blue, one yellow and one green. It was beautiful. Jamie thought that he might bring something of himself in it as well, so he brushed both hands with black paint and placed them between my paws. It is so good that we hung it above the couch, where we snuggle every evening. Even Jamie’s sister, Jenny, was speechless for a moment when she first saw it. Then she said “Are ye out of yer mind, brother?” She definitely liked it, to think that Jamie got out of his mind when he thought of this. As you may understand, I couldn’t let Jamie take all the fame for our work and I barked that it was my idea. Jenny scratched my ears, acknowledging my brilliance.

Every second weekend, Jamie and I ride to Lallybroch to see Jenny and her family. Being in the car is awful, but I always stick my head out of the window and feel the wind.

Have you ever tried that? It feels GREAT!

Anyway, Lallybroch is a doll. I can be free there, running on the green grass and eating all the wildflowers without anyone yelling at me. Jamie never lets me eat the things I spot in the park. He says it’s not safe. But in Lallybroch everything is safe!

The only human that really understands my happiness when I roll or run down the hill is the little one – wee Jamie. He runs with me – sometimes he rides me but I’m not a big fan of this particular game – and we play together. These weekends are the best. And I get far more treats from everyone, especially when I give them my foot. I don’t know why, but that gets them excited and they make the funniest faces. Wait until I turn around myself, I always think. Everybody is squeaking when I do that trick and Jamie gets so proud that his chest expands so much I believe it will tear his shirt up.

So… yes. My life is great. I guess you love me already but hold your horses. My human is Jamie and I don’t change him for the world.

There’s just one thing…

It would be great to have a mate. All these hours that Jamie paints, I have no one to play with. And I can’t deny that the possibility of my own little furry balls running around the house is quite enticing. I am a grown dog, you know.

As we speak, Jamie’s painting on a black canvas. A series of lines and smudges dot the surface… Oh now he’s huffing, and his red locks have shaded his eyes – that’s always a bad sign, I’m telling you. I think he needs a mate too, to take his hair away from his eyes.

What am I doing right now? I’m lying on my fluffy black pillow, watching out of our long window.

What time is it?

Oh, still four twenty. I have to wait for the clock to chime five o’clock, to take my beautiful black leash and push Jamie to the door so we can go out for our evening walk.

Living with Jamie is usually fun, but when he’s drawing his things paying no attention to me I get so bored!

We have to find company. But if I wait for Jamie to do that… We would stay bachelors for the rest of our lives.

Not that he’s not handsome. Well, he’s not as handsome as I am, but for a human I’d say he’s pretty great. He’s taller than the most, with more muscles. I’m sure he can beat everyone up if I get him into a fight. And the girls, they all look at him like he’s a big catch. He can’t see that, but I can. I’m not a bulldog – no offense mates but you’re not that smart.

But Jamie is stubborn. Have I told you that? Very stubborn. Every time he comes back home from a date and we’re alone on our couch he rubs my belly and says “No, Pongo. She wasn’t the one either.”

Where is this one? I’m getting frustrated.

But wait a minute! If he can’t find her, I will do it! And I will choose my own mate, too. Let me see what’s going on at the street.

Hmm…

Old lady with her little Maltese – no, too old.

Young girl with – Oh why do I even consider it? Too young!

Well, let me see this one. She is… different. The long brown skirt, the turtleneck black blouse… No. She won’t do either.

Now what is this?! High heels, long coat, hair perfectly coiffured… Let me see my mate as well… No. She’ll definitely not roll with me in Lallybroch. I have to say no.

Oooh. That isn’t as easy as I expected! We’ll stay alone in this flat forever!

Just... Wait a minute! What do my beautiful round eyes see?

Oh yes, she’s perfect. Blonde, long legs, perfect eyes…

Let me see the human, too.

Curly brown hair, jeans, plaid shirt…

Plaid shirt?! That’s the one!

Where are they going? They’re heading to the park! We have to hurry up!

Oh God, it’s still four thirty. Jamie won’t let his brushes down until five o’clock. We’re screwed – don’t tell Jamie I said that.

It’s four thirty, but what if it was five? What if I move the pointer just a little bit…

Yes that’s it.

The clock chimes and I’m jumping around Jamie, before going to stand in front of our door.

Let’s go, Jamie! Leash in mouth, paw on the doorknob.

Move your lazy ass!

It’s so good that Jamie doesn’t understand me when I talk like this. He would ban me from going out if he did, I’m pretty sure he would.

Is he coming? Yes, he’s coming. He finally got up from his stool.

Jeans, sweater, long coat… Perfect. That hair, though… Well, hers was not better! She could hide a month’s treats in there!

And off we go! We’re going to meet them!

My perfect blondie, we’re coming for you and your curly wig human!

#Barks & Glances #whiskynottea #outlander fandom project #101 Dalmatians #but with labs #Pongo talking #jamie x claire #outlander fanfiction #Outlander fanfic

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sidespromptblog · 6 years

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Deceit’s Hunger: Part 5

Part One, Two, Three, and Four

When Logan popped up holding the glass that had once been full of juice, Virgil’s head snapped up at attention, his mouth opened to absolutely shower Logan in questions. Despite hiding it rather well from Patton and Roman he was pretty worried about Deceit, not that he would even admit it to the snake face himself given that Deceit would probably get a pretty big kick out of it as well.

All it took though was for Logan to set the glass down and the audible sound that it made before Virgil realized that something wasn’t exactly right. That worry that had been squeezing his insides for days gripped his heart just a little bit tighter than before.

“Logan…” Virgil cautiously said, his leg bouncing up and down from where he was sitting at the breakfast bar.

“Is something wrong? Did something happen to Deceit? Did..he say something mean to you? Is he…” His mouth got dry all of a sudden at the question that he wasn’t able to finish, and he was thankful for Logan raising his hand and stopping the waterfall of words that would have just continued to pour out and make himself feel worse about the whole situation.

His mouth snapped shut though and even to the untrained eye, Virgil’s eyeshadow could be seen darkening more and more as Logan ran his fingers through his messed up hair. Deceit was awake, but it most definitely wasn’t good news going by the signs that the logical side was showing.

“Deceit has woken up, but just as I have previously hypothesized something happened to make him...reluctant to come to us. From what little I got from him, it was someone that both you and I know. So…” As Logan trailed off, Virgil felt his own brows lifting in a mixture of shock and suspicion, he didn’t like where the implications of this were heading. If it was one of them or someone that they knew, then it couldn’t have been the dark sides as Roman called them. But one of them.

“He’s not talking about it?”

The shake of Logan’s head was all that he got in regards to his question, and Virgil noisily exhaled as he rested his elbow on the countertop before slumping his entire body into it. Of course, Deceit as per usual was going to be troublesome about having someone even trying to help him with something.

It wasn’t like Virgil could blame him all that much either, when he’d been known only as Anxiety and nothing more he had been cautious and downright cruel to the others any time he was near them. He had been somewhat scared about trusting them, but in Deceit’s case, he supposed that he had an actual reason to distrust them if someone had actually chased him away from the mindscape.

“I’ll talk to him then, see if I can get him to open up a little. In the meantime...let’s continue to keep this a secret from Roman and Patton so that-”

Before Virgil could finish that thought he heard a familiar and bubbly voice from behind him, just the surprise of it made every cell in his body and every hair on his head stiffen up.

“Keep what from Patton?” The person in question curiously tilted his head to the side, he looked like a cute little puppy just begging to be thrown a bone.

Sharing a startled look with Logan, Virgil forced his racing heart to calm down as he put a patient smile onto his face, when Patton smiled back he knew without a doubt in his mind he knew that it was foolish to think that Patton of all people had scared anyone away.

Regardless, until he knew for absolute certain, a secret was a secret.

“It’s a secret Pat, if we told you then it wouldn’t be a secret now would it?” Virgil put on a teasing tone, keeping it light as if there wasn’t really anything wrong with the secret they were keeping. Or that it was really more of a harmless secret than anything.

So sliding out of his chair Virgil seized the empty glass that Logan had set back on the counter, he felt so nervous about this, about acting in any way that would give him away to either one of Roman or Patton. About doing something that could coincidentally lead him back to Deceit and let them know that he was helping him, it made him grip the glass just a little bit tighter as he rounded the breakfast bar moving to fill the glass up again.

At least until he felt Logan’s foot nudge his the moment he got within touching distance, glancing over to him he saw the look that the other wore behind his thick glasses, and just like that his grip relaxed.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Patton shrugging his shoulders as he too entered the kitchen rifling through the fridge before he brought out a bowl of grapes.

“Well you two kiddos have fun with your secret, I’ll be around if you need me.” A hearty smile from Patton was all they got before he too eventually vanished, and Virgil felt all of the tension leave his body. There was no way that it was Patton, which left only Roman behind to question. Then again how were they even supposed to question them without giving away exactly what they had found out about Deceit in the first place? The entire thing just made Virgil’s head hurt, as he poured the glass full of more juice before he stuck the straw back into it.

Looking back over to the Logan he saw that same faraway look in his eyes, the kind of look that he constantly got when he was hypothesizing about things that he couldn’t yet prove. That look alone made the worried feeling come back, only this time it was for the poor soul that Logan was planning on interrogating.

