#genre: post col

[fine-nephrit]

🥏 TXF Fic Rec #34: "SN 1572" by Prufrock’s Love

Oh boy, I couldn’t put this one down. I stayed up all night finishing it in one sitting. It’s a gritty post-colonization epic by the legendary PFL, featuring dark, angst-ridden MSR so powerful it breaks my heart.

The Mad Max-ish post-apocalyptic world is well fleshed out with detailed realism and compelling original characters that pull you right in. The writing is emotional, beautiful, and utterly gut-wrenching. It has daring and intriguing plot developments, an effective nonlinear narrative, and tense action-adventure set pieces with high emotional stakes. PFL’s storytelling prowess dazzles in action.

My only quibble is that PFL is an obvious Mulderist. She depicts him pushed to the extreme, turning into a darker, broken persona, yet still exceptionally competent and lovable. Meanwhile, her Scully is not quite my Scully, as she’s in a more restricted and passive role than I’d like.

Nevertheless, what a story! It’s well-deserved to sit among the classics, and I consider it essential reading for this fandom.

---

🥏 on ColonizationHQ archive

length: novel, 99,000+ words season: early season 7 pairing(s): M/S UST to RST, Scully/Other, Mulder/Other tags: post-col, angst, separated/reunited, canon supporting cast, good OCs, Scully-POV rating: explicit/NC-17

[thehusbandoden]

MHA Boys x Couch Surfing!Reader (kinda) -Dabi, Hawks, Shigaraki and Tamaki (separately)

A/n: here you go @sour-patch2000, so sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy!

And as always, feel free to reach out to me to rewrite any part of this or if you want to request again! <33

General info:

Genre: fluff/comfort/slice of life..? \\ wc: 1,159 in total (roughly 300 each) \\ posted: 01/25/2024 \\ requested

Warnings!: Hawks' real name, slight mentions of Hawks' and Shiggy's past, Dabi is over protective- kinda yandere? And I think that's it! Pls let me know if I miss any! <33

Dabi: (251 words)

Dabi gently stroked your cheek as you slept peacefully against his side, your head against his chest, one hand splayed across his torso while your other arm wrapped around his upper back. Anger swarmed in his eyes as he stared at the tear stains on your cheeks. 

He wanted- no needed to figure out what happened and who he needed to kill. No one is allowed to hurt his love. You were at the back of his apartment in the middle of the night, soaked from the rain and sobbing uncontrollably.  

Dabi immediately pulled you inside, hugging you against his warm chest, cooing comforting words as he stroked your head and kissed your face gently. You could have mistaken him for someone else entirely if it weren’t for his soothing scent, deep voice, and scarred hands.  

After a while you slowly calmed down. He didn’t let go until you did. He gently asked if you wanted to talk about it, and when you shook your head, he fell silent. He drew you a bath and complied to what you wanted.  

If you wanted to be left alone, he would be cooking you a hot meal (which ended up burning); or if you wanted him to stay with you, he would. You fell asleep snuggled against the person you loved most in the world, clad in his clothes as pajamas and surrounded by his comforting scent.  

You were safe with him. He loves you, and he would do anything to protect you.  

(Dabi's masterlist)

Takami Keigo: (321 words)

“Okay- is this enough?!” Keigo calls from behind a heap of blankets in his arms. The fluffy material hid his face, his gorgeous wings poking out. “I hear women get really cold at night- if this isn’t enough, I can go buy more!”  

Your troubled frown lifts at his playful antics, before you could say anything he continued ranting on. “How many more do you need?! What brands do you like- what sizes? Money doesn’t matter so tell me honestly! Oh, and what fabric? What col-” you silenced him with a playful jab to his side.  

“This is too many!” You giggle ever so slightly, beginning to forget about the traumatic events you went through in recent weeks.  

“It is?” Keigo pouts, dropping the fluffy blankets on the floor next to the couch. As he sees your amused smirk, he puffs his chest out proudly. “I knew that! I know everything!” Keigo teases, grinning ear to ear as he sees your bright smile come out.  

“Sure you do, Birdbrain!” You giggle, sticking your tongue out at the goofball in front of you. The two of you have been friends for a few years now, though something tells you that you may end up as more.  

“Oh! I know how we can use the blankets!” Keigo’s honey eyes go wide with excitement, causing you to giggle fondly.  

“And that is~?”  

“We can build a huge blanket fort! We can use the entire flat! We’ll have to buy a lot more blankets though!” He grinned, his wings shuddering in excitement.  

Giggling, you were about to tell him that that was silly when you remembered how he didn’t have a proper childhood- or adulthood for that manner. He needed some pure fun in his life.  

“Of course! But- I call dibs on the fluffiest blanket we can find!” You giggle, putting your shoes on.  

“Hey- that’s not fair!” He playfully whined.  

“Is to!”  

(Keigo's masterlist)

Shigaraki Tomura: (246 words)

“Kurogiri, clean my room. I want every inch of it cleaned and the stench of smoke nowhere near it by tonight.” Shigaraki commanded, crossing his arms across his chest as he stared at his loyalist servant.  

Many would think that he was being rude and bossy- but Kurogiri could see that he was anxious about something. Putting the rag down, Kurogiri nods. “As you see fit, Shigaraki Tomura. May I ask why?”  

“Someone very close to me needs a place to stay until further notice. She deserves the best we can offer- so she gets my room. It can’t stink from all of these idiots’ smoking habits.” Shigaraki snarled, scratching his neck.  

Kurogiri’s eyes widened before softening. So that’s why he’s so anxious... “Of course, Shigaraki Tomura. I will have only the best provided for your special one.”  

“Good. She arrives in a few hours; I expect it to be done by then.”  

“Anything else, Shigaraki Tomura?”  

“Kick that burnt arsonist out of his room. I’ll be staying there for the time being.”  

“As you see fit.” Kurogiri bows before walking away. Once Shigaraki was out of eyesight he smiled softly. Shigaraki has never cared for anyone but himself that much since AFO took him in.  

It made him happy to see his master getting along with other people. This was good for him... really good. As Kurogiri begins cleaning, he can’t help but imagine how special this woman is to capture Shigaraki Tomura’s broken heart...  

(Shiggy's masterlist)

Amajiki Tamaki: (316 words)

“I-it’s not much b-but I hope i-it'll do...” Tamaki muttered anxiously; eyes glued to the floor. 

As soon as you told Tamaki you needed a place to stay, he offered immediately; surprising you, Mirio and Nejire. Tamaki has labored the past two and a half days to make sure his guest room was perfect for you.  

Mirio and Izuku helped him take out his several bookshelves and desk out of the room. Once the furniture was out of the way he deep cleaned every inch- including the carpet. Once he was positive that the room was in top condition, he began shopping. He bought a full-sized bedframe and mattress. 

He begged Nejire to find out what your dream room was- and she agreed after about the fourth text- which was a lot for Tamaki if he were asking for something.  

He did his very best to make it your dream room, buying you several pieces of furniture and decorations. He did a pretty dang good job too! He bought a few things for a few of his favorite hobbies, snacks, drinks, and left an envelope of money for hygiene products –and more-.  

He wanted you to be comfortable, if you wanted to be alone you had everything you needed inside your room or right outside of it and if you wanted company, he would be willing to talk.  

Tamaki immediately started panicking as he saw tears form in your eyes. “Y-y/n I’m so sorry! D-did I do something wrong?! Is it the wrong color!? Is the bed too big or too small?! Do you not like the-”  

“No Tama, it’s perfect.” You whisper, hiding your face in his shoulder. Tamaki immediately stopped talking, his ears turning red as a flustered smile makes its way on his lips. “Thank you.” You whisper, sealing your gratitude with a kiss to his cheek.  

Tamaki’s brain literally stopped functioning. He stuttered an incoherent sentence before blushing in embarrassment, hiding his face in his hands. You giggle fondly, letting him be.

