#girl-reading2

[shanastoryteller]

Happy holidays! Dealers choice?

a continuation of 1

The young Lord de Bois returns with the same uptight lord as before and a young dark skinned man who’s grinning like this is the funniest thing he’s ever seen. They disappear into the blacksmith’s home along with several other men and Mrs. Cole, who’s husband’s been dead for thirty years and who apparently remembers a time two lords past when things were handled differently.

They don’t emerge for the rest of the day, candles bright in the cracks of the shutters to show that they’re working through the night. It’s almost noon the next morning when the village assembles to hear what’s been decided

Merlin still isn’t allowed to look, but he sneaks glances anyway. He wishes he could get a better look at Lord de Bois, but there are several people in his way, almost deliberately keeping him from view. He wonders what his mother promised them to get them to do that.

“My father,” Lord de Bois sighs, “has decided that if I’m old enough to complain about how things are handled then I’m old enough to handle them myself. Ealdor is now under my purview and authority, which means we’re going to have to turn a profit here if it kills me.”

Great. How does he expect to do that here? He might as well just execute people now if he’s planning on starving them slowly. He’d seemed to know better, before, but now that it’s his neck on the line he’s apparently a lot less sympathetic.

“And it might,” says a new voice, probably the dark skinned man Lord de Bois has brought along.

“Shut up, Elyan,” Lord de Bois says, just for a moment reminding Merlin that they’re nearly the same age. “We’ve worked up a new plan for mining for ore and replanting the fields – the soil’s exhausted and it’s all too far from the river. We’re going to have to set up an irrigation system as well.”

They know that. They’ve always known that. It’s just that there’s nothing to be done about when the time lost to start again would mean they lose out on a whole season of crops, since the ground is too cold to do much of anything in the winter and they don’t have the people do any of that and get food in and out of the ground.

There’s stirrings of discontent and it’s Will, of course, who shouts, “Who’s going to be doing all that? We need to eat ourselves, not waste time feeding you too!”

“You little,” hisses the lord from before and there’s again the sound of a sword being drawn.

“Enough, Gregory,” Lord se Bois snaps before addressing them. “Unfortunately, I am now required to put my money where my mouth is. I’ll be covering your taxes this year to the king and providing grain to make up for the lost food while we work out these changes. Your debt now is not to the king, but to me. I’ll be coming back frequently to check on your progress.”

Merlin pinches himself, sure he’s dreaming. Who does this? It’s crazy. It’s ridiculous.

It might actually work.

“You can’t just let them take and get nothing in return,” Gregory says angrily. “Don’t be stupid about this.”

“Too late for that,” Elyan says. “Why don’t you take someone to work at the castle? Their wages can be put to the town’s debt.”

Lord de Bois sighs. “Why would I take someone useful from here when I’m trying to get all this done?”

“Take someone useless, then,” Elyan suggests.

Oh no.

“Alright then. Who here is useless?” he calls out, clearly mocking.

Merlin’s ears burn as he feels the weight of far too many people’s gazes. It’s not his fault! His magic just makes things – complicated.

“Wow,” Lord de Bois says, laughter running through his voice. “Move aside then. Show me this useless person.”

His mother tenses at his side as people shift and then Merlin is staring down at a pair leather boots that are probably worth more than everything he’s ever touched combined.

“Who’re you, then?”

He’s not supposed to move or speak or look at anyone, but surely his mother can’t expect him to ignore a lord. “Merlin.”

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you, Merlin.” He snaps his head up and is immediately caught up in the brightest blue eyes he’s ever seen. “Are you useless?”

His face burns and he shrugs.

“He’s young, my lord,” his mother says carefully, and Merlin can’t help but feel guilty over the way her voice wavers.

Lord de Bois’s face softens. “You’re his mother, then?”

She dips into a curtsy. “Hunith, if it pleases my lord.”

“Hunith,” he says, “don’t worry. He’ll be fine at the castle. Being my servant isn’t that difficult.”

His what?

“Your servant?” Gregory sputters. “Every time your uncle assigns you one, you fire them for incompetence!”

“Well,” Lord de Bois says, “then he’ll at least be in good company.”

Elyan walks over and claps Merlin in the arm hard enough that he stumbles. “Good luck.”