“Virgil, go and keep Deceit company. I believe that I will carry on from here, unless it turns out that I need your expertise in this.” For a moment Virgil allowed himself to feel touched at the thought of Logan needing his expertise on anything really, seeing as the logical side usually handled the things he said were “his” with as much grace as someone taking a sledgehammer to a wall that was bound to be destroyed. So needless to say, Logan was efficient at getting things done, but just not in the best of ways, especially when it came to having any kind of tact.

There was though, no way that he wanted to see how this dumpster fire of a situation turned out, so gripping the glass he gave Logan a salute before he sank out quick enough so that Logan couldn’t change his mind.

Straightening his tie and glasses, Logan strolled down the hall of the mind space, stopping as soon as he came to Roman’s colorfully painted door. The rainbow-painted door that was covered in hearts, little-jagged lightning bolts, and cursively written words that had made him feel something the first time he saw it, what it was he felt back then held no merits now as he raised his fist to firmly knock on the door.

“Roman, it is Logan there is something of utter importance that I must ask of you.” Logan prided himself on how cool, calm, and collected he sounded as he called to Roman through the door. It was evident that the fanciful side was working on something yet again, probably with a long and flowing feather in hand as he wrote on parchment, even though pens were obviously the better instrument.

“Come on in nerd, I need your opinion on this anyway!” Roman sounded pleased to hear from Logan all things considered, which was good for Logan.

Because as soon as he was allowed to come in, he gingerly turned the knob stepping inside of the lavish room, his feet sinking into the rich deep red carpet. Before he abruptly slammed the door shut, storming over to Roman’s desk that was right in front of his bed before he slammed his hands down on the top of it.

The force of the action rattled the inkwell on the desk, and Roman clearly wasn’t expecting that as his face paled a good deal as he hastily leaned back in his chair nearly tumbling out of it as Logan leaned in suspiciously eying the fanciful side a good deal before he spoke.

“Exactly four days ago, Virgil and I happened to find Deceit unconscious in his room…” When Roman opened his mouth to intervene Logan lifted one of his stinging palms from where he had slammed it on the desk, and with an audible click Roman’s mouth shut.

“The exact reasons as to his unconscious state was that he had been starved to the point of unconsciousness. So Creativity…” Logan leaned in a little bit more, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses as Roman leaned back out of instinct, although Roman very much seemed to get where this was going as he thickly swallowed down the surprise and the fear that showed on his face.

“I..I didn’t do anything to him, Logan. You..you have to believe me, I don’t like the snake face, but I never would have gone that far, please! You think that I didn’t learn from Virgil? I would never and I mean NEVER, do that to someone, even Deceit.” Roman hotly said, his brows furrowed angrily as he stood up his chair falling backward and landing with a solid thump as he did so. Upon standing his nose was just about a centimeter away from Logan’s as he stared right back into the logical side’s eyes.

“Well if not you then who did?” Logan sharply retorted, Roman’s spiel had convinced him somewhat, but it was only hearing the glass shattering on the carpeted floor that drew his attention away to the person behind him.

“I did…” Patton’s choked and haunted whisper was all that answered him, as the moral side roughly stepped back sagging against the door. He looked like he was going to be sick, and honestly, reflecting on himself as well as Roman’s expression. Patton wasn’t the only one.

Tagged:

@snowfox24imcompletetrash

@sassy-in-glasses

@neko-ereri

@littlesliceofcake22

@jade-dragon226-fan

@low-key-aesthetic

@redundant-statements-for-400

@memesanddreamsinc

@cyberpunkjinx

@fandomsofrandom

@thesoftestlittlepuffball

@romanasanders

@sylveon-lover-crazyfangirl1415

@la-fandom-freak

@virgil-angsty-sanders

@saryixany

#sympathetic deceit #ts deceit #deceit sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders

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sonofshin · 6 years

Text

Gaoyao headcanons

Day of Remembrance: A yearly festival in Gaoyao. Although festivity is not the main point of the day. It is a day where the residents dress in red, symbolising the blood shed in past wars. If you have nothing red to wear, you stay inside.

It is a day to remember those who passed away. Family members, soldiers, children, adults, old, young, pets. Even remember those from other countries, even your enemies, for they had lives and loved ones as well. It is a day that gathers many individuals from other places as well, if only to share in the symbolic festival.

During the day, it is usually quiet. People go about their business as usual. Oftentimes people visit graves or other family members. It is a day to stand still and think about mortality, though most of them don’t.

A lot of people go to Taohua’s temple to leave offerings in hopes of long, healthy lives, or to pray.

As the sun starts to set, it becomes time for everyone to head to the river and place a small floating device in the water. Most people make their own but they are also sold. Each floater has a little red candle that gets lit before being released into the water. When the sun has set completely and the valley is dipped in darkness, the lit up river gives a magical sight.

At night, it becomes time for the children to go to bed, and for the adults to party. To remember and be grateful that they are alive. To make the most of it and share in their current existence.

Hot Springs: Gaoyao is trying to get more tourists to get there. Both for economic purposes and because it is a lot of fun. They have been a little cut off from the outside world for quite a while.

Which is why they are advertising with their unique hot springs.

Surrounding the volcano, are a number of natural springs where heated water steams in the open air. Of course you can bathe in the wild springs, but Gaoyao also has a few bath houses where you can bathe in private or with other people of your gender. The water in those springs has a most soothing effect and it is a good place for sick people to soak for a while. Although the sick bath house is apart from the others. Many people have quickly gotten better after paying them a visit. They have yet to find out if there are legit benefits or if it is merely a placebo effect.

Flower Festival: It is the short name for a festival that lasts three days, one day for each village. Its purpose is to remember the peace between the villages. Many folk visit the other villages to see what differences in customs they have or simply to sight-see.

It is a new tradition to give flowers to someone you fancy before the dance. But people mostly use it to give flowers to those they simply cherish.

Like the festival of remembrance, this festival has many people walking around in a unified colour although it is not required or symbolic. In this case, most people wear the colours of Ionia, particularly honeysuckle.

The festival is ended with a grand show of fireworks.

Blood Moon: (you may discard this as I am unsure if the Blood Moon festival is still a thing with recent updates) Gaoyao, of course, celebrates the Blood Moon festival. But it does so with it’s own unique flair. Instead of telling the tale of Reina and the evil spirit, they invite hunters on stage to tell their own tales of monsters, spirits and legends. Of course, should they not have a hunter in their midst, the honors will go to Taohua, who retells the tale of the old Lord. Every time they tell it, they change or add the information given to the crowd, so it is never the same story. And, hopefully, the residents will learn something from it.

After the plays or stories, it is the turn of the dancers to take the stage. A dance symbolising the strength and spirit of Ionia. It is a dance meant to invigorate, strengthen, and to be a reminder that together, they are strong. They swear the dance could even lure spirits to dance with them and enchant anyone who would look upon them. But that may just be a tale started thanks to the intoxication of the alcohol.

Pecora: A large, moose sized ride animal. Its antlered head is a fierce weapon and also used to intimidate. Its long legs allow it to scale the side of the mountain or step over the densely growing forestry. They usually move in small herds, foraging for food. They usually headbutt trees for the fruits to fall out so they can eat it off the ground. They have an acute sense of hearing and smell, but rather poor eyesight and are therefore easily spooked. It then happen that they rile each other up into a stampede. If that happens there is very little that is able to stop them. Every now and again, this happens to Gaoyao. As the village is the safest way to cross the river, the Pecora rampage through the village. Which is why, when you visit, you will often see houses being rebuilt or fixed.

Surroundings: The nature around Gaoyao consists mostly of outshoots of rocks and stone. The village itself has therefore a natural barrier around it. Unless by river, it is difficult to get to them. However Gaoyao has been taking steps to provide better roads to and from the villages.

Gaoyao also has a large garden in their village, maintaining it with the purpose of relaxing their inhabitants. Once entered, it is like they have been taken to a faraway place. A sweet aroma always fills the air around the place.

You may encounter fountains or a few rock formations where small waterfalls cascade from the stones. You may find yourself enjoying a rest on one of the benches they have there. Or a free game of checkers or chess on one of the stone plateaus.

During Gaoyao’s nights, you may see lights on Taohua’s mountain and hear the sound of bells faintly in the distance. It’s an enchanting sight to behold and is the sound of thousands of natural spirit creatures calling to one another. It is a sign of a healthy environment. But beware not to join them for those that did have never been seen again.

Before Taohua: Gaoyao used to have wars between them and two other villages nearby. Every few years there would be a battle between them. The reason Gaoyao stayed so small is because there were literally not enough people to fill the village. Most of them died in battles or the aftermath of them.

Either it was a fight as revenge for the previous one, fight for more land, fight for different land, or just because they needed to show their power. Either way, it left Gaoyao with less and less able bodied people to teach younger generations to fight properly. And after the volcano erupted because the Lord who ruled it had gone mad, the village ran empty. People fled.

After Taohua had taken their place, and the volcano calmed down, people returned to Gaoyao. The land had become incredibly fertile and given the location of their village, it was hard for others to come to take their lands. The other villages, as well, now had land they could grow crops on and, as a sign of a new start, decided to keep peace between all of them. And so it decidedly happened that, with a time of little to no worries, the villages became less and less interested in the art of combat, favouring the art of agriculture.

This left Gaoyao with no defenses other than those who knew how to get rid of dangerous animals. Taohua kept the village protected with a giant mountain, a large river kept them fed, and the other villages made sure they got a good variety of food.