(Tama's masterlist)

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Masterlist | Navigation | You can tip me here <3

Reblogs and feedback are immensely appreciated! <33

~~~~~

Do not copy, repost, nor plagiarize my work. Ask before you translate or use my work in any way -minus reblogging.

[whineandcheese24]

so @erch0maii said in a post that i didn’t want to hijack that the reason that both screen adaptations of tmi didn’t feel quite right is because they were these dark gritty adaptations while the books are, at heart, campy and silly and comical. and i was thinking about this and how it relates to the other series in the tsc canon. when i first read tsc i thought that the reason they felt tmi felt different from tid, tda, and tlh is because they were her first books but it really all comes down to the character’s sense of humor and genre awareness. because all the other tsc series (and i’m betting twp too) take themselves so seriously, but timi doesn’t do that. 

with genre awareness, the characters are put in this dark edgy fantasy war series but they act like their in a satire or a comedy. my favorite parts of qoaad were when jace and clary were in these dangerous situations and were acting so nonchalant about it. and it wasn’t even like a fake confidence or something, they genuinely just are Like That. like at the war council they walked in casually with normal clothes and people didn’t even notice them until lily called them out. like, they could have changed, they could have made a big entrance, but no, why bother. and later in brocelind when manuel rips out the tent and they’re playing tic tac toe. they don’t acknowledge him at all, not even to make a joke about him ruining the tents they borrowed. they just sit there playing tic tac toe. and again on the imperishable fields, jace has a knife to manuel’s back and clary is holding the stanchion but emma describes them as walking as if they’re out for a morning stroll.

and like look at the parallels between the series. the tlh crew met one and a half princes of hell and barely made it out with their sanity. the tmi gang has collectively met 3 princes of hell and in literally every situation they’re on the same level. when emma and julian went to thule it was this dark scary traumatizing thing, this actual hell that wasn’t quite hell. and when james, matthew, lucie, and cordelia went to edom it was this terrible experience that both lucie and matthew spent literally dying. but when the tmi gang went to hell, what ever. yeah it was serious and traumatic and scarring but not in the same way. izzy and simon hooked up. clary and jace had sex. and alec made fun of all four of them for it after. jace got caught by a demon and clary scolded him like he left the fridge open. they literally snuck into sebastian’s elite fortress with a plan from simon’s dnd campaign. and diyu?  even when simon was having a mental breakdown he managed to flirt with izzy it took the tlh gang 3 long-ass books to defeat belial and christopher died in the process. the tmi gang beat sammael in a f*cking side book. if you go to the shadowhunter wiki and go to azazel’s history he’s said as being a part of team good. imagine how casual you have to be to get a prince of hell to join ‘team good’

and then there’s the angels. tessa’s contact with ithuriel almost killed her. emma and julian’s whole nephilim thing also almost killed them. and yeah, clary’s first encounter with raziel was very somber and serious. but in cols simon literally blackmailed raziel into giving him a magical sword. and with faerie, every encounter that the tda gang have with faeries or in faerie is this dangerous quest that could get everybody killed. the tmi gang don’t hesitaste to insult the seelie queen to her face

the thing that sets tmi apart from the rest of tsc is the characters’ refusal to take anything, themselves and everyone around them, seriously for very long

[tosteur-gluteal]

Slutty priest is homophobic (chaos ensues) - OMORI MLB AU x Priest!Nick au (French version)

This is a collaborative fic I've made with @theokusgallery! This does not contain any spoiler, and is in French (English version coming soon. Probably. maybe.) Trigger warnings! This fic contains queerphobic slurs, as Priest!Nick is very repressed. If this makes you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to avoid this post! With that out of the way, Bonne lecture!

Les carreaux de la Cathédrale se brisent en milles éclats. Ladybug, dans la hâte, ne remarqua pas la présence du prêtre: une alerte akuma avait été formulée trente minutes auparavant dans ce quartier, et selon le protocole, on avait fait évacuer les lieux pour la sécurité des citoyens. En l'occurrence, Ladybug avait décelé une activité suspecte au sein de la Cathédrale.

Le prêtre, caché sous les débris, regarda Ladybug depuis le sol. Il l'espionna alors que le jeune homme cherchait la source de la menace qui avait été formulée. Il attendit le bon moment pour sortir de sa cachette, l'attaquer, le tuer--

Et le moment vint.

Il sauta du sol, faisant tomber les débris autour de lui, et se lança vers Ladybug. Les ailes de chauve-souris qu'il avait dans le dos l'aidèrent à se propulser tandis que sa queue de démon s'agitait de bas en haut pour détourner les morceaux de vers qui auraient pu l'atteindre.

"Ce gosse, pensa Nick, il a le droit de faire ce qu'il veut, mais MOI…!"

Ladybug serrait les dents. Malgré son agilité, il éprouvait une grande difficulté à éviter les attaques du vilain. De plus, il lui fallait trouver un moment de répit pour communiquer son emplacement à son coéquipier.

"Très élégant, monsieur! Enfin bon, malheureusement, je ne pense pas qu'il soit approprié de porter ce genre de tenue en ce lieu sacré..!"

Ladybug sautait de pilier en pilier, forçant le vilain à lancer ses débris dessus.

"Oh pitié, rétorqua celui-ci, tout en ventilant son torse exposé de manière provocatrice; t'es très mal placé pour parler, travlo!"

Ladybug le regarda, interloqué, ne sachant quoi répondre, et Arsenic en profita pour tenter de lui asséner un coup de poing que Ladybug évita de justesse.

"Ladybug, tout va bien ?!"

Ladybug poussa un soupir de soulagement en entendant Catmint.

"C'est pas trop tôt ! Il t'en a fallu, du temps, qu'est-ce que tu faisais ?!"

"J'ai évacué tout le monde, répondit Catmint. C'est lui, l'akumatisé?"

"T'en vois souvent, des gens normaux avec des ailes, queues et cornes de démon, toi ?"

Catmint eut tout juste le temps d'éviter une attaque du "démon" avant que celui-ci ne fit volte-face et saisisse Ladybug par le col. Il plongea verse le sol, entraînant Ladybug avec lui, en le plaqua contre les dalles de l'église.

"Ça va, tu t'amuses bien à flirter avec ton pote, pédé?!"

Ladybug utilisait ses bras pour tenter d'échapper à la prise du vilain sur son cou.

"Tu m'as l'air…bien, bien frustré, mon gars-"

"Comment ne pas être frustré quand on voit que des gens de ton espèce se baladent librement, sans aucune crainte envers Dieu..!"

Avant qu'il puisse en rajouter une couche, Catmint libéra Ladybug de sa poigne d'un coup de pied bien visé.

"Combien de temps avant un Lucky Charm?" Catmint signait à Ladybug alors que tous deux s'étaient dispersés, en mouvement constant dans toute la Cathédrale.

"Cinq minutes. Gagne du temps."

Catmint hocha de la tête.

L'homme se releva, le regard fixé sur Ladybug. La haine dans ses yeux était claire, et Catmint décida de se lancer dans le combat plus intensément, puisque ce vilain semblait décidé à l'ignorer pour se concentrer sur Ladybug.

Il attrapa le bras d'Arsenic, et le jeta vers le mur de la cathédrale. Nick eut tout juste le temps de stopper son élan en utilisant ses ailes, mais avant qu'il ne puisse se jeter une fois de plus vers Ladybug, Catmint courut vers lui et saisit ses ailes pour l'immobiliser au sol.

Le vilain se débattit furieusement, criant vers Catmint, qui essayer tant bien que mal de garder le contrôle des ailes de l'homme.

"Allez, juste deux minutes de plus..!" pensa Catmint.

Arsenic se pencha violemment en avant, faisant voler Catmint, qui était derrière lui. Catmint se rattrapa et retomba sur ses pieds sans grande peine, s'élançant une fois de plus vers l'homme et lui portant un coup de poing dans le ventre qui repoussa le vilain. Arsenic attérit sur le sol, tenant son rosaire dans la main.

"C'est son rosaire…!"

"MAINTENANT !" cria Ladybug.

Catmint porta un coup de pied sur la main de l'homme qui tenait le rosaire. Celui-ci cria de douleur et lâcha le rosaire, laissant à Catmint le temps de le détruire.