Lord de Bois rolls his eyes and Merlin considers how his he should really be careful what he wishes for.

He’s going to get plenty of chances to look at Lord de Bois, apparently.

~

His mother lectures him over and over again about keeping his magic to himself, about how they’ll try and control him and abuse him and turn it into something terrible and dangerous if they know what he can do. He really can’t do much of anything, but he nods and agrees and lets her kiss his face.

They don’t have a horse to spare, so he rides with Elyan. Gregory takes the lead, angrily muttering to himself the whole time and Elyan leans over and whispers to Lord de Bois, “We could just make him walk back. He might run out of steam by then.”

“We’re not going to get that lucky,” he sighs.

The ride is shorter than Merlin had feared, which is good because he’s not used to riding. They enter the city just after nightfall and they pull the gates open as soon as they catch sigh of them. Several people brighten and wave when they see Elyan and Lord de Bois, although they duck away from Gregory.

There’s an actual castle. Merlin is being taken to a real castle. It feels fake and he’s walking inside one.

“ARTHUR!” a high pitched, childish voice yells out as the sound of small feet come running.

“Excuse me, my lord,” Gregory says, beating a hasty retreat.

“Is he running from a little girl?” Merlin asks, too surprised to keep silent like he’s supposed to.

“She doesn’t put up with him like we do,” Elyan answers.

What?

“Arthur! You’re back!” shouts a girl who can’t be older than six with brown eyes and curly brown hair.

Lord de Bois scoops her up in his arms. “I told you I would be.”

“You lie,” she says promptly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Merlin finds himself pinned by her narrowed eyes and understands Gregory a little better. “Who’s this?”

Lord de Bois – Arthur, apparently, since now there’s more than one Lord de Bois to keep track of – says, “This is Merlin. He’s going to be my servant. Merlin, this is my cousin, Amabel de Bois.”

Before Merlin can figure out how to greet a child lady, she says, “Hi Merlin. I’m a witch.”

Uh.

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Stop telling people that.” Merlin relaxes. “You’re going to be a sorceress, but only if you study very hard and listen to your mother. You don’t think she became a high priestess without listening to her tutors, do you?”

Merlin tries very hard to not make any sort of expression at all.

“Yes,” Amabel says promptly.

 Arthur makes a face. “Well, maybe, I wouldn’t put it past her, but you have to listen. You haven’t even stabbed any of them with a sword, I don’t know why you’re going through so many.”

“She lit the last one on fire,” Elyan says. “Honestly, between the two of you it’s a shock that any of them are willing to step foot in the castle.”

He shrugs. “Well, my aunt and uncle are very scary. Dad’s not, but that’s what he has them for.”

This is so much worse than he’d feared. Keeping his magic a secret among a bunch of nobles was going to be bad enough, but a high priestess? And a kid training to be a sorceress?

Merlin has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.

[emphasis-all-mine]

Hey, paper skin is amazing so a few questions: will we see more of Lance's family? Also what are their names?😁

Thank you!

We might not see much of Lance’s family outside of flashbacks, but we’ll eventually learn more about them and particularly his great-great grandmother.

As for names, I went with the canon sibling names but here’s the rest:

Valeria Hierro - MotherEsteban McClain - FatherMarco, Veronica & Luis - SiblingsAlessandra Hierro - GrandmotherKiara Hierro - Great GrandmotherIsobel “Izzy” Hierro - Great-Great Grandmother

[itsjules-here]

Ok I have to know who just sent me this. I’ve already accused @niceferatu and @girl-reading2 and they say it wasn’t them. The blog that submitted it has been deleted. Who sent me this??