This is why it has now become very easy for a small army of Noxian soldiers to set up camp some distance away from Gaoyao. No one dares stop them because no one has the weapons or knowledge to do so. And the reason, Yun is slowly teaching his students to handle weaponry.

Gaoyao: It is always easy to see which parts of Gaoyao were built first. The center of the village exists mostly from stone paved ways, sidewalks and houses. In the middle of the village stands a proud tower, watching over the rest. If you go further from the center, paved roads will make way for dirt roads and neat buildings, made of stone will make place for tree weaved houses instead. The buildings near the center are also mostly covered in plaster to give it a smoother, finished look.

The mayor’s tower has a large, gold plated sun on it that is used to keep track of time and dates. Various circles are etched in it with symbols for each month and extra symbols for festivals.

Gaoyao houses more than three thousand people. Many of the buildings house an entire family, often joined by a smaller building on the side to separate nagging grandparents from their offspring. Gaoyao is therefore both roomy and crowded at the same time. You can easily get lost between the many narrow pathways between the buildings, especially newcomers and visitors.

Other than the other villages, Gaoyao uses the river they are built around for more than cleaning themself and catching fish. They have dug canals and use those waterways as efficiently as the normal roads they made. Small boats are always nearby to use freely. They are popular with couples for going on dates.

The other villages: Toutori and Wonsan.

Toutori is bigger than Gaoyao. They live on a flatter spot of land, nearby a large water plain. Large, floating rocks hover above the surface. Some almost touching it, others soaring higher in the sky. It is a lot of fun to jump between them, provided you have the skills to do so. They provide a habitat for unique animal species. Around the water plains are lush hills, overgrown with colourful flowers, fireflies, butterflies and many other beautiful animals. Quite relaxing to visit.

Wonsan is roughly the same size as Gaoyao and is unique in its environment. Instead of lanterns and lights, they grow star trees to illuminate their village. The trees can only grow around their area, as some unique minerals can only be found in the ground there. Every tree has a small necklace tied around them, marking them as ‘holy’. They are never to be touched unless they are sick.

Inbetween the three villages are deep, densely grown forests. They are dangerous, even to natives. It is important to not stray from the path they have made between the factions. While the area is reasonably flat, it is not easy to navigate at all. Stone pillars and rock formations make trekking through the area treacherous. It is easy to become lost and never return.

Aside from Toutori, there are many more water plains. Among those plains are small, hidden stone groves. They protect ancient trees, that are deeply tied with the magic and spirits of Ionia. Ethereal, glowing trees and shoots tend to grow around the trees, marking their devine heritage. Some of them are popular places to ask your beloved to marry you as those trees are said to bless love.

#I may add more in time #but so far here is some Gaoyao building #I hope you all like it OvO/#Give me some feedback #I put a LOT ALOT under readmore because it's long #headcanons #gaoyao

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lwazimzozoyana · 3 years

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Lwazi Mzozoyana - 4 Marvels of Africa - Tours You Won't Forget

A continent as vast in size, history and multifaceted landscapes as Africa will always be hard to summarise and capture in but a couple of words. many of us are drawn here to follow within the footsteps of pioneers, to dream of Livingstone and walk the paths that few have walked. for several the lure of the continent lies not in what's known, but in what's unfamiliar, unknown and different.

Hence, many adventurers want to go away the beaten track and follow the road less travelled to ascertain and do things that can't be done elsewhere. Here, we glance at but a couple of of the tantalisingly, unique and spectacular visions that the continent has got to offer.

Gaze on the Gorilla in Uganda

In Africa, tours can bring you face to face with the unforgettable. Imagine walking through emerald green underbrush, and ignoring a good , lush fern to ascertain a blurred, dark shape, somehow vaguely human, stirring and rising ahead of you. you're in Uganda and you've got set your eyes on one among humanity's closest yet most threatened cousins, the Gorilla gorilla beringei . Long imprinted within the imaginations of the many since childhood, this sombre yet electrifying creature is an incomparable sight for any adventurer.

Be Felled by the Falls in Zambia

Though not the longest or widest, the most important outpouring of water within the world that's Victoria Falls may be a pride of Africa. Tours past this behemoth show you the complete and near monstrous capacity of nature to get energy from the straightforward and soft drops of water we use and drink everyday. Flowing mightily over basalt into a valley locked by sandstone hills, the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or literally the 'smoke that thunders', will stop the senses of any adventurer by its size, sound, sight and even the scent of its thundering force.

Behold the large 5

Whenever travel is mentioned to South Africa , tours involving an enormous Five safari are usually mentioned within the same breath. The lion, leopard, African elephant , Cape buffalo , and rhinoceros are synonymous with a visit or an adventure trip to the present continent, and permanently reason. Originally grouped together because the most difficult animals to hunt, today they're prized simply for being sighted in one among the famous southern game parks or conservation reserves.

Marvel at Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

In Africa, tours can take you from highlights like the wildlife and therefore the pounding waterfalls of Victoria Falls to the heights of a world famous snow mountain. The tallest on the continent and therefore the highest freestanding mountain within the world - boasting three volcanic cones and an excellent white peak rising high over a clear into the pristine blue and cloud lined sky - the sight of Kilimanjaro rightly takes one's breath away. the prospect to require one among its six trekking trails is both a challenge and a fulfilment for any adventurer keen to really experience this continent.

Andrew Mulvaney works for Tucan Travel, an award-winning provider of high-quality Africa tours and other adventure destinations like Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Tours with Tucan Travel take you out of your temperature and immerse you during a thrilling, faraway land.

#Lwazi Mzozoyana

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xpertnotes · 3 years

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Shimla Places To Visit | Best 15 locations in Shimla

Are you planning to go to The Queen of Hills?

Image Source - Google | image by Smitanarang As I have mentioned that I'll tell you the top 15 places to visit in Shimla. First of all, I will discuss these places: - Kufri - The Ridge of Shimla - Mashobra - Narkanda - Chail - Rohru - Summer Hill - Shaily Peak - Chadwick Waterfall - Annandale - Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary - Jakhoo Hill, Kiala Forest - Viceregal Lodge & many more. The Queen of Hills becomes an absolute fairyland in winters. And there are many locations to go there in December. These locations provide you a very ecstatic experience. The sites in December get covered by the bright white snow. And it makes the landscapes entirely different from the fresh greenery during the summers. It has a set of prominent view-points, shopping areas, adventure sports, and non-secular sites. All kinds of travelers can enjoy a cheerful December here. Destinations just like the Ridge, Kufri, Lakkar Bazaar, and Shaily Peak are the best ones you want to admire and capture the show-packed views or maybe enjoy some adventure activities. You can also take pleasure in the rugged views and spot some flora, fauna, and rare birds in Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary. Jakhoo temple is additionally a singular and important place of worship. It is located on top of the very best hills in the city. It is popular among devotees and hikers alike. thanks to this, it also receives the very best snowfall in town.

Here are the 15 best places to visit in Shimla:

1. Kufri

Image Source - Google | image by Biswarup Ganguly Kufri is located a brief distance faraway from Shimla. This is an extremely popular scenic town. The honeymooners travel to Kufri. It is surrounded by a hoop of the Himalayan ranges. Kufri is one of the foremost sought-after holiday destinations in Himachal Pradesh. It is nestled in the bosom of the Himalayas. Kufri is one of the most beautiful locations to visit in Himachal. The tiny town has lofty valleys. Check out our Daily Deals at Agoda.com

They are refreshingly green during warmer months. And they switch ethereally white during winters. And they offer a number of the most beautiful sights. The valleys also boast a spread of local flora and fauna, like thick forests of pines and deodars. Surely this elevates the sweetness of the place. The Himalayan Park Shimla Kufri is not like most towns in higher mountains. But it is fairly developed. It is one of the best locations to go near Shimla. And it offers a variety of sports and adventure opportunities for travelers. The Himalayan Park in Kufri may be a delight to wildlife enthusiasts also as trekking lovers. The stunning snow-capped mountains surround it from all three sides. This park houses nearly 31 species of animals and over 150 species of birds. Are you a nature lover? If yes, you can visit the Green Valley or the town of Fagu in Kufri. It'll satiate his tastes. Here are stunning forests and an excellent population of birds. Kufri Fun World While in Kufri, don't hesitate to pay a visit to Kufri Fun World. And It is one of the very best amusement parks anywhere within the world. The park hosts a Go-Kart track to allow visitors to Kart against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayas. Kufri is additionally a well-liked destination for skiing enthusiasts. So it has a number of the most attractive ski-runs in Himachal. The mule ride to Mahasu Peak is one of the most popular activities in Kufri. It is the tallest peak here? There are unique adventure opportunities in Kufri. These activities are not found in the other city of Himachal Pradesh. So they make it one of the most popular places to visit in Himachal. Summer months in Kufri are between April to June. And you experience a cool and pleasant climate here. This climate is mixed with moderate temperatures and short spells of rain. But the winter months are between October to March. And you'll experience extreme weather. The temperature falls to subzero levels. And snow covers the valley and the frost. The monsoon months last between July & September. During this point, the temperature falls to a reasonably low level, although rainfall is scanty. brownboy28 Fairs and Festivals A winter sports festival is organized and celebrated every year in February in Kufri. The guys who are skiing enthusiasts and adventure seekers participate during this festival. Secrets about Kufri places – You must know How to Reach By Road - Kufri doesn't have an airport or a railway station. But you'll take Himachal Roadways buses. However, Kufri is linked with Shimla, Narkanda, and Rampur by road. So travelers can also hire taxis from Shimla to reach Kufri. If you would like to save some money you may go by Himachal Roadways Buses. You'll have to walk around for less than one kilometer. The area around Kufri is often explored on horseback.