L'akuma jaillit de la croix fendue; puis d'un saut contre le mur, il le captura en plein vol avec son yo-yo. Triomphant, il leva le poing dans les airs. "Je te libère du Mal!"

[chic-a-gigot]

Le Petit écho de la mode, no. 19, vol. 17, 12 mai 1895, Paris. 1. Notre robe et notre chapeau primes. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

Notre robe prime:

Le printemps caniculaire qui subitement a fondu sur nous, nous oblige à nous préoccuper au plus vite des robes fraîches et élégantes que réclame le radieux soleil. Encouragés par le succès que nos abonnées ont bien voulu faire à nos chapeaux primes, nous venons leur offrir aujourd'hui, dans des conditions exceptionnellement avantageuses, deux délicieuses robes dont l’étoffe et l’exécution sont d’une qualité et d’une distinction parfaites. L’une en piqué à mille raies, genre haute nouveauté, se fait en bien des teintes. Les principales sont: rose et blanc, mauve.et blanc, bleu et blanc, bleu foncé et blanc, fond noir à filets blancs, fond prune à filets blancs.

La jupe est en forme, à godets très accentués, et le corsage-blouse avec grand col marin forme nouvelle orné de Valenciennes, est orné d’un pli qui prenant de l’encolure se termine dans la ceinture. Le prix de cette jolie robe est de 39 francs. Pour la recevair en boîte et franco, adresser un mandat-poste à M. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle.

Notre seconde robe, en magnifique crépon tout laine à grosses côtes, convient à toutes les femmes et à tous les âges. On peut choisir parmi les teintes les plus variées et les plus distinguées, du bleu bleuet, très à la mode, du marron, tabac et noir, celle qui plaît le mieux. Du reste, des échantillons sont envoyés à"toute personne qui eu fera la demande. La façon de cette jolie toilette est la même que celle du costume dépiqué. Son prix est de 49 francs, frais d’expédition compris.

Il suffit, pour l'exécution parfaite de ce costume, de donner simplement la longueur de la jupe et le numéro du mannequin qui correspond à sa taille; du reste, le corsage forme blouse est toujours facile à rectifier.

L’exécution de la commande durera 10 jours.

Toute demande doit être adressée à M. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle, accompagnée d'un mandat-poste; il n’est fait aucun envoi contre remboursement; bien indiquer la gare destinataire.

—

The scorching spring which has suddenly swooped down on us, forces us to worry as quickly as possible about the fresh and elegant dresses that the radiant sun demands. Encouraged by the success that our subscribers have kindly made to our premium hats, we come to offer them today, under exceptionally advantageous conditions, two delicious dresses whose fabric and execution are of a quality and perfect distinctions. One in a thousand-stripe piqué, a high-novelty type, is made in many shades. The main ones are: pink and white, mauve and white, blue and white, dark blue and white, black background with white stripes, plum background with white stripes.

The skirt is shaped, with very accentuated godets, and the bodice-blouse with a large sailor collar in a new form decorated with Valenciennes, is adorned with a pleat which extends from the neckline and ends in the waistband. The price of this pretty dress is 39 francs. To receive it boxed and free, send a money order to Mr. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle.

Our second dress, in a magnificent all-wool seersucker with large ribs, is suitable for all women and all ages. You can choose from the most varied and distinguished shades, cornflower blue, very fashionable, brown, tobacco and black, the one you like best. For the rest, samples are sent to anyone who requests it. The fashion of this pretty toilet is the same as that of the quilted costume. Its price is 49 francs, shipping costs included.

It is enough, for the perfect execution of this costume, to simply give the length of the skirt and the number of the mannequin which corresponds to its size; moreover, the blouse-like bodice is always easy to rectify.

The execution of the order will last 10 days.

All requests must be addressed to Mr. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle, accompanied by a money order; no COD shipment is made; clearly indicate the destination station.

—

Explication du chapeau prime:

Chapeau de jardin en beau paillasson paille, couvert de guipure écrue, orné devant d’un joli nœud ruban satin paille et de feuillage posé en cache-peigne. Nos lectrices pourront se procurer ce joli modèle au prix de 5 fr. 85 en adressant un mandat-poste à M. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle. Nous n’expédions pas contre remboursement.

—

Garden hat in beautiful straw paillasson, covered with ecru guipure, adorned in front with a pretty straw satin ribbon bow and foliage placed as a comb cover. Our readers will be able to obtain this pretty model at the price of 5 fr. 85 by sending a money order to Mr. Orsoni, 67, rue de Grenelle. We do not ship cash on delivery.

[folkloristico]

I tried to restrain myself from sending half the ask game xd

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. + Marion

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Thank you for the ask!

😅 What’s a story or scene you’ve created that you’re a smidge embarrassed exists? 

Generally speaking, my first smut fic ever still haunts me to this very day, and I’m glad nobody ever knows it was written by me. Funnily enough, it’s my most popular fic ever—the power of smut, Ig? 

But related to the Winx fandom, I think the first fic ever I wrote about CoL, from Hagen’s POV. I still like most of the headcanons thrown in there and have implemented them in other WIPs, but I feel like the characterization was a bit off. I also used to find Hagen/Faragonda cute, but I really am not interested in them as a romantic pairing anymore, so there’s that, too. 

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels? 

When a character has been keeping all of their feelings crammed inside of them for a very long time, and when they can’t hold it any longer, they snap, and it’s unexpected because they’re usually so calm and collected. I see this trope usually used in romance, but it has an insane amount of power in Gen fics as well—absolutely not thinking of Daphne here. 

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉 

Even though sometimes I still struggle to strike a good balance, I think I’ve gotten fairly good at describing people and places.

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic? 

Not really. I wouldn’t mind that much if some people found out I write as a hobby, but I find most people tend to insist on reading your stuff and that would be a no from me because it feels way too personal.

🧠 Pick a character, and I’ll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. + Marion 

I’m gonna borrow from your answer about Daphne and say there are so many I don’t know which one to pick.

… Let’s go with this. Marion is far more good at manipulating people that she would like to admit. Her mother was paranoid to a fault, even more than other members of the family would be—the Dominian royal family tends to be very protective of the Dragon Flame and as a result, they see potential threats where there are none. Queen Mother was no exception, and things only got worse when Marion’s father died. In her worst days, Marion still feels her mother’s voice in her own mind telling her not to trust anyone and to never show your true face to them. Oritel is swift to notice because despite not loving her at first, he’s captivated by her and spends a lot of time observing her. She’s very good at playing the court game, and she might have overestimated herself a bit when it comes to thinking she’s deceived everyone. Griffin also notices pretty swiftly, though it’s partly due to the fact that Marion dislikes her at first and so drops the mask quickly, basically telling her she’s only useful because she knows Valtor.

Daphne has taken a lot from Marion in this aspect. In my AU, she spends the last 8-ish years of her life jumping back from Domino and Andros, occasionally visiting other places as she studies to become a Nymph, and as she grows more into her own person she starts to realize just how much she’s good at manipulating people if she only wants to. This unsettles both Marion and Daphne because it’s something they’re not proud of, but the matter is mostly brushed aside and only surfaces post-SotLK. 