[ineffable0husbands]

Queen lyrics: "Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one last chance?" This has so much angst potential

Warnings: Fighting, almost breakup, dysphoria, accidental misgendering, and mentions of transphobia

Ship(s): Newt/Anathema

Tag list: @adoratato @iamdevilantlysatan @bri-cas @that-gender-bender @scum-of-the-earth @pieces-of-annedrew @scampycat4999 @elrilsf @my-emo-child @always-reading2 @larrklopp @l-garnxtt @halbarryislife @ninjacatinsanitycrazy @impossiblynervouscycle e @audder17 @boredafsposts @i-really-dig-the-purple @mycrappylife01 @lostwolf-fandomlover r @hamiltrashphannerd @she-who-must-not-be-named @sundry-whovengerslocked @deceitfullyanxiousprince @booklover223 @twdlover03 @drunkinfandomstuff @catsarebestest t @sonic-spade @reprehensibleghost @to-dance-among-stars-in-dreams @afternoon-sunlight @danifandxm @oddpopsicle @rise-abxve e @shipping—hell

Anathema really didn’t want to do this. Newt was such a sweet thing, and he was so good to her, but this wasn’t the life that Anathema wanted. No matter what Agnes said, there was no way that this was the life she was destined to live. She wasn’t even attracted to men, for one, and she could never imagine herself taking a man’s last name. Newt did feel different, almost as if Anathema could love him, but she knew it was her loyalty to Agnes engrained inside her talking. The package addressed “Mr. and Mrs. Pulsifer” had greatly disturbed her. It seemed to bother Newt as well, so maybe this wouldn’t crash and burn quite like she thought it would. She turned out to be wrong.

“I don’t...I don’t understand,” Newt said shakily, setting down the plates in his hands so as not to drop them. “Did I do something wrong?” Anathema’s heart broke at the hurt in his voice, but she persevered.

“No, you haven’t done anything wrong. I just know that this isn’t going to work. I don’t love you, Newt. It’s impossible for me to.” Newt grimaced as if Anathema had just physically struck him. Anathema quickly hurried to fix what she’d said. “Not like that! You’re absolutely wonderful. I just...I don’t like men, that’s all-“

“You don’t?” Newt’s eyes were wide. “Really? You mean that?” He seemed...excited. Then his face fell. “You don’t see...trans women as men, do you? I wouldn’t think you’re that kind of person, but...” Anathema raised an eyebrow.

“No, they’re real women just like any other. Why? What has that got to do with anything?” Anathema asked, skeptical. Newt looked down at his hands, biting his lip nervously.

“I’m...because...” Newt stammered helplessly and his hands began to shake as his eyes welled up with tears. Anathema waited patiently. Newt’s aura was dark, and troubled. Whatever he was about to say was weighing a lot on his conscience. “Because I’m a girl!” Newt blurted. Anathema blinked.

“You...really?” She asked, surprised. Newt nodded and tears began to fall. Anathema’s face softened and she gently wiped the tears away from her partner’s face. “What’s your name, sweetheart? I don’t want to keep calling you the wrong one.”

“It’s Emma,” she said softly, a wide grin spreading across her face. She closed her eyes. “It feels so good to say that out loud...” Anathema smiled and wrapped her arms around her.

“Emma,” Anathema cooed, smoothing her hair and kissing her forehead. “It suits you.” Emma smiled bashfully and rested her head on Anathema’s shoulder.

“It doesn’t yet, not really...I still need to-“

“I know. And I’ll help you get where you need to be,” Anathema promised. “I’ll be here every step of the way.” The faint traces of love she felt before now swelled to an unimaginable size. It made sense now, why the prophecies regarding Newt were so obscure and vague. It was because he didn’t exist.

“Does that mean we can try again?” Emma asked timidly, that familiar shyness making Anathema’s heart flutter.

“Yes. Yes it does.”

[sunray-sunray]

Tag Game

First of all: thanks for tagging me, @nochillscientist! :)

Name: Teresa

Nickname(s): Kraxi (short form of my last Name)

Height: about 1,65 metres

Ethnicity: White, but I’d LOVE to know where my ancestors came from...

Favourite Fruits: Coconuts (does is Count as a fruit or as a nut? Hmm...), Kiwi fruit and oranges 

Favourite Season: winter and fall

Favourite books: “The Book Thief”,  “Practical Demonkeeping”

Favourite flower: Lillies, snowdrops, lilly of the valley and roses :)

Favourite animals: Koala Bears, Cats, Dogs, Hamsters, Chameleons, .....

Favourite beverage: water, sparkling water and orange Juice

Favourite characters: Really? That’s like asking a mother to choose her favourite child...