2. The Ridge of Shimla

Image Source - Google | image by ShashankSharma2511 If you want to know where to visit in Shimla, The Ridge is one of the most bustling spots within the city. It is an open space located in the heart of the city. Exquisitely beautiful and charming in its appearance, The Ridge is a popular spot among both locals and tourists. To know why Shimla is named the Queen of Hills, reach this spot in the evening and you'll get your answer. During snowfall, The Ridge is where people come to enjoy playing with snow. Hence, this is often definitely one of the most recommended places to see in Shimla in December. Where: Along the Mall Road. What to do: Photography, Horse Riding, and Shopping 3. Mashobra

Image Source - Google | image by Biswarup Ganguly A quaint town located in the Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Mashobra is a superb choice for those that are willing to share their solitude with pristine nature. The town is tucked far away from the frequent hustle of Shimla so you'll be assured to seek out peace here and it's one of the best places to see in December. Boasting an elevation of 7,040 feet, Mashobra is a perfect getaway with a variety of fantastic stay options that will spoil you and your companions with their lavishness and amenities. Winters bring a special charm to the present place, making it appear all the more beautiful. Where: 13 km from the town (bus stand) What to do: Camping, biking, trekking, paragliding, rappelling, river rafting, quad biking, skiing, and shopping.

4. Narkanda

Image Source - Google | image by Utpal Basu Narkanda is one of the foremost places to visit in Shimla. It holds a treasure of scenic beauty in its domain. Narkanda is a picturesque town. And it is in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. It lies 60 km before the queen of the hills, Narkanda attracts hordes of tourists throughout the year. It is set at an altitude of 2706 meters. This town is blessed with a peaceful ambiance and perennial greenery. The presence of apple and cherry orchards dotting its verdant hills increase its visual appeal. And this makes it a favorite among landscape photographers. The Major Places of Intrest The major places of interest in Narkanda include Tanni Jubbar Lake and a revered Hindu temple, Hatu Mata Mandir. There are also a couple of vantage spots. Photography enthusiasts go here to capture the essence of Himachal Pradesh in picture frames. Because it has beautiful sights for sightseers and vacationers, so they love to see this place. Narkanda is also an ideal choice for adventure seekers. Whether you're keen on trekking or skiing, this town has great opportunities for you to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in you. A vacation in Narkanda provides trekking enthusiasts with a chance to scale the second highest peak in Shimla district, Hatu Peak, boasting an elevation of 3400 meters. The Beauty of Snowfall in Narkanda - Experience Snowfall Every season brings different reminders of beauty to Narkanda, changing its aura completely. Thus, you can go to town throughout the year. Thanks to frequent spells of snowfall in the winter season. Because the town remains covered under plush blankets of white snow and appears surreal. During the season, the minimum temperature drops right down to as low as -8 degrees Celsius at midnight. Whereas, during other times of the year, the dense forests of pine, oak, rhododendron, and deodar add a vibrant appeal to its hilly landscape. The temperatures in summers are pleasantly cold, adding romantic vibes to the atmosphere. all in all, with many exhilarating adventure opportunities, sightseeing spots, lush greenery, and luxury holiday resorts, Narkanda is the perfect choice for your next vacation in the mountains. Where: Narkanda is on the National Highway, which connects Shimla to Kinnaur. This means that there's never a shortage of buses connecting one with Shimla. The queen of hills is at a distance of around 60 km and it takes only two hours to drive right down to Narkanda from there.

5. Chail

Image Source - Google | image by Aleksandr Zykov Chail is the former summer capital of the princely state of Patiala. It is a beautiful visiting location in Shimla, Chail is an alluring hill station that lies about 55 km from Shimla. It comes in the Himachal Pradesh’s Shivalik region. Chail is spread across the three hillocks - Sadh Tiba, Pandewa, and Rajgarh. It covers over a region of 72 acres of land. And it overlooks the canyon of River Satluj. Chail enjoys pleasant weather all around the year. And thus not just the tourists but also the locals visit here. Further, it also brings forth scenic and beautiful views of the enclosing countryside. And it overlooks both Shimla and Kasauli, Chail used to be a sleepy little mountain village. But it changed in the year 1893. One of the Golden Triangle Chail along with Shimla and Kufri is also called the Golden Triangle of Himachal Pradesh. it's a gorgeous hill station that's free from the huge crowds. Consequently, it allows the travelers to relish the charm and therefore the beauty of the place in its relative peace. The lush green outfields, dense cover of deodar and pine trees are the center of attraction. And, therefore, the stunning views of the mountains along with the breathtaking natural beauty become more beautiful and peaceful. They make Chile one of the foremost significant tourist attractions of Himachal Pradesh. How to Reach Chail The nearest railway station is Shimla. Because Chail has no railway station, so you can hire a cab. You may also travel by bus as well.

6. Rohru

Image Source - Google | image by Vivekdewanta

Image Source - Google | image by Vivekdewanta Rohru is a town of natural pictures in the Shimla District. It is one of the most treasured gems that are still hidden to most tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh. It lies on the banks of Pabbar River. Rohru is dotted with apple orchards. Despite its lower altitude of 5,090 feet, Rohru receives snowfall during peak winter months and it's one of the gorgeous places to see in December. Adventure in Rohru Besides, it's also an excellent escape for adventure as some exciting trekking trails originate here. The most popular among them being Chandernahan Trek. And it takes you to some incredibly beautiful landscapes. Where: 115 km from Shimla City (a hill town) What to Do: Orchard Visit, Temple Visit, Trekking, Camping, Trout Fishing.

7. Summer Hill Shimla

Image Source - Google | image by Bharat Justa Shimla is nestled on seven hills. And Summer Hill is one of the most famous of them. It is due to its lush green vegetation and mesmerizing views you can witness from here. Thus the reason why it's among the most effective places to visit in Shimla in December is that in winter, fresh snow covers it. This a part of the town becomes extremely scenic. So This spot too popular among tourists coming to the queen of hills. Check out our Daily Deals at Agoda.com

Where: 11 km from The Ridge. What to Do: Photography, Sightseeing. 8. Shaily Peak

Image Source - Google | image by Swarup Ganguly If you would like to devote some time in the hills. And you wish to admire the artistry of nature. And you want to capture it on your camera. Then Shaily Peak in Naldehra is one of the most beautiful and attractive places to visit in Shimla in December. To reach this spot, you'll either choose a pony ride or commute via the motorable road. Otherwise, a steep trail also leads to this place. This is suitable for enthusiastic adventure lovers as hiking there's quite strenuous. However, once you reach Shaily Peak, the grand vistas of the gorgeous expanse of green hills and snow-capped mountains make the climb worth all the efforts. Where: 23 km from the queen of hills. What to Do: Photography, Hiking, Picnic. 9. Experience the Ride on Toy Train

Image Source - Google | image by Travels Tips The train runs through gorgeous views of pine-covered hills. Thus this five-hour train ride should get on your things to do in the Shimla list. It is a 96 kilometers distance of this journey. It will take you through twenty stations, one hundred and three tunnels, around eight hundred bridges, and about nine hundred breath-taking curves. The ride between Barog and Shimla is the most amazing part of this journey. Because when the train slows down due to a steep climb, it supplies you with the chance to witness some mesmerizing scenes. Advance booking is suggested. Where: From Kalka to Shimla. What to do: Barog Station which has the longest tunnel and to experience the beauty of nature. Fare: INR 65 to INR 500. 10. Annandale

Image Source - Google | image by Shyamal Do you like open landscapes surrounded by lush green forests? If yes, you're going to fall for the scenic great thing about Annandale. it's a flat terrain in Shimla. Because the locals have developed it as a playground for sports like cricket, golf, and racing, so it's one of the best places to visit in Shimla in December. Since a thick forest of Deodar, Oak, and Pine trees surround this grassy ground. so it is a sight to behold. Thus it's also emerged as a famous tourist site over the past few years. Annandale also features a cafe and a military museum. If you visit this place during snowfall, it'll become the highlight of your trip. Where: around 3.5 km from The Ridge What to Do: Picnic, Photography, Museum Visit, Sports 11. Scandal Point Shimla Read the full article

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the-jade-cross · 4 years

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Journey to Middle Earth - Chapter 8

Summary – What if JRR Tolkien never gave Thorin a love story… because the person that was meant to be Thorin’s was not yet born when he wrote the Hobbit? Sara journeys from her world to Middle Earth after an accident, with a mission. To change something about the Hobbit story… but she is not sure what. What she does not know is that while trying to prevent something from happening, something new might arise between her and the dwarf prince….even if it is not on the agenda!

Warnings – None, no explicit scenes, some kissing, violence, frightening creatures, mentions of abuse.