🤯 What’s a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Horror. I guess it’s because it’s a genre I’ve never clicked with outside of a few exceptions, so my interest in writing it is as scarce as my interest in reading about it.

Send me an ask!

[angelicguy]

Little Willie rhymes are light verses including an indifferent or cheerfully inappropriate response to a gruesome act of violence in a quatrain form attributed to Harry Graham (1874-1936). The earliest was included among the Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes published in 1898 under Graham's pen name Col. D. Streamer while he was serving in the Coldstream Guards.[1]

Billy, in one of his nice new sashes, Fell in the fire and was burnt to ashes; Now, although the room grows chilly, I haven’t the heart to poke poor Billy.[2]

The above meter and line length, often rhymed aabb,[3] was subsequently relaxed with alternative rhyming scheme abab as illustrated by the following verse from a 1904 collection of Willie Ballads:

Willie walking on the track, The engine gave the worst of squeals, And then they turned the engine back And scraped off Willie from the wheels.[4]

This genre of poetic black humor remained popular into the 21st century.[1] The Washington Post ran a contest in 2011 encouraging readers to compose examples.[5]

First meme. They had their own bad luck bryan.

[sloubs]

Bonsoir bonsoir, c'est moi, ton secret santa (j'ai peut être 10jours de retard mais shhhh

j'ai vu ce post sur ton blog : https://www.tumblr.com/sloubs/728918289198252032/arthur-et-gueni%C3%A8vre-qui-vont-en-aquitaine-pour?source=share et j'ai absolument flashé, est ce que tu as reflechis a une description pour la tenue de Guenievre? a quelque chose que tu voudrais vraiment la voir porter, un détail particulier peut être? quel couleurs, quel chaussures? comment seraient ses cheveux? elle doit être époustouflante! je demande pour aucune raison particulière (*sors un bloc note*)

coucou coucou mon secret santa!!

bah écoute honnêtement pour ce hc j'avais pas d'idée précise en tête pour guenièvre, si ce n'est que je la voyais en blanc et doré, avec possiblement une cape avec un col en fourrure style hermine un peu, genre une tenue d'hiver mais ultra élégante, et puis au niveau des cheveux ses longs cheveux bouclés, avec une tiare ou des petits machins dans les cheveux pour faire joli, enfin vraiment libre à toi d'imaginer ce qui te plaît, les hc c'est aussi fait pour ça ❤️

j'te mets des petites photos en ref éventuellement pour te donner des idées! des bisous <3

[fine-nephrit]

🥏 TXF Fic Rec #16: "The After" by lepus arcticus

Today’s ficlet offers a very cool and original spin on Scully’s immortality. It manages to paint vivid imagery, build a world, and leave you wide-eyed, all in fewer than 500 words. It can be read in under a minute, so treat yourself and dig in right now! :)

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🥏 on AO3

author: @lepus-arcticus length: ficlet, 400+ words season: post-series, sometime in the future relationship(s): m/s established relationship tags: sci-fi, post-col, fluff rating: G

[mt10lt20]

Tag nine people you would like to get to know better.

FAVORITE COLOR: Teal

CURRENTLY READING: Outlast - how ESG can benefit your Business by Mukund Rajan and Col. Rajeev Kumar

LAST SERIES: The Boys (waiting for S4 now. But I am still watching House of the Dragon which is ongoing).

LAST MOVIE: Bullet Train

FAVORITE MUSIC GENRE: Progressive Metal, Electroswing, Blues Rock

SWEET / SPICY / SAVORY: I frankly can’t chose between sweet or savory. I like too many foods in both categories.

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: [Fandom related] Some sketches from my ACZ/6/7 multi-squadron AU. I got to give this AU a better name someday... [Non fandom related] Making sense of several multi-sector equity investment reports

Tagged by: @isaf-larper, (Thank you, btw! Looked up Nomadology from your post and it sounds interesting. I <3 learning new things daily and am glad I learnt one more thing from your post.)

Tagging: @dreamblasterharuka , @saeriibon, @zealouselement , @lordfrezon, @kellmareshbard , @the-river-is-right-there-chopper (Tagging 6, not 9 - Doing this is completely optional.)

[mwsa-member]

Phoenix Rising: From the Ashes of Desert One to the Rebirth of U.S. Special Operations by Col. (Ret) Keith M. Nightingale

MWSA Review Pending  

Author's Synopsis

“As a junior officer and the lowest ranking 'gopher' at the creation of these forces, I saw how the several Services had great reservations regarding SOF to the point of studied dislike of it and a distinct distaste for its inclusion as a member of their force structure. The single lone exception was Army Chief of Staff Shy Myer, who saw terrorism and asymmetrical warfare as the emerging National threat and worked to build a missing capability. He did this as a lone wolf in that much of the Army leadership as well as the other Services, looked upon SOF as a high-risk loose cannon on their stable conventional deck.”

Phoenix Rising recounts the paradoxical birth of SOF through the prism of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue fifty-two Americans held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. When terrorists captured the Embassy on November 4, 1979, the Joint Chiefs of Staff quickly realized that the United States lacked the military capability to launch a rescue. There was no precedent for the mission, a mission that came with extraordinary restrictions and required a unique force to take it on. With no existent command structure or budget, this force would have to be built from scratch in utmost secrecy, and draw on every branch of the U.S. military.

Keith Nightingale, then a major, was Deputy Operations Officer and the junior member of Joint Task Force Eagle Claw, commanded by Major General James Vaught. Based on Nightingale’s detailed diary, Phoenix Rising vividly describes the personalities involved, the issues they faced, and the actions they took, from the conception of the operation to its hair-raising launch and execution. His historically significant post-analysis of Eagle Claw gives unparalleled insight into how a very dedicated group of people from the Chief of Staff of the Army to lower-ranking personnel subjugated personal ambition to grow the forces necessary to address the emerging terrorist threat—a threat which the majority of uniformed leadership and their political masters denied in 1979. The Special Operations capability of the United States today is the ultimate proof of their success.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 336

Word Count: 90,199

[news24fr]

Il y a un nouveau nom dans la mode. Le poste vacant le plus illustre de l'industrie a été pourvu, Gucci annonçant la nomination de Sabato de Sarno au poste de directeur créatif.Les événements chez Gucci ont évolué rapidement, alors que la marque subit un bouleversement pour redresser une "fatigue de la marque" qui a été blâmée pour que la maison ait été éclipsée en croissance l'année dernière par Saint Laurent, coéquipier du groupe Kering.Alessandro Michele, qui a dirigé une renaissance stellaire de Gucci en l'alignant sur les valeurs inclusives et l'énergie du personnage principal de la génération Z, est parti soudainement il y a à peine deux mois, apparemment lié à une réticence à poursuivre la stratégie agressive de croissance élevée exigée dans la salle de conférence ."Je veux que les hommes et les femmes se sentent authentiques et libres dans la poursuite d'eux-mêmes", a dit un jour Michele à propos de sa mission chez Gucci. Depuis lors, un certain nombre de noms de haut niveau ont été associés à ce rôle, dont Anthony Vaccarello, qui a connu un immense succès en tant que directeur créatif de Saint Laurent.De Sarno est un nom peu connu, mais arrive chez Gucci avec un CV prestigieux. Il a été une figure clé du studio de design de Valentino au cours des 13 dernières années, au cours desquelles il s'est réinventé d'un synonyme d'élégance à l'ancienne à la marque la plus en vogue sur les réseaux sociaux, avec le pouvoir de définir des tendances dans le monde entier.L'ancien directeur créatif de Gucci, Alessandro Michele, à gauche, avec Jared Leto au Met Gala 2022. Photographie : Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicLorsque Valentino a décrété il y a un an que le fuchsia était la couleur de la saison, avec un défilé parisien inondé de nuances sucrées, il a lancé un été au cours duquel le "rose Valentino" est devenu le nouveau noir, des tapis rouges d'Hollywood à la rue principale sol de l'atelier.De Sarno a gravi les échelons jusqu'à son rôle de supervision de la direction créative des vêtements pour femmes et hommes chez Valentino. On pense qu'il a travaillé sur la robe de mariée la plus en vue de l'année dernière, portée par Nicola Peltz lors de son mariage avec Brooklyn Beckham.Le premier indice sur l'apparence et la convivialité de Gucci de De Sarno est venu au moment de l'annonce. Sabato signifie samedi en italien ; Kering a publié la nouvelle en dehors de la semaine de travail, un samedi matin. C'était le genre de caprice ésotérique et individualiste du timing qui aurait pu convenir à l'époque de Michele, qui a éloigné les défilés de Gucci du calendrier traditionnel, préférant suivre son « propre rythme ». Les observateurs sont susceptibles de glaner dans ce timing un indice que De Sarno, comme son prédécesseur, apportera une touche personnelle à la marque centrale.Mis à part le timing, De Sarno a donné peu de détails dans une déclaration publiée accompagnée d'un simple portrait le montrant les bras croisés, sans sourire, avec les cheveux coupés courts et portant un chandail à col rond noir uni."Je suis profondément honoré d'assumer le rôle de directeur créatif de Gucci", a déclaré De Sarno. "Je suis fier de rejoindre une maison avec une histoire et un patrimoine aussi extraordinaires, qui au fil des ans a su accueillir et chérir les valeurs auxquelles je crois. Je suis touché et excité d'apporter ma vision créative pour la marque."Inscrivez-vous pour Première éditionNewsletter quotidienne gratuiteArchie Bland et Nimo Omer vous guident à travers les meilleures histoires et ce qu'elles signifient, gratuitement tous les matins de la semaine

[msrlibrary]

journal 1999 by MD1016

The first three months of postcolonization Earth from Scully's point of view.

"Our Visitors have turned Colonist. From this minute, 18:30 hours Eastern Standard Time, I' declaring a State of Emergency within the boarders of the fifty United States and am reverting all government power to martial law. I have advised the other world leaders to do the same.

"A curfew is in effect beginning at sundown.  If you are traveling, please return home.  You have twenty-four hours before a cease travel mandate is ordered."

A rush of protests and questions flooded the cabin of the plane, but the President's plea broke through the mayhem.  "Please.  Please remain calm.  Tune into your local radio and television news stations.  I'm asking all personnel there to continue working until this crisis has past."

The President took a breath and stopped reading from the prompter.  His voice was tightly controlled.  "I would now like to take a moment and ask any person seeing this broadcast who believes in a higher power to pray for the safety and well-being of every man, woman and child on this planet.  

"May God save us all."

Scully closed her own eyes and offered up a short prayer. Mulder's warm, solid hand gently covered her own.

[sloubs]

Petit headcanon : Avant la bataille finale contre Lancelot, Arthur convoque ces 2 plus fidèles chevaliers Bohort et Perceval. Et il leur dit : "Je vous demande non en tant que Roi mais en tant qu'Arthur Pandragon, en tant que mari, de protéger la Reine, de protéger ma femme, Guenièvre...Quoi qu'il vous en coûte, protéger la..." (juste une scène où Arthur est protecteur envers sa femme :c)

ouuuuin j'avais eu ce hc post-kv1 un jour qui en gros consistait à ce que guenièvre prenne beaucoup plus part à la quête du graal et aux missions qu'arthur organisait, parfois même elle partait avec eux pour certaines quêtes, et arthur s'assurait toujours d'être là au cas où il lui arrive quelque chose

sauf qu'un jour je sais pas, arthur se blesse et peut pas partir en mission avec les autres, alors que guenièvre elle, veut absolument partir à l'aventure. donc la veille, pendant des heures il cuisine perceval, karadoc et bohort pour bien leur faire comprendre que oui bon, la mission c'est bien beau hein mais quand même, la priorité c'est la protection de guenièvre. et que si jamais Ô GRAND JAMAIS, il lui arrive un truc, un bleu, une griffure, une simple égratignure, ça va barder.

alors au petit matin ils partent en mission, sous l'oeil d'arthur qui jusqu'à la dernière seconde leur supplie de faire gaffe, et il attend leur retour. pendant des heures. pendant de très longues heures. c'est bizarre d'ailleurs, parce que c'est pas censé être aussi long. il tourne en rond, il tape du pied, il regarde par la fenêtre toutes les cinq minutes, en vain. le soleil commence à se coucher et il a toujours aucune nouvelle. il rumine tout seul parce qu'il est mort d'inquiétude, il commence à s'imaginer le pire, et là, de longues minutes plus tard, la porte s'ouvre doucement. passent l'un après l'autre à la queue leu-leu bohort, karadoc et perceval, mais pas guenièvre. elle est pas là.

alors arthur fait les gros yeux et demande où elle est, et les trois hommes se regardent un peu décontenancés genre "bah c'est bizarre...pourtant elle nous suivait..." et avant même qu'ils puissent s'expliquer, arthur se met à bondir sur l'un d'entre eux, l'agrippe au col et le plaque contre le mur

"j'vous laisse ma femme une demie-journée et vous êtes pas foutu de revenir AVEC?! OÙ ELLE EST??"

arthur a un regard hyper noir, tellement sombre que ça fout les jetons à perceval. il s'apprête à mettre une énorme avoine à chacun d'entre eux, puis un petit raclement de gorge le stoppe dans son élan. il croise alors le regard de guenièvre, qui observe la scène, appuyée contre la bordure de la porte. elle porte sur son dos un énorme sac rempli de trésors, et dans un souffle, elle le lâche violemment contre le sol.

"au lieu de vous battre là, ça vous aurait gêné de m'aider à porter ces machins dans les escaliers ? ça pèse au moins trois vaches, j'ai le dos en compote !"

[a-blue-secret]

CHAPTER XIV

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter XIII | Chapter XIV | Chapter XV

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: swearing

WORD COUNT: 4.7k+

AN: So CoL has a taglist now! There's an 'Interact to be Added' post going around somewhere, so interact there if you'd like to be added :)

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

Throughout that whole time, Taehyun didn’t say a word once. Beomgyu, confused by the vizier’s silence, looked up, and all the colour drained out of his face. “Oh my god, Taehyun!”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

In the mere minutes Beomgyu had been talking, Taehyun’s face had become a pale, sickly colour. There was a hint of blue around his lips and around his eyes, and said eyes had a distinct glassiness to them. All of this shocked and scared Beomgyu, but what terrified him the most was when Taehyun swayed suddenly, and keeled over. He would have fallen onto the floor if it weren’t for Beomgyu suddenly leaping out of his chair to catch him.

“Taehyun? Oh my god, wake up!” Beomgyu shook Taehyun frantically, but the vizier’s eyes closed and his head fell limply against Beomgyu’s shoulder. Beomgyu cursed. “What am I supposed to do?” He lifted Taehyun up and carried him out of the room, where he met Chan.

“What do I do? He fainted! Do I take him to the nurse? The doctor? Back to his room? Chan help me!”

The guard looked a little lost as to what to do himself. This sort of thing rarely ever happened. “Uh, give him to me, we’ll take him to the physician.”

Beomgyu anxiously followed behind as Chan carried Taehyun down the corridors. Taehyun’s skin was distinctly sickly pale, and his fingertips had even begun to turn blue. “What the fuck…” Beomgyu whispered to himself.

While on their way, they ran into Yeonjun. The Aruyeonan’s eyes widened as he saw Taehyun unconscious. “Is– is Taehyun okay?”

“Can’t talk, Yeonjun!” Beomgyu said hurriedly. “Taehyun fainted. I don’t know what happened.”

“Wait, stop! Can I see him?” Yeonjun asked. Chan stopped and brought Taehyun back. Yeonjun quickly scanned the vizier’s limp frame, and let out a small gasp. “Give him to me. Now.”

“Sir, it would be best to take him to the Royal Physician-” Chan started.

“No. Give me Taehyun. They can’t help him.”

Beomgyu frowned. “Come on, Yeonjun, how can they not help him? They’re literally professional exp-”

“Listen, I know they can’t help him! Just, give! I need to take him to my room!” Yeonjun said, frustrated. “He’s getting worse by the second.” He held out his arms towards Chan. “Please believe me.”