Number of pillows and blankets you sleep with: 2 blankets, 3 pillows

Dream trip: Travelling to old cities (like Rome, Athen, etc.), exploring the old town, visiting cathedrals and churches, the catacombs (if there are some)....climbing a tower to see the city from above...Reading about olf myths and legends about the city..Relaxing with a friend or alone and just having a good time :3

Number of Followers: 278 on this blog here

Song you’re listening to right now: Nothing, but in my head I can still hear the song “Ich träum groß” from a Musical called “Schikaneder”

TAGGING: @girl-reading2 @darkshadow91 @celtic-poetry @turnitdownsometimes @wrantingwriter @utterlyoutoffocus @fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment

[skylarrikin]

(Tagged by @harlemmixtape​)

Name: Sean. 
Nickname: Seen, Sally, Vietcong (long story). Zodiac sign: Gemini. 
Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff. Height: 5′7 (I think). 
Orientation: I say that I’m asexual and demi-heteroromantic, but honestly it’s still a mystery my guy. Ethnicity: European. Favorite fruit: Bananas, though strawberries are a close second. Favorite season: Winter, though Spring is also nice. Favorite book series: If I could only pick one, I’d pick the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Favorite fictional characters: Lucatiel of Mirrah (Dark Souls II), Pidge Gunderson (Voltron: Legendary Defender), Thel ‘Vadam (Halo), Tali’Zorah vas Normandy (Mass Effect), Jasnah Kholin (Stormlight Archives), Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant), etc... Favorite flower: Don’t have one, actually. Favorite scents: Petrichor,  
burning wood. Favorite color: Gold, royal purple, malachite green. 
Favorite animal: Tardigrades, mantis shrimp, turtles, tortoises.  
Favorite artist/band: Two Steps from Hell, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Cat Empire, Darren Hanlon, Marty O’Donnell, Mike Salvatori, etc... Coffee, tea or hot cocoa?: Cocoa, though I don’t dislike tea. 
Average sleep: 8 hours, but it can be as low as 7 and as high as 9. Number of blankets I sleep with: One during cold weather, none otherwise. Dream trip: I’d like to visit Kyoto and Tell el-Amarna. 
Last thing you googled: Tell el-Amarna... 
How many blogs I follow: Last count is at 1,075... I should really unfollow some... Number of followers: 412, but I imagine most are porn bots. 
What I usually post about: I mostly just reblog stuff :/ Do I get asks regularly?: What year is it? Please send help. What is your aes: Reading/writing/playing games in a house while listening to music and while it rains. Alright, @crystaltoa, @mybluerose94, @myresin, @how-about-i-just, @hackerperidot, and @girl-reading2! Answer these questions, then pick up to 20 people you want to know better and let’em have it!

[bohacowa]

Happy Birthday! 🎂 Enjoy!

Bless you, thank you! xx

[knightswhosayfanfic-blog]

girl-reading2 started following you

Hello! Thank you for the follow!

[knightswhosay-blog]

girl-reading2 started following you

Hello! Welcome!

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Candlenights!!! More Percy and Hera or Spirited Away??

Becoming a Dragon Bride would have been easier, of course. There are enough myths about them that she could go through the motions, and it wouldn’t be easy exactly, but it’s happened enough times that the spirit world would follow the familiar pattern. She could do what others have done and get what they got. 

But that’s not what she wants. She didn’t get a business degree to end up as a possession rather than the possessor. 

When all is said and done, Chihiro sits in the office that used to be Yubaba’s, the names of everyone who stood against her kept under lock and key in her bottom left drawer. She’s never planning on giving them back. 

Haku is known as the Human’s Husband. 

[shanastoryteller]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you have an awesome day /week! Howl's moving castle or Mulan pretty please?

They tell takes of the Great Mushu who eats girls’ hearts. When she finds him, desperate for a cure for her ailing father, she’s unimpressed. “You’re a lizard!” she accuses. 

He flicks his tongue out at her. “I’m cursed, is what I am! Break the curse keeping me trapped like this, and I’ll heal your father.”

[itsjules-here]

Messages I send to my beta . . . ahjdsahkfad

New Good Omens fic coming soon I guess

@girl-reading2

[itsjules-here]

messages I send my beta @girl-reading2

[itsjules-here]

Wrote a fun story with @girl-reading2 after the latest episode, it was meant to be crack but then I made it angsty, sorrynotsorry.