Pairings – Thorin Oakenshield x OC

Sara sat upon the railing overlooking the waterfall. Mason lay next to the railing, basking in the sun while lying on his back with his feet suspended in the air and his nose nuzzled between his front paws. Sara reached up to play with her hair only to remember that it was short and billowing in her face. She tried to push it back again but failed miserably and huffed, leaving it as it was. She was contemplating going where there was no breeze when she sensed a presence behind her. Turning around, she found Arwen standing there, smiling at her. Sara’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t expected to meet Arwen especially when she didn’t see her around the day before or earlier that morning and Sara had to admit, Arwen was probably her favorite female character…. Person from Middle Earth.

“I hope I did not disturb you,” Arwen asked in her soothing voice.

Sara shook her head, turning around on the railing, “Not at all Lady Arwen.” The elf smiled as she held up her hand, motioning for Sara to stay seated. Arwen walked over to the railing and placed her hands on it, Sara turning to face the same direction.

“How did you know my name?” the elf inquired.

Sara mentally slapped herself. She needed to get in the habit of acting completely clueless.

“Oh well…. I erm….” The girl stuttered, only to notice Arwen smiling at her.

“You are not from this world, are you?” Arwen inquired. “My father mentioned it.” Sara nodded before Arwen looked back out over the waterfall, “And you know what is going to happen.” The girl started, turning to look at the she elf, only to see Arwen smiling sweetly at the waterfall.

“How did you know?” Sara squeaked.

“I could sense it in how you looked at people,” Arwen replied, “Like you knew them already but acted like you didn’t. And also, how you looked at your companions, especially the three sons of Durin.” Sara shifted nervously. Was her concern about Fili, Kili and Thorin’s fate that obvious? She hoped that they hadn’t noticed.

“They are completely oblivious,” Arwen remarked, as if sensing what the girl was thinking. “You do not need to worry.” “Do you think I will be able to change…. Some things that will happen?” Sara asked.

Arwen smiled at the girl before reaching over and gripping her hand tightly, “No one knows, but I have a feeling that if you wish to help them, then that may very well be the reason you are here.” Sara nodded. The two were swallowed in silence before Arwen turned to the girl and smiled, “I came up here to tell you that your companions are sparring together. I thought you might want to join them.” Sara’s face lit up and she smiled thankfully at the elf. She turned around to climb off the railing and hopped off. She looked up to realize that Arwen was watching her with an intrigued smile.

“You are very light on your feet and agile,” the elf pointed out. “Unlike any human of this world.” Sara nodded, “It’s a little uncanny. I used to be incredibly clumsy in my world but since I came here, I have noticed that I have almost lightened up.”

Arwen smiled, her eyes looking like she was staring off into another dimension when she snapped out of it and motioned for the girl to follow her. The elf silently led Sara through the corridors before she came upon a room. Silently Arwen entered and Sara followed. It was a bedroom, but Sara noted that it looked like no one had used it in a while. Arwen brought out a small box before opening it and lifting something delicate, made of slender wire and tiny gems.

“This belonged to my mother. She gave them to me before she died. However, I was never one to be agile and light on my feet all the time.” Sara’s eyes widened when the elf held it out to her, “I couldn’t take these! They were your mother’s!” Arwen nodded, “They were my mother’s but now they are mine. There is plenty here for me to remember my mother by and I feel that these would be put to much better use if you used them instead of them sitting in a box going unused.” Sara paused but Arwen bent down and clipped the two anklets onto Sara’s ankles. Sara glanced down at them when Arwen rose to her feet and she realized that they looked fragile, but they felt strong and durable like they would last much.

“You can wear them underneath your boots,” Arwen explained, “They are incredibly comfortable.” Sara lifted her head and smiled gratefully at the elf who beamed at her before busying around again.

“Oh! This was mine when I was little but it’s too small for me,” Arwen explained, grabbing something else out of the box and holding it out to the girl, “I think this will help with your hair problem.” The girl slipped the simple chain over Sara’s head and fitted it at the crown of her head like a headband. Sara reached up and felt it. It wouldn’t slip off or get in her eyes and it held all her hair back nicely out of her face.

“Thank you, Lady Arwen.” The elf smiled at her before making a shooing motion with her hands, “Now off to practice with you!”

********

“Come on Uncle Thorin!” Kili chirped, “Come and spar with us!” Thorin didn’t raise his head or reply to his youngest nephew as he continued on sharpening Orcrist. He couldn’t get his mind to go anywhere except Sara’s retreating form from earlier. Her short hair billowing around her face…. where had he gone wrong?

He paused; his sharpening stone still gripped in his hand when he heard a faint grunting sound coming from where all the dwarves were sparring. The grunt was followed by quite a bit of cheering, calling out bets and telling whoever they were betting on to think fast or to look out.

He noted that none of the cheering voices belonged to Sara. She must not have returned. She had been gone for two hours and so far, none of the dwarves had asked where she was. When Thorin had returned to the group after his slip up with Sara, he had seen the girl return Fili’s knife to him with flushed cheeks, faraway eyes and an unreadable look on her face.

The girl had left directly after that and upon seeing the girl’s face and Thorin’s crestfallen, almost frustrated state, none of them asked. Of course, Fili and Kili were going to ask but Dwalin managed to shut them up in time.

Thorin was about to return back to his sharpening when he heard swords clash and Dwalin’s voice called out.

“Watch your flank Sara!”

Thorin’s blue eyes snapped up to his nephew who was itching to rush back to the others but didn’t want to leave without his uncle. Thorin had to admit that his curiosity was getting the better of him, but he wondered if he should come within viewing distance of Sara just yet. Deciding that he could easily walk away if he felt that his presence was a disturbance to the girl, Thorin got up and followed his nephew to where all the other dwarves were standing in a wide circle, cheering on Fili who was going head to head with Sara.

The first thing that Thorin notices was the single sword in Fili’s hands and two long slender blades in Sara’s hands. Thorin noted how she didn’t hold the blades like how she was supposed to but backwards. If she stood straight with her hands at her sides, the tips of the blades would be pointed behind her rather than in front. However, he also noticed that it didn’t seem to affect her.

Fili ran at her, raising his sword to do a hard head swipe. However, Sara pushed forward on her feet to get a strong stance before leaning forward slightly on her left foot, so that she was on her tiptoes while her other foot was driven strongly into the ground, slightly turned so the side of her foot gave her more friction.

She lifted one sword and drove the tip into the ground, blocking Fili’s strike with the sword. Thorin stared in surprised when she didn’t even shake from the contact, the sword’s tip in the ground giving her more resistance to the strike while her other one came up and she spun on her left foot, swiping at Fili’s side with her other sword. Fili didn’t have time to block the blow with his sword, so he jumped but this was what Sara wanted for she continued to pivot on her foot, bringing her other leg around to trip his legs the moment his feet touched the ground.

All the dwarves let out muffled groans as Fili landed hard on his back. He prepared to swipe Sara off her feet but when he looked, the girl wasn’t where she was a second ago and when Fili felt metal on his neck, he looked up to see Sara standing over his head, both swords at his neck.

Fili’s first reaction was to try and grab her legs to trip her but when he tried, her feet wouldn’t come out from underneath her. Fili frowned and pulled at her ankle again, trying to trip her but Sara just smiled down at him.

“Do you know how funny you look right now brother!?” Kili called from the sidelines.

Fili glared at his brother only to see all the younger dwarves staring in surprise and perplexity at Fili’s failure at tripping Sara while the older dwarves including Dwalin were smiling.

Sara removed the swords from the young dwarf’s neck and held out her hand to him. Fili took it and the girl hauled him to his feet with a strong pull.

“So, gonna tell me how you did that?” Fili inquired.

Sara smirked before bending down and pulling one of her boots off. She held it up for Fili to see and the young dwarf saw that there was a small slit in the sole where a small blade was hidden!

“It reacts to fast moving friction. When my feet drag on the ground if I am slipping or sliding,” Sara explained. “It triggers the spring inside, and the blades protrude out to stop my movement. They slide back in if I drag my feet forward.” “No way,” Fili muttered while Kili came over to inspect the device, “Where did you get that?” “Bofur helped me make it,” Sara explained, smiling at the dwarf.

Before Sara could say more, her eyes lifted and landed on the dwarf prince who stood beside Balin and Dwalin. Her expression changed immediately but to one that Thorin couldn’t read. Her face flushed slightly but she strained to keep a serious look on her face, her eyes looking everywhere but at Thorin.

Balin and Dwalin peered at the dwarf prince, noticing Sara’s reaction to his presence. Thorin was standing there with his usual serious look on his face but his blue eyes looked troubled. The two old dwarves exchanged looks, knowing what they had to do.

******

Sara breathed in and out like Kili had told her. Once she let her air out, the bow stopped shaking in her hand and she could aim better. Fighting with the swords was one thing but a bow was another. Her agility and awareness made sword fighting like a second nature to her now, but the long bow took aim, steadiness and speed. The two former, something Sara hadn’t mastered yet.

The girl released the arrow and it struck a little too high on the target. The girl cringed before grabbing another arrow and loading it.

“That would be in the nose. Ouch.” She paused before pulling the second arrow back. She had aimed the last arrow by lining the target with a mark on the bow. Maybe if she lined it up with the mark but lower, she would get a better shot. She was just about to pull it back when a voice spoke from behind her.

“You’re taking too long to aim.”

The girl froze, recognizing the deep baritone voice. Why now? She didn’t deny that she had been avoiding the dwarf prince all day. She wasn’t angry at him, just worried. It wasn’t like she was there temporarily. She was stuck in this world for the rest of her life and who knows how long that would be. With her body adapting to the new world, her aging might slow like a dwarf or elf’s. The last thing she wanted was to mess up the friendship she had with the dwarves and have that dread or possible bounty on her head the rest of her life. She knew if something went wrong between her and Thorin then it would go down with all the others. Besides that, she had a duty to make sure that she tried her hardest to save Thorin. She couldn’t ensure that if she was distracted.

The girl turned around slowly, giving the dwarf a raised eyebrow and deadpan look. “You know, adding advice to criticism makes it sweet. But if you want to leave it like that, it’s fine.”

The girl turned back around, missing the smirk on Thorin’s face. She pulled the bow back when she felt a firm chest press against her back. She froze, feeling her face heat up.

“Life your elbow a bit higher,” Thorin whispered, his voice husky and right behind her ear.

Sara bit on her gum to calm her racing heart before doing what he instructed. When she did, Thorin slipped an arm around her, resting his large hand on her hip, his other touching her hand that held the bow.

“To aim faster and more accurately, line up your top finger with the target. Don’t wait for your arm to stop shaking or you’ll miss the shot.”

Sara did just that and fired the arrow. It struck the target just slightly off the center and Sara let out a soft chuckle, her face lighting up.

“I did it!” she turned slightly to look at Thorin, only to remember he had a hand on her hip and his grip had only increased.

She froze, the grin fading from her face to one of surprise as Thorin’s other hand ran up her arm and into her hair, gripping her short red locks while he kept his head bowed and buried in her hair, preventing her ffrom turning around.

“Why,” he whispered in a hoarse voice, “Why didn’t you like it?”

Sara swallowed, knowing what he was talking about. She felt her grip on the bow waver and her throat went dry.

“i… I didn’t say I didn’t want it….” she whispered.

At first Thorin didn’t move, then gradually he turned the girl around so she was facing him. His eyes were half lidded and dark with want, his breathing heavy. Keeping his hand on her hip and the other in her hair, he bent his head down and brushed his nose against hers. Sara could feel his hot breath on her face, and it made her heart race. Gently she reached up to place her hands on his chest and pushed him back, keeping her head down.

“But I didn’t say you should,” she managed to whisper.

Thorin felt his heart pounding in his chest and wondered if she could feel it with her hand on his chest. She hadn’t hated it… but why did she think he shouldn’t have kissed her? was it because she was human and he was a dwarf? But she wasn’t the type of person to let difference of race affect her… was it that she liked another? But she had said she wanted it…. what was she afraid of?

Sara took three steps back, placing a distance between them when Fili and Kili came tearing through the woods.

“Sara! Come swim with us!”

Sara smiled, though her eyes remained troubled and putting her bow away, she left without looking once at Thorin. Fili stayed behind, watching his uncle’s hurt eyes and perplexed, upset expression.

“Everything alright Thorin?” he asked.

Thorin glanced at his nephew before slowly nodding. However, as Thorin walked off, Fili had a feeling that everything was not alright.

*******

Sara felt a hand shaking her awake but before she was even slightly conscious, something in her snapped and she jumped up, grabbing the person by the neck and pinning them beneath her, grabbing her sword from where it had been lying next to her and placing it against the person’s neck.

“WOAH SARA!” A startled and rather horrified Kili cried, holding up his hands, “It’s me! It’s Kili!” The girl was breathing heavily, her eyebrows down in a perfect V and her mouth twisted into a furious glare, breathing through her teeth. All the other dwarves had been packing, preparing to sneak out of Rivendell. At Kili’s outburst, they had all spun around prepared to face danger only to find the young dwarf pinned with his legs held down by Sara’s knees and heat of fury practically radiating off the girl.

Fili rushed over to try and settle the misunderstanding and Thorin, who had been talking quietly to Balin prepared to walk over when a large arm blocked his way. Looking slightly up, he found Dwalin to be the one who was blocking him. The bald dwarf shook his head, giving the prince a pointed look. Thorin bit his lip, holding back the urge to argue but he knew it was fruitless. Dwalin was right. After what had happened at the stream the day before, it was better if he gave Sara space.

Looking over, he saw that Fili had managed to fully wake Sara who realized the position she was in and quickly scrambled off the young dwarf, apologizing. Kili assured her that he was used to it, similar instances happening when he tried to wake Dwalin or Thorin. However, Sara’s already slightly upset mood from being roused in such a way was worsened the moment Thorin’s name fell off of Kili’s tongue. Fili did not waste a second in clobbering his brother over the head, his younger brother giving him a purely confused look. Sara got up and began to hastily pack her things, never once looking at any of the dwarves or even Bilbo. She packed up and slung her bag onto her back, calling Mason, she walked to stand at the bottom of the stairs of the balcony to wait for the others.

“What was that for?” Kili hissed at his brother the moment Sara was gone.

Fili nodded over his shoulder at where Dwalin was still blocking Thorin’s way just to make sure that the dwarf prince didn’t choose to follow the girl. Fili could practically see the gears working in Kili’s head as the truth dawned on him and his face changed from confusion to realization and then to horror.

Finally, the group finished packing and joined Sara and Mason who had been waiting with Bilbo. They started off out of Rivendell silently so as to not rouse anyone’s attention to their departure. Sara brought up the rear with Fili in front of her and Dwalin behind. She chose this place because Thorin was near the front with Balin and she couldn’t walk with Bilbo because he was too close to Thorin and Kili…. Well let’s just say that Kili’s similar features to Thorin didn’t help so she chose to stick close to Dwalin who totally understood what was swimming around in that red head of hers and did everything in his power to help the girl have some time to relax.

“We’re about to step over the edge of the wild,” Thorin announced from the front. “Balin, you know these paths lead on.” Balin took the lead and Thorin paused to look back at the rest of the company. Bilbo had stopped to look back at Rivendell.

“Master Baggins! I suggest you keep up!” Thorin announced.

Bilbo complied without a word and Thorin was about to turn around and keep walking when he heard a faint voice from the back of the company. He stilled his breathing so he could hear better, only to realize that it was Sara whispering to Dwalin.

“He’s not exactly falling behind. He is after all still near the front,” she pointed out in a sarcastic tone.

Dwalin chuckled softly. “You are something lassie. Thorin is just irritable.” “No, he just has a hard time making friends,” Sara pointed out begrudgedly, glaring at the ground before her as she climbed on.

Fili’s eyebrows shot up, “He made friends with you….” He never finished for Dwalin had taking his axe and patted the flat part of the blade to the dwarf’s head, cutting him off. Sara however just continued to glare at the ground.

“I’m talking about Thorin’s inability to make friends with Bilbo. I am no better than the hobbit. When I joined the company, I couldn’t fight and if anything, I have been a worse burden because of my ‘feminine’ issues and poor immunity.” “You were poisoned lass,” Dwalin objected. “And you keep up very well. I guess Thorin is just being harder on the hobbit because he isn’t a girl.” Sara snorted before taking Fili’s hand which had been offered to her to help her over a ledge, “Thorin isn’t a girl and he isn’t hard on himself.”

Dwalin had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. The girl seriously did think of everything! Thorin however had turned and had continued to walk, never forgetting the words that had been said in the conversation. It was evident that Sara was very angry with him. She couldn’t stand even hearing his name let alone talking about him and let’s not mention talking to him. That was practically a death sentence in the girl’s eyes.

Thorin frowned. Had he really overstepped his boundaries at the river the day before? He had to admit that maybe he should have taken Dwalin and Balin’s advice about giving Sara time to contemplate Thorin’s expressed feelings, but his mind had seemed to switch off until of course Sara brought him back into it…. painfully.

FLASHBACK----- the day before

“Nope! Not happening! Declined! Rejected!” Sara objected, her back to the elven fountains where the dwarves were swimming. They had invited her to join in, but she had completely forgotten about the scene in the film when Elrond had happened upon the stark-naked dwarves swimming…. That is until she saw the pink shapes of the dwarves catapulting into the water.

“But Sara!” Kili whined. “You promised you would!” “I didn’t know you wouldn’t have ANY clothes on!” Sara yelled.

‘Well technically I did but I forgot!’ Sara thought to herself.

“The lass is right lads,” Balin pointed out, having come to join and was luckily still fully clothed. “At least put your breeches on. She is a lady after all.” Sara let out a relieved sigh when the dwarves began to offer agreement and she could hear them exiting the water to grab their pants. She remained facing Balin, away from the others, giving him a grateful smile.

The old dwarf grinned at her, trying to not laugh, “You look like you could use a dip lass. You’re as red as an apple.” Sara nodded and ran her fingers through her sweaty hair, “It’s late summer. Not my favorite time of the year.” Balin chuckled but Sara’s eyes drifted from him to a figure that had appeared around the corner. Thorin. He had finally decided to come join in the swimming and instantly his blue eyes locked with Sara’s. The girl quickly broke the stare to look away, only for Balin to notice that the color in her cheeks had intensified. Looking over his shoulder, he spied the dwarf prince and smiled knowingly before putting on a serious look.

“They’re all dress lass,” he assured the girl.

Sara peaked at the dwarves to see that they had indeed thrown on their breeches but left their boots and shirts off. They had ventured back to the fountains except for Fili and Kili who had wandered to the waterfall which fell into a river and were running back and forth under the falls.

Sara sighed before walking over to where the dwarves had piled their clothes. She quickly removed her outer jacket from where she had tied it around her waist to keep out of the way, dropping it onto a place in the grass away from the dwarves’ things. She tore off her boots then her socks, stuffing her socks into her boots so she didn’t lose them. She considered what else would be ‘safe’ to remove since she wasn’t a man and couldn’t very well go bare chested. Thinking about it a moment, she removed the leather skirt but left her pants on, rolling the pants up to her knees and sighing as the air touched her calves. Lastly, she removed the leather corset but left her white shirt on. She mentally cursed herself for not having a top that wasn’t white, but she was glad that at least her bra was dark brown so the water wouldn’t make it see-through. She would have to make a mental note to try and stay under the water at least at chest level.

Taking the jewelry headband out of her hair, she stuffed it into one of her boots but left the anklets on.

Rushing over to where Fili and Kili were playing in the waterfall, she dove into the waist deep river, allowing the cool water to calm her nerves.

She stayed under the water a white, allowing the water to completely soak her before she emerged. Fili and Kili rushed to the edge of the water and jumped in after her, hooting as they went. Sara chuckled as they splashed water at her, and she dodged it. That was when her eyes caught sight of Thorin’s foreboding figure standing near the fountains where the dwarves’ clothes lay.

Thorin glanced down at the clothes at his feet, then at the older dwarves jumping into the fountains then at his nephews and Sara in the river. His eyes fell on Sara’s slim figure which was hugged by her wet shirt which clung to her upper body. Thorin reached down and pulled his boots off and socks before unbuckling his belt and stripping to nothing but his breeches.

“Thorin!” Bombur called. “Join us!” Thorin chuckled and was about to climb up to the fountains when he heard the voices of his nephews. Turning, he saw them climbing out of the river and running back to their clothes.

“We’re going to find something to eat,” Kili announced.

The two boys hurried off and Thorin paused, glancing over at the river. Sara was still there….

“Thorin,” Dwalin spoke from above. “Maybe you should give her some space.” Thorin looked up at the dwarf who was seated next to Balin.

The old dwarf nodded, “My brother is right Thorin. She needs time to think about the feelings you have expressed to her. Give her time laddie.” Thorin nodded and the two dwarves jumped back into the water. The moment they weren’t looking, Thorin walked over to the river which was set aside from the fountains in the shade of the trees, the waterfall falling over a hollowed-out stone, the hollowed part being about eight feet deep.

Peering around the corner, he spied Sara standing near the waterfall, letting the water crash onto her hands. The girl looked up when Thorin took a step into the water and she froze. The left half of Thorin was shaded by the shade of the trees while the other half of him was standing in the sunlight, the sun radiating off of his bare skin and jet-black hair that cascaded down his back and across his shoulders.

The dwarf prince looked at the girl a moment before smiling slightly and then diving into the water. Sara looked at the water, hoping to see where Thorin was but the water was dark because of the shade and she couldn’t see him. She was about to head to shore when two hands grabbed onto her ankles and pulled them from beneath her. With a squeal, she fell into the water, drenching her partially dried upper body.

When she came up sputtering, Thorin was standing about five feet from her, waist deep in the water with a smile on his face and his eyes laughing. His hair was wet as was the rest of him, but Sara was too busy fuming to notice.

“Why you little….” She started, cupping a handful of water and splashing it into his eyes.

Thorin groaned as the water stung his eyes and he quickly wiped the water out before turning to Sara. The girl’s eyes widened, realizing what he was going to do and was contemplating running but remembered that she was in water, thus making it hard to run. In that case, she dove under the water. She was just about to lose all the air in her lungs when two hands snaked around her waist and pulled her from the water. Before she could even get a breath, she was thrown over Thorin’s shoulder and she felt the gush of the waterfall hit her as Thorin dove through the fall.

Finally, Thorin pulled her from his shoulder and the girl huffed, pushing her soaking wet hair out of her eyes and glaring up at him.

“That was not funny!” she complained, poking him in the chest.

However, she froze, noticing two things. The first was that she wasn’t poking his chest through his clothes…. but his actual chest. Her eyes grazed over the muscular body before her, water dripping down his chest and shoulders and she found her eyes glued to his chest.

Glancing up, she noticed the second thing…. The once blue eyes that were now almost jet black looking back down at her, the cheeky grin gone from his face. It felt like he was undressing her with his intense gaze.

She was about to retract her hand when she felt Thorin’s hands which had been resting on her waist slip down to her thighs before lifting her off her feet. The girl’s mouth opened in a silent gasp as one of his arms wrapped around her waist while the other remained on her thigh, keeping her legs wrapped around his waist, his eyes never leaving hers. Taking barely two steps, Thorin walked over to the side wall of the tiny cave and pressed Sara’s back against it, stilling keeping one hand on her thigh and the other on her waist.

Removing his hand from her waist, he reached up and brushed a few strands of wet hair out of her eyes and behind her ear before grazing his fingers against her cheek and the back of her neck, cupping the nape of her neck before drawing her near.

“Thorin,” Sara breathed, feeling Thorin’s breath on her face, his eyes inches from hers.

“Yes?” He whispered back, his voice hoarse and low…. Barely audible.

Sara opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say but felt her mind go blank. When she didn’t speak, Thorin leant forward the rest of the way and smashed his lips to hers. His mind reeled at the warmth of her lips on his cold ones, her body flush against his. Sara placed her hands against his chest, prepared to push him away when she stopped. She didn’t hate this…. In fact…. She liked it…. She relaxed against his hold, bringing her hands to rest on his shoulders.

Thorin tilted his head to deepen the kiss and Sara let out a soft gasp at this, making Thorin’s mind seemingly shut off. His hand which had been buried in her hair slipped back down to her waist then underneath her other thigh, holding her up. Slowly Sara began to kiss back and Thorin decided it was alright to test the waters. Slipping one of his hands behind her waist, he brushed it underneath her shirt, feeling the bare skin of her back. Sara stilled in kissing back but Thorin continued to kiss her, his hand trailing up her spine then back down.

Just when his fingers grazed the skin dangerously close to the top of her pants, Sara pushed against his chest, pushing him away from her but he kept one hand on her thigh to keep her up, so she didn’t fall.

“Thorin….” She said in a warning tone.

However, Thorin seemed completely out of it because he didn’t even let her finish, latching his lips to her neck. Sara tried pushing his head away but he was too strong. Finally, she did the last thing she wanted to. Bringing her free leg that Thorin wasn’t holding down, she jabbed it between his legs.

Thorin completely released her this time and she dropped to the ground. Grabbing the side of the cave to steady herself, she glared at Thorin.

“Have you lost it!?” She asked, her voice rising, “You need to get your head on straight!” As the girl stormed toward the falls, Thorin reached out to catch her hand, “Sara….” The girl whipped around, smacking the palm of her hand hard against his cheek, making him reel, “Do not touch me!” With that, the girl stormed out of the cave. After managing to collect himself, Thorin slowly came out only to find Balin and Dwalin standing at the shore, fully dressed with displeased looks on their faces. In the distance he could hear his nephews calling Sara’s name, asking her what was wrong and where she was going.

“Now you’ve done it,” Dwalin hmphed, storming off angrily to aid the young dwarf princes in calming Sara down.

FLASHBACK END

Thorin sighed. He had gone too far…. He hadn’t even asked, and he most certainly should have followed Dwalin and Balin’s advice. What was his problem? As he turned to keep walking, he didn’t notice Sara lift her eyes to stare at his back that was facing her, his hair cascading down his back. She felt her cheeks go pink, remembering the incident at the river. Why had she stopped him? Sure he was crossing a few boundaries…. But she didn’t want him to think she hated it…. she was just not ready.

*******

“HOLD ON!” Thorin yelled.

Sara rolled her eyes as she gripped the side of the mountain to keep from slipping. The stones were wet, and she was constantly slipping. If it wasn’t for Fili who held her hand to keep her steady, she would have fallen plenty of times. Sara sighed as she pushed her wet hair out of her eyes, only for it to flop back in her way.

“We must find shelter!” Thorin yelled.

Sara knew what was coming and quickly grabbed Fili, pulling him close to the mountain, “LOOK OUT!” she yelled.

All the dwarves looked up just in time as a boulder hit the side of the mountain, breaking some large rocks from the side which tumbled down toward them.

“This is no Thunderstorm!” Balin cried. “It’s a thunder battle! Look!”

All eyes turned just as a huge stone giant rose to his full height. Sara bit her lip in shock. She had expected it but out of the screen and in real life, they were so much bigger…. And more frightening than she thought! Fili grabbed her to press her against the mountain wall to keep from getting hit by thrown rocks.

‘Bilbo!’ Sara thought. If she could keep Bilbo from falling over the side, maybe Thorin wouldn’t snap at him and maybe Bilbo wouldn’t get upset…. But would that mean he wouldn’t meet Gollum? No, he fell into the chasm by accident, not because of the argument.

Nodding her head in determination, Sara pushed past the other dwarves cautiously as they slowly made their way up the mountain. She soon found Bilbo who stood next to Bofur and squeezed next to him, taking hold of his hand. The hobbit gripped it back gratefully and gave her a weak, frightening smile.

Sara gave him a reassuring nod just before she felt the world beneath her begin to move. Uh oh. Grabbing onto Bilbo, she held onto the rock face with one hand as they began to swing about on the giant’s leg.

“Hold on!” She could hear Thorin yell again but this time it sounded more urgent and worried.

Sara heard a loud crumble nearby and turned to see that the others on the other leg had managed to jump to solid ground… however that was right before she saw the face of the mountain inch closer at a rapid pace.

Sara grabbed Fili and Bilbo’s hands tightly and closed her eyes…. Waiting for contact. The next thing she knows, she feels something strike her head hard, making her feel dizzy then landing under and atop many bodies.

She groaned, rolling over when a pair of strong hands lifted her to her feet. She desperately hoped that it wasn’t Thorin and when she opened her eyes, she saw that it was Kili. Phew!

“Where is Bilbo?” Bofur’s worried voice called and Sara snapped out of her dizzy state. No! She let go of Bilbo’s hand!

“Where’s the hobbit?” Sara cried before Bofur could.

Instantly she caught sight of the hobbit dangling over the side. Lunging forward, the grabbed onto his wrist to hold him still, but realized that she didn’t have anything keeping her on the ledge.

“SARA!” Fili yelled, jumping forward to grab the girl’s free arm to hold her still.

Thorin’s head snapped around at his nephew’s cry and saw that Sara’s grip on Bilbo’s hand was failing.

Jumping down onto a ledge next to the hobbit, he lifted the little man up using one arm when his hand slipped. Dwalin managed to grab his hand and pull him up and by then, Fili had pulled Sara back to safety.

The girl was rubbing Bilbo on the back who was panting and pale from the incident. Thorin felt a jab in his heart at the gentleness that the girl showed the hobbit when she wouldn’t even look in Thorin’s direction.

“I thought we had lost our burglar,” Dwalin panted.

Thorin turned to look at the hobbit, glaring when he saw a small trickle of blood that had appeared on Sara’s forehead, “He’s been lost, ever since he left home. He’s thought nothing of his soft bed and warm hearth since first he stepped out of his do….” He never got to finish for a stinging pain appeared on the left side of his face and combined with the sting of the falling rain, it made him reel. He looked to see Sara standing before him, her hands clenched and her face red and dark with fury.

“Say one more word and I’ll forget you’re a prince and throw you off the ledge.” All the dwarves froze and some of them made inhuman noises of shock. Thorin’s eyebrows shot down, trying to match Sara’s fury.

“His actions resulted in your injury,” he snapped.

“Oh, for the love of Durin’s Folk who have sense left in them!” Sara screeched, “I got this when we crashed into the mountain! The only thing that is injured is Bilbo’s feelings because you were thoughtless!” “You dare to call me thoughtless?” Thorin hissed, angrier at the fact that Sara was angry at him than anything else.

Sara smirked angrily at him, “No, that’s putting it nicely. You’re a jerk!” The girl spun on her heel and made for the cave opening, not realizing that the others were staring at her in surprise, partially from her outburst and partially from the fact that she found the entrance out of the blue.

That night, Sara laid down, knowing that sleep would never come for she was the only one who knew what lay beneath them. She ended up almost breaking Mason’s bones, having held him in an attempts to fall asleep. The one thing she didn’t know that night was that the main reason she couldn’t fall asleep was because deep in the depths of her heart, she was angry at Thorin for what he said to Bilbo…. But she was also afraid… because she knew she had fallen for him. The other thing she didn’t know was that a certain Dwarf prince couldn’t tear his eyes away from where the girl was curled up with her back to Fili’s, Mason laying against her front for warmth and comfort. Did she really hate him so much that she thought he was heartless and a jerk? He couldn’t sleep at all nor even think of dozing off… which meant that he could clearly hear Bilbo as he spoke with Bofur hours later….

******

Sara groaned as she rolled over, finding that they were still sleeping in the cold cave above the goblin town. Thinking about it made her cringe but her mind was more elsewhere than the goblins below. She had begun to notice little things that seemed off with the ‘events’ of the Hobbit. Things said, looks and actions that were done by certain people in the books and films were now either not being done, being done at a different time or by a different person than who originally did it in the books and movies. It was beginning to worry her.

If things began to change too much, it would be nearly impossible for Sara to tell whether or not something was going to happen, such as Fili, Kili and Thorin’s deaths. She was not a genius or a brilliant fighter. All she had going for her in this battle against evil was what she knew of the future but if the future got messed up because of different events that would alter the timeline and future events, she would be helpless and that would defeat the purpose of her being in Middle Earth. She could not risk losing Fili, Kili and Thorin. It was hard enough when she first met them and realized that she was in fact in front of the real sons of Durin… but over time they had grown on her just as many people grown on oneself and as they grow on you, you do not want to lose them or part with them. In such a way, Sara had found herself attached to the three dwarves and not just them, the whole company including the hobbit and Gandalf.

She couldn’t bear to lose them anymore than she could bear to lose her brothers. She had already lost her brothers and has no way of getting them back, she does not wish for the same to happen to her friends in Middle Earth.

That was probably one of the reasons she kept pushing Thorin away. Not only was she unsure, scared and totally confused, she didn’t want to alter any events to the point where the deaths that were meant to happen either didn’t happen and someone else died instead, or the deaths occur at a different place and time, taking Sara by surprise. She couldn’t lose Thorin and just as she had accepted the fact that she had grown fond of the company, she was beginning to accept the fact that she might be in love with the raven haired, blue eyed dwarf prince. And that was what scared her. In any other circumstances, she would have accepted Thorin’s advances and allowed herself to get closer to him. But she was not even of Middle Earth. She was of a world that believed Middle Earth to be merely a world created by a man named J.R.R. Tolkien and Thorin was believed to be a fictional character played in a film by a man named Richard Armitage. It was as simple as that. Either Sara had lived her whole life in a dream and had just woken up in the real world or it was the other way around. The truth was, both were so real that she wasn’t sure if her world was real or Middle Earth was…. Or if they were both real…. Or both just a dream.

Sighing, Sara sat up and pushed her blanket off of her before standing up and striding toward the entrance of the cave. The rain had stopped for the time being and as far as she could tell, Bilbo had not stirred. They had only been there about two hours, but the company was already dead to the world, snoring as loud as buffalo in a stampede. It was a miracle that the pale orc hadn’t tracked them by sound instead of by scent. Though Sara still hadn’t figured out which was worse, their smell or their sound.

Her eyes scanning the company, Sara’s eyes fell on the young dwarf prince who slept near one wall, sort of set off from the others but closer to Fili and Kili than anyone else. Smiling softly to herself, Sara crept silently across the cave to stand over the dwarf. Sleeping on his back, Thorin had Orcrist at his side, his cloak draped over him as a blanket, pulled halfway up his abdomen, one hand laying over his stomach while the other lay near Orcrist, the tips of his fingers touching the hilt.

The girl silently crouched down so she could see him better. His black raven hair spewed out like a pillow beneath his head, his blue eyes closed to the world and his lips parted just the slightest as he breathed.

Sara had not noticed how long his lashes really were and not only did she notice that the dwarf had rather long lashes for a man and a dwarf at that, she also noticed other things too. One was that while in the movies and up until that moment, Sara had believed Thorin’s lips were thin and tight, she now saw that they really weren’t and had a little fullness to them. Not like Kili’s but rather like Fili’s. The girl smiled. She had always seen Thorin as the older version of Kili but now looking upon him asleep and unmoving, she saw quite a few traits similar to Fili. His firm eyebrows were more relaxed in his sleep, revealing a more friendly but mature brow. Not boyish like Kili’s but relaxed like Fili’s.

Sara gently reached forward and hovered her fingers over Thorin’s face. She debated to either risk waking him and touching him or to just not risk it and not touch him. Finally, her interest got the better of her and she allowed her fingers to touch Thorin’s forehead so light that even if he had been awake, Thorin wouldn’t have felt it.

“You have been through so much,” she whispered under her breath as she ran her fingers over his creased brow. “It has worn grooves in you like a door that leaves a mark over the years of sliding along the floor.”

Her fingers began to drift down till they paused against his beard. Sara’s brothers and father had never grown beards, so she assumed that beards were prickly but Thorin’s…. was soft…. Almost like the downy fluff that covers little puppies before they begin to grow coarse fur.

Her fingers trailed across his beard to his lips where she traced the shape of his lips before running her thumb over the flesh of his bottom lip.

She paused before leaning forward cautiously and brushing his lips with hers. As she drew back, she looked steadily at his perfect features, feeling his sleeping breath hitting her face at their close proximity.

“I wish I could heal some of those grooves… wipe some of them away and give you what you seek but… I am too afraid. And you’re not afraid of silly things like feelings and emotions like I am. You need someone stronger who does not trust herself to do the right thing and is so busy worrying about how to not lose those she loves to realize that she is failing in the one duty she was given.” Pulling away, Sara sighed before standing up and returning to her spot. She laid back down on her blanket and wrapped it around her, curling up in a ball facing the wall…. Not falling asleep but waiting for the fateful fall to Goblin Town. Little did she know, she was not the only one awake. The moment she laid down, a pair of blue eyes slowly opened before a hand drifted up and touched his forehead…. Cheek… beard…. And lips…. The feeling of her hands and lips still lingering where she had touched.

#hobbit #lotr #thorin x oc #thorin oakenshield #thorin #thorin oakenshield x oc

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