Chan looked to Beomgyu helplessly. Beomgyu didn’t say anything, conflicted. “Fine,” he conceded. “Chan.”

The unconscious Taehyun was transferred into Yeonjun’s arms. Staggering at the sudden weight, Yeonjun adjusted Taehyun and began to hurry down the hall. Beomgyu attempted to follow after, but Yeonjun stopped him. “No, don’t come. It… it won’t be a pretty sight.”

Beomgyu hesitated. “I’m trusting you with a life, Yeonjun,” he said finally. “Don’t do anything… wrong to Taehyun.”

“I won’t,” Yeonjun promised, and practically sprinted back to his room. He received many scandalised and suspicious glances from the people he passed, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Taehyun into his room… to Hueningkai.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Hueningkai, help me!” was the first thing Yeonjun said when he burst into his chambers. Hueningkai stood up in alarm, and gasped when he saw Taehyun lying limp in Yeonjun’s arms.

“Yeonjun! Did you kill him?”

“What? No! Look at his fingers! This is a type of poisoning, right?” Yeonjun lifted Taehyun’s fingers to show Hueningkai the purple-blue stains around his fingertips. Hueningkai paled.

“Get him to the bed, quick. We’ve caught him in time. His fingers haven’t turned black yet, which is good.” Hueningkai immediately rushed to his giant marble ball, pulling out a mortar and pestle, a vial and a vial stand, and a bottle full of clear liquid. “I’m so glad there are so many minerals within this castle.”

“Huh?” Yeonjun looked at Hueningkai, confused, as the younger began to retreat into the hole behind the tapestry. “What?”

“The minerals, in the walls. I can extract them to help make the healing ailment. I’ll be right back!” With those words, Hueningkai disappeared, leaving Yeonjun with Taehyun. Yeonjun looked down at the pale vizier.

“Wait, where are you going? Don’t leave me here alone! I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Hueningkai popped his head up again. “I need to extract the minerals from inside the alcove I made in the palace. I’ll be back in a bit!” Then, Hueningkai disappeared again, leaving Yeonjun stuttering helplessly. The elder sighed, looking down at the unconscious vizier. Reaching for his hand, he hissed when he felt how cold Taehyun’s hands were.

“What…?” he whispered to himself. “Why is he freezing?”

“I’m back, I’m back!” Hueningkai announced. “How is he?”

“I- I don’t know. He’s really cold.”

Hueningkai walked over. “What do you mean?” He placed a hand over Taehyun’s forehead before retracting it quickly, hissing. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know. Suddenly, he started becoming really cold.”

“This is not normal…” Hueningkai whispered. “What is this?” He strode over to the desk beside the bed and began taking out more things from his glass ball. “Okay, change of plans. I thought this was a poison, but it looks like it’s something else.”

“What is it?” Yeonjun asked worriedly.

Hueningkai looked at him with panicked eyes. “I have no idea. Which is the most terrifying part.”

Yeonjun cursed.

“I’m going to have to improvise,” Hueningkai said, spreading his things out on the table. “Just keep Taehyun as warm as possible while I work.”

While Yeonjun busied himself piling blanket upon blanket over Taehyun, Hueningkai worked quickly, extracting oils from herbs and grinding and melting different minerals. Occasionally, he would walk over to Taehyun to look at his fingers or feel his temperature and once, even extract some of his blood.

“Is everything okay?” Yeonjun asked, rubbing Taehyun’s hand between his own.

Hueningkai only hummed in response, quickly mixing two liquids together. “Please, until I say, don’t utter a word. Since this is something I’ve never seen before, I’m improvising an ailment. If even the slightest thing goes wrong, I can potentially end up poisoning him further.” Hueningkai looked up, staring Yeonjun in the eye. “So please, no talking.”

Yeonjun noted the complete seriousness in Hueningkai’s tone, and nodded mutely. Hueningkai gave a nod in acknowledgement, and turned back to his work. The minutes ticked by, and Yeonjun held Taehyun’s freezing hand in his own, not uttering a single word.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Okay, I think- I think this should work.”

After a tense half an hour, Hueningkai finally spoke, holding up a steaming vial of clear liquid. “It’s a rejuvenator. That’s all I could think of right now.” He stirred it with a glass rod, watching it carefully. “I put in more herbs than normal, so it’s like a super strong rejuvenator. With any luck, if this works, he’ll heal to be even stronger than he was before.”

Hueningkai came and sat down carefully on the bed beside Taehyun’s head. But just as he was going to give it to Taehyun, he hesitated, looking up at Yeonjun. The elder smiled encouragingly.

“Trust in yourself, Kai. I’m sure it works."

Hueningkai smiled back, taking a deep breath. “Yeonjun, lift his head up. Make sure he swallows.” Carefully, Hueningkai poured the potion down Taehyun’s throat, making sure he drank all of the liquid. Setting the empty vial onto the drawers next to the bed, Hueningkai gnawed at his fingernails worriedly. The change was almost instant. The yellowness faded from Taehyun’s complexion, quickly being replaced with a healthy rosy colour. Hueningkai gave a sigh of relief. “Oh good, the colour’s returning to his face.” He lifted his fingers. “Hm… the blue might take a while to fade, but it probably will with time.”

Yeonjun felt Taehyun’s forehead. “He’s no longer freezing, either.” He smiled at the younger. “Good job, Hueningkai.”

Hueningkai gave a small smile. He placed a hand over his heart. “You have no idea how hard my heart was racing. I was so terrified that I’d accidentally made it worse.”

Yeonjun patted Hueningkai’s shoulder. “But you didn’t, which is all that matters. That was really quick thinking.”

“Thanks,” Hueningkai said. He felt Taehyun’s wrist for his pulse, watching with a relieved face as the colour steadily came back to the vizier’s cheeks. “But what could that have been? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What was the poison you mistook it for?”

“Aconitum,” Hueningkai responded. “But Aconitum makes your temperature go up, not down. No poison makes your temperature go down.”

Yeonjun rubbed his chin worriedly. “But at least we’ve found something that cures it, right? As long as we have a cure, it doesn’t matter.”

“I suppose…”

“How long will it take him to recover?”

“Hm, maybe about four or five days. A week, tops.”

Yeonjun nodded. “Okay. I’ll go tell Beomgyu that.”

“Beomgyu?”

“He’s the one who witnessed Taehyun fainting. He’s really worried about Taehyun’s condition.”

“Ah, right. Okay, you go do that. I’ll take care of Taehyun.”

With a nod of his head, Yeonjun opened the door, and slipped down the hallway.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“A few days?!” Beomgyu repeated. “What??”

“It’s lucky we– I mean, it’s lucky he was able to heal at all,” Yeonjun replied. “If I’d seen him just a few minutes later, he might have died.”

Beomgyu ran a hand through his hair. “What- what was it? Do you know?”

Yeonjun hesitated. “I’ve… I’ve seen something similar to it before,” he said slowly. “He’s definitely healing. But it’ll take a while for him to be able to move properly again.”

“Alright. Is… is there any chance that I can see him?”

“No,” Yeonjun said hurriedly. “I mean, he’s sleeping right now, but I’ll let you know when he’s awake.”

Beomgyu nodded. “Okay, thank you. I better get going and do some… Kingly stuff.” Beomgyu began to walk away, muttering to himself. “What the hell do I do? I don’t know how to run a Kingdom. Fuck, Taehyun please get better quick; I don’t want Gojongja to die in my hands.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

Pain. An all-body, mind-numbing pain. That was all Taehyun could feel in that moment. But then, as his consciousness slowly returned to him, he forced open his heavy eyes, trying to take in his surroundings.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a voice said. “You certainly woke fast.”

At the unfamiliar voice, Taehyun suddenly shot upright, causing his head to spin.

“No no, lie down, lie down,” the voice said hurriedly, gently pushing Taehyun back down. Taehyun registered the softness of the surface he was lying on, and determined that he was in a bed. As his vision cleared, he blinked blearily up at the face that he saw.

“Who- who are you?”

“It’s me, Hueningkai,” the person explained patiently. “I am Yeonjun’s adoptive brother.”

Taehyun widened his eyes. “You- you’re the spies!” He tried to get up again, but was firmly held down by Hueningkai. He squirmed under the Aruyeonan’s grip. “Hey! Get off me!”

“Taehyun, please stay still. Lie down. Your body is still recovering from the massive shock it has received. You need to rest.”

“What shock?” Taehyun demanded. “What did you do to me?”

“I healed you.”

Taehyun was about to say that he was completely fine and didn’t need healing, when he registered the ache that was still settled within his bones, and the unexplainable tiredness he felt throughout his body. At that moment, he remembered what happened, and his eyes widened. “You… One minute I was with Beomgyu, the next I was knocked unconscious and woke here. You said– you said you healed me?”

“You missed out quite a few details, but yeah. That’s basically it.” Hueningkai leaned forward, feeling Taehyun’s forehead. He frowned. “You’re not cold anymore, but your temperature is now rising. Don’t go anywhere, wait here.” As Hueningkai rushed away from the bed to retrieve something, Taehyun couldn’t refrain from rolling his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, considering the vast amount of blankets cocooning him. The young Aruyeonan came back with a damp cloth, and placed it on Taehyun’s forehead.

“What’s your ability again?” he asked Hueningkai.

“I… my true one is alchemy. I healed you with a potion drink thing.”

Taehyun nodded. “Ah, that’s right. You’re a Westerner, right?”

Hueningkai flinched slightly, but nodded his head. Taehyun picked up on the tiny action, and mentally scolded himself. He’d forgotten that Yeonjun had said Hueningkai had been picked on for being Western.

“I– I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s fine,” Hueningkai assured him, giving a small smile. “Really. Ever since we became spies, I haven’t had any nasty encounters. I don’t know why I still flinch. But I’m okay now, truly.”

Taehyun looked up at him, and noticed how youthful Hueningkai was. Really noticed. He was still young- maybe Taehyun’s age, maybe even younger. And yet, while his face was youthful, his eyes told a different story. His eyes told tales on how he’d had to grow up so fast, to be able to survive in a court where there were few people to look out for him. His eyes spoke volumes about how he’d had to do things that were scary, and unheard of for someone his age. His eyes painted pictures of the innocent, naive boy who had morphed into the mature adult in front of him. But with a single blink, the stories had gone, and instead were replaced with a sparkling brightness which rivalled even that of Beomgyu’s.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Twenty four, just like you,” Hueningkai said with smiling eyes.

“Wow. You look… so much younger.”

Hueningkai smiled. “That’s what Yeonjun always says. He says I still look like a baby.” He tilted his head in a child-like way. “I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult…”

Taehyun laughed, but a sharpness pierced his head and he had to stop. Hueningkai looked down at him worriedly.

“You seem to have suffered a lot. Tell me, is there any unusual pain? Are you suffering from memory loss? Any blank spots in your memory?”

Taehyun furrowed his brows. “Uh… My whole body hurts, if that counts? And… I don’t think I’m suffering from memory loss?”

“What happened just before you fainted?”

“I was talking with Beomgyu. Well, he was talking. He was talking, but then suddenly everything just faded away.”

Hueningkai frowned. “Hm… that’s odd. Beomgyu is a wind manipulator, isn’t he? He has no connections to potions…?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Taehyun replied, watching Hueningkai. “Why?”

“It’s just… even though I managed to heal you, I have no idea what it was.”

“What what was?”

“What was the thing that made you into this state.”

“Oh.”

Hueningkai suddenly widened his eyes, and got up to bow on the floor. Taehyun, startled by the sudden action, leaned over to see what the Aruyeonan was doing, almost falling out of the bed.

“Wh– what are you doing?”

“Please forgive us for initially being spies against you,” Hueningkai said, still on the floor. “We don’t want to oppose you anymore. We just want to be on the same side as you. Will you believe in us, and trust us enough to do that?”

Taehyun blinked. He’d completely forgotten about that. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure. At first, he’d been shocked. And betrayed. His first instinct had been to imprison them. But now… Hueningkai had just saved his life. And before that, by accompanying him in the gymnasium late at night, Yeonjun had also saved his sanity.

Now he thought about it, he had a lot to thank the Aruyeonans for. They may be spies, but they were good-hearted. He knew that now. He could trust them, just like how they had trusted him.

Plus, both Yeonjun and Hueningkai had such clear, pure eyes. Who could have such sparkling eyes and be a murderous backstabber at the same time, anyway? It just wasn’t possible.

Taehyun took a deep breath. “I– yeah, I guess. Yeah, I trust you.”

He ruffled Hueningkai’s hair, and lifted the Aruyeonan’s head to look at him in the eyes, giving the younger a smile. “I trust you.”

The uncertainty on Hueningkai’s face was replaced with a large grin as he processed Taehyun’s words. “Wow. That’s really great. Um… wow. If you weren’t in such a weak state, I’d totally hug you right now. I mean– that’s really…” Hueningkai stopped his rambling, grinning widely. “Thank you for trusting us.”

Taehyun smiled, and held his arms up. “Come on, I may be bedridden right now but I still want that hug.” The vizier let out a small ‘oof’ at the weight of the twenty four year old who, in his eagerness, had just thrown himself onto Taehyun. He chuckled, patting the Aruyeonan’s back.

“I’m so glad! I really want to be friends with you–”

The door was thrown open, and Hueningkai suddenly ducked under the bed.

“I talked to Beomgyu. He’ll want to see Taehyun at some point, so you’ll probably have to disappear for a few hours at some point, Hueningkai. Wait– Hueningkai? Where are you?”

Hueningkai popped his head up from under the bed, glaring at Yeonjun. “Seriously? You had to go slamming open the door?”

“Ah, whoops,” Yeonjun said sheepishly, closing the door with his foot. “Anyway Taehyun! How are you doing?”

“Not very well. My head hurts.”

“Hueningkai! Have you been rambling to him?” Yeonjun tsked disapprovingly. “Talking his ear off won’t help him recover, you know.”

Hueningkai rolled his eyes. “I only ramble when I’m alone. It gets lonely being the behind-the-scenes spy.”

At the mention of the word ‘spy’, Yeonjun jumped, and looked cautiously over at Taehyun. “Speaking of spies… are you– are you okay with us being, you know… spies?”

“He said he is!” Hueningkai beamed. “He said he trusts us!”

Yeonjun’s eyes widened, and he looked at Taehyun. “Really?”

Taehyun gave a small smile. “Yeah.”

Yeonjun stood there for a moment, when an overjoyed grin lit up his face. He bounded across the room, and bent down to give Taehyun a tight hug. “Thank you for believing in us.”

“Thank you for waiting for me to believe you,” Taehyun said. He spotted Hueningkai standing to the side, and beckoned for the younger Aruyeonan to come over. Hueningkai’s face lit up and he immediately joined the hug.

“Let’s all be friends, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Taehyun said, smiling. “Friends.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

And so, Taehyun became friends with two spies. Sure, it was a little weird to say aloud, but their friendship was anything but awkward.

“Stop, Yeonjun,” Taehyun huffed. “I feel fine. No– no more! I’m not a sick child!”

“You still need to regain your strength,” Yeonjun berated. He held up a spoon. “Come on. Open up.”

“I can feed myself! I’m a grown– mmmffph!” Taehyun glared at Yeonjun, cheeks full of rice. Yeonjun laughed, picking some rice grains off the corners of the vizier’s mouth. Taehyun slapped his hand away, swiping away the rice himself. “You didn’t have to shove the whole thing in my mouth,” he said through a mouthful of rice. He held up his hands in a strangling motion. “I’m gonna kill you!”

“Try,” Yeonjun said, putting down the empty bowl. “You can’t even get out of bed. I’d like to see you try.”

Taehyun grumbled, sinking back into the cushions. He knew Yeonjun was right.

It had been two days since the whole incident. Taehyun’s strength was returning, little by little.

“When you get fully better, you’ll be even healthier than what you were before!” Hueningkai had chirped. “The ailment I gave you is like a super duper strong rejuvenator!”

What bothered Taehyun, though, was that it would apparently take a while for him to recover. And he didn’t have a lot of time. Who knows what had happened to Gojongja while he’d been ill? For all he knew, the people could be running rampant and the Lords could have already taken over. He needed to get back to his work as soon as possible.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Don’t you even try,” Yeonjun said. “If you fall to the floor like you did last time, I’m not gonna pick you up. You’re going to be left there.”

Taehyun gaped. He thought Yeonjun was sleeping! Yeonjun removed the cowboy hat from his face, looking at Taehyun.

“I’m a spy, Taehyun. Do you really think I’d fall asleep while I’m meant to be chaperoning you?”

“I don’t need chaperoning,” Taehyun huffed, blankets half-removed.

“In that state, you do,” Yeonjun responded. He rose from the chair he’d been sitting in, and crossed the room to tuck Taehyun more firmly into the bed. “Stay.”

Taehyun scowled in annoyance, but stayed where he was.

“Good afternoon Taehyun, Yeonjun,” a voice said brightly, and Hueningkai emerged from behind the tapestry.

“Afternoon, Hueningkai. Everything going okay?” Yeonjun asked.

“Yup! I was running out of glass marbles, but I’ve restocked them all now!”

“That’s good. What are you gonna put in them?”

“Hm, I don’t know yet.” Hueningkai walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, which was full of vials of liquid and little dishes of chemicals. “Maybe more of the flash grenades, I don’t have a lot of them.”

“M’kay.” Yeonjun sat back down in the armchair, putting the hat over his face again. Hueningkai sat down at the desk and began to quietly make the explosives.

Taehyun stared at the ceiling, bored. He had an annoying itch on the sole of his foot, but unfortunately, since he was swathed in blankets, he wasn’t able to reach it. He turned his head and watched as Hueningkai went about his work while Yeonjun napped rested. It was almost… peaceful. Calm. The two spies were so familiar with each other, so used to their routine, that they almost unconsciously settled into this tranquil atmosphere. It was rather soothing to watch. Eventually, feeling the itch go away, Taehyun settled more comfortably into the bed, for now content with watching the peaceful scene before him.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Yeonjun? Hueningkai?”

Yeonjun raised his head, and Hueningkai turned around from the desk.

“You okay, Taehyun?” Hueningkai asked.

“The two of you have been really honest with me, by telling me you’re spies, so I thought I’d be honest with you.”

Hueningkai tilted his head. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. It’s fine.”

Taehyun shook his head. “No, no. I want to. To tell the truth, I’m still a bit reluctant about saying this, but… you’ve done so much to prove I can trust you, so there’s really no excuse for me to hide these sorts of things.” Taehyun took a deep breath, and looked at Yeonjun. “Yeonjun… ages ago, the first time you had dinner with me and Beomgyu – well, just me since Beomgyu wasn’t there – the thing you said about the Crown Handing? About it looking planned? The reason it looked like that was because… it was. It was all planned.”

Hueningkai set the wooden spoon down on the table, turning in his chair to look at Taehyun fully. Yeonjun pushed his hat further up from his face to see Taehyun better.

“The truth is, I knew Father would give the crown to Junghoon. Jiwon was too reckless, my sisters too ‘weak’... there’s no way he’d choose them. Junghoon would be too young, too naive to rule, but he'd be the only one he could choose. I knew that. The downside of this decision was that Lords and generals would immediately scheme to become his regent, and rule in his place. I couldn’t let that happen. And so, I turned to Beomgyu.”

“Woah woah woah, hold up,” Yeonjun interrupted. “Why not you?”

Taehyun bit his lip. “I’m not a Kang. I was adopted from the Jeo clan. I can’t rule.”

Hueningkai and Yeonjun exchanged sympathetic glances, and looked at Taehyun consolingly. “Oh, that must suck for you,” Hueningkai said.

“No, no. I’m actually pretty cool about it,” Taehyun said. He shrugged casually. “These past few months, I’ve seen what ruling is like, and I’m not sure I would have wanted to do it alone. If I’d been a Kang, I’m pretty sure I would have been the next King, and that would have been too stressful. Kang or not, it doesn’t really matter to me anymore.”

Yeonjun tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Wow. I’d have never guessed that. You behave like a true Jinju Kang. What’s your true ability then?”

“Foreign exchange,” Taehyun said. “I have no idea what the hell it means, but yeah.”

“Have you figured out how to use it yet?”

“I have no idea what it means, let alone how to use it,” Taehyun pointed out.

Yeonjun nodded. “Touché. Kinda sucks that it means you can’t rule, though.”

Hueningkai scoffed, crossing his arms. “The one good thing about Aruyeo is we don’t have a crown determining whose blood is ‘royal’ enough to rule. If the previous monarch deems them fit, then the predecessor can rule, regardless of status or royal blood.”

Taehyun gave a small smile. “I suppose…”

“But anyway, on with your story.”

“Right. So, Beomgyu. I decided he’d be my best bet if I wanted to protect the throne for Junghoon. He has faintly royal blood; he’d be able to handle the crown. The only thing is, he didn’t know he was becoming King. I… I tricked him. Because he hated me, and hated the court, there was no way he’d do it willingly, so I tricked him.”

“He hates you?” Yeonjun repeated.

Taehyun nodded miserably. “Yeah, he does. It’s understandable, too. I’ve hurt him a lot…” He lifted his head. “But anyway... I guess that’s it. He thought all he had to do was crown Junghoon. If he crowned Junghoon, then no Lord or general could technically become his regent, since with Junghoon officially crowned they couldn’t become King in his place. Though, they could become regent by force, but yeah. He thought that was what he’d do, and even signed a magical contract which bound him to me for a year and a day. Only, he became King instead.”

Taehyun cringed as he remembered Beomgyu’s furious eyes. “He was so mad. So, so mad. And so, in retaliation, he made me his vizier. The short and long of it was that I’d actually be the one to rule and take care of the goings-on while he acted as the image of a King. It was kind of his revenge. Though, I understand that too. I broke his trust in me.”

Yeonjun stared at him, open mouthed. “I… wow. I never would have guessed that. I assumed there was a little tension between you two, but never hate. When he talks about you… sure, he’s a little closed off about it, but he always starts with a bright smile on his face.”

Taehyun winced, filled with guilt. “He and I used to be best friends. Until something happened and… and we became enemies.”

Yeonjun didn’t say anything, too shocked by the sudden revealing from Taehyun. Hueningkai smiled at the vizier. “Thank you for telling us, Taehyun,” he said. “It means a lot to know you trust us enough to say this. Thank you.” He walked over, and patted Taehyun’s hand. “You know? I could help you figure out how to tap into your true ability, if you’d like?”

“I would. Thank you, Hueningkai.”

“Of course.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

A knock came on the door, and the three of them all looked at each other, confused. Suddenly, Yeonjun jumped out of his seat.

“Shit! Beomgyu said he was coming today to see Taehyun! Come on, Hueningkai, we need to go!”

Hueningkai stared at Yeonjun with wide eyes, then with a sudden sweep of his arms he swept everything off the desk into his big marble ball. Taehyun winced, expecting the big shattering of glass, but none sounded.

“Stay there!” Hueningkai said to Taehyun. “If Beomgyu asks, we’re not here. We’ll be going into my room for a few hours. Knock on the wall three times and we’ll come back, okay?”

With a confused nod of his head, Taehyun watched Hueningkai hustle Yeonjun through a hole in the wall.

“Bye!” Yeonjun’s head disappeared, leaving the tapestry to flutter down and cover the wall.

The knock came again.

“Come in!” Taehyun